WRITTEN QUESTION E-0614/99

by Patricia McKenna (V) to the Commission

(12 March 1999)

Subject: European funding of Irish railways

The European Commission has channelled millions of pounds over the past years into the Irish railway company, Iarnrod Eireann, through the Cohesion and European Regional Development funds.

Despite this, a recent report for the Irish Government by International Risk Management Services explicitly criticised the lack of a safety culture in Iarnrod Eireann as a serious threat to passengers and staff.

Given this situation, and the fact that the safety principle is enshrined in the Community's transport policy, what is the Commission's reason for not having investigated the ways in which the Irish Government has been spending European money on its railway network, to ensure that funds have not been misdirected into projects which do not address safety concerns?

Answer given by Mrs Wulf-Mathies on behalf of the Commission

(26 April 1999)

The mainline rail development programme outlined in the Irish operational programme (OP) for transport (1994-1999) recognises that much of the track and signalling infrastructure on the network is obsolete and that the majority of the locomotive fleet is life-expired. Community assistance for rail projects in Ireland has therefore been targeted specifically on addressing safety concerns.

Focusing on the key corridors radiating from Dublin, provision has been made under the Cohesion fund for track renewal and signalling, and under the European regional development fund (ERDF) assistance has been provided towards new rolling stock. Furthermore, following decommitment of [fmxeuro] 150 million from the LUAS light rail project, [fmxeuro] 85 million was specifically reallocated towards improvements in the rail network. This included actions such as mainline rail track renewal, improvements in Dublin suburban rail and DART services, as well as platform lengthening to accommodate longer trains, all of which will help ease overcrowding and improve the safety standard of the Irish railways.

The Honourable Member may be assured that the Commission is actively involved in monitoring how European funds are spent in Ireland. The Community support framework (CSF) monitoring committee monitors structural fund spending at OP and sub-programme level, and through the transport OP monitoring committee progress is monitored at measure level. Likewise, implementation of Cohesion fund projects is monitored through the Cohesion fund monitoring committee. Through the ongoing monitoring of the above committees, all of which meet on a bi-annual basis, it has been ensured that Community resources have been directed towards the intended projects, which have contributed to improved safety on the Irish rail network.

While there is undoubtedly much work remaining, it should be noted that following the International risk management services report, the Irish authorities have recently announced their intention to commit significant resources over the next five year period towards improving rail safety standards. Furthermore, the Commission expects that further resources will be allocated towards tackling this issue during the next programming period.