Vol. 576 No. 5
369 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Transport if a system is in place to both fine and prosecute and impose penalty points on drivers from the UK and the remainder of the EU who break speeding laws and so on here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29997/03]
Penalty point systems are now operating in this country, Northern Ireland and Great Britain. The authorities in all three jurisdictions are actively considering the issue of the introduction of a scheme to provide for the mutual recognition of penalty points between the United Kingdom and Ireland. This consideration is being pursued under the auspices of the British-Irish Council. One of the first matters that will need to be addressed before full mutual recognition can be realised will be the introduction of bilateral recognition of the separate penalty points systems operating in Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
The issue of the collection of fines generally was addressed in the report of the high level group on the collection of fines. The group was established and chaired by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform arising from the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General on the current system for fine collection. That report did refer to the collection of fines from non-State residents.
At EU level, a draft framework decision on the application of the principle of mutual recognition to financial penalties is currently being negotiated. It is expected that this will be adopted during Ireland's Presidency. The purpose of the instrument, which arises from the programme of mutual recognition, is to provide that a financial penalty, fine, imposed in one member state can be recognised and executed in another and also will include fines relating to road traffic offences. This draft decision is being pursued under the auspices of the Council of Ministers of Justice and Home Affairs.
