Pat Gallagher (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)

I thank Senators for their contributions to the debate on the Bill and acknowledge the general welcome given to the Bill's provisions. In the course of the debate last week and again, this evening, Senators raised issues which were pertinent and directly related to the Bill and other issues as regards road safety in general. I fully understand that it is very difficult to differentiate between these elements.

The road safety authority will have primary responsibility for taking the lead in the whole area of road safety. I am confident it will open up a new era in the promotion of road safety and I am sure the authority will note the views expressed by Members of the House, on all sides., when considering how best to promote better driver behaviour, which is of paramount importance. If drivers could improve their behaviour, then without any legislation I am quite sure the number of fatalities could be dramatically reduced. We can introduce regulations and legislation. Ultimately, however, safety is the responsibility of road users, largely drivers. Others using the roads must also take responsibility for their own safety.

Although I should not perhaps make a specific reference to him, I want to refer to the chairman of the board and the criticism of him by some Members. We are very fortunate that somebody of the calibre of the chairman agreed to take up this position. If he was not working long hours as chairman of the board, he could be spending his time in a leisurely fashion in his adopted home town of Dungloe in County Donegal. I want to express the thanks of the Minister and the Government to the chairman for accepting this post. There was criticism of both him and members of the board, as political appointees. Of course they were all appointed by the Minister. When one looks at the membership of the board, however, one can see they are not political appointees. The chairman and the members are appointed by the Minister, but not on the basis of politics.

I do not have much time, but I want to refer to a few important points as regards the regulation of driver instruction. The Bill tasks the authority with the regulation of driver instruction. This will require those in the industry to meet predetermined standards which will not only cover their ability to drive but ensure that those meeting the standards will have the necessary instructional skills to deliver the message to novice drivers. The registration process will benefit driving instructors and people taking lessons will have greater confidence in the quality of the instruction being given, which will eventually lead to better and safer drivers on our roads.

The Government decided on 12 April 2006 to give priority to a new road safety Bill. I refer to this in the context of this debate because many Members have referred to random alcohol testing or random breath testing as it is known. The road traffic Bill to be introduced and hopefully enacted by the summer will deal with that. It will support the operation of privately operated speed cameras, which have been referred to throughout the debate. There will be 11.1 million speed checks per annum. It will give increased powers to the Garda to impound unlicensed, untaxed and uninsured vehicles including foreign registered cars. It will ban driving when using a hand-held mobile phone. It will increase financial penalties and introduce a system of administrative disqualifications. I am sure we will get the co-operation of both Houses in introducing this Bill by the summer.

I am a member of a road safety committee established by the Taoiseach. It is chaired by Deputy Cullen, as the Minister for Transport and the Ministers for Finance, Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Health and Children, Education and Science and Environment, Heritage and Local Government are also members of the committee. The Taoiseach, who has made road safety a Government priority, attends the meetings and is fully briefed at all times. I understand speed cameras, some stationary, some moveable, will play a major role in slowing down drivers.

On the declaration of interests by members of the board, I cannot say what real difference this will make. The fact is that they will declare their interests to the board. Members of this and the other House will know that under the freedom of information legislation it is possible to establish what those interests are. I do not believe it is necessary for individual members of the board to have to make this information available to the Houses of the Oireachtas. They will make it available to the board. Anyone who knows them will realise that they are people of the highest integrity.

As regards the traffic corps, I am familiar with the temporary corps set up in Inishowen, where last year we had 31 road fatalities, half the figure for the entire county. The Garda Commissioner, together with the chief superintendent decided on a temporary basis to establish a traffic corps there. I am convinced that this has made an important input into road safety, notwithstanding the tragic multiple fatalities of the five Latvians and Lithuanians at that time. Nationally, however, we have a full traffic corps.

The chairman of the board is right, an assurance has been given, not just to the board, but generally, that the membership of the traffic corps will increase progressively by 60 members every quarter to bring the membership of the national traffic corps up to 1,200. That increase will play a major role in reducing fatalities.

This is not a debate in which to be political but I must put on record the fact that the expenditure on national roads is €1.5 billion, an increase of 500% since 1997. The National Roads Authority should get the recognition it deserves for that major increase. Investment in our non-national roads has doubled since that period. I accept there is a long way to go and we will continue that unprecedented level of investment.

I again take the opportunity to call on all drivers to observe a few simple rules; to drive within the prescribed speed limits and to ensure that all passengers are wearing seat belts. I also call on all drivers who even contemplate having a drink and driving to desist from that because their fate, or the fate of someone with whom they may come into contact, may lie just around the next corner. I look forward to debating the specific issues in the Bill on Committee Stage.