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Irish Daily Mirror
06-07-2025
- General
- Irish Daily Mirror
Call for supports to keep kids in school as 28k students quit before sitting LC
At least 28,500 kids due to sit their Leaving Cert or the Leaving Cert Applied over a five-year period left school early, figures have revealed. This includes 13,222 students who left school in the last two academic years alone, without completing their final exams. On average, 91% of students complete the Leaving Cert. The figures were released to Social Democrats education spokesperson Jen Cummins following a series of parliamentary questions to Education Minister Helen McEntee. Deputy Cummins told the Irish Mirror that support needs to be in place to ensure that children are supported to attend school. She said schools need to have a 'designated person' whose job it is to manage children's attendance in schools She continued: 'We also need to have the wraparound services from Tusla with regards to social work for family support. 'We need to have the psychological supports for those children who have avoidance-based school refusal. Anxiety is a huge, huge issue that is being displayed in schools because children are not able to cope in mainstream school because of many, many different reasons.' The data confirmed what year students started in secondary school and how many left before completing their Leaving Cert or Leaving Cert Applied. Minister McEntee confirmed the most recent figures available concern those who began their post-primary education in 2017, and were due to complete their Leaving Certificate in the academic years 2021/22 or 2022/23, depending on whether or not they did Transition Year. Figures for the 2018 cohort finishing in 2023/24 are not complete, she stated. Of the students who started secondary school in 2017, 6,398 left before sitting their Leaving Cert, while another 803 left without doing the Leaving Cert Applied, bringing the total number to 7,201. Some 90% of students who started school in 2017 completed the Leaving Cert, while 79% sat the Leaving Applied. Of the students starting secondary school in 2016, 5,324 (8.3%) left without sitting the Leaving Cert. When the 697 children who did not sit their Leaving Cert Applied are included, the number who left school without their qualifications rose to 6,021. The number of early school leavers for those who entered post-primary education in 2015 dropped compared to other years and stood at 4,912 (7.9%). These students were due to sit their Leaving Cert in 2020 or 2021 amid large-scale pandemic disruptions. In 2020, the Leaving Cert was cancelled and predicted grades were introduced. Some 5,169 students (8.5%) who started school in 2014 and 5,259 (8.7%) who started in 2013 did not sit their Leaving Cert. It brings the total number of students who left school before sitting their exams to 28,562. McEntee also provided Deputy Cummins with data on the number of early school leavers in Deis schools compared to non-Deis schools. Across the same five-year period, an average of 15% left school before finishing their Leaving Certificate in Deis schools. However, this fell to 7% in non-Deis schools.
The Journal
28-06-2025
- Politics
- The Journal
From less than a dozen marchers to tens of thousands: A history of Dublin Pride
Lauren Boland FIFTY-ONE YEARS AGO, on a mild, dry day in late June, a small group of less than a dozen people marched through Dublin to protest outside the British embassy. It was 1974 – the year the Ladies' Gaelic Football Association was founded, the year of the UVF's Dublin and Monaghan bombings, the year that Transition Year was first introduced to secondary schools – and the ten activists who took to the streets on the 27th of June were fighting for LGBTQ+ rights. At the time, same-sex relations were criminalised under the law, and they had been so since the 1800s under legislation that the British state imposed on Ireland which the fledgling Irish State had never repealed. The group of activists – which included David Norris, who went on to be Ireland's longest-serving senator – gathered outside the embassy to demonstrate against the laws that Britain had introduced and which were still criminalising homosexuality in Ireland more than a century later. 