Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill. Some excellent speeches have been made by Deputies on Second Stage. I hope the Minister and his colleagues will take some of the positive ideas and suggestions proposed by various speakers into account when they are formulating future policy. I welcome any measure aimed at reducing the number of deaths and injuries on our nation's roads. It is shocking to think there were over 600 road deaths per annum in some years in the 1970s. There were over 400 road deaths per annum in the earlier part of the last decade. As Deputy Doyle mentioned, the figure has dropped considerably to closer to 200 in recent years. I agree with the Deputy that every road death is one too many. In ten years time, I hope we can look back in shock at the fact that there were approximately 200 road deaths in each of 2010 and 2011 as the number will have reduced substantially in the interim. I welcome many of the measures included in this Bill. Anything that will reduce the incidence of death and serious injury on our roads is very welcome.

I suggest that in the run-up to the next finance Bill, the Minister should reflect on the application of vehicle registration tax to optional extra safety equipment in new cars. It is surprising and perhaps shocking that increased vehicle registration tax is applied if a person wants to install additional safety equipment, such as side air bags or an anti-lock braking system, when he or she is buying a new car. Given that such optional equipment has the potential to save lives, it should not be more expensive than necessary. Surely the State should not tax important equipment that has been proven to save lives. Perhaps that can be considered in the context of the finance Bill. I know this is a very difficult economic time, but we need to ask whether we can put a price on human lives. It would be easy to rectify this anomaly in the finance Bill. It should be considered because it could represent the difference between life and death for a number of individuals in the future.

I mentioned that many positive contributions to this debate have been made in recent days. As a rural Deputy, I must mention the difficulties that are being experienced by people living in the countryside. Rural publicans, in particular, are the big losers from the tightening of the drink driving laws. Rural dwellers who were used to a certain way of life have also lost out because life has become much more difficult for those whose social lives depended on being able to drive to the pub, have one or two pints and go home. We need to balance the measures we are implementing with measures that will make it easier for rural dwellers to maintain some social contact with their neighbours and friends. Many Deputies have mentioned that we need to work in tandem with rural publicans to find a solution that allows people to socialise in the traditional manner. As many rural shops and post offices have closed in recent years, the rural pub is one of the final outlets for rural people who wish to socialise. I know many elderly people whose only contact with other people is when they go to the pub for a pint at night. The Bill will make that impossible for them without the support of taxis or other form of transport. People cannot get taxis or hackneys in many rural communities and, therefore, the publicans need to be subsidised and helped in this regard.

There is a good argument for this as publicans contribute hugely to the economy, including to the Exchequer through VAT, rates, income tax and employer's PRSI, as well as providing a social outlet for people who would otherwise suffer from isolation. There should be measures such as tax breaks for publicans and, as Deputy Mulherin suggested, we need to consider the area of rates. We need to work with the publicans. I would like to see a concentrated approach towards ensuring people in rural areas will be able to go to and from the pub legally and avoid social isolation. This is very important and should be a focus of Government for the future.

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