Road Traffic Bill and breathalyser figures
Deputy Healy-Rae argued the Road Traffic Bill should be withdrawn because of doubts raised by incorrect breathalyser figures and said the rural impact would be severe. Deputy Donohoe refused to withdraw the Bill, then explained that the issue concerned incident counts rather than the validity of evidence used to tackle dangerous driving.
In light of the revelations that the breathalyser figures are incorrect, I call on the Government to withdraw the Road Traffic Bill before the Dáil. The Government proposes to further penalise drivers caught with a blood alcohol concentration of between 50 mg and 80 mg per 100 ml by talking their licences and putting them off the road. This will have a devastating effect in rural Ireland. How can we trust the figures the Minister presented in support of the Bill in light of the revelations of recent days? I am asking the Government to withdraw the Bill in view of the mayhem we have seen in recent days.
Comment on this
The Government has no plans to withdraw that legislation. However, it does touch on an important issue raised by Deputy Healy-Rae. It is great to see the Deputy's brother back in action today after the nasty incident he experienced recently.
Comment on this
The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform is all heart.
Comment on this
I am. I am keen to address the particular issue the Deputy has raised. It is important to be clear that the issue relating to the use of the breathalyser arises in respect of the number of incidents recorded. However, the evidence produced by the use of those breathalysers in tests was still used to deal with dangerous driving on our roads to make our roads safer. I will answer the Deputy's question on the legislation again: the Government has no plans to withdraw it.