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LAST UPDATE | 7 Jun 2024
SINN FÉIN HAS called on the government to ensure the Road Safety Authority (RSA) is properly funded, after the agency was reported to be seeking to hike NCT and driving test fees to cover its costs.
The RSA, which has an annual budget of over €90 million, appealed directly to Taoiseach Simon Harris to allow it to increase the fees for services it operates, RTÉ reported this morning.
The RSA wants extra direct funding from government if it can’t increase its charges, which it argues have not been increased for 12 years, it was reported.
It wants to increase fees by 10% – which would raise the cost of a driving test to €93.50.
An external independent review of the RSA, commissioned by the Department of Transport, is currently underway. This is understood to be examining its funding structure among other issues and should be presented to the Department in the coming weeks.
A spokesperson for the Department of Transport said that pending the recommendations of the review, there are no proposals related to fees under consideration or discussion between the RSA and the Department.
It should also be noted that RSA reserves were higher than anticipated towards the end of 2023, which allowed the Department to agree €3.6 [million] in additional advertising and awareness campaigns in October without the need for fee increases.”
The spokesperson added that the appropriate funding model, including the role of government funding from the Exchequer, is part of the ongoing review.
“Any decisions on fees will be taken on foot of its recommendations,” they said.
Sinn Féin spokesperson on Transport and Communications Martin Kenny called on the Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan, to detail his plans to ensure the RSA is properly funded.
Kenny criticised the government’s failure to to act when the RSA appealed for funding.
“Motorists have already been faced with increases in tolls, the hikes in petrol and diesel costs, and the rise in insurance premiums. This is on the back of the ongoing cost of living crisis,” he said.
The RSA told The Journal that it had met with the Taoiseach in April to discuss priorities, including an update of the Learning to Drive curriculum, and the multiple learner permit issue.
A spokesperson for the Department of Transport confirmed that they are working on these issues.
Among its priorities is the reduction of NCT and driving test waiting times. Driving test wait lists are around 15 weeks long, although they have fallen from last year’s levels. The RSA is supposed to keep driving test waiting periods to 10 weeks.
Tipperary Independent TD Mattie McGrath claimed that with the RSA already spending millions of euro each year, the Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan should blocked the proposed price increases.
“It’s important for taxpayers to understand how the RSA spends its €95 million budget and why it’s failing to meet strategic objectives,” McGrath said.
“The fact that the organization wants more direct taxpayer funding or the option to increase its charges is absurd.
“That’s why I’m calling on the Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan, to block any increase in charges sought by the RSA and initiate an independent investigation into the organization,” he added.
McGrath also claimed that the RSA’s safety campaigns have “failed” to keep people safe on Irish roads. He said the agency needed to be “either disbanded, reconfigured, and made accountable to taxpayers”.
Kenny, of Sinn Féin, said: “Clearly the RSA requires increased funding to combat the rise in road fatalities and serious collisions, and to continue providing vital education programmes.”
“That is where the Taoiseach and Minister Ryan need to step in and provide it.”
He indicated Sinn Féin favoured the RSA’s funding be increased through direct Exchequer funding rather than by the public “footing another bill”.
With additional reporting by Jane Matthews.
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Most disliked man in Ireland.
@Darren Mc Mahon: I think this self important windbag is WELL PAST his sell by date.Where did we get this numpty from?
@Darren Mc Mahon: €50m spent on consultants in one year almost a million a week
Couldn’t write it
@Darren Mc Mahon: And a costly idiot still raking it in sadly….
@Darren Mc Mahon: you beat me to it.
Remind me my LLA heroes where the ADDITIONAL €500M in funding for the water infrastructure is coming from?
Oh yeah, general taxation. So ultimately we the Irish people are paying water charges. Wonder how many houses could be built with a multi year investment of €500M?
A victory for morons.
@Darren Mc Mahon: absolute p***k If ever there was…repulsive individual
@Darren Mc Mahon: He’s not even in Ireland most of the time.
@Gus Sheridan: FG
@Darren Mc Mahon: he’ll be remembered for that photograph with the wan.
