Vol. 408 No. 4
140 Mr. Yates asked the Minister for the Environment if he will clarify the situation in relation to speed limit extensions for Wexford County Council; whether sanction is awaited by his Department, or any other office, for the submission made by the council; if he has any proposals to reassign the full powers in relation to speed limits exclusively to local councils; and if he will consider this as part of any local government reform.
The position in relation to the revision of speed limits in County Wexford is as set out in the reply to Question No. 172 of 7 May last.
Under existing law, speed limits must be prescribed in regulations made by me under the Road Traffic Acts. A measure of devolution has existed since 1974 whereby such regulations are made on a county by county basis, following periodic reviews undertaken by local authorities in conjunction with the Garda. It is my policy to implement local authority proposals as far as possible subject only to discretion being exercised by me in relation to proposals for limits on national roads in view of the importance of ensuring uniformity of treatment for the national road network as a whole.
The question of devolving full responsibility for setting speed limits, other than on national routes, will be considered in the context of a general review of road traffic legislation and in the implementation of the local government reform programme.
