Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I want to recognise Deputy Michael Healy-Rae for raising the very serious issue of road safety. Like everyone, I was shocked to see the headlines over the weekend. Five more people died on our roads in different incidents around the country. With the Deputy, I would like to extend my deep sympathies to the families affected and the friends of those who were lost on our roads.

It is devastating to see the extent to which road fatalities have increased over the course of this year. We have to turn the tide on it over the next few months and I am determined to do that in co-operation with the relevant Ministers and authorities involved.

When it comes to road safety, there are many different aspects. There is, of course, education because ultimately it is human behaviours that lead to most road traffic collisions. There is getting our laws right, which is also really important. There is not much point in having laws if they are not enforced and that is why Garda enforcement is really important. That is being stepped up at the moment. We also need to make sure our courts enforce the law. There are too many loopholes in our road traffic legislation that we need to close. There is also the issue of regulation and making sure that our vehicles are safer through the national car test, NCT, and regulations around cars. The Deputy is right that maintenance and improvement to roads also has a part to play in terms of road safety. Just today, the Minister of State, Deputy Chambers got approval for the road safety measures Bill. That is new legislation on road safety. That will be coupled with an increase in enforcement and ensuring that we enforce the existing laws.

Other areas are also important. Investment in public transport takes cars off the road and that can contribute to road safety. As a Government, we have agreed to invest in public transport and roads with a 2:1 ratio. We have not quite achieved that yet but that is the objective. Improving footpaths and cycling facilities also contribute to road safety. We have to see this in the round.

On specific road projects, the Deputy will know that we have approximately €500 million a year for road maintenance and restoration - approximately €500 million a year to improve roads. It is never the case that we can advance every project every year; that was never the case but we try to advance as many as we can. In the near future I will be not too far from the Deputy to formally open the Ballyvourney section of the Macroom-Ballyvourney bypass. I will be in Athy soon enough, hopefully with An Ceann Comhairle, to see the long-promised Athy distributor road opened. Only a few weeks ago, we signed off on a major section of the N5 running through Roscommon between Tulsk and Scramoge, and we opened the Turlough to Westport bypass of Castlebar earlier this year. There are a lot of road projects still happening. I cannot give guarantees about any particular funding for any particular projects but the roads programme will continue to advance. It was never the case that we could advance every project every year and we will have to make decisions in that regard.

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