Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputies from the Labour Party who have tabled this motion on the importance of road safety, along with the condition of our roads and active travel infrastructure. I welcome the opportunity to debate these important concerns. I also acknowledge constructive engagement and support of Labour and indeed other Deputies in progressing the recent Road Traffic Act. A collaborative approach from all parties and none is the best way to reduce road fatalities and serious injuries. The Minister, Deputy Ryan, and I share many of the concerns outlined in the motion. I stress that the Government is committed to improving the overall safety on our roads, cycleways and footpaths by introducing measures like road safety awareness, policy reform, enhanced enforcement, investment and engineering solutions, all of which are vital in reducing road deaths, as well as serious injuries, and helping to create a safer transport environment for all.

With this context, I can confirm that the overall objective of the motion is broadly in line with the principles that we are trying to advance, and we will not be opposing it. On that basis, I want to set out some of the issues which require clarification and which I will speak to this morning. First, I offer my deepest condolences to all of the families, friends and communities of those who have tragically lost their lives in traffic fatalities on our roads and footpaths this year. Each death and serious injury impacts not just a victim, but their family, friends and the wider community. We are unfortunately currently on course for more than 210 deaths on Irish roads this year. The Government and I, as a Minister of State, are absolutely committed to trying to reverse this trend that we have seen in recent months and years and making our roads safe once again for all road users.

On the data issue that has been mentioned, the provision of up-to-date collision data to road authorities remains of the utmost importance. The wider issues related to GDPR and data-sharing are being progressed as a priority. Access to information on serious road traffic collisions is crucial to allow the Road Safety Authority to conduct research to underpin its work on road safety education and fulfil its statutory role in developing road safety strategies. It is also essential for local authorities to have access to this information, to identify whether road factors are contributing to collisions and to focus investment on safety improvements at those locations.

Deputy Bacik referred to her own legal background. We have had clear issues flagged to us relating to GDPR. While much of this information is not personal, there is the potential for personal data, including medical data in the form of reference to types of injuries, to be included in the collision analyses. Furthermore, there is the possibility that pieces of information taken in conjunction could enable the identification of an individual. For this reason, the Department has engaged extensively on the issues arising with the RSA, An Garda Síochána, local authorities and the Data Protection Commission to identify a solution which will allow for the sharing and use of data in a manner compliant with GDPR. The Department is currently engaging with the Data Protection Commissioner and expects to enable the resumption of this later in the year. In addition, the Department of Transport is also examining the possibility of amending legislation to allow a more limited subset of data to be directly shared with local authorities. To be clear, important safety analysis and the funding of safety schemes is still ongoing while the data-sharing issue is being resolved.

On many roads, the Department continues to undertake collision analysis on behalf of local authorities, using more limited data sets. This enables locations of interest to be identified and notified to local authorities. The Department invites applications from local authorities for funding of related low-cost safety schemes. This ensures targeted investment for road safety in areas of the network where it is needed most. The road traffic collision data on MapRoad was available to local authorities for their applications to the Department for 2024 and previous years for low-cost safety schemes on the regional and local road network, in addition to their own local knowledge and expertise. In 2024, 261 low-cost safety projects are being funded by the Department. Locations of interest represent 22% of these projects. It is important to reiterate that, in addition to locations of interest, local authorities also submit applications for safety schemes based on local knowledge and engineering expertise, as well as data available up to the end of November 2023. Of all the low-cost safety schemes funded by the Department in 2024, 67% were on regional roads and 33% were on local roads.

The Government introduced the Road Traffic Act 2024 as a key response to the rising trend in road fatalities. It addressed three key issues. Drug-testing for drivers involved in serious collisions will now be mandatory. People who commit multiple penalty point offences on the same occasion will receive multiple points. Default speed limits will be reduced in line with the recommendations of the recent speed limit review. We are working to commence these provisions.

Regarding regional and local road conditions, as Deputies are aware and as outlined in the 2024 regional and local roads programme, the Government is strongly committed to protecting the existing regional and local road network. This network is fundamental in connecting people and places across our country. It facilities business, education, tourism, healthcare, agriculture and the provision of critical services and activities. As outlined in the motion, the improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of each local authority in accordance with the provisions of section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. Works on those roads are funded from the council's resources, supplemented by State road grants. Ireland's regional and local network spans more than 96,000 km.

The network requires significant funding to ensure it remains fit for purpose, safe and resilient. As such, €658 million was allocated to regional and local road grants for 2024, with approximately 90% of this funding being directed towards maintenance and renewal works. This investment in our network represents an increase of €32 million over the 2023 allocations, which is a 5% increase in funding. I think the motion states that it is at 3%. Notwithstanding that, the Government recognises the impact on the regional and local road network, particularly after difficult months of bad weather. We are exploring options for any additional supports which could be made available to local authorities in light of the road conditions that are being flagged to us nationwide by councillors and candidates across the country.

Due to the vast scale of the network, the Department employs an array of grant types to ensure investment is targeted across the network, from supporting scheduled maintenance works to funding climate adaptation projects to build resilience. The initial selection and prioritisation of maintenance and renewal works is a matter for each local authority. In line with the agreement made in 2015, the four Dublin local authorities do not receive Department grants under the main maintenance and rehabilitation grant programmes, as they have been required to self-fund these works from local property tax receipts since 2015. It should be noted that all regional and local roads funding goes towards improving and maintaining roads to ensure a safe network. The Government has furthered demonstrated its commitment to road safety through the allocation of approximately €10.5 million in low-cost safety schemes, as well as supporting other safety measures being completed under grant programmes such as restoration, improvement projects and specific grant schemes.

I agree with much of what was said about the need to strengthen enforcement and increase the numbers in our roads policing units. I welcome the initiative of the Garda Commissioner in making sure that every regular policing unit has a strong role in roads policing. That has resulted in improved levels of enforcement but we need to monitor that and make sure it continues.

Second, on the issue of the Road Safety Authority and its reform, recommendations will be brought to me in the coming weeks that focus on structure, finance and the need for the organisation to be modernised in the context that it has been there for 20 years and we need to make sure it reflects the road safety priorities for the future.

Reference was made to the driving test waiting time. It was at 30 weeks, which was a completely unacceptable level of wait time for many young people. I share the concerns and many people have contacted me about this issue. We have resourced the improvement of that. It was 30 weeks last August, it is now at about 15 weeks and falling, and we expect it to be back to about ten weeks by the middle of the summer in order that people are not waiting excessively. We will continue to monitor it to ensure service delivery.

With regard to the concerns about walking and cycling infrastructure, I recognise that the focus to date of investment in active travel infrastructure has been on the provision of new infrastructure, with a view to developing connected networks for cyclists and pedestrians. Some €1 billion has been invested since 2020 and the active travel scheme has had significant project spend, with €310 million and €340 million spent in 2022 and 2023, respectively. As such, there was no underspend in the active travel budget which could be used for the purposes suggested in the motion.

In terms of the wider need for maintenance and restoration, this is something we are seeking to advance as part of our budgetary discussions so we ensure a greater proportion of the funding goes towards maintenance and restoration in the context of an expanded network.

To conclude, there is significant work to do. Road safety, along with continued investment in transport infrastructure, is essential to create a safe environment for all road users. We are working extensively to resolve the data issue which has been flagged. I believe the continued enhancement of the transport network and investment in that is key to ensuring safe and secure transport infrastructure for all. I appreciate the constructive input from Labour on these matters.

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