John Paul Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)

I am glad to have the opportunity to make a contribution on this Bill and welcome the provisions it contains, although I will highlight some aspects that concern me. I echo Deputy Paudie Coffey's sentiments. I like Deputy Michael Healy-Rae who, unfortunately, has left the Chamber, but I have rarely heard such a bizarre contribution since entering the Dáil. I readily accept that there has been a great reduction in staffing levels in local authorities, particularly outdoor staff who deal with the road network across the country, and I would like to see more people employed in that area. Nevertheless, the notion that we retain staff previously employed in inspection centres for commercial vehicle road testing beggars belief.

The Deputy also made some strange veiled references to some of the road safety legislation introduced in the past few years and argued that it was having a negative impact in rural communities. The reality is that the statistics speak for themselves; there has been a dramatic reduction in the number of fatalities and serious accidents on the roads. That has not come about by accident; there has been a concerted effort to change attitudes among the general public and excellent work done by the Road Safety Authority and other stakeholders. I commend those involved for the change in attitude that has occurred in recent years, during which there has been a noticeable improvement in road safety. I welcome any measure that will see 200 more people alive at the end of the year; there are 200 fewer fatalities a year on the road now than there were ten years ago. Measures and legislation that have such a dramatic and positive impact have to be welcomed.

I echo Deputy Paudie Coffey's views on the introduction of the new plastic driving licence, which will brings us into line with existing European legislation. It will come into effect across the European Union within the next two years. I wonder if it will contain more information than in the current format. We live in an age when everybody has cards for everything and there are personal identification numbers for this, that and the other. There is a strong argument to be made that the driving licence should contain other useful information; in addition to a picture of the driver, it might contain the PPS number and almost act as an identification card. This may not be possible at the introduction stage, but there is a strong argument to be made for this to happen over time.

Unlike Deputy Michael Healy-Rae, following a couple of very serious and tragic bus accidents, resulting in significant loss of life, I see a need to examine the licensing of testing centres for commercial vehicles and a requirement to introduce uniform standards across the country. That is why consultants are being engaged. Unlike the Deputy, I see it as perfectly reasonable to expect that if a vehicle is tested in Kilkenny, it should be subject to the same standards of testing as if tested in Carlow. Within most counties there are several test centres and it is essential that the same standards apply across the board. That is partly what was identified in the report. This legislation is positive in that regard.

I raise with the Minister of State a point brought to my attention on the test centres which are private operations. A number of such centres are operated by family haulage companies or small businesses and there is concern that people may invest significant amounts in upgrading facilities, with no guarantee that they will retain the licence to test in the future. A guarantee cannot be given, as a centre may not be up to standard. I seek reassurance for those who have borrowed, in many instances to invest in a facility which is state of the art. If they meet the required standards into the future, these family businesses should not be forced into a position where they will lose the licence because of other vagaries of the system. This could have serious detrimental consequences for those involved in the sector.

I would like to raise a number of other issues with the Minister of State. A consistent bugbear of mine and of many other Members for years is the issue of speed limits. I heard a radio report about the introduction of a more uniform pattern to such limits across the country. A uniform system of vehicle testing is being introduced and despite the fact that more than 40 local authorities propose speed limits in their areas, there needs to be uniformity in how they are implemented. There are obvious and famous examples on major roads. I live on the outskirts of Waterford city near the dual carriageway that links Waterford with New Ross and Limerick. The speed limit on this dual carriageway is 50 km/h whereas the speed limit on the road on which I grew up five miles away which has grass growing on the middle of it is 80 km/h. That is a ridiculous case, of which every Member has examples, and that should not be allowed to continue.

I echo Deputy Coffey's comments regarding the need for service facilities to be provided on motorways. I also use the M9 to travel to Dublin. It has been a great and welcome development, which has shortened journey times and dramatically improved connectivity between the south east and our capital city. However, it was short sighted in the extreme not to make provision for service facilities when the motorway was designed. The same applies to other motorway routes. These facilities would be operated by private operators and, therefore, the Exchequer would not incur significant expense. It should be ensured that such facilities are provided as a matter of priority.

We do not have enough outdoor local authority staff to maintain roads but significant local road improvements should be carried out privately leaving these staff the task of maintaining the standard of the roads and ensuring the huge investment made in them is worthwhile. That is not the case currently. Good work is done and, as soon as torrential rain arrives, it is washed away. A change can be made in that regard.

Hauliers are under significant pressure. Last week, a Private Members' Bill on fuel costs was debated in the House. It is ironic and hypocritical that a party that was in a government that increased excise on fuel in its final two budgets would come along a year later and seek an overnight reduction with a straight face. The Minister for Finance is the main man in this area but it is imperative that something be done urgently for those who use fuel commercially, perhaps in the form of a rebate. The Exchequer is losing significant revenue because of hauliers and others buying fuel abroad and the illegal washing of fuel, which is sold in many locations. This phenomenon used to be reserved for the Border area but washed fuel is sold all over the country nowadays. A small change to provide for a fuel rebate could have positive impact on the Exchequer because of the revenue being lost currently. People who want to obey the law would very much welcome such a rebate.

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