IrelandMorning Briefing

Your top stories on Tuesday: RSA calls for higher penalty points for speeding; Covid-19 saw ‘1,100 excess deaths’ in Ireland

Here are the stories you need to start your day including: most primary schools are running deficits amid rising costs, survey finds

A cormorant tends to its chick on the cliffs of Ireland’s Eye. This week Birdwatch Ireland plans to take a census of the island’s seabirds, the numbers of which are an excellent indicator of the health of the marine environment that they rely on. Photograph: Fran Veale
A cormorant tends to its chick on the cliffs of Ireland’s Eye. This week Birdwatch Ireland plans to take a census of the island’s seabirds, the numbers of which are an excellent indicator of the health of the marine environment that they rely on. Photograph: Fran Veale

RSA calls for penalty points for speeding and mobile phone use to rise to six

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) is pushing for emergency legislation to double to six the number of penalty points given to drivers for speeding and mobile phone use.

A driver loses their licence if they accrue 12 points over three years.

So far this year 81 people have died on Irish roads, the worst on record in a decade. A total of 137 motorists were arrested for intoxicated driving over the bank holiday weekend up to early on Sunday.

News in Ireland

  • Almost 1,100 excess deaths during pandemic years in Ireland: Ireland experienced almost 1,100 excess deaths during the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021 with almost all occurring in the latter period, new research by the Society of Actuaries in Ireland suggests.
  • Most primary schools running deficits amid rising costs, survey finds: Most primary schools say they have run deficits over the past year and have to rely on cash reserves to cover basic running costs, according to a new survey.
  • Consumer watchdog stops the sale of dangerous amber teething jewellery: Retailers and distributors still selling teething jewellery that can choke or strangle infants have been told to withdraw the products immediately by Ireland’s consumer watchdog.
  • Almost 50% of pupils in 17 Deis schools experienced major personal trauma: Almost half of the primary schoolchildren in some of Dublin’s most socioeconomically disadvantaged communities have suffered major personal trauma while 54 per cent are estimated to require support teaching, according to a survey of principals at 17 Deis schools in west Tallaght, Ballymun and Darndale.
  • Weather forecast: Mostly cloudy and damp or wet this morning with scattered outbreaks of rain, drizzle and some mist, which will clear southeastwards through the morning and early afternoon, with good spells of sunshine to follow. A scattering of showers will follow, mainly in northern parts. Cooler than recently with highest temperatures of 12 degrees in the northwest to 17 degrees in the southeast. It’ll feel even cooler as westerly winds veer northwesterly with the clearance of rain, and increase moderate to fresh and occasionally gusty, stronger in coastal parts of the northwest and north. Tonight will bring long clear spells and it’ll be dry in many areas. There’ll be some scattered showers, mainly in the north and west. A cold night for early summer with lowest temperatures of 3 to 7 degrees.
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  • Money dos and don’ts when travelling this summer: It may be one of the more mundane aspects of travelling but, as no one wants to waste money on unnecessary fees and charges, doing a little bit of research before you set off on your summer holidays can pay dividends.

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