Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Road conditions can be responsible for collisions. The last figures I saw suggest it is somewhere between 3% and 6%. I very much support the spirit of this amendment but it is covered already in a relatively new EU directive. As the Senator will be aware, the NRA has responsibility for the national roads network. Section 17 of the Roads Act already states that it shall be the general duty of the NRA to secure the provision of a safe and efficient network of national roads. Safety is, therefore, already clearly part of its responsibility.

Following the introduction of the EU directive on road infrastructure safety management, Irish regulations giving effect to the directive were signed in 2011. These regulations greatly strengthen the powers of the NRA in respect of road safety matters. Under the regulations, the NRA may issue guidelines on road safety matters and, more specifically, may issue a direction to a road authority which must be complied with, a road authority being a local authority. In addition, the regulations deal with the carrying out of road safety impact assessments, road safety audits, road safety auditors, safety ranking of the road network, safety inspections and repairs, and roadworks on the network. The NRA applies the high standards set out in the directive not just to the trans-European road network but also to all national roads. Therefore, the intention behind this amendment is already catered for in legislation and I ask the Senator to withdraw it on that basis.