Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 307: To ask the Minister for Transport if an EU standard for the retro-fitting of passenger side blind-spot mirrors has been agreed by the EU and is available to his Department; and if so his views on introducing legislation or regulations for the compulsory retro-fitting of these mirrors to HGVs and large vehicles prior to any further EU decision in relation to the blind spot in front of such vehicles. [43641/06]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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In October 2006, the European Commission published a proposal for a directive to require existing HGVs to be retrofitted with enhanced mirrors on their passenger side to improve the lateral field of indirect vision of drivers. Earlier this week the proposal was considered by EU Transport Ministers at a meeting of the Transport Council and agreement was reached on the general approach to the draft directive. Essentially, the approach involves requiring HGVs registered since 1 January 2000 to be retrofitted with the enhanced mirrors within three years of the directive coming into force. Also at the Council, in response to requests from a number of Member States, including Ireland, to include in the proposals measures to address the blind spot to the front of existing HGVs, the Transport Commissioner indicated that the Commission would undertake a study of this particular matter.

The proposals cannot be adopted as a directive until such time as they have been considered by the European Parliament and agreed by the Transport Council. I will await the outcome of the consideration of the proposals by the European institutions before legislating in relation to the retrofitting of mirrors to existing HGVs.