Quote:
Ireland will not agree to the mandatory opening of domestic rail to privatisation “under any circumstances”, Minister for Transport Paschal Donohoe has said.
Mr Donohoe told Sinn Féin transport spokesman Dessie Ellis that Ireland and a number of other European Union countries have “fundamental concerns” about the proposed EU reforms to open the market to privatisation.
The Minister said he had met the Commissioner in Brussels a fortnight ago “and pointed to the difficulties posed to the Irish rail sector and indicated that Ireland could not agree to mandatory opening under any circumstances”.
Mr Donohoe said: “I believe we will find a solution that will not pose risks to the Irish rail sector.”
|
Quote:
|
Mr Ellis said the Minister should write off Irish Rail’s €150 million losses in the past seven years and “we should not place demands on the rail network to meet its debts”.
|
While I'm a person who feels there should be no freebies given, if for example it was written off would us the customer benefit in anyway, in terms of IE having additional money to spend in improvements.
Having it on the books can be a good tool when in discussions with unions all the same.
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/polit...ster-1.2363998