Minister pledges to close driving ban 'loophole'

The minister for transport, Stephen Ladyman, has pledged to close a loophole that permits drivers to potentially accumulate 18 points on their licence before receiving a ban.

Penalty points in Northern Ireland are not currently recorded in Britain, meaning motorists could clock up nine points in both regions before they reached the 12 point limit that would constitute a ban.

Mr Ladyman told the Commons Transport Committee that the current state of affairs is "unacceptable" and insisted that the government was intent on correcting the loophole.

However, the lobbying group Safe Speed has said that the changes to regulations would likely impact upon just a handful of motorists.

The group's founder Paul Smith, insisted that "we need policies that cherish, encourage and develop the culture, the skills and the attitudes that gave us in the UK the safest roads in the world in the first place", rather than "micro-management".

Motorists need not worry yet, as the minister said that primary legislation had first to be passed before the regulations could be changed.