§ Mr. BeggsTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what research he has collated regarding the impact of speed cameras on the number of road traffic accidents; and if he will make a statement. [157453]
§ Angela SmithThere have been safety camera schemes similar to the initiative being piloted in Northern Ireland running in Great Britain for a number of years. In the two years of the Great Britain pilot, the number of people killed and seriously injured at camera sites fell by 35 per cent.
The Northern Ireland Safety Camera Pilot Scheme has been in operation since July 2003 and it is too early to make a valid assessment of its contribution to the reduction of road deaths and serious injuries. There is, however, every reason to believe that there is potential for reductions in deaths and serious injuries in Northern Ireland similar to those in Great Britain.