Mr. John O'Brien:

My recollection is there is a very strict regime to test and maintain the validity of all technical instruments, be they speeding or recording instruments. There are international standards, which in the United Kingdom are referred to as Association of Chief Police Officers, ACPO, standards. These are the standards that have been applied for as long as I have been involved. I was involved at the start of the use of the original Garda detention vans, which were called GATSO vans after the Dutch engineer who invented them. There was a wonderful garda named Garda Ben Mackey, who was a total genius in respect of setting up this thing. He is one of the unsung heroes of this particular exchange but the standards are set empirically and they must be tested each year. If I remember correctly, there is a presumption under the Road Traffic Acts that the instrument is accurate until the contrary is proved. It is quite the reverse of what might apply in another case but the standards are quite exacting, are set and must be validated yearly.

Were I looking at this while wearing a different hat, I would be looking at the GoSafe cameras and would be asking what is the validation process, what steps does GoSafe set up and what audit process has it in place to ensure those standards are met. However, these would be pretty ordinary auditing systems because, ultimately, it is a serious matter for an individual to get penalty points or whatever. Consequently, there should be an internal auditing process that guarantees the integrity of that process. I am not aware of what it is at present, but certainly it would be a normal common or garden matter to prove one's equipment is right and to be in a position to produce that information if it is requested.