Olivia Mitchell
Ceist:50 Ms O. Mitchell asked the Minister for Transport the position on to the establishment of a Dublin transport authority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13118/07]
Priority Questions.
Proposed Legislation.
Substantial progress has been made in preparing the legislation and it remains my intention to publish the Dublin transport authority Bill shortly. The establishment of the authority will ensure the full and effective delivery of an integrated transport system in the greater Dublin area under Transport 21. In anticipation of the publication of the legislation and to commence the process of putting the necessary organisational arrangements in place, I recently appointed Mr. Tom Mulcahy as chairman designate of the authority. Pending the establishment of the authority on a statutory basis, I have asked Mr. Mulcahy, in his capacity as chairman designate, to give initial consideration to the management and organisational structure and to human resource and financial requirements of the proposed authority and to engage the key stakeholders and other interested parties as part of the preparatory process leading to the establishment of the authority and its early discharge of its statutory functions.
This is probably the final question time with the Minister for Transport in this Dáil; when we reached the final Question Time on transport in the previous Dáil, we were also promised a Dublin transport authority but it has not been established. The legislation has not been published and I do not know whether the Minister is even still promising to publish it before the end of this Dáil. It will not be passed and the authority, therefore, will not be established to deal with the significant issues facing Dublin such as the increasing incidence of gridlock and the failure of public transport providers and local authorities to work together as they continue to compete with one another. It is little wonder a decision cannot be made on how to join the Luas lines or provide integrated ticketing. There has been a complete failure to plan and co-ordinate the major infrastructure projects under way in Dublin. The port tunnel is pouring traffic on to the M50, which is a building site that is about to worsen. Absolutely nobody is driving all the decisions that need to be made urgently in the city. Will the Minister explain how the Government has taken five years to fail to deliver on the one initiative that might effect some change in transport in Dublin?
Will he also explain why he deliberately misled the public by promising 100 buses for the private sector? A further 100 buses were to be delivered through the Dublin transport authority but that authority has not yet been set up. The Minister did not mention that it could not be set up until he passed another Bill to reform the Road Transport Act 1999. As everybody in the House knows, reform of that Act has been promised since it was first passed and it is as likely to happen as is draining the Shannon.
I do not agree with the Deputy's assertions. A substantial amount of work is being undertaken, as is all too visible to the people of Dublin, on changes to the delivery of transport in the city and in the many different modes of transport being offered. The Deputy knows the two Luas lines work exceptionally well and seven extensions are being worked on.
Here we go again, the Minister's litany.
The consultation process on the metro has been completed and the preliminary tender issued. All the agencies are carrying out their work.
I strongly agree with the Deputy that we need a Dublin transport authority. I have appointed the chairman designate, who is meeting all the different bodies involved and wants to feed his views into the legislation.
Is the Bill not yet ready to be published?
It is ready but I am waiting for final consultations. We continue to meet all the timelines for the delivery of all the different projects for Dublin under Transport 21. I have consistently said that in the medium and long-term development of all transport in Dublin, including public transport, a body such as the Dublin transport authority is very important, but I want to make sure it is set up correctly. The chairman designate is considering the management, organisational structure, human resources needs and financial requirements of the proposed authority and is engaged with all the key stakeholders, which is very important.
We are making good progress on the delivery of transport services in Dublin and the Dublin transport authority will complement the process by playing a leading role.
The Minister is talking gobbledegook. He has promised this for five years and is still only talking about feeding views into the legislation. His opportunities for legislation have passed. The incidence of chaos and gridlock in the city is increasing and special interests, who do not want a Dublin transportation authority but to maintain the status quo, have won out because the Government has always put special interests above the public interest, which is why the necessary legislation has not been introduced.
To whom is the Deputy referring as "special interests"?
Every body and organisation involved in transport — there are dozens of them.
Dublin Bus.
The Minister is supposed to be in charge of setting up the body to look after the public interest, but that simply has not happened.
Public Transport.
Róisín Shortall
Ceist:51 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Transport if he will ensure that the financial envelope for metro north is sufficient to allow the line to be kept underground through Ballymun and for an acceptable station design at DCU to ensure that the project does not negatively impact on local residents, local traffic movements and the local environment. [12973/07]
Transport 21 includes budget provision for the implementation of metro north from the city centre to Swords via Dublin Airport, to be completed by the end of 2012. The Railway Procurement Agency completed a comprehensive and inclusive public consultation on route options for metro north last year and announced its selected route in October.
