Members of Clare County Council who disrupt council meetings through mobile phone usage risk being despatched to a "sin bin" by Clare's mayor, Cllr Patrick Keane.
Announcing the initiative aimed at stopping council meetings from being disrupted by members using mobile phones, Cllr Keane said yesterday that he was also proposing a fine of €2 for each offence that would go to charity.
He said: "Initially, the sin-bin initiative will be implemented and we will see how it goes. If councillors disrupt meetings, I will request them to leave the council chamber for 10 minutes."
Coming to the end of his year as mayor, Cllr Keane said: "The use of mobile phones at council meetings show [ sic] a lack of respect for what is going on in the Chamber . . . I understand that councillors must have their phones switched on to take calls from people, but all I am asking is that councillors have their phone on silent or vibrate."
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