The position remains unchanged since I answered this question in December 2023.
Insurers access the Department of Transport's National Vehicle and Driver File (NVDF), to allow verification of the number of penalty points endorsed on a licence. This access is provided under Section 5 of the Road Traffic Act 2014.
Among other things, the Road Traffic and Roads Act 2023 extended access to endorsement details to include disqualifications and to allow access for intermediaries sanctioned to enter contracts on behalf of a vehicle insurer. Data will be available in real time and there will be no cost associated with access.
Officials in my Department are engaging with MIBI and Insurance Ireland to implement the access to the NVDF for intermediaries, access to disqualifications for insurers and intermediaries, and for the capture and verification of driver number by insurers and intermediaries.
At present the IT systems of many in the industry are not ready for these changes and the Department also needs to undertake work to enable the additional access. This is likely to happen in a phased manner over the next year or so.
If data-sharing agreements and the relevant contracts are agreed, my Department will be able to provide endorsement access for intermediaries to the NVDF. I hope this element will be implemented by summer 2024. It is currently anticipated that the industry will be ready for driver number capture and verification by year end. The Department expects to be able to provide disqualification data in early 2025.
I intend to bring forward Commencements Orders once the above timelines are more certain and the systems are in place on both sides to enable implementation of the legislation.
