I asked the Taoiseach if he would be prepared to send out a clear message to people driving on Irish roads that those caught driving without insurance will have their vehicle confiscated, sold and the proceeds used for victims' compensation and so on. The Taoiseach should send out a clear and tough message to this effect. After all, law abiding drivers are paying €60 million in respect of claims arising from uninsured drivers.

We welcome everybody to this country. According to the Lonely Plant travel group, Ireland is the friendliest nation in the world with the exception of Fiji and Malawi. However, 1,700 crashes on Irish roads last year involved cars registered in Poland and Lithuania. Obviously, persons from those countries and others are welcome here when they contribute to our economy but we have standards that should apply to everybody.

There is growing concern about the large number of drivers from outside the State who retain their domestic registration and renew their insurance policies in their home countries. This, in turn, gives rise to all of the difficulties that ensue when a driver from outside the State is involved in a crash with an Irish driver. This is a new issue in addition to the current loophole which allows foreign registered cars to be re-registered here for two years before any checks in respect of roadworthiness, NCT and so on are required.

Another glaring problem, as pointed out yesterday evening by Deputy O'Dowd, is that of the 400,000 penalty points cases this year, 108,000 of those points cannot be applied because the drivers do not hold Irish driving licences. It is time a clear message was sent out given the carnage on our roads. The regulations in respect of driving, registration and insurance are very clear. We should have no qualms about saying that the regulations and rules apply to everybody, be they from Ireland or elsewhere.

The Taoiseach will be aware that in future an Irish person travelling to another EU country, purchasing a car there and bringing it back to Ireland will be required as an Irish national to have the car undergo an NCT and roadworthiness test within six months. The issue in respect of foreign registered cars not having to do this for two years is causing a problem.

Now that progress is being made in terms of mandatory breathalysing, will the Taoiseach speak to his Minister for Transport to ensure clear rules are set down in respect of driving, insurance and re-registration? These rules should apply to everybody across the board. People should know that if they are caught driving without insurance in this country, their car will be confiscated, sold and the proceeds used for victims' compensation.

As I said earlier, to the best of my knowledge confiscation of a car is one of the actions open to the Garda Síochána. It is not the only action but the legalities of what the Deputy is suggesting would need to be examined. A garda can confiscate a car where an individual has been found to be driving without insurance. I agree with this, subject to the legalities involved.

Has it ever been done?

Yes, I have seen it happen a few times on the roads recently. Gardaí are confiscating cars for different reasons. Obviously, non-nationals were involved in some instances. As Deputy Kenny stated, quite a number of issues arise in respect of the plates being used and so on.

A number of the issues raised, apart from insurance and the clampdown in that regard, are EU related. However, the situation in respect of foreign drivers in this country is no different from that which pertains in respect of an Irish person driving on the Continent with an Irish registration plate. I am told that efforts are being made at EU level to co-ordinate the rules regarding those issues. The Deputy mentioned one of them, namely, testing within a particular period, and it would be sensible for this to happen. An attempt is being made at EU level to harmonise regulations of penalty points in respect of people who drive cars in other jurisdictions. We will have to await the outcome in this regard.

People who drive in this country have the same rights and obligations as Irish citizens who drive on mainland Europe. The point the Deputy is making is whether they should be subject to local laws, rules and so on. There would have to be a European understanding in that regard. I do not believe we could arbitrarily apply a regulation in that regard in this country. The longer a person is allowed to retain a car in a jurisdiction without it undergoing mandatory testing and so on, the longer the system remains open to abuse. One does not have to be an expert to note the high proportion of cheap cars being driven in this jurisdiction. Many people are not worried whether these vehicles are confiscated or not, something of which the Garda is very conscious.

In the meantime, Ireland has complied and continues to comply with the European Transport Safety Council report on EU safety. The Minister for Transport, Deputy Dempsey, will shortly publish a road safety strategy through which we will continue to improve and enhance fairly tough regulations. Some people may not be pleased with many of these regulations. While all of them cannot be implemented within a fixed period, many of them will be introduced in the next few years. We will continue to enhance our road safety. The strategy, which is due to be published in approximately two weeks, is a comprehensive report which outlines the many actions that will be carried out, not overnight, but during a fixed period. In the meantime, we will continue to support the dedicated transport corps which comprises more than 800 gardaí who stop 30,000 drivers a month in respect of issues such as alcohol consumption, performance and so on. These checks are improving our statistics on road safety and we must continue to enforce them. That is the Government's intention.