Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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Question 226: To ask the Minister for Transport his views on the recent criticism by the chairman of the Road Safety Authority of the Government and himself in terms of the recent cutting of the RSA's campaign and advertising budgets, the failure to rollout the national speed camera programme and the reduced level of enforcement of critical road traffic law due to budgetary constraints on An Garda Síochána; if he has met the chairman and the CEO of the RSA on these issues; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21334/09]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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Road safety remains a key priority for Government, and this commitment is underpinned by the Road Safety Strategy 2007-2012 which has set the framework for reducing deaths and injuries on our roads through a series of 126 Actions, each with a responsible agency and target date. The primary aim of the Strategy is to reduce road deaths to no greater than 60 fatalities per million of population by the end of 2012 which equates 252 deaths per year.

Fatalities on our roads have fallen in recent years, and the number of fatalities in 2008 at 279 is the lowest since records began. We are well on target to meet the overall Strategy objective.

While road safety advertising campaigns are particularly effective in keeping the road safety message to the fore, difficult Exchequer funding decisions have had to be made this year, nevertheless the Exchequer is providing €32.8m to the Authority in 2009.

The RSA will continue to implement its programme of road safety awareness, education and research, with a budget of €4m in 2009.

These remain important elements of the Authority's statutory functions and key to getting the road safety message to all road users (pedestrians, cyclists, car and commercial vehicle drivers), and to changing road user behaviour.

I can understand the concerns of the Chairman of the RSA, but as I have said, these are difficult times and difficult decisions have been made. Road safety in Ireland has benefited immensely from the involvement and drive of the RSA since its establishment in late 2006, and I anticipate that the agency will continue to maximise the road safety agenda, even in the context of limited resources.