John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)

I compliment Deputy Cassidy on his chairmanship of the committee of which I was a member in 1997 during my first term in the Dáil. I realise the valuable work undertaken by the committee and the impact it has in encouraging new legislation that will help those seeking licenses and insurance as well as the business sector. This legislation is also to be welcomed.

The issue raised by the Deputy regarding insurance is one on which the committee has worked extremely hard. I am aware of the work it does and continues to do and it is yielding results. Fleet insurance is beginning to shown signs of decreasing, in some cases by up to 20%, provided one fulfils certain employer obligations. I confess my interest in this regard. It is essential that the committee continues to highlight problems within the insurance industry, maintains pressure with regard to the need for change in legislation and ensures that insurance companies are answerable to the committee and appear to have a role in the context of their dealings with fleet and individual insurance and the way in which standards are set and maintained. I commend Deputy Cassidy on his work in this regard.

Deputy Finian McGrath spoke about the school bus system. I express my sympathies to all concerned in the tragic accident. Much can be learned from that event and we must learn as we go along. The school bus fleet leaves much to be desired in terms of safety and the average age of vehicles. We must examine best practice in other countries and immediately apply it here. If investment is needed, which it undoubtedly is, then the State should not fall short in making the money available to the operators or those involved in ensuring the safe transport of children from home to school. Whatever is required to attain that level of safety, whether it is carers or seatbelts, should be provided and adhered to. I encourage the Minister of State to pass on the message of this debate to the relevant Minister. There is unanimity in the House in terms of what needs to be done with the school bus service.

The service also needs to be modernised and made more flexible in the context of the families who will occasionally require it. Too much bureaucracy is attached to the implementation of school bus routes in this country and there is too little application of common sense with regard to the route and standards which need to be adhered to. I join Deputy Finian McGrath in asking for action in this area sooner rather than later. Money should not stop the modernisation of the school bus fleet.

When discussing the legislation, we must also highlight the need for special funds for urban areas. Too many local authorities, county and borough councils and corporations must deal with the increase of planning applications, the construction of new roads and the implementation of safety measures within a very confined budget. At the same time, they must provide the necessary road signage, which is currently deplorable. It is very difficult to follow road signs, of which there is a lack in certain areas. It is unhelpful to tourists and to those who cautiously move along the roads and motorways, looking for exits and points of destination. I would encourage greater investment in general signposting and the proper mapping out of urban centres in terms of signage, as well as safety and cautionary signs. Little funding is made available to local authorities in this regard. We must recognise the shortcomings of road networking in urban centres and provide funding. People drive on these roads, subject to the signs, and this also applies to those sitting tests.

The country has experienced considerable growth in prosperity and each household now has two or three cars. Public transport is very poor in rural Ireland in terms of connectivity with urban centres and inter-urban routes. It needs to be developed and this slow process is being embarked upon. However, it should be delivered with greater efficiency.

Young people need other forms of transport and many are queuing up to take their driving test. Many rely on it to get a job and employers are often forced to supply the would-be driver with a letter stating that they have a job subject to passing the test.

It highlights the frustration, particularly of young people seeking employment, and of many others who are relying on a system which is creaking under pressure to deliver tests.

The legislation is timely. I hope it has an efficient passage through this House and that the parts of the Bill aimed at delivering driving tests to those that are waiting on the list — Deputy Cassidy gave a figure of 370,000 — will result in such people getting their tests earlier, from people who are qualified and who understand what is required on our roads and motorways. The waiting times in some areas, particularly in Carlow-Kilkenny, are simply unacceptable. The fact that in some cases and on some days people have to travel from Dublin to Kilkenny to carry out those tests is also an indication of how the system is creaking and in need of reform.

Having looked at the waiting lists that exist and the number of accidents occurring on our roads, there is a need for testers to be fully qualified and up-to-speed with changes in terms of European standards and what is required on Irish roads. There is also a need for concentration relating to the instruction being undertaken by those waiting on the lists. I know many young people who are anxious to have some off-road learning, to have a site, perhaps a private one, available to them where they could begin their driving instruction at a cost effective and affordable price. Their future employment prospects rely on the cost being affordable. Otherwise, we will find more and more people taking a chance, going out on the roads uninsured and without a licence. There are far too many uninsured people and some have no licence either. We need to understand why they are there, rather than simply going after them and catching them, ensure they are brought back within the system, are encouraged by an affordable testing system to take instruction and a test and qualify and obtain the appropriate insurance. Unfortunately, as the Joint Committee on Enterprise and Small Business, chaired by Deputy Cassidy, has highlighted time and again, the type of insurance required is simply out of reach of many people, particularly the young.

