Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)

The Minister said any fair assessment would show progress is being made. The only valid way of assessing road safety is by examining the figures, and the figures are going in the wrong direction. The numbers of fatalities and serious injuries are increasing. That is the only yardstick we can use. More lives are being lost, therefore, and the performance across a range of areas is not acceptable and is inadequate. That is why we need a new system in place.

Regarding the Minister's proposal on learner drivers, I have said from the outset that his projections are way off the mark. The additional 45,000 tests will do little to solve the problem. The Minister talked about the backlog of 130,000. There is a current waiting list of 130,000. In addition there is a backlog of 270,000 people driving around with provisional licences, who do not apply for a test. This is the true figure. The Minister will not make serious inroads with the meagre resources he has provided. The Minister rightly stated that all the complaints about the backlog come from people who want to get their tests completed as quickly as possible. It is for their sakes that we should end the system whereby a driver need never take a test. Some people apply for a test for the sake of renewing a provisional licence and then cancel.

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