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Taoiseach Leo Varadkar at a recent press briefing. Sam Boal

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has registered again as a doctor to help out during Covid-19

Varadkar joined the Medical Council register again in March.

TAOISEACH LEO VARADKAR has rejoined the medical register as a doctor to offer his services to the HSE during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

He is due to work one session a week for the HSE in an area suited to his qualifications. 

“Dr Varadkar rejoined the Medical Register last month. He has offered his services to the HSE for one session a week in areas that are within his scope of practice,” a government spokesperson confirmed to TheJournal.ie. 

“Many of his family and friends are working in the health service. He wanted to help out even in a small way.”

Varadkar rejoined the Medical Council register last month, the Irish Times first reported this evening.

He is registered under Dr Leo Eric Varadkar and first joined the register in July 2004. 

Prior to his career in politics, the Taoiseach studied medicine and worked as a doctor for a number of years. 

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    Mute SteveW
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    Jun 19th 2014, 5:08 PM

    “People are slowing down at the go system cameras because they know where they are”. Erm isn’t that the point? Saving lives?! Think the lament is on lost revenue or am I being too cynical?!

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    Mute Nathan J. Sandison
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    Jun 19th 2014, 5:15 PM

    That’s how it reads.

    Personally I think it it wasn’t about revenue they would have made local speed limit sensitive (dynamic) speed limiters a mandatory condition of sale of vehicles long ago. The technology is there.

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    Mute Dave Byrne
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    Jun 19th 2014, 5:18 PM

    There is normally a Gardai speed van just down from the main roundabout at Dublin airport, In all my years working at the airport I’ve never seen or heard of an accident on that particular stretch of road.
    It is nothing more than revenue generating ,As for the go safe company didn’t a well known business man get the contract who was a friend of Bertie.

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    Mute Tony Canning
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    Jun 19th 2014, 8:53 PM

    I’d love to see the stats on what speeds people were caught at.

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    Mute Fluich It
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    Jun 19th 2014, 9:24 PM

    “There is normally a Gardai speed van just down from the main roundabout at Dublin airport, In all my years working at the airport I’ve never seen or heard of an accident on that particular stretch of road.”

    Probably because there is “There is normally a Gardai speed van just down from the main roundabout at Dublin airport” and everyone obeys the speed limit so “In all (your) years working at the airport (you’ve) never seen or heard of an accident on that particular stretch of road.”

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    Mute Dave Byrne
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    Jun 19th 2014, 9:33 PM

    I take it you are not familiar with the stretch of road that I mentioned, It starts at the major roundabout at the airport and finishes about 1 km when you come to another roundabout for the M1.
    Three lanes all going in the same direction revenue generating if you ask me.

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    Mute Fluich It
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    Jun 20th 2014, 1:04 AM

    I know the road, but you are failing to link the lack of accidents with the presence of the speed van.

    No speed van, people will speed and there will be accidents.

    The reason you don’t see accidents is, as you say yourself, there is normally a speed van there.

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    Mute Simon Barnes
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    Jun 19th 2014, 5:38 PM

    speed cameras have had no effect on saving lives, cause all speed camera are on dual carridgeways and main roads, most deaths occur in the country on secondary roads.

    speed cameras just as you come out of airport. N11, N4, N3, . they list these as blackspots, and maybe they were many years ago before they improved the roads, but now they are just easy targeting areas. speed limits are too low for the type of road, you spend more time looking at yer speedo than the road

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    Mute Brian Sweeney
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    Jun 19th 2014, 5:24 PM

    If speed cameras weren’t about raising revenue then the system would be changed to average speed cameras. Instead of people speeding along the road then slowing down where they know there is usually a van the speeding back up, people would actually have to obey the speed limit on the entire stretch of road.

    Also the fact that fpc notices are not sent by registered post is a joke. You can simply say when summonsed that you never received the original charge notice and had no way of knowing you needed to pay and take the 2 points. Judges are copping onto this now and not taking it as a defence, but what if you actually didn’t receive the notice?!! I know people that have appealed to high court after district court didn’t take the above as a defence and it was overturned on appeal

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    Mute Ciaran Harford
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    Jun 19th 2014, 6:38 PM

    Surely the judges have to take denial of receipt as a defence. The burden of proof is on the state, no? “Prove I received it. You can’t? Ok – see you later.” Shouldn’t have to appeal it at all.

