Today the board of CIE meets to make a decision to close by stealth a number of rail freight lines and, as a consequence, a number of rail passenger lines throughout the country. The consequence of this decision will be to force thousands of extra trucks onto overcrowded and inadequate roads. It is bad regional policy, bad rail policy, bad freight policy, bad road safety policy and bad governance, which is compounded by the fact that the strategic rail review has not yet been published. Will the Taoiseach ask the Minister for Transport to instruct the CIE board not to make such a decision until the strategic rail review has been published and the House has had a chance to discuss it in order that we can give our views on the future of rail policy at a time when the pleasure has gone out of driving because roads are congested and on road safety as the Government by stealth will force thousands of extra trucks onto overcrowded and dangerous roads?

I do not want to interfere with the decision of a semi-State body as that would be entirely inappropriate—

It is contrary to Government policy.

—but Deputy Kenny is correct that the board of CIE will consider the future of rail freight at its meeting today in the wake of the IFI closure, in particular. The Minister for Transport expects to hear the outcome of those deliberations shortly thereafter to enable consideration of the future strategic direction of the rail sector in the light of the board's analysis of the situation and the strategic rail review.

On a point of order—

There cannot be a point of order during leaders' questions.

—the Minister for Transport told us he had given an instruction that no decision would be made until the strategic review was published. Is that not the case?

The Deputy has no right to intervene at this stage. It is Deputy Kenny's question.

In reply to the second part of Deputy Kenny's question, the Minister for Transport has engaged consultants, Booz-Allen & Hamilton, an international rail consultancy firm, to undertake a major strategic review of Irish railways, of which the purpose is to provide the Government with a basis for establishing a strategic policy framework for the future development of the rail sector over the next two decades. It will embrace both rail freight and passenger services; address urban, commuter and inter-regional rail services, and examine the long-term rail requirements of the country as a whole in the light of emerging spatial planning and regional development policies. The review is due to be completed by the end of this year.

The conclusion, in reply to the first part of Deputy Kenny's question, is that whatever decision is made today will hold until the completion of that work. Whatever decision is made will go to the Minister and no action will be taken. He will complete the review by his consultants, Booz-Allen & Hamilton, and take into account what has been said by the board. However, there will be one total decision which will not be influenced by anything that happens today.

The position is that today the board of CIE will make a decision to close the rail freight section of its business. That means it will be closed before the end of the month and, therefore, before the strategic review is published. It also means less maintenance will be required on the lines affected and that this is a closure by stealth. The solution put forward by the Minister for Transport, who is not present, is to charge citizens to drive into this city, which makes a mockery of good governance, a good spatial strategy and good regional development planning. Hundreds of thousands of people would use the rail service if it was modern, efficient and professional. However, following the board's decision today, the rail freight division will be closed before the strategic review is published. If CIE decides to cease the rail freight service on a number of lines today, will the Government reverse the decision in the light of what emerges in the strategic review when published?

I will not interfere with a State board's right to make a decision, particularly one on which worker-directors sit, but whatever decision is made, it will not be enacted in any form until the strategic rail review is completed. The decision holds until that is examined by the Minister.

The worker-directors are fundamentally opposed to it.

Correct.