Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I would like to make two fundamental points. Just before I do so, I would like to raise what concerns me most as a person who makes the six-hour round trip from Cork to Dublin and back most weeks, with one leg on a Tuesday and the other on a Thursday. The number of people who use a mobile phone when driving, be it in traffic or going down the motorway at 100 km/h or 120 km/h, is scary. So many modern cars are fitted with technology that means people do not have to do this, but the number of people you see whizzing past while on the phone or fiddling around with something is very concerning. I have seen people using iPads while driving down the motorway. It is crazy stuff. It is quite difficult to police and create a deterrent because gardaí cannot be everywhere. What concerns me is the decreasing number in the Garda traffic corps over the past few years. We are trying to train more gardaí and the Minister for Justice is following up on this but we really need to fill as many of the vacant posts as quickly as possible and get back to the numbers we need.

I am also concerned about drink and drug driving. Drug driving is becoming increasingly common, which is very concerning. It is good to see the Garda actively policing this.

Let me raise my two fundamental issues. I agree with Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan on the condition of our roads, particularly in Cork, where Cork County Council is still waiting for the Department to respond in respect of damage suffered under Storm Babet. It is now three or four months after the event and we need to get the money required. The road conditions in many places in my park of Cork, and east Cork in particular, are treacherous, with sinkholes and bridges that are still damaged.

I was teaching for 12 years before I came here. Many schools in which I taught provided a driver theory test and driving lessons for transition year students. This was very welcome in the schools in question but many schools at the time were not as proactive. Maybe the Minister of State should focus on this.

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