The Deputy will appreciate that road traffic legislation falls within the remit of my colleague, the Minister for Transport.
The Deputy will be aware that section 38 of the Road Traffic Act 1961, as amended, provides for an offence of driving without a driving licence. The penalty for this offence, upon summary conviction, is a fine not exceeding €2,000.
Furthermore, section 38(5) of the Road Traffic Act 1961, as amended, provides for an increased penalty in respect of a person who is summarily convicted of the offence of driving without a driving licence while disqualified from holding a driving licence at the time he or she committed the offence. The increased penalty provided under section 38(5) is a fine not exceeding €5,000, or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or both.
I have been advised by the Courts Service that they are unable to provide data regarding the number of drivers that were convicted of the offence of driving without a driving licence who were disqualified from holding a driving licence at the time they committed the offence.