Minister Alan Shatter denies he was cautioned by the Gardaí at a checkpoint in 2011
MINISTER ADMITS HE WAS ASKED TO SUPPLY BREATH TEST ON A PREVIOUS OCCASION BUT FAILED TO COMPLETE TASK BECAUSE OF ASTHMA
Minister for Justice Alan Shatter has denied he was cautioned by Gardaí at a checkpoint just prior to becoming Minister in 2011 but has admitted he was stopped by officers and asked to supply a breath test on a previous occasion.
Minister Shatter was responding to issues raised in the Dáil by Independent TD Mattie McGrath.
During Leaders’ Questions, Mr McGrath asked Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore if he or Taoiseach Enda Kenny were aware that Mr Shatter was stopped at a checkpoint in Dublin in late February or March 2011.
In a statement this evening, Mr Shatter denied any such event occurred at the time stated by Deputy McGrath.
However, he said he recalled an occasion in 2009, or possibly late 2008, when he was stopped at a Garda night-time mandatory checkpoint in Pembroke Street in Dublin.
“There was a queue of motorists and when I was reached, like those before me, my road tax and insurance discs were checked and I was asked to exhale into a breathalyser,” Mr Shatter said.
“I did so but failed to fully complete the task due to my being asthmatic.”
“I explained this to the Garda. I also explained that I was on my way home from Dáil Éireann and that I had consumed no alcohol of any nature that day. The Garda consulted with another Garda and I was waved on.”
Mr Shatter insisted there was no question of his having consumed any alcohol, nor of him having committed any offence under the Road Traffic Acts.
“I heard no further of the matter until I learnt it was raised by Deputy McGrath in questions today to the Tánaiste,” he added.
Earlier Mr Gilmore responded to Mr McGrath’s question by saying he knew nothing about an alleged incident involving Mr Shatter in late February or March 2011.
This was in the period between the general election and Mr Shatter’s appointment as Minister for Justice.
Mr McGrath had asked whether Mr Gilmore, or the Taoiseach, was aware Mr Shatter was cautioned by a Garda at the checkpoint under the Road Traffic Act 2010, or whether the Gardaí involved had used their discretion.
Mr McGrath asked whether Mr Shatter, who was not present in the Dáil, had been asked to produce a breath specimen under the Act’s mandatory provision, and “whether his behaviour and reaction to this request was appropriate and indeed cordial, or whether he attempted to use the privilege of travelling to and from the Dáil as a means of avoiding giving the breath test’’.
He asked whether Mr Shatter had ultimately given a breath specimen.
Mr Gilmore said he had no idea whether the Minister for Justice was stopped by gardaí before or after the election. “How would I know that ?’’ he asked.
Mr McGrath said he was raising the matter in the context of the penalty points controversy. There must be one law applying to all citizens, he added.
He said that while he did not expect the Tánaiste to know about the incident, he would expect Mr Gilmore and the Taoiseach to inform themselves about it.
Mr Shatter has been under intense pressure over his handling of the controversy surrounding the quashing of fixed charged penalties for road traffic offences. He revealed that Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan had briefed him about Mr Wallace being stopped by a Garda at the Five Lamps in north Dublin while using a phone and driving. Mr Shatter said it had been introduced as an aside and was necessary in case Mr Wallace had revealed it himself. Mr Callinan has not commented on the briefing.
We Irish & the World need to keep up the good fight on taxes
The world remains in economic turmoil with no sign of light at the end of the tunnel.
Millions around the world are unemployed and the policies of austerity continue to make matters worse. It should come as no surprise that countries should be trying to find ways of generating more income to make ends meet.
Corporation tax has been a bug bear for a long time for many countries. Looking at ways to garner more funds from that source stands to reason. However, it presents huge challenges.
Our economy has grown on the backs of the hundreds of multinationals we have managed to attract to these shores. These multinationals have not only created employment for thousands but have helped to grow our economy, paying millions in taxes every year.
The vast bulk of these companies have come from the US.
They have established European operations in Ireland not because they like us, but because they can make more money here than elsewhere. They do that through our low corporation taxes.
Our politicians, and those of very many other countries, understand that. Maybe we understand it a little bit better than most and hence our success with FDI attraction. However, most countries, if they wish to attract FDI must and do have policies that are attractive to such companies. Tax reduction is the bottom line.
In essence, attracting such companies to Ireland means jobs for Ireland but reduced tax take somewhere else. Of course, it’s not all one way. While very many US companies have come to Ireland, Irish companies such as CRH and the Kerry Group have established sizeable operations in the US.
While the numbers coming our way are much higher, the US economy is hundreds of times our economy.
Mainland European countries have a considerable advantage on us. The larger countries have a critical mass of people with direct access to hundreds of millions of others. In other words, the market is on their doorstep.
We on the other hand are a small peripheral country with some of the most costly regional access shipping routes in the world. We do not have a critical mass of people that would act as a magnet. Low taxation is a main differentiating factor, coupled with what is still a flexible regulatory environment.
