Noel Harrington (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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I welcome the assistant commissioner, Mr. Twomey, and his colleagues. I am a former postmaster, and the much-maligned postal service is getting a hammering here today. That is totally unfair and the evidence or court cases may improve that situation. There may be a need to examine that because it is more than just a myth or a perception. There is a problem when one can legitimately claim as a defence that one did not receive a notice in the post. One is then at the mercy of the courts. This committee has the task of examining road safety and perception is a very important issue. We are here because of media reports. There is an inaccurate perception that there are ways of getting away with speeding. We must nail that. The Garda has a role in improving the processes all along the way to ensure that perception is nailed.

I have read the appendix. Could the witnesses flesh out where OSCAM fits into the bureau? At what stage or level does OSCAM report to the assistant commissioner's office? What influential members are part of OSCAM to ensure there are clear communications between the processes and what is happening within the assistant commissioner's office with a direct responsibility for road safety?

Previous speakers touched on the "Prime Time" programme on the set-up or calibration of the equipment. I have examined some of the processes they carry out across the water. The West Midlands Police service routinely publishes on its website in PDF format the calibration certificates of each piece of speed detection equipment, whether it is GATSO, red light, Truvelo, mobile or ProLaser. While I do not know what those are, I presume the witnesses are familiar with that equipment. An industry of dedicated speeding ticket solicitors has built up in the UK. They use every avenue they can to try to get people off, often on technical grounds. It might be a reasonable approach to publish the technical calibration certificates on the Garda website. The use of the website and social media regarding the speed zones is very beneficial and positive. The light-hearted social media engages people, they are interested and it is very positive.

Do the witnesses have figures on any reductions or changes in accidents, fatalities or behaviour in high-accident areas? Are those zones monitored? Would they consider publishing any figures on changes in attitude where there is continuous monitoring or speed vans in those areas? The witnesses' report stated there were no figures on the cases that were struck out in court. Could the witnesses establish some liaison between their office and the court registrars to get some handle on the number of traffic offences struck out and the reasons? Since the court registrars are civil servants, not part of the Judiciary, there would be no question of infringing on the separation of powers. Over recent months we have had a public debate on people dying because they believed they could get away with speeding. There must be some way of approaching the court registrar service to establish the truth and the myth, and how best it can be addressed.

When one has 12 points on one's licence, is disqualification mandatory? In the UK it is discretionary and in 2012, just under one third of those who had 12 points were not disqualified after giving mitigating circumstances, and we know where that can lead. Could the witnesses clarify that a person who reaches 12 points is automatically disqualified?