2320. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration for an update on his Departments efforts to fulfil the Programme for Government commitments regarding road safety; and if he will make a statement on the matter.' [61685/26]

Our road safety strategy takes a whole of government approach and is a shared responsibility. Development and implementation of road traffic legislation and policy falls within the remit of my colleague, the Minister for Transport, and the vital role of enforcing road traffic laws is carried out by An Garda Síochána.

Under section 33 of the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána which includes the distribution and stationing of Garda personnel assigned to roads policing. As Minister, it is my role to support the Commissioner in ensuring he has the resources he needs. Budget 2026 provides unprecedented funding of €2.74 billion to support recruitment and staffing.

I wish to assure the Deputy that road traffic laws are enforced by both roads policing personnel and as part of the day-to-day duties of uniformed gardaí nationwide. This includes a programme of high-visibility road safety and enforcement operations carried out in partnership with other state agencies. In addition, all uniform garda members are deployed on high visibility roads policing operations, of 30 minutes duration, in each tour of duty.

Technology continues to play an increasingly important role in enforcement. Significant progress has been made in broadening the information which is available to An Garda Síochána at the roadside. Every frontline Garda member now has a mobility device, which is essentially a mobile phone that allows them to access a number of specialised Garda apps. These include the ability to issue a Fixed Charge Notice, to check a vehicle's insurance status, if a vehicle is taxed and whether a driver is disqualified. This has led to significant improvements in the area of identification of offenders as well as more widely across roads policing operations which in turn will serve as a deterrent to other road users.

Over the last number of years, An Garda Síochána has also increased capacity for roads policing and implemented many initiatives including vehicles equipped with Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR), a technology which can automatically read and log vehicle registration plates in real time, deployments of high-performance unmarked cars, unmarked motorbikes and unmarked lorry tractor cab (Operation Iompair). These initiatives along with improved technology and enhanced data sharing is helping to ensure a multifaceted approach to road safety enforcement in Ireland.

Speeding remains one of the greatest risk factors on our roads. Speed reduces the time people have to react and makes collisions much more likely. It also makes it more likely that when collisions happen, they will lead to death or very serious injuries.

An Garda Síochána has contributed to making our roads safer through the use of mobile safety cameras, operated through GoSafe, enforcement cameras operated using marked Garda vehicles, and static speed cameras.

Road safety cameras are intended to be, first and foremost, a tool to support safety, prevention and behavioural change across the road network. I am glad to report that speed camera enforcement has been increasing. There are now five average safety cameras and nine static safety cameras in operation across the network. In addition, there are also 9,000 hours of AGS GoSafe monitoring carried out on our roads each month. This has increased from 7,500 hours in 2024.

These measures are making an important contribution to the wider enforcement effort aimed at reducing road deaths and serious injuries. Alongside continued investment in Garda resources, roadside technology and data-led enforcement, they demonstrate the Government's commitment to delivering on Programme for Government commitments to improve road safety and create a safer road environment for all road users.