Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome this wide-ranging Bill, as other speakers have. It includes many sensible provisions. The issue of scramblers has been raised often and it is a big problem in our urban areas and needs to be addressed. The Bill also deals with the issue of insurance. I am concerned with the slow pace of reform in this regard. Some progress has been made, although there are significant issues outstanding. Insurance companies in this State continue to rip off their customers. Costs are extortionate. Companies still use dual-pricing to target loyal and vulnerable customers who are charged premiums higher than the real cost of their policy. It is not right that insurance companies continue to be a law unto themselves. There is a need for firm legislative action to curb these sharp practices that cause people significant hardship, make businesses unviable, in some instances, put community organisation under pressure and keep young people off the road. Legislation that would ban this dual-pricing practice has been brought forward by my colleague, Deputy Pearse Doherty, but the Government continues to block it. I urge the Minister of State to address that issue as soon as possible and to work with Deputy Doherty on this. The Government's Bill would reduce insurance costs for customers by precisely 0 cent in my estimation. The Government needs to work with Deputy Doherty's Bill.

I wish to raise the issue of driver tests, which is contained in the Bill. I note with concern the point raised by Deputy Sherlock yesterday about the fear some driver test instructors may be laid off. I find that hard to comprehend because the backlog of people waiting for a driver test has yet to be cleared. This has a major impact on people's ability to go about their lives, in particular, young people in rural areas or elsewhere who rely on a driver licence for independence. This issue is costing people money and their jobs. While the length of waiting times have reduced to some extent, they are still very long.

When discussing road safety, some of the biggest issues are localised and relate to the condition of footpaths, pedestrian crossings and other road safety measures such as speed ramps, etc. The purpose of this debate is not to discuss specific road junctions, but we have a systemic problem that applies to every local authority. It is not the case that one local authority is doing a great job and the rest are not. Most local authorities find it difficult to ensure the safety of pedestrians by introducing the measures they want, which is frustrating for local communities. I refer to the condition of roads and footpaths and the places where pedestrian crossings are required. They often come up against the obstacle of inadequate local government funding. This issue must be urgently addressed. These are the bread and butter issues that affect people's lives. It is an uphill battle to get traffic calming measures in place throughout the State. This is not only an issue in my constituency but everywhere, and it is caused by underfunding of local government.

See this speech in context