Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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47. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he is considering using his powers under S.I. 135/2006 to increase the fixed charge penalty notice fines for illegal parking; if he is considering granting more powers to local authorities and gardaí to issue fines based on photo evidence, including parking on public footpaths which blocks the way for pedestrians and wheelchair users; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29151/20]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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Section 41 of the Road Traffic Act 2010 grants powers to the Minister for Transport to make regulations prescribing amounts for fixed charge notice offences. The Department keeps these charges under constant review and can intervene to impose increases where it appropriate.

Most recently, for example, in March 2018 my predecessor, Mr. Shane Ross T.D., increased the fixed charge for the offence of parking in a disabled bay from €80 to €150 in response to evidence presented by An Garda Síochána and by disability representative groups of a sharp rise in non-compliance.

While my Department is open to the possibility of introducing similar increases for other parking offences, such changes will require engagement both with An Garda Síochána and with the local authorities so as to ensure fairness and proportionality.

While An Garda Síochána may use photographic or video evidence as the basis for enforcing a range of road traffic offences, including that of illegal parking, section 81 (4) of the Road Traffic Act 2010 specifically requires that any electronic apparatus used to capture such evidence must have been approved in advance either by An Garda Síochána itself or by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII).