Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I, too, thank the Minister and his staff for all the information that has been passed to us and the way it has been handed over. It has made my job far easier. While we might disagree on small points, generally, this is a welcome Bill. It has hit many areas that have not been hit before, which is important. Ultimately, it is all about safety. The year thus far has started off rather badly in that regard. The RSA has referred to many problems with Garda cutbacks and problems with traffic, in particular the monitoring of speeding and so on.

I lost a friend in Mayo over Christmas. It struck home how bad it can be and the number of accidents we have had. Overall, in recent years, given all the measures that have been put in place, there has been great improvement. I have no wish to see us going backwards. Some of these measures not only address personal safety but the safety of vehicles, which is a major part of the problem we have with safety. It is not only a question of the person who is driving, it is a question of the vehicle as well as other factors, including the proper testing of vehicles to ensure we have the highest standards. A great deal of good work has been done here and I thank everyone for that.

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