Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)

I wish to comment on the Government's strategy and its impact on road safety. The target in the Government's Road Safety Strategy 2004-2006 was to reduce road deaths to no more than 300 per year by 2006. However, it failed in that objective because sadly, 368 people died that year. While that constitutes 368 more fatalities than were needed, it was also 68 greater than the Government's target. The policy has failed and the Government's targets were not reached.

I wish to respond to some of the points made last night by the Minister for Transport, Deputy Noel Dempsey. There are many uses of statistics and he made much of the fact there are far more cars on the road at present than was the case heretofore. I consulted the EUROSTAT report on the number of cars in four countries between 1990 and 2000, namely, Luxembourg, Portugal, France and Ireland. In those years, Luxembourg experienced an increase in car numbers of 63%. However, it has reduced its road fatalities by 48% since 2001 and has a ratio of 559 cars per 1,000 people. Portugal witnessed a massive increase of 135% in the number of cars, has reduced its road fatalities by 42% and has a ratio of 572 cars per 1,000 people. While France experienced a smaller increase in car numbers of 26%, it has reduced its road fatality rate by 42%.

With respect to the Road Safety Authority and other bodies, the critical issue is that while car numbers in Ireland have increased by a massive 99% during the period under review, our road deaths have only fallen by 11% between 2001 and 2006. Notwithstanding the efforts made, the excellence of the Road Safety Authority, the work of the Garda and everyone else, Ireland is well behind and the job is not being done properly.

I accept that Ireland lacks a national road safety strategy. Although the process of producing such a strategy was ordered last October, it has not yet arrived in the House.

I intend to deal quickly with a number of other issues. The Ceann Comhairle will inform me when one minute remains to me.

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