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FIGURES REPORTED LAST week that painted a picture of a system that was lenient on drink-driving are wrong, the Courts Service says.
A statement from the service says that figures reported last week that claimed just 40% of cases led to convictions were inaccurate. They say that the figures, provided to road safety campaign Parc through a parliamentary question to independent TD Tommy Broughan were based on the wrong figures.
A statement says:
“Recent reporting, and commentary on drink driving cases and conviction rates, has been inaccurate: simply due to the extrapolation of conviction rates from the wrong set of figures.
“This has distorted the actual outcomes in cases heard, and in no way reflects the conviction rates in the District Courts.
Conviction rates are actually over twice the 40% reported and commented upon recently. In figures compiled over the past week by the Courts Service – it is clear that the average figure for convictions each year is between 85% and 88%.
A number of outlets last week carried the figures, with some saying that the government was planning a crackdown on drink driving.
Today, the Courts Service has released the full figures, saying that the error came about from comparing convictions to summonses requested, printed and issued, but ignoring the number of outstanding summonses at year end.
It is therefore inaccurate to extrapolate conviction rates from such figures – as the courts have not heard many of them. .
“In the two years and seven months to July 31 2015, the District Courts have finalised and made decisions in 11,237 Drink Driving case* and convicted in 9,714. The conviction rate in that period is therefore 86.44%, with 13.56 % being acquitted.”
So far this year 66 prison sentences have been imposed for Drink Driving, 85 suspended sentences, 1,776 fines imposed, 20 community service orders made, and 1,907 disqualifications ordered.
In Bray, the conviction rate is 80%, but in Cork it is 93%.
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Welcome to the reality of supporting some one with a difference here , talk to parents and siblings about how we have to fight for everything.
Fair play to the foster carers for contacting the Ombudsman and therefore going up against Tusla and the HSE. Not a decision taken lightly. There is a bullying mentality when you go against these agencies. Hopefully now the child and her family will get the supports they need. It’s disgraceful that the family had to put themselves through the stress and pressure to get the outcome.
@Clare Sharkey: Sad thing is that TUSLA are in the process of moving the child into a residential type setting and removing her from the wonderful foster family. Wouldn’t it be much easier to put the supports in place and leave her with the loving foster family.
@Lorraine Roche: its a power struggle. Easier to blame foster carers than themselves.
It’s not only children with disabilities who are in care the system is failing it’s children with disabilities full stop. Your child with a disability is accepted into a service-8-18 disability service- they then have to go on waiting lists within that service for Speech& Language, Occupational Therapy, Psychologist etc…. Services are badly organised and seriously under resourced.
A certain spectacle Senator with his “human rights activists” friends will be working tirelessly on this one.
“bespectacled
@Are roo from Cork: think you were right first time.
Abandoned at birth !!!!!????
The poor Girl can expect a lifetime of neglect by the state, funding is ridiculously low in the intellectual disability area, from childhood right through to Adult services!
The Government should take control of all services and streamline while increasing funding – the current system with dozens of organisations with CEO’s on mainly over €100k with generous expenses is putting tax money into the wrong hands instead of into the frontline where conditions have plummeted and staff under severe pressure are leaving disillusioned!
Put the money where it matters and strip away the red tape to give those with disabilities the services they deserve- too much of a gravy train at present!
@David Grey: leo will be in shortly saying how “it shouldn’t be like this”
have your say