The Department of Transport have announced that motorists who unlawfully used a loophole which allowed them to escape from receiving penalty points on their licence will soon have them imposed retrospectively.
The move comes after it has been revealed that thousands of motorists avoided getting any penalty points after they failed to bring their drivers license to court.
The Transport Minister Paschal Donohue has said anyone who deliberately fails to bring their licence to court will no longer avoid punishment as Gardaí have now been given the power prosecute those who fail to provide their licence.
The loophole was brought to the attention of the Dáil by Independent TD Tommy Broughan. Mr Broughan who was angered that the loophole has not been addressed earlier, said the transport and justice departments need to pull together to prevent such problems. Mr Broughan told the Dáil: “We have two ministers, and they’re sometimes like the out half and one of the backs in rugby, passing the ball and not taking direct action.”