Work is under way by the RPA on the complex task of designing the detailed route and the stations that will be served. This includes engaging with stakeholders on the best design solution for Ballymun. A surface station can be provided which is safe, accessible and avoids severance. I also understand the RPA has met interested parties regarding the station design at DCU and that a programme to facilitate further consultation on their concerns has been arranged.
Will the Minister explain how he can propose a surface metro line through a large town such as Ballymun, which has been recently regenerated, without creating severance? When I asked the same question of the Minister at the Joint Committee on Transport he did not seem to be aware that a surface design would entail high protective walls on either side.
It will not. The Deputy has made that up, as usual.
I am a bit more in touch than the Minister with the details of what is proposed, having discussed the matter with the RPA on a number of occasions.
The Minister made a number of recent claims. He said the Red Cow roundabout coped well, but this issue is completely different. A new bridge was built at the Red Cow roundabout and grade separation took place, but in Ballymun the metro will be built on the surface with walls on either side. Two lanes of traffic will be lost and the main traffic artery will be reduced to one lane. That will be bad enough but with traffic feeding into Ballymun Road from east and west it simply cannot work.
The Minister also referred to the modelling work that had been done, but that work has not been agreed with the traffic department of Dublin City Council or the regeneration company, and much of it seems to be pie in the sky. What is the difference in cost between putting the Ballymun metro underground and putting it on the surface? It seems to boil down to cost, but the surface option is not acceptable to residents living in Glasnevin and Ballymun. We will not settle for a cheap metro solution when the Minister is prepared to spend millions of euro keeping the metro underground everywhere else. Does the Minister accept the strongly held view of the public in that regard, in view of the hugely detrimental effect it will have on regeneration in Ballymun, local traffic movement and the local environment?
A cheap option also seems to be proposed for DCU station in the form of an open underground station running within feet of people's gable walls. Is he prepared to ask the RPA to revisit that decision?
All the Deputy's assertions are utterly wrong. No walls are to be built in Ballymun. Metro systems throughout the world run on a part-underground and part-overground basis. The Luas works exceptionally well in Dublin and there is absolutely no need for an underground line. The Deputy's suggestion that walls are to be built on the main street in Ballymun is utter rubbish.
The RPA has shown diagrams of protective walls. Is the Minister not aware of that?
It has no basis in fact. The Deputy has highly politicised the situation in Ballymun. If I lived there I would much prefer an on-street solution to the solution the Deputy proposes.
Has the Minister seen the drawings?
The Deputy is incorrect to say we are foisting cheap options on Ballymun while doing otherwise elsewhere. The metro can and should be built. We have agreed the route selection and that it should go through Ballymun. The only issue raised with me at the outset was the proposal for the line to run on stilts. That was unacceptable to people in Ballymun so it was reviewed and abandoned in favour of the streetscape design, of which I thought everybody was in favour.
Nobody was in favour of it.
The Deputy now wants it to go underground. The extra cost would be a minimum of €250 million, just for the Ballymun section, which is a very significant amount. The RPA has assured me that such a cost is unwarranted and that there is every possibility of reconfiguring traffic in Ballymun. There will be no difficulty in so doing and it will have little or no effect on the metro's journey times from Swords to the city. In any event, were the metro to run through an underground section, it would slow down substantially.
As the Deputy is aware, the matter is still under consideration. While I am aware of the views expressed, unfortunately, no rational arguments remain in this debate. The argument is being presented in terms of other locations receiving something better than Ballymun. It is most unfortunate that someone should present what will be a fantastic state-of-the-art facility in such terms. Effectively, metro west will run over ground for its entire length. I do not understand the Deputy's motivation in suggesting there is something different about the treatment of Ballymun as this is utterly incorrect.
Metro north will be a Luas.
Metro north will constitute a major investment. I have seen metro systems operate worldwide and while some run overground and some run underground, others run partially overground and partially underground. There is no prescriptive method for labelling one project as being different to another.
With walls.
