Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 54: To ask the Minister for Transport the reason for the delay in publishing a new road safety strategy; when he expects it to be published; and the items from the new road safety strategy he will incorporate into and have passed as part of the Roads Bill 2007. [12974/07]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy is aware, the Road Safety Authority, RSA, is responsible for developing a new road safety strategy for the period from 2007 to 2011. It went to public consultation in October last year and I understand a substantial number of suggestions and proposals have been received as a result of this process. The RSA also engaged in a process of direct consultation with key stakeholders in December 2006. I welcome the fact that a large volume of submissions were received and that the authority has been working its way through these submissions prior to finalising the new strategy.

It is only on receipt and examination of the new strategy that any new legislative requirements can be identified. In the meantime, I am anxious that the Roads Bill 2007, which is necessary to underpin the barrier-free tolling planned for the M50, is enacted before the dissolution of the Dáil. When I receive the new road safety strategy, I will submit it to the Government for approval as soon as possible thereafter.

The Road Traffic Act 2006 has been enacted and a number of key measures commenced. These include the provision to combat drink driving through enabling roadside mandatory alcohol testing and a ban on the use of hand-held mobile phones while driving. It should be noted that the number of road deaths in 2006 was the second lowest in 40 years.

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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It beggars belief that at a time when there is so much concern about road safety, we do not have a road safety strategy. The last strategy related to 2004-06 and effectively ran out last December. We have entered the second quarter of the year. Where is the road safety strategy?

The last time the Minister was asked about this, he said he expected to receive the new strategy in March and that he would consult his Government colleagues. Has he received that draft from the RSA and, if not, why not? At this point in the year, 92 people have lost their lives on Irish roads. Last weekend was particularly bad. We cannot afford to wait around and take our eye off the ball in respect of road safety, which is what seems to have happened, given that it is now April and there is still no sign of a road safety strategy.

Last year, when we debated the Road Traffic Bill, Deputies on this side of the House made a number of suggestions in respect of improved road safety. The Minister undertook at the time to take all these on board and consider them. He promised that a new road traffic Bill would appear by December last, but that has not appeared either. We have a roads Bill which is primarily about open road tolling, but we do not have a road traffic Bill, as promised by the Minister.

What is going wrong within the Minister's Department? Why is it that by April we still do not have a road safety strategy for the current year? Why, given that the Minister made promises last year in respect of new measures, are there no plans to legislate for them?

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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What the Deputy has said is extraordinary. First, I wish to put on record that I have enormous respect for the chairman, the chief executive and the board of the RSA, which has carried out an incredible amount of work since it was put in place. Deputy Shortall's view is that I should ignore it or beat it up to deliver something she wants simply because she wants something to talk about.

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Everybody wants a road safety strategy.

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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I am far more interested in the quality of the work being carried out by the RSA. My view, although it may not be the view of Deputy Shortall, is that part of the qualitative process is to have very extensive public consultation with all the key stakeholders. That was the right——

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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The Minister told us that before and that we would have the strategy.

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy should at least show me some respect and allow me to answer the question. A face-to-face public consultation process, which I attended, took place in December. I will not say that the RSA has been snowed under with submissions, but it has received very substantial submissions, all of which are very good. There is no point in producing something for the sake of it, and that is not what the people in the RSA are doing. These people are hugely committed to ensuring that we continue the downward trend to become one of the best countries in the world when it comes to road safety. That is an enormous task. The authority has been working on this for only three months. We are through three months of this year and I am prepared to give the RSA the time for the mandate it has been given by the Oireachtas under the legislation that set it up. The type of legislation, including primary legislation, we will need and the issues that must be regulated will flow from that.

What is happening at the moment is the core elements of it. We have strong law and enforcement in place. Random breath testing has a huge impact in the public domain, with 30,000 tests being carried out each month. I, with the Deputy and everybody else in this House, have enormous sympathy for the families that faced tragedy on our roads. Unfortunately, as we all know, much of it comes back to driver behaviour. While we will put strategies in place, I do not want to argue that a strategy per se will solve everything. We need to change driver behaviour and attitudes on our roads. That is central to why other countries are so much better than us. It is because it is anathema in societies in other countries to drink and drive, to wantonly speed and do the things that some people believe they can do on the roads, which we have all seen on our television screens. It is utterly unacceptable. We must ensure that, in conjunction with legislation and policy, we bring about the culture change needed.

The RSA knows full well that the Deputy and all those in this and the other House are anxiously awaiting the road safety strategy, but it has told me that it wants the time to get it absolutely right. Nothing has come to me at this stage so it is not as if, as the Deputy seems to imply, I have been sitting on a draft in my Department. I respect the work being carried out by the RSA and believe the strategy will be a formidable document when it arrives. As soon as it arrives, I will go to the Government with it and any legislation that arises will be brought before the House.

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Is it not the case that there has been significant slippage at political level regarding road safety? I was not putting words in the Minister's mouth. He told us in February that he expected to get the road safety strategy in March, but we have not received that yet.

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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That is correct. I explained to the Deputy why I have not got it.

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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If the Minister was fully committed to doing that, he would ensure we had a current road safety strategy.

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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So the Deputy has no respect for the Road Safety Authority.

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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We are now into the fourth month of the year but we do not have a current road safety strategy, which sends out a very negative message about the Minister not taking the responsibility to ensure we have a current road safety strategy. It sends out the message that there is no political interest in this. From the messages he has been getting from the European Council about road safety, he knows he and the Government must give priority to this key area. However, we are in the second quarter of the year without a road safety strategy, and that is the responsibility of the Minister.

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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It is highly regrettable that Deputy Shortall, representing the Labour Party view, wants to politicise this issue in the way she has presented it to the House.

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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The Minister is politically responsible.

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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We have a well respected road safety authority which is exceptionally well led. It is committed from top to bottom to what it is doing. I have explained to the Deputy what the Road Safety Authority has been doing in preparing for a new road safety strategy. It has received substantial observations and submissions on what should be in the strategy. It is painstakingly going through all of those issues and is benchmarking those issues internationally to see what has worked in other countries. It will present the strategy in a co-ordinated, cohesive way that will stand up to scrutiny and deliver an impact on improving road safety standards.

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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When?