Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 February 2015
162. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will report on the discrepancies occurring when drivers fail to produce their licences in court, when drivers fail to surrender their licences and when judges omit to announce the number of penalty points in court. [4289/15]
View answerUnder section 22 of the Road Traffic Act 2002, as amended, it is a legal obligation to produce a driving licence or learner permit, as the case may be, and a legible copy of the licence or learner permit in court following a summons for a road traffic offence.
Prosecution of cases where a licence or learner permit has not been produced is a matter for An Garda Síochána.
Where a person is disqualified from driving following court proceedings, the person is required by law to surrender their driving licence to the Road Safety Authority, as the National Driver Licensing Authority. Failure to surrender the licence is an offence.
As a matter of law, penalty points are not imposed by the court. The court imposes a fine and the application of penalty points to a licence record is an administrative consequence following from a conviction. Queries regarding court procedure are matters for the Department of Justice and Equality and the Courts Service.
