Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 6 October 2015
755. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the steps he will take to modify the road traffic legislation, and in doing so, make it more understandable and readable for the citizens of Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34516/15]
View answerCurrent road traffic legislation in Ireland is a complex of primary and secondary legislation, dating back to the Road Traffic Act 1961. In addition, some aspects of road traffic legislation - for example, driver licensing - also operate within a framework of EU legislation.
The Deputy refers to making it more understandable to citizens in general - in fact, it is widely acknowledged that the law in this area has become significantly complex over the years. The solution in this area, therefore, is to consolidate the Road Traffic Acts into a single piece of legislation. This was done in the 1961 Act, when road traffic legislation dating back to 1933 was consolidated into a single Act.
Given the numerous pieces of legislation that have been enacted since 1961, the Department plans to consolidate the acts. This is a significant undertaking and has been deferred on occasions as the legislative priorities to bring about improvements to road safety have overtaken it, e.g. drug and drink driving. The current legislative priority is the forthcoming Road Traffic Bill 2015 which will provide for roadside testing for drugs by An Garda Síochána among other matters. Once this Bill has been enacted, a timeframe for carrying out the consolidation project will then be considered.
