Mr. Noel Waters:

Yes Deputy, and I am aware the committee has looked at this matter, there are a number of issues in respect of the penalty point system that must be addressed. The first point I will make in this regard, which is not generally known, is that 80% of all penalty points tickets issued for speeding and other offences are paid by the perpetrators of the offence on the spot as penalty points. This is a high number and is up there with international standards and norms. Then one breaks it down and historically or in recent times, in the order of 4% or 5% are cancelled for various technical reasons where they should not have been issued and the committee will be aware of the controversies that arose around that. We have put in place, with the Garda, serious measures to address that including, for example, a requirement that where a garda in receipt of penalty points seeks to claim he or she was travelling on duty, this matter must now be approved by the Director of Public Prosecutions. In addition, there is oversight of the entire process by a retired judge of the Circuit Court at present, Judge Deery, who will make a report to the Minister on its operation. Then there is a situation in which there are difficulties with the service of summonses and we acknowledge this is a problem.