The fundamental difference between Luas and a metro is that capacity will be much greater on metro north. Moreover, speeds will be far higher on the metro and the metro will be able to deliver far greater numbers of people than the Luas. The RPA is engaged both at DCU and with the people of Ballymun on that basis. I wish to see a resolution of this issue as quickly as possible in order that the project may proceed.
The Minister is either badly briefed or is trying to mislead the House deliberately. Is he aware the RPA is and has been for some time showing diagrams of the on-surface design with high protective walls? Is he aware the RPA has cited a figure of between €150 million and €200 million as being the difference? Why did the RPA engage in highly elaborate public consultation with four design options if the decision had been made already? Was this simply a charade?
At-grade running will not result in severance of the main street in Ballymun or in significantly longer or less reliable journey times. Moreover, at-grade running will not mean greater congestion——
The Minister should answer the question instead of simply reading from a statement.
——at the junction between Balbutcher Lane, Shangan Road and Ballymun Road.
According to the notes I have to hand from the RPA, the answer to all the Deputy's questions is "No". To all of the arguments——
I asked whether the Minister has seen the diagrams. Has he done so?
——put forward by the Deputy, which are spurious——
Does the Minister know what he is talking about?
A number of issues are under discussion within Ballymun on which the RPA has given an inordinate amount of time to the Deputy and others in trying to find a resolution. However, the Deputy has a fixed position and has presented it in a manner that suggests that not putting the metro north underground at Ballymun constitutes foisting a lesser facility on it.
Exactly.
That is utter nonsense.
That is the case. Has the Minister seen the diagrams? Does he know what he is talking about?
We must proceed to Question No. 52.
Rail Network.
Catherine Murphy
Ceist:52 Ms C. Murphy asked the Minister for Transport the reason trains servicing the new Spencer Dock Station are terminating at Clonsilla in view of the significant demand that exists at stations further along the line at Maynooth, Leixlip Confey and Leixlip Louisa Bridge, the latter having recently had a parking facilities upgrade; the reason the double tracking of the Kildare line to Sallins and Newbridge was not included in Transport 21, in view of the considerable increase in service demand over recent years that is set to continue into the future; if the provision of commuter services to Kildare users will be placed on an equal footing with those provided to Dublin users, in view of the expansion of the Dublin commuter area in recent years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13140/07]
The provision of improved rail services to commuters in Kildare is an integral part of the upgrading of rail services in the greater Dublin area and is one of the important elements of Transport 21. The operation and timetabling of services is a matter for Iarnród Éireann. However, I have been informed by the company that the new and additional services operating between Clonsilla and docklands on the Maynooth line are designed both to provide additional services on the Clonsilla to docklands section to meet growing needs in that catchment area and to relieve pressure on the services serving beyond Clonsilla.
Iarnród Éireann considers that the services now operating on the Maynooth line, including the additional services between Clonsilla and docklands, represent the optimal use of the railway resources for the benefit of its passengers in Dublin and Kildare. I understand from Iarnród Éireann that there are now 35 services each way per day serving between Maynooth, Connolly and Pearse stations, as well as 15 services each way per day, including four peak hour services, serving between Clonsilla and docklands stations.
As for the Kildare line, the priority at present is to complete the Kildare route upgrade project. This project, which involves four-tracking a section of track between Cherry Orchard and Hazelhatch, will enable the separation of long distance and commuter services, thus reducing travel times and offering operational flexibility to increase the amount of services provided. As part of that project, stations are to be upgraded and parking capacity increased. I understand that Iarnród Éireann intends to place contracts for the main construction work in April and June this year.
Iarnród Éireann has advised me that the position regarding the four-tracking of the Kildare line beyond Hazelhatch will be reviewed when planning on the interconnector project is further advanced. In the meantime, Iarnród Éireann has agreed with Kildare County Council to provide in the latter's development plan for future four-tracking, should demand warrant it.
Kildare commuter services have already benefitted from major investment in recent years. Capacity on the Kildare route has increased by 160% through the provision of turn-back facilities at Newbridge, the extension of platforms at Sallins and Hazelhatch and the introduction of new rolling stock as part of the increased investment in public transport under the National Development Plan 2000-2006. Capacity on the Maynooth line has been more than trebled in the last five years due to the doubling of the track, resignalling and the upgrading of stations and crossings.