In the context of the provisions of this Bill, I am glad that under section 9 it will be open to the authority to engage in the publication and production of materials relating to the promotion of better driving standards. I am told by those that provide driving instruction that they have to go to the United Kingdom to get the most up-to-date information on signage and instruction for those taking a test or driving on public roads. The Irish equivalent of such information is simply non-existent or else is so out of date that it is not relevant. A number of Irish driving instructors have been purchasing material from the authorities in the United Kingdom and adapting it to Irish needs and the standards that are set here.

Likewise, under section 12, I am glad the numbers appointed to the board of the authority will be not less than six and not more than 11. Those appointed to the board should have a relevance to the authority and should have certain qualifications to assist them in serving on the board. That is very relevant in the context of road safety, quality of instructors and so on. Perhaps the bodies that represent driving instructors or the consumer should be represented on the board of the authority.

I have argued on many pieces of legislation about accountability to this House. I am pleased that under section 27 there is an obligation on the board that is appointed to account to the Comptroller and Auditor General. Far too often in legislation passed in this House we have ignored the responsibility we have, as legislators to take the financial accounts of the bodies that we appoint, to peruse them, comment on and analyse them and to make recommendations. As vice-chairman of the Committee of Public Accounts, I am glad to say we are taking a far more rigorous view of bodies and are ensuring straight talking regarding those bodies, or quangos, that are accountable to the House. On a regular basis we invite such entities to appear before us and ensure they answer the appropriate questions, including those put to members of the committee by the general public. This is a good example of legislation that includes provisions which recognise the need for greater accountability in the context of how we do our business as legislators.

There is a need to look at the heavy goods vehicles and how they are licensed. I am glad the Minister for Transport in his recent communications — he has many of them relating to Members of the House — has outlined the agreement he has made with the Irish Road Haulage Association. I know he has had many meetings with that organisation, that various issues of relevance were discussed and agreements were reached. I see the association having a major role to play with regard to safety on our roads. I know sites are being looked at in the context of providing instruction and testing for heavy goods vehicles and I hope that Kilkenny will be a real player in that regard. There is a need to ensure counties outside those with the main cities have a role to play in the context of instruction and testing for heavy goods vehicles.

We have seen many reports, on "Prime Time" and elsewhere, on the road haulage area. I came from that industry and was a driver of a heavy goods vehicle in my earlier life. Drivers of such vehicles can contribute both positively and negatively but with a small amount of work with their representative body, they could have an enormously positive contribution to make. I urge the Minister to continue his work with that body to ensure we have a greater degree of safety relative to the type of vehicles that are on the road and the type of testing that is conducted. The ongoing participation of the representative body, either with the new authority or directly with the Minister, is absolutely essential.

The National Car Test has concerned me for quite some time, particularly the length of time it takes to organise a test, as is also the case with the tests for heavy goods vehicles. We should get to a point with this legislation and the conduct of our business with both the private motorists and haulage companies where we are able to deliver a test almost immediately with no waiting time. It was brought to my attention recently that taxis often have to wait an unreasonable length of time to have even a new vehicle tested. That is very unfair and should be dealt with immediately. The cost for the yearly test for a taxi is unacceptably high. Taxi drivers are delivering a service and trying to make ends meet but the regulation and the bureaucracy that surrounds the system has grown to a point where it is inefficient and not cost effective. It needs to be adjusted to take account of the demands of the marketplace.

If we are making changes in this area, we should begin by showing the Irish Road Haulage Association and the taxi drivers' representative bodies that we are serious about our business, understand their difficulties and are able to adjust the system to create one that is more efficient, cost effective and will address their problems. That is a challenge for the Minister and if he rises to it and works at it he will achieve a lot for all of those involved in the industry, resulting in a greater awareness of safety and of the positive contribution road hauliers and taxi drivers can make in the context of making our roads safe and the industry more efficient.

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