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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 17 Apr 2002

Vol. 552 No. 1

Written Answers. - Road Traffic Offences.

Nora Owen

Ceist:

463 Mrs. Owen asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if he will provide a reply to correspondence dated 27 November 2001 (details supplied) for which acknowledgement has only been received. [12014/02]

A reply is now issuing to the correspondence in question.

On the general issues raised in the correspondence regarding road traffic controls in relation to heavy goods vehicles, the position is as follows. The maximum speed limit for heavy goods vehicles in any case is 50 mph, or less than this where the road speed limit is lower. A speed limit of 30 mph applies to roads in built up areas generally and special speed limits of 40 mph and 50 mph may be applied on selective basis by local authorities. The Road Traffic Act, 2002, provides both for the introduction of a new system of penalty points, which will apply to all of the offences referred to in the correspondence, and for a comprehensive updating of all financial penalties applicable to traffic offences generally. The enforcement of traffic offences is a matter for the Garda.

Nora Owen

Ceist:

464 Mrs. Owen asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the status of the traffic warden system in the Dublin area; the organisation which has responsibility for this service; and the number of wardens who are operating in each council area in Dublin. [12019/02]

Traffic wardens may be employed by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform under the Road Traffic Acts, or by local authorities under the Local Authorities (Traffic Wardens) Act, 1975. Decisions of local authorities as to whether or not to employ traffic wardens are reserved to the elected members. While my Department has no direct function in this area, I understand that no traffic wardens are currently employed by local authorities in the Dublin area and that traffic wardens under the responsibility of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform are now principally operating in the Fingal, South Dublin and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown county council areas.

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