Local Senator James Carroll has welcomed the announcement by the Minister for Transport, Noel Dempsey TD for a new provision to facilitate the mutual recognition of driving disqualifications between Ireland and the UK, which comes into operation on 28th January 2010.
“The mutual recognition of driving disqualifications marks a very significant road safety measure because it aims to target some of the most dangerous drivers on our roads” Senator Carroll added.
Examples of offences that are included in this new measure are:
• Reckless or dangerous driving including breaking the speed limit
• Wilful failure to carry out the obligations placed on drivers after being involved in road accidents (hit-and-run driving).
• Driving a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or other substances affecting or diminishing the mental and physical abilities of a driver. Refusal to submit to alcohol and drug tests.
Last year saw the lowest number of road deaths on Irish roads since records began. 2009 also saw Ireland take some very decisive steps to address road safety issues. These included the publication of the Road Traffic Bill, the introduction of a new certification and registration scheme for driving instructors and the finalisation of the safety camera contract by the Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern and Garda Commissioner Murphy. This year will see other important measures coming into effect, as new items will be tested as part of the NCT to improve vehicle safety.
Senator Carroll said: “The purpose of this new Order is to put in place a mutual structure to recognise disqualifications between the UK and Ireland. By implementing this new measure, we are sending out a clear message that the most dangerous drivers on our roads are being targeted. With effect from 28 January 2010, Irish drivers disqualified in the UK and NI for certain road traffic offences will have their disqualifications recognised and applied in this country. Similarly, UK and NI drivers disqualified by Irish Courts will have their disqualifications recognised in their home country.
“County Louth has suffered for years from speeding and dangerous driving from Northern Ireland drivers and this is a vital step in tackling this problem,” Senator Carroll concluded.
ENDS
The recent period of bad weather has taken a huge toll on our roads, especially many of our local and regional roads.
I am aware that many Local Authorities are already taking action to repair badly damaged roads. In order to facilitate Local Authorities in their work I have asked the Department to issue instructions to Local Authorities as follows:
1. Local Authorities should now prioritise works on roads damaged in the recent adverse weather;
2. Local Authorities can spend up to 25% of last year’s road allocations immediately under the Restoration Improvement grant, Discretionary Maintenance Grant, Discretionary Improvement Grant and Special Block Grant to address the damage caused by recent severe weather while they await their 2010 allocations;
3. Local Authorities will be allowed flexibility to revise their 2010 Restoration Improvement Programme. Any revisions should be forwarded to the NRA as a matter of urgency.
The role of the Department in relation to local and regional roads is to provide grants to SUPPLEMENT road expenditure by Local Authorities. Some Local Authorities contribute as little as 5% to their total road expenditure from their own resources. Local Authorities need to prioritise increased expenditure from their own resources on their own roads this year in view of the current difficult situation.
The full allocation of €411 million will be notified to Local Authorities in the next few weeks.
I have also asked Local Authorities to submit details of the extra expenditure incurred by them on ‘gritting’ the roads during the bad weather and to report on the scale of the damage caused by recent weather conditions.
The Minister for Education and Science, Batt O’Keeffe TD, is to dissolve the National University of Ireland (NUI).
Minister O’Keeffe acknowledged the important role the NUI has played in Irish education for more than a century.
‘However, the central role of the NUI was significantly reduced in the Universities Act, 1997, and the need to have a separate body undertaking what is now a limited set of functions has been outlived.
‘The NUI’s four constituent universities – University College Dublin, University College Cork, NUI Galway and NUI Maynooth – have the same statutory status as the State’s three other universities but a small number of administrative and academic functions are still carried out on their behalf by the NUI.
‘Work will now be carried out on redistributing the remaining functions of the NUI and it is envisaged that many of them will be undertaken by the constituent universities,’ said Minister O’Keeffe.
In the October 2008 Budget, the Government announced that the NUI’s functions would be considered in the context of the establishment of an amalgamated qualifications and quality assurance agency.
The McCarthy Report recommended the dissolution of the NUI.
A Bill to establish a new qualifications and quality assurance agency for the further and higher education sectors is now being drafted.
‘I am simplifying the qualifications and quality assurance landscape by amalgamating existing agencies in that area.
‘That pursuit of institutional coherence has led me to conclude that the NUI’s role in higher education is no longer sustainable.
‘This is consistent with the Government’s public sector reform agenda,’ said Minister O’Keeffe.
NUI has awarding relationships with a small number of recognised colleges.
