Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Independent) | Oireachtas source

To date this year, 127 people have lost their lives on the roads and many hundreds more families have been traumatised by serious injuries. When I was transport spokesperson, it was calculated that each fatality cost our nation €2 million plus. It is a costly and terrible situation in terms of the personal pain of those individuals and families. Therefore, why does the Government not get the requisite number of young barristers and solicitors working on this issue and introduce a consolidated Bill? The Minister of State could at least give a commitment to the effect that this would be a priority given the large death toll. If a single incident caused 127 deaths or the almost 200 deaths last year, the House would launch major commissions of investigation that would last for months.

Will the Minister of State have the Minister clarify the two points of law I have raised concerning drink-driving printouts and disqualified drivers? Will he confirm that these are not included in the legislation? The Minister of State referred to the 2015 Bill on the legislative programme. It relates to drug driving and the mutual recognition of driving disqualifications between Ireland and the UK. Would it not be possible to address in that Bill the two matters I raised as well as issues such as the non-presentation of licences in court and references by judges to court poor boxes despite senior judges' assertions that the latter is incorrect in law?

What of addressing the registering of a summons in order that people cannot claim they did not receive summonses? We are living in the e-mail era and have passed beyond the pony and trap and bicycle for mail deliveries. Why can we not have summonses when we all know they are actually being received by the intended persons? Will the Government address the fixed charge processing system? The working group recommended that if someone could not pay after the 56-day period, he or she would get a third payment option and not have to waste the court's time. Could these issues be addressed in the forthcoming legislation?

Some 77% of drivers summonsed for penalty point offences between 2013 and early summer 2015 were not convicted. Of those convicted, 72% did not present their licences. Some 60% of drunk drivers were not convicted. Of those convicted, 80% did not have their licence numbers recorded. Some 71% of drivers using mobile telephones were not convicted while, of those convicted, 41% did not have their licence numbers recorded. Some 96% of drivers disqualified in court did not surrender their licences and 89% of those convicted did not present their licences. The court poor box is still being used despite a High Court ruling.

As someone who has served with distinction for decades in the House, the Acting Chairman will agree that road traffic law is in crisis. Given the horrendous deaths and casualties on our roads, we need to grasp this matter, deal with it effectively and change a culture that still permits many of our fellow citizens to die on the roads needlessly.

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