Joanna Tuffy
Ceist:861 Deputy Joanna Tuffy asked the Minister for Transport the position regarding the planned Road Safety Bill; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32365/10]
Amharc ar fhreagraWednesday, 29 September 2010
Ceisteanna (770, 771, 772, 773, 774)
Thomas P. Broughan
Ceist:871 Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Transport when the provision for the mandatory testing of all drivers involved in a serious road collision as mandated under the Road Traffic Act, 2010 will be implemented; the reason this provision has not already been implemented; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33174/10]
Amharc ar fhreagraThomas P. Broughan
Ceist:872 Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Transport if the provision for mandatory testing and the reduction of the drink drive limit are legally linked under the Road Traffic Act 2010 and if so the reason for this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33170/10]
Amharc ar fhreagraThomas P. Broughan
Ceist:873 Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Transport the sections of the Road Traffic Act 2010 that have now been fully implemented; the sections that have not yet been implemented; the timeframe for the full implementation of the Road Traffic Act 2010; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33158/10]
Amharc ar fhreagraThomas P. Broughan
Ceist:874 Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Transport if he will report on the national roll-out of recalibrated intoxilyser machines to facilitate the reduced drink driving limit from 80mg to 50mg as mandated under the Road Traffic Act 2010; the cost of recalibrating the national tranche of intoxilyser machines and the timeframe for the full recalibration programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33202/10]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
I propose to take Questions Nos. 861 and 871 to 874, inclusive, together.
The provisions of the Road Traffic Act 2010 will come into force through the making of a series of Commencement Orders. One such Order (S.I. No. 394 of 2010) has been made to date, which brought Part 1 (Sections 1 and 2) and Sections 26(5), 68 and 78 into operation on 9 August 2010.
The remaining sections of the legislation will come into force when the necessary and relevant operational and administrative supports are in place.
Part 2 of the 2010 Act consolidates many of the previous intoxicated driving provisions, including sections 9 and 15, which provide for the mandatory testing of drivers in certain circumstances.
As the intoxicated driving provisions are inter-related, I intend to commence all those sections together when the new Evidential Breath Testing (EBT) instruments have been procured and are in place.
However, I intend to move to amend the existing legislation in order to introduce mandatory testing at the earliest possible date, in advance of the intoxicated driving provisions which await the new EBT instruments. In this regard, I intend, very shortly, to publish the Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill 2010 to facilitate the earliest possible introduction of mandatory testing in certain circumstances.
The procurement process for the new EBT instruments, to measure the reduced levels of blood alcohol concentration provided for in the Road Traffic Act 2010, is well advanced. The Medical Bureau for Road Safety (MBRS) will inform me of the overall costs once the preferred supplier has been chosen. It is estimated that the selection, testing and approval of the new instruments, in addition to Garda training and distribution of instruments to Garda Stations will be completed by September 2011.