Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

516. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to outline the arrangement in place between his Department and an organisation (details supplied) with regard to the integrated information data service shared members' database operated by the organisation; the information in the database; the information provided by his Department; the position on access to the information on the database; if a non-member of the organisation has access to the database; if not, whether the same information can be accessed in another form; if there is an exchange of money between the organisation and his Department relating to the database or the information contained therein; the body that retains ownership and control over the database; the frequency with which his Department provides information to the organisation for the purposes of updating the database; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23204/18]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Motor insurers are granted access to the penalty point data on my Department's National Vehicle and Driver File (NVDF) under Section 5(1) of the Road Traffic Act 2014. There is a signed agreement in place between my Department and the organisation concerned for the provision of penalty point data. The organisation in turn has signed agreements in place with insurance companies for the provision of penalty point data.

The Integrated Information Data Service (IIDS) is a centralised access point created and administered by the organisation concerned for its members. The IIDS does not store any penalty point data. The IIDS is the conduit through which the organisation's members query penalty point information from the NVDF. The organisation itself does not have access to query such data directly from the NVDF.

The data provided consists of the penalty point offence description, number of penalty points applied for the offence, date of the offence, start date of offence on the NVDF, the total number of days remaining for the offence; and the total number of penalty points applied.

Penalty Point Data is exchanged between the Department and the organisation via a secure web service interface mechanism which operates the IIDS. Information is made available in real-time to the organisation's members on a per query basis, with the system available 22 hours each day (unavailable for a period for resynchronisation of the web services system with the NVDF database). The organisation incurred a once-off charge for the development of this service. No charge is made to the organisation, or its members, for access to the NVDF data via this service.

The organisation's members do not have exclusive access rights to the NVDF. Penalty Point data on the NVDF is available to all vehicle insurers registered with the Central Bank of Ireland whether they are a member of the organisation or not. Any insurer can seek access to the same information by making an application to my Department. In such instances, similar to those of the organisation, once-off set up costs may be incurred by the insurer concerned.