Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Michael McGrath for acknowledging the work being done by the working group. A very committed group of people has been working behind the scenes and spending a great deal of time trying to address this serious problem.

There are approximately 40 recommendations covering nine areas. These were presented to the Minister with minutes of the meetings and some background information on the consultations that have taken place. Significant work and research are being done to flesh out the recommendations and the reasons we are proposing them. We are trying to put together timelines.

When I met the joint committee at the beginning of September, I gave a commitment to appear again, once the recommendations had been submitted to the Minister, to explain the thinking behind them and ensure the committee was made aware of what we were hoping to achieve. I also want to hear about the committee's hearings on the issue and ensure everyone in the House is on the same page in order that proposals for regulations or legislation can be progressed as quickly as possible. With this in mind, as soon as the joint committee is ready to engage on the issue, I will be pleased to explain to it each of the recommendations and outline the thinking behind them.

The intention is to have the report published in December. We have already put out the framework for the report, if one likes, and substantial research has been carried out by the subgroups. We are getting there and our priorities now are to ensure the various stakeholders are in agreement on what we are seeking to achieve and to set out a detailed timeline. Not every measure will be implemented immediately and some will take time. We need to work to a specific timeline and set targets in order that we can meet them.

Some of the recommendations will be to expedite work that is already under way. For example, it is already possible to roll out automatic number plate recognition technology but the issue for us is to ensure its roll-out is expeditde. Another recommendation will be on expediting the review of the Personal Injuries Assessment Board. Some of the recommendations will be in areas on which work has already begun. It is a matter of tying the work together.

While the CSO data are helpful, we need to see a trend.

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