Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Just under €1 million. That is as it should be.

There is passion around this and people are very concerned about it. We need to reset the dial because when I started driving, just over 600 a year were being killed on the roads and there was probably one tenth of the number of cars on the road, driving at half the speed. There was a particular reason for that at the time but we have moved away from that. Cars are moving faster now and there have been some particular issues raised here this morning. One, which may seem like a small one, is in relation to trucks. The mirrors are a real issues regarding road safety because truck drivers are being pushed out onto the wrong side of the road. There is a simple solution. Local authorities will have to enforce this. Under the roads legislation, the local authority can serve a notice on the landowner to cut the outside of the hedgerows, so that they do not break mirrors. If they are breaking mirrors, the truck drivers are forced to keep out or they complete the journey with only one mirror on the lorry. That is not satisfactory. Those mirrors are expensive. Most importantly, it creates a hazard in terms of road safety.

The witnesses can come back with the medical advice on the seventies. The Department has heard it loud and clear here. If there is anything that has to be done by elected members, we should know about it. That really needs to be dealt with.

I thank the witnesses for the evidence provided. I thank the staff of the Road Safety Authority and the Department who attended today and provided a lot of information. I thank the Comptroller and Auditor General, Mr. McCarthy, and Ms Somers and the staff for their assistance.

Is it agreed that the clerk to the committee will seek any follow-up information and carry out any agreed actions arising from the meeting? Agreed. Is it also agreed that we note and publish the opening statements and briefing provided for today's meeting? Agreed. I wish the RSA and the Department well in their work.

The committee will suspend until 1.45 p.m., when we will resume in public session to address correspondence and any other business. Go raibh míle maith agaibh.