Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)

I dtús báire, ba mhaith liom comhghairdeas a ghabháil leis an Aire, an Teachta Varadkar, a bhfuair jab nua le déanaí. Is mian liom tacaíocht a thabhairt don Bhille seo. Sílim go bhfuil sé an-mhaith ar fad. I welcome the Minister and look forward to meeting with him on a regular basis. I welcome this Bill on behalf of my party despite some issues which I will discuss later and which I hope the Minister will take on board. I intend to table amendments on later Stages.

I commend such bodies as PARC Road Safety Group, Alcohol Action Ireland and the Road Safety Authority on their tireless efforts in forcing the Government and the general public to take action on an issue which has touched every person on this island in some way. Sinn Féin supports mandatory roadside breath testing, as this Bill proposes albeit at the current higher blood alcohol rate. Great strides have been made in dealing with road accidents and drink driving, with the number of road deaths steadily reducing year on year. This year's figures are particularly disappointing in that context but it is to be hoped that they are a statistical variation and that the number for the year as a whole will show a reduction on last year. The measures in this Bill should have a positive effect on those figures.

The link between alcohol and narcotics use and road deaths is recognised internationally as a major concern. The European Commission estimates that at least a quarter of road deaths can be attributed to alcohol. The World health Organisation, WHO, estimates the role of alcohol in road deaths to be even greater. Too many crashes and deaths on our roads are alcohol related and therefore avoidable. The introduction and enforcement of randomised breath testing in July 2006 led to an immediate decrease in the number of road deaths as well as a reduction in the number of hospital admissions resulting from road crashes. In the first six months after the introduction of random breath testing, provisional data show there was a 10% reduction in hospital admissions following road crashes compared with the corresponding six months in the previous year. In 2006 the Garda made 17,868 arrests for driving while intoxicated, an increase of 34% on the figure for 2005.

It is unacceptable that it has taken this long to get the ball rolling and enact these laws, which all parties in the House support. Every effort should have been made to ensure evidential breath testing equipment was made available instead of having to wait until September 2011 for that to be done. I have a concern regarding subsection 2(1), paragraphs (a) (b) and (c), of the Bill. There is some confusion around this subsection, as PARC Road Safety Group has pointed out. These paragraphs should be separated by the word "or". This little word makes all the difference and I ask the Minister to take this on board.

There are other issues, such as the lack of a definition of "prejudicial to the health of the person". We need a clear definition of what this means. How is a garda to ascertain whether to conduct a breath test would be "prejudicial to the health of a person" or not? This reference, without a clear definition, places an undue burden on the gardaí yet again; under the present law they have to "form an opinion" before testing. We have seen the consequences of such a burden, with 92% of surviving drivers in fatal collisions not being tested for alcohol in the years 2003 to 2005, the latest available statistics. Is it really feasible or right for a garda to be making any decision about health without consulting a medic? I ask the Minister to examine this important point.

There are no proposals in this Bill to deal with the issue of "drug driving". Incidents of drug driving are on the rise, with research showing that it could be as serious a problem as drink driving. Research conducted by the Road Safety Authority states that as many as 22% of 17 to 34 year olds admitted they were a passenger in a car driven by someone under the influence of drugs. This is a serious problem and I ask the Minister to address this as a priority.

Another point that must be made relates to investment in public transport. In Dublin, our bus services have been on the receiving end of seemingly unending cutbacks which have meant huge curtailment of routes. We must get our public transport services in order as a priority; this will also pay dividends in advancing road safety. Rural transport has also seen serious cuts over the past couple of years, which could lead to a fall in safety standards. The Government should make investment in public transport services as a priority. We have one of the lowest State subsidies in public transport in the European Union, an issue that must be looked at.

Transportation of waste materials on the roads is another issue. The Minister should examine the idea of applying penalty points for vehicles that do this. I have been pressing for this for many years because it would have a deterrent effect on those who are illegally dumping.

The Government should explore the idea of a widespread public education campaign to accurately inform drivers of the effects of alcohol and drugs and how long it takes before a person can safely drive a vehicle after consumption. It should promote a culture of intoxicant-free driving. This campaign should be implemented in schools as well as in the general community, in the media and wherever alcohol is sold.

We need preventative education and good strong laws to challenge the widespread culture of impaired driving, but these are not enough on their own. It must also become socially unacceptable to drive while impaired. We therefore must develop a widespread "counter-culture" of designated or intoxicant-free driving. Young people in particular have a leadership role to play in this regard, although older people also have a responsibility to lead by example.

There have been serious incidents lately with speed cameras and vans being attacked and burnt out. This must be carefully considered and I share the Minister's concerns about that.

I welcome this Bill. It is overdue and I will be proposing amendments on Committee Stage to deal with some of the issues I have mentioned.

See this speech in context