Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)

There is a valid concern in this regard. In a debate on this issue a few weeks ago, the Minister was unable to give a clear answer on the matter. His understanding was that the Garda would have access to this information on the handheld units. However, this is not the case. Relying on people's honesty and hoping that they will return their licences is inadequate. The Minister could not tell us what the situation was a few weeks ago. After it was raised in the public domain, he obtained this information and was in a position to tell us. This issue will presumably become more pressing given the additional offences. Will anyone keep track of whether licences are returned? Who will be responsible for this task? When the numbers were small, the Minister was able to obtain the information upon request but will he be able to produce it at any point in the future on demand?

Many of these problems would be resolved if we had smart card licences, which were promised several years ago by the former Minister for Transport, Deputy Brennan. I have noted developments taking place at European level. When does the Minister envisage the introduction of smart card licences? What work has been done to date and can he give an estimate of the kind of timescale he is working to because the introduction of such a measure would solve many problems?

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