Written answers

Tuesday, 3 April 2007

Department of Transport

Road Traffic Offences

10:00 pm

Photo of John PerryJohn Perry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 146: To ask the Minister for Transport his views on the fact that 93% of those detected for driving carelessly did not have Irish driving licences; if he has discussed this problem with the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform; the measures he will introduce to deal with this problem; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12737/07]

Photo of Martin CullenMartin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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I assume the Deputy is referring to statistics on penalty points that show that, up to the end of February, of a total of 1,396 cases where penalty points have been applied for careless driving that 1,312 have no driver number. While no driver number may indicate either a person who has no driving licence or holds a foreign driving licence it is also possible that no driver number indicates that an Irish driving licence holder did not present his or her driving licence to the Courts. I therefore do not accept that 93% of drivers prosecuted for driving carelessly are foreign drivers.

Under the Road Safety Authority Act 2006 (Conferral of Functions) Order 2006 (S.I. No. 477 of 2006) the Road Safety Authority has responsibility for ensuring that penalty points are endorsed on a driving licence record. Data in relation to penalty points is held on the National Driver File, which is administered by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.

All careless driving cases go to Court as the option of a fixed penalty payment does not apply. Notification of conviction is sent electronically by the Courts Service to the National Driver File. Where the notification includes the driver number the penalty points are applied to the appropriate driver record in the National Driver File.

It is a matter for the Courts Service to ensure that the driver number is included in the notification. I am not happy that in the vast majority of cases notifications sent by the Courts Service to the National Driver File, driver numbers are not included. Both my Department and the RSA have been in contact with the Courts Service with a view to ensuring that driver numbers are included in notifications. Under section 22 of the Road Traffic Act 2002 as substituted by section 21 of the Road Traffic Act 2004 a person is required to produce his or her driving licence to the Court and is guilty of an offence if they fail to produce the licence.

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