Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party)
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1070.To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the numbers of fixed charge notices served for the offence of failure by a vehicle to obey traffic lights, for each of the past ten years, by Garda district, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter.[34140/24]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, by law, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for all operational policing matters, including roads policing. As Minister, I have no role in these matters.

I can advise the Deputy that the table appended to this answer gives the yearly breakdown, by Garda Division, of Fixed Charge Notices issued for the offences of "traffic lights – driving past". Please be advised that the 2024 figures cover the time period from 1 January to 27 August, inclusive.

All data contained in this report is based upon operational data from the FCPS system, and is liable to change.

I can assure the Deputy that road safety is a priority for this Government, and it is with great sadness that we are witnessing a rising trend in collisions and fatalities. What makes things more concerning is that the trend is moving in the wrong direction following many years of progress in reducing fatalities on Irish roads.

Tackling this issue requires a whole of society response. The Government cannot work alone. We must get back to reducing accidents and fatalities again – so that road users and their loved ones can trust that when they take to the roads, they are as safe as possible.

The Road Traffic Act 2024 which was signed into law in April will address three key issues: the implementation of safer default speed limits, penalty point reform, and mandatory drug testing at the scene of serious collisions.

Other key actions have been taken in recent months to help reverse the trend, with all uniformed personnel in An Garda Síochána now required to perform 30 minutes of high-visibility roads policing per shift and significantly increased investment in public awareness campaigns by the RSA since mid-April.

The Deputy will be aware that lead responsibility for the national road safety strategy rests under my colleague the Minister for Transport. A number of high-impact actions have also been prioritised for delivery in the second half of 2024, including the rollout of three new average speed camera zones, publication of a national safety camera strategy, commencement of safer default speed limits on rural, local roads, and tackling the multiple learner permit issue.