Loopholes in Penalty Points System undermined its early success in reducing road deaths – O’Mahony

Speech by John O’Mahony TD during Fine Gael Private Members’ Motion Dáil Éireann, 11 December 2007

“I am glad to contribute to this Fine Gael Privates Members motion and I want to commend Deputy O’Dowd on his presentation of the case for the need for legislation and urgent reform of the penalty points system.

“We all know the dramatic positive effect that the first introduction of penalty points system had on road safety when introduced a few years ago, leading to a 20% reduction in road deaths by December 2002. From 2004 to 2006 all progress made was lost when fatalities began to rise again.

“Why did people initially slow down and drive responsibly but then revert to speeding? They did so because there are too many loopholes in the implementation of the penalty points system. Careless and speeding drivers have a 50% chance, even if they are caught for speeding, of not having to pay a fine or of points going on their driving licences. Half of all speeding summonses have not been served and many of those served have been thrown out of court. Only one in three drivers surrenders his or her driving licence voluntarily.

“While I understand there is a legislation issue, penalty points are not imposed on cars from Northern Ireland and other countries. If the present system is snowed under and unable to cope, what chance is there when the hundreds of new speed cameras are rolled out in 2008 and thousands more drivers will be caught speeding? The District Court system may collapse under an enormous volume of cases.

“While we are on these speed/safety cameras I am convinced that the only way there can be smooth and acceptable introduction of them is if a wide-ranging educational campaigning is launched immediately to convince the public that they are Safety Cameras and not merely speeding traps to collect money for the Exchequer.

“They need to be placed at dangerous areas on the road network where a maximum amount of lives can be saved and not at the soft targets like inside the 50KM signs that bring in maximum amount of money. They also need to on the single lane secondary roads as well as the motorways. If we only see a few ads on TV about their introduction then the Transport Minister can expect a similar reaction to when tried to implement the driving licence regulation over a weekend.”

O’Mahony welcomes the Development of Primary Care Centre in Claremorris

Deputy O’Mahony said that this new Primary Care Centre will be very beneficial to Claremorris and with the following services going to be provided such as Family Doctors, Public Health Nurses, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Home Help and Social Work Service. He was also informed by the HSE that a Physiotherapist and a Social Worker will also be appointed to the new centre. Other services will also work from the centre on a regular basis, including Speech & Language Therapy, Psychology, Child Developmental Clinics and Diabetes Advice Clinics.

The new location of this centre will be in the centre of Claremorris which will allow easy access for people in Claremorris town and the surrounding areas.

O’Mahony welcomes Amenity Grant for Parkview Charlestown

“It’s excellent news for the people who live there. They have a great pride in their area and this grant will allow them continue their great work,” he said. Deputy O’Mahony said that the public lighting issue in the area has been resolved and that, combined with the Amenity Grant, will provide a great fillip for the Parkview estate. “I will continue to work along with Mayo County Council to further improve facilities in the area which will include the installation of speed ramps,” he said.

O’Mahony says West of Ireland struggling to be competitive due to infrastructural neglect

It is particularly apt that this motion is brought on just before the budget when the Government and the Minister have another chance to create the conditions for Ireland to reverse the trend we are experiencing in recent times and help make our country really competitive again.

“All of the facts and figures in this year’s report by the national competitiveness council confirm in stark terms what we are already seeing on the ground.

1. Our share of exports in world markets has fallen gradually since 2002, as a result net exports have contributed little to our economic growth.
2. Domestic inflation has eroded Irish price and cost competitiveness.
3. As regards productivity growth Ireland has lost its place as an international front runner and now lags behind the average in the OECD.
4. Physical infrastructure, or should I say the lack of it, across a wide area of the economy has been a major source of the competitive disadvantage. The inability of our roads, rail, ports and airports to cope with the growth in our economy and population in the 90s is now coming home to roost.

“The boom in the construction industry in the last number of years and the jobs growth that it produced masked the fact that manufacturing and agriculture lost thousands of jobs over that same period. Construction now accounts for one in seven workers compared to one in seventeen in the US and, with the building boom slowing down rapidly, one doesn’t need to be a genius to work out we have a problem on our hands.

“It is now accepted that Ireland’s competitiveness within the international world has weakened but that problem is multiplied to an even greater degree in the West of Ireland. The small towns and the rural areas in particular are struggling to compete on a national level never mind an international one. If our infrastructure nationally isn’t able to keep up with the demand what chance has the west coast that has been way down the priority list right through the boom years when there was a golden opportunity to advance balanced regional development?

“The west of Ireland urgently needs the Western Rail Corridor to help develop this region. Part of the Western Rail Corridor is being built at the moment from Ennis to Claremorris but no date has been given for the re-building the remaining section to Sligo.

“This section passes by Ireland West Airport Knock offering an ideal opportunity to develop the region in a structured and linked up way completing the Western Rail Corridor will also connect the two gateway cities in Connacht – Galway and Sligo – and revitalise the smaller towns along the way. The completion of the Western Rail Corridor from Mayo to Sligo is the true test of the government commitment to balanced regional development.

“The snail’s pace roll out of broadband in the West of Ireland is not giving business and industry a chance to complete on an even playing field. I could give countless examples of individuals with small businesses who are unable to operate in numerous parts of Mayo because broadband is not available to him.

“One example here is Kiltimagh which is waiting for the Government to give them the go-ahead to operate the MAN Network. The IRD in the town are frustrated that the connection to the network, which has been in the town since 2003 has been denied to them despite umpteen requests to the company operating the schemes on the behalf of the government. Kiltimagh is at the moment promoting the Carin International Trade Centre Project in the town which would provide 150 jobs.

“The map supplied on Transport 21 opening up the regions says it all really about the task facing the West to maintain competitiveness. Only one motorway in to Connacht with all the other projects like the N26 delayed N6, N17, N83, N5 and many others so far away that there needs to be a serious acceleration of them if we are to be competitive.

“North Mayo’s progress is being seriously curtailed by the infrastructural deficit in the region. Ballinrobe and Ballyhaunis at the other end of the county are in a similar situation. If Ireland is to become competitive we need far better prudent use of our resources than has happened in the last ten years.”