Road safety commissioner
Ciarán Cannon called for a road safety commissioner with stronger powers amid rising road deaths. The Taoiseach praised his advocacy, described recent ministerial action on road safety, and indicated he would meet the new minister to discuss further measures.
As the Taoiseach highlighted earlier, we have tragically lost 97 people on our roads this year, which is 12 more than at this time last year. We urgently need to act to avoid further loss of life. I have long advocated the creation of a road safety commissioner with the authority and resources to deliver on our commitment to zero deaths by 2050. The chair of the RSA has said there is merit in exploring that concept. I am quoting her directly here:
It would be better if we had more powers to bring all the actors [in the road safety space] onto the one page. I would like to see a more all-of-government approach, real commitment if we are going to reverse this trend.
Just last Thursday, the CEO of the RSA told the Committee of Public Accounts that he also can see the benefit of one powerful entity "having the funding, the remit and the statutory duty to do all of what is required ... [in] a more joined-up, single approach to road safety". I wish the Minister of State, Deputy Lawless, every success. I believe he will be excellent in that role. I am asking the Taoiseach to sit down with him and act decisively and swiftly on the deep reform of the RSA that is urgently required.
Comment on this
I thank Deputy Cannon and acknowledge that he has been a very strong advocate of road safety for long years. I thank him for that. I join with him in wishing the Minister of State, Deputy Lawless, very well in his new role. I absolutely will sit down with him. In the 12 weeks I have been Taoiseach, I have chaired two ministerial meetings on the issue of road safety with the Road Safety Authority, the Garda and others. This is a really serious issue. Look at the number of deaths seen on our roads this year, the fact that we have lost four lives on roads in the last 24 hours. Between Leaders' Questions yesterday and Leaders' Questions today, four lives have been lost on Irish roads. We think of all of those families.
I understand that a full review of the Road Safety Authority is under way. It is expected to come to the Minister for Transport very shortly. It is within that context that we can consider the sensible suggestion the Deputy makes.