AA Ireland has severely criticised the current cost of petrol and diesel saying that taxes had brought the price of both fuels to an “all-time record”.
The AA said that a litre of petrol now costs 157.0 cent, up 2.1 cent since last month, and that the price of diesel is up by 1.3 cent per litre to an average price of 154.4.
The group calculated that a car travelling 12,000 miles per year at a fuel economy rate of 30 miles per gallon would use 150 litres of fuel per month. By those figures, petrol users face a monthly bill of €235.50, while diesel users must spend €231.60. That marks a rise in the monthly cost of running a vehicle monthly by €18.75 on February of last year for petrol users and up by €23.85 for diesel users (the average costs were 144.5 cent and 138.5 cent 12 months ago).
Director of Policy Conor Faughnan said that the cost of fuel was a ‘rip off’ because of the Government’s decision to “super-tax” fuels:
There is no doubt about the fact that we are being ripped off but the culprits are not the local garages. It is our own government and the policy of super-taxes on fuels.
This began under the last government in 2008 and has continued under the current government, which added another four cent per litre in the last Budget.
To help ease the pressure on motorists’ wallets, the AA has launched a new fuel card available to members which offers a 2 cent discount on the price of a litre of petrol and diesel at over 350 Topaz stations nationwide.
To help save fuel and money, the AA said customers should:
- Buy fuel in units of litres, not euros
- Shop around
- Drive smoothly and slowly; a harsh driving style burns more fuel
- Cut down on the use of heaters if possible – air conditioners can add up to 10 per cent to fuel usage
- Service the car if it needs it
- Check that the tyres are properly inflated – soft tyres add significantly to fuel consumption
Celebrity chef Neven Maguire talks about his wife’s heart failure
Chef’s partner ill after twins birth
Neven Maguire with his wife Amelda, who is recovering well after a heart scare.
Celebrity chef Neven Maguire yesterday spoke for the first time of his wife Amelda’s heart failure after she gave birth to their twins.
Amelda was suddenly struck ill a week ago some days after giving birth to the couple’s first children, Connor and Lucia, on February 8 in Sligo General Hospital.
Neven said: “Amelda went downhill very suddenly last Sunday evening. The hospital told me what it was but I can’t pronounce it, but they said it was heart failure.
“It is a hormonal thing. She really couldn’t breathe, she was very sick. One midwife told me it was 15 years since she last dealt with that kind of complaint.
“Thank God she was in the Sligo hospital. They reacted so quickly and Amelda is recovering quite well. She was very lucky. I will know on Monday when she is getting out.”
Doctor’s told Neven that Amelda’s difficulty was that she developed cardiomyopathy a condition where the heart has become enlarged and its muscle does not pump as well as normal.
“Now, Amelda and the twins are doing really well. Wow! Life does not get any better. I hope to have them all home next week.”
Amelda was expected to leave hospital with the twins several days ago until she became ill.
Neven returned to his restaurant in Blacklion, Co Cavan to help with last week’s Sunday lunch but when he returned to the hospital that afternoon Amelda became ill.
He said: “We were all in a shock, it was so sudden. I was so upset.” It was the second worry linked to the twins’ birth.
The babies were separated, and Lucia was in a special care unit, for a number of days after their birth. But they have been together for most of last week and on Friday night Neven was able to take the first picture of all four with his camera phone.
The 38-year-old, a twin himself, said: “Lucia at just under six pounds, was a pound lighter than Connor when they were born. They were about four weeks premature and Lucia didn’t really take to the bottle. “That’s why she was put into special care, to build herself up and get used to the bottle.”
Although Amelda is still on special medication and being monitored by hospital staff, Neven, who was able to return to work yesterday, hopes she will be allowed home with the twins early this week.
“I knew Amelda was ‘the one,’ and she’s the most thoughtful and considerate person you could ever meet.”
Neven is from Blacklion in Co Cavan, where his celebrated restaurant, MacNean House, is located. Amelda is from Fermanagh, “just 15 minutes away.”
In a recent interview with Andrea Smith in the Sunday Independent, the couple revealed that six months after they first met, Amelda had a bad car accident in which she suffered a broken knee and pelvis. She was confined to a wheelchair for three months, so moved back home to Fermanagh to recuperate. Neven visited daily, which Amelda said brought them even closer together. After recovering, she got a job in Enniskillen Credit Union, where she remained for eight years.
The couple celebrated their wedding on December 23, 2006, at the Nuremore Hotel in Monaghan.
Amelda recovered well from the accident, however, due to the broken pelvis, she had to give birth to the twins by Caesarean section.
But some days after the birth of the twins Amelda became seriously unwell.
GALWAY LAUNCHES THE FIRST NATIONAL CHILDCARE EMERGENCY PLAN
Galway has taken the lead in creating Ireland’s first Critical Incident Plan for emergencies in childcare services.
The initiative is funded by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and provides an emergency planning and response system designed for childcare providers.
The toolkit addresses situations including extreme weather conditions, chemical spills or medical emergencies and is to be rolled out nationwide.
The plan led by Galway City and County Childcare Committee was officially launced by Mary McLoughlin, Principal Officer at the Department of Children and Youth Affairs at the Clayton Hotel this morning.
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