Latest news with #FergalO'Brien
Dublin Live
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Dublin Live
Garda GoSafe cameras to come in at level crossings as drivers risk fines
Drivers could be fined an automatic €160 for breaking certain rules as new cameras are set to be installed. The Garda GoSafe cameras will be placed at level crossings to enhance safety and prevent injuries or damage. It was explained that the cameras were designed to be moveable, so they will be able to change locations. Speaking about the new cameras, journalist Fergal O'Brien said on RTE Radio 1's Morning Ireland: "The Garda GoSafe cameras, which will initially operate in a test phase, will be used to record motorists inappropriately using level crossings. Iarnród Éireann said that the cameras are designed to be easily relocatable and will be deployed depending on driver behaviour. "The cameras will automatically issue a fine of €160 for speeding and €80 for breaking a red light, with the motorist also liable for three penalty points. The railway operators said that the aim of the cameras is to enhance safety for rail and road users, including pedestrians and cyclists, by deterring risk taking behaviour. "Of the 30 incidents across the rail network so far this year, Iarnród Éireann said that 11 resulted in road users being injured or level crossings being damaged." Speed surveys were previously carried out in a number of areas, including one which saw 152 km/h recorded in a 50 km/h zone. Head of Corporate Communications at Iarnród Éireann Barry Kenny said: "When you have situations where vehicles hit level crossings, or indeed bridges... there's a very significant impact to our services. Safety is critical in terms of protecting road users themselves, protecting other vulnerable road users like pedestrians, or cyclists that might be going to the crossings and then avoiding delays and disruption to the rail service as well. "So by putting this in place, it is a very strong deterrent. Where these GoSafe cameras have been on the road network separately with the gardaí before, you see 98.5% compliance." Join our Dublin Live breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive your daily dose of Dublin Live content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice . For all the latest news from Dublin and surrounding areas visit our homepage .
Business Mayor
21-05-2025
- Business
- Business Mayor
Infrastructure spending must come before tax cuts, says Ibec
Ireland's largest business lobby group, Ibec, has called on the Government to prioritise infrastructure investment over tax cuts or other expenditure. In the first in a series of policy position papers on Ireland's competitiveness and productivity, the group called on the Government to retain a consistent level of capital investment and drop barriers in the planning system for big 'common good' projects. Ireland will need to build a minimum of 500,000 homes and significantly upgrade the State's infrastructure between now and 2035 to address the country's rising population, Ibec said. 'It is critical that, in a world of growing uncertainty, we do not risk repeating the macroeconomic mistake we have made consistently over the past 50 years – deprioritising public investment when the economy slows,' said Fergal O'Brien, Ibec executive director of lobbying and influence. Ibec called for the introduction of an explicit fiscal investment target to 'provide a fiscal anchor for the capital budget through good times and bad' as a way of guaranteeing a consistent level of public capital investment. The lobbying group said the State has cut public investment as the 'path of least resistance' when needing to introduce fiscal cutbacks. 'Consistent failure to invest in necessary infrastructure does not result in savings,' it said. 'Infrastructure deficits accrue as a form of 'technical debt'.' 'Ireland today is a living mausoleum to these past policy errors,' the policy paper said, suggesting sustained investment of €200 billion by 2035 be funded by the Exchequer, proceeds from the €13 billion Apple tax judgment, the Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund, and future share sales. Read More EY staff in Chins encouraged to wear Communist party badges Retaining a consistent level of capital spending would, Ibec said, reduce the need for catch-up spending when economic conditions change and lower the reliance on large-scale projects as forces of macroeconomic stabilisation. These factors would then provide more certainty to companies and young people in investing in capacity and the skills for sectors downstream from the infrastructure delivery sector. To enable the delivery of large-scale infrastructure projects, Ibec wants the Government to examine reforming the planning system, including the 'disproportionate influence of individual objectors', suggesting that constitutional change be considered. It called for a 'radical improvement' in the delivery and timelines of projects, aided by a centralised oversight structure and a prioritisation structure in the planning system. Ibec said that just 11 of the 44 big infrastructure initiatives in the pipeline in 2019 have been delivered on or before schedule. The body also called for the delivery of region-specific infrastructure to sustain local economic growth across the country. The Ibec executive director said getting infrastructure investment right could 'open the door to delivering large-scale projects that can transform our economy and society, service homes at the pace required and upgrading infrastructure to meet the standards of a modern economy and achieve our climate goals.'
