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 Noel Coonan TD today warmly welcomed positive news from his Fine Gael colleague, Justice Minister Alan Shatter, that the Government is now to review it’s position regarding the future recruitment of new Gardaí.
Deputy Coonan said this news comes following his most recent representations on this subject, with Government Chief Whip Paul Kehoe and with Minister Alan Shatter.
New Garda Recruitment On The Way
“Arising from most recent conversations with the Minister, I am informed that he intends to bring new proposals to Cabinet in the coming weeks and I will continue to lobby the Minister for new Garda Recruitment to resume as soon as is physically possible, for the Templemore, Co Tipperary Garda College” continued Deputy Coonan.
“I was very disheartened to hear local Fianna Fáil and Independent Councillors speaking so negatively about the future of Templemore Garda College, stating that this excellent educational facility was about to close. This is totally untrue and a further example of their gross hypocrisy, as they use the issue for personal self-serving political gain. In fact it was this same Fianna Fáil/Independent Government who originally introduced these same policies, signing off on this deal with the Troika, thus gaining a reduction in Garda numbers & abandoning Garda recruitment since 2009. It is only through our careful management of economic policies that Fine Gael in Government has brought it to a point where recruitment can now be re-reconsidered,” stated Deputy Coonan.
“Great credit is due to Superintendent Pat McCabe and the Management of the Garda College for the initiative they have shown and for bringing forward classes to keep the college busy,” said the local TD.
The local Fine Gael TD said Minister Alan Shatter decided to review the current situation in light of an estimated reduction in Garda numbers to just over 13,000 by the end of 2013.
“Garda numbers have been reducing, due to the moratorium on recruitment put in place by the previous Government as part of its plan to reduce the strength of the force to 13,000. Our objective, despite the enormous financial pressures facing the Government is to ensure that Garda numbers will not fall below 13,000. At Wednesday’s Cabinet Meeting, Minister Shatter announced the good news that recruitment may recommence as part of a wider determination to ensure that the Garda Síochána, as a body, has the greatest possible resources made available to it, and that it is supported in making the necessary new reforms to ensure that those resources are used to the greatest effect,“explained Deputy Coonan.
In this context, Minister Shatter has managed to secure a budget of €1.4 billion for the Garda Síochána for 2013, which includes separately a specific provision of some €5 million for new vehicles for the force. This now is in addition to the €4 million for vehicles that was already provided for, just last year.
As of 31st December 2012, the latest date for which figures are readily available, the total strength of the Garda force stood at 13,424 which is in fact, 74 Garda personnel more than the maximum figure of 13,350 proposed by the last outgoing Fianna Fáil/ Independent Government, in their National Recovery Plan for 2011-2014.
 Revenue Commissioners According to yesterdays Irish Independent newspaper, the Revenue Commissioners will soon have the power to enter and inspect your home, to assess its value for the property tax, under proposed new legislation.
Property tax dodgers also face fines of €3,000 (Section 146/147) for deliberately failing to fill in forms or who undervalue their homes, under tough new planned legislation.
This legislation supporting this new property tax, known as the ‘Local Property Tax Bill 2012,’ was published yesterday, and gives authority to the Revenue Commissioners to “enter on land and inspect the relevant residential property.” (Part 13/Section 140). This section obliges the person occupying the property to allow the authorised official inspect the property at all reasonable times.
Such powers if passed into law would appear to grant greater power to Revenue than is currently granted to An Garda Síochána. In most cases, a search warrant is necessary before a Garda may search a person, a vehicle or premises. However, certain legislation does entitle the Gardai to go onto premises without a warrant, for example, the Intoxicating Liquor Acts, the Public Dance Halls Act, and the Health Acts.
When told by Revenue to provide information as to whom officially owns a particular house, anyone who fails to comply or provides false information will be liable to a daily fine of €100.
 Children’s Minister Frances Fitzgerald. The referendum to enshrine Children’s Rights in the Irish Constitution has passed today by a margin of 58% to 42%.
