Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)

I move amendment No. 25:

In page 6, between lines 38 and 39, to insert the following:

"5.—Where a person who holds a full driver's licence is convicted by a court of an offence under section 49 or 50 of the Principal Act or an offence of driving without due care and attention or careless or dangerous driving or dangerous driving causing death, the person shall (upon the expiry of such, if any, period of disqualification as the court may impose) be required to surrender his or her driving licence to a licensing authority and shall if otherwise eligible and be entitled to apply for a learner permit, and notwithstanding any other provision of the Road Traffic Acts 1961 to 2006, the person may drive unaccompanied only during the first year in which he or she holds such a learner permit, unless by the expiry of that year he or she has taken or re-taken as the case may be such driving test and passed such test.".

The purpose of this amendment is to send a clear message in respect of road traffic offences. It was a very good idea first floated by the Minister and discussed on a number of occasions. Unfortunately we did not get the follow through, which seems to be a hallmark of his.

See this speech in context