Both lines have also benefited from investment in rolling stock such as the acquisition between 2002 and 2003 of 80 commuter railcars and the more recent entry into service in late 2005 of an additional 36 commuter railcars. The introduction of a fleet of modern intercity railcars to be delivered in the period 2007 to 2009 will release commuter railcars currently being used on intercity routes such as Sligo to Dublin and Rosslare to Dublin for use on the Maynooth line, among others.
The additional trains are all both welcome and full. When a major investment was made in Spencer Dock, the expectation was that this service would extend as far as Maynooth, as north County Kildare is regarded as being in the heart of the commuter belt. However, the service will only operate from Clonsilla inwards although the capacity exists to go as far as Maynooth. This would offer an alternative service for those who wish to travel to the financial services district instead of across the city. At present I believe the preferred route for most users is still to travel across the city beyond Connolly Station.
Iarnród Éireann gave people in Maynooth and north County Kildare the impression that a new service would be on offer. However, this is not the case and it is not sufficient to assert that this is an operational matter as a significant investment has been made in this regard. Does the Minister agree that such a choice should be offered to the maximum number of people? There was an expectation in this regard. As my question noted, new parking has been provided in Leixlip at a substantial cost to the State.
In respect of the Kildare route project, the irony is that little of it pertains to County Kildare as nearly all of it is located in west Dublin. While a much better service will be offered from Hazelhatch Station inwards, a similar level of service will not be offered to rapidly expanding locations beyond Hazelhatch, such as Sallins or Naas. It is expected that the service to such stations will be inferior to that at stations from Celbridge inwards.
Something like a high-specification train service is required to offer people a real choice. Were feasibility studies or costings carried out in respect of extending the Kildare route project as far as Newbridge? Although this certainly constituted part of the original plans, obviously it was chopped due to funding limitations. Even after the completion of Transport 21, Kilcock, which resembles a town under construction, will still have a single line running from it to Maynooth. In the context of strategic planning — this will be delivered in ten years' time — does the Minister agree that such locations should be factored in at present and that Iarnród Éireann should be working to deliver them? After all, the interconnector is not due to be delivered for another ten years or so. There does not appear to be a long-term strategy. This appears to be a reaction to what is there at present, rather than taking a long-term view.
A total of 15 new services now operate each day on the Maynooth-Connolly-Pearse line. That is in addition to the 30 original services operating on that line. Services have increased by over 60% in the past few years on that line. The investment in the budget this year in public transport is over €777 million. The investment cannot all be made in just one area. However, the investment in that route has been substantial. The new Docklands Station has opened, which is a tremendous benefit not only for Dublin, but in terms of accessibility to Dublin. It serves Clonsilla, Coolmine, Castleknock, Ashtown and Broombridge stations. It is a significant addition in terms of capacity and stopping range that is being provided for customers by Iarnród Éireann.
There have been discussions between Kildare County Council and Iarnród Éireann and the development plan being prepared makes provision for future four tracking should demand warrant it. The important issue now, however, is to complete the projects that are outlined. The Kildare route project is under way. That project is important for the Deputy's constituents but it is equally important for the overall reconfiguration and integration of public transport and the different modes of transport that will be provided under Transport 21. Most of those projects are under way or at some level of development at this point. The investment in the Deputy's constituency is hugely significant in the context of the overall budget for Transport 21.
The Minister said there is a service from Maynooth to the Docklands Station but the service is only from Clonsilla. There is no service from Maynooth to Docklands Station, unless one gets off the train at Clonsilla and waits for the train for Docklands. That makes no sense. Is the Minister aware that, according to the census figures published last week, Kildare is now the fourth most populated county in the country? It is at the heart of the commuter belt. Is the Minister aware of the level of usage of trains? I accept that trains have been provided but at peak times the train is called the Calcutta express. That is what it resembles. There is a high level of use, which is welcome, but does the Minister not accept that it is wrong to provide a new station and not provide a service to that station from a location where there is a clear demand for it, particularly when there is the ability to do so?
The level of investment demonstrates that we recognise there is a huge issue in terms of the commuter belt and the growing population there. The addition of the Docklands Station means there are an extra four trains at peak times, which cater for an extra 2,500 commuters. That figure can be improved in the future to 10,000 extra commuters at peak times. The expansion of the population in the Deputy's constituency is the reason we are making this substantial investment.
