Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North-Central, Fianna Fail)
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94. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he is considering any legislation to tackle or increase sanctions on the issue of drivers without motor insurance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67491/25]

Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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As Minister of State for International & Road Transport, Logistics, Rail & Ports, I wish to advise that a driver who fails to comply with motor insurance requirements is already liable for a range of penalties, including possible seizure of the vehicle by Gardaí, 5 penalty points or a fine of up to €5000 and/or a custodial sentence of up to six months.

The introduction of the Irish Motor Insurance Database (IMID) in 2023, a joint initiative between my Department, An Garda Síochána and the Motor Insurers' Bureau of Ireland (MIBI), is transforming the enforcement of motor insurance offences in Ireland. The IMID provides a single, up-to-date resource which enables Gardaí at the roadside to identify uninsured vehicles more easily and get them off the roads.

Information in vehicle insurance in the IMID is available to Gardaí on duty, via the Garda mobility app and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR). This means that uninsured drivers are more likely to be caught, have their vehicles seized and be summonsed to court to face substantial fines and the possibility of a prison sentence.

Data from the 2024 IMID annual report show a marked increase in issuing court summonses and charges and in vehicle seizures for uninsured driving offences since the end of 2023. In 2024, the first full calendar year since the introduction of the IMID for roadside enforcement, more than 26,000 charges and summonses were issued for insurance offences, an increase of 23% on 2023 figures. In addition, there were nearly 19,000 private vehicle seizures for insurance offences in 2024, an increase of 67% on 2023 numbers. Further detail on these figures are available in the Irish Motor Insurance Database Annual Report for 2024, which can be read at IMID-Report-2024-Final.pdf .

Given the ongoing success of the use of the IMID for roadside enforcement, and the increased deterrent effect of more effective enforcement, my Department does not consider an amendment to the existing penalties for uninsured driving to be necessary at this time.