Paddy Burke (Fine Gael)

I welcome the opportunity to say a few words on the Bill. While 5% does not appear a huge increase, when added to the other 5% increases across the board, it amounts to a large amount of money for people throughout the country.

Tax on the majority of cars nowadays costs from €500 or €600 to almost €1,000. This is a fairly hefty sum of money, particularly if one has to pay it all at once. In most cases, tax and insurance fall due at the same time, therefore, there should be some system of easy payment in place whereby people could pay their tax over a ten month or 12 month period. People should be able to ring up, give their credit card number and the local authority should be able to deduct the necessary charge over the telephone. Given the technology available in this day and age, these facilities should be in place. One can now buy goods on line by way of credit card from all over the world. Local authorities should be able to operate an easy pay system on a nine month, ten month or 12 month basis. Insurance companies operate this type of system whereby repayments on loans are spread over a nine or ten month period.

The BMW region was referred to. I have been seeking a debate in this Chamber on how funding to the BMW region has been allocated since it was put in place. I believe strongly that the region is not getting its fair share of funding and I ask the Minister of State to look again at the issue. The Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Deputy McDaid, acknowledged during Private Members' business that there is no funding in place, bar a minimum amount for mapping and so on, for the road from Castlebar to Westport, the busiest stretch of national primary route from Westport to Kinnegad. He acknowledged that funding will not become available for these roads until the bigger projects in Dublin such as Luas and the Dublin Port tunnel are completed. We have heard on numerous occasions that there will be a new rail track from Dublin Airport to Dublin city. If this goes ahead it will delay further projects in the BMW region, the west of Ireland and the rural areas. If the bigger projects go ahead first, there is no hope for the other regions. I ask the Minister of State present, who was an MEP for the area and knows exactly what I am talking about, to reconsider this issue.

I am concerned about signposting, even though this issue may not come within the Minister of State's remit. The traffic corps now monitors speed on a daily basis. If one leaves Dublin and drives along the western route, one will see 60 mph, 70 mph, 40 mph, 30 mph and 50 mph speed limits. There is no consistent speed limit. In many instances people do not know what the speed limit is in a particular area, and something should be done about this. The 60 mph and 70 mph speed limit should be increased in some instances. There is no reason the speed limit on the Mullingar by-pass, which is a brand new road, cannot be increased from 60 mph to 70 mph. The speed limit on another section of the national primary route between Dublin to Naas is 40 mph and 60 mph. If the National Roads Authority and the Department of Transport are building brand new roads on which the speed limit is 60 mph, then there is something radically wrong. In most cases there is no access onto the roads, and if the maximum speed limit is not increased on these stretches of road, then we are going nowhere.

There is a need for a radical overhaul of the speed limits throughout the country. I know the Minister for Transport indicated that he would like to see that undertaken. There are country roads where the maximum speed of 60 mph applies, which is too fast. There should perhaps be 40 mph or 50 mph zones in those areas. I ask the Minister of State to consider that suggestion.

We should also bring in a better signposting system for towns and other areas. When driving through most towns en route to somewhere else, proper signage is very scarce. A national signage overhaul is due. The main points of destination should be better signposted. I welcome the opportunity to raise these points and I ask the Minister to consider them.