@Darren Mc
And he was promoted to Europe by the second most hated man Kenny
Two gombeens The two should swim away A SA P
@Gus Sheridan: Gave a interview and gave yates a freebie in Brussels few weeks back also lol
@Darren Mc Mahon:
@Gareth Cooney: How much did the councils waste over the years with all the extra staff that Irish Water said it didn’t need?
@Darren Mc Mahon: Not realy, dont forget he is up against Noonan and Enda for that title.
@MK76: mk76 who gives too foooook what you think.
@MK76: Well put.
What does that even mean. Irish water has seen the test of time.
@Garreth OMahony: He probably means his watch has stopped.
@Garreth OMahony: It probably means I politician terms, it was a total waste of time and public money but I lie for a living so whatever is the truth it will not come out of my lips. I have not greasing my hands just yet and although I am rich being a cease ball but I have a few crooked friends whose noses are still in the through.
@Jho Harris: Think you mean grease ball.
@Garreth OMahony: He is trying to talk it up, he didn’t set it up as Merkel on behalf of the IMF told him to set it up in order to give it away to some IMF friend to make money out of like in buy out scenarios?
“John Perkins, Former Advisor IMF.
“My job was to identify countries with resources that corporations covert, like oil and then arrange a huge loan to that country from the World Bank or from one of its sister organisations. The money however would not go to the country, it would go to our own corporations who would make huge profits, but the majority of the people would suffer terrible as a result, because money would be diverted from Education, Healthcare and other Social Services to pay interest on the debt.”
What happened when the IMF moved in and the debt couldn’t be repaid?
“We go back into that country and say, since you can’t pay your debt, sell your resource oil or whatever real cheap to our corporations without any environmental restrictions or, or social regulations. Privatise, sell your electric utilities, your water, sewage systems, your schools, your jails, all your public sector businesses to our corporations, and in the few cases where we failed economic hitman, the jackals went in and still do and aah, they either assassinate the leaders of the country or overthrow them in coups.”
@Kerry Blake: Maybe I don’t!
Just when FG thought their week could get no worse, up pops Big ‘tick’ Phil during a rare break from the EU feeding trough.
Phil’s threat to cut my water supply “down to a trickle” was the catalyst for my joining the right to water campaign. I can’t thank him enough !
This fool is the poster child of all that is rotten in Irish politics. The bigger the disaster you are the bigger a reward you get. Create Irish Water = get appointed to 400k a year job in Brussels.
@Pat Mustard: Not just here but in the EU as well?
@Alois Irlmaier: wasn’t Enda being lined up for some EU parliament thing not so long ago, saying that it may not be too long before we see it again
@Richard Cronin: Yep but he didn’t want it yet as he had more work to do as Taoiseach, more taxation I bet?
Or he had to wait for a virgin to be sacrificed to a blood moon, both are hard to come across now lol.
Only took what over billion euros . Before big Phil speaks out. That figures
Perhaps somebody should try a bit of water boarding?
@George Vladisavljevic: looking at the head of him it looks like somebody already did!
It’s not over, water charges replaced by excessive use? 133 ltrs? Excessive use my arse. .the people will still have the final say on this.
@Padraig Grimes: Originally the limit was announced at 150 ltrs but then this revised limit of 133 ltrs was rolled out,watch as the limits are revised downwards so as to introduce water charges by stealth, FG/FF/L all collude in water charges, what hypocrisy Labour at their conference calling out FG/FF on austerity measures when Labour was the champion of same, as for Phil Hogan, sure wasn’t he well rewarded for his bullying tactics just as no doubt the bold Enda will be in time.
Were it not for him and his contempt and arrogance, the government might have got away with the scam.
We owe him a huge vote of thanks.
@Dave Doyle:
Fair point.
Another one that should be put up against the wall… parasasite..
Everything wrong with European politics summed up in one individual
“Irish Water is still there” That may be Phil. Try Google “Irish Water Pollution Fines” and then tell me where the money for the fines comes from. Go on Phil, Google those four words ya gob5hite.
Because mass demostrations which caused the suspension of water charges definitely means it’s seen the test of time. Hogan is beyond stupid.
