Results 6,521-6,540 of 7,986 for speaker:Michael Fitzmaurice

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Safety Strategy: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Mar 2017)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I wish to come in on something there. The assistant commissioner should indicate whether I am correct in stating they are criminal offences. Is that correct?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Safety Strategy: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Mar 2017)

Michael Fitzmaurice: It is a criminal conviction. What is the number of gardaí in the traffic corps at the moment? I know that the numbers were reduced down through the years around the country. No one condones someone who is three, four or five times over the limit, which I have seen. With the best will in the world, if the limit was down to zero, has An Garda Síochána the resources? It all...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Safety Strategy: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Mar 2017)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Sorry.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Safety Strategy: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Mar 2017)

Michael Fitzmaurice: What figure is it down to?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Safety Strategy: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Mar 2017)

Michael Fitzmaurice: In the witness's opinion, is the traffic corps capable of doing its work with 700 or should it have 1,200? Was it too many when it had 1,200 or is it now understaffed?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Safety Strategy: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Mar 2017)

Michael Fitzmaurice: That is what I am asking.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Safety Strategy: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Mar 2017)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Would the assistant commissioner agree that feet on the ground is the way to tackle this?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Safety Strategy: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Mar 2017)

Michael Fitzmaurice: How many people are killed with no alcohol in their system?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Safety Strategy: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Mar 2017)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Is there a percentage?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Safety Strategy: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Mar 2017)

Michael Fitzmaurice: That is 71% with no alcohol in their system.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Safety Strategy: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Mar 2017)

Michael Fitzmaurice: What happened to them?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Safety Strategy: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Mar 2017)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Does the Garda consider defective roads as a problem?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Safety Strategy: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Mar 2017)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I sat on the previous joint committee responsible for transport. Is the Garda Síochána in favour of other proposals? I am in favour of one proposal but it never got anywhere. The idea was that a speed limiter would be put in the car of young drivers. The limit could be set at 50 km/h or whatever. These devices can be installed in the same way as they are installed in trucks. I...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Safety Strategy: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Mar 2017)

Michael Fitzmaurice: There is an issue with the licence for those who have a hitch for trailers, as they would have used the trailer to go to marts. For years the use of a trailer was part of the licence. People had a licence for years and were well used to twisting and turning their trailers. New rules were introduced and if one was on one side of a date, the rules of the old licence still applied but...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Safety Strategy: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Mar 2017)

Michael Fitzmaurice: If I go on the hard shoulder, I must put on my hazard warning lights. How is it that the GoSafe vans can sit in the location with no hazard warning lights?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Safety Strategy: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Mar 2017)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I have got on to the Road Safety Authority a few times on this issue. I think we need to put pressure on the authority. I hope this committee, as well as the Garda Síochána, will try to bring common sense to bear because we are pushing ordinary decent people into being criminals because they have no licence.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Safety Strategy: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Mar 2017)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Let us suppose a person had 500 convictions, had served time and was disqualified from driving. I know people who might have been disqualified but have then driven. These people get jail terms. Is that correct?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Safety Strategy: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Mar 2017)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I wish to clarify one point. Let us suppose a driver comes around the bend in a car at night and it is foggy and a pedestrian is wearing black clothes. It is reckless on the part of the person wearing the black clothes. Let us be clear about that. If it goes to court, the driver of the car always goes down and there is a big insurance pay-out. However, let us be clear on this point:...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Payments (1 Mar 2017)

Michael Fitzmaurice: 224. To ask the Minister for Social Protection when a person (details supplied) who applied for carer's allowance in June 2016 will receive their back payment to the date on which they applied; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10731/17]

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Payments (1 Mar 2017)

Michael Fitzmaurice: 225. To ask the Minister for Social Protection his views on whether it is satisfactory that a person (details supplied) has to wait seven months to have their carer's application reviewed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10732/17]