John O'Mahony (Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank all the people who have presented here. Obviously, what they have done is presented the matters that are issues for them from a road safety point of view. Having listened to them, there seems to be conflict between the various groups. I might provoke a little bit of that. The representatives of the agricultural contractors have stated that there was no consultation on many of the changes that have been introduced, which is unfair.

Have the agricultural contractors had any engagement with the RSA or the bodies since? Did they get a good hearing or are the changes a fait accompli? I refer back to the tractors on the motorways and the Garda interpretation for the contractors. Is it illegal for drive on the hard shoulder to allow traffic to go by? That is absolutely crazy if that is how the law is being implemented. I have heard conflicting reports on whether it is acceptable to drive on the hard shoulder to allow traffic to pass. It is important for us to clarify that because it seems like a solution.

What do the agricultural contractors think of the road hauliers saying that they should be banned from motorways? I can see both points of view. We need to arrive at a consensus that would be safe.

Mr. Harry Lee made an interesting presentation. A "Prime Time" programme in the past year highlighted the issue of cars that were death traps being put back on the road. Would his proposals eliminate that? Is the issue solvable? One would imagine that there would be a paper trail to show this, but obviously that is not the case.