Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 41: To ask the Minister for Transport the progress he has made in persuading industry on the retrofitting of blind spot mirrors on older heavy goods vehicles; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35906/05]

Ivor Callely (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)
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In April 2005, I wrote to the Irish Road Haulage Association, IRHA, the Society of the Irish Motor Industry, SIMI, and the Irish Business and Employers' Confederation, IBEC, requesting them to consider retrofitting vehicles with blind spot mirrors or indirect vision devices. In addition, I asked that in advance of the 26 January 2007 deadline all new HGVs being put on the market would meet the higher standards for drivers' fields of vision. The IRHA responded positively indicating that for the past number of years it has actively encouraged its members to fit convex mirrors to their vehicles and to request these on their new vehicles. In this regard, the IRHA informed me that it wrote to the main importers of HGVs requesting the fitting of these mirrors as standard equipment, but was disappointed by the responses received.

As I have no record of receiving a response from SIMI or IBEC, I wrote to them again about the matter earlier this month.