Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank all the witnesses for their opening presentations and statements. I am sure we are all in agreement that road safety has been a matter of great concern among the public lately, especially given the startling increase in the number of road deaths among young people and the life-shattering injuries that some have endured. There is clearly a need to re-evaluate and reinforce measures to curb the current trends. I am delighted to see each of the key stakeholders before the committee for a productive discussion on where we go with this.

I will focus first on the allocation of resources within An Garda Síochána and concerns arising from the decease since 2019 in the number of members of the road policing unit, despite the rising number of fatalities. Will the assistant commissioner explain why there has been a reduction in the strength of the road traffic unit?