The Road Traffic Offenders (Northern Ireland) Order 1996

Reduced disqualification period for attendance on courses

36.—(1) This Article applies where—

(a) a person is convicted of an offence under any of the following provisions of the Order of 1995, namely Article 14 (causing death, or grievous bodily injury, by careless driving when under influence of drink or drugs), Article 15 (driving or being in charge when under influence of drink or drugs), Article 16 (driving or being in charge with excess alcohol) or Article 18 (failing to provide a specimen), and

(b) the court makes an order under Article 35 of this Order disqualifying him for a period of not less than 12 months.

(2) Where this Article applies, the court may make an order that the period of disqualification imposed under Article 35 shall be reduced if, by a date specified in the order under this Article, the offender satisfactorily completes a course approved by the Department for the purposes of this Article and specified in the order.

(3) The reduction made by an order under this Article in a period of disqualification imposed under Article 35 shall be a period specified in the order of not less than 3 months and not more than one quarter of the unreduced period (and accordingly where the period imposed under Article 35 is 12 months, the reduced period shall be 9 months).

(4) The court shall not make an order under this Article unless—

(a) it is satisfied that a place on the course specified in the order will be available for the offender,

(b) the offender appears to the court to be of or over the age of 17,

(c) the court has explained the effect of the order to the offender in ordinary language, and has informed him of the amount of the fees for the course and of the requirement that he must pay them before beginning the course, and

(d) the offender has agreed that the order should be made.

(5) The date specified in an order under this Article as the latest date for completion of a course must be at least 2 months before the last day of the period of disqualification as reduced by the order.

(6) An order under this Article shall name the petty sessions district in which the offender resides or will reside.