Road traffic legislation
Deputies ask when the road traffic Bill on cross-Border penalty points and drug driving will proceed, and whether it is prioritised before the election. The Taoiseach says it will go to Cabinet and should then be published.
Plans are being worked out on the harmonisation of penalty points between the North and South of our country. An agreement between the UK and here on how this should be implemented is at an advanced stage. The road traffic Bill 2015 is intended to address this. When will it be introduced? Will it be before the Government gives way over the next while?
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The next North-South Ministerial Council is on Friday. Following the Stormont House Agreement, we are committed to dealing with criminality and lawlessness on both sides of the Border through a variety of mechanisms, including this.
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Have the heads of the criminal procedure Bill on pre-trial procedures been cleared and is it likely to come before the House at an early stage? The mediation Bill is important proposed legislation. Have the heads of the mediation Bill been cleared and will the Bill come before the House in the near future?
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The criminal procedure Bill was cleared in April and the mediation Bill was also cleared, but it will be next year.
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To follow up on Deputy Ellis's point on the road traffic Bill, which deals with drug driving, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport said it would definitely be passed before Christmas. As such, only a few days are left. Is there a priority list of legislation vis-à-vis a couple of other important Bills mentioned this morning? Is there a priority list for the Ministers opposite of Bills that will be passed before they go to the country a few weeks after Christmas? Most importantly, is the road traffic Bill one of them?
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It is going to Cabinet next week and it will certainly be published. We have a lot of complaints about rushing legislation through, but I expect that if it comes to Cabinet next week and is approved, it will be published.
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What about the others? What about the priority list?
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That is gone away with the flood.