Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)

I agree with the Deputy that one death on our roads is one death too many. His figure of approximately 3,000 deaths on the roads since the turn of the millennium is reasonably accurate. However, if we had not taken the actions that we did take, the death toll would, on the basis of the figures for 1999 and 2000, have been 4,000. I agree with the Deputy that it is hugely important to maintain our focus on road safety, on saving lives, etc. While some 3,000 lives have been lost, some 1,000 have been saved. In addition, countless numbers of others who might have been injured were not hurt. That is an extremely important point.

The roll-out of speed cameras is a matter for the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. However, I assure the Deputy that work on rolling out these cameras is ongoing and has not been abandoned.

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