Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The increase will still mean the number of gardaí is significantly fewer than the number who served in the Garda traffic corps in 2010. In 2009-10, as many as 1,000 people served in the traffic corps but there is now only 700 serving. A 10% increase will mean an additional 70 gardaí, which means a gap of 220. The lead up to Christmas showed an enhanced presence in terms of the number of checkpoints. Anyone who travelled around their constituencies would have seen a huge, noticeable and visible increase in the Garda presence on roads. The Minister must fight harder with his Cabinet colleague to ensure that we return to the number of personnel who worked in the traffic corps in 2009-10. The level of car usage on our roads has returned to the 2009 level and exceeded same. The 10% increase is welcome but we need a greater traffic corps presence on our roads.

I wish to ask some questions on the Road Safety Authority. How many board vacancies remain? Is there a skills deficit and relevant expertise missing from the board from the point of view of good governance, policy formation and policy implementation?

The level of pedantic correspondence between the Minister and the chair of the RSA was reported in the Irish Independent. It was regrettable and took away from the serious policy issue to reduce the number of fatalities. I found it quite alarming that the Minister had time to correct the spellings and grammar in a report. He should have been more concerned with policy. For example, how many of the 144 proposals in the road safety plan have been implemented and have yet to be implemented? Such matters would have been more in line with the correspondence than correcting spelling mistakes.