Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)

I move amendment No. 23:

In page 16, between lines 9 and 10, to insert the following:

"(7) As soon as practicable after the passing of this Act the Minister shall make regulations applying section 9 to random testing of saliva to ascertain whether persons in charge of mechanically propelled vehicles are under the influence of illegal drugs.".

I appeal to the Minister to provide whatever resources are required to introduce a reasonable test for drug driving. On Committee Stage he said this would need another Bill but, in recent years, the states of Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales in Australia introduced a saliva test, which enables testing for cannabis, MDMA and related drugs.

We are making a major amendment to drink driving legislation but there is a great deal of evidence that drug driving is also a serious problem. A CSO survey in July 2009 highlighted an 81% drug driving increase on the previous year and the Medical Bureau of Road Safety's figures show the number of specimens tested for the presence of a drug increased from 569 in 2004 to 747 in 2008, 879 in 2006, 1,555 in 2007 and 1,900 in 2008. I do not have to hand the 2009 figure but I am sure it increased. Aviva carried out a study in 2008 which showed that more than 20% of drivers under the age of 35 had driven while under the influence of drugs. It is a significant problem and many people have been considering the issue over the past year or two following a number of tragedies.

The Minister said there were problems with the European Union in this regard but some of our European partners have begun programmes of drug testing. A saliva test is used in Australia. I wonder why the Minister is not moving on this and, therefore, why he will not accept the amendment.

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