John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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707. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the new action he, his Department and the Road Safety Authority have specifically taken in the past six months to address the issue of road safety and the increase in fatalities on our roads; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3819/17]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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The Road Traffic Act 2016 of December 2016 includes provisions regarding drug driving, provisions to give effect to an agreement with the UK on mutual recognition of driver disqualifications, and creates a new option for local authorities to impose a special speed limit of 20km/h in built-up areas.  In the last six months, the Road Safety Authority (RSA) held a number of road safety campaigns and organised specific events, in conjunction with An Garda Siochana, aimed at increasing public awareness of road safety including at bank holidays and over the Christmas and New Year period.  The mid-term review of the Road Safety Strategy commenced in November 2016, with a seminar at which road safety stakeholders, including my Department, the RSA, the Department of Justice and Equality, an Garda Siochana, the Health Service Executive, and others, examined the Road Safety Strategy in detail.  I expect the RSA to submit a report on this review to my office shortly. I have increased the frequency of meetings of the Road Safety Ministerial Committee with meetings on 21 November 2016, 12 January 2017 and a meeting scheduled for late March 2017.

I very much welcome the assurance provided by An Garda Siochana at the January meeting, that there will be an increase of 10% in the traffic corps with greater enforcement of traffic law during 2017.