Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Bill and share Deputy Buttimer's concerns about the rush involved. However, I welcome the fact that the Minister is committed to introducing a much wider road transport Bill next year. I will address a few matters concerning that later.

Given the importance of trade and the transportation of goods across Europe towards making that trading area work, it is surprising that we are only now introducing these directives across the European dUnion. It looks relatively simple but we have a fantastic record in this country of making simple things complicated when we implement them, particularly European directives. I hope that in implementing this, we will not add serious business costs to a sector that is already struggling for its very survival, as is the case with many haulage companies.

There is nothing to object to in the conditions which basically amount to relevant housekeeping. As many Deputies have said, there is no doubt that in this area, HGV drivers in particular tend to give an example to those of us with smaller vehicles. They also provide an example to public service organisations drivers who can learn from them how to handle large vehicles in an urban context. On an island nation the haulage sector is absolutely essential for getting our goods to other markets. It is the basis on which our export trade is beginning to flourish and is leading the country out of its current economic situation.

Hauliers are under huge pressure, however, and feel increasingly that there is nowhere for them to turn. We have a greater preponderance of international operators coming in and using their international might to drive local operators out of the market. We have a cost regime that, because we are an island nation and also owing to regulation, is much higher than international operators are paying in other jurisdictions. It now seems that we are proposing to add 2% to fuel costs, in addition to adding to the cost of employees by changing sick pay rules. In addition, hauliers are utterly frustrated by the bureaucracy they face, and that feeling is shared across Europe. If these regulations are not properly implemented, the situation may become worse.

The introduction of this Bill gives us a chance to reflect on the transformation of road transport and road safety in recent years. In 2010, there were 212 road deaths, which is 212 too many. Last Sunday, ceremonies were widely held to remember those who lost their lives on the roads. We remember all of them. That figure, however, is a huge decrease in terms of where we were four or five years ago. The Road Safety Authority team, led by Mr. Noel Brett, and the chairman, Mr. Gay Byrne, deserve tribute for doing a great job in this area. It is not the easiest job because they are challenging decades of driver behaviour. In addition, they are challenging a driving culture which did not necessarily put safety first. It is not that it ignored it, but it did not regard it as an issue. The RSA has tackled that successfully in the past few years. In conjunction with local authority road safety officers, they have managed an education programme with robust legislation to change driver behaviour and attitudes in order that safety is now very much on people's agenda.

There is no doubt that the improvement in our road stock is another positive addition, although much work remains to be done on that. The greatest change, however, is in driver behaviour. People now know that if they break the law by committing a motoring offence they will be caught. There are no ifs, buts or maybes about this.

I heard some criticism earlier of Iarnród Éireann's management of freight, which is an issue I have raised before. It is not just Iarnród Éireann but the power of the State's transport monopoly and the manner in which it has choked private bus operators in particular. However, I must also defend Irish Rail. I am from Ballina which has one of the biggest freight depots in the country, in addition to being the location for the RSA's headquarters. The Minister visited Ballina during the summer when he saw the freight depot from the RSA offices. Irish Rail has been able to develop that depot in response to demand from local enterprise and multinationals. They met that response and have changed routes to bring produce directly into Dublin Port instead of Waterford where it went previously. They have also offered options to the various operators in Mayo who are now using rail to transport their goods from Ballina to various ports.

The issue of cost is an ongoing challenge. In this instance, however, it shows what can be done when heads are knocked together in the semi-State sector to put them in partnership with the multinational sector to offer a service. We would all rather that the service was cheaper but there are services there now that were not even envisaged six or seven years ago. I wish to put that on the record in the context of criticisms that were made.

The Minister is committed to bringing in another road transport Bill next year, which is how we will move on and get that figure of 212 road deaths down further. We must get it into our heads that road safety is a vital issue. A split second can, literally, change our lives forever in a road accident if we take our eye off the road when driving any type of vehicle.

The Minister should examine the situation where somebody breaks the law, thus causing a fatality, by either driving under the influence or speeding. Such drivers may be arrested and put on remand until their case is heard but in the interim they can drive around without restriction. It is very difficult for the families of road accident victims to see that happening. We have strengthened the law and have tightened up regulations, but in the forthcoming legislation we should consider the victims and their families, and how we can give them some legal standing and recognition of the pain they are going through.

I agree with Sinn Féin's proposals on the restrictions on prisoners. There might be an argument to be made for those convicted of serious motoring offences, or even sexual offences, being so restricted. However, for political prisoners or prisoners on relatively minor offences to be so restricted harks back to a different era. It also raises the matter of spent convictions. Legislation is waiting to proceed to Committee Stage and the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Shatter, has promised to bring his version of it to the House. While there is a debate going on in the House concerning spent convictions for relatively minor offences, it is wrong to continue bringing legislation forward which restricts licences for those who have such convictions. I certainly agree with the amendment that will be proposed by Sinn Féin tomorrow.

I welcome the legislation but regret that it is being rushed. That is not good and I hope that in this Oireachtas we will learn from past mistakes. It is only a precursor to what the Minister has indicated will be major legislation for road transport next year. I hope that in that debate we can challenge ourselves as a State on fatalities and behaviour on roads throughout the country.

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