Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Section 53 was inserted on Committee Stage in the Seanad. It makes it an offence to fail to pay an award of compensation in circumstances where the court has made an order so directing the person concerned. A person guilty of an offence under section 53 shall be liable on summary conviction to a class A fine or imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months, or both. This arose in order to ensure that some offences that were summary offences could still be prosecutable with a fine being imposed. Section 53 makes it an offence to fail to comply with the order of the District Court and, as a result of such a failure, the penalty provisions in the rest of the Bill would apply. It was a provision we brought in to improve enforcement.

See this speech in context