Donie Cassidy (Fianna Fail)

Senators Frances Fitzgerald, Joe O'Toole, Alan Kelly, Jerry Buttimer, John Ellis, Jim Walsh, Rónán Mullen, Paul Coghlan, Joe O'Reilly and Camillus Glynn expressed their great concerns about road safety. There has been a complete change since 2004 in the respect and attitude of drivers towards the regulations that have been introduced.

I pay tribute to Gay Byrne, whom I have known for a long time, for taking the job of national chairman of the Road Safety Authority. He has come to the assistance of the chief executive. He was also of great assistance to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport, of which Senator Ellis was formerly Chairman, and the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Enterprise and Small Business, of which I was Chairman. Mr. Byrne was very open to doing anything he could to assist.

Members of this House said he would resign but Gay Byrne is made of stronger stuff. It is not in the man's genes to do so. He has highlighted the plight of many sections of our society over the years and played a major part in the formation of 21st century Ireland.

The Government has introduced four Bills since 2004 when the figures for deaths and serious injuries on our roads were really bad. The Taoiseach has played a pivotal role in allowing the Government and its legislation committee to prioritise road traffic problems and everything pertaining to road safety since 2004.

Among the four Bills introduced since 2004 has been the Civil Liability and Courts Act, which places the onus on anyone making a claim to swear an oath and stipulates that if any part of the claim is found to be fraudulent, the claimant will pay the entire costs. That has reduced substantially the number of claims made. I understand one individual made three claims relating to a pothole in Cork.

The Personal Injuries Assessment Board Act was brought before the Houses of the Oireachtas and passed by this Fianna Fáil-led Government. That was a major move. Senator O'Toole is vice chairperson of that body which has brought about significant change. This was requested by all sides which sought to reduce premium claims, from those involved with road safety to the insurance industry.

Since 2004, the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act has been passed to help matters. The penalty points system was introduced by the former Minister for Transport, Deputy Séamus Brennan, and passed.

The difficulty is that three Government portfolios handle the area of road safety. More than 100 people are alive since 21 July 2006, however, because of these changes in the regulations. Thousands more people would have been maimed in serious accidents had those Bills not been brought into law.

The manufacturers of motor cars also have a responsibility in this area. In our final report we called on the Road Safety Authority and the Minister in charge to insist that manufacturers put in place something that would cost €15 which would mean if the seat belt was not engaged, the key would not start the engine. We saw that simple road safety process when we spent four days on the campus of Maryland University in the United States. Manufacturers have a responsibility in this area as well as everyone else.

Random breath testing was introduced by this Fianna Fáil-led Government and I played a major part in that. Substance breath testing has been approved but the drug aspect of it is difficult, an aspect mentioned by a Senator earlier. The alcohol aspect of the test is fool-proof but New Zealand is the only country that has perfected the drug aspect of it. The Road Safety Authority and the transport committee might examine that in the current Dáil and Seanad term.

It is neither fair nor factual to say nothing was done here in this area. Gay Byrne and the Road Safety Authority have taken on board the various proposals that were made, particularly in terms of reform of the industry, by the committee I had the pleasure of chairing for the five years. Senator Leyden was also a member of the committee, on behalf of this House, which did whatever it could to ensure these changes took place.

It was the Donegal tragedies, where seven or nine people were killed over two weekends, that made us decide enough was enough and introduce random breath testing. Fear of the law is back in that respect. In 2004, 575 members of the Garda Síochána were in the dedicated traffic corps. I said in the House yesterday that its full complement of 1,200 will be reached this year. Addressing this problem comes down to monitoring the traffic on the roads. If the public sees the traffic is being monitored by the Garda Síochána, this problem will be addressed. What happened over recent weekends, however, was an enormous setback in terms of everyone understanding that attitudes must change.

Senator Ellis, who has a great deal of experience in this area because it was his undertaking during the lifetime of the previous Dáil, raised the issue of ten to 15 year old cars being brought into this country and allowed on the road. One can see such sales in Mullingar on Monday nights and throughout the country, where those from other destinations who have come to this country to work avail of them, just as our Irish colleagues did in America and elsewhere in the 1950s and 1960s when they were trying to get a start in life. People coming to Ireland from a country which drives on the opposite side of the road should be obliged to adhere to a 50 mile an hour speed limit when using our roads.

Perhaps we should consider the possibility of driving on the opposite side of the road in this country. As Senator Kelly would be aware, our biggest tourist destinations are Europe and the United States of America where people drive on the opposite side of the road. There are many good reasons for considering changing it in Ireland. Gay Byrne and the Road Safety Authority might take it on themselves to carry out some research in this area with which we could assist them. I have no difficulty with the House sitting for a day to discuss where we go from here in this regard. We have achieved much in the past three years. What do we intend to do in the next three years? I have no difficulty in allowing a lengthy debate on that issue.

Senator Joe O'Toole raised the issue of the Chinese new year and wished the Chinese people all the best for the future. Regarding human rights, I visited China two years ago with the Taoiseach. I understand a transformation is taking place in China, as is the case in India and many other destinations. The hope is that the human rights of the people living in those countries will be improved immensely in the coming years. I have no difficulty in passing on the Senator's views to the Minister.

Senator Alan Kelly raised the question of tourism. As I said earlier, I have no difficulty in having a debate on tourism. I hope to set aside time for such a debate which I will announce to the House next Wednesday.

Senators Ciaran Cannon, Paul Bradford and Joe O'Reilly, but the first especially, called on me to contact the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to request that the single farm payment and the REPS payment be made at the same time. I will pass on that view to the Minister today. I have no difficulty in having an open debate soon on all matters pertaining to agriculture.

Senator Dan Boyle, the Deputy Leader of the House, covered the Cork docklands position comprehensively and I thank him for that. Senator Jerry Buttimer must be relieved that he has heard the up-to-date——