Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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Question 100: To ask the Minister for Transport the reason for the continued delay in introducing heavier fines for illegal parking in disabled parking bays; if the consultation process has been completed; and when he expects to introduce the new fines. [21236/05]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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Where a person is convicted by a court of committing the offence of parking illegally in a disabled person's parking bay, he or she is liable to a fine not exceeding €800 for a first offence. The maximum fine for a second or subsequent offence is €1,500 and in the case of a third or subsequent offence committed within a 12 month period €1,500 and-or a prison sentence of up to three months.

These levels of maximum fines were established in the Road Traffic Act 2002 and represent very significant increases over the maximum fines that could be applied to that offence under previous legislation, which were €190 or £150 in respect of a first offence and €440 or £350 in respect of a second or subsequent offence. This offence currently comes within the scope of the on-the-spot fines system and, in association with the majority of other parking offences, it attracts an on-the-spot fine of €19.

The Road Traffic Act 2002 provides for the replacement of the on-the-spot fine system with the new fixed charge system. That system currently applies to the offences of exceeding a speed limit and non-compliance with seat belt regulations. Regulations to provide for the rollout of that system to a significant number of additional traffic and parking offences are currently being prepared by my Department in consultation with the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform and the Garda Síochána. This extension of the operation of the fixed charge system will include its application to the offence of illegally parking in disabled person's parking bays. The level of the charge for that offence will be pitched at a level significantly higher than that which will apply to other parking offences.

The operation of the fixed charge system is dependent on the development of a new computerised processing system for the Garda. It is expected that the new system will be available later this year.