Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)

This is one of the most serious scandals in the country. Some 100,000 drivers, mainly from the North and the UK, are not subject to penalty points. When I drive to Dublin on the M1 every day, cars from Northern Ireland drive at unbelievable speeds. They are taking over the roads with impunity. What is the Minister doing about it? I am not satisfied he is doing enough. The Automobile Association recommended the Minister take driving licences from people not from the State and create a parallel account of their driving in the State. It is unacceptable and leads to many crashes.

Approximately 15% of cars from out of the State have no insurance compared to an average of 6% of Southern cars. They cause mayhem on our roads and the Minister is not acting quickly enough on this. I have attended the British-Irish Interparliamentary Union, which published a brief report on it last week. It is not good enough. We must deal with it. It is putting lives in danger. Most Northern drivers I see on our roads could not care less when they drive in this jurisdiction.

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