Written answers
Tuesday, 4 April 2017
Department of Justice and Equality
Courts Service Data
Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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128. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the total value of court fines imposed from 2011 to 2016; and the amount of same which remains unpaid for each year. [16182/17]
Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that I have had enquiries made and the Courts Service has provided the statistics set out below in relation to the total value of court fines imposed and the amount of same remaining uncollected as recorded on the Courts Service Criminal Case Tracking System (CCTS).
| No of Fines Imposed | Value of Fines Imposed | No of Fines Due | Value of Fines Due | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan – Dec 2011 | 89,994 | €29,706,490.14 | 20,868 | €7,523,459.10 |
| Jan – Dec 2012 | 79,416 | €25,437,020.73 | 17,638 | €6,296,028.14 |
| Jan – Dec 2013 | 71,637 | €21,755,684.19 | 12,162 | €3,907,178.55 |
| Jan – Dec 2014 | 76,217 | €23,310,326.66 | 14,614 | €5,151,912.29 |
| Jan – Dec 2015 | 73,597 | €23,387,483.93 | 23,433 | €9,055,961.25 |
| Jan – Dec 2016 | 71,175 | €23,200,857.91 | 46,591 | €16,520,474.57 |
| Total | 462,036 | €146,797,863.56 | 196,909 | €48,455,013.90 |
The treatment of these fines falls into two categories: fines which were imposed prior to the commencement of the Fines (Payment and Recovery) Act 2014 in January 2016; and fines imposed thereafter.
In relation to fines imposed prior to the commencement of the Act, the following is the position: warrants for the enforcement of fines imposed in 2013 and 2014 have been issued to An Garda Síochána. The issue of fines warrants for unpaid fines, in respect of fines imposed in 2015, commenced from mid-2015 and continued on a monthly basis as fines became due for payment. Where a warrant for the enforcement of fines due is issued to An Garda Síochána, the fine may be collected and paid to the Courts Service. In some instances the fined person may have been lodged in prison in default of payment of fine or the fines warrant may have been cancelled following an application to the court.
In relation to persons lodged in prison in default of payment of fines, the Prison Service provides on a monthly basis details of the fines in respect of which fined persons have been lodged in prison in default of payment. The details are updated to the CCTS. Currently in excess of 15,000 warrants with a total value of over €5 million await update to the CCTS.
In relation to fines imposed in 2016, the vast majority of these fall for enforcement under the Fines (Payment and Recovery) Act 2014. The Courts Service has undertaken an extensive ICT development programme to enhance the CCTS to provide for the payment of fines by instalment and additionally to provide for the enforcement provisions provided for in the Act and the Courts Service is now in a position to commence issuing notices to fined persons to attend Court for imposition of appropriate sanctions in default of payment.
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