Results 23,261-23,280 of 24,567 for speaker:Róisín Shortall

Road Traffic (Mobile Telephony) Bill 2006: Second Stage. (28 Mar 2006)

Róisín Shortall: The Minister has announced additional offences to come into force next week and mobile telephone use is not among them. One has to wonder just what the hold-up is and why he has procrastinated for so long.

Road Traffic (Mobile Telephony) Bill 2006: Second Stage. (28 Mar 2006)

Róisín Shortall: The Minister should control himself. He is good at dishing out criticism and he should be able to take it.

Road Traffic (Mobile Telephony) Bill 2006: Second Stage. (28 Mar 2006)

Róisín Shortall: He has consistently delayed, but we need action. It seems it takes Deputy Olivia Mitchell to bring forward this Bill for him to act, in spite of all the promises. The UK——

Road Traffic (Mobile Telephony) Bill 2006: Second Stage. (28 Mar 2006)

Róisín Shortall: The UK introduced a ban on the use of hand-held mobile telephones in 2003. Their use while driving was banned in New York in 2002, and they were also banned in the Netherlands in that year. Belgium, France and Germany have bans of one kind or other. If that is possible in other countries, why has it not been possible in this country? There is a growing body of evidence that suggests the...

Road Traffic (Mobile Telephony) Bill 2006: Second Stage. (28 Mar 2006)

Róisín Shortall: I refer to the Garda division of Dublin south. It is extraordinary that not a single breathalyser was used in those two divisions.

Road Traffic (Mobile Telephony) Bill 2006: Second Stage. (28 Mar 2006)

Róisín Shortall: There is no explanation for this and I urge the Minister to raise this with the Garda Commissioner and discover the reason for it.

Road Traffic (Mobile Telephony) Bill 2006: Second Stage. (28 Mar 2006)

Róisín Shortall: Other Garda divisions have figures for between 700 and 900 and Galway is the highest with 1,200 breathalyser tests administered last year.

Road Traffic (Mobile Telephony) Bill 2006: Second Stage. (28 Mar 2006)

Róisín Shortall: At some level within the Garda Síochána, or at political level, a decision has been taken not to use the breathalyser. I ask the Minister to investigate as this is quite significant and should be explained. A reply to one of my parliamentary questions from last week shows that despite the introduction of a Garda traffic corps, the number of speeding fines issued last year was the second...

Road Traffic (Mobile Telephony) Bill 2006: Second Stage. (28 Mar 2006)

Róisín Shortall: Therefore this suggests a reduction in the enforcement rate by gardaí. In 2001 there were 272,000 fixed charge fines for speeding. This dropped to 143,000 last year. Experience suggests there is a major problem with speeding. If one is driving at the speed limit, one is invariably passed out by umpteen other drivers. Why has there been a dramatic reduction in the enforcement of the law in...

Road Traffic (Mobile Telephony) Bill 2006: Second Stage. (28 Mar 2006)

Róisín Shortall: I accept this but I am discussing speeding. Why did the number of fines last year drop to half the total for 2001? There is a correlation between that and the rising fatalities and serious injuries on our roads. This imbalance must be examined in conjunction with the Garda Síochána and there must be some measurement of Garda activity in this regard. Surely we have learned the lesson that...

Road Traffic (Mobile Telephony) Bill 2006: Second Stage. (28 Mar 2006)

Róisín Shortall: Recently I travelled from Whitehall to Newry. The M1 is a terrific new road but there was no place to stop between Whitehall and Newry. I was conscious of this because I wished to purchase petrol, but let us consider drivers who travel long distances and who are tired. Some wish to stop, have a cup of coffee and make a few telephone calls, but there is no way of doing this.

Road Traffic (Mobile Telephony) Bill 2006: Second Stage. (28 Mar 2006)

Róisín Shortall: We have long stretches of motorway, which is to be welcomed, but none of them has service stations or decent lay-bys. People need to make telephone calls while on a long journey and we should facilitate them in doing so safely. The Labour Party supports this initiative but the absence of data in this area poses a problem. We do not know how many collisions or fatalities are caused by mobile...

Road Traffic (Mobile Telephony) Bill 2006: Second Stage. (28 Mar 2006)

Róisín Shortall: I have noted successive promises to address this since 2004.

Road Traffic (Mobile Telephony) Bill 2006: Second Stage. (28 Mar 2006)

Róisín Shortall: I will not hold my breath but I note the Minister's undertaking to introduce the legislation necessary to outlaw mobile telephones. I hope he will follow through on this undertaking in this Dáil session. He will have the full support of the Labour Party if he does so. The Minister has been making excuses for years why he could not introduce this legislation.

Road Traffic (Mobile Telephony) Bill 2006: Second Stage. (28 Mar 2006)

Róisín Shortall: I refer to Deputy Cullen, his predecessors and the Ministers of State. He has finally found a way that did not involve rocket science. Did this happen as a result of this Bill?

Road Traffic (Mobile Telephony) Bill 2006: Second Stage. (28 Mar 2006)

Róisín Shortall: Whatever way it came about, I welcome the fact that he is eventually going to make progress. As with any road safety measure, the bottom line is delay means death. We cannot afford to delay these measures any further. I look forward to the early introduction of legislation outlawing the use of mobile phones.

Written Answers — Health Service Allowances: Health Service Allowances (23 Mar 2006)

Róisín Shortall: Question 77: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if recipients of domiciliary care allowance are entitled to the carer's respite grant irrespective of other personal circumstances; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11532/06]

Written Answers — Road Traffic Offences: Road Traffic Offences (23 Mar 2006)

Róisín Shortall: Question 145: To ask the Minister for Transport the charge that applies to each of the on-the-spot fine categories. [11538/06]

Written Answers — Road Traffic Offences: Road Traffic Offences (23 Mar 2006)

Róisín Shortall: Question 154: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the amount accruing to the Exchequer from fixed charge penalties for traffic offences in each of the past six years. [11533/06]

Written Answers — Road Traffic Offences: Road Traffic Offences (23 Mar 2006)

Róisín Shortall: Question 155: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the amount accruing to the Exchequer from on-the-spot fines for traffic offences in each of the past six years. [11534/06]