Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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940. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport when the special task force established in 2013 to examine the cause of road deaths will report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1165/14]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The current Road Safety Strategy 2013-2020, which I launched in March 2013, aims to make Ireland one of the safest countries in terms of road deaths in the EU. The new Strategy sets a specific target for 2020 to reduce the number of road deaths to 124 a year (from 162 in 2012) and serious injuries to 330 per year (from 485 in 2012). This drop is necessary to close the gap between Ireland and other best performing countries.  

While no special task force to examine the cause of road deaths was established, I will continue to Chair the Ministerial Group on Road Safety to oversee the implementation of the 144 actions in the Road Safety Strategy 2013-2020. The Group is similar to the one that monitored the implementation of the previous road safety strategy.  Since its establishment in March 2013, the Group has met twice and will continue to meet on a regular basis.  The function of the Ministerial Group is not to produce a report but rather to oversee the implementation of the Strategy.  Overall the Actions set out in the Road Safety Strategy are being completed within the target dates set out in the Strategy document.