In fairness to Iarnród Éireann, it started the new railway station last year and completed it within a year. That was a great achievement and demonstrates the company's commitment. Furthermore, the Phoenix Park station will open towards the end of this year. It will be an additional stop to benefit that route.
Air Services.
Olivia Mitchell
Ceist:53 Ms O. Mitchell asked the Minister for Transport his views on the capacity of Dublin Airport to cope with increasing passenger numbers at the airport, particularly during the peak summer months over the coming two years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13119/07]
I understand from the Dublin Airport Authority, DAA, that the company will use slot co-ordination and operational planning to reduce congestion at Dublin Airport during the 2007 high season. The Commission for Aviation Regulation announced its decision on 12 February last to designate Dublin Airport as a co-ordinated airport for the summer 2007 season and the DAA is confident that this will help reduce congestion during peak hours. Under this process, an independent co-ordinator will allocate take-off and landing slots at the airport, up to but not exceeding the agreed operating capacity limits. In common with other co-ordinated airports, airlines will have no discretion and must accede to the slots allocated by the independent co-ordinator.
In addition, the company has informed me of a number of capacity enhancement projects that are planned for the 2007 summer season. These include the opening of a new check-in area — area 14 — to provide an additional 25 check-in desks, while the arrivals roadway is being altered to facilitate additional passenger access to this area; additional security points at the security search area to increase the processing capability; additional customer service staff will be provided; and a new coach park has been built providing direct access to the arrivals and departures areas by way of a travelator.
In addition, pier D is currently under construction and it is hoped to have this completed by the end of this year. This will provide a net additional ten aircraft parking stands at the airport. Planning permission is also being sought for a new extension to terminal 1. This extension is scheduled to be completed in autumn 2008 but will be delivered on a phased basis, with the first element due for use in spring 2008. The 7,750 sq. m extension will be located at the north-western corner of terminal 1 and will expand the existing terminal at the departures, arrivals and mezzanine levels.
For more long-term capacity enhancements, the DAA has embarked under its capital investment programme on the development of terminal 2 and the associated pier facilities to be constructed close to the existing terminal. Fingal County Council granted planning permission for the project in October 2006 and this is now under appeal to An Bord Pleanála. I am assured that the DAA is working to the Government deadline to have the terminal operational by 2009. Finally, the DAA is at the planning stages for the construction of a second parallel runway which will provide for significant additional capacity at the airport.
I accept that the DAA is doing its best, in the difficult circumstances in which it finds itself, to maximise the use of what space is available at the airport. I welcome the move to slot co-ordination. However, on its own admission the DAA has accepted that it does not have any room for the expansion of services in Dublin Airport, despite the demand for increased services. The implementation of the open skies agreement is imminent. The potential of that agreement cannot be realised as a result of the lack of capacity at the airport.
The Minister spoke about new facilities being launched at the airport. However, that is reorganised space, not new space. The tent the airport was seeking 18 months ago is still not in place. The terminal has not been begun and planning permission for it has not been secured. There is a long lead-in time for all aviation projects and the tardy decision on this means we are badly handicapped in terms of providing services. The airport does not have sufficient apron, security, immigration or cargo space, not to mention terminals for the passengers. There are insufficient stands. Next year, the situation will be worse.
The Minister said pier D will provide ten extra places. In fact, many of the existing places, and more than the ten extra being provided, will be gone next year if the work on the terminal goes ahead, which we hope it will. The situation next year will be worse than it was last year. Will the Minister explain why the Government failed to make any decisions on aviation until it was too late? Dublin Port is out of capacity and no decision has been made on its future. Dublin Airport is out of capacity and, again, no decisions were made for the future. Will the Minister explain why this was allowed to happen during his term in office? Ireland has been virtually turned into a blockaded island in terms of its competitiveness, its ability to attract new tourists and even its ability to give choice to passengers. We are stuck with two airlines that are hardly competing with each other but no other additional airlines can come into the country. Our trade, competitiveness and passengers are being disadvantaged.
I disagree with the Deputy. With regard to area 14, the DAA invested €15 million to transform what was a basement storage area into a new, modern check-in zone. It was never used as that previously. It will accommodate 25 check-in desks and eight new ticket sales desks, and it will be capable of handling up to 4 million passengers per annum. This is significant additional capacity.
