Skip to main content
Normal View

Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 6 Jul 2017

Vol. 957 No. 2

Roads (Amendment) Bill 2017: First Stage

I move:

That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to amend the Roads Act 1993 to exempt sea and river rescue teams from road tolls and to provide for related matters.

Ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a ghabháil as ucht an deis an reachtaíocht seo, reachtaíocht tábhachtach i mo thuairimse ach reachtaíocht cuibheasach simplí, a chur os comhair an Tí. Tugann sé aitheantas don ról tábhachtach atá acu siúd a chuidíonn linn daoine atá i gcruachás a chuardach, a thacú agus a tharrtháil.

I welcome the opportunity to move my Roads (Amendment) Bill. It amends the Roads Act 1993 to exempt sea and river rescue teams, the RNLI and Civil Defence from paying road tolls when participating in search and recovery missions.

In the immediate aftermath of the tragic loss of Rescue Helicopter 116, which crashed off the coast of Mayo in March of this year, I was contacted by volunteers who were participating in the efforts to recover the coastguard crew of that doomed flight. They were justifiably frustrated at having to pay road tolls while making the journey to and from Mayo. Some were coming from Dublin city and others from as far as from Cork in order to participate in a hazardous mission, for which they had volunteered their time. When I raised the matter with the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Ross, he confirmed that only ambulance, fire brigade vehicles and vehicles used by An Garda Síochana or the Defence Forces are exempt from having to pay road tolls. He went on to say that voluntary and community organisations such as river and sea rescue teams had to pay road tolls in order to ensure a fair and robust system of tolling enforcement. He further claimed that exempting the voluntary and community sector from tolls would incur a cost to the Exchequer as the toll operators would have to be reimbursed for their losses.

I believe the Minister's excuse for refusing to exempt voluntary sea and rescue vehicles from having to pay road tolls was demeaning to the brave men and women who assist the State during those emergencies and that is why I have put forward this simple, short Amendment Bill. The cost of voluntary rescue crews travelling through road tolls places an unnecessary financial burden on the search and rescue volunteers who are penalised for fulfilling their potentially life-saving work. Some of those who contact the office calculate that they were paying nearly €15 daily if they were travelling from parts of Dublin to Mayo. That adds up. They should not be penalised financially for trying to help. Any cost to the Exchequer from exempting voluntary rescue services from paying road tolls is totally justified.

It is wrong that they are expected to pay those road tolls en route to assisting in emergencies that often occur in very tragic and difficult circumstances. Therefore, I encourage the Minister to consider this amending Bill and perhaps endorse it. When it comes to Second Stage, we can have a proper debate on the topic.

Is the Bill opposed?

Question put and agreed to.

As this is a Private Members' Bill, Second Stage must, under Standing Orders, be taken in Private Members' time.

I move: "That the Bill be taken in Private Members' time."

Question put and agreed to.
Top
Share