Ireland’s drunk drivers may face a new range of sanctions
Motorists found to be over the alcohol limit or driving dangerously may be subject to a new range of sanctions, including retraining or the requirement to fit an alcolock or speed monitoring system to their vehicle.
Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar said the Government was considering legislation to widen the options available to judges and to address the issue of drivers who repeatedly commit serious offences.
He told the Road Safety Authority’s conference on Recidivist Behaviour and Driver Rehabilitation in Dublin Castle yesterday that international evidence showed extra sanctions, in addition to fines, disqualification or imprisonment, were required.
The proposals would see judges given the power to order drivers to resit their tests, attend additional training, fit an alcolock – which will prevent a vehicle starting if alcohol is detected on the driver’s breath – install a speed limiter or impose a curfew.
Such measures would seek to balance the requirement for sanctions to punish and deter and the need to retrain to reduce recidivism, he said. The Minister said retraining options, which would result in a reduction in the period of disqualification or the penalty points allocated for an offence, must take account of what is acceptable to public opinion. Offenders will be required to pay for retraining.
The measures, which will require primary legislation, have been discussed by the Cabinet subcommittee on road safety.
Mr Varadkar said research suggested speed-awareness courses could be considered for low-end speed offenders as an alternative to prosecution.
Noel Brett, chief executive of the RSA, said the authority was planning to introduce three different types of training courses, for drink, drug and dangerous driving. He said the RSA would license service providers to deliver the training.
The department is considering legislative changes to target drug driving. The Medical Bureau of Road Safety is examining the effectiveness of new drug testing equipment as part of a bid to improve the detection of motorists driving under the influence of drugs.
It is also considering a legal change that would see each drug given a level, above which a driver would be convicted if that drug was found in their system. Currently, prosecuting authorities must prove both the existence of a drug and that the drug caused impairment.
The penalty-points system was designed to tackle recidivist drivers with the twin sanctions of potentially losing their licence and higher insurance premiums.
Retired judge Michael Pattwell said penalty points were not a punishment “until you get to the magic number of 12”. To date 1,473 drivers have been disqualified for reaching this number.
Stripper nuns danced for Berlusconi at his villa:
Milan trial hears Monday
Strippers in nun costumes danced in front of Silvio Berlusconi at his villa, a witness on Monday told a Milan court where the former Italian prime minister is on trial for allegedly having sex with an underage prostitute.
Model Imane Fadil said the first time she went to a party she was given 2000 euro in cash by Berlusconi, who told her: “Don’t be offended.”
That night she said she saw two young women in nun costumes with “black tunics, white veils and crosses” stripping in front of the then prime minister.
One of the two was Nicole Minetti, now a regional councillor for Berlusconi’s People of Freedom party in Milan, Moroccan-born Fadil said.
She said Minetti and the other woman ended up staying the night at the villa near Milan and alleged that women who stayed were paid more for sex.
Fadil said she had heard of Berlusconi having sex for money with at least two of the women invited to his parties, Italian media reported.
Fadil also said she had come under pressure from a mysterious man to go back to the villa last year when the Berlusconi trial had already started.
“A man stopped near my house and gave me an untraceable phone to organise a visit to Arcore. But I didn’t want to,” she told the courtroom.
Berlusconi is charged with having sex with an underage prostitute, Karima El-Mahroug, and then allegedly abusing his powers by getting police to release her when she was arrested for theft so that his crime would not be revealed.
El-Mahroug, a dancer who was 17 when she allegedly had sex with the then prime minister, is better known by her stage name of “Ruby the Heart Stealer”
‘Ruby the Heart Stealer’
Berlusconi rejects all charges and El-Mahroug denies having sex with him.
The Corriere della Sera daily last week reported that Berlusconi last year paid a total of 127,000 euro to three witnesses – Minetti and two other girls – when the trial against him had already started.
Berlusconi’s lawyer Niccolo Ghedini rejected accusations of an attempt to influence their testimony, saying that the payments were absolutely legal and were an example of the former prime minister’s “usual generosity”.
Speaking to the Il Giornale daily owned by his family, Berlusconi himself said: “Minetti asked me for help at a time of difficulty, and I happily gave it to her. When someone in difficulty asks for help, you don’t ask what for.”
Italian media said Minetti used the money to pay legal fees in a separate trial against her for allegedly procuring prostitutes for Berlusconi.
