Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We all know the seriousness of the accidents with which we have been dealing lately and the tragedies for the families involved. On the M1, which is close to where I live, we lost Chris Bradley and Wayne Lynch. In August, a young man who was originally from Algeria lost his life on an e-scooter. I do not think there is anyone who does not realise the importance of the issue with which we are dealing.

I am very glad we are looking at a review of speed limits across the board. This needs to happen. In my county, you deal with the estates first and then it is really a case of assisting those people who may be in contact about an issue, such as, for example, an ongoing review. We had the county road review. The people who have come to me or other elected representatives made their submissions. What always happens is that, two weeks later, somebody asks why the speed limit in his or her estate or on his or her road is X, Y or Z. We need to improve that.

Another thing that can be the bane of many elected representatives' lives is the idea of having a really consistent process on road safety and traffic calming, particularly when you are talking about the likes of ramps, because how it is done changes from county to county. We need consistent rules and a process whereby someone knows the criteria that need to be met and that can be looked at. While I accept that there will always be an application process to central Government for particular funding streams, we definitely can do better.

I received a reply to a parliamentary question to the effect that decisions like this are to be prioritised by county councils, which apply for funding and make determinations. My query relates to Mullatee in Carlingford, where a number of incredibly serious accidents have occurred. On 12 March, a vehicle left the road resulting in the death of a male. On 26 May, a female driver also lost control sustaining head and internal injuries. On 16 September, another male driver left the road and suffered head injuries. It is a stretch of road that obviously needs to be looked at but in addition to that, there is a house at this point. There has been a refusal to date by the council to put some protective solution in place. There has been upwards of €15,000 of damage to the house so this issue needs to be looked at.

We know the issues relating to schools. The Minister of State would have seen the case of Bellurgan National School, regarding which a proposal is in place, and Bush Post-Primary School. There needs to be a review of the entire road in the area. I have spoken to the Minister previously about this matter. I tend to be inundated when I talk about Kilcurry National School. There have been some solutions, but there is a particular issue with a crossroads not far from it that is in bad shape. Shelagh National School in north Louth is another case. I get that schools were built at different times and that roads were slightly different. A process for people to deliver solutions that will suit parents, children and everybody else does not exist. We need a more holistic solution.

A number of hauliers have contacted us. We all know that farmers need to have access to land, but some of what has been relayed to use relates to lighting. Some of it may relate to vehicles, but I spoke previously about the M1 and literally putting lights off and reducing the number of lights in certain areas. The answers people received were to the effect that it related to the carbon footprint of the company involved. If that affects safety, it is not acceptable. I will follow up with the Minister of State on those issues.

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