Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Question 236: To ask the Minister for Transport the position regarding the application of the penalty points system to persons holding a driving licence from outside of Ireland. [28514/07]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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All drivers are subject to road traffic law and it is a matter for An Garda Síochána to enforce the law. 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 licence record. Data in relation to penalty points is held on the National Driver File. As foreign licence holders do not have an Irish driving licence record, penalty points incurred in this State are recorded against that person on a separate record in the National Driver File.

I am conscious that enforcing penalties for road traffic offences on foreign registered drivers raises many legal, organisational and procedural issues, which make it very difficult for any one State to enforce such penalties. For that reason, my Department is pursuing this question at the European, British/Irish and North/South levels where mutual recognition and cross border enforcement possibilities are under consideration.