Pat Gallagher (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)

I thank Deputy Broughan for raising this matter and for giving me an opportunity to respond on behalf of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, who unfortunately is unable to be present.

I assure the Deputy that the Minister and I share his concern and that of the public in general about the unacceptable level of fatalities and serious injuries on our roads. At the same time, we should not lose sight of the fact that significant progress is being made. I believe that has been acknowledged. The Road Safety Authority recently published the Road Collision Factbook 2006. It notes that over the last decade the death rate, as measured against the number of vehicles on the road, has more than halved. In 1996, the fatality rate per million registered vehicles was 338. By 2006, the rate had fallen to 159 per million registered vehicles. Road users are twice as safe now compared to ten years ago. I spent time in the Department of Transport. I accept one life is too many to lose and this reduction is no solace for the many families who have lost their loved ones in accidents.

Looking at the overall figures, the trend in fatal traffic collisions has been favourable for the past three years. The number has decreased from 396 in 2005 to 365 in 2006 and 338 last year. These figures represent a reduction of 8%, followed by a reduction of 7%, year-on-year. The figure for last year is the second lowest in the past ten years. When the level of road deaths is measured against our overall population, Ireland's rate in 2006, the latest year for which international comparative information is available, moved us up to 12th out of the then EU 25. We cannot and will not become complacent over these statistics, as even one death or injury on our roads is too much.

The Departments and agencies responsible for road safety are tackling rigorously driver behaviour such as speeding in the context of the Road Safety Strategy 2007-2012. In particular, the Garda Síochána continues to focus its enforcement activity on the main causes of death and serious injury on our roads, which include speeding, along with drink driving and non-wearing of seatbelts. The Garda policing plan for 2008 aims to increase by 10% in the course of the year detection of speeding, driving while intoxicated and also road transport offences. In 2007, there were approximately 200,000 speeding detections, giving an average detection rate per month of approximately 16,500.

At the request of the then Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the Garda established the Garda traffic corps in 2004, with a supporting command structure, equipment and resources. The traffic corps ensures the necessary enforcement capacity to achieve increased compliance with road traffic law. The increase in the personnel strength of the traffic corps, which will reach its planned level of 1,200 by the end of this year, is enabling this continuing increase in enforcement activity to take place. The Deputy referred to this matter.

Detailed analysis by the Garda Síochána of collision data is under way to identify locations and times where the greatest tendency for speed-related collisions occur. Speed enforcement will be prioritised on a risk assessment basis on such locations and at such times. The public will continue to be made aware of roads which have been identified as having a propensity for speed-related collisions, including through the Garda website. Enforcement will, therefore, be on the basis of preventing death and serious injury, and drivers will be given the opportunity to modify their driving behaviour by being informed of where blackspots, and consequently Garda enforcement activity, are located.

A number of projects are under way to replace and upgrade equipment available to the Garda. The current GATSO speed detection equipment will soon be replaced by modern equipment with increased capacity. In addition, arrangements are being made to make available to the Garda state-of-the-art automated number plate recognition technology. This will give the force the ability to detect vehicles which are stolen, untaxed or otherwise brought to the attention of the Garda, in addition to being able to detect speeding drivers. The Garda will therefore not only gain improved intelligence on persons known to them, be able to deny the use of the roads to criminals and detect drivers who do not pay their motor tax, but they will also have enhanced traffic law enforcement capabilities, including the detection of speeding.

With regard to outsourcing the provision and operation of safety cameras to a service provider, following the drawing up of a shortlist and the issue of a request for tender to the market, tenders were received and evaluated. As a result of this process issues have arisen because, as the Minister informed the House recently, costs involved would be substantially higher than had been estimated when the matter was considered previously by Government. In light of these issues, the Minister intends to bring proposals before his colleagues in Government shortly taking into account issues of value for money and the commitment to reduce speeding on our roads in the context of the road safety strategy. Obviously, the Minister cannot pre-empt the outcome of the Government's consideration of these proposals. Equally, it is unwise for anyone to jump to speculative conclusions about decisions that remain to be taken. What there can be no doubt about is that saving lives through making our roads safer, including through taking effective, efficient and targeted measures to reduce speeding, will remain an absolute Government priority.

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