John Dardis (Progressive Democrats)

——where the lanes are very restrictive and trucks are speeding along. Yesterday evening when I was driving home a truck passed me travelling well in excess of 60 mph. Apparently bus drivers also break the speed limits. Senator Quinn raised the matter of number plate recognition, which has been very successful in other jurisdictions. It should be rolled out here.

Frequently people resort to the Constitution as a refuge when they are caught and are not convicted as a result. I am not saying the Constitution should necessarily be amended but it seems that people at certain levels can hire very expensive and capable lawyers to get them off on offences for which other people are convicted.

Senator Hanafin made a good point regarding road signs and in that context, I think of a junction on the N7, somewhere near Kildare. Some signs for towns appear after one has passed the junction. If one is going to Waterford, for example, the signs for that county appear after one has passed the relevant junction. That is extraordinary and is inviting people to reverse, which is not something that should happen on a motorway.

Senator O'Toole raised the matter of death in custody. Obviously we all regret the fact that anybody would die in Garda custody. In the case in question, a post mortem has been carried out and the findings are that the individual died of natural causes. The family of the deceased have asked for an independent post mortem to be carried out, as is their right.

Going beyond that to the issue of the Garda ombudsman or an independent body, Senator O'Toole suggested that we have an independent assessment of these matters. There is some merit in that argument. These issues are open to debate and were also raised by Senator Norris. Senator Maurice Hayes also spoke about the Garda ombudsman, as did Senator Coghlan.

Senator Ryan raised the matter of the amendment. It is up to the Cathaoirleach to decide whether an amendment is in order and I will not enter into that debate. However, if the Senator is inviting us to vote down the motion, we will quite happily do that this evening.