Garda Commissioner 'cannot discuss individual penalty points cases'

The Garda Commissioner says he will not answer questions before the Dáil’s Public Accounts Committee relating to a “box of evidence” allegedly containing information on widespread abuse of the penalty points system.

Martin Callinan, who will appear before the PAC on Thursday, has written to committee saying he remains “very concerned” that the files in question “should be subject to unauthorised disclosure”.

He said his function in attending the committee is to discuss the Comptroller and Auditor General Report on the penalty points issue from earlier this year, which found that one-in-five motorists caught for fixed-charge notices managed to escape fines.