News Ireland daily BLOG by Donie

Tuesday 15th December 2014

Irish Government may not win the Seanad vote on water charges

 

Leo Varadkar warns of higher bills in January if concessions and lower charges are not agreed.

The Minister for Health Leo Varadkar said that if the Seanad does reject the Water Services Bill, the existing arrangements apply.

The Government is uncertain of the voting intentions of some Senators nominated by the Taoiseach as it prepares for crucial votes on water charges legislation.

The Minister for Health Leo Varadkar has warned Senators that if they reject the revised legislation this week, people will face higher bills in January rather than reduced bills in April. His comments were described as “unhelpful” by Independent Senator Fiach MacConghail.

The controversial Water Services Bill 2014 is due to be debated in the Dáil on Tuesday and Wednesday before proceeding to the Seanad on Thursday and Friday.

Leo Varadkar, who was speaking at an event in Dublin, said the concessions and reduced charges announced by Government recently needed to be agreed by both Houses of the Oireachtas.

The Status quo

“As I understand it, if the Seanad does reject the Water Services Bill, the existing arrangements apply. So what they would in effect be doing is allowing the status quo to stand, which would mean higher bills landing in January rather than the reduced bills in April,” he said. “So I think the Seanad need to think about whether they want to be responsible for that or not.”

Mr. Mac Conghail said Senators were waiting to see the shape of the Bill when it emerged from the Dáil after amendments had been debated, and were continuing to seek clarity on various issues, such as privatisation and data protection.

“Leo’s comments were unhelpful. The Seanad has a very independent mind,” he said. “I’ll consider the Bill when it comes through. I just want clarification on privatisation; I need more clarity around data people have already submitted.”

The Government is in a minority in the 60-seat Seanad with 17 Fine Gael and 11 Labour Senators. The other seats belong to Opposition and Independent members who sometimes support the Government.

Another Taoiseach’s nominee, Marie-Louise O’Donnell, said she had “very mixed” feelings about the Bill.

Grave doubts?

“I’m not against paying for water but my big worry was privatisation. I’m not too sure my fears have been allayed,” said M/s O’Donnell.“I also have grave doubts about the structure of Irish Water.”

She predicted the debate on the contentious legislation would not conclude this week but would continue into next week.

Minister for the Environment Alan Kelly predicted the legislation would be supported by the Seanad this week.

The Gardai given 700 new nursing home complaints by TD

 

A file of 700 separate complaints about nursing and care homes has been passed by a Government TD to the Garda Commissioner, it has emerged.

The revelation comes in the wake of the Aras Attracta care home scandal last week.

Speaking to the Herald, Fine Gael TD Fergus O’Dowd has said the separate complaints about nursing and care homes that he received through a Freedom of Information request were passed on to Commissioner Noirin O’Sullivan.

Mr O’Dowd said the complaints centred around the failure to provide proper care in homes around the country and were included in documents he received from the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA).

He confirmed that the files are also being forwarded to the Medical Council and the Nursing Board for their consideration.

“Some of the complaints deal with shocking cases and such is the seriousness of what was included I felt the need to refer the matter to the Garda Commissioner,” he said.

Mr O’Dowd got an initial file of 300-odd complaints dating from 2013 a couple of weeks ago and has since received a further file of about 400 complaints lodged throughout 2014.

Mr O’Dowd said he obtained a redacted file which omitted the names of the nursing and care homes involved, but said he expected the gardai to get the un-redacted file.

POWERS

The former junior minister has also called for greater powers for HIQA to investigate complaints concerning the treatment of patients.

Meanwhile, HSE Director General Tony O’Brien is to be questioned by the Oireachtas Health Committee this week about the Aras Attracta scandal.

Mr O’Brien will appear before the Joint Committee on Health and Children tomorrow evening to address the controversy.

Confirmation of his appearance comes as families of those who suffered abuse at the care home said they have been “betrayed” by what was allowed to happen.

Committee Chair Jerry Buttimer TD said: “As a Committee, we were shocked at appalling evidence of alleged abuse of residents at Aras Attracta uncovered by RTE.

“This Tuesday, we have asked senior HSE officials to discuss how they propose to respond to the serious issues highlighted.”

Irish Government should stand up to big business on prompt payments

   

The Irish Small and Medium Enterprise association says the Government needs to stand up to big businesses and ensure prompt payments for small and medium firms.

ISME says businesses are waiting more than 60 days to be paid by bigger companies and government agencies.

The business group is calling for a change in the Prompt Payments legislation, calling for the introduction of a statutory 30-day payments regime for all businesses trading within Ireland with other Irish based enterprises.

The CEO of ISME Mark Fielding says the Government needs to stand up to big business much more.

He said: “Small and medium businesses rely heavily on a smooth cash flow from their customers in order to pay their bills, buy the stock and take advantage of market conditions and pay wages and taxes.

“The Government themselves are lax on this one, while their own collector general doesn’t wait around to get their taxes.

