Michael Finucane (Fine Gael)

I am glad Senator Ryan referred to the issue I raised yesterday, the decision by the Garda Commissioner to write to the National Safety Council stating that it was at the discretion of the Garda drivers of Ministers to decide at what speed they should drive. At the time I said it was a very bad example to set.

Some 6,000 motorists have received penalty points since the system was introduced. The insurance industry is responding positively to this change. The Taoiseach would do a lot of good if he made a statement to the effect that the Ministers' cars would be driven within the set speed limits and lead by example. The young people involved in the vox pop taken by one of the newspapers last night all responded by asking why our legislators are not leading by example, as we should.