Shane McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)

In respect of our question, I am a bit like a dog with a bone, as the Minister knows. If I had not seen the recommendation that the blood alcohol limit be lowered from 80 mg to 50 mg given to the Government in a document on 17 May 2007 by the Road Safety Authority, only to find it omitted when we went into our briefing, I would not be that dog with a bone.

It is in everyone's interest. The Minister and everyone here knows that if the level is reduced from 80 mg to 50 mg, we will reduce road deaths by 20%. By delaying it until 2009, 120 people will die on our roads.

As road safety spokesperson for Fine Gael, I have said that I will never play politics with my position but somebody has played politics with that position on the Minister's side. We got the gist of it on the day of our briefing when we were told about the effects it would have on rural life. Why was this not implemented on the same day as something that could not have been implemented? Now it will be implemented after the local elections in 2009. It could have been done based on the recommendations of 17 May. Why was that not done? It is terrible and it makes a mockery of the Road Safety Authority and the whole idea of saving lives. Only two other countries have not reduced the limit from 80 mg to 50 mg. It is not in my or any other rural Deputy's interest to say this but our young people have said it quite clearly in the poll that was carried out. Young people want it so why did the Minister not act on the recommendations of the Road Safety Authority?

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