Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As the Deputy will be aware, the recently published Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland report recommends that policing must be information led and that data should be seen as a strategic asset and a key factor in determining policing decisions. My Department is currently analysing the report and my officials are currently engaging in consultations with An Garda Síochána, the policing oversight bodies and the relevant Departments in order to inform my substantive response and the high-level implementation plan and project structure that I intend to bring to Government by December.

With respect to the Deputy's question, section 10 of the Road Traffic Act 2010 provides for mandatory intoxicant testing, MIT, checkpoints. The powers of An Garda Síochána under the 2010 Act were extended under the Road Traffic Act 2016 to allow preliminary oral fluid-testing for drugs to be undertaken at these checkpoints, in additional to the current preliminary breath testing for alcohol. These provisions came into force on 13 April 2017.

I am informed by An Garda Síochána that it has conducted a total of 101,965 MIT checkpoints nationally since then. I have provided the Deputy with a table - provided by the Garda authorities - that details the number of MIT checkpoints conducted by Garda division, the number of breath tests and oral fluid tests conducted, the number of persons who have tested positive for alcohol or drugs at these checkpoints and the number who failed or refused to provide a specimen.

I am further informed by An Garda Síochána that information on all the types of drugs detected at these MIT checkpoints is not available as such an exercise would necessitate a manual trawl of all relevant incidents recorded on PULSE to collate same, which would require a disproportionate expenditure of Garda time and resources. The Deputy will be aware, however, that the drug testing devices employed by An Garda Síochána involve testing a sample of a driver’s oral fluid for the presence of cannabis, cocaine, opiates, heroin, morphine and benzodiazepines such as valium.

Garda Division	Number of MIT Checkpoints conducted 2017- year to date 2018	Roadside Breath Tested Conducted	No. of positive Roadside Breath Tests	Roadside Oral Fluid Tested Conducted	No. of positive Oral Fluid Tests	Fail/Refusal breath Test	Fail/Refusal Oral Fluid Test
Cavan/Monaghan	3202	12510	105	56	13	3	0
Clare	5897	25162	88	177	22	2	0
Cork City	8855	23959	119	4	1	0	0
Cork North	9681	21023	95	55	8	1	1
Cork West	8647	21118	118	124	13	0	0
D.M.R. Eastern	891	12522	83	152	9	4	0
D.M.R. North Central	714	8693	39	71	15	2	0
D.M.R. Northern	712	11056	67	91	6	1	0
D.M.R. South Central	704	17176	53	97	6	0	0
D.M.R. Southern	779	13866	61	95	14	0	0
D.M.R. Western	1463	13228	98	154	13	0	0
Donegal	3044	14640	73	11	0	1	0
Galway	7047	28434	191	22	5	0	0
Kerry	4651	14717	82	43	11	0	1
Kildare	3985	44364	272	268	32	2	0
Kilkenny/Carlow	1936	9561	108	44	5	0	0
Laois/Offaly	3332	29355	111	120	16	0	0
Limerick	7217	21256	136	42	7	1	0
Louth	2470	9758	53	3	2	0	0
Mayo	3329	13764	87	12	3	2	0
Meath	1946	9559	87	17	4	2	0
Roscommon/Longford	3065	16203	87	42	10	0	0
Sligo/Leitrim	2231	8196	31	59	9	0	0
Tipperary	6742	17822	103	21	5	2	0
Waterford	2400	14544	79	31	5	1	0
Westmeath	1938	9692	82	14	5	1	0
Wexford	2988	17445	136	105	19	1	0
Wicklow	2099	12542	55	9	1	1	0

* The statistics provided are provisional, operational and liable to change and are valid for the period 13 April 2017- 12 October 2018.

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