Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Minister will agree that this is a very serious issue relating to public confidence in the Garda Síochána. I agree that a superintendent has the power to cancel penalty points on receipt of an appeal in writing which outlines the grounds why the points should not be applied. As the Minister has outlined, this is justified in some instances. However, there is no clarity for these decisions. It is also not clear whether the internal Garda report will be published. I ask the Minister to confirm that he will publish the report and that this practice will cease immediately. I note that Conor Faughnan regards this matter as very serious. The Garda Síochána needs to take it seriously and to be aware of the damage. Even if 20,000 of the 50,000 cases were found to be not in accordance with the criteria or not lawful, this would amount to €1.6 million of taxpayers' money. Perhaps the most important issue is that of public confidence. The public must know that the playing field is level for everyone, that it does not depend on status. Unless there are exceptional grounds such as those listed by the Minister in his reply, penalty points cannot be written off. The fine must be paid and the penalty points must be applied.

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