Paddy Burke (Fine Gael)

I move amendment No. 5:

In page 7, before section 5, to insert the following new section:

"5.—(1) The Authority shall have a policy role in—

(a) making general road safety policy recommendations to the Minister,

(b) advising the Minister on any review of speed limits,

(c) advising local authorities on general road safety policy,

(d) liaising between any itself and any one or more of the following bodies:

(i) an Garda Síochána;

(ii) the National Roads Authority;

(iii) local authorities and municipal authorities;

(iv) the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government;

(v) the Department of Transport; or

(vi) such other bodies as the Minister may prescribe from time to time.

(2) The Authority shall have consultative and advisory roles in any review or reform of road categories, or in terms of their route letter and number.".

The purpose of amendment No. 5 is to give a more defined policy role to the road safety authority. It is not clearly defined where the authority can give a policy recommendation to the Garda Síochána, the National Roads Authority, the Departments of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and Transport or the Ministers with those responsibilities.

Amendments Nos. 16 and 17 are concerned with reviews and reports. They state that the road safety authority would publish an annual review, benchmark itself and monitor its successes or failures. Road safety issues must have some form of benchmarking. The annual report it will publish should include benchmarks. The authority should monitor itself.