It will not be possible to bring 4 million extra passengers into the airport——
The Deputy accused me of not making decisions, which is strange.
——unless they are brought there by train.
I was appointed to this Ministry at the end of 2004. I have taken all the decisions on aviation and with regard to Dublin Airport. We launched the plan for the development of the airport. The Deputy could help me by talking to the people who are lodging objection after objection and trying to delay, stop and impede the development——
The Government knew that was going to happen. Why did it not make an early decision?
Regardless of whether the Deputy likes it, we live in a democracy and there are processes and people are entitled to object to particular developments. Unfortunately, many people have objected and that is causing us difficulty in terms of the delivery. I congratulate the management and staff of the Dublin Airport Authority because, as the Deputy rightly noted, they are coping with an extraordinary increase in passenger numbers at Dublin Airport. They did so last summer with a substantial increase and, in the public's perception, managed it extremely well, notwithstanding the difficulties.
I have outlined the new facilities being put in place for this year's summer season. The Dublin Airport Authority has done everything humanly possible to meet the demands of all the different customers, received planning permission from the local authority and is tied up with An Bord Pleanála with regard to getting a final decision. I hope we get a decision on terminal two as quickly as possible because that will be delivered by 2009. That, with the developments in place between now and 2009 which have realistic, albeit tight, timeframes, will transform the ability of Dublin Airport to deal with its passengers. We will then have a capacity of well in excess of 30 million passengers at Dublin Airport, where we are currently serving approximately 22 million. In fairness to the authority, the decisions are made, the plans have been drawn up, planning permission has been approved and the matter is with An Bord Pleanála. All the ancillary developments, be it pier D or opening up the new area 14 to cater for 4 million passengers this year, will be in place this year.
In view of the point made by the Minister about the long lead-in time of aviation decisions before they appear on the ground, what measures have been taken to progress terminal three, which is the competing terminal?
I am currently focusing on terminal two, which is the immediate priority. I know the company has had discussions with some of the land holders at Dublin Airport. It is looking at the configuration and reconfiguration of the airport and the possibilities beyond the immediate delivery of terminal two in less than two years' time. Although I have seen no plans, I am aware that discussions have taken place with different property owners and developers within the land-bank that would be contiguous or part of the Dublin Airport Authority development to prepare for terminal three to be put in place.
Road Safety.
Róisín Shortall
Ceist:54 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Transport the reason for the delay in publishing a new road safety strategy; when he expects it to be published; and the items from the new road safety strategy he will incorporate into and have passed as part of the Roads Bill 2007. [12974/07]
As the Deputy is aware, the Road Safety Authority, RSA, is responsible for developing a new road safety strategy for the period from 2007 to 2011. It went to public consultation in October last year and I understand a substantial number of suggestions and proposals have been received as a result of this process. The RSA also engaged in a process of direct consultation with key stakeholders in December 2006. I welcome the fact that a large volume of submissions were received and that the authority has been working its way through these submissions prior to finalising the new strategy.
It is only on receipt and examination of the new strategy that any new legislative requirements can be identified. In the meantime, I am anxious that the Roads Bill 2007, which is necessary to underpin the barrier-free tolling planned for the M50, is enacted before the dissolution of the Dáil. When I receive the new road safety strategy, I will submit it to the Government for approval as soon as possible thereafter.
The Road Traffic Act 2006 has been enacted and a number of key measures commenced. These include the provision to combat drink driving through enabling roadside mandatory alcohol testing and a ban on the use of hand-held mobile phones while driving. It should be noted that the number of road deaths in 2006 was the second lowest in 40 years.
It beggars belief that at a time when there is so much concern about road safety, we do not have a road safety strategy. The last strategy related to 2004-06 and effectively ran out last December. We have entered the second quarter of the year. Where is the road safety strategy?
The last time the Minister was asked about this, he said he expected to receive the new strategy in March and that he would consult his Government colleagues. Has he received that draft from the RSA and, if not, why not? At this point in the year, 92 people have lost their lives on Irish roads. Last weekend was particularly bad. We cannot afford to wait around and take our eye off the ball in respect of road safety, which is what seems to have happened, given that it is now April and there is still no sign of a road safety strategy.
