Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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Question 67: To ask the Minister for Transport if he has reviewed recent research undertaken by the UK Department of Transport on the use of speed cameras to reduce road death and serious injury; if he has reviewed the type of speed cameras used on Irish roads after the high number of unusable photographs from fixed speed cameras was highlighted by the Comptroller and Auditor General; if he will report on the recent tendering process for up to 100 new privately operated speed cameras; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32780/07]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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Issues relating to the use of speed cameras in the enforcement of speed limits are matters for the Garda Authorities and the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform.

Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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Question 69: To ask the Minister for Transport if he has plans to reform the penalty points system in view of recent statistics that up to two thirds of drivers who accumulate twelve penalty points are not voluntarily giving up their driving licenses as they are legally obliged to do; the legislative and other measures he is planning to introduce to ensure that all vehicles on Irish roads, both Irish and foreign registered, are subject to the same laws, regulations and penalties and that any fines or penalties accrued by a driver of a foreign registered vehicle are realised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32779/07]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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The Road Traffic Act 2002 provides for the notification to a person of the endorsement of penalty points, and where appropriate, of the imposition of a six-month disqualification. Where a disqualification is applied, the 2002 Act provides that the licence holder must return their licence to the licensing authority that granted the licence within 14 days of the appropriate date and that failure to comply with this requirement constitutes an offence. All drivers are subject to road traffic law and enforcement, including in relation to this matter, is a matter for An Garda Síochána. I do not have plans to reform the penalty points system in that regard.

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. 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. 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. The realisation of fines and penalties imposed by the Courts is a matter for the Courts Service.