Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Regarding the speed limit review, I know the Minister of State sought for and succeeded in having pre-legislative scrutiny set aside for it. I was opposed to this because I felt we needed to look at it in more detail. I am always conscious when we bring in laws that, if they are considered by the public to be a little bit daft or a little bit silly or a little bit too far of a reach for them, people will not obey them. We have to be careful this does not happen, as has happened in the past in some circumstances. It also makes it very difficult for gardaí or for enforcement agencies to enforce those laws. That is why I felt we should have had a proper pre-legislative scrutiny. There should have been a discussion between all the stakeholders about what it was going to mean and what impact it was going to have. However, we did not, and that is okay. The suspension of the pre-legislative scrutiny is clearly not going to speed up the process. From what I have heard the Minister of State say, it will be at least the end of next year before we see these new speed limits being put in place. The Minister of State said it would be quarter 1 before the legislation will be finished and then it will be put out to the local authorities. They will have a lengthy process to get through that. I imagine that, at best, it will be the end of next summer and probably the end of the year before we see it in place.

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