Dinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 100: To ask the Minister for Transport if he has satisfied himself with the situation whereby the drivers of cars not registered here cannot be awarded penalty points; the progress which has been made toward creating European-wide penalty point recognition; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16251/06]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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On receipt of notification from An Garda Síochána of payment of a fixed charge in respect of an alleged penalty point offence or notification from the Courts of a conviction for a penalty point offence the appropriate penalty points are endorsed on the person's driver licence record in the National Driver File where a person holds an Irish driving licence. In the case of a person who holds a foreign driving licence or has no licence a record is created in the National Driver File for that person and the penalty points are recorded on that record. If the person subsequently obtains an Irish driving licence the points are then applied to that person's driver licence record on the National Driver File. The foregoing arrangements apply irrespective of the registration status of the vehicle.

Road Safety issues are considered at EU Council (Ministerial) meetings and also at official level in the EU on an ongoing basis. In that context, it is recognised by the EU that, from an enforcement perspective, the growth in cross-border traffic throughout Europe has meant that agencies have to deal with an increasing number of road traffic violations committed by drivers of vehicles registered in other States.

A European Commission Transport and Energy directorate (DGTREN) project is examining the current state of play in cross-border enforcement of road traffic laws within the European Union. The project, named CAPTIVE, is examining bilateral/multilateral agreements and other instruments (such as Directives and Conventions) which address the cross-border enforcement of road traffic offences.