Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I have one question. Does this apply to random drug stops? That is one query. I extend sympathies and condolences to people whose lives have changed due to loss of life on Irish roads.

Sinn Féin will not be standing in the way of the Minister of State's Bill, but we do feel there are some glaring inadequacies in it. The Minister of State must surely accept that the Bill does nothing to address the enforcement of road safety work being undertaken by the Garda and the Road Safety Authority, RSA. The Government in its various iterations has overseen the absolute decimation of An Garda Síochána. Garda strength has dropped significantly. The Government has failed to rectify the recruitment and retention crisis within An Garda Síochána. This has had a horrendous impact on the ability of gardaí to carry out their work in enforcing road safety measures. They are overworked and the roads policing units face the prospect of losing more gardaí. My colleague and our spokesperson on transport, Deputy Martin Kenny, tried to address this difficulty on Committee Stage by tabling an amendment to ensure there would be a minimum number of gardaí within the units, but this was deemed to be out of order by the Minister of State. Deputy Kenny also focused on an increase in penalty points for those found under the influence of alcohol or drugs and the Government stood in the way of this. Deputy Kenny also submitted two amendments on the changes to speed reviews to ensure that what we know as accident black spots or high-collision locations would be reviewed, but this was opposed by the Government.

To be clear, we support measures to save the precious lives lost on our roads but we do not support cuts to road safety and the maintenance budget such as the €150 million cut which the Government made in budget 2024. The fact that the Department sought a plan to tackle road safety last year and then denied a funding request by the RSA to cover a broad road safety campaign is notable.

We continue to have serious reservations about the blanket approach being taken in the Bill. The blanket approach to speed limits will not work without adequate enforcement. This means real resources for the road traffic units and adequate funding and resourcing of the RSA which was denied the funding request. As every expert will tell us, serious and fatal collisions do not occur in a vacuum. There are multiple factors at play, not just speed which is the only factor being dealt with. It cannot be one or the other. With this Bill, the Government has yet again introduced legislation as a reaction instead of offering a multifactorial approach.

Having said that, in the absence of increased funding for the RSA and the appropriate resourcing of the roads policing unit, we will be offering cautious support. However, I want to ensure that those watching the debate are aware that Sinn Féin councillors at local level stand ready to work in conjunction with local communities and road safety campaigners to ensure appropriate speed limits are put in place in their localities. This may mean a decrease in some areas or limits remaining unchanged in others. Our councillors and elected representatives stand ready to work with communities that know their local roads best, rather than the blanket approach that this legislation presents.

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