The Minister for Transport, Noel Dempsey, has insisted he will press ahead with plans to lower the blood alcohol imit in drink-driving cases.
Mr Dempsey, who faced widespread opposition to the move at a Fianna Fáil Parliamentary Party meeting last night, told RTÉ that the Government had taken a decision that would save lives and reduce death on the roads.
He said co-ordinating that change with Northern ireland would not have a major effect on that timetable.
Earlier, Taoiseach Brian Cowen suggested that the controversial plan to lower the drink-driving limit might have to be looked at in a cross-border context.
At last night’s meeting, Mr Dempsey faced widespread opposition to his proposal to lower the limit from 80mg to 50mg.
He said his proposal was supported by compelling scientific evidence. TDs and Senators claimed it would have a devastating effect on rural life.
Mr Dempsey stressed that those convicted of driving with lower blood alcohol levels would not lose their licences but would be fined and have penalty points applied instead.
Over 20 TDs and Senators spoke against the measure, with one or two in favour.
Speaking on the Order of Business this morning, Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said that the Minister for Justice had told a local radio station that any new limit would have to be compatible with that in Northern Ireland - currently 80mg.
Brian Cowen said that the evidence was that in border areas, road safety figures were better when policies were coordinated between the two jurisdictions.
Wading into the argument, Northern Ireland’s Environment Minister Edwin Poots said he will not be dictated to by Fianna Fáil backbenchers in relation to lowering the drink-driving limit in his country.
He said he will go with best practice and that this is not about saving pub culture in rural Ireland.
He said drink-driving is a huge problem in border areas and that he will be expressing his strong views on the issue at a North South Ministerial Council meeting this Friday.
He said that Stormont would be expecting the Government in the Republic to come with them on delivering a lower drink-driving limit. He said the current one is ‘unacceptably’ high at the moment.
He stated that his Department had talks with its counterpart in the Republic on this issue as far back as April.
The then Northern Ireland Environment Minister Sammy Wilson had sought submissions on different options, including a reduction to 50mg and a lower threshold of 20mg for novice and professional drivers.
The results of that process are due with the Environment Minister next month and a decision on changing the regime will be taken thereafter, according to a spokesman for the Northern Ireland Environment Department.
