Some 17 TD’s are threatening not to pay the €100 Household Charge. It is disgraceful that TD’s, who are paid €90,000 a year by the State to make laws, should threaten non payment. The Government is introducing laws to ensure that fines can be deducted in small instalments from wages and social welfare as currently about 25% of Court fines for Criminal behaviour are never collected. At present the only alternative to non payment is to imprison them which is too drastic. I have lobbied to make fines deductable from wages. I also would like non payers to be ‘Named and Shamed’.

People should not get away with non payment of fines as this brings the legal system into disrepute.