Vol. 440 No. 2
44 Mr. Browne (Carlow-Kilkenny) asked the Minister for Justice the amount of hours on average per week spent by Gardaí manning speed traps or, in some cases, with manual speed units for the last year for which figures are available.
I am informed by the Garda authorities that statistics are not compiled in a way that would provide the information sought, and that to obtain the information would require the expenditure of an unwarranted amount of Garda time and resources.
I can assure the Deputy, however, that the Garda authorities are committed to the rigorous and onging enforcement of the road traffic laws, especially those relating to serious offences such as speeding. For my part, I am determined that the Gardaí are in a position to take full advantage of modern technological developments to assist them in this vital area of law enforcement.
The use of in-car video units, for instance, has proved most successful elsewhere in Europe in combating speeding and, today, 16 such units are in operation with the Garda Traffic Corps. These video units allow the Garda to film breaches of the speed limits as they occur and record the actual speed of the vehicle in question on screen. The film can then be played in court to facilitate prosecution. In addition to the video units, 307 hand-held radar units are used by gardaí throughout the State.
This has translated into a most effective level of enforcement. I note from the Garda Commissioner's Annual Report for 1992 (the last year for which figures are available) that there were 30,327 prosecutions for speeding during that year. This averages out at over 580 prosecutions for speeding every week of the year.
