Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

The Ceann Comhairle's predecessor used to extend a loquacious céad míle fáilte to all visitors from abroad in his own unique style.

One of the characteristics of the Government, now in its ninth year, has been consistently to break its promises. I want to ask the Taoiseach about road safety and the carnage on our roads. Does he recall the promise he made in 1998 to roll out speed cameras nationally within two years? Does he accept that seven years later only three cameras in 20 locations in the greater Dublin area are in operation at any one time? Does he recall the Government's commitment to have 69 penalty points offences in operation by the end of 2003? Does he realise that two years later, only three penalty points offences have been enacted? Does he accept that on average only one garda in major stations is trained in the use of breathalyser equipment?

The result of that failure is that road deaths continue to occur at a terrifyingly high level. This year 352 people have been killed on our roads, which is 21 more than at this time last year. I accept that behaviour on the roads is the responsibility of individuals. However, individual temperament is conditioned by a perception of whether they might get away with it. The National Safety Council has appealed to the Government to introduce random breath testing in an attempt to curb road deaths and speeding while under the influence of alcohol.

In the past week the Minister for Transport has pointed to legal difficulties with this proposal. In the same week the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, who continually amends the criminal law, said that he had no difficulty with random drug testing for prisoners. Can the Taoiseach explain why the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform can say it is possible to introduce random drug testing without any difficulty and the Minister for Transport can say there are legal difficulties with introducing random breath testing?

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