Diarmuid Wilson (Fianna Fail)

Senator Burke has raised an interesting point. Currently if people are caught on camera for speeding they receive a letter in the post and are given a certain number of days to pay the fine or else they receive a summons and are brought to court. However, I know of a case where an individual received no letter in the post.

The first indication that person had of having incurred penalty points was on receipt of a summons from the local Garda station. This person could not prove he or she did not receive a letter because such letters are sent by ordinary rather than registered post. There is a loophole in the legislation given that if the system is to be applied fairly, such letters should be registered and that should not only happen when this function is privatised.

In regard to the point Senator Paddy Burke raised about this function being tendered out to private individuals, I asked the other day why that should happen. Why can this function not be allocated to a section of the local authority or to a central organisation? Why should private individuals operate a system that could be operated as well and at as low a cost by local government? If that was done, it would prevent the spread of rumours and innuendoes, as the Senator pointed out, to the effect that the more summonses issued for speeding the more money private individuals will receive.