Most of these colleges have already been exploring possible future options for award-making and when the dissolution is completed these colleges will need to enter new awarding arrangements.
One option for them will be to link with one of the former constituent universities.
The NUI has a role in the election of three members of Seanad Éireann.
Minister O’Keeffe will address this issue by working closely with his colleague, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, in the context of wider plans for Seanad reform.
ENDS
Note for Editors: NUI
Background
The NUI was founded under the Irish Universities Act 1908 as a federal university with three constituent colleges in Dublin, Cork and Galway. These constituent colleges later achieved university status and the NUI also formed links with recognised colleges, including Maynooth College which achieved university status in 1997.
Structure
The NUI was restructured, with significantly reduced powers, in the Universities Act 1997. The NUI has four as autonomous constituent universities:
University College Dublin;
University College Cork;
National University of Ireland, Galway; and
National University of Ireland, Maynooth.
The degrees and other qualifications awarded by the constituent universities are deemed to be degrees and qualifications of the NUI.
NUI has five recognised colleges for which it makes awards:
The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland;
National College of Art and Design;
Institute of Public Administration;
Shannon College of Hotel Management; and
Milltown Institute.
The Chancellor of the NUI – Dr Maurice Manning – chairs the Senate which is its governing authority. The composition of the NUI Senate is set out in the Universities Act 1997: the chancellor, presidents of the constituent universities and NUI registrar are ex officio members; there are members elected by the governing authorities of each of the constituent universities and by the graduate body of the University (NUI convocation); and there are four members appointed by the government and four co-opted members.
Functions
The primary function of NUI is to provide central services to its constituent universities.
NUI is also responsible for:
providing documentation and certification services to graduates and employers and an information service for schools and the general public;
administering awards schemes, awarding fellowships, studentships, scholarships and prizes;
maintaining a register of NUI graduates and administers the election in the NUI constituency of three members of Seanad Éireann;
providing the secretariat for the NUI Senate and for committees of the Senate;
supporting convocation of the NUI;
supporting and promoting the language and history of Ireland, scholarship and research in Celtic Studies (common to all four constituent universities) and Irish cultural heritage;
printing parchment for the making of awards for the recognised colleges and for the making of NUI awards by the constituent universities.
NUI retains a number of statutory functions in relation to the constituent universities as follows:
the appointment of external examiners and the determination of their functions with the concurrence of the constituent universities;
the setting of basic matriculation standards;
reviewing the content and teaching of courses.
NUI carries out the following additional functions in respect of its recognised colleges:
agreeing quality assurance arrangements;
reviewing the effectiveness of the quality assurance procedures of the recognised colleges; and
the making of awards.
ENDS
The deterrents and obstacles which can discourage marriage and cohabitation will be analysed with the country’s two leading one parent family support groups at a meeting of the Oireachtas Committee on Social and Family Affairs, today, (20th) at 11 am in Committee Room 2 of Leinster House.
There are 190,000 one-parent families in Ireland today (18% of all families), one in five children live in one parent families while research indicates that you are 4.5 times more likely to live in poverty if you live in a one-parent family.
The meeting will consider aspects of the tax and social welfare system which could militate against marriage and co-habitation and examine what reforms could be introduced to address this matter. The meeting will also debate the issues facing one-parent families and to hear from those organisations that represent them regarding financial disincentives to marriage and cohabitation.
ENDS
Local Senator James Carroll is encouraging Louth parents with children eligible for the free preschool year who have yet to register with their local preschool service or Louth County Childcare Committee to do so immediately.
“There is still time to register with your local preschool provider to avail of the new free preschool year. Children born between 2 February 2005 and 30 June 2006 are eligible to participate in the Early Child Care and Education (ECCE) scheme. If parents have not already enrolled their child, they should immediately contact either their local preschool service or Louth County Childcare Committee at 041-6859912 or at info@louthchildcare.ie”, James Carroll said.
“The cold snap, which has caused the closure of many primary and preschools has probably delayed the start of the ECCE scheme for most services. Therefore, the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs Barry Andrews TD will be as flexible as possible in accommodating late enrolments. The original date for participating services to make an electronic return with the children’s details was January 22nd. Recognising the current weather conditions, we will extend this date to January 29th. This will give parents an extra week to register with service providers, which they are asked to do by January 20th. In the event that parents are experiencing difficulty accessing a place, they should immediately contact Louth County Childcare Committee.”
