CIÉ refuses to attend committee

THE BOARDS of CIÉ and Iarnród Éireann have refused to appear before the Oireachtas Committee on Transport.

In response the committee, which said it wants to discuss a range of issues from safety considerations to accounting, yesterday unanimously resolved to ask the Dáil to allow it to compel witnesses to attend.

The resolution, proposed by Fine Gael Senator Shane Ross, came after committee chairman Frank Fahey told members a written request to “the boards and non-executive directors” of both Iarnród Éireann and its parent company CIÉ to appear before it on June 2nd, had been turned down.

This request had been made on April 21st after a committee meeting attended by CIÉ chairman Dr John Lynch, at which Mr Ross complained he was not getting information he required from Dr Lynch.

Yesterday, Mr Ross said he believed the boards and their non executive directors had not been given information on corporate procurement issues, gleaned by consultants Baker Tilly. The Baker Tilly report into procurement irregularities had been commissioned by Iarnród Éireann at a cost of €500,000 and had initially identified discrepancies amounting to more than €8 million. This was later reduced to less than €3 million, the Senator said.

Mr Ross said the committee should also ask Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey to appear before it to comment on the issues.

Senator John Ellis (FF) said he believed recent legal advice that witnesses had absolute privilege in terms of defamation in what they said in evidence, could give rise to difficulties for the committee.

The committee unanimously agreed to seek new powers to compel witnesses to attend. The request will now go to the Oireachtas Committee on Procedure and Privilege.