When everyone is busy and taxation comes easy there is minimal focus on what is perceived by some as unfair taxation policies. This is not evasion as had been suggested by politicians in the US and the UK. Tax evasion is illegal. It is tax avoidance, which is legal.
The British are once again jumping up and down about Ireland’s tax regime. The French and Germans have been doing it for some time. The Americans have now started firing salvoes in all directions.
What should not be forgotten about Irish taxation policies is that the laws that allowed for the creation of such policies were passed by politicians. We should not forget either that these policies have been approved by Europe. It’s not as if we tried to slide something by without them seeing it.
Companies should indeed pay their “fair share” of tax but as we well know “one man’s meat is another man’s poison”. So what is fair? For instance does TD Richard Boyd Barrett think it’s fair that we should forego the 4,000 jobs created by Apple in Ireland and the millions Apple pays in tax and that its employees pay, as well as the thousands of other jobs created in the wider economy?
That we should be under fire from both Europe and the US is unfortunate. It would appear that we are on a war footing in an effort to protect our main means of attracting vital jobs from attack from both outside and from within.
It is a good fight and we need to keep on top of it.
The time for inactivity on mortgage arrears has long passed – Says Patrick Honohan
Central Bank governor hopeful many soured mortages may ‘come back on track’
The time for “passivity” on mortgage arrears in Ireland has long since passed, Central Bank Governor Patrick Honohan said today.
Speaking at a conference hosted by UCD and NUI Maynooth in Dublin, Mr Honohan said the persistent rise in cases of prolonged mortgage arrears “undoubtedly presents one of the biggest economic policy challenges of our day”.
“Wait-and-see may have been an appropriate or sufficient initial position to take as the great crisis unfolded, but the time for passivity is long past,” he said. “The longer term welfare of borrowers is at stake here, but so is the welfare of taxpayers and users of public services, given that bank losses affect the Government because of its ownership of banks.”
Mr Honohan said significant numbers of soured mortgages may be able to come “back on track.”
“The triage process needs to start with the question: is this a distressed case, or one in which the borrower does have the capacity to come back on track?’’ Mr Honohan said in a speech in Dublin today.
‘’It is evident that a significant proportion of current arrears cases fall into the latter category.’’
Mr Honohan said splitting mortgages between borrowers and lenders may provide sustainable solutions for ‘’significant numbers.’’
He said the concept removes the threat of imminent bankruptcy and retains the potential for economic recovery to reduce banks’ prospective loan losses.
Where a mortgage is split, banks should consider limiting their recourse on a loan to a fixed share of the property value.
“Such an arrangement serves to enhance the borrower’s stake in continuing to service the new contractual arrangement and could work out better in the long run for both borrower and lender,’’ he said.
Mr Honohan said lenders needed to address the problem of non-performing mortgage debt “more energetically than has been the case in the past”.
Following the introduction of personal insolvency legislation, Mr Honohan said it would be “unwise” for anyone to think that not paying their debts is a matter of choice and he warned that non-cooperative mortgage borrowers “really are at risk of losing their homes”.
He said permanent debt relief was not something that can be offered to all and has to be limited to those who are truly over-indebted to the point of insolvency.
“In particular, despite the fact that households in negative equity do seem to be over-represented among the arrears cases, negative equity is not in itself a viable rationale for providing debt relief,” he said.
International Monetary Fund director Ajai Chopra told the event that Irish banks may receive further capital through the European Stability Mechanism.
Aggression & antisocial behavior linked to Children and passive smoking
CHILDREN WHO ARE EXPOSED TO PASSIVE SMOKING MAY BE MORE LIKELY TO BECOME ANTISOCIAL AND PHYSICALLY AGGRESSIVE LATER IN LIFE, A NEW STUDY INDICATES.
According to Canadian researchers, 40% of the world’s children are exposed to secondhand smoke and exposure during early childhood ‘is particularly dangerous as the child’s brain is still developing’.
They analysed data relating to over 2,000 children who were monitored from birth until they were 10 years old. Parents provided information about exposure to passive smoking, while teachers and the children themselves provided information about behaviour in the classroom.
“Previous studies looking at groups of children have generally asked mothers whether they smoked or not, and how much at each follow-up, rather than asking whether someone smoked in the home where young children live and play,” explained Dr Linda Pagani of the University of Montreal.
She also noted that ‘few studies have looked at antisocial behaviour in the parents and even fewer have investigated the subsequent influence of prolonged exposure to secondhand smoke over the long- term’.
The study found that children who had been exposed to passive smoking were more likely to become antisocial or physically aggressive adults. Furthermore, these results stood irrespective of whether they were exposed to smoke while in the womb or whether their parents had a history of being antisocial.
According to the scientists, passive smoking represents the ‘most preventable cause of disease and disability’.
“This study suggests that the postnatal period is important for the prevention of impaired neurobehavioral development and makes the case for the promotion of an unpolluted domestic environment for children,” they added.
