John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

-----the public must be assured that the laws are being enforced and that they will be caught if they drink-drive. It is of far greater urgency to do that than anything else. In 2016, the Minister indicated that the numbers had increased up and I believe there is a direct correlation between less enforcement and increased road fatalities.

The Minister made the specific point that this is a small Bill with one purpose. I am genuinely disappointed that we are doing so little on road safety in the Bill. In is reply to my parliamentary question in March, the Minister clearly indicated that one of the greatest causes of road fatalities is speeding. Some weeks ago, there was a high-profile case in the courts concerning a gentleman who had been caught speeding on the Naas Road - which is not far from my area - and who was fined €400. When we consider the wealth attached to this person, whom I shall not name, it seems that a €400 fine will not act as much of a deterrent. I understand the Road Safety Authority had proposals for graduated fines proportionate to a person's earning capacity, yet none of these proposals is being explored.

The Bill only addresses one very small aspect of the problem. I am disappointed that since the Minister's reply to my parliamentary question in March, this is the only legislation of its kind that has been introduced. We should have done more; we need to do more. I have referred to matters such as greater enforcement and education and awareness campaigns. The enforcement element is really significant. The number of officers with the Garda traffic is declining year on year and the 10% increase to which the Minister referred in March has not materialised. I do not blame the Minister but it must be remembered that road safety falls under his remit. No matter what he says, during the period in which he indicated that the number of officers in the traffic corps would rise, the exact opposite happened. I fail to understand how this could have happened, particularly when one considers that the replies currently issuing from the Minister's Department are the same and continue to state that road safety is going to be a priority.

Unfortunately, the issues relating to road safety are not addressed in this Bill. The only element that is addressed is the move towards mandatory disqualification. The rationale and the numbers were not very clear in the context of determining an increased risk. The Minister has indicated the figures for a period, which spans the old and the new systems. While coroners' reports can show a level of alcohol in people who are involved in fatal accidents, there has not always been a clear indication that this is the only cause of such accidents. More research and detail are required, not just in the context of the Bill but also from a road safety perspective.

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