Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)

The House might note in particular that section 4(4)(b) addresses the core functions of the promotion of road safety in general and the education of road users. The wording proposed for that paragraph reflects provisions contained in the establishment order for the National Safety Council whose remit will pass to the road safety authority.

I intend to revoke that establishment order formally through the exercise of my powers under the Local Government Services (Corporate Bodies) Act. Therefore, while I appreciate the overall thrust of the amendments proposed by Deputies Olivia Mitchell and Shortall, the outcomes they seek are already being addressed in this area. We discussed this on Committee Stage. The registration of vehicles is a matter for the Revenue Commissioners and it is not appropriate that it should be a function of the road safety authority.

Under section 60 of the Finance Act 1993, as amended, data on the ownership of vehicles in the national driver file is a matter for the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. Section 4 of the Bill provides for the transfer of functions to the road safety authority covering the driving test, registration of driving instructors, driver education and the promotion of road safety for the sake of clarity.

See this speech in context