Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I apologise for being late but I was doing an interview on the budget. The Minister has set our his priorities in his speech. However, taken in conjunction with the proposals in the Budget Statement it will be difficult for him to achieve these objectives. In effect the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport has taken a cut this year. Would the cut have been greater had the Minister attended the Transport Council meeting? I believe he made the correct decision to stay at home and try to fight the case for his Department.

In the course of his speech, referring to infrastructure the Minister states, "A significant gap still exists between the funding allocation for land transport and the funding levels required to maintain the existing system in adequate condition". I have raised my concern about this with the Minister and his predecessor on a number of occasions. When we see the limited amount of information that emanates from the Budget Statement as it relates to the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, it is clear that further saving must be made in terms of road maintenance and under other headings, including Tourism Ireland and the Road Safety Authority. The Minister will not be surprised that among the e-mails I received yesterday, one was from Tourism Ireland complimenting the Government on the budget. I wonder if the person who sent it was aware that Tourism Ireland was in line for a cut in funding from the State. Perhaps not.

In the past number of years we have developed policy on road safety on a cross-party basis and this has been done to a large extent without the normal political rancour. I want to continue to do that but it would be remiss of me not to identify that there appears to be an upward trend in road accidents in the past two years. I remained silent on it last year because one cannot take the figures for a month or a number of months out of sequence, but it is a recurring issue. It appears to be a problem and any reduction in the spending on road safety is a real issue. I caution against that, particularly at the level of the Road Safety Authority.

Turning to return to the comments made by the chairman of the RSA and the previous chief executive, the issue has probably greater significance in terms of enforcement. In this regard perhaps I have missed something in the Vote for the Department of Justice and Equality, but if I have I will be happy to correct the record. I am deeply concerned about the increase in the number of deaths and injuries on the road. If something serious is not done to address it, we have a problem. The strategy has worked to date because the appropriate investment was put in place in the detection and enforcement side. The eye has been taken off the ball because of the cuts in budgets, in particular the Garda budget. These are the two issues I am most concerned about.

The State is unable to meet the funding requirements that are necessary to maintain our roads, never mind to plan for the roads that a growing economy will need. What is often forgotten in the rush to spend the spoils of a minor level of recovery is the fact that one still needs to plan for the future. With 4.7% growth this year and 3.9% projected for next year, activity on our roads and in the public transport system generally will increase. Our strategy is ill-equipped to address this. In whatever time the Minister has left in his Ministry, I would like to see a clear plan of action that is, to some extent, measured or regulated in tandem with growth rates. If he can set out that plan and achieve funding, he will receive any support I can give.