'That was really the beginning of what was then called the gay rights movement in Ireland,' said historian Mary McAuliffe. Today, in many countries around the world, June marks the festival of Pride – an event which is both political, in its calls for LGBTQ+ equality, and personal, in the opportunity that it gives members of the community to come together and celebrate their identities in the face of discrimination and oppression. Pride events like parades are held in many towns across Ireland throughout the summer, with the largest each year taking place in Dublin at the end of June. It's attended by tens of thousands of people – a long way from the group of just ten activists calling for decriminalisation outside the British embassy in 1974. The start of a movement The celebration of Pride in Ireland today has its roots in the boots-on-the-ground activism of the 1970s and 1980s. '1974 saw the foundation of the sexual liberation movement in Ireland. Second-wave feminism had begun, and then sexual liberation, and the idea of self-determined sexuality and decriminalisation of homosexuality,' McAuliffe, a lecturer at University College Dublin specialising in the history of Irish women and gender, told The Journal . 'There were a whole load of issues that people were beginning to galvanise around and organise around.' One of those organisers was Tonie Walsh, an activist who has been at the helm of projects and organisations over the years like the National LGBT Federation, the Hirchfeld Centre – an LGBTQ+ community space in Temple Bar in the 1980s – and the Irish Queer Archive. It was in 1979 that the first formal week-long event then known as Gay Pride was organised by the National LGBT Federation. In Ireland, there was no political or commercial appetite in the 1970s to sponsor or support events linked to LGBTQ+ people. The community had to have its own back. 'The Hirschfeld Centre was an example of a community resource that provided the people and the ideas and, crucially, the money needed to to roll out a full week festival of talks and pop up theater and live discos and live panel discussions, and all the other things that would happen during during Pride.' (The Centre burned down in 1987.) Declan Flynn In 1982, a 31-year-old gay man named Declan Flynn was brutally attacked in Fairview Park in Dublin and died from his injuries. A group of teenagers and young men between the ages of 14 and 19 saw him receiving a kiss on the cheek from another man while he was walking home through the park. They attacked him, stole the £4 that was in his pocket, and left him to die. The group were found guilty of manslaughter but were let away with suspended sentences and served no time in prison. 'That was a horrendous murder and the teenage boys who were charged with his murder were more or less just slapped on the wrist by the judge, and so it seemed like gay lives, queer lives, were seen as lesser, as not having the same value,' McAuliffe said. It sparked a protest march to Fairview Park in March of 1983 and a Pride parade that June, which went from St Stephen's Green to the GPO on O'Connell Street. 'It's impossible to forget the '83 March. There was only about 150 of us. I was one of the speakers, along with Jodie Crone had come out on The Late Late Show three years beforehand,' Walsh recalled. 'We redesignated the GPO as the 'Gay Persons Organisation'. It was a great day, because it was the first time it felt like we were reclaiming the streets, particularly in the light of homophobic violence and anti-women violence that was happening at the time in Ireland,' he said. But the 1980s were a difficult time to organise Pride marches. Many members of the LGBTQ+ community were not safe enough or comfortable enough to come out publicly. There were few resources at organisers' disposal. And, most hauntingly, the community was battling on another frontline at the same time: AIDS. 'The organisation that was necessary to run something as enormous as a parade just wasn't there because people's focus shifted towards the AIDS pandemic,' Walsh said. 'When you look back at the early history of Pride, what you see is a small group of people trying to do everything themselves. This was in a culture where there was no state funding of any sort, and corporate funding was didn't really exist, not to the extent needed,' he said. 'A week of events and running a parade demanded huge amounts of labour and also huge amounts of money, and both of these things were in short supply, particularly during the AIDS pandemic.' For much of the decade, there 'wasn't enough people to warrant doing a march or parade – so few people were publicly out'. 