It would not be "proper" to transfer rail freight to the road when attempts are being made to reduce road usage, the Minister for Public Enterprise, Ms O'Rourke told the Dβil, Marie O'Halloran reports. "It is the Government point of view, without taking a formal decision, that it would be better to transport goods as far as possible by rail rather than road".
Ms O'Rourke said Iarnr≤d ╔ireann had lost £6.4 million on its freight division and was drawing up a business plan. However, she told Fine Gael's public enterprise spokesman, Mr Jim Higgins, that she had no intention of proposing the company cut its freight staff from 600 to 300.The Government subsidy to CI╔ had doubled from £103 to £200 million since she came into office.
"Obviously you want a company to be businesslike in its dealings. It's not a black hole in which you pour £200 million of a subsidy".