Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Sinn Féin supports this Bill, which will positively impact on the efficiency of court administration and free up Garda resources for much-needed operational deployment. Under the current system, those alleged to have committed a relevant road traffic offence are issued with a fixed-charge notice, which is issued and printed on behalf of An Garda Síochána and payment of which is made through An Post. The notice stipulates that the fine must be paid within 28 days and the relevant penalty points accepted. Where the fine is not paid within the initial 28-day period, the fixed-charge notice provides for a further 28 days within which payment of the original fine plus 50% may be made. Failure to pay a fine within the 56-day period will result in the automatic issuing of a summons requiring the alleged offender to appear in court. This process does not require a member of the Garda to apply for the summons to be issued; the summons is triggered by the non-payment of the fixed-charge fine. As Deputy O'Callaghan outlined, many individuals who have come before the courts have claimed they did not receive the original fixed-charge notice and have thereby avoided penalty.

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