Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)

This follows on in a more expansive way from Deputy Crowe's amendment. We discussed this matter on Committee Stage and obviously we want to keep the legislative framework as flexible as possible in terms of regulating in-vehicle communications systems. The Deputy is correct in saying that the ever-increasing use of technology is expanding daily. I note that one will soon be able to watch television on mobile phone. There are all sorts of questions about who will license them from some of the pay-per-view channels and so on. It is a serious issue. As stated on Committee Stage if I start to go down the road in primary legislation of identifying issues, a range of other issues would have to be added. Including it in a broadly based way where we have set the scene in terms of the use of hand-held mobile phones and allow for regulation to deal with a range of other issues more than covers the matter. Amendment No. 6 deals with the same issue.

Deputy Crowe referred to activities such as people shaving, drinking coffee, applying make-up, eating sandwiches or reading the newspaper. The list is endless. We have made the right start. The most overt and obvious danger in a car is the hand-held phone. Some would say that smoking cigarettes in a car is another issue. As a smoker, I am concerned about that one. There is a range of issues but we must start somewhere and I think we have made the right start. There will be a gathering up of all kinds of in-car technologies into the future. We are in the right frame and the strong advice to me is to keep it flexible.

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