Joe Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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Question 62: To ask the Minister for Transport his Department's role in the computerisation of the driver penalty points system and the action he is taking to address the continued delay introducing it. [21239/05]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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Penalty points are recorded on the licence record of an individual on the national driver file, which is held and administered by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. Points are endorsed on the licence record on receipt of either a notification from the Garda Síochána of the payment of a fixed charge, or notification of a conviction from the Courts Service in respect of an offence which attracts penalty points.

While the Department of Transport has no direct role in the computerisation of the penalty points system, responsibility for the legislation governing the penalty points system and for ensuring that points are recorded on the driver licence record on receipt of the appropriate notifications rests with the Department. The Department is represented on the working groups set up to implement the penalty points system.

When the penalty points system is fully operational it will involve electronic transfer of data between the national driver file and the computer systems of the Garda Síochána and the courts. The system will not become fully operational until the computerised fixed charge processing system has been fully rolled out by the Garda Síochána.