TDs are more likely to carry penalty points on their driving licences than the general public, according to a new survey.

Of the 165 TDs contacted by the Irish Times, 91 responded to the survey on a confidential no-names basis.

Almost half of the respondents said they had at least two points on their licence for a driving offence, compared to national statistics that show one in three drivers carry penalty points.

Forty-eight TDs said they had no penalty points.

The newspaper found that across the country as a whole, 23 TDs said they had two or more points on their licence, 12 have four points, two have five points, five have six points, with one TD admitting to having seven points.

In a follow-up to the survey, the TDs said breaking the speed limit was the reason for the majority of the penalties.

All of the deputies questioned say they never had penalty points cancelled or quashed.