To ask the Minister for Infrastructure what consideration she is giving to (i) increasing the penalties; or (ii) broadening offences for using phones or electronic devices whilst in charge of a vehicle.

It is an offence to drive a vehicle in Northern Ireland while ‘using’ a hand-held mobile phone or similar device. The offence is currently punishable by a fixed penalty of £60 and three penalty points.

In March 2018, my Department consulted on proposals to increase both the fixed penalty and the penalty points for this offence. It also sought views on updating the law to better reflect modern day usage of mobile phones and electronic devices. The responses received demonstrated clear support for an increase to the current fixed penalty and penalty points.

As Minister responsible for promoting and improving road safety I am determined to reduce the number of road deaths and serious injuries. Key to this is taking care when driving and showing concern for other road users. I plan to consider this issue carefully in the coming weeks, before taking a decision on the way forward.