Minister Ryan and Minister of State Lawless announce reform of the Road Safety Authority
- Foilsithe: 5 Samhain 2024
- An t-eolas is déanaí: 12 Aibreán 2025
Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan and Minister of State James Lawless have today announced the publication of the final report emerging from the independent external review of the Road Safety Authority (RSA) carried out by Indecon Economic Consultants.
The Review was commissioned to ensure the RSA is structured appropriately in the years ahead to fulfil its statutory mandate and help to deliver the government’s Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030.
The Review makes a range of recommendations for reform of the RSA, and to improve road safety outcomes more generally. The core recommendation is that there should be a separation between the two key responsibilities of the RSA, which are the delivery of road safety customer services and wider road safety public interest activities.
The Minister for Transport has today secured government approval to progress this core recommendation. It will bring about a radical transformation in how State road safety activities are coordinated and implemented, as we enter Phase 2 of the government’s current ten-year Road Safety Strategy.
It is envisaged that the RSA will be reformed into two independent agencies, one focused on the delivery of services and operations and the other responsible for wider road safety initiatives including media campaigns, education and research. Government has today approved the development of a comprehensive implementation plan to progress this reform.
This reform will happen on a phased and planned basis. A Departmental Group will be established to consider and progress implementation of the Review. A new Road Safety Communications Steering Group will also be established immediately to bring together the RSA communication leads, the department and other key stakeholders to ensure coordination across upcoming campaigns.
In addition, to ensure continuity and leadership, the Minister will make a direct appointment of the next Chair of the RSA. The term of the previous chair, Liz O’Donnell, ended in October.
Speaking after today’s government meeting, Minister Ryan said:
“There has been a positive transformation in safety on Irish roads in recent decades. Since the establishment of the RSA, the number of annual road deaths declined from 365 in 2006 to a record low of 133 in 2021. The RSA can claim significant credit for its work in this regard.
“However, recent years have seen this long-term improvement go into reverse. Every single death is a tragedy for the victims’ families, friends and community, and it is incumbent on everyone working in the sector to look at what we’re doing and change the approach to ensure our roads are as safe as possible. This reform of the RSA and wider road safety structures aims to deliver a more effective whole-of-government response to the deteriorating fatality and serious injury trends on Irish roads.
“After the end of her term as Chair of the RSA, I would also like to acknowledge the work of Liz O’Donnell over the last ten years. Liz guided the Authority through a number of significant challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent rising trend in road deaths, which has confronted all of us working in the sector. Liz can be proud, however, that under her stewardship in 2021, Ireland recorded its lowest number of road deaths since records began.”
Minister of State Lawless added:
“Although there are still many issues to work through, the reform that we are announcing today will put a renewed and sharpened focus on road safety and help us to progress toward our long-term goal of Vision Zero, as set out in the Road Safety Strategy. By reforming the RSA into an agency with a singular operational focus and establishing a standalone entity to deliver wider public interest activities, I believe we will realise substantial benefits with improved provision of key road safety services.”
Following ten years as the Chair of the Board of the RSA, Liz O’Donnell’s term expired at the end of October. Over her tenure, the RSA continued to deliver on its mission to make Irish roads safer for everyone, which it has performed since its establishment in 2006. When Ms O’Donnell assumed the Chair role in 2014, there were 163 fatalities. This reduced to 135 fatalities by 2018, with a further reduction to 133 by 2021 (the lowest level since records began in 1959). Notwithstanding the challenges of more recent years, Ireland remains the 7th best performing EU member state for road safety on a per population basis.
Today’s government decision will allow the Minister for Transport to move quickly to appoint a new Chair, ensuring leadership at the head of the organisation at this critical juncture.
Reacting to today’s announcement, outgoing RSA Chair Liz O’Donnell said:
“I welcome Minister Ryan’s acknowledgement of the achievements made by the RSA over 18 years in reducing fatalities and serious injuries and making roads safer for all. I want to thank the staff of the RSA, past and present, for their hard work and dedication since its inception.
“This is the core mission of the RSA, achieved with the support of the public and successive governments. Notwithstanding a recent rise in fatalities, I believe this trend can be reversed with additional Exchequer resources and an all-of-government approach as set out in the Road Safety Strategy 2021-30. Ireland can continue to be a leader in road safety progress.
"The change in the future funding structure for road safety is to be welcomed, with additional Exchequer funding dedicated solely for campaigns, research and education to improve road safety outcomes. The self-funding model was no longer sustainable as was recognised by the review of the RSA, and notably, as was in evidence from the RSA running a deficit for two years.
“Too many families have endured road trauma and the grief of losing loved ones. As a society, we can continue to reduce this trauma by greater compliance and awareness of our responsibilities to each other as road users.”
The final report emerging from the Indecon review can be read on the Department of Transport website below.
Notes
The review of the Road Safety Authority was conducted as part of the Department of Transport’s obligations under the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies. Section 8.14 of the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies states that non-commercial State bodies shall be subject to Periodic Critical Review no later than every 5 years. In accordance with these obligations, the department commissioned Indecon Economic Consultants, who were appointed in January following an open procurement process.
The overall objective of the Review was to conduct a thorough and comprehensive examination of RSA organisational structures, funding model, service provision and strategic goals to ensure the Authority is structured appropriately in the years ahead to fulfil its statutory mandate and in the context of delivering the government’s Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030.
The review found that the RSA’s funding model, whereby fees from services (Driver Testing, NCT, Driver Licencing) are used to fund the Authority, has become unsustainable and in the short term a small increase in fees plus Exchequer funding for public interest road safety activities would be appropriate. In the longer term, based on the Review’s findings, Government has today agreed the recommendation of a separation of these activities, with the current RSA to be re-formed to become an operations-focused agency and a new agency to take ownership of wider public interest activities.
A Departmental Group led by the Department of Transport and comprising relevant stakeholders will now be established to progress this reform of the RSA and work through issues linked to its implementation, including in the areas of legislative changes and funding.
