Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 May 2026
385. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Transport the research or policy development that has been carried out by his Department in the area of autonomous vehicle use in Ireland into the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39354/26]
View answerMy Department is currently developing a National Strategy for Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAV) in close collaboration with multiple key stakeholders including representatives of local authorities, the Road Safety Authority, Transport Infrastructure Ireland, the NSAI, An Garda Síochána and other authorities.
In March of this year Section 5(a) of the Road Traffic and Roads Act 2023 was commenced. This formally legalises the use of Level 2 Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CAV) on Irish public roads. The commencement was underpinned by two key reports; one carried out by consultants Roughan and O’Donovan on connected and autonomous vehicle legislation and another carried out by the Road Safety Authority on modernisation of in-use regulations for automated vehicles for level 2 and level 2+.
My Department is also currently transposing the EU ITS Directive (2023/2661) to help create an infrastructural and data sharing framework which will further facilitate the safe rollout of connected and automated vehicles. The Department has also overseen a C-ITS (Connected Intelligent Transport Systems) pilot, carried out by TII and funded by CINEA, which focused on vehicular connectivity and builds on the infrastructure required for the safe deployment of automated vehicles.
My Department is actively liaising with Future Mobility Campus Ireland (FMCI), an organisation with technical expertise which is of assistance in the formulation of CAV policy. FMCI provide a closed-loop testbed in the Shannon Free Zone and enables Ireland to attract global automotive companies to test and validate their products in Ireland, ensuring that Ireland is competitive in this sector with other European countries.
My Department is also active in various Irish and European fora which will allow for infrastructural and data-harmonized systems to facilitate the rollout of CAV. These forums include NAPCORE, a major initiative tasked with coordinating and harmonizing mobility data platforms across the European Union, as well as the CCAM (Cooperative, Connected and Automated Mobility) member states group as well as multiple EU Commission initiatives such as the Forum for Large Scale Testbeds for Automated Vehicles.
