Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)

The way forward would be for the RSA to appoint independent companies to do contract work on its behalf, including road work analysis and auditing. I would not expect the authority to take on more staff. However, the key point is that 33% of deaths on the roads are due to poor road surfaces and bad signage.

The issue concerning the Health and Safety Authority is an important one. The authority is involved because of the work done by people employed there. The budgets of many counties do not permit all necessary works to be undertaken in line with new standards. More investment is required to provide for better roadworks, better management and, in particular, an independent auditing system.

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