Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

On 23 November last year I asked if the Taoiseach would take personal responsibility for the Government action in dealing with the carnage on our roads. In 2003, 335 people lost their lives on Irish roads. In 2004 the figure was 370 and in 2005 the figure was 399. The roads are littered with monuments to tragic accidents and lost lives. So far this year, 29 people have lost their lives in road accidents.

In the national road safety strategy, the Government quite rightly set out a series of targets. The problem is that those targets have not been achieved and cannot be achieved when they are not underpinned by the policies and resources necessary to achieve them. The record in this area is littered with broken promises. The Taoiseach will recall the Government's solemn promise made in 1998 to roll out speed cameras nationally within two years. Seven years later, only three out of 20 speed cameras are operational at any one time in the greater Dublin area. The Taoiseach will also recall that 69 penalty point procedures were to be introduced by the end of 2003, and two years later, only four of those have been introduced.

The Minister for Transport, who is absent, has repeatedly promised a road traffic Bill to deal with the issue of random breath testing and to enable the deployment of more speed cameras. However, the Taoiseach's programme for legislation, announced today, shows no such legislation in preparation. While it is obvious to everybody that driving behaviour is down to each individual, if a lackadaisical approach is taken to this matter and if individuals assume or perceive they can drive in excess of the speed limit, in excess of the alcohol limit and following drug substance abuse in many cases, they will do so.

The record of the Government in dealing with the carnage on the roads has been a dismal failure. The Government has failed on every promise it made, despite quite rightly setting out specific targets under the road safety strategy. Given that the Minister for Transport has failed utterly to deal with this issue, is the Taoiseach prepared to take personal charge to drive the matter from his office to see that real improvements and progress can be made, which hopefully will allow the targets set out in the national road strategy to be achieved and tragic and unfortunate road deaths reduced?

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