asked the Minister for Labour if he will make a statement on the regulations he intended to introduce governing international transport which have been the subject of the criticism by the EEC Commission; and if he will state the grounds for and the character of that criticism and his intended response to it.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Transport Regulations.
27.
As a member of the EEC, Ireland is required to implement Regulation No. 543/69 of the Council, on the harmonisation of certain social legislation relating to road transport.
Under the Treaty of Accession, it was provided that the regulation would apply to Ireland as from the 1st April, 1973, in respect of international transport, and from the 1st January, 1976, in respect of national transport.
Before the provisions of Regulation No. 543/69 can be applied here, it is necessary to make implementing domestic regulations. A draft of a regulation in respect of my area of responsibility was sent to the Commission in March, 1973, and the Commission's opinion on the draft was formulated on the 16th May, 1974. This opinion of the Commission raises the following points:
1. The Commission considers that the maximum penalty proposed in our draft for breaches of the regulation should be considerably higher.
2. We are asked to consider providing for the suspension of transport permits for serious breaches of the regulation.
3. We are asked to inform the Commission whether the power to suspend a driving licence under our road traffic legislation could be applied in the case of a breach of the EEC regulation and if not, we are asked to make such provision.
4. We are asked to inform the Commission whether Irish law, other than that being provided in the regulation, would enable us to immobilise a driver and his vehicle for a period if he is not carrying an up-to-date control book. If our law does not so provide, we are asked to make appropriate provisions.
5. We are asked to make provisions to compensate for reductions in certain rest periods prescribed for drivers.
6. The Commission holds that an international journey begins when a vehicle starts on a journey which will involve the crossing of a frontier. We submitted that a journey became "international" at the point of crossing the frontier.
I am having this opinion of the Commission, which reached me recently, examined.