Ivor Callely (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)
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The current date for the compulsory fitting of digital tachographs on all new buses and lorries within the EU is 1 January 2006. However, this date is still the subject of discussion between the European Parliament, the Council of Ministers and the European Commission.

With the introduction of digital tachographs, smart cards will be used to record and download data from digital tachographs. My Department will shortly be able to support those companies planning to introduce digital tachographs in advance of the compulsory requirements. I expect to make, in the coming weeks, the necessary statutory orders for the introduction of the digital technology, including the issue of driver cards, company cards, workshop cards and enforcement cards as required under EU law. Once the necessary orders are made, the Department will commence the issue of such cards as the demand arises from the industry. Existing buses and lorries using analogue tachographs are not affected.

Denis Naughten (Longford-Roscommon, Fine Gael)
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Question 107: To ask the Minister for Transport the reason for the delay in issuing design specifications for the signage and civil works relating to the application of school speed limits; the date these specifications will be issued; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26069/05]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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In January 2005 I made regulations, the Road Traffic (Speed Limit-Traffic Signs) Regulations 2005, S.I. No. 10 of 2005, prescribing the regulatory traffic signs displaying metric units of measurement, kilometres per hour, that the road authorities must provide on public roads to indicate the speed limit in force.

Since the passage of the Road Traffic Act 1994 the power to apply special speed limits has been vested in the elected members of county councils and city councils through the making of special speed limit by-laws. Section 9 of the Road Traffic Act 2004 sets out a new process for the making of speed limit by-laws by the elected members and expands the range of options available to county and city councils in relation to the deployment of special speed limits.

A legislative provision to provide for the application of a special speed limit to operate during specific periods of the day, such as when school children are entering or leaving a school premises, became operative on 20 January 2005. I issued guidelines on the application of special speed limits to the county and city managers last April pursuant to the 2004 Act. Copies of the document were placed in the Oireachtas Library at the time and the guidelines are also available on my Department's website www.transport.ie under roads/publications. Local authorities are required to have regard to these guidelines when applying special speed limits and in the case of applying the 30 km/h special speed limit that is provided for in the 2004 Act, it may only be pursued in accordance with provisions in these guidelines.

Decisions as to whether or not to apply a special speed limit at a particular location or to apply a special speed limit that is operative on a periodic basis are matters that fall to be determined by the local authority having complied with consultation and consent processes required under the 2004 Act.

While proposals for new formats of traffic signs are examined from time to time in my Department, I want to emphasise that the traffic sign regulations that I made in January of this year and the range of sign options already available under those regulations are adequate to support the implementation of any special speed limit options.