Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 19 October 2017
29. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will report on the operation of the speed detection vehicles of a company (details supplied) since 2011; his plans to introduce further legislation to strengthen the role of the company's staff in court cases; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44082/17]
View answerA new contract for the provision and operation of the safety camera network on Irish roads was concluded on 17 August 2016. The contract for the safety camera service, which was awarded following a public procurement competition, is with Road Safety Operations Ireland, trading as GoSafe. The new safety camera contract is an agreement between the Minister for Justice and Equality, the Commissioner of An Garda Síochána and Road Safety Operations Ireland, trading as GoSafe. The Minister for Justice and Equality authorised the awarding of the services agreement for the provision and operation of safety cameras on a managed service basis for An Garda Síochána, in accordance with Section 81(7) of the Road Traffic Act, 2010.
The previous safety camera contract, also with GoSafe, expired on the date services were commenced under the current contract, which was 1 May 2017. The duration of the current contract is 6 years with effect from the Services Commencement Date, with the option to extend the contract for an additional 12 months. The estimated cost of the core safety camera service over 6 years is approximately 73 million EUR excluding VAT (Total cost of the safety camera contract over 7 years is estimated at €100.4 million EUR, including VAT).
Under the current contract, GoSafe will provide an annual minimum of 90,000 hours of monitoring and surveying vehicle speed across 1,031 designated safety camera zones. This equates to a minimum of 7,400 monitoring hours and 100 survey hours a month. This represents an annual increase of 300 hours on the existing contract. The current contract also contains provisions for up to 1,500 additional monitoring hours within any calendar month and the option to avail of fixed, temporary fixed and average speed safety camera systems.
The role of the Safety Camera Contract is critical in the context of road traffic enforcement, improving road safety by changing driver behaviour in order to reduce road traffic fatalities and serious injuries by reducing the incidence of drivers exceeding stipulated speed limits, in circumstances where speeding is known to be a significant factor behind serious collisions. As such, the deployment of safety cameras is determined by road safety considerations as opposed to revenue maximisation.
The overall impact of the cameras can be seen in the impact on the fatal collisions in the designated safety camera zones, referred to as speed enforcement zones. The designation of specific sections of road as speed enforcement zones is based on an analysis of collision data by An Garda Síochána.
In the years 2004 to 2009 (the 6 years before the introduction of the safety camera network began), approximately 3 out of 10 (30%) fatal collisions occurred in these zones. In 2015, this figure had reduced to 16% (or 24 road deaths) in safety camera zones.
In relation to the role of GoSafe staff in Court cases, it should be noted that GoSafe do not prosecute any cases. They are witnesses for the prosecution, rather than theprosecuting agency. An Garda Síochána prosecute speeding cases at District Court level. In addition, GoSafe operators receive formal training from GoSafe in relation to court attendance. While there are no plans currently to further strengthen the role of the company's staff in these cases, my Department will continue to consult closely with both An Garda Síochána and the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport in relation to this road traffic enforcement matter.
My Department is in ongoing contact with An Garda Síochána and the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport via a number of different fora in relation to road traffic enforcement matters. My Department also closely monitors all changes to road traffic legislation, the responsibility for which rests with my colleague, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Mr. Shane Ross, T.D.
