Dublin People

TD slams two-year delay in crackdown on illegal licence plates

Questions are being asked about how effectively road traffic laws are being implemented after it emerged that legislation to tackle illegal licence plates has been delayed by more than two years.

Fine Gael TD Emer Currie says the situation is unacceptable and highlights a wider problem in how road safety measures are being rolled out across Ireland.

“It should not take two years for legislation passed by the Oireachtas to become operational on the ground.

“Road safety partners must work in alignment to ensure swift and effective implementation of laws and regulations,” Deputy Currie said.

The Road Traffic and Roads Act 2023 introduced fixed charge notices aimed at stopping the growing use of illegal number plates.

These plates are required to meet strict standards in colour, shape, design and font.

According to the Department of Transport, gardaí already have full powers to issue a fixed charge of sixty euro for registration plate offences.

However, when Deputy Currie raised the matter with the Minister for Justice, she was told that the necessary updates to Garda ICT systems have still not been completed.

The offences cannot yet be added to Garda mobility devices until further system testing takes place.

“When I raised this delay directly with Garda representatives at the Oireachtas Transport Committee two weeks ago alongside the Road Safety campaign group PARC, they were unaware of the issue but committed to following up. The matter has since been addressed,” she said.

Deputy Currie also highlighted another concern, saying that similar delays are preventing new rules being brought in to stop learner drivers from indefinitely renewing their permits without ever taking a test.

Minister Seán Canney had previously promised that new regulations would be introduced once driving test waiting times were reduced to ten weeks, a target achieved at the end of August.

The Department of Transport says those regulations are now ready and will shortly be presented for the Minister’s signature, but the Road Safety Authority is still finalising the IT systems needed to support the change.

Deputy Currie is calling for a full review to ensure that all road safety legislation passed by the Oireachtas is properly enforced.

“I am calling for a targeted review by the Assistant Garda Commissioner for Road Safety, the RSA, and the Departments of Transport and Justice to confirm that all legislation introduced have been fully enforced and, where there is delay, the reasons behind it,” she said.

Exit mobile version