Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

To be clear, I do not believe there is any issue with the strategy or the body of legislation in place. I can only look to the words of the Minister's expert, the chairman of the Road Safety Authority, Gay Byrne, who recently stated reducing the number of deaths on Irish roads was "unravelling before our eyes." In an interview with the Irish Independent on 12 December he blamed the increase in the number of deaths on the roads on the decline in funding to the Garda Síochána and creeping complacency among road users. He labelled 2013 as a "bad year" in recognition of the figures the Minister outlined. I put it to the Minister that the chairman of the Road Safety Authority is saying there is a serious issue in this regard which he is attributing to the lack of enforcement by the Garda. Gardaí will say they are doing the best they can with the resources available to them. Is it time for the Minister to enter more intensive discussions with the Minister for Justice and Equality to ensure the necessary resources will be provided for the Garda to allow us to reverse the trend?

See this speech in context