Pat Gallagher (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)

As the House knows, the chief executive officer of the road safety authority will be accountable to the Dáil for its operation under sections 17(15) and (17) of the Bill. He or she will be accountable to committees of the Oireachtas with regard to performance of the authority's functions. Section 9 of the Bill gives power with regard to the general policy and the Minister will have responsibility for giving direction to the road safety authority in that regard. He or she would also retain overall responsibility for road safety. The Bill provides that the road safety authority may make recommendations for improving driving standards and requires the authority to submit road safety programmes to the Minister. In the circumstances, this amendment is unnecessary.

We are not setting a precedent in the Bill. This is a long-established practice. There are many other such authorities and boards which have autonomy but the Minister of the day in the lead Department has responsibility for policy. If the Minister of the day was given the same authority as the chief executive officer to deal with the micro-management of the authority, there would be criticism of that as well. This practice is nothing new and it conforms with the practice that has been in place over the years. Successive Governments have established authorities and boards of which the chief executive officers are accountable to the Dáil and the committees of the Dáil. In this case it is the transport committee.

The Minister will have power to give general policy direction to the road safety authority. There is a template in existence and, while it does not follow that we should have to adopt it, over the years such boards and authorities have served us well. They have been accountable to the relevant committees of the House. There is no reason to change that now. Road safety is a top priority for myself, the Minister and the Taoiseach. There is a committee of Ministers, chaired by the Minister for Transport, Deputy Cullen, of which I am a member which deals with road safety policy. The other Ministers on the committee are the Ministers for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Health and Children, Education and Science and the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. The Department will have responsibility for policy direction and will work closely with the road safety authority.

It would be wrong to get involved in the micro-management of this body. We will ensure that recommendations on improving standards which will require the road safety authority to submit programmes to the Minister will be dealt with.