Jackie Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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Question 843: To ask the Minister for Transport if the necessary legislation to allow the introduction of the new temporary speed limits which are required at central locations throughout the country will be introduced (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40213/05]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The legislative basis for the application of speed limits on roads generally is set out in the Road Traffic Act 2004 and came into operation on 20 January 2005. That Act establishes a range of speed limits that apply to particular classes of road on a default basis and also provides the basis for county councils and city councils to apply special speed limits in lieu of these default speed limits. The power to apply special speed limits is given under section 9 of the Act to the elected members of county and city councils acting following consultation with the Garda, the written consent of the National Roads Authority in respect of proposals for national roads and motorways and a public consultation process. The range of speed limit values that can be applied as special speed limits is set in that section.

Section 9 of the 2004 Act also provides that the Minister for Transport may issue guidelines to county and city councils in relation to the application of special speed limit by-laws. I issued such guidelines on 18 April 2005 to the county and city managers. Special speed limits of 120 km/h and 30 km/h can only be applied in accordance with those guidelines. A copy of the guidelines is available in the Oireachtas Library and may also be viewed on my Department's website. That section also provides that county and city councils may make by-laws to support the deployment of special speed limits on a periodic basis or where special circumstances prevail.

Section 10 of the Road Traffic Act 2004, in force since 20 January 2005, provides that a county or city manager may make a road works speed limit order for the application of a speed limit on any road or part of a road, including a motorway, where road works are being carried out. A road works speed limit order can be applied for any period of not more than 12 months and the minimum speed limit that may be put in place by such an order is 30 km/h.

In January 2005, I made regulations, the Road Traffic (Speed Limit — Traffic Signs) Regulations 2005 (SI No. 10 of 2005), prescribing the regulatory traffic signs displaying metric units of measurement — km/h — that the road authorities must provide on public roads to indicate the speed limit in force. This range of traffic signs can be deployed to indicate that a default speed limit, a special speed limit or a road works speed limit is in force. On 30 November 2005, I made further regulations, the Road Traffic (Traffic Signs — Periodic Special Speed Limits) Regulations 2005 to provide an alternative format of a speed limit traffic sign which may be deployed to indicate that a periodic special speed limit is applied.