Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Cannon and acknowledge that he has been a very strong advocate for road safety for long years. I thank him for that. I join with him in wishing the Minister of State, Deputy Lawless, very well in his new role. I absolutely will sit down with him. In the 12 weeks I have been Taoiseach, I have chaired two ministerial meetings on the issue of road safety with the Road Safety Authority, the Garda and others. This is a really serious issue. Look at the number of deaths seen on our roads this year, the fact that we have lost four lives on roads in the last 24 hours. Between Leaders' Questions yesterday and Leaders' Questions today, four lives have been lost on Irish roads. We think of all of those families.

I understand that a full review of the Road Safety Authority is under way. It is expected to come to the Minister for Transport very shortly. It is within that context that we can consider the sensible suggestion the Deputy makes.

See this speech in context