Some participating services may be concerned that they will be financially penalised for not commencing the scheme this week. This is not the case. The Minister said, “we do not want parents and children taking risks because of pressures to attend preschool. In light of this, participating preschools will be paid for the days they were forced to close because of the inclement weather.”
Services will receive their first payment next week provided correct bank details have been supplied. No delay in payment is expected and as such there is no justification for services charging parents for what will be a free service.
“This new ECCE scheme is an historic step in the journey to develop a Government supported preschool system. The provision of a free preschool year to all children, regardless of income or circumstance, will enhance the social and educational development of our children.”
“It will give each child in the country an equal chance to arrive in Junior Infants with improved personal development, speech and language skills,” Senator Carroll concluded.
ENDS
Arising from an update on the weather, the Minister for Education and Science, Batt O’Keeffe TD, has decided that the normal arrangements whereby schools decide to open or close based on local circumstances should be re-instated. This means that schools in a position to open tomorrow [Tuesday] should do so. Minister O’Keeffe took his decision based on weather advice given to this morning’s meeting of the Government’s emergency planning group and the unexpected rise in temperatures that has occurred in parts of the country.
ENDS
As you see from the following link http://www.meath.ie/LocalAuthorities/Roads/WinterGrittingRoutes/File,40045,en.pdf, Meath County Council’s gritting plan neglects Laytown and Bettystown. the second biggest urban centre in County Meath. As the new Senator for the east Meath area as well as Louth, I think it is most neglectful. Meath County Council called in the Army today and they need to be deployed to get the whole east coast open for business for next Monday.
The following is the link for Louth County Council’s gritting plan for roads in the county http://www.louthcoco.ie/downloads/roads/Winter%20Maint%202009-03.pdf. As you will see, vast areas of mid and south Louth are not on their gritting programme. I have contacted the Area Enginneer’s Office in Dunleer and the County Council office in Dundalk. They have said that it is not a lack of money but rather a lack of salt that is restricting more widespread gritting.
I have contacted the Offices of the Minister for Transport, the Minister for the Environment and the Minister for Defence to see if beach sand can be used on a once-off basis to tackle this unique weather spell which is wreaking havoc on our roads and is affecting local businesses, schools and people going about their daily business. This is having a serious detrimental on our local economy. The Army needs to be called in urgently to help local authorities source alternative road gritting material, to assist clearing our roads and footpaths which are highly dangerous in certain areas.
I have been inundated with calls from people whose roads have not been gritted and from local farmers offering their assistance with distribution of sand, grit or salt during this crisis. This is a once in a fifty year weather crisis so we need innovative and joined-up thinking to solve it. Minister John Gormley is co-ordinating the response through the National Emergency Response Committee so he needs to take on board all suggestions on trying to alleviate this crisis and we must make some form of gritting available to local communities.
Louth or east Meath people wishing to buy a new car this year may be eligible to participate in the State Car Scrappage Scheme, according to their local Fianna Fáil Senator, James Carroll.
The Scheme is now in operation and it effectively knocks €1,500 off the price of a new car when a 10-year-old car is traded against it and scrapped.
Senator Carroll is encouraging people who are planning to change their car to check if they can take part in the Scheme.
“The Scrappage Scheme was introduced by the Government in December’s Budget and it has now come into effect.”
“The Scheme provides for VRT relief of up to €1,500 when a new car with CO2 emissions of not more than 140g/km is bought and registered and another car, over ten years old, is scrapped.”
“Similar schemes in Britain, Germany and across Europe have been very successful and it is hoped that it will provide a boost to car sales here also.”
“People taking part in the Scheme must buy cars with low emissions. This is another small but important step by the Government to encourage people to reduce their carbon footprints.”
Among the terms included in the Scheme are:
- The car to be scrapped must have been registered in the State for at least 18 months previous to the date of scrappage.
- It must be 10 years old or more from the date of first registration.
- It must have a NCT test certificate or at least a certificate indicating that it has been presented for and failed an NCT roadworthiness test in the past six months.
- It must have been insured for use on the road for at least 12 months in the 18 months prior to the scrappage date.
“The cars being scrapped must be scrapped at an Authorised Treatment Facility and details of the nearest ATFs are available from Louth County Council,” concluded Senator Carroll.
Full details on the scheme are also available from www.revenue.ie/en/tax/vrt/faqs-scrappage-scheme.html.
ENDS
Contact Senator James Carroll, Seanad Eireann, Leinster House, Dublin 2
Tel: 01-6184374
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