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    Mute Brian Sweeney
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    Jun 19th 2014, 7:50 PM

    You’d think that wouldn’t you?! But just in the same way a guard can pull you over if he thinks he saw you hold your phone, if it goes to court you pretty much have no defence. A judge will always take the gards word over the member of the publics.

    Sending penalty charges by registered post would solve the problem over night. But it’s a broken system from the ground up.

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    Mute cutsie
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    Jun 19th 2014, 5:31 PM

    Ignoring lots of this government theft (aka taxes and fines) works. Try it. I’ve stood up to many solicitors and guards ad they back off.

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    Mute mjhint
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    Jun 19th 2014, 6:30 PM

    Oh not a popular point of view I see. It is however true that if you go to court for some of these offences they are struck out because a lot of people are being fined because they accept & admit to it. Due process has been replaced in these cases until you stand up for yourself. If you go on youtube you will see how many ways its possible to overturn these offences unless you are doing stupid kmh.

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    Mute Dan
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    Jun 19th 2014, 8:33 PM

    So give people ways to endanger lives without fear of penalty, well done

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    Mute Piarais Mac An TSaoir
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    Jun 20th 2014, 1:31 AM

    Endangering lives, don’t talk such manure. Speeding does not kill, bad driving does. You could drive past a ‘gosafe’ van in a with no tax, no insurance, no driving licence, no nct, no brakes, bald tyres, off your tits on coke, speed and LSD, with a boot full of explosives and corpses and as long as you’re watching your speed, you’re safe???

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    Mute simon
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    Nov 17th 2014, 7:21 PM

    Half tempted to try that out

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    Mute Thors Big Hammer
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    Jun 19th 2014, 8:35 PM

    LIES AND LET ME TE YOU WHY….if speed checks and cameras were about safety they would be highly visible and also people should be given well advanced warnings of where they are like in other countries example on the raidio etc. At the end of the day it is should be about getting people to slow down rather than given points and a fine.

    The ultimate aim is to get gossfe to be allowed ti setup anywhere. This will ensure max revenue generation as it basically will be shooting fish in a barrwll hiding and been around corners where speef changes suddenly.

    This whole Gosafe as so many know are usually where there is max revenue generation but no crashes etc.

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    Mute Tony Stack
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    Jun 19th 2014, 10:44 PM

    Or you could just follow the speed limits.

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    Mute Donal O Neil
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    Nov 17th 2014, 3:59 PM

    Or the yellow. Rick road

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    Mute sol
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    Jun 19th 2014, 9:22 PM

    How come I don’t see the guards at obvious black spots. There’s a stretch of road near where I live that has a sign saying black spot on it that’s totally dangerous. I’ve never seen a guard there yet on a slip road coming off a motorway nearby which is a three laned mile long downhill bit where they always are. It’s like shooting fish in a barrel.it just doesn’t seem to make sense.

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    Mute The Throwaway
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    Jun 20th 2014, 12:17 AM

    Because we have enough Gardai to pull them away from all duties to stand at a Black Spot sign

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    Mute Patrick Mole
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    Jul 30th 2014, 11:28 AM

    another money grabing exercise from a pack of no hopers come trhe next election

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    Mute DaveyB
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    Aug 1st 2014, 10:09 AM

    I honestly dont think speed cameras are having much of an impact on road deaths.They are placed in areas where the roads are 3 and 4 lanes wide with ridiculously low speed limits.its entrapment at best.The M4 at liffey valley being a prime example.Its four lanes wide with a speed limit of 80km/h (think it used to be 60!!) as you come up off the M50 and I for one in all my years driving into work have never seen anything other than a brushing of bumpers on this stretch of road.Id be very surprised if theres ever been a death there since it was upgraded.Its absolutely crazy that such a stretch of road should be subject to the same speed limits you can find down most country lanes where alot of these fatalities happen.How often do you hear of road deaths in the capital at all?im sure they happen but Id love to see the figures of where these accidents actually happen.Its easy to say the cameras are having an impact on road deaths when they’re placed on the widest,best lit and generally safest sections of our roads.

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