Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I have a question that is somewhat related. In the context of the questions raised by Deputy Coffey about the equipment, he is probably referring to the same television programme I had intended to mention in which former employees alleged that procedures were not complied with. The assistant commissioner will be familiar with that. I am curious to know about the technical aspects in the context of the GoSafe operation and how they impact on potential prosecutions.

GoSafe is not the only speed detection system in operation. The Garda operates its own speed detection systems, and I have always been curious about how that works. There is an eight mile stretch of road where I live in County Leitrim between Drumshanbo and Carrick-on-Shannon on which GoSafe vans operate on a regular basis. Sadly, they are located where fatalities occurred; I assume that is the reason they are in those locations. It is probably one of the safest roads in the country at this stage because not only are the GoSafe vans in operation on it but the local gardaí operate unmarked speed detection vans also. That leads me to the query Deputy Coffey raised. There is a public perception that there is an element of sneaky entrapment going on in that these vans and cars are unmarked. I do not wish to detract in any way from the serious nature of what the gardaí are doing because it is all about saving lives, but is there a revenue generating element to that? Are there brownie points for gardaí who detect speeders, separate from the GoSafe operation? It is probably an urban myth but it might be useful to clarify that it is about speed detection and not gathering revenue for the sake of it. There is an old saying about pork in a barrel, and there have been a number of incidents of that around the country. The most famous example is the Stillorgan bypass on which I was caught driving over the speed limit on one occasion on my way to attend a vote in this House, only to discover when I got here that a vote had not been called; I was caught on the double in that regard. Those are the generalities of the questions.