'The high points of Pride then was a picnic in Merrion Square, a balloon release on St Stephen's Green, a leaflet drop around all the major shopping precincts explaining the history of the Stonewall Riots and giving people a shorthand into the history of LGBT civil rights on the island of Ireland and of Ireland,' Walsh described. The 1988 Pride march. Leon Farrell / Photocall Ireland Leon Farrell / Photocall Ireland / Photocall Ireland The fight for decriminalisation At the same time as Pride was developing, there was a campaign spearheaded by David Norris to push the government to decriminalise same-sex relations. Norris brought the Irish government to the European Commission of Human Rights and then the European Court of Human Rights, argued that the criminalisation law violated the European Convention on Human Rights. The government actively fought to preserve the law. State papers from the 70s and 80s that were released to the National Archives in 2023, examined by The Journal , show the extent of homophobic attitudes embedded in the civil service at the time, like fearing decriminalisation would lead to 'public displays of homosexual relationships' and considering whether to leverage the AIDS crisis to defend keeping the law in place . Despite the State's extensive defence efforts, Norris won his case before the European Court of Human Rights and the government passed legislation that decriminalised homosexuality on 24 June 1993. That year's Pride in Dublin took place two days later on the 26th. For Eddie McGuinness – who would later go on to be the Director of Dublin Pride from 2017 for six years – it was his first time attending the parade. He's never forgotten it. 'A thousand of us stood outside the Central Bank and celebrated who we were, because it was the first time the State actually recognised us as part of our nation,' said McGuinness, who is also the founder of the Outing Festival for LGBTQ+ music and arts. 'The feeling was scary but yet amazing. I still remember it,' he said. For Tonie Walsh, it's also a Pride that stands out strongly in his memory. Advertisement 'A group of people from Act Up Dublin – not surprisingly, all AIDS activists – decided to reinstate the parade in 1992. By 1993 there was about 1,000 people on parade, between 800 and 1,000 people, with a rally on the steps of the Central Bank,' Walsh said. 'Thom McGinty, The Diceman, did a striptease dressed up as prison convict because the government had reformed the old British legislation two days before – perfect timing.' Thom McGinty was an actor and street performer from Scotland known for performing as a 'stillness artist' and 'human statue' in Dublin city. He was a beloved figure in the LGBTQ+ community in the 1980s and 1990s but died from complications of AIDS in 1995 at the age of 42. 'A lot of people who stood on those steps of the Central Bank are no longer with us,' said McGuinness. 'The likes of Thom McGinty, the Diceman… Junior Larkin, who was one of the youngest activists who had set up the first-ever LGBT youth group in Ireland, is no longer with us, and is sometimes forgotten about in our history,' he said. 'A lot of activists who were there back then are no longer with us. But there's still some of us who are fighting the fight, and still keep smiling and trying to make the rainbow shine even brighter.' Around 5,000 people took part in the 2010 march. Sasko Lazarov / Photocall Ireland Sasko Lazarov / Photocall Ireland / Photocall Ireland Women in Ireland's LGBTQ+ community Pride and the movement for LGBTQ+ equality gained momentum in many countries after the Stonewall Riots of 1969 in New York City, when people attending the Stonewall gay bar fought back against police who were targeting them. As Pride parades developed, lesbians also started to organise 'Dyke Marches', which were for women in the LGBTQ+ community to create a space for them and to highlight the specific challenges they were facing in society. Ireland's first Dyke March was held on 26 June 1998 (and the first one in Dublin in decades was also organised for this year). 'Women, lesbians, have always been part of Pride, but there were also the separate Dyke Marches,' McAuliffe outlined. 'They were always inclusive of trans women. Irish LGBT activism has always been trans-inclusive, for the most part,' she said. 'In many ways, as a historian of LGBT histories, oftentimes, the majority of what you're talking or researching or reading about is about gay male homosexuality, mainly the campaign to decriminalise. That's very, very important. But you often see lesbians are kind of invisible in the narratives,' she said. 'It's important that lesbian visibility, trans-inclusive lesbian visibility, is there on the streets, in our histories, in our narratives of who and what we are in our activism. 'Women's lives often include motherhood, and there are issues around that still to be campaigned for, because lesbians are women, women who need, for example, full reproductive rights, women who need safety in society, women who've experienced sexual violence, domestic violence, all of those things.' McAuliffe's first experience of attending a Pride parade was in the late 1990s. 'Like many people, going on the first one, anytime I saw a camera pointed at me, I was hiding, because you may be marching down the street, but you're not that out and proud. It takes a while,' she said. 