The other two recipients were twins Eleonora and Imma De Vivo who are alleged by prosecutors to have performed strip shows for the then premier.
“Where could these people have found a job after having been so heavily dragged into a scandal built around me in which they were unwitting victims?”
“When I am confronted with dramatic and touching cases, I don’t hesitate to intervene whether it be for individuals or for charities,” he said.
The billionaire tycoon was ousted in November 2011 following a parliamentary revolt against his increasingly scandal-tainted rule and a wave of panic on the financial markets that pushed Italy to the brink of default.
He is a defendant in two other trials — for tax fraud and for violating official secrets. An Italian court earlier this year threw out bribery charges against him under the statute of limitations following a five-year trial.
Despite his being convicted several times of corruption and false accounting in the past, all cases against Berlusconi have either been overturned or expired after years of moving laboriously through Italy’s justice system.
Up to 47% of Irish adults have less than €100 a month left after bills are paid
UP TO 47 per cent of Irish adults have less than €100 to spend by the end of the month once bills are paid.And nearly two-thirds have less to spend than they did this time last year, the latest income tracking survey by the Irish League of Credit Unions (ILCU) has claimed.
Some 28 per cent of homeowners said they could not afford to pay the household charge, while 45 per cent said they were struggling to cover the cost of keeping their cars on the road as a result of increases in motor tax and a dramatic rise in the price of fuel in the Republic.
According to the ILCU, 84 per cent of those surveyed who have less than 5 per cent of their disposable income to spend once essential bills are paid are worried about how they will cope if unforeseen expenses crop up, a slight increase on the December figure.
Those surveyed are particularly concerned about their ability to continue coping financially if further changes are made to social welfare or income tax.
The survey also found that 57 per cent of people struggling to pay their bills said they were living to work as opposed to working to live.
It is the first “What’s Left” tracker index published by the ILCU in 2012, and follows on from four similar surveys published last year. It records household expenditure, how much disposable income people have, where they are spending it and the financial hardships they are facing. It was conducted by market research company iReach in March and featured responses from 1,000 adults.
The survey found 45 per cent of motorists were “really struggling” with the increased cost of motoring, while 7 per cent were considering giving up or selling their car altogether. Two-thirds of motorists said they had put off servicing their car because they could not afford it. While 64 per cent said they would be open to using public transport instead, 47 per cent said public transport options in their area were poor.
Mortgage and rent are the most expensive bills for most Irish adults with 74 per cent ranking the expense as number one. Groceries were the second most expensive bill ahead of utilities.
The ILCU said 47 per cent of consumers are now struggling to pay all their bills on time, down from the 55 per cent recorded in December 2011. Consumers are most likely to defer payment of bills such as TV licence, bin charges and TV/telecoms.
It also found 42 per cent of households said they had no intention of paying the household charge, with almost one in three people homeowners saying they could not afford it. Some 8 per cent said they would wait until they were threatened with legal action before paying.
€1 million fund to boost start-ups businesses in the mid West of Ireland
Minister for Finance Michael Noonan announced a new fund aimed at start-up firms.
Start up businesses were given a major boost today at the launch of a new €1 million seed fund, set up for industries across the mid-west.
The Enterprise Ladder Fund (ELF), funded by JP McManus and other private investors, has been set up through Limerick Institute of Technology.
The fund, which was announced by the Minister for Finance Michael Noonan, will allow qualifying companies to receive funding of between €10,000 and €25,000.
Investors hope to make a big return on their investment while benefitting from tax incentives.
“I want to congratulate LIT on developing this fund…Start-up companies are key to our ongoing economic recovery and the ELF will provide critical support for qualifying companies at LIT and wider region as they seek to get their businesses up and running,” Mr Noonan said.
The ELF will provide early stage financial equity for start-up companies already based at LIT’s Enterprise Acceleration Centre, and to start-up firms in the greater Limerick region.
The fund was instigated by LIT’s Thought Leadership & Advisory Group earlier this year as part of its ongoing endeavours to stimulate job creation.
The college has already secured €350,000 of the targeted €1 million through philanthropic contributions from donors around the region.
It’s hoped the remaining two-thirds of the fund will be secured by the end of the year through similar, tax-incentivised means.
“Accessing early stage funding is a significant challenge for start-up companies and the ELF will bridge that gap for many start-ups at our centres in this region,” added Dr Maria Hinfelaar, LIT president.
