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AN AMENDMENT IN bail legislation will prohibit drink drivers involved in fatal accidents from driving while they await a court date.
Christina Donnelly, whose youngest son Brendan and his friend Lee Salkeld died in a car crash involving a drunk driver in October 2009, has spent the last seven years advocating for changes in legislation surrounding drink driving.
‘Brendan’s Law’ was raised in the Dáil a number of times before being approved by Cabinet this week.
Welcoming the decision, Christina said: “This will never bring our loved ones back but it will offer some semblance of justice to bereaved families in the future and could also save lives.
“During the years I have been campaigning to strengthen the law, I have been contacted by families from all over Ireland and Europe who believe this is the correct thing to do. My heart is broken when I think of Brendan but, today, some good has come from our many years fighting for change.”
Junior minister John Halligan has backed the amendment for some time, saying it will “provide for stricter bail conditions so that a court will be able to prohibit a person charged with a serious road traffic offence causing a fatality from driving until their trial”.
As Christina Donnelly has said since she started her campaign, this will reduce the risk of further road traffic offences being committed while an accused person is out on bail. She deserves great credit for her tireless campaign in bringing Brendan’s tragic story to the Dáil.
Transport Minister Shane Ross said his department has been examining the “circumstances whereby a person may lose their licence following arrest for a serious road traffic offence … with a view to the strengthening of the law in this area”.
“I hope that this proposal may provide some comfort to those families who, like Christina, have lost a loved one through the selfish act of a driver who has committed a serious road traffic offence including a drunk or drug driver who has been charged with dangerous driving causing death.
“It sends out a strong message to those who commit serious road traffic offences that you may now lose your licence to drive in advance of any conviction in court,” Ross stated.
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If true it’s seem Enda won’t be there to see it happen, which will be nice!
@Les Behan: Would not count on Enda not being there he is a crafty one and only likes to play the fool. He is as sneaky as they come just ask poor old Joanie.
When do the Irish get a vote or do our politicians not trust us to give us a vote on anything that matters?
Regardless of what Enda thinks it’s Goodbye, so long, Adieu to the most recalcitrant member of the EU
Why can’t our political representatives set out our position on Brexit …..what are our ‘red lines’ ?
The train is coming
This country has a veto and needs to use it if our national interests are significantly affected
We could be affected more than almost anyone else from a ‘National Question’ and trade and indeed travel perspective
Brexit is probably the biggest single matter to affect us since joining the EU itself yet our politicians and indeed our journalists are looking at it as if the country is a somewhat interested bystander….sitting on our hands and hoping it will work out ok.
We have serious skin in this game and need to wise up and get in there setting out exactly what we want
The conversation needs to start and the media and political classes need to engage the public – otherwise we will be backed in to an unsuitable corner by parties whose interests are not ours.
Depends what you think the “national interest” is. You might think it would be the UK staying in the single market and openly trading, but i’m not so sure. In that scenario, multinationals might choose the UK instead of Ireland because they can trade freely across Europe but be outside the jurisdiction of the EU commission (eg Apple might move there).
No, what i think is in Irelands interests is if it becomes clear that Ireland is the only English speaking country with full access to the EU market. It might be tough for our farmers initially if its tougher to export to the UK, but overall we would be better off with time.
It would make no sense for Ireland (or any other member state) to try to force the UK to stay in the EU. It’s a voluntary union.
I bet people hearing Kenny make this statement leads them to believe he actually has a strategy and plan in place for dealing with this potentially existential crisis for Ireland. Oh no, I’m afraid not. That’s not how we do things in Ireland.
What exactly would we use a veto for?
Enda can predict what the UK government does, but doesn’t have a clue closer to home.
Can he predict the winner of the 3.45 at Goodwood today
@Chris Kirk: If you need the winner at the 3.45………ring Bertie.
No 4 Sky hunter. You heard it here folks
@Stephen Kilbane:
Flying Shite – Won`t be licked
Hate to say I told you so
He also said, “We in fg are totally united on the issue of water charges”. In other news, Irish water has been found guilty of failing to improve water quality in Galway
Like everything enda says, I’ll be taking this with a large pinch of salt.
Or March, or April… of some year…
@Fiona Fitzgerald: Maybe May
Enda Kenny predicts.. Lol.. Ok
A few months ago Enda was campaigning around Britain proclaiming a Doomsday Scenario ‘The end is nigh’ if Britain exited the EU.
Honestly, only a fool or a Fine Tory die hard would take anything this man says seriously anymore.
@Sam Palmer: They haven’t left the EU yet. Perhaps the end will be nigh. For Britain.
This may actually be one that Kenny calls correctly. May wants to try hold off for a while, but she has the problem of her back bench pushing hard for 50 to be activated ASAP. Even some of her Ministers want it.
A stopped clock is right twice a day…
They are afraid of their lives to invoke and shocked that rest of Europe are saying invoke it before any negotiations. Their hand weaker than their Empire mentality realised.
lol…Brexit Britain running around with a gun pointed at their own foot, shouting “we’re going to shoot, don’t think we won’t! We’ll probably do it in January, might take us a few years to bleed out”.
Rest of Europe looks on in bemusement. The Brits really are embarrassing themselves.
Loading him with antibiotics is an unhelpful reference when we as a nation overuse abuse antibiotics
Before or after the Endaexet
have your say