Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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77. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans to address the increase in road deaths in 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2345/21]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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Based on provisional figures, road deaths were regrettably 6% higher than in 2020, despite a large decrease in the volume of traffic on our roads.

However, it should also be noted that the number of our fatalities on our roads dropped by 30% since 2010, and Ireland is currently the second safest country in the EU in terms of road deaths.

Despite the difficulties of the Covid-19 restrictions which have been in place since March 2020, my Department will not relax its efforts to keep our roads as safe as possible for all road users, including pedestrians, cyclists, the elderly and children.

The four main causes of fatalities on Irish roads remain speeding, intoxicated driving, the use of mobile phones and the non-wearing of seatbelts, and these are all areas where drivers must take personal responsibility for their actions, and realise the consequences of these killer behaviours.

The Road Safety Authority is the body tasked by the Government to develop and implement information and education campaigns to increase awareness of road safety and promote safer driving, to improve vehicle standards, to provide and monitor a standard for driver instruction, to oversee the driver licensing system, to carry out collision and road safety research in order to make recommendations to improve road safety, to work with all major stakeholders to promote road safety and to implement measures to make our roads safer, and to produce road safety strategy documents and monitor their implementation.

Officials in my Department, together with the Road Safety Authority, an Garda Síochána, and other stakeholders, are currently developing the Road Safety Strategy 2020-2030, and I expect this to be finalised within the next few months.

Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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78. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the number of weeks of expected salt supplies for road gritting that each local authority has at present; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2349/21]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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As of 8 January, there are 97,100 tonnes of salt available for use on the network of National Roads and Motorways. In addition, there are 68,900 tonnes available for use on the Regional and Local Roads network. To date, 24,700 tonnes of salt have been used this winter on the National Roads and Motorway networks, while a further 35,400 tonnes has been used in relation to the Regional and Local Roads network.

The number of weeks of salt remaining is dependent on the severity of the weather and the level of salt usage required. At present, based on typical winter usage, it is expected that there will be sufficient salt supplies to last the remainder of the winter season. However, salt stocks are monitored and assessed on a weekly basis. Should salt usage be significantly higher than normal over the coming weeks as a result of severe winter weather and colder conditions, additional stocks will be ordered under Transport Infrastructure Ireland’s Salt Purchase Framework.