Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 May 2024
230. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Transport the functions of the Road Safety Authority in relation to compiling and analysing data to assess the cause and distribution of road traffic accidents; and where those functions are conferred [21911/24]
View answerThe Road Safety Authority has responsibility for a range of functions across the area of road safety. While there is no specific reference to analysis of road traffic collisions in the legislation, it is an essentially corollary of the functions of the Authority that it has to be able to conduct analysis of road safety issues – including collisions – if it is to perform its assigned functions.
Section 6(1)(a) of the Road Safety Authority Act 2006 says that the Authority shall ‘if requested by the Minister, provide such advice as may be appropriate in respect of any regulatory or other function vested in the Minister under the Road Traffic Acts 1961 to 2004 relating to vehicles, driver licensing, speed limits, and control of traffic.’ Section 7 of the Act also requires the Authority to prepare what are referred to as ‘programmes’ – that is, Ireland’s multi-annual Road Safety Strategies; in doing so to consult with State Agencies, including the Garda, where necessary; and to submit such programmes to the Minister. The Road Safety Authority (Conferral of Functions) Order 2006 (S.I. No. 477 of 2006), article 3(c), also tasks the RSA with ‘the promotion of public awareness of road safety and including the advancement of education, relating to the promotion of the safe use of roads, including co-operation with local authorities and other persons in this regard.’
While research and analysis functions are not explicitly called out in the legislation, they are the essential and logical underpinning of the RSA’s roles under these provisions in particular.
Furthermore, and subject to the agreement of the Data Protection Commissioner, it is my intention to issue a Ministerial Order to the Authority under Section 8 of the Act to further specify the processing and sharing of collision data by the RSA.