Donors who have already contributed to the ELF are the JP McManus Foundation; Analog Devices; Grant Thornton; Holmes O’Malley Sexton; BDO; Limerick Chamber of Commerce; and Ryan Group Holdings.
Meanwhile, Irish Technology Capital (ITC) – a silicon valley based venture capital fund created by Irish Diaspora technology leaders and investors – confirmed it is to locate its European headquarters in Limerick City.
ITC was established by technology entrepreneurs John Hartnett and John Ryan.
The company will aim to provide a major stimulus and opportunity for emerging technology companies.
ITC’s EU base will be based out of LIT’s Enterprise Centre and will bring a range of services and supports for high-potential companies, including access to a multi-million euro fund and to a wider network of US based Angel Funds and later stage investment.
SMEs in Ireland will face tougher credit conditions times
Irish small and medium firms will face increased challenges accessing credit because foreign lenders have been pulling out of the market.
Central Bank research shows that foreign lenders have been pulling out of market
This is according to new research from the Central Bank.
The report indicates the withdrawal of foreign banks has increased the market share of domestic players.
The research says the change in the market share of lenders “is likely to exacerbate, as opposed to ease, SME credit constraints .”
“Foreign banks’ share of the private sector credit stock peaked just as the crisis began and has been falling since, indicating that in times of crisis foreign market participants react by more aggressively reducing exposure than domestic banks,” the report said.
It added that by international standards the market for providing credit to firms is already highly concentrated and is likely to become “even more concentrated.”
Policy measures such as the Government’s loan guarantee scheme, microfinance fund and credit register should help to mitigate these adverse effects somewhat. But the Central Bank warns that challenges will remain in the medium term.
Inter-Trade-Ireland announce latest phase of development programme
Inter-Trade-Ireland has today launched the 2012 phase of its exciting sales development programme, Elevate.
The programme aims to help small businesses across Ireland develop sales opportunities through first time cross-border exports.
The Elevate programme has been designed specifically for micro businesses with a turnover of less than €1.2 million and less than 10 members of staff, so is tailored very precisely to their unique needs.
It provides the firms access to industry specific experts who will work with each company on a one-to-one basis to develop a sales plan tailored to their sector
Liam Nellis, CEO, InterTradeIreland, explained: “InterTradeIreland’s most recent business monitor survey revealed that 78% of Irish business do not currently export.
“However, it also indicates that those who do look to other markets, outperform those who depend solely on a local market. It is vital that we provide small businesses in Ireland with the practical supports to help them to survive and grow.
“Elevate is designed to encourage these small firms to target new markets for the first time and stimulate export –led recovery.”
Are women generally on higher and stronger moral ground than men?
Women have a stronger moral compass than men, according to a survey of 60,000 people from 200 countries.
The end result, Steare says, is that women have a vested interest in making decisions based more on the collective whole than men do. On the flip side, men are much more likely to make choices out of self-interest, as they take a more individualist approach.
“Women prefer to make their decisions based on how it impacts others, which tends to produce better decisions, while men have a more individual approach and are more self-interested,” professor and self-professed
Participants answered questions in an online ”Moral DNA test,” and rated statements about themselves such as, “I always honour people’s trust in me.” They were also quizzed about whether others in their lives consider them honest.
The researchers then slotted respondents into personality types: philosopher, judge, angel, teacher, enforcer or guardian.
It turned out men did not behave charitably in the office: “What this shows is that when it comes to work, men have to grow up, put their ego to one side and show some humility and compassion, qualities they all too often have in their personal lives but put to one side when they walk into the office,” Prof. Steare said.
Predictably, the survey has elicited anger, with women and men blasting each other but many also slamming their own sex.
“Being more moral than the average under-30 man is like winning a race with a snail and a tortoise,” a guy named Ari wrote on Jezebel’s comment board.
“Women deploy different forms of deception,” Leigh Vernier observed at the Telegraph. “Women are more consensus-minded than men. Less aggressive, although the gap is closing.”
“Let none of us forget that in the very ‘beginning’ it was the woman who was deceived and not the man,” a solemn “Mrs. Sonbeam” added at the Telegraph.
The study found that men and women reach the peak of their “intellectual and moral powers” in their early 60s, when obedience decreases and reason spikes, “a logical occurrence as we make the transition from youth to experience,” said Prof. Steare, adding that the crossover begins to happen some time in the mid-30s.
The limitation in all of this, of course, was that the answers all involved self-reporting – so maybe men are just more honest with themselves?
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