Written answers

Thursday, 8 May 2008

Department of Transport

Road Traffic Offences

5:00 pm

Photo of Mary UptonMary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 55: To ask the Minister for Transport the progress he has made in preparing legislative or other measures to ensure that all vehicles on roads here, including foreign registered vehicles, 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; the operation date for the system of mutual recognition of penalty points between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17332/08]

Photo of Noel DempseyNoel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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All drivers are subject to road traffic law and enforcement is a matter for An Garda Síochána. The realisation of any fines or penalties imposed by the Courts is a matter for the Courts Service.

While foreign licence holders do not have an Irish driving licence record, a separate record of any penalty points incurred by them in this State is kept in the National Driver File.

The enforcement on foreign registered drivers of penalties for road traffic offences is a complex legal and administrative matter for many States, and my Department is pursuing this question at European, British/Irish and North/South levels.

We are working with the United Kingdom with the objective of having a bilateral agreement on mutual recognition of driving disqualifications in place later this year, under the framework of the relevant EU Convention.

The mutual recognition of penalty points is however a much more difficult matter which is not covered by the EU Convention. In particular it involves complex legal questions which have yet to be determined and which will require the passage of primary legislation both here and in the United Kingdom in due course. While both jurisdictions are working on this, it will be a number of years before a bilateral agreement can be put in place.

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