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Road Traffic (Northern Ireland)Order 2007

rose to move, That the Grand Committee do report to the House that it has considered the Road Traffic (Northern Ireland) Order 2007. The noble Baroness said: The purpose of the order is to reduce road traffic casualties by improving road safety. It allows for stronger penalties and more effective enforcement, bringing the law in Northern Ireland largely into line with that in Great Britain. Many of the provisions in the Road Safety Act 2006 are replicated in the order. Almost all road casualties are preventable. Most are caused by the behaviourof road users themselves. The order will enable dangerous behaviour to be tackled through stiffer penalties and more effective enforcement regimes. It will make the non-wearing of seatbelts an endorsable fixed penalty offence, and will double the fine for careless and inconsiderate driving. It is already an offence to use a hand-held mobile phone while driving, but the fact that PSNI issued 15,500 fixed penalty notices in 2005 suggests that we need a stronger deterrent. We envisage three penalty points and a fixed penalty doubled to £60. Temporary speed limits are needed to protect road workers and road users at roadworks. Many drivers think that they are there to be ignored, which is why we propose that breaching a temporary speed limit should be an endorsable offence that attracts between three and six penalty points. There are also provisions to clamp down on owners and keepers of uninsured vehicles, including police powers to seize and dispose of vehicles andto enforce continuous insurance from the record. Graduated fixed penalties will help to make the punishment fit the crime. In the case of speeding, this will mean that the faster someone drives, the more points they will get and the quicker they will lose their licence. Foreign-registered drivers who offend should not get off scot free simply by driving off. We propose regulations requiring errant drivers to pay a deposit in lieu of a fixed penalty or pending a court appearance. There is scope, too, for EU drivers to be brought into the fixed penalty system. Important as punishment is, what we really want is that offending drivers mend their ways. There are already successful retraining courses for drink drivers. The order allows for regulated courses for other serious offences such as speeding, to which courts will be able to refer the worst offenders. It is vital that drivers, and those who teach them, have the best possible training. Presently, only car driving instructors need to register with the Driver Vehicle Testing Agency. The order enables there to be regulation of the registration, training and examination of all driving instructors, including for lorries and motorcycles. This includes provisionfor disabled people to join the profession. Implementation of these measures will increase professionalism and raise standards in the industry. Part 3 of the order provides scope to change fundamentally the driver licensing system. It envisages future regulations to provide for full driver licences to be issued automatically to people who have passed their driving tests and for the replacement of paper counterparts with electronic driver records.The anomaly whereby some foreign licences can be exchanged in Great Britain but not in Northern Ireland is addressed by provisions in the order forthe relaxation of Northern Ireland regulations on exchangeable driving licences. MoT enforcement will be bolstered through the mandatory display of MoT discs on vehicle windscreens. Some of the provisions, including increased penalties for offences relating to seatbelts, mobile phones, driving without proper attention and careless driving can be commenced fairly soon after this order is made. Other provisions anticipate and underpin an important programme of change over several years. I know that noble Lords will recognise that I cannot be more specific on timetables. We all hope that the implementation of the order will be taken forward by a restored Assembly. I beg to move. Moved, That the Grand Committee do report to the House that it has considered the Road Traffic (Northern Ireland) Order 2007.—(Baroness Amos.)