Noel Brett is CEO designate of the Road Safety Authority. He offered David Labanyi his personal view of his job
As cameramen and photographers jostled around Gay Byrne when he was unveiled as chairman of the Road Safety Authority (RSA) last week, the man responsible for the day-to-day running of the authority watched quietly from the other end of the table.
Although Noel Brett does not admit it, the chief executive designate of the RSA gives the impression he is rather pleased someone as comfortable with a media soundbite as 'Gaybo' is the chairman and public face of the RSA board.
No press conference accompanied Mr Brett's appointment last year. Yet since taking up his role he has impressed civil servants, unions and ministers with his zest and grasp of detail in what has become an intractable brief, and a lingering embarrassment for the Government.
When the Road Safety Authority Act passes into law later this year the RSA will assume responsibility for all aspects of road safety. Functions currently under the control of the Departments of Transport, the National Safety Council and the National Roads Authority (NRA) will be transferred and it will take on some additional new functions.
"One of the main rationales for establishing the RSA is the synergy you get from bringing all of these pieces of the road safety jigsaw together. Every single person working for the RSA, if asked what their job was, would, I hope, reply: 'my job is road safety'," says Mr Brett. He is in discussions with the Department of Finance over a provisional budget estimated at a minimum of €30 million. The RSA will keep all income from driving tests - worth €7.4 million last year with the Department of Transport providing the remainder.
He says the more income the RSA generates the higher the funding available for road safety campaigns. But he has ruled out increasing the cost of a driving test until the waiting list for a test is cut to eight weeks. "Until we are in a position to deliver a much more customer-focused driving test regime with more appropriate waiting times, it would be inappropriate to raise the fee."
He shares the view of the Minister for Transport Mr Cullen that a private company has a role to play in cutting the waiting list of up to one year. As a former western health board assistant chief executive, Mr Brett is well versed in dealing with public sector staff.
"I view driver testing and driver training as a foundation stone of road safety and I am fully supportive of the Minister's stance." Twelve months into a five-year contract he is in the process of laying the ground work for the RSA so that when it is finally vested it can commence work immediately.
The Minister will announce the remainder of the board later this week. As part of the preparatory work Mr Brett has just completed two documents for public consultation, for publication once the RSA is established.
These set out a regulatory system for driving instructors and compulsory scheme for motorcyclists who are hugely over-represented in the fatal crash statistics, Mr Brett says.
In an example of an inclusive management style Mr Brett wants to give all stakeholders and the public a chance to comment on both regulatory regimes before they become policies the RSA will implement.
He is also in talks with the Department of Education about introducing age appropriate road programmes at all stages of learning, from pre-school to third level. He is also busy interviewing for new staff. While most of the RSA's employees will transfer from existing agencies, a number of skilled technical staff are also being hired.
These include a statistician and two researchers to take over analysis of the garda crash report firms from the NRA.
"There is lots of data available in the Irish context but not all of it is accessible. We need to get that information available so researchers and the public can use it. The RSA will be in the business of producing and sponsoring high quality research in an Irish context," says Mr Brett.
He explains he is keen to offer funding for road safety research projects to third-level researchers to build up data specific to Ireland. However, investigation of individual accidents will remain the responsibility of An Garda Síochána and the RSA staff will not visit crash sites.
Perhaps mindful of the delays and missed targets stalking the current Road Safety Strategy (2004 to 2006) Mr Brett is unwilling to offer specific targets or definite dates for the RSA.
"There isn't a line in the sand when everything will be done. There will be constant review and re-engineering to make our road safety mechanisms work." The RSA is charged with producing the next road safety strategy and Mr Brett says, "that will be the document against which the RSA is measured."
In a none-too-flattering reference to how the last two road safety strategies were handled, Mr Brett adds: "We do not want to produce a strategy and wait until the end to see how we got on. This plan will contain clear deliverables and timelines for each year." He stresses the RSA is not just an advisory body and definitely not a "talking shop".
"It is an autonomous service delivery agency, accountable to the Oireacthas and with the ability to engage with all Government departments," he said.
Road safety is an area of personal interest and Mr Brett believes he can be successful - given the right support. "I see the RSA as a once-in-a lifetime opportunity to really achieve something in road safety and public service that will have a massive impact on the number of fatalities and serious injuries."