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TRANSPORT MINISTER LEO Varadkar has said that another investigation into the penalty points controversy is a “good suggestion” and he believes there is a “sense among the public” that garda discretion is not applied equally.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland this morning, the Minister said he was coming at the issue from “from a road safety point of view” and said that he and the Road Safety Authority had been asked to study the recent garda report into the matter and make suggestions to the Justice Minister Alan Shatter.
“Their view is that this requires a further investigation,” he said of the Road Safety Authority (RSA). “They’re suggesting that the Garda Ombudsman Commission should investigate at this stage. I think they’re probably right.”
An investigation overseen by Assistant Commissioner John O’Mahoney found no evidence of corruption in the cancellation of fixed charge notices but disciplinary proceedings against three gardai have begun.
A garda whistleblower, who Varadkar confirmed he had met, questioned the termination of more than 50,000 points over a four year period. But O’Mahoney’s internal review reported 72 incidents which were not “strictly within the correct administrative procedures”.
Philip Ryan writes in the Irish Independent this morning that the RSA is “unhappy” with the findings of the report and wants an independent investigation into the matter.
Varadkar insisted that the gardaí have taken the matter “seriously” and have proposed to tighten up the penalty points system but he raised issues with certain cases in the appendixes of the garda report.
“Reading through the report, particularly reading the appendixes and the different cases, I have to say that I got the sense not such much that they had looked at the underbelly of this but that in a lot of cases they were explaining away penalty point terminations that to the reasonable person seemed a little bit unusual,” he said this morning.
Varadkar said it was “very important” that the public has confidence in the penalty points system. He continued:
“The law needs to be enforced and it needs to be enforced in the same way on everyone and if there is discretion then discretion should apply equally to everyone and there is a sense among the public that maybe is not the case.”
He said he was proposing legislation to tighten penalty points system later in the year and said it would be very hard to bring in new measures “if people don’t have confidence that the system is working and that it’s fair and that it is being applied equally to everyone.”
Confirming a meeting with one of the whistleblowers, Varadkar said that this meeting with was interesting and useful and that “80 per cent” of the person’s claims were “very credible”.
“I think it’s important that we listen to whistleblowers and that they’re protected,” he added.
Varadkar was speaking in the aftermath of EU transport ministers’ discussions about strengthening the rights of air passengers with proposals for more fuller information for these passengers and compensation after a certain period of delays.
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RTE 1 Good evening and here is the news. Only six or seven people were shot in Dublin this evening but sources say it has nothing to do with the main gangs that are shooting each other. As soon as the smoke clears we will bring you further updates!
You forgot the reassuring soundbite full of jargon from francis the sycophantic social worker..
Seems like more of a punishment shooting than anything else 3 in the arm one in the leg.
Or the other way round lol
punishment? you think he was a bold boy?
Either that or the shooter has a very bad aim . Maybe it was his first time …
they are blooding new talent these days
Assel
Do you know know what a punishment shooting means?
Dublin 2016 = lawless to the point where lawlessness has now become normalized.
Take a bow Frances, Acting Minister for Chaos and Lawlessness.
are you threatening me Nick?
LOL……
@Assel, If you are going to troll the Journal, at least learn to read and write at a reasonable standard of English. God Bless you, Father Stack
Brian…give poor francis a break…she knows that behind every assassin..every killer,every thug,gunman,hitman,psychopath,drug dealer…lies a vulnerable individual.
Well if it is a so-called punishment shooting, carried out in Clondalkin, then it would probably the CIRA. And that would mean that so-called dissidents were out on the streets shooting people, and given all the connotations of the Kinihan-Hutch feud, any such shooting should be regarded as related.
Leave my name out of this please
Ironically in Frances’ constituency. Everyone was all over it during the election. A baby almost killed in Finglas. Cowards gunning down an innocent man in town, mistaken identity… And last week no less than 2 shootings in the same night and now this.
The Juan Kerr’s in government should hang their heads in shame. They only gave a a fook about being re-elected
Where’s the armed Garda patrol and checkpoints now? I didn’t see a single checkpoint at all this bank holiday. Couldn’t do (say) enough a few weeks back
I didn’t vote for you Frances. Your a disgrace, letting the criminals shoot the place out of it
Ah poor francis…she totally wants to conduct an intervention with these vulnerable groups of armed men and young people…perhaps a family welfare conference or two…perhaps approach the “issue” from a strenghts based perspective with a view to a wrap around care package for the most vulnerable gang members and targetted support – bespoke of course – for the remainder.Gardai operating in the area will of course wear tracksuits…to do otherwise may offend the the vulnerable gang members sensetivities and possibly upset them.
You forgot about the Nike trainers , dead giveaway if the Gardai are not wearing them !
Ah Sis…easy knowing im not from a social work background…duffer and armani tracksuits i know about…didnt think of the de rigeur Nike’s…thankfully francis is “across this” and will have vouchers to hand…
Bro , you’re right I’m sure she’ll have every angle covered … she’s usually on top of things .
Shocking so two gangs killing each other and now random shootings time for a zero tolerance policy on organised crime and use of guns in crime more eru on streets open back up the stations and get more gaurds on the beat enough is enough
we need a story about Halawa hurry up …. forget this Irish stuff make us feel guilty.
Shooting in Dublin !!
As long as it isn’t in Dartry or Milltown where the Defence barristers and Judges live then there is no need to worry.
no shooting in dublin 6 so do you think people get shot for no apparent reason at all?
Worse it’s getting instead of better!
Thanks Yoda.
Whatever he did it almost cost him an arm and a leg.
Elmo must be back again
Francis is a male and Frances is a female for all the people who seem to get mixed up, only saying.
Hope he wasn’t a Leicester City fan
Chat shit get banged!
Shit shot, bang bang
Victim known by the authorities???
Think he was a spurs fan.
gang bang …..
here
have your say