Ministers yesterday approved the drafting of the National Vehicle and Driver File Bill 2025, which it says will enable local authorities to target investment at areas where collisions occur most often.

The bill also allows for the abolition of the requirement to display a motor tax disc, which the government says is unnecessary due to automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technology and digital tax records.

Similar rules around displaying paper insurance discs and certificates of roadworthiness are expected to be updated through secondary legislation.

Other provisions in the bill will update access arrangements to the National Vehicle and Driver File (NVDF) to reflect GDPR requirements, and remove end dates for declarations of non-use of a motor vehicle.

The NVDF is the central register of vehicles and drivers, a database maintained by the Department of Transport. The NVDF is widely used by state agencies, including the RSA and An Garda Síochána, for a variety of road safety purposes.

The bill also contains a minor technical amendment to the Road Traffic Acts in relation to the setting of speed limits.

Transport minister Darragh O’Brien said: “I am pleased to have secured approval from my Cabinet colleagues for the formal drafting of the National Vehicle and Driver File Bill.

“Passage of this bill is a key road safety commitment in the programme for government and will ensure that local authorities have direct access to collision data when undertaking investment.

“The legislative amendments in respect of the National Vehicle and Driver File will also facilitate greater real-time access to the database by An Garda Síochána in future, assisting with enforcement and contributing to safety on our roads.”

Seán Canney, minister of state with responsibility for international and road transport, logistics, rail and ports, added: “Passage of the NVDF Bill will contribute to road safety through infrastructure investment and enforcement, and will also bring improvements and efficiencies for drivers.

“Among these are abolishing the requirement to display a paper motor tax disc, and allowing for open-ended declarations that a car is off the road.

“The abolition of paper motor tax discs is part of a wider project to remove the need to display paper discs in windscreens, and I look forward to supporting the legislation through the Oireachtas in the coming months.”