Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)

I offer you my sincere apologies. I overlooked doing the correct thing when I met you last time.

Today's debate gives me the opportunity to update the House on the developments in road safety policy. Over the past six years, there has been a distinct improvement in our road safety performance. Indeed, over the past 18 months, improvement has been dramatic. However, the need for constant vigilance and attention has been clearly shown since the beginning of the year. As of last Monday, 30 more people have died as a result of road collisions than was the case over the same period last year.

The collective goal of all those involved in the promotion and delivery of road safety policies is to ensure that the improvements achieved over the past six years are sustained and built on. The realisation of that goal is central to the new road safety strategy which will be published shortly. The strategy will cover the period 2004-06 and will focus on reducing road deaths to a level of not greater than 300 by 2006. That achievement will realise a reduction of 25% when compared to the average number of annual road deaths over the past six years.

The strategy will build on the success of its predecessor, the results of a review of that strategy carried out by an international expert in road safety and the further improvements realised in 2003. Achieving a reduction of 25% is an ambitious target. The degree of that ambition can be judged against the background of the overall EU target of realising a 50% reduction in road deaths over a ten year period and the target set in the United States, which provides for a reduction of approximately one third in fatalities per vehicle kilometre travelled over an eight year period.

In setting our goals for the period up to the end of 2006, we are supported by the knowledge that the strategic approach we have adopted has been shown to deliver the greatest benefits in the long term. The most successful countries in the European Union in delivering reductions in road casualty numbers on a sustained basis over long periods are those countries that have adopted this overall approach. In adopting our road safety strategy, we learned from the experience of states like the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom which are the leading states in the European Union in terms of road safety performance. We have also adopted an approach that has seen the engagement of all the organisations that contribute to the various elements of road safety policy in the identification and pursuit of the policies through which the overall targets can be achieved.

The primary target of a 20% reduction in deaths and serious injuries was achieved in the case of deaths and surpassed in the case of serious injuries. However, progress in particular key areas was mixed. We did not achieve the level of improvements targeted in the area of drink driving and speed limit compliance. Progress was made on seat belt wearing rates but even there, there is significant room for improvement.

One area where we made significant progress was in regard to the target to introduce specific accident reduction measures at 400 locations on the national road network. This was surpassed with 418 schemes completed by the end of 2002. In addition, good progress has been made in the implementation of the overall national roads upgrade programme provided for in the national development plan. To date, 37 projects, a total of 256 km, including 76 km. of motorway and 50 km. of dual carriageway standard, have been completed. Work is also underway on 17 projects totalling 148 km, including 120 km. to motorway-dual carriageway standard, and another 17 projects — a total of 160 km. — are at tender stage.

As regards the five major inter-urban routes, the position is that at the end of 2003, almost 30% of these routes had been upgraded to motorway-dual carriageway standard with work underway on approximately another 12%. This is ensuring that priority is given to addressing the need for urban by-passes and dealing with traffic congestion.

The recommendations of the Motor Insurance Advisory Board report are being pursued by the Government and we are now seeing significant reductions in insurance premiums. In addition to road safety measures, I have taken steps to improve the insurance position of motorists and other road users. I have concluded a revised agreement with the Motor Insurers Bureau of Ireland, the EU 4th insurance directive has been transposed into Irish law and I have promoted a beneficial dialogue with the insurance industry.

One of the most significant elements of the last road safety strategy was the development of a system of penalty points. There have been delays in regard to the development of the necessary IT network to support the full roll-out of this system. This is regretted and for this reason, I decided in October 2002 to apply the system to speeding offences. I have since added seat belt wearing offences and driving without insurance. So far, over 144,000 penalty point notices have issued. It is proposed to roll-out the full system of penalty points when the necessary IT systems are in place. A range of road safety offences will be subject to penalty points which should have a positive impact on driver behaviour. The consequences of losing one's driving licence exercises the minds of most road users who are changing their behaviour and will continue to do so. As the Taoiseach recently commented, "a licence is a privilege, not a right". I will add the offence of careless driving to the system with effect from 1 June and I am advised by my colleague, the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, that the IT support for the full operation of the system should be available by the end of the year.

Much attention has been paid to the number of road deaths experienced in the first quarter of this year. All road deaths are tragic and avoidable but the current position needs to be put in context. We have seen unprecedented growth in recent years in the number of vehicles and drivers on our roads. With this in mind, the reductions which have been experienced in the past six years are welcome. Indeed, 100 fewer people have lost their lives on the roads during the 17 month period since the introduction of penalty points compared to the preceding 17 months. That is 100 families which have not faced that trauma.

