The Minister for Transport Mr Seamus Brennan is to hold talks with senior Garda officials today over the introduction of the penalty point system for offending drivers.
The National Safety Council and the Irish Insurance Federation criticised the last Government for its failure to deliver on its promised penalty point system, which was due to be implemented by the end of 1998.
The most recent delay is over the introduction of computers to allow Gardai to input data from anywhere in the State so that offending drivers can be recorded immediately.
Mr Brennan said he wants the scheme to be introduced by September at the latest, rather than in six to nine months as predicted.
But the National Safety Council has rejected Mr Brennan’s suggestion that the work should be done manually if the Garda computer system is not ready. It said a manual system is unworkable, and that the delays were largely due to a lack of political will and a refusal to invest.