Just another layer of bureaucracy, the local CoCos still carry out any repairs.
Only one word for Phil and it rhymes with Banker
Toss pot
Big Phil makes an appearance every now and then and offers his ” tuppence” halfpenny rant .Of course Phil is an Idiot of the highest order and knows not what he is talking about. A complete Bullshitt.r that is only interested in feathering his own nest. Of course Irish Water should never have been established,it only gave jobs to retired County Managers who already are getting far too much in pensions anyway. So Citizens, don’t give much heed to anything that big Phil says.
Even his own party ran him out of town .. Yates I’m.blaming you … Test of time …My hole ..
@Noel Kelleher: stop being so naive. He saved Enda in their last civil war and took the hit for IW with the promise of the move to EU and the bigger gravy train
Can journal fact crack that clows claims of 250000 homes in dublin with out water and that no one could have a shower.
What an absolute plank that man is.
Who in the name of god votes for these people?
What a clown
Phil you Boots! Phil them up!
Simon Coveney the Bingo Caller. Numbers abounding from him with no substance.
Great little country that can survive these Jokers.
It remains there in defiance of the will of the majority of the electorate because Coveny wanted to be seen as a hard man to the FG party in the run up to the leadership bid and FF let him walk on them and went back on their promise in the GE, whether it survives in the long term is debatable as it’s management style has made it the most controversial semi state quangos but what is certain is that the handling of the issue will not gain any votes for either FF or FG and at their current rate of loss they can certainly not afford that. So Hogan can look back on his career as the minister who lost his party half their seats on their first time out and may yet lead to further losses, a nice record of achievement.
Phil, Phil, Phil, *nods head sagely* Go home Son, Your village needs you!
Phil hogan you excuse of a politician, go flup yourself, your good for nothing
Manbearpig
You normally say that about something that’s been around for 50 or 100 years, not something that was created in 2013. I believe he also uttered some nonsense about kenny being one of our best taoiseachs!
His threats galvanised the people. The man is an absolute tool…
WTF is he on?
They won’t allow a little girl in Cork access to medicinal cannabis, yet this lad here is obviously on something!
@Joe Smith: Tiny tiny feet lol.
Heard on RTÉ earlier and the interviewer didn’t really get stuck in. IW as a central management of water is the correct way rather than coco but he didn’t any questions on how well it was done or if EU will mandate privatisation. I think they will in time.
Very arrogant, ignorant,man.
Arsehole with very deep pockets in the greatest club of all time
Microcosm of all that is bad with Irish politics plus to think that he was a Top FG candidate!?! Says it all
Stand??? is he gone mad what profit this the company make last year .
Much better to have thirty local authorities involved than one utility. Thirty chief executives, thirty everything except people to fix leaks.
Oh yes, the last thing we wanted was one company doing it all. That’s mad, Ted.
@John Mulligan: or set up a overseeing body that uses the existing funding plus the additonal money from the property tax to start fixing the infrastructure. Perhaps if it’s needed add an extra 100 euro per year on top of the LPT then when the network has improved worry about meters with a true fair usage allowance instead of spending 1 billion on a billing company and meters . Perhaps this is what Phil was advised to do but as no minutes were kept it’s hard to know . The only people that have benefited from this shambles are those working directly and indirectly for IW .
@John Mulligan: we would not have thirty Chief in place of one. If it had been left in control of County Councils , as it should have, then they would have continued on doing the job, all that was needed was give them the money to carry out the work. Don’t forget that Idiot Phil also got rid of Town Councils, another disaster. It appears that He wanted full control, a dictatorship. Phil is a Bull Boy. He bullied his way in FG to keep Inda at the top a number of years ago.
@John Mulligan: a quango costing billions in excesses. Thick comment
Arrogant and delusional.
Listened to interview hogan just will not admit he f….d up on Irish water then Kenny gave him junket to Brussels lol
One of the most hated person in Ireland & counting!
Used by kenny and he could not see beyond his nose, nothing but a big mouth bully that kenny had to get rid of before the election .
