James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)

I welcome the Government U-turn on this matter. Where it follows policies that will improve road safety, health or other areas, Fine Gael will support it. It is interesting to note that the Minister for Transport spoke in June about Garda discretion in roadside testing and did not propose to alter the position.

Road deaths have risen by 35% in the past two months, with 371 drink driving incidents between 1 and 7 October. Fine Gael attempted to introduce compulsory alcohol testing in the Roads Bill 2007 but that was rejected by the Government. Some of the arguments offered were that tests might cause a delay in treatment but that was never going to be the case. Road deaths have been reduced in France by 10.9% and in Portugal by 42%. This Government has talked tough for some time but it is not fulfilling its promises or taking action.

North Dublin has seen its population increase by 22% with the number of cars and car usage rising accordingly. Alcohol consumption at home has increased, with more people buying alcohol in off licences, supermarkets and garages. We must drive home the message that alcohol and driving will not be tolerated in our society. If a serious accident or incident occurs, there must be repercussions and prosecution in the event of the driver having consumed alcohol and being over the limit. There can be no ambiguity in this regard, particularly when the consequences are increased numbers of fatalities on our roads.

As a GP I have unfortunately seen the harsh reality of families robbed of loved ones due to alcohol-related road traffic accidents. Why was the Government so reluctant to introduce this road safety measure? Does it have anything to do with the shortage of gardaí and the Government doubting the force's ability to enforce compulsory alcohol testing as a result of it not providing the necessary manpower? Despite the huge increase in population in north Dublin, the number of gardaí has not increased.

Besides the human cost in terms of suffering as a result of road traffic accidents, countless millions are lost in compensation, insurance costs and the use of hospital resources. Any measure that will reduce the number and seriousness of accidents is welcome.

It was mentioned that it will take six months to introduce this legislation. The only silver lining to that cloud is that it will afford the Minister the opportunity to introduce drug screening at the scene of accidents also. There are strips available and it is unacceptable to say this is technically not possible. I have personally used these kits in my work in an institution in north Dublin. While such tests do not quantify the amount of drugs in one's system, they detect their presence. That alone will render a driver's actions illegal. The fear that one can be caught and will be detected is a major deterrent in the same way as the Christmas campaigns run by the Garda Síochána keep many people off the road who would otherwise drink and drive. All that is required is the political will and the resources to achieve such an objective.

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