Sinn Féin has urged the Irish Government to restore the 10 per cent reduction in the road safety budget.

The party's spokesperson on Transport and Communications, Martin Kenny TD, raised the reduction in the

Dáil, calling on the Minister for Transport to restore the decrease.

Martin Kenny TD said the reduction comes at time where the number of fatalities and life-changing injuries as a result of road collisions are increasing, he stated that "the wider public deserve a clear explanation on why a budget specifically for road safety has been cut by the Minister".

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In a statement, Mr Kenny said: "According to figures from An Garda Síochána, 152 fatalities had occurred this year up to the morning of October 17th 2023. The figure for road fatalities in 2022 was 155.

"The Minister for Transport has a fixation on lowering speed limits, without assessing all factors. Excessive speed and enforcement of current legislation to detect those speeding must be examined.

"However, he must surely see that some of the contributing factors to collisions are also poor and unsuitable road conditions.

"When I questioned the Taoiseach today, he admitted that there indeed was a reduction in the budget for road maintenance and said there may be space to increase the budget. This would of course be welcome, if it happens.

"In the context of increased road collisions with catastrophic outcomes, the government must immediately restore the €150m that was cut from the road safety budget."