'I do remember that sense of belonging and community while at the same time feeling a little bit worried about being seen – and wanting to be seen. 'I think for younger people, it gives a way of feeling empowered, of maybe taking those extra steps in the coming out journey, because you have been with your community for a day and having great fun, great craic, and being involved in the political aspect of marching.' Into the 21st century Celebrations of Pride in Dublin and across the country have grown larger and stronger over the years. 'From 1993 onwards, what you saw was a really progressive development of pride, not just in Dublin but in the other urban centres around Ireland,' Walsh said. According to Walsh, that development was enabled by decriminalisation, by corporate sponsors starting to view the community as being 'of value to consumers' in a way that hadn't been a case before decriminalisation, and by a wider pool of people coming out in greater numbers and bringing skills with them that helped to organise Pride events. 'It is still a fabulous day out. Since my very first Pride event in Pride Week in 1980, I've missed very few,' Walsh said. 'There are a few that stand out over the years. Listening to Panti [Bliss] rabble-rousing on Wood Quay when the rally for the Pride Parade was in Wood Quay in the amphitheatre. That would have been 2014 or 2015. Myself, I remember being Grand Marshal in 2008 and getting everybody, four and a half thousand people in Wood Quay, to sing 'to be queer is to be special',' he recalled. More than 20 years after decriminalisation in 1993, another major step forward came in 2015 when the referendum to allow same-sex marriage in Ireland passed by a wide majority. 'I remember the one the year marriage equality was passed. That was fantastic. Such a celebratory one,' McAuliffe said. Two years later, Eddie McGuiness – a connoisseur of Prides in Ireland and abroad – became the Director of Dublin Pride. 'One of my biggest honours has always been to have gone on to manage and develop Dublin Pride – my first type of Pride – for nearly seven years, only stepping away the last couple of years because I was diagnosed with cancer,' McGuiness said. He also fondly remembers hosting Pride in his home town of Dundalk when it had its first significant parade a couple of years ago. The Pride parades in Limerick and Cork 'always give [him] a warm feeling', while Carlow Pride is 'so quirky and fun; the volunteers there put so much time and effort into it'. David Norris marches in the 2019 parade. Leah Farrell Leah Farrell The politics of Pride Within the LGBTQ+ community, there's a debate that's rolled on for many years about what the nature of Pride should be – whether it's right that it's taken on a celebratory, festival nature, or whether it should go back to its roots as a protest march. 'From the early 2000s, the marches became more like Mardi Gras. They were less political – but I think pride is political, and I think it is important that it is political and that it remains political,' said McAuliffe. 'Even though we have marriage equality in Ireland, there's still a lot of transphobia and there's rising homophobia and lesbophobia, and it's very important for people to still campaign around inclusion and acceptance of all in society,' she said. 'The far right are very homophobic, very transphobic, a lot of them… they don't want queer Irish people, they don't want trans Irish people, they don't want lesbians and gays. That has brought around a rise in virulent homophobia and transphobia, both online and in real life, and so I think we need to be more political around pride.' McGuinness said that 'when you look at the Pride movement, starting in New York in 1969 with the Stonewall riots to where we are now, there is still resistance within mainstream politics and society'. 'This is not just an LGBT issue. This is an immigrant issue. This is a women's issue. No matter who you are, if you're a minority, if you're a Traveller, right across the board, so-called mainstream society tries to downtrodden you, and we need to stand up to that. That is what Pride is all about. It's giving a voice to those who don't have a voice,' he said. For Walsh, Pride is about 'being visible and making a statement about unfinished political business, and it's a statement of celebration – but it is also an invitation by Irish LGBT people to mainstream Ireland to join us on our journey of liberation and acceptance and visibility'. 'It's important that mainstream Ireland embraces that invitation, understanding that the journey that Irish queers have taken to get to the place we find ourselves in today hasn't just been about us. That journey is about Irish society finding its collective empathy and understanding,' Walsh said. 'Every year, you hear some people asking, 'why do they need Pride?' But remember, people are still being beaten up and murdered in some parts of the world. We had homophobic murders in Sligo just a few years ago. Trans men and women are still being beaten up with impunity,' he said. 'There is much work to done. There are still people living in the shadows, even in Ireland, for all of our liberalism. Pride is a reminder that we need to turn our attention to all of that unfinished business.' Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Examiner
