Luke Ming Flanagan: Sergeant and Co Council official helped remove my penalty points

The independent TD Luke Ming Flanagan has admitted that points for using a mobile phone while driving were twice removed from his licence.

The Roscommon deputy admitted he was approached by a Garda Sergeant after he was caught using the phone on his way to the Dáil in June 2011.

He said he was told the points could be removed because he was on official business as a TD.

He revealed that he was caught again on his way to a Council meeting in December 2011, and that this time a senior official of Roscommon County Council "sorted it out" for him, though he made no request for this to be done.

Deputy Flanagan told the Dáil the incidents were indicative of a culture at work over the issue.

“I did not ask the Garda sergeant in question to get involved but he insisted he should. I do not believe it was an attempt to trip me up I believe it is a culture that has festered for years,” he said.

“All the Garda was doing was what he had learned along the way.”

He added, “It is quite extraordinary to think that a senior county council official would feel confident enough that approaching a senior garda would enable him to have penalty points quashed for a citizen.”