290. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Transport if he will provide an update on progress made on the work plan for 2026 by his Department, in conjunction with other agencies and departments, to improve road safety; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59712/26]

404. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Transport the measures he is taking to address the rising number of road collisions and fatal road collisions beyond the recently announced national safety camera strategy in general and as part of budget 2027; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61666/26]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 290 and 404 together.

The current framework for road safety is set out in the Government’s fifth Road Safety Strategy which has the target of reducing road deaths and serious injuries by 50% this decade.

The Phase 2 Action Plan 2025 - 2027 under the Strategy comprises 12 primary transformative actions and 77 supporting actions. My Department is responsible for the central co-ordination of the strategy and it is overseen at Ministerial level by the Road Safety Leadership Group (RSLG). I chair this Group and it is also attended by the Minister for Justice and Home Affairs and Migration.

Delivering the Action Plan is a collaborative effort involving my Department, the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration together with An Garda Síochána, the Road Safety Authority, Transport Infrastructure Ireland, National Transport Authority, the Courts Service, Medical Bureau of Road Safety, Health and Safety Authority and the Local Authorities.

The Deputy will note there are many experts across a range of partners collaborating to take action and deliver positive road safety outcomes, and I would like to assure the Deputy that progress is being made.

Key deliverables for this year include progressing the National Vehicle and Driver File Bill 2026 to allow Local Authorities to resume accepting and processing collision data. The next Road Traffic and Roads Bill is under development to advance Programme for Government commitments around graduated speeding penalties and the camera enforcement of mobile phone and seatbelt offences. Work on Phase 2 of implementing the recommendations of the speed limit review is also well under way. In addition the long-standing issue relating to repeat renewal of learner permits will be addressed with regulations coming into effect this November.

The National Safety Camera Strategy was published in April, and It provides a framework for increased deployment of cameras across the road network focusing on speeding, red light running, and bus lane infringements, with flexibility for the enforcement of other types of offence in future. The Camera Enforcement Oversight Group (CEOG), chaired by the CEO of the National Transport Authority, is responsible for delivering the strategy. I expect to receive a progress update at the next Road Safety Leadership Group meeting.

This year €14 million has been allocated under the Low-Cost Safety Improvement Scheme to support small-scale engineering measures to address identified road safety issues, representing an increase of €1 million (approximately 8%) on 2025 allocations.

We know that education is a critical factor to changing behaviour and I am pleased to note that this year, the RSA has again ringfenced funding of €18 million for road safety awareness, education and promotional campaigns focused on making our roads safer for all road users, including and especially vulnerable road users.

My focus as Minister, the focus of my Department and of all the road safety stakeholders who we work with, is on the delivery of the Phase 2 Action Plan. This Action Plan was developed by experts, based on Irish experience while considering best practice in other countries and our focus is on the delivery of these agreed actions.