James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The outstanding amount was the amount at the time the figure was obtained. In that, there are people who were fined recently, with an expectation that they will pay. Fines are generally imposed in the District Court for minor offences. However, a small number of fines are also imposed in the higher courts. Once imposed, the Courts Service starts a process of communicating with the person to recover the fine. This process has a number of stages, which are followed to give the person every opportunity to pay that fine. The Courts Service issues a number of communications to the person concerned to try to recover the sum owed and avoid the matter progressing. Such communications include the initial fines notice, a reminder, and, where necessary, an instalment reminder and a warning notice. The Deputy may be aware that the Fines (Payment and Recovery) Act 2014 came into force on 11 January 2016. It provides for alternative orders to imprisonment, as outlined. If, at an enforcement hearing, the court is not satisfied with matters relating to these alternative orders, it is open to the judge to discharge the fine by way of an imprisonment order. It is intended that this be used as a measure of last resort. The courts have that backup, where someone does not pay the fine, to send them to prison.

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