27-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Highly-rated Irish funds sector offers a lucrative career path
Ireland's funds sector is creating a wealth of rewarding career paths as the nation cements its reputation as an EU funds industry leader. EU-based investors have €1 trillion of investments in Irish-domiciled funds, giving them access to investments in Europe and globally. And by attracting global capital into the EU, Irish-domiciled funds have €1 trillion invested into assets across the EU. The funds industry in Ireland generated €11.45bn in revenue and contributed €15.4bn in gross value added (GVA) to the Irish economy in 2023. A recent report by Irish Funds, the voice for Ireland's investment funds and asset management industry for more than 30 years, showed that the sector employed more than 19,500 people and contributed nearly €1bn in direct tax revenue in 2023. Direct employment in the sector has grown by 22% over the past five years, with nearly half of those working in the industry now located outside Dublin. In this Q&A interview, Pat Lardner, CEO of Irish Funds, outlines some of the factors driving new jobs growth in the sector, as well as looking at how actions to support the sector and to boost people's financial literacy can be of huge benefit to the Irish economy. How have remote and flexible work options boosted talent retention in the sector? The Irish funds and asset management industry was quick to adapt to remote working during the pandemic, and that agility has paid long-term dividends. Today, flexible and hybrid work models are commonplace. The industry's ability to incorporate regional talent has significantly increased, with employment outside of Dublin now accounting for almost 46% of the total workforce. This expansion across the country, which supports balanced regional development has deepened the talent pool and improved retention. Flexible work has also been a critical factor in supporting gender inclusion. Hybrid working supports women staying in, or re-entering, the workforce. Returner programmes at several companies in the funds and asset management industry are a testament to this shift. Firms are positioning themselves to attract and retain the best talent across the country. How are employers helping to address the fact that over 50% of adults in Ireland fall below the OECD minimum level of financial literacy? Ireland's financial literacy gap is a serious concern, but the funds and asset management industry is actively part of the solution. Increasingly, firms are investing in outreach programmes, including Transition Year (TY) initiatives, that equip young people with the financial knowledge they need to navigate adulthood. Irish Funds, the representative body for the sector, has worked to scale these types of educational engagements, including through the Irish Funds TY Programme. Last year the programme reached 750 students in 23 schools in 14 counties across Ireland, supported by 43 industry volunteers. Financial Literacy programmes are designed not only to inform students but to demystify the world of investment and savings. This outreach is essential: understanding how money works, how to manage it, and how to plan for the future are foundational life skills, yet many adults report lacking confidence in these areas. By targeting teenagers, the industry is aiming to shift long-term behaviours. These efforts complement broader policy goals to enhance financial wellbeing and reduce inequality of access to financial tools and advice. We are also supporters of the National Financial Literacy Strategy, launched by the Minister for Finance earlier this year. How does the fund and asset management industry support savers in Ireland and the broader economy? Ireland's funds and asset management industry plays a crucial role not only globally but domestically as well. At its core, it helps channel savings into productive investment such as supporting businesses, infrastructure, innovation, and economic resilience. For individual savers, the industry provides access to better long-term outcomes than traditional savings accounts. With inflation and rising living costs, holding wealth in deposit accounts often leads to value erosion over time. Investment funds help grow savings and preserve purchasing power. On a macro level, the industry