Irish Examiner
20-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Ibec: Infrastructure investment needs to be prioritised ahead of all other expenditure
Business group Ibec is calling on the Government to prioritise spending on infrastructure, to the tune of €200bn over the next 10 years, ahead of all other forms of expenditure including tax cuts. In a new policy paper, Ibec said infrastructure investment needs to be prioritised in order to address persistent challenges in delivering critical national infrastructure. It said while infrastructure spending has increased 'significantly in recent years' it will need to 'continue to increase to maintain the volume of projects in real terms'. The paper noted that nominal infrastructure spending will need to rise from €19.6bn a year by 2030, under the current plan, to over €24bn by 2035. The policy papers suggest a sustained investment of €200bn over the next 10 years. Ibec said infrastructure investment targets need to be embedded in fiscal rules. It said these targets should be backed by Exchequer funds, proceeds from the Apple tax ruling from last year as well as the various investment funds the Government have been putting money into. In order to facilitate this spending, the business group is also calling for a reform of the planning and legal system to better deliver infrastructure investment. It added that the Government should establish an expert review group to examine systemic reform, 'up to and including constitutional change'. 'There must be a radical improvement in the delivery of nationally important projects. Delays persist in many key projects, with only 11 of 44 pipeline initiatives delivered on or ahead of schedule,' Ibec said. 'Improved delivery can be achieved by cutting decision-making timelines, enhancing planning capacity, prioritising key projects, and ensuring early and meaningful public input.' Within the Government, Ibec is calling for a centralised body with statutory powers to streamline approvals and prioritise strategically significant projects as well as the establishment of a permanent forum with private infrastructure investors to address regulatory challenges, ensure project viability, and attract future capital. It added that strategic infrastructure must be prioritised within the planning system, with immediate Ministerial Directions issued to expedite underpinning projects. Fergal O'Brien, executive director of lobbying and influence at Ibec, said the country must not make the mistake of 'deprioritising public investment' when the economy slows. 'Ireland's population is projected to grow by nearly a million people by 2035 and the global economic uncertainty only strengthens the case for strategic domestic investment—with infrastructure at the core,' he said. 'We can't continue with the status quo and just hope for improved outcomes. We need to fundamentally rebalance the system to put the common good first,' he said. Ibec added that regional delivery must be a national priority and that all Irish regions should aim to rank in the top 10% of EU regions in the Social Progress Index by delivering region-specific infrastructure. 'Ibec's priorities reflect detailed business input on the challenges delivering the projects needed to sustain local economic growth across the country,' the group said.
RTÉ News
17-05-2025
- Politics
- RTÉ News
Pro-Palestinian protesters call for immediate ceasefire
Tens of thousands of people are taking part in a pro-Palestine protest in Dublin calling for an immediate ceasefire to what the organisers have described as "the genocide" in Gaza. The demonstrators are marching from the Garden of Remembrance in Parnell Square to Molesworth Street, where a rally is being held outside Leinster House. The 'National Demonstration for Palestine' has been organised by the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC). The IPSC said the march is being held to protest what it describes as "the Irish Government's absolute refusal to hold Israel accountable for a genocide". The organisers say the demonstration also marks the 77th year of the ongoing Palestinian Nakba, which means catastrophe in Arabic. It refers to the "displacement and dispossession of Palestinians during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war." Tens of thousands of people have taken part in a pro-Palestine protest in Dublin in what the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign has described as an "end the genocide" in Gaza national demonstration @RTENews — Fergal O'Brien (@FergalOBrien_) May 17, 2025 The campaign group is also renewing its call on the Government to sanction Israel and to enact the Occupied Territories Bill. The IPSC said the demonstration is being supported by more than 150 civil society organisations. Political parties, trade unions and student groups are among those taking part in the protest, while community groups have also travelled to the capital from across the country.
Irish Post
08-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Post
Fergal O'Brien commits to ‘visit businesses across Ireland' in new RTÉ role
JOURNALIST Fergal O'Brien has committed to visiting businesses across Ireland as he takes on a new role as RTÉ's business correspondent. The reporter, from Cong in Co. Mayo, has worked as a multimedia journalist for the Irish broadcaster since October 2018. That role has seen him reporting across television, radio and online news, including for RTÉ's Six One News, Nine O'Clock News, News at One on RTÉ Radio 1 and RTÉ online. This week RTÉ News announced his appointment as their new business correspondent. 'In his new role, Fergal will be reporting and providing analysis across television, radio and online on the issues and trends impacting the business community across Ireland,' they said. RTE News correspondant Fergal O'Brien Mr O'Brien has said he is 'delighted' to take up the role. 'I'm delighted to have been appointed to the role of RTÉ Business Correspondent at such a pivotal time for the business community in Ireland,' he said. 'As I take on the position, I'm conscious that there is much uncertainty facing the Irish and global economies,' he added. 'The impact of the planned tariffs from the US administration has the potential to be the biggest challenge facing many businesses, households and indeed the State since Brexit and the financial crash. 'Business crosses every sector and has an impact on all of our lives, and as part of my new role, I will hope to visit as many businesses as I can across the country, to tell the stories of those directly impacted by wider decisions.' Originally from Cong, Co. Mayo, O'Brien has been working as a journalist for more than 20 years. He began his broadcasting career with local radio station MidWest Radio before moving on to Today FM and Newstalk and later joining TV3. He will take up the new role this summer. See More: Business Correspondant, Fergal O'Brien, RTÉ News
