FG publishes proposals to overhaul administering of fines

Fine Gael has published proposals aimed at overhauling the way fines are administered by the Irish Courts Service.

The party said its proposed Fines Bill would allow offenders to pay fines in instalments, a move that would end the "expensive and fruitless" practice of sending people to prison for defaulting.

It said more than 1,000 people were jailed in Ireland every year for failing to pay fines and that this cost the taxpayer €3.7m annually.

Fine Gael also said the bill would require the courts to take an offender's financial situation into account and would ensure that financial penalties imposed by the courts were appropriate to the offence committed.