Marc MacSharry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I hear Ms Murdock but with the best will in the world, there was nothing in the 46 pages that said that TRL thought the RSA should do "X". TRL set out what happens in the US and Belgium, the case studies, the 40 pieces of literature it reviewed and its recommendations. I do not think there is anything in the recommendations that was not in my Bill and I only read this in recent days. Ironically, TRL was set up to be the road safety authority in the UK in 1933. It is famous for the bouncing bomb and the Disney bomb and for developing armour in World War II. I know it is a big consultancy firm and that it was privatised in 1996. I also know that was done so it could get funding from the private sector and that it is controlled and operated by 80 sectoral people. My view on the report is that there is nothing in it that we could not have done ourselves. Far from it being an RSA or departmental problem, it is a national culture where we throw good money after bad for fear of having to make a decision and the need for plausible deniability whereby we can say that independent research said something and that, therefore, a certain course of action should be taken. I am cut from the type of cloth where I prefer to back myself. Give me the advice and I will make the decision, get on with it and save as much money as I can. Rant over, but I think it is a valid point.