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SINN FÉIN’S GERRY Kelly says he has spoken to police after being filmed using a bolt-cutter to remove a clamp from his car.
Kelly, an MLA and the party’s policing spokesman in the North, was filmed removing a clamp from the front wheel of his car and leaving it by a nearby wall on Friday.
Footage of the incident emerged on social media over the weekend, prompting the party to release a statement confirming what had happened, on Saturday evening:
“Yesterday, Friday 2 February, Gerry Kelly MLA returned to his car after an early morning gym session to find that his car had been made immobile by a clamp just after 7.20am.
He removed the clamp from the front wheel. He left the device nearby and drove off to pre-arranged meetings.
“His solicitor is dealing with the matter and he will be making no further comment at this time.”
In a tweet last night Kelly said he had made a voluntary arrangement to meet police and had met them for an interview.
“No one can be above the law,” his tweet said.
Mary Lou McDonald, who will take over from Gerry Adams as Sinn Féin leader this weekend, told reporters yesterday she would wait to hear the full facts before commenting.
She did say, however, that she had “no idea” why Kelly would have a bolt-cutter in his car.
Kelly, a former high-profile IRA operative and political prisoner, has been a Sinn Féin MLA for Belfast North since 1998.
The incident comes as parties in the North make another attempt this week to break the deadlock in Stormont. The five main parties will take part in round-table talks.
Gerry Adams said yesterday that he believed an agreement could be reached.
“I’ve every confidence in Michelle O’Neill in terms of her ability to make friends with the unionists and to go forward on the basis of equality,” Adams told the BBC’s Andrew Marr.
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One the plus side if you are paying rent and childcare at the moment and are waiting for the government to sort it out; you can actually survive for a pretty long time on baked beans and seaweed. So, every cloud…
@Hugh Morris: Oh yes. All that.
A very thorough article highlighting the huge issue of childcare in Ireland. My son is starting creche in July, I was very lucky to get him a place through sheer persistence. I was on 22 waiting lists & now it’s going to cost more than our mortgage. The government needs to do A LOT more to help parents
I think childcare costs vary massively outside of Dublin. I know some people paying €150 pw in the west and others paying €800pw in Dublin. The whole thing needs complete overhaul and needs to be regulated and subsidized so it’s affordable for parents and worthwhile for the Childminder.
@Edward Reid: I am aware of a childminder who is minding 4 children. One toddler from early morning and 1 child from 12.30 and two older children from 2 and 3pm respectively. Drop offs and pick ups are required. Children minded in their own home. 7/8 hour days. She is getting a daily rate of 50 euro per day. No breaks during the day, no paid annual leave, no paid sick leave. Parents decide on days required each week. If they don’t need the childminder she doesn’t get paid. Parents complain of lack of child care services but when families have very qualified child care services they under value it completely. Needs complete overhaul
@Sinead O Donnell: If she’s minding the kids in their own home then the parents are her employer and have all of the fun legal obligations that come with that.
If she’s paid €50 a day that seems lower than minimum wage for a start (I don’t know her hours)
It’s not really the system that is wrong there. It’s that she’s getting paid cash in hand (I’m assuming there) and this is absolving her of her rights and the parents of their obligations.
https://www.revenue.ie/en/life-events-and-personal-circumstances/children/registering-child-minders-as-employees.aspx
@Michael O’Neill: I agree with most of the content of your reply. Unfortunately as she minds kids in their home, she cannot register as self employed and as she is not a live in nanny, the childrens parents are exempt from revenue obligations. In this case the child minder falls within the cracks of a very inefficient system.
Genuine question, (I don’t have children), Why is Childcare so darn expensive in Ireland? Is it due to cost of insurance, lack of state investment, lack of pricing regulations, rental costs, or privatized bjg profit making creches?? I would love to know the breakdown of overheads for running a creche in a city for example.
@Ang: all of the reasons you gave with the exception of big profits. Most childcare facilities run by individuals spend far more time on filling out forms, register children , trying to get answers to queries and the such like out of hours than they do actually looking after children.
@Ang: it is so expensive mainly because insurance in Ireland is fully monopolised and is operating as a cartel. At the moment there is only 1 company that provides insurance to children in creches. Its something around 900 per child.
Also the government never heard of the word “childcare”.
have your say