The referendum was voted on yesterday with voters going to the polls, 48 hours after a potentially damaging Supreme Court ruling had deemed the Government’s use of public funds illegal. This court also found that extensive passages on information leaflets provided, breached rules of integrity. The essence of these courts findings stated that public funds cannot be used to promote a voting outcome, based on the previous 1995 McKenna judgement.
Yesterday was the second time only that a referendum has been held on a Saturday, the first being 10 years ago, in the second vote on the Nice Treaty.
Counting of votes from all 43 constituencies began at 9am this morning with the full and final outcome announced this afternoon.
Three of Ireland’s 43 constituencies voted against the Government’s plans to enshrine Children’s Rights into the Constitution. These constituencies were named as; Donegal South West, Donegal North East and Dublin North West.
While voter turnout in the county was relatively low at around 33.49%, some 1,066,239 people did vote out of a total electorate of 3,183,686. Figures now indicate that 615,731 voted Yes and 445,863 voting No.
Counting of votes here in Tipperary North & South indicate the following returns:-
Tipperary North: YES – 55.75%, NO – 44.25% – with a voter turnout of just 37.22%.
Tipperary South: YES – 54.17%, NO – 45.83% – with a voter turnout of just 35.18%.
It is now quite possible that this decision could be challenged once again in the Courts, in light of last week’s Supreme Court ruling, the written findings of which have yet to be published.
Photo courtesy G.Willoughby
 Mr Justice Adrian Hardiman, together with fellow Supreme Court justices have given reasons for granting, businessman Declan Ganley’s Comcast International Holdings Inc and Persona Digital Telephony Ltd, leave to proceed with actions challenging the manner in which the State’s second mobile phone licence was allocated in 1995, to Esat Digifone.
Mr Hardiman stated it would be a “disgrace to the nation and the State” if it were proven that there was any corruption at the highest level of Government, in the awarding of a mobile phone licence to Esat Digifone.
Six bidders, back in 1995, competed for Ireland’s second mobile phone licence, which eventually businessman Denis O’Brien’s firm was awarded.
The leave granted allege fraud, conspiracy, deceit, corruption and misfeasance in public office in relation to the granting of this same licence.
Comcast’s action is being taken against the Minister for Public Enterprise, former Minister and current North Tipperary Independent TD Mr Michael Lowry, Esat Telecom, Mr Denis O’Brien, Ireland, and the Attorney General. Persona on the other hand are taking their case against the Minister for Public Enterprise, Ireland and the Attorney General.
Mr Justice Hardiman stated that the integrity and reputation of Ireland, together with the rights of Persona & Comcast, required to be heard, regarding accusations of covert, devious and concealed corruption.
These actions, which had been taken first back in 2001, now challenge the awarding of this licence while also claiming millions in financial damages. The State previously secured, in 2007, through the High Court, orders which halted such cases against the former, on grounds of inordinate and inexcusable delay, however on Wednesday last the Supreme Courts ruled that this delay was excusable, on grounds that both companies were within their rights to await the full result of the long drawn out 13-year old Moriarty Tribunal, latter which probed into the granting of same licence.
According to RTE the former Communications Minister Mr Michael Lowry has welcomed this Supreme Court decision, saying a court of law is the proper forum to critically probe this 1995 mobile licence award process.
 Thurles Courthouse A 23-year-old male has appeared, today, before Thurles District Court, on the serious charge of manslaughter.
The charge refers to an assault at Liberty Square, Thurles, Co.Tipperary which resulted in the unfortunate death of 25-year-old Mr James Tynan, a native of Johnstown, Co.Kilkenny, on February 20th last 2012.
A male, then aged 22, from the Templemore area, was arrested in relation to this incident and detained under Section 4 of Criminal Justice Act, at Thurles Garda Station.
It is understood that there was CCTV in the vicinity of where the incident happened and gardaí, headed by Supt Pat Lordan, examined digital film footage as part of their then ongoing investigations.
The late Mr Tynan was an extremely popular and much loved young man, who worked with his father Pascal, in Tynan Meats, in Johnstown, Co Kilkenny and our sympathy is with his family at this sad time.
The defendant was remanded in custody to appear before Nenagh District Court on Friday September 7th next.
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