Mother cat suckles ducklings & overcomes predatory instincts to nurse the wee ducks
see you tube video below http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=-_wQ7iL19z8
Farm owners spotted feline bringing chicks in her mouth, to care for alongside kittens
This image of a cat suckling ducklings has ruffled the feathers of many an animal expert who simply can’t explain it.
The ‘white cat’ as she is known, normally a sworn enemy in the animal kingdom, has instead opted to care for the young chicks alongside her own kittens.
On the Mooney Goes Wild programme on RTE radio today, Ronan and Emma Lally, residents of a small farm in Clara, Co Offaly, said they made the discovery after suspecting the feline of more sinister intentions.
Several experts confronted with the peculiar pussy cat were unable to offer any explanation.
“We got some duck eggs from a local lady and put them under a broody hen,” Emma told the show.
“Three of the ducklings survived. But then they disappeared and Ronan blamed the cat.”
Later she was spotted with one of the small creatures in her mouth, transporting it to the safety of her litter.
Time to Celebrate & raise awareness about Shelled Reptiles in our world
MAY 23 IS WORLD TURTLE DAY, AN ANNUAL EVENT CREATED TO CELEBRATE AND INCREASE AWARENESS OF TURTLE SPECIES AROUND THE WORLD.
“Turtles are not as popular as cats and dogs, so interest, awareness and understanding is pretty slim,” says Susan Tellem, cofounder of American Tortoise Rescue. World Turtle Day was started 13 years ago by the ATR, who have rescued and rehomed over 3,000 turtles since Tellem and her husband founded the organization in 1990.
“This day is a good way to educate people about how to care for turtles, and to learn what danger they’re in and how to be more aware of what they need,” Tellem says.
Endangered and Threatened: According to ATR, turtles and tortoises are threatened by the exotic food trade, habitat destruction, global warming and the pet trade.
Tellem believes the illegal pet trade is significantly harming turtles of all kinds, as demand for turtles in pet stores remains high and continues to exceed demand for turtle adoption. In the illegal pet trade, turtles and tortoises are removed from their natural habitat and transported long distances to be sold, often in unsafe conditions.
“When turtles are transported they get stressed,” says Tellem, which means that often a large percentage of turtles die while being transported from Russia and other countries.
As for marine turtles, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s national sea turtle coordinator Barbara Schroeder says all species are listed under the Endangered Species Act as threatened or endangered. There are seven sea turtle species worldwide, and six of those are located in U.S. waters.
“While there are some common themes of threats that are significant between terrestrial and sea turtles, in the marine environment, bycatch in fisheries is the major threat around the world,” Schroeder says.
Bycatch, the accidental capture of untargeted species by fishermen, occurs when sea turtles get caught in gear such as gillnets, trawls and longlines. Vessel strikes and habitat destruction around nesting beaches are also contributing to the loss of sea turtles.
Conservation and Success Stories: A wide range of programs across the country are dedicated to turtle conservation, prioritizing research and making sure federal activities don’t jeopardize species.
NOAA is involved in a number of sea turtle–specific conservation efforts such as reduction of bycatch, continued research of marine environments, and the development of recovery plans. Schroeder says the ultimate goal of all these efforts is to remove these species from the endangered species list.
While there is still a long way to go before that happens, conservation efforts have led to some success stories.
“Certainly there are species and regional populations doing much better than they were back in the 1960s and ’70s, when their listings first occurred under the act,” Schroeder says.
One example of this is the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle found on the Gulf Coast. The species was on the edge of extinction in the 1960s, according to Schroeder. It was only through a concentrated effort, which included the species being listed under the Endangered Species Act and decades of binational efforts with Mexico, that the population began to improve.
“They’re not recovered and not off the list, but they are moving in the right direction and their numbers are increasing steadily,” Schroeder says.
“The biggest thing people can do to make a difference is not buy turtles from pet stores,” Tellem says. “There are so many available for adoption, there’s no need to buy one and contribute to the demand that feeds the cruel pet trade.” Petfinder offers turtles for adoption, and there are a wide variety of local turtle rescues in all parts of the country.
The ATR also recommends writing letters to legislators asking them to preserve habitats and reporting illegal sales of turtles to your local animal control shelter.
If you come across a turtle in your backyard, Tellem suggests releasing it into the wild if they are native to your area. If they’re not native, soak them in tepid water and place them in a box with a lid. Don’t panic if you find a water turtle and don’t have a pond or other facility to place it in. These turtles can be left out of water for about three to four days. Keep the box away from kids and dogs so the turtle isn’t disturbed and put it in a quiet place. Contact an organization like ATR who can help you find a new home for it and properly care for it in the meantime.
As for sea turtles, you can help them with acts as simple as not leaving trash on the beach and keeping an eye out for them if you boat in areas where they live. If you are near nesting beaches, follow lighting restrictions so you don’t disorient hatchlings, and refrain from spending time on the beach in areas where you can disturb them.
“What everybody can do is be aware of environmental legislation and requirements that may be proposed by federal or state governments to protect species,” Schroeder said. “Connect with environmental organizations working to preserve turtles. They always know what’s coming up and going on.”