‘I think Phil Hogan has seen the test of time’ and he got a minus 5% grade… But yet a cosy job in the EU?
@Alois Irlmaier: The cosy Brussels job was to put the man out of harms way where he could do no more damage. Hopefully the French will now put the EU to bed and Hogan might have to get a real job.
@Virtual Architect: A job in Irish Water hummm lol.
I WOULD NOT WASTE WORDS ON THAT CLOWN
@James Mc Loughlin: And that is why he is in the EU in a cosy job as no one would ever vote for him again and they gave him a job to reward him in an unelected role, proves that the EU is undemocratic and full of jobs for those who scratch the right backs?
Just like Howlin and the Labour party big Phil and F.G. never seem to get what the people said, you have screw the people by wasting money that could have put into hospitals, schools, taking medical cards of poor, sick and dying to pay for this waste. now f–k of back to your pay masters europe.
Well Folks when you vote for a political party you get the likes of Hulk Hogan. So get rid of the political parties. Vote them out again and again until the conversation changes fundamentally. Let’s stop playing the same old broken record ad infinitum.
What a complete tool. How anyone ever voted for that clown is beyond me
Phillip Hogan, a??hole of the century .
Why do you people vote idiots like this in? You are destroying this country with your votes election after election. So sad and very unpatriotic
@Patrick McCann: well said Patrick
Delusional
He could give 2 good fkucs what the people of this badly run auld country think ,the more stupid incompetent arrogant lazy thick and useless as a politician you are the more you are rewarded while the working man and woman of this country pay a marginal tax rate of nearly 55% to keep those fukcers paid and their Golden plated pensions topped up ,and in turn receive a third world health system no housing roads that destroy our massively over priced cars no public transport outside the main cities and don’t get me started on broadband……of water
As I said before: two words is the best solution, Quit EU.
A deluded auld fart if ever there was one
If ever the death penalty was introduced it should be for this man
He should be shot
@Christopher Gardiner: August is always a good time for heart attacks lol.
Pure opportunist money grabber absolutely no interest in politics who s only mission was to kinnive his way to a money oriented number in Brussels , couldn’t care less about the citizens of this country, another rat
So Phil Hogan saved Dublin’s water!! Wow! Thanks Phil. And there was me thinking you were the lowest form of life to have wormed your way into our political life. How wrong can you be!
What an arrogant fool, who thinks that we are stupid enough to take. Him seriously. He doesn’t care on the EU gravy train !
A COMPLETE USER OF PEOPLE OF IRELAND
When Phil Hogan announced the charges for water his attitude was autocratic and insulting. I remember listening to him and thought
this man has some nerve and I paid my water charges.
His family should be absolutely ashamed of what he done. Disgusting individual.
Idiot!
Trickle Trickle …
Trickle Trickle Uncle Phil
Fill my kettle can I Still
With fine water pissing Down
Bursting banks to flood the Town
Trickle Trickle Uncle Phil
We promise not a drop to Spill
When making coffee or a Cuppa
Brendan Ogle thinks your a Muppa
Trickle Trickle in a Jar
Uncle Phil you went too Far
Accusing us of being Polluters
Water never made us Follutered
Simon Coveney clears his Throat
With plenty water to float his Boat
Enjoying the sun on open Sea
While Paddy has to pay to Pee
Trickle Trickle hear the Hiss
Forty percent not hard to Miss
1 million meters in the Ground
But still not one leak can be Found
Trickle Trickle Motor Tax
Taken for to fund the Jax
Paying twice is very Slick
But paying trice takes the Mick
Trickle Trickle water Grant
Greasing palms to stop the Rant
Outstanding bills, pay you Must
Took the soup, eat a Crust
Trickle Trickle Fine Gael
One old party up for Sale
Big D wants to Privatise
Love your Tender, close our Eyes ……
-NK62F
I’d love to give him a slap!
A complete pig of a man
A cynical, swaggering, pig-headed bag-man
Horrible fu..
What a disgusting man.
He has a face like my arse [ on a bad day]. They don’t call me ‘diarahehe dick’ for no reason.
knob
Who is Ivan Yeats, who cares what he said?
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