Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
MORE THAN HALF of the fines issued to learner drivers in 2015 for not displaying their L-plates have not been paid.
Figures released to Independent TD Tommy Broughan today show that 4,042 fixed charge notices (FCNs) were issued to learner drivers in 2015, 1,974 of which have been paid.
Some 115 of the 217 fines issued in 2014 for the same reason were paid.
Last year 5,609 fixed charge notices were issued to learner drivers who were caught driving without a qualified driver. Some 2,958 of these were paid.
Just 139 of the 251 fines issues for this reason in 2014 have been paid.
Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald told Broughan the figures were correct as of 14 January, in response to a parliamentary question.
The Dublin Bay North TD had also requested information on the follow-up numbers of prosecutions for such cases but was informed in the reply there is “no direct electronic link between these prosecutions as recorded on the Criminal Case Tracking System (CCTS) and the FCNs originally issued by An Garda Síochána”.
Broughan noted that gardaí are currently carrying out an operation targeting people using mobile phones while driving, and said road safety needs to be prioritised every day.
“There are so many aspects to promoting road safety and enforcing our laws that a strengthened Traffic Corp is urgently required,” he said.
Is there any logical reason why farming and eating dog should be illegal? The animals we normally eat (cow, sheep, goat, etc) tend to be herbivores, so are easier to farm and taste different than carnivores. But beyond that, surely if we can humanely farm and eat species X, we should be allowed to eat species Y if it is also farmed in a humane manner?
@Sean O’Dhubhghaill: How many pet cows do you have? Do you take your goat for a walk everyday.
Whilst there may be some validity to your argument I think you’ll find the overwhelming majority of people actually see their pet dogs as something more, even part of the family. So the prospect of chowing down on Lassie is not very appealing to most.
@damien leen: I don’t think Koreans were eating their pet dogs though.
@Sean O’Dhubhghaill: have you seen the way they’re killed, thrown alive into a pot of boiling water…r u ok with that!
@Clare Power: Hot dogs? Mmmmm,I love ‘em
@Larry Betts: stop Larry, yr supposed to be the funny man here
@Clare Power: boohoo
@Tom Dillon: oh that’s alrite then… C’mon man!
@Clare Power: I hope the EU doesn’t now ban German Shepherd Pie
@Larry Betts: I said your supposed to be funny Larry!!
@Clare Power: I’m never again going to ask for a doggie bag whenever I’m in a restaurant.
I’ve no time for people that haven’t empathy for animals, there’s something missing in their soul…my opinion…
About time
No more wokking the dog, as it were…
Well done, South Korea.
Lassie ain’t coming home!
For those who can’t now eat dog,they will feast on tasty Not Poodles
Koreans have swapped dogs for babies. The population has gone through the floor. By the way dog stew or boshintang is delicious – a little like a spicy lamb stew. Why should people be forced to abandon their own foid culture? Westerners complain about migrants swamping their own culture while imposing their values and culture on Asian, African and other indigenous cultures. No one who supports the banning of dog meat in Korea should oppose the imposition of Sharia in Ireland.
Personally, I think it’s barking mad decision by the government.
Banning dog meat will only lead farmers to go underground with their business.
Instead of a regulated price for the meat, meat prices could fetch a higher price due to the ban from the dog meat ban.
Anyone for a Chinese ?
@Jb Walshe: It’s only now that I realise what the Indians put in a madras curry,omg
The way some people anthromorphosise dogs, and cats, is beyond ridiculous. If some people want to eat dogs then let them.
Wokery. Wok wokery.
It’s not the eating I have a problem with, it’s the way they are “prepared”, the wire binding the limbs and mouth, the tape to stop them screaming , it’s the skinning alive, the boiling alive, the torture to promote the myth that the meat tastes better. I, for one, am extremely happy with the ban, it should be immediate, not in 3 years. It’s not just farmed dogs, it’s the stolen pets too that are affected.
Foid=food
have your say