George Lawlor: Calls for Probe into Glenmore Speed Camera

Thank you, Ceann Comhairle. Minister, the question stands, as you see, in relation to the issue of static speed cameras on the national road network. And if divergences between the number of fixed charge notices for speed detections at individual locations are compared and reviewed by officials on Gardaí Síochána, you will be aware, perhaps, of the massive disparity in the number of fines issued at various different cameras. One reads £30,599 and another reads £397 in an 11-month period. And if you would make a statement on it. I want to thank Deputy Lawlor for his question. And, you know, Deputy, fixed cameras, average speed cameras or go safe vans, that type of technology is vital in ensuring that we keep our roads safe. And road safety cameras are intended to be a tool to support safety prevention and behavioural change across the road network. They're not about catching people out. They're about trying to ensure that we keep our roads safe. And there are nine static speed safety cameras in operation across the country since 2024. The locations of these cameras were selected based on fatal and serious injury collision data from the preceding seven years and speed data as well as feedback from stakeholders. We've seen an increase in the total number of fixed charge notices issued for speeding in recent years. In 2024, there was 137,806 fixed charge notices issued. And in 2025, that went up to 168,882. In terms of analysing, Deputy, any divergences in fixed charge notices generated by particular cameras, I understand that the Garda Analysis Service support all functions of the Garda National Roads Policing Bureau. This includes providing the evidence base for roads policing operations, reviewing and analysing operations, and providing ongoing support to external stakeholders in the area of road safety. And there's also further action being taken in respect of making better use or more effective use of static speed cameras. Minister Canney, who's centrally involved in this, published Ireland's first national safety camera strategy in April of this year. Officials in my department were represented on the working group which developed the strategy. The national safety camera strategy sets out a partnership approach to camera deployment and enforcement between the Garda, TII and the NTA. And this strategy seeks to define the optimal structures and partnerships across state agencies for delivering camera-based enforcement systems on Irish roads going forward, thereby reducing unsafe driving behaviour. Thank you, Minister. And can I wholeheartedly agree with you, these cameras are essential and vital and necessary, and do play a very important role in road safety issues. But what we need is fairness, and we need these cameras to be operated fairly. Now you can't tell me that there's not a problem when one camera in Glenmore and County Gillacenny is reading 30,599 fines, another camera has 3,000, some cameras have around 1,000, one in Galway has 397. Minister, you don't have to be a detective to understand or believe that 30,599 fines from one camera indicates that there is a problem. And what I'm asking you is, can we have an independent review of this to investigate and interrogate why this is the problem? What people have said all along is they don't have a problem with the signage, but they must be treated fairly, don't have a problem with the cameras. It's the signage that is the problem. And people are being captured and entrapped by these cameras. There is a major problem, Minister, and we need to investigate it. Deputy, it's hard for me to contest that the figures indicate there's aberrations between different parts of the country. It's hard for me to contest that looking at the figures. And when the figures were presented to me, I said in the department, why is it that there is a greater number of fixed charge notices being issued by two particular cameras and one list of cameras as opposed to others? I don't have an answer for you at present, but it is something that I've asked officials to inquire into. It would seem strange to me that it's because of the part, maybe that there's a road that is, they're speeding on it consistently. Deputy, I don't know the answer, but I will look at it and I'll ask officials to inquire into it, because there is a significant deviation between the notices being issued by cameras in one area as opposed to others. I don't have an explanation for you, but I do hear what you're saying, and I have already asked officials to look at it. Thank you, Minister, and I welcome your comments. The situation is, I'm not campaigning for people who are speeding to have their fines rescinded. What I'm saying is there's a problem with the signage, particularly in Glenmore. So what I am saying is the people who are driving in a 100 kilometre zone arrive at a camera and are almost immediately captured, sorry, arrive at an 80 kilometre sign and are almost immediately captured by the camera, while they are not given a chance to obey the law. I'm saying that people who are driving below 100 kilometres an hour and were captured by this camera, as many of them were decelerating, should be very fairly treated. And this one camera has generated 4.9 million euro in revenue in 11 months. It's off the charts, it's off the scale. We really, really need this seriously investigated. There are court cases being taken because people have lost their licences as a result of this camera in Glenmore in particular. You know, I mean, it's beyond the pale to think that we are penalising people unfairly and they must be treated justly, and if it comes to it, their fines and points must be rescinded. Listen, Deputy, I assume that people who receive fixed charge notices and respected speeding are speeding, but it may be, just hear me out on this, it may be the case that they're given insufficient time because of a change of speed limit in one area coming into another area. That is something that I will look at. I cannot give you a categoric answer as to what's the reason for this at present, but certainly I've just been frank with you. Looking at the data, it does seem unusual that two cameras seem to have so much higher fixed charge notices emanating than others. I don't think it's because there are people in a certain area who are safer drivers than others. I suspect the reason for it is maybe the positioning of the camera in terms of coming out of an area which permits a faster speed limit coming into a slower area may be very close, and that could be the reason for it. But Deputy, I've asked already because the figures jumped out at me when I saw them.