Tom Hayes
Question:420 Mr. Hayes asked the Minister for Transport if 60,000 persons have received penalty points for speeding and other offences; and the number of these who have been caught on dual carriageways and by-pass roads. [26179/03]
Written Answers. - Road Traffic Offences.
Emmet Stagg
Question:422 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Transport if special enforcement measures have been put in place to prevent HGVs of over 12,000 kg overtaking on motorways; the number of prosecutions arising from breaches of the law in this matter; the number of drivers of such vehicles who have been given penalty points for such breaches; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26193/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 420 and 422 together.
Penalty points are at present applied to speeding, driving without insurance and non-wearing of seat belts offences. Penalty points are being applied to the driving licence records of those convicted of speeding, seat belt wearing and insurance offences, and of those who pay a fixed charge to the Garda, in the case of speeding and seat belt wearing offences, in order to prevent the instigation of court proceedings.
The First Schedule to the Road Traffic Act 2002 outlines the full list of offences to which penalty points will apply, when the system is fully operational. This list includes the application of penalty points to the offence of driving a vehicle with a 50 mph speed limit on the outside traffic lane of carriageway of a motorway. The full application of the penalty point system will be achieved when the relevant IT systems being developed by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform and the Garda are completed.
The recording of convictions for offences is a matter for the Courts Service. In addition, the compilation of data relating to payments of fixed charges where the relevant notices are issued by the Garda Síochána is a matter for that force. Both organisations transfer the appropriate data to the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to facilitate its entry into the national driver file which is the responsibility of that Department. It is understood from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government that 72,678 penalty point notices have issued as at 3 November 2003