The Department of Transport has confirmed that it is in the process of breaking the Road Safety Authority up into what it termed as two “independent agencies” — this confirmed that Minister Eamon Ryan has gone against advice to bring road safety functions of RSA into his department.
As was more widely reported on Tuesday, the Department of Transport press release used the idea that the Ministers were following the “core recommendation” in a report on the future of the RSA. That is, there should be a separation between the services sections of the RSA, which includes vehicle testing and licensing functions and wider road safety functions related to education, communications, and research.
However, as IrishCycle.com reported, part of that “core recommendation” was to keep the Vehicle and Driving Licencing and Standards Authority/Agency separate from the Department of Transport but to roll education, communications and research functions into the Department.
A report commissioned by Minister Ryan by consultants Indecon said: “The Department of Transport should assume national responsibility for road safety awareness campaigns, road safety education, and co-ordination of activities of the multiple partner organisations.”
It added: “In line with the new responsibilities, the Department should establish an authoritative and well-resourced function within the Department, encompassing behavioural analysis and road safety communications, to implement its new role and to work with the Road Safety Transformation Partnership Board to ensure delivery of the Government’s Road Safety Strategy.”
IrishCycle.com asked the Department if it could clarify why a new independent agency is being set up when the recommendation from Indecon clearly said that the “Role of Department of Transport” would include what’s suggested for the new agency.
Yesterday, the Department issued a lengthy reply confirming that the recommendations are not being followed but failed to outline why.
A spokesperson for the Department of Transport said: “Radical change to the Road Safety Authority and wider Government road safety structures are being proposed to deliver a more effective and efficient response to the deteriorating trends on our roads. The proposals presented at Cabinet yesterday were informed by the independent, external review of the Road Safety Authority which was initiated by the Department of Transport in January and carried out by Indecon Economic Consultants.”
The Department said that a ‘Departmental Group’ will be established to “consider and progress implementation of the Review”. It will include Department officials and “other relevant stakeholders”. It will develop what a spokesperson termed as a “comprehensive implementation plan, including required legislation, to ensure the reform delivers road safety improvements”.
The Department also said that a new Road Safety Communications Steering Group is being established immediately to “bring together the RSA communication leads, the Department, and other key stakeholders to ensure coordination across upcoming campaigns.”
“In the longer-term, a new, independent Road Safety Authority will be established. The new Authority will continue to house the research related road safety functions of the RSA and run the awareness and education road safety campaigns. The operational functions of the RSA will be transformed into a new ‘Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’. This is in keeping with the original plan for the RSA, which was initially to be an operations focused entity,” the spokesperson said.
The Department’s spokesperson said: “The transformation of the RSA into two new, independent agencies, and possible realignment of other road safety functions, will all require detailed planning and take time to implement. During the planning period the Department will determine the most appropriate structure for the new Authority.”
They added: “It is important to be clear that Government has taken no final decision in relation to the organisational structure of the new agencies. This will be subject to further exploration by the aforementioned Departmental Group tasked with implementation.”