Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 June 2014
455. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of driving licences submitted to the fines offices of all district courts in the years 2012, 2013 and to date in 2014 following notices having been issued from those offices to drivers who received disqualification orders from the courts. [26718/14]
View answerI wish to inform the Deputy that, under the provisions of the Courts Service Act 1998, management of the courts is the responsibility of the Courts Service which is independent in exercising its functions, which include the provision of information on the courts system. However, in order to be of assistance to the Deputy, I have had enquiries made and the Courts Service has informed me that the arrangements in relation to driving licences changed in January 2013. Up to then, when a person was disqualified by a court, they had to send/hand their driving licence into the court office. The disqualification was physically marked on the licence which was then sent to the relevant motor tax office where it was held until the period of disqualification was completed or the licence was restored by the court.
From January 2013, the person was required to send the licence directly to the licensing authority. This coincided with the introduction of the new card type driving licences on which details of a disqualification could not physically be entered. The fines notice which now issues to the person who was fined and disqualified includes the following "Please forward your driving licence to the National Driver Licence Service, PO Box 858, Southside Delivery Office, Cork for the purpose of having the particulars of the conviction of disqualification of the District Court endorsed on your driver record".
Prior to 2013, there were no computerised records of any driving licences which were handed in so it is not possible to provide figures for 2012. The Courts Service has advised that all the figures should be available from the local motor tax offices for the period up to the creation of the National Driver Licence Service in late 2013. Figures since then should be available from the National Driver Licence Service.