Last year, when we debated the Road Traffic Bill, Deputies on this side of the House made a number of suggestions in respect of improved road safety. The Minister undertook at the time to take all these on board and consider them. He promised that a new road traffic Bill would appear by December last, but that has not appeared either. We have a roads Bill which is primarily about open road tolling, but we do not have a road traffic Bill, as promised by the Minister.
What is going wrong within the Minister's Department? Why is it that by April we still do not have a road safety strategy for the current year? Why, given that the Minister made promises last year in respect of new measures, are there no plans to legislate for them?
What the Deputy has said is extraordinary. First, I wish to put on record that I have enormous respect for the chairman, the chief executive and the board of the RSA, which has carried out an incredible amount of work since it was put in place. Deputy Shortall's view is that I should ignore it or beat it up to deliver something she wants simply because she wants something to talk about.
Everybody wants a road safety strategy.
I am far more interested in the quality of the work being carried out by the RSA. My view, although it may not be the view of Deputy Shortall, is that part of the qualitative process is to have very extensive public consultation with all the key stakeholders. That was the right——
The Minister told us that before and that we would have the strategy.
The Deputy should at least show me some respect and allow me to answer the question. A face-to-face public consultation process, which I attended, took place in December. I will not say that the RSA has been snowed under with submissions, but it has received very substantial submissions, all of which are very good. There is no point in producing something for the sake of it, and that is not what the people in the RSA are doing. These people are hugely committed to ensuring that we continue the downward trend to become one of the best countries in the world when it comes to road safety. That is an enormous task. The authority has been working on this for only three months. We are through three months of this year and I am prepared to give the RSA the time for the mandate it has been given by the Oireachtas under the legislation that set it up. The type of legislation, including primary legislation, we will need and the issues that must be regulated will flow from that.
What is happening at the moment is the core elements of it. We have strong law and enforcement in place. Random breath testing has a huge impact in the public domain, with 30,000 tests being carried out each month. I, with the Deputy and everybody else in this House, have enormous sympathy for the families that faced tragedy on our roads. Unfortunately, as we all know, much of it comes back to driver behaviour. While we will put strategies in place, I do not want to argue that a strategy per se will solve everything. We need to change driver behaviour and attitudes on our roads. That is central to why other countries are so much better than us. It is because it is anathema in societies in other countries to drink and drive, to wantonly speed and do the things that some people believe they can do on the roads, which we have all seen on our television screens. It is utterly unacceptable. We must ensure that, in conjunction with legislation and policy, we bring about the culture change needed.
The RSA knows full well that the Deputy and all those in this and the other House are anxiously awaiting the road safety strategy, but it has told me that it wants the time to get it absolutely right. Nothing has come to me at this stage so it is not as if, as the Deputy seems to imply, I have been sitting on a draft in my Department. I respect the work being carried out by the RSA and believe the strategy will be a formidable document when it arrives. As soon as it arrives, I will go to the Government with it and any legislation that arises will be brought before the House.
Is it not the case that there has been significant slippage at political level regarding road safety? I was not putting words in the Minister's mouth. He told us in February that he expected to get the road safety strategy in March, but we have not received that yet.
That is correct. I explained to the Deputy why I have not got it.
If the Minister was fully committed to doing that, he would ensure we had a current road safety strategy.
So the Deputy has no respect for the Road Safety Authority.
We are now into the fourth month of the year but we do not have a current road safety strategy, which sends out a very negative message about the Minister not taking the responsibility to ensure we have a current road safety strategy. It sends out the message that there is no political interest in this. From the messages he has been getting from the European Council about road safety, he knows he and the Government must give priority to this key area. However, we are in the second quarter of the year without a road safety strategy, and that is the responsibility of the Minister.
It is highly regrettable that Deputy Shortall, representing the Labour Party view, wants to politicise this issue in the way she has presented it to the House.
The Minister is politically responsible.
We have a well respected road safety authority which is exceptionally well led. It is committed from top to bottom to what it is doing. I have explained to the Deputy what the Road Safety Authority has been doing in preparing for a new road safety strategy. It has received substantial observations and submissions on what should be in the strategy. It is painstakingly going through all of those issues and is benchmarking those issues internationally to see what has worked in other countries. It will present the strategy in a co-ordinated, cohesive way that will stand up to scrutiny and deliver an impact on improving road safety standards.
When?