is a major economic contributor. According to the latest Indecon Economic Impact report, it added €15.4 billion in gross value to the Irish economy and supports 37,500 full-time equivalent jobs across the country. This includes a notable 100% increase in regional employment over the past five years. As more Irish people engage with investment products — whether through pension funds, ETFs, or private assets — the sector's relevance to everyday lives is only set to grow. How will the proposed Savings and Investment Union (SIU) reform support Irish savers? The EU's proposed Savings and Investment Union (SIU) is a transformative initiative aimed at boosting financial market integration across Europe, and Ireland is well placed to lead in this area. Its goals are simple — make it easier and more attractive for people across the EU to invest their money, rather than leave it idle in deposits. For Irish savers, SIU could mean greater access to a broader range of investment products, improved transparency, and potentially more favourable tax and regulatory conditions. It would also help to reduce some of the structural barriers that currently discourage long-term investing, such as the high exit tax on fund returns compared to deposit interest. Ireland's funds industry has an important role to play in shaping and delivering the SIU. As a leading EU domicile and distribution hub, our expertise and infrastructure can support the mobilisation of savings into investments that power the real economy. Whether it's funding climate transitions, digital infrastructure, or housing, the SIU can help ensure capital flows to where it's needed most while supporting savers in achieving better financial outcomes.
The Irish Sun
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Heartbroken pals' emotional funeral tribute to ‘hilarious best friend' as teen who drowned in swim tragedy laid to rest
HEARTBROKEN pals of a teenage boy who tragically drowned last week told how the 17-year-old "would always stay smiling" in a poignant tribute as he was laid to rest today. Peter Byrne, 17, was swimming in the River Barrow in Co 2 Peter Byrne sadly passed away following a swimming tragedy last week Credit: 2 The 17-year-old was with two pals when the accident took place Credit: SOCIAL MEDIA COLLECT Peter, who had just finished Transition Year in the local CBS secondary , and his pals were at a local gym earlier in the evening before they decided to go swimming in the Milford area. It is understood a friend saw him get into difficulty and rushed to try and help him. The alarm was raised at 6:30pm on Tuesday and emergency services commenced a search for the teenager before it was stood down a number of hours later after the discovery of a body. Peter was remembered as the "beloved son" of Antoinette and Stephen, step-son of Dermot, "much-loved" brother of Margeret, Kellie-Anna, Erin, Scott and his twin brother Quintan. READ MORE IRISH NEWS Mourners, including school children wearing t-shirts with a picture of Peter's face, lined the pews of the packed Cathedral as the young Peter's school friends from St Mary's Academy CBS in Carlow Town today told his funeral mass that the memories they made with their pal "will last with me forever". One described the youngster as "genuinely hilarious". He said: "I don't believe that today should be a day of sadness, as Peter never really showed off being upset to anyone. If anything, he'd be angry and then smile 20 seconds later. Most read in Irish News "The amount of memories I have of Peter couldn't be written down with all the ink in the world. As for the bad, it could be written down as good, because they were all laughed over seconds later or sorted with a game of FIFA. School principal pays touching tribute to teen who died in Meath swimming tragedy "In the CBS, for the time he was in it, it had to be the funniest moments of my life. I have a lot of love for you, brother, till we meet again." Another pal described Peter as his "best friend" and "brother". He said: "Losing you feels like I lost a part of myself. I will cherish every memory we have together. "Your beautiful smile could enlighten anybody's day. No matter what mood you were in, you would always stay smiling. Our memories will last a lifetime. "Our games of pool and Brennan's turned into our own competition. You would never let me get the better of you. "When I first moved to CBS, you made me feel welcome and showed me around." 