Motorists from the North who earn penalty tickets in the Republic will be chased across the Border to pay their fines from today.
The cross-Border agreement will also apply to drivers from the Republic who break the law in Northern Ireland.
Those from the Republic who parked illegally in Northern Ireland have avoided fines worth £1.7 million since 2006. Northern Ireland motorists evaded €1.3 million of toll road duty in the Republic.
Northern Ireland Regional Development Minister Conor Murphy said “It is important that all road users adhere to parking and traffic restrictions.
Parking control is an essential part of traffic management and road safety wherever you live on this island, and this new measure will strengthen enforcement.”
The authorities have agreed to share vehicle registration details to ensure offenders can be pursued more easily through the courts.
The Department of Transport in the Republic already has measures in place with the Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) in Northern Ireland to swap information on motor tax and abandoned vehicles.
Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey said: “It is an indication of the close levels of co-operation on this project between our colleagues in the Department for Transport, DVLA (Driver Vehicle Licensing Agency) and authorities in the Morth, that we have successfully overcome potential difficulties regarding data privacy and security issues in the pursuit of cross-Border traffic offenders.
“This is another important step in road safety and traffic enforcement and one that we are all strongly committed to.”
The pilot scheme runs until next November.]#
PA