Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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Question 99: To ask the Minister for Transport the arrangements that he has made for the rules of the road booklet to be updated on an ongoing basis in tandem with changes in road traffic law. [21962/06]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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My Department has been working on the revision of the Rules of the Road booklet. There has been a very considerable amount of work involved in that many significant changes in the overall area of road traffic law have to be reflected in the revised booklet.

This work is now substantially complete and I am pleased to state that the revised draft Rules of the Road booklet was placed on the Department's website last week for public consultation. Comments on the draft document from the public or interested parties can be made until the end of June. It is anticipated that the new booklet will be finalised and published by the end of the Summer.

The new booklet will be made available for sale. It will also be made available on-line by the new Road Safety Authority to ensure that, in the future, the booklet will provide up-to-date information on changes in traffic law on an ongoing basis.

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 100: To ask the Minister for Transport the basis for his decision to seek an exemption in respect of the compulsory wearing of seat belts by children of three years of age or over travelling in a small public service vehicle on a seat, other than a front seat, if no appropriate child restraint is available; if the National Safety Council or Road Safety Authority was consulted in regard to this exemption; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21961/06]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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Directive 2003/20/EC relating to the compulsory use of safety belts and child restraint systems in motor vehicles permits Member States to allow a child of any age to travel without a child restraint in the rear of small public service vehicles (taxis, hackneys and limousines) if a restraint is not available. In transposing the Directive into national law, this option was availed of because it was considered it would be unreasonable to expect that small public service vehicles would always have the appropriate child restraint available. However, a child of 3 years of age or more who is 135 centimetres or more in height travelling in the rear of a small public service vehicle where a child restraint is not available must use a safety belt.

The Directive, including the aforementioned provisions relating to small public service vehicles, were discussed with the Chief Executive designate of the proposed Road Safety Authority prior to the making of the regulations to transpose the Directive into national law.

Shane McEntee (Meath, Fine Gael)
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Question 101: To ask the Minister for Transport if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the National Roads Authority intends to introduce a higher speed limit on all national dual carriage ways; what this new speed limit will be; when same will be introduced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21941/06]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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Section 9 of the Road Traffic Act 2004 sets out the range of special speed limits that may be specified in special speed limit bye-laws by city or county councils for application in lieu of default speed limits.

The 2004 Act introduced a special speed limit of 120 km/h into this range and indicated that it may be applied in respect of a dual carriageway that forms part of a national road that is not a motorway. The 2004 Act stipulates that this special speed limit can only be applied in accordance with guidelines issued by the Minister for Transport.

It is not proposed therefore to apply this special speed limit of 120 km/h to all dual-carriageway roads across the public road network.

I issued guidelines in April 2005 on the application of special speed limits, including specific criteria as to the road and engineering standards and conditions that apply to the application of the special speed limit of 120km/h. A copy of the guidelines are available in the Oireachtaslibrary and on my Department's website www.transport.ie.