Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)

I also welcome the downward trend in fatalities and injuries on the roads. However, the number of people and their families who suffer is still astonishing and a grave problem. Approximately three to five years ago, we heard from the brother of the Minister of State, the former Taoiseach, that a fixed network of 6,000 hours of speed cameras at 600 locations would be put in place. Five years later we still do not have this.

We have heard about the tendering process, six bidders, a preferred bidder and that negotiations will take place. I know the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform is responsible for the deployment of speed cameras. However, I understand the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform has signed up to cuts of at least 3% in 2009. Some people suggest these will be cuts of up to 10%. Will these include the speed camera network?

Last week the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy Dermot Ahern, made a big play of the launch of the new GATSO vans. However, this is a tiny network of eight vans for the entire country. We know from international experience, such as that of the state of Victoria in Australia which is approximately the size of our country, that every vehicle must be checked at least once every two months. The Victorian authorities in Melbourne have the ambition of checking 60% of the vehicles in the state every month. It seems we are nowhere near this while Denmark, where the number of road fatalities had been declining but which suddenly increased, responded vigorously.

I am informed by the Road Safety Authority that the Danish model is one we should adopt as soon as possible. It is a dismal prospect that we seem to be postponing the deployment of speed cameras when we know that speed kills. Speed is directly or indirectly responsible for 40% or 50% of accidents. Perhaps it is a problem in every collision and crash. We have seen this from international experience. It is time the Minister for Transport or the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform stopped shilly-shallying on this and deployed the cameras. Let us really reduce the horrendous casualty rates.

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