Gardaí are to be given the power to issue on-the-spot fines to help combat late-night public order problems.
The fixed penalties, which will be an alternative to court proceedings, are aimed at saving Garda time and resources.
It is the first time members of the force have been authorised to issue immediate fines for less serious public order offences.
The fines will apply to two categories of offence, disorderly conduct and intoxication in a public place.
After studying average fines handed out by the courts for such offences, officials in the Department of Justice are understood to have set the tariff for on-the-spot fines at below €100 for each offence.
"The on-the-spot fines would have to be proportionately lower than what the courts are handing out," said one Department source.
"There wouldn't be a motivation to pay the fine if an offender had to pay the same in court."
Official figures suggest the processing of public order offences has been time-consuming and often wasteful use of Garda resources.
Recent figures showed that more than 100 public order offences were before the courts each day, yet around half of these were struck out without penalty.
Details of the fines are expected to be published in regulations accompanying the Criminal Justice Bill, the outline of which was published earlier this year.
The on-the-spot fines will be issued in a similar manner to speeding tickets and must be paid within 28 days. Failure to pay on time will result in prosecution.
Gardaí may issue fines immediately or by post, and the fines must state when and where the alleged offence was committed.
The powers of the Garda to deal with public order offences have been strengthened considerably in recent times with the Criminal Justice (Public Order) and Intoxicating Liquor Acts.
They provide stronger penalties across a range of areas, including the sale and supply of intoxicating liquor to drunken persons.
Latest Garda statistics suggest progress is being made in cutting the number of public order offences.
Figures for 2003, for example, show that the number of assaults causing harm reduced for the fourth quarter in succession, with an overall drop of 21 per cent over the entire year.
