Up to yesterday, 148 of our fellow citizens were killed on the roads. That represents an increase of 25 on last year. Of course, the 148 families of these victims are totally devastated. In communities in virtually every constituency, people are being devastated by the ongoing carnage. Since the Taoiseach came to office in March 2011, approximately 1,000 people have died on our roads and perhaps 15,000 have been seriously injured. The chairperson of the Road Safety Authority, our former Dáil colleague, Liz O'Donnell, has drawn attention once again to the fact that under this Taoiseach, successive Administrations have slashed the size of the Garda traffic corps by half, from approximately 1,200 around the time of the crash down to barely 700 now.

An additional €85 million is included in the budget as part of the Government's plan for the Garda Síochána to have 15,000 members - and 21,000 staff in the service altogether - by 2021. Will the Government bring the strength of the Garda traffic corps back up to what it was in the past? At one stage, we succeeded in halving the number of road traffic deaths from approximately 400 per year to in the region of 200.

My next question relates to the Departments of Transport, Tourism and Justice and Equality. There are, as two Ministers sitting near the Taoiseach who have had responsibility in this area previously are aware, difficulties with traffic law. The Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport makes policy but the Department of Justice and Equality has to implement it. We get many gaps and failures in the Courts Service and the Department of Justice and Equality. I wish to draw the attention of the Taoiseach to one or two of these, in particular section 22 of the Road Traffic Act 2002. This provision makes it an offence not to present a licence in court if requested to do so. Yet, questions answered at the instigation of the outstanding PARC Road Safety Group in 2014 and 2015 suggest that up to 70% of people coming to court did not present their licences. The Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Fitzgerald, undertook to take action on this matter. However, when the first group of 21 such prosecutions were brought forward last November, Judge Marie Keane struck them down. For the past year, the Tánaiste has been in consultation with the Garda Commissioner and there has been consultation between the Departments of Justice and Equality and Transport, Tourism and Sport but nothing has been done. As the two former Ministers for Transport, Tourism and Sport sitting near the Taoiseach are aware, section 44 of the 2010 Act has not yet been brought into force, although it is six or seven years since the legislation was passed. This section relates to the third payment option.

There are many anomalies and there has been a failure to co-ordinate between the Departments of Transport, Tourism and Sport and Justice and Equality. The Courts Service, in particular, needs to be upgraded. The Government only provided approximately €4 million for the upgrading of the information technology systems of the Courts Service. Yet, there is an extraordinary dearth of information going from the Courts Service to the Road Safety Authority and the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport.

Deputy Broughan referred to traffic accidents and deaths. These are always tragic and so sad. Despite every encouragement we can provide and every incentive or initiative we can put in place, accidents will continue to happen. We regret the loss of life in that regard.

It is a matter for the Commissioner to determine the allocation of gardaí to the various sections of the Garda, including the traffic corps. That is a matter of day-to-day management. It was a matter of public politics for the Government to make a decision to reopen the training college in Templemore and increase the level of induction thereto. A total of 800 gardaí will now be trained per year. It is a matter for the Government to make a political decision to bring the Garda strength to 15,000. An extra 4,000 civilian staff by 2021 and an extra 2,000 in Garda Reserve numbers will bring the force up to that level. Obviously, budgetary requirements are a factor and these are determined by the allocations to the various sectors.

I am unsure of the position with regard to the issues relating to section 22.

Technology has advanced to a stage where if an arrest is made or somebody is apprehended, it will indicate whether there is a driving licence or insurance or charges pending or whatever. These matters must be looked at.

I do not know the detailed answer to the two questions the Deputy raised in respect of section 22 and section 44 but I will ask the Minister for Justice and Equality to respond to Deputy Broughan in respect of those.

I welcome the Taoiseach’s answer. We have heard often from people in the Road Safety Authority, RSA, about the absolute necessity for additional invigilation. The chairperson of the RSA referred to the European driver attitudes survey which showed that people in this country are half as likely to be stopped in a mandatory alcohol testing, MAT, check, now a mandatory intoxicant testing, MIT, check as people in the rest of Europe. This is an operational matter for the Commissioner.

I commend the Commissioner on waiving fees for documents for families of victims of road traffic crashes. Those fees were incredibly high. Will the Taoiseach ask the Minister for Justice and Equality and the Garda Commissioner to bring the traffic corps back up to strength? There is a strong case for perhaps making it a distinct unit with a separate command within An Garda Síochána. Will he ask the Department of Justice and Equality, which has been dragging its heels, and the Courts Service, about IT systems and the transfer of information to the RSA and to bring in the legislation we need? The section 44 I referred to is on the clár. It is the Courts Bill and if we wanted to we could have it passed before Christmas.

Deputy Broughan raises an interesting point. I am quite sure if he spoke to the Chairman of the Oireachtas Joint Committee for Transport, Tourism and Sport, the Minister for Justice and Equality would be very happy to attend a meeting of the committee and discuss the issues there. The capital expenditure made available by the Government over recent years has been of great assistance in getting new motorbikes and patrol cars to replace the old vehicles. I also see increased evidence of the speed vans in different locations around the country which are having an impact in making people aware that their speeds are being monitored and there are consequences. The Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality would be happy to discuss the allocations to the various sectors of the Garda with the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport but it is a decision for the Commissioner. Government will continue to do its best in respect of supplying facilities to the gardaí so that they can carry out their duties in a professional and efficient manner with the best of up to date standards.