'CARED FOR EVERYBODY' Sharing some of his favourite memories, Peter's friend told how they will "last with me forever". He added: "Goodbye for now, but not forever until we meet again, my brother." Peter's uncle Bert told how the youngster "loved to mess and dance", play football and "was so proud to put on the jersey for his football team New Oak FC. The 17-year-old also cared greatly about his style and appearance, with Peter's uncle telling how he was "non-stop brushing his hair and teeth". Bert told mourners: "Even when power washing for nanny or helping Dermot in the garage, he would be wearing his best on clothes or Montirex tracksuits. "Before leaving the house every day, he would regularly shout, 'hey Ma, hey Dermot, have you got €2 for the bus?' - knowing full well it was probably for a can of Monster. "He would often text Nanny for a few bob for a four in one with satay sauce, which was his favourite. "He cared for everybody, his mam, his dad, his nanny, his grandad, Dermot, his brothers Scott and Quintan, his sisters Kellie-Anna, Erin and Mag, his nephew, his niece, his aunts and uncles and his cousins. 'LOVE WILL NEVER FADE' "But especially for his twin, Quinny. "Even when they were newborns, they would only settle when placed next to each other in their incubators. They shared a special bond like no other. "Peter would often appear in everyone's houses like a gust of wind and be gone again in a flash but never empty handed. He'd normally leave with a drink or something to eat. "We all loved you so much Peter and that love will never fade." Bert also extended thanks to Peter's friends and family for their kindness and generosity during this period of mourning. He gave a special mention to Mark Carpenter and the emergency services for all they did on the day of the tragic incident, adding "it means more to us than anyone will ever know". Bert added: "If love could have saved you Peter, you would have lived forever". Pals brought gifts that represented Peter's life to the altar before the mass started today. The items included a pool cue, representing the teenagers love of pool, his "man bag" and his football jersey, depicting Peter's dedication to his local soccer club New Oak FC, which he played for. Peter's family has asked that any donations, if desired, go to Irish Water Safety.
Irish Daily Mirror
23-06-2025
- Automotive
- Irish Daily Mirror
Government to crack down on learner drivers 'rolling over' permits without test
The Government will take measures to prevent learner drivers from "rolling over" their learner permits without sitting a driving test. Transport Minister Darragh O'Brien will soon bring a memo to Cabinet on the Action Plan for the Road Safety Strategy. The draft memo, seen by the Irish Mirror, stated that the strategy has the "target of reducing road deaths and serious injuries by 50 per cent by 2030" and to achieve "Vision Zero", or as close as possible to no deaths or serious injuries, on Irish roads by 2050. The plan that will be brought to Cabinet by Minister O'Brien is phase two of the strategy. The draft report, seen by the Irish Mirror, is divided into seven "priority intervention areas." This includes measures to improve driver behaviour that will increase the safety of all road users. One action in the report involves plans to "end the practice whereby learner drivers can roll over learner permits without the requirement to sit a test". Currently, learner drivers must prove that they have sat or booked a test to obtain a third learner permit. However, ministers have privately expressed concerns to the Irish Mirror that people are applying for the tests to secure their third provisional licence but are not actually turning up to take the test. No-shows, one minister said, are adding to the issue of long driving test waiting lists, which the Road Safety Authority (RSA) said last week are finally starting to fall. As of June 14, the average national waiting time for a driving test stood at 18.4 weeks, down from a high of 27 weeks at the end of April. The plan also suggests that the learning to drive programme should be "enhanced" based on "evidence from international best practice, in tandem with improvements in the driving test". It also says the Government will develop legislation and a framework for imposing attendance at a "Speed Awareness Course" as a sanction for certain road traffic offences. The Action Plan states that "education is a key measure in addressing and improving driver behaviour and in achieving better safety outcomes for all road users". It continues: "While education is important for road users of all ages, the focus of the Strategy is on drivers of the future to instil good behaviours from an early age". Suggestions in the plan include "considering the potential" to "expand the suite of educational programmes, to bring sustained interventions for individuals from primary school through to third level, to build on the new TY [Transition Year] programme successfully initiated in 2024." The plan also suggests that the RSA should consider providing TY students with "educational materials relating to the Driver Theory Test."
