The Tánaiste will be aware that the Government has now entered its ninth year. If it runs for its full term, it will have been in office for ten years. That is a decade too long, characterised by a crisis in the health services, rampant crime and the fact that Ireland has become the most expensive country in Europe. This Government has been characterised most by its consistent litany of broken promises. This is an absolute scandal when it comes to carnage on the roads and the Government's ability to deal with transport services. For instance, does the Tánaiste recall the Government's promise in 1998 to roll out speed cameras nationally within two years? Does she realise that seven years later, only three out of 20 speed cameras in the greater Dublin area are in operation at any one time? Does the Tánaiste remember that the Government promised to make 69 offences liable to penalty points by the end of 2003? Does she realise that two years later, only three have actually been enacted? Is the Tánaiste aware that on average, only one garda in every Garda station has been trained in the use of breathalyser machines? Does she realise that the conviction rates between 2001 and 2003 have climbed significantly?

The result of this inactivity and inability to cope by the Government is that, unfortunately, road deaths continue at a terrifyingly high rate. Already this year, 172 people have lost their lives on our roads, an increase of 12% on 2004. Of course driving behaviour is the responsibility of individuals, but if they believe they can get away with speeding, drunk driving or whatever, they feel safe in so doing. Can the Tánaiste offer any assurance that, almost ten years later, having given a litany of promises, the Government and the Minister will take some action to implement the litany of broken promises, which have resulted in road deaths continuing at a startlingly high rate? Is this not a complete failure on the part of the Government and the Ministers for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and Transport to implement systems and standards which will ensure that all road users know they must be compliant in the interest of public safety?

The Tánaiste has other things on her mind.

I acknowledge that the Government has been in office for eight years. That is true and the Government was returned to office at the last election. However, if we reflect on those eight years, while we can see challenges and difficulties, equally we can see major progress in Ireland. For example, last year, this economy created 72,000 jobs. When the two Government parties came to office in 1997, the unemployment rate was 11% and there was still emigration. Today we have net immigration and an unemployment rate of 4%. When we took office in 1997, 1.5 million people were at work in Ireland while today, there are 1.9 million people at work. Undoubtedly, we have made enormous progress.

People need jobs to live.

One in every seven houses in the country was built in the last number of years. However, I must accept there are challenges, including in respect of the provision of infrastructure, in health care and in education.

Definitely.

In accident and emergency services.

Yes, there are challenges in other areas. It is our job as a Government to deal with those challenges, which we will do.

Specifically regarding road safety——

The Government has had eight years to do it.

What about Wexford General Hospital?

The Government should not take any credit for it.

The Tánaiste should be permitted to speak without interruption.

I will not be distracted by heckling, but specifically in respect of road safety, although the numbers of fatalities on our roads are too high, they are much better than they were some years ago. The decision of the Government to increase the membership of the Garda Síochána by 2,000 is——

Another broken promise, coming before Christmas.

No decision has been made.

No, it is happening and as part of this, a new dedicated traffic corps will be established. That is essential if we are to enforce safety standards on our roads.

Robocop.

The Tánaiste should not believe her own rhetoric.

The Tánaiste should be allowed to speak without interruption.

I will not be distracted by Deputy Jim O'Keeffe.

I will keep trying.

That is all the Deputy is good for.

I accept Deputy Kenny's statements pertaining to road safety and the Government has a major role to play in this area. However, all of us as citizens also have an important role to play in this regard and we should not lose sight of that.

I am disappointed by the Tánaiste's response as she is usually better briefed. She states it is the Government's job to meet these challenges and that it will do so. Obviously, however, there has been a complete failure here. I do not know if the Tánaiste is aware that only 34 extra gardaí have been drafted in this year. Let me provide some examples of where the Government has fallen down in respect of road safety. In 2002, the implementation of 69 offences which were to be liable to penalty points was promised by the end of 2003. Up to this year, only three have been effected. The immediate introduction of a Garda road traffic corps was proposed in 2002. The Tánaiste now states the Government intends to introduce a traffic corps. The introduction of random breath testing was to be extended nationally in 1999. However, in 2005, no legislation to allow for it has been introduced and no roadside drug testing has been introduced. A penalty points fixed charge processing system was to be rolled out by the former Minister for Transport, Deputy Brennan, who stated in 2004 that it would become live and active within a few months.

Deputy Brennan was rolled out instead.

Currently, no operational computerisation of the system has been implemented. The ban on mobile telephones while driving was to be introduced after the announcement in August 2001 by the then Minister of State at the Department of the Environment and Local Government, Bobby Molloy. In 2005, no legislation has yet been enacted to introduce fixed penalties for driving while using a mobile telephone.

Recently I had occasion to travel by a different mode of transport from Kerry to Donegal and it was an education in terms of the abuse of mobile phone usage by some truck drivers and by many motorists. The Government has fallen down completely in terms of implementation of standards for road safety. There is no compulsory training in place for motorcyclists and 46 have been killed on our roads this year. Motorcyclists comprise 2% of traffic yet 15% of accidents. Is this not an admission that the Ministers for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and Transport have fallen down completely on this job, not to mention the absent Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform who is in London today? I hope he does not raise the issue he raised at the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party last night when he said the building was surrounded and that if he was not let out in an hour, he would have to call in the marines.

I hope Deputy Kenny acknowledges the last comment was a light-hearted one from the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform.

All his comments are light-hearted.

When Deputy Kenny talks about roads, traffic and so on, he does not mention the huge drop in the cost of motor insurance in recent years. When he criticises the Government on matters which are being addressed, perhaps he could acknowledge the progress made in motor insurance costs which are down by over 30%.

The number of deaths and serious injuries on our roads has been substantially reduced from what it was in the late 1990s. There are challenges for us all in terms of our personal responsibility and there are issues for Government. There were constitutional issues in regard to random sampling and that is the reason it did not proceed. The commitment was to examine the matter. The Ministers for Justice, Equality and Law Reform and Transport are working closely to address the issues, particularly in regard to a traffic corps to enforce the existing law. If we could enforce the existing law, there would be a huge reduction in the number of road fatalities.