5 Oct 2012, 12:25
The Chairman of the Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications Tom Hayes TD has welcomed the announcement today at the North South Ministerial Council Transport Meeting which will allow the mutual recognition of penalty points across Ireland.
5 October 2012
The Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport Leo Varadkar has agreed a detailed timetable with his counterparts in Northern Ireland to bring in new laws for the recognition of penalty points in both jurisdictions by 31 December 2014. Minister Varadkar met with the Minister for Regional Development, Danny Kennedy MLA, and the Minister of the Environment, Alex Attwood MLA.
Deputy Hayes says: “I warmly welcome the announcement by Ministers Varadkar, Attwood and Kennedy today on a detailed timetable to bring in new laws for the mutual recognition of penalty points.
\"At the request of Minister Varadkar, the Committee last month considered in-depth a review of the current system of penalty points. As part of our careful consideration of the system, there was unanimous agreement with the recommendation that penalty points north and south of the border be aligned.
\"The agreement of a concrete timetable today will bolster the fairness of the penalty points systems on both sides of the border. From 2015, any motorist who commits a traffic offence on the island would have those points added to their licence, regardless of jurisdiction, and this will ultimately lead to safer roads on the island of Ireland.\"
Ends
For further information please contact:
Paul Hand,
Houses of the Oireachtas,
Communications Unit,
Leinster House,
Dublin 2
P: +3531 618 4484
M: +353 87 694 9926
F: +3531 618 4551
paul.hand@oireachtas.ie
Committee Membership
Deputies
Michael Colreavy, Sinn Féin
Timmy Dooley, Fianna Fáil
Dessie Ellis, Sinn Féin
Terence Flanagan, Fine Gael
Tom Fleming, Independent
Noel Harrington, Fine Gael
Tom Hayes, Fine Gael (Chairman)
Colm Keaveney, Fine Gael
Seán Kenny, Labour
Mattie McGrath, Independent
Michael Moynihan, Fianna Fáil
Patrick O’Donovan, Fine Gael
John O’Mahony, Fine Gael (Vice-Chairman)
Ann Phelan, Labour
Brian Walsh, Fine Gael
Senators
Terry Brennan
Sean D. Barrett
Eamonn Coghlan
Paschal Mooney
Ned O’Sullivan
John Whelan