I thank the Deputies for their contributions and for their very useful comments during this debate on the National Safety Camera Strategy and the important topic of road safety more generally. Road safety is a matter which affects all of us, and every member of the public is entitled to feel safe on our roads. Far too many families and communities across the country continue to be affected by the devastating impact of road traffic collisions. I am sure we can all agree that road safety is an area where we all want to see improvements and most importantly a significant reduction in the number of deaths and serious injuries on our roads. In that regard, it is important that we see a return to the progress of previous years and that there is a reduction in the number of fatalities and serious injuries on our roads. I would like to assure the Dáil that this Government remains committed to delivering the Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030, with the ultimate goal of halving the number of fatalities and serious injuries on our roads by 2030. Meeting this ambitious goal will take us towards achieving Vision Zero by 2050. My colleague the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, provided an update on the phase 2 action plan under the road safety strategy for the period 2025 to 2017, which was published by the Department of Transport in July of last year. This action plan comprises 12 primary transformative actions and 77 support actions. I welcome the progress that has been made too date, in particular the publication of the National Safety Camera Strategy. Road safety cameras are intended to be, first and foremost, a tool to support safety, prevention and behavioural change across the road network. The enhanced use of cameras across Ireland will encourage safer driving practices, reduce the number of collisions and protect road users by promoting compliance with road traffic laws. Enforcement measures only become necessary in circumstances where individuals fail to exercise due care and responsibility while driving. In this context, camera enforcement acts as an important safeguard to deter dangerous behaviours and reinforce a culture of road safety for all. This is an ambitious action plan, but we need to be ambitious in order to reverse the upward trend in fatalities and serious injuries. Delivering the action plan is a collaborative effort involving my Department, together with An Garda Síochána, the Department of Transport, the Road Safety Authority, Transport Infrastructure Ireland, National Transport Authority, the Courts Service, Medical Bureau of Road Safety, the Health and Safety Authority and the local authorities. Deputies will note that there are many experts across a range of partners collaborating to take action and deliver positive road safety outcomes. Road safety is a priority for the Garda Commissioner. An Garda Síochána is committed to working with all road safety stakeholders to ensure that the number of fatalities and serious injuries on our roads is reduced. The Minister of State, Deputy Canney, reminded us of the four main causes of fatalities on our roads that have been consistent over time, namely speeding, distraction, not wearing a seat belt and intoxicated driving. Tackling these dangerous behaviours can be addressed through road safety education, public awareness campaigns and the enforcement of road traffic laws. Over the recent May bank holiday weekend, An Garda Síochána carried out an extensive roads policing operation, the results of which were quite emphatic. Almost 4,000 drivers were detected for speeding during the operation. A total of 165 were arrested for driving under the influence of an intoxicant and 300 were detected for holding a mobile phone or not wearing a seat belt. These trends cannot and must not continue. Everyone who gets behind the wheel of a car or who is a passenger in a car has a role to play in ensuring that they or those who are driving behave in a safe manner. Such a change in current behavioural trends would have a far greater long-term positive impact in affecting road safety if adopted by all of those who use the roads. Behaviours are key to creating safer roads across Ireland. We all have a role to play where road safety is concerned. Ongoing enforcement is a very important aspect of the road safety strategy. In the modern world, it is important that we adopt a multifaceted approach to road safety enforcement. At the end of March, there were 695 gardaí assigned to the roads policing unit. Of course, all gardaí engage in the enforcement of roads policing as part of their duties. In fact, the majority of drug driving and drink driving checks are carried out by regular garda members. Additional speed cameras and enhanced data sharing are key components of this multifaceted approach to road traffic law enforcement. As highlighted by the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, camera enforcement across the road network has been increasing since 2024. An Garda Síochána, with the assistance of TIl and local authorities, has deployed nine new static safety cameras across the road network as well as three new average speed cameras. Effective detection and enforcement of road traffic offences through the use of safety cameras will promote better and safer driver behaviour, which will help to reduce the number of fatalities and serious injuries on our roads. In addition, An Garda Síochána, through the mobile safety camera programme, delivered under contract by GoSafe, provides 9,000 hours of monitoring on our roads each month. This has increased from 7,500 hours in 2024. On 1 January last, An Garda Síochána introduced 390 new safety camera zones, including 55 community request safety camera zones, bringing the total to 1,901 safety camera zones nationwide. Increased data sharing is also having a positive impact on road safety. Every front-line Garda member now has a mobility device, which is essentially a mobile phone that allows them to access a number of specialised Garda apps at the roadside. 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. These tasks can now be done within moments, without the need to return to the station making much better use of their time. The statistics show that it is being widely and extensively used by gardaí across the country as part of roads policing. An Garda Síochána figures show that members of the force checked approximately 3.7 million vehicles via their mobile devices over the last full year. That is more than 10,000 vehicles per day. This year, members of An Garda Síochána had, on average, made inquiries in respect of approximately 360,000 vehicles per month to the end of March. This information helps to enhance road safety. It also provides An Garda Síochána with more comprehensive insight into any offences a driver may have committed, thereby making it more difficult for drivers who act illegally on Irish roads to evade detection. The National Safety Camera Strategy sets out a new approach to the operation of safety cameras in Ireland. Up to now, the deployment of safety cameras across the road network has been the primary responsibility of An Garda Síochána. Under the strategy, exclusive responsibility for the installation and maintenance of speed cameras will transition away from An Garda Síochána. A key strength of the new approach, as outlined in the strategy, is that it will ensure greater collaboration between road safety stakeholders, including An Garda Síochána, TII and the NTA, and build on well-established road safety expertise and relationships. By partnering with TII and the NTA, An Garda Síochána will be able to focus its efforts on core policing, including enforcement activities, reducing time spent on the management of the road camera systems. These tasks are non-core policing work. Critically, the strategy has been developed to be scaleable, thereby allowing the introduction of camera-based enforcement of additional road traffic offences in future, such as mobile phone usage and people not wearing seat belts. This will further enhance An Garda Síochána's enforcement capability in relation to deadly behaviours on our roads. As outlined by the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, the camera enforcement oversight group, which will be delivery focused, will be responsible for implementing the national safety camera strategy. Senior leaders from An Garda Síochána will work alongside leaders of the NTA, TII, the Road Safety Authority, the Courts Service and our local authorities. I am confident that this collaborative approach is the best approach to implementing the safety strategy, including a clear focus on the importance of enforcement of road traffic law. However, lasting progress cannot be made through enforcement alone. Success will require a strong and collaborative collective commitment from all road users to act responsibly, comply with road traffic laws and prioritise safety in every journey. Only through a shared responsibility approach can we create safe roads for everyone. I thank all the Deputies who made contributions to the debate.

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