Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy McEntee for tabling the amendment. This issue was raised on Second Stage. I am genuinely seeking the advice and views of the members on this as I am not 100% sure either way. The way things stand is that one is disqualified from driving after 12 penalty points and one gets two points every time one is caught speeding. Therefore, one must have been caught six times before one is disqualified. The risk in this legislation is that we go too far in the other direction. A learner or novice driver will be disqualified from driving after getting six penalty points, but we are increasing the penalty for speeding to three points. That means that after two strikes the person is disqualified from driving. I am aware of an instance in which a person was caught by a speed camera in Islandbridge and got penalty points and was caught in the same place two days later, but because did not receive the first notice until the following week, he had not had an opportunity to modify his behaviour. I am genuinely interested in members' views, but my inclination is to accept the amendment.