Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 17: To ask the Minister for Transport if he will legislate for a clearly delineated schedule of penalties in respect of dangerous driving offences. [29718/06]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 40: To ask the Minister for Transport if he has introduced a penalty point offence under the heading dangerous driving or if he plans to do so. [29719/06]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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Question 68: To ask the Minister for Transport if his attention has been drawn to the low rate of prosecutions for dangerous driving and drink driving that result in a disqualification and the action he is taking to strengthen legislation to ensure a sufficient deterrent exists and that current legislation is robust enough for Gardaí to pursue cases with confidence. [30051/06]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 17, 40 and 68 together.

Dangerous driving and drink driving are amongst the most serious road traffic offences and as such lead to a direct court summons rather than coming within the administrative option of paying a fixed charge and accepting penalty points.

In the case of dangerous driving, where a person is convicted of the offence, he/she faces a fine of up to €2,500, or where death or serious injury was caused €15,000. In addition, a person convicted of a first offence of dangerous driving may face disqualification from driving for one year, and for a second and subsequent offence, two years. Where death or serious injury occurs, the person can be disqualified for 2 years for a first offence and 4 years for a second or subsequent offence.

The intended effect of the penalty points system is to instil greater caution and responsibility in motorists in relation to their driving and to change the behaviour of drivers who recurringly breach road traffic law. A six-month driving disqualification arises from the accumulation of 12 penalty points.

The most serious driving offences (including dangerous driving and drink driving), which can attract automatic disqualification upon first court conviction, therefore, do not come within the penalty points system or the system of fixed charges.

The Road Traffic Act 2006, which was enacted in July, has strengthened the legislative position in relation to drinking and driving. The Act provides for the operation of Mandatory Alcohol Testing (MAT) checkpoints which have been operating since then. The increased levels of enforcement arising from the introduction of the MAT system, should have a significant deterrent effect on those who would otherwise drink and drive. The 2006 Act also proposes increases to both the fines and periods of disqualification relating to dangerous driving and drink driving offences. These provisions will be brought into effect shortly, once the necessary administrative and technical arrangements have been settled by the agencies concerned.