As Minister of State with responsibility for International and Road Transport, Logistics, Rail and Ports, I wish to advise that penalty point offences expire after a set period. Accordingly, the information available is based on statistics for the years 2023–2025.
In 2023, my Department was notified of 8,081 offences that were not matched to an existing valid Irish or foreign driving licence record on the NVDF. These drivers were therefore assigned a 'shell' record. Of these unmatched drivers, 290 (3.59%) were involved in more than one offence and were matched to an existing 'shell' record. A total of 33 drivers matched to a shell record were disqualified through FCNs in 2023.
In 2024, my Department was notified of 8,285 offences that were not matched to an existing valid Irish or foreign driving licence record on the NVDF. These drivers were similarly assigned a 'shell' record. Of this group, 248 drivers (2.99%) were involved in more than one offence and were matched to an existing shell record. A total of 18 drivers matched to a shell record were disqualified through FCNs in 2024.
In 2025, my Department was notified of 7,709 offences that were not matched to an existing valid Irish or foreign driving licence record on the NVDF. These drivers were similarly assigned a 'shell' record. Of this group, 261 drivers (3.39%) were involved in more than one offence and were matched to an existing shell record. A total of 51 drivers matched to a shell record were disqualified through FCNs in 2025.
