Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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1162. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport when the consolidation of the Road Traffic Acts will begin; the expected completion date, given reports that his Department has confirmed that legislation dating back to the 1960s will be consolidated; if this will be completed before the Government's term ends; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37480/15]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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My Department is currently working on a Road Traffic Bill 2015 with the intention of enacting it before the end of the year. It is being drafted by the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel at present. This is the current priority in road traffic legislation, and will be dealt with before work on a consolidation can begin.   

After the passage of the 2015 Bill, my Department will begin examining the process of consolidation.  This will, as a first step, involve a scoping exercise to estimate what is necessary, how much time will be required, and what resources will need to be allocated to the project as the legislation in this area has become extremely complex.  

Consolidation will require more than passage of the legislation as it currently stands in a single Act.  It will entail careful review of the legislation being consolidated in order to identify points where it can be clarified, simplified and improved.  A project of this kind will require time and resources, and is expected to take a number of years to complete, as for example has been the case with the Companies Acts and the Finance Acts previously.  It is not practical, realistic or possible that such a consolidation could or would be completed before the Government's end of term.