The forthcoming road safety strategy which I will publish shortly will set out a number of measures aimed at reducing the number of road deaths even further. Over the period of the new strategy, the following major road safety policy initiatives will be pursued, and some in the coming weeks. Random preliminary breath-testing for drink driving and a new speed limit structure to be expressed in metric values rather than miles per hour will be introduced. I also intend to introduce a network of speed cameras to be operated by the private sector which will be developed shortly. I will introduce a comprehensive package of measures to address issues surrounding driver licensing and testing. I will also roll-out the penalty points system fully.

I am committed to the establishment of a dedicated traffic corps. Further work needs to be done on that in consultation with the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. There are difficult and complex legal issues but I am determined to resolve them. In recognition of the importance of enforcement, the Garda has established commitments to the achievement of specific levels of enforcement across the three key areas of seat belt wearing, speed limits and drink driving.

The strategy can only work through the adoption of an integrated approach along the lines about which I have talked, which targets the key areas of speeding, drink driving and seat belt wearing and which includes measures in the areas of education, engineering, legislation and enforcement. We need all these measures to make a difference. The high level group on road safety will oversee the implementation of the strategy. All the road safety agencies responsible for various measures set out in the strategy are represented on the group. My Department chairs the group and is responsible for developing the legislation set out in that document.

New legislation has been prepared in my Department which will provide support for the deployment of these key initiatives, particularly in the area of speed limits and drink driving, and will further enhance the enforcement capacity of the Garda Síochána. The Bill will feature a number of radical changes that will be focused on these key areas.

A new system of speed limits based on metric values will be introduced before the end of the year. I am taking the opportunity of this new legislation to assure the travelling public that the speed limits applied at specific locations are reasonable and fair and reflect the road safety needs and capacity of the road in question. I have already raised this issue with county and city managers. The new speed limit structure will, as was envisaged in the report of the working group I established to review speed limits, offer a far greater degree of flexibility to local authority members, who will retain primary responsibility for determining the application of speed limits at specific locations.

The gardaí will be empowered to engage in what is colloquially termed random breath testing. This is a radical and fundamental initiative which will greatly strengthen the enforcement capacity of the gardaí and is one of a number of initiatives to be included in the legislation which was approved by Cabinet in the past few days.

The introduction of speed cameras is not a money making business. The operational parameters for the provision of this service will be clearly established and decisions on the deployment of enforcement assets will remain within the gift of the gardaí. This is a significant initiative in that the introduction of a new source of speed enforcement capability will provide greater freedom for the gardaí and will free them to focus on other duties, including other areas of traffic law. The Bill will see the removal from the Garda of direct involvement in much of the day to day administrative work associated with the operation of the penalty points and fixed charge systems.

The early publication and passage of the Bill is essential if the delivery of the programme established in the new road safety strategy is to be delivered as quickly as possible. The passage of the Bill will be particularly critical to the achievement of the ambitious enforcement targets that have been set in the new strategy. Implementation of the new Bill will see a better use of Garda resources resulting from the privatisation of speed cameras and the outsourcing of the collection of payments, both of which measures are included in the forthcoming legislation. I look forward to the support of Senators for the provisions of the Road Traffic Bill 2003, which I hope to bring to the Houses before the summer recess.

Work is also at an advanced stage on the preparation of legislation for the new driver testing and standards agency. I expect to be in a position to publish the Bill without delay. The authority will be given responsibility for delivering the driver testing service and will have greater flexibility to respond to variations in demand. In addition, the authority will have overall responsibility for driving standards. The new authority will, for the first time, be responsible for the registration of all driving instructors. That a new authority will be responsible under legislation for increasing driving standards and for registering and maintaining the standard of driving instructors will give a substantial boost to driving standards.

The programme for Government contains a commitment to the establishment of a dedicated traffic corps. I support the implementation of this proposal. A consultation process has made good progress and the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform and I are fully determined that the traffic corps will come into being, although issues in that regard remain to be resolved.

I note with interest recent media coverage regarding the recruitment in the UK of highway agency officers who are civilians and have been given limited powers in traffic management and highway patrol duties. We will monitor progress with regard to the usefulness of that proposal to see whether we can learn something from it.

I have decided to take over chairmanship of the working group on the establishment of a traffic corps. The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform will also chair sessions of the group. We hope to bring our commitment to this measure to a conclusion as soon as possible.

I thank you, a Chathaoirligh, and Senators for scheduling this timely debate on road safety, a matter for which we all have a responsibility. One death on the road is one too many. With this package of measures I am trying to show the public that the Government and the Houses of the Oireachtas are serious about road safety. We are serious about putting legislation and enforcement procedures in place to enable us to reduce the number of road accidents. I thank the Seanad for giving me the opportunity to lay my proposals before it and I look forward to hearing Senators' views on the proposals.