Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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274. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he has given any consideration to increasing the penalty points to seven instead of six for automatic disqualification of learner and novice drivers under the graduating driver licensing system (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54495/13]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The question of the learner and novice penalty point threshold has recently been discussed in the context of the Road Traffic (No. 2) Bill, in which I had originally proposed a six penalty point disqualification threshold for novice and learner drivers learners.

  This issue was considered at Committee Stage in the Dáil last week where I sought the advice and views of the Select Sub-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport on an amendment proposed by Deputy Helen McEntee which proposed that the disqualification threshold for learner and novice drivers be increased from six to seven penalty points.  Following our deliberations, there was general agreement that the disqualification threshold should be raised and the Committee accepted the Deputy's amendment.  The seven-point limit is now incorporated in the Bill as it proceeds to Report Stage.