Fergal Browne (Fine Gael)

I will raise a general point which I always put forward on legislation. Why is the amount of money imposed in fines not index linked? In a few years the fines stipulated in this legislation will be completely out of date. I receive the same answer on this issue from different Ministers that the Attorney General is not in favour of it. However, it would make sense in making legislation to put in place index-linked fines.

Fireworks legislation is an example, as the maximum fine for possession of fireworks is currently £5. This shows how out of date legislation can become, although it is an extreme case. We should index link all monetary fines in new legislation.