Feargal Quinn (Independent)

When Mr. Gay Byrne accepted the position of chairman of the Road Safety Authority I welcomed it in this House. I said the Minister for Transport will not allow Mr. Byrne to resign because the Minister did not perform what he promised he would. I read the newspaper today and Mr. Byrne's use of the interesting word "tetchy" is close to resignation. The Minister will find it difficult to hold his head up and say he has not provided the 600 speed cameras he promised. If Mr. Byrne resigns due to this it will be a scandal for the Minister given the number of road deaths that take place that are technically within his hands. The technology for speed cameras exists. They do not catch people speeding at a single point. They identify a car at one point, and if it reaches a second point in a time that indicates it exceeded the speed limit, the driver is caught speeding even if he or she slows down while passing the cameras. The Minister knows the technology exists and it is up to him to do something, otherwise the scandal of road deaths is on his hands.

I wish to raise the position on donor organ transplants. In France, when a person dies his or her organs are automatically taken to be available for use in transplants unless that person has declared that he or she does not wish them to be used. People are on dialysis and waiting for organ transplants. In Ireland we have not taken that step but it is worthwhile considering. It would be the opposite to the position we have here. Unless a person carries a donor card that agrees his or her organs can be taken, they cannot be used without the permission of the next of kin. It is the other way around in France, and Britain is considering adopting that system. We should consider it here because it will decrease the number of people waiting for transplants.

I applaud the declaration of interest in the next Presidency from the other side of the House.