We hope to have the guidance on speed limits prepared and finalised in quarter one of next year and the legislation passed as well. That will then issue to local authorities to allow them to conduct speed limit reviews. It will be a devolved function of local authorities to implement the new default limits and operate the guidance. That will progress through 2024. I have been clear that it will take 2024 to progress this. We have truncated the timeline when compared with the previous speed limit review. That took m…

The timelines are those I set out in September when I outlined what was in the speed limit review. Our intention was always to issue guidance to local authorities in quarter 1 of next year and then, through 2024, speed limit reviews would be undertaken by local authorities and new speed limits decided on. If we had followed through on the Deputy's proposal, we probably would have been waiting a year to get the legislation changed and we probably would not have seen changes to the speed limits for two or three years…

I thank Deputy Naughten for raising this important issue. The rising trend in road deaths and injuries is of particular concern, as is the very serious trend in the numbers of vulnerable road users. It is a source of great concern to me and to my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Ryan. Ensuring the vehicles driven on our roads, and each of the components of these vehicles, are safe, roadworthy and designed to the highest possible technical standards is an important measure to reduce road traffic accidents and a vital…

The EU regulation on this updated the previous 2009 regulation on safety technologies. It requires all cars, vans, trucks and buses to be equipped, in addition to tyre pressure monitoring systems, with minimum safety systems such as intelligent speed assistance, alcohol interlock installation facilitation, driver drowsiness and attention warning, advanced driver distraction warning, emergency stop signal, reversing detection and events data recorders. Advanced emergency braking and lane keeping assistance are also …

I will come back to that point.

I was about to come to that point. I will check the legal position on imported vehicles, how they are defined and whether they are deemed new imported vehicles. Obviously, if it is a new vehicle or car in an EU showroom, that is one thing, whereas an imported vehicle is defined as a second-hand vehicle. I will check to find out how that will apply. The current taxation position has drastically reduced the number of imported vehicles, as the Deputy knows, but it is a fair point. We do not want circumvention of the s…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 and 18 together. I thank Deputies Griffin and Tully, who have raised this important issue. The Deputies will be aware that the Road Safety Authority, RSA, has statutory responsibility for the operational aspects of the national driver testing service, including in the context of test applications and scheduling matters. I assure the Deputies, however, that my Department is working closely with the authority to address driver testing waiting times, which is an issue of great concer…

I thank both Deputies. As Deputy Griffin said, we will be monitoring this very closely in order that we do not yo-yo back into a situation that is just unacceptable. On Deputy Tully's point, when I entered the Department earlier in January, part of the challenge was that it was clear there was a total mismatch between demand and the capacity of the system. Increasing the number of testers from 100 to more than 200 provides a degree of resilience and the capacity to deal with the other consequences that might arise,…

The RSA manages the contractual position between itself and prospective testers. As the Deputy has said, we should be using every day, where possible, to ensure that people can get tests. Obviously, my Department will reflect on what the Deputy has said. I am not aware of the specific instance to which she referred. I will ask the Department to reflect on what she has said in the context of communicating that information earlier to the people deployed to do this work.

I thank the Deputy. I know she raised this matter of capital infrastructure and a park-and-ride facility as a Topical Issue. It is something we have reflected to the NTA. I am happy to engage with the Deputy and Deputy Smith on concerns relating to the ongoing issue of buses not showing up, in addition to driver shortages. There have been particular issues in counties Cavan and Meath related to commuter buses, on which there has been engagement between the Department, the NTA and Bus Éireann. It is something we are…

I thank Senator Gallagher for raising this important matter in the House today. I acknowledge the very serious road safety concerns he raised and the fact that the fatality rate and collision rate has been seriously high and concerning on this road. Many lives have been lost. The Senator mentioned 24 deaths, which is shocking. Particularly as the population increases, as part of the national development plan, NDP, and national planning framework, having balanced regional development is important. Obviously, a core …

I will reflect on the feedback the Senator has given and the strong representations he has made. He has also been clear about his concerns relating to the high collision rate on the road. The high collision rate will not improve with increases in the population and the increased use of the road. It has an important North-South dimension. Engineering and infrastructure are of paramount importance in improving our road safety. That is why particularly in the midlands, the west and the north of the country there are a…

I welcome the opportunity to address the Dáil and update Members on road safety and the current progress against actions within the Government's road safety strategy 2021-23. The safety of all road users is the first priority for my Department. Travel and transportation is an essential component of social and economic life in this country and needs to be available, accessible and sustainable. Above all, it needs to be safe. I am sad to say, however, that in three out of the last four years, we have experienced an i…

I thank the Deputy and I acknowledge his local experience and feedback relating the active travel scheme. The Department of Transport has responsibility for the provision of funding and setting of policy in relation to transport issues, including active travel. The National Transport Authority, NTA, has responsibility for the allocation of funding to projects at local authority level and works with the local authorities to ensure delivery of same. The Deputy will be aware that a significant increase in funding has …

I will try. I thank Deputy Lahart and I hear what he is saying clearly. Feedback from local communities and stakeholder engagement is of fundamental importance to get community buy-in, with public representatives here in the Oireachtas, councillors and the wider public. I will reflect this in the context of the wider active travel programme we are seeking to roll out. I have responsibility for the safe routes to schools programme. There are possibilities across communities to try to encourage opportunities for acti…

I thank Deputy McAuliffe for raising this matter. The regulation of the small public service vehicle, SPSV, industry, including enforcement and compliance in the sector, is a matter for the independent transport regulator, the NTA, under the provisions of the Taxi Regulation Act 2013 and Public Transport Act 2016. Neither the Minister, Deputy Ryan, nor I have a role in the day-to-day operations of the SPSV sector. The National Transport Authority, NTA, as regulator, sets the standards and requirements for the SPSV …

I appreciate the points made and the engagement by the Deputy. In the past number of weeks alone, I have met some taxi drivers, as we have discussed ourselves, and am happy to engage directly with others. There needs to be a strong level of engagement by the State with the representatives. I am certainly willing to engage with them and we can organise that. As I have said, before introducing regulations and vehicle age limits, the NTA publishes its proposals for public consultation for a one-month period. Any views…

I thank all of the Deputies for the opportunity to update the House on the national driver testing service. As they have said, it is an issue for many people in urban and rural Ireland, in particular young people who have not been able to get a test. I acknowledge that and do not dispute the concerns they have set out. There is wide agreement that it is essential that the public has access to a reliable and high-quality driver testing service. In many cases it is crucial for young people wishing to study or to work…

There is a new subhead.

I thank the Senator for tabling this Commencement matter, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Finance. The residential zoned land tax, RZLT, is a new tax introduced in the Finance Act 2021 which seeks to increase housing supply by encouraging the building on lands that are suitably zoned and appropriately serviced. It aims to bring forward for housing land that has benefited from State investment in services and is capable of being developed. The tax is an action contained in Housing for All, the Govern…