Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 April 2026
849. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration further to Parliamentary Question No. 710 of 16 December 2025, if he has received the relevant information from the Garda authorities to answer this PQ. [30431/26]
View answerI am informed by the Garda authorities that Gardaí derive powers to seize, detain, retain and, where appropriate, dispose of vehicles from a number of statutory provisions. An Garda Síochána may seize and retain property, including vehicles, which are suspected to be evidence of an offence, or required for the purposes of an investigation or prosecution.
The detention, return, disposal or destruction of seized vehicles are governed by statutory provisions and regulations which provides for defined retention periods and procedural safeguards. Where a vehicle is lawfully seized, it may be detained for a prescribed period to allow the owner or other entitled person to establish lawful ownership and compliance with statutory requirements, including insurance and licensing obligations. Vehicles which are not claimed within the relevant statutory timeframe, or which are deemed unroadworthy, unsafe or of no commercial value, may be disposed of, including by destruction.
I am further informed that there is no centralised database which records both the seizure of vehicles and the specific method of disposal. Accordingly, it is not possible to disaggregate the number of vehicles crushed solely due to the registered owner failing to collect the vehicle within the prescribed timeframe.
However, the Garda authorities have provided the following figures in respect of vehicles destroyed in 2023, 2024 and 2025, for a range of reasons, including where the vehicle was not collected by the registered owner.
|
|
2023 |
2024 |
2025 |
|
DMR |
1,881 |
2,119 |
2,066 |
|
Eastern Region |
1,379 |
1,645 |
1,657 |
|
Southern Region |
1,360 |
1,922 |
1,689 |
|
North Western Region |
903 |
1,053 |
1,073 |
|
Total |
5,523 |
6,739 |
6,485 |
