Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 10 February 2021
639. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Justice further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 145 of 18 November 2020 and 500 of 8 December 2020, the number of learner drivers in 2019 and up to 31 October 2020 that did not pay the FCN issued for driving unaccompanied by a qualified driver under the Clancy amendment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7028/21]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, the Road Traffic (Amendment) Act 2018, also known as the Clancy Amendment, seeks to penalise car owners who knowingly allow their vehicles to be used by an unaccompanied learner driver. The law allows the owners of these vehicles to be fined and gives Gardaí the power to seize their cars if being driven by unaccompanied drivers.
I am advised by the Garda authorities that 11,733 Fixed Charge Notices issued in relation to the offence of Learner Drivers unaccompanied by a qualified driver for the period from January 2019 - October 2020.
I am further advised that:
- 7,608 of these were either paid or are within the payment process.
- 432 were either terminated or became statute barred.
- 3,693 have either gone to summons or have been sent to court.
I am informed that these figures are based on incidents which occurred from 01/01/2019 to 31/10/2020 inclusive and were collated based on data from PULSE and FCPS data as of 8 February 2021. As they constitute real time operational data, they are liable to change.
