I thank my hon Friend for her intervention. I agree entirely. Although on the one hand investment must be made in education and training for young people in particular, at the same time penalties must be stiffer for continual offending. I am sure that all colleagues have encountered cases of serial offenders in their own areas — people who regularly appear in court for traffic offences. I am sure that we have all met families who have lost loved ones on the roads, particularly through joyriding, or “death driving” as it is more aptly known. The penalties for joyriding are not severe enough. When a driver regularly reoffends, the courts ought to consider removing that person’s driving licence for life when it is clear that he or she will not be able to kick the habit of careless driving or drink-driving.

The Order will also introduce variable fixed penalties for speeding to match the severity of the offence and graduated fixed penalties for vehicle-roadworthiness offences. It will introduce new penalty points for failure to wear a seatbelt, using a mobile phone while driving, not being in proper control of the vehicle and contravention of temporary speed limits — all of which are known to contribute to careless driving. The police will also be given the power to arrest any individual who does not stop for a police officer and the power to undertake drug-impairment tests.

Steps are also being taken to bring our licensing system into line with that of the rest of Europe. Through my work in the Transport Select Committee in the House of Commons, I am aware that moves are also being made to regularise Northern Ireland’s vehicle and driver licensing system to make it compatible with the system in Great Britain, so that there will no longer be the nonsense that drivers with Northern Ireland driving licences — which are not recognised by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency in Swansea — and who have incurred a penalty in Great Britain, cannot simply pay a fine, but must appear in court.

I started by saying that we, as politicians, have a responsibility to do something about the problem. The Northern Ireland road safety strategy is welcome. The Association of British Insurers recently published proposals to reduce the number of deaths on the roads, especially among young drivers. There are good recommendations in that document, which I commend to the Assembly.

Finally, I want to draw Members’ attention to a presentation that will be given by the Road Safety Council in the Long Gallery on 29 January 2007. I hope that it will be a platform for the formation of an all-party group on road safety that will bring all parties together for a common cause, to tackle the issues and to demonstrate to the general public that their political leaders are serious about dealing with the problem in Northern Ireland. I hope that all parties will support the formation of such an all-party group in the Assembly.