“So what we are saying is that the Government should stand up to big business and insist on prompt payments across the board.”

Here is some good news if you earn the minimum wage

 

A new Low Pay Commission is being set up to examine the current rate of €8.65 and whether it should be increased.

A Government Minister has given strong indications that the national minimum wage is likely to be increased as soon as next year as he seeks members for the new Low Pay Commission.

  Ged Nash, the Minister for Business and Employment, today sought expressions of interest for the nine-member panel being set up to examine the current national minimum wage of €8.65 and whether it should be increased.

Speaking today, Nash said he wants to see the minimum wage increased “progressively” in the coming years as the economy improves and said there is an “inevitability” about pay increase demands as the economy improves.

“I want to see the rate of the national minimum wage progressively increased over a period of time. But I will say this, it should increased only in circumstances where circumstances allow,” Nash told reporters today.

He said that the current rate of €8.65, which was reduced to €7.65 by the previous government before being restored by the current administration, has not been properly reviewed since 2007.

The new Low Pay Commission will consist of an independent chairperson, three people with experience of working with low-paid workers, three people with experience of employers’ interests and two members with experience of labour market economics and employment law.

The chair will be paid €20,000 while the members will each earn €11,500 with the commission receiving an overall budget of €500,000.

Nash said he envisages the commission meeting for the first time in February and having its first publicly available report for him by the early spring. He anticipates that its recommendations will be implemented “very soon after that”.

The Louth TD said that while he could “theoretically, hypothetically” ignore the commission’s recommendations but said this would be unlikely as it would provide an “evidence-based approach” using ”a robust set of data sets”.

Martin Shanaghar, assistant secretary in the Department of Jobs, insisted that the UK Low Pay Commission, which has operated for over a decade, has been examined very closely and said its success is based on government usually implementing its recommendations.

More than 82,000 people sought cancer information last year 2013

 

Irish Cancer Society says services need to engage better with men and older people

A report found 70% of people contacting the Irish Cancer Society information services are women.

Cancer information services need to engage better with men, older people and people with disabilities, according to a new report. In total, over 82,000 people contacted theIrish Cancer Society last year and 70% of those contacting for information are women, the report finds.

It says awareness levels of such services are high, but healthcare professionals are slow to recommend them to their patients and families. With cancer numbers set to increase to 40,000 cases a year by 2020, demand for expert information, advice and support is set to increase.

The society commissioned Prof Jonathan Drennan of the University of Southampton to evaluate its information service. He found about 40 per cent of those contacting the service had or were recovering from cancer.

A similar number were making contact on behalf of a family member or friend who had been diagnosed with the disease. People with a disability, such as the deaf and blind communities, may have difficulty accessing the service, according to Prof Drennan.

Donal Buggy, head of services at the ICS, said: “We now have the evidence which will allow us to improve and develop our service to meet the challenges ahead, as well as addressing the recommendations in the report.

“We are committed to evolving and improving in areas such as how we engage with men, disadvantaged communities, older people and non-Irish nationals.”

It was also vital for the society to engage more readily with healthcare professionals, he said.

Geminid meteors photobomb views of Northern Lights

  

What’s cooler than pictures of the northern lights, or pictures of the Geminid meteor shower in progress? How about getting both of those celestial phenomena in one photograph? Veteran sky watchers pulled off that trick last weekend when the Geminids reached their peak just as a high-speed solar wind was sparking heightened auroral displays in high northern latitudes.

“Tonight our group of 10 guests from all over the world enjoyed an amazing display of auroras dancing in the sky with the Geminid meteor shower,” Chad Blakley, the photographer/guide who runs Lights Over Lapland, told SpaceWeather.com in a posting on Sunday. “The auroras started with a burst of energy and slowly calmed down as the meteor shower intensified. At one point we were seeing several meteors per minute.”

Based on the reports gathered by the International Meteor Organization, Blakley and his guests at Sweden’s Abisko National Park weren’t the only ones to enjoy a standout show. Some skywatchers reported seeing 140 meteors or more during one hour of peak time on Saturday night. Sharp-eyed observers can still catch the tail end of the spectacle on Monday night and early Tuesday morning.

Photographer Zoltan Kenwell’s picture captures the aurora’s bright glow over Alberta with the dramatic streak of a meteor’s fall.

About 40 miles (60 kilometers) north of Edmonton, Alberta, photographer Zoltan Kenwell of InFocus Imagery also sampled a double-dip of northern lights and meteor flashes.

“My plan was to capture a few Geminids, and to my surprise I found a little aurora as well,” Kenwell told SpaceWeather.com. “So what does an aurora hunter do when there is a meteor shower on? He kicks back in a recliner, relaxes and enjoys the show!”

The outlook from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center suggests that the show will continue this week, and SpaceWeather.com says there’s a chance that newly emerging sunspots could produce fresh solar flares. As for shooting stars, the next display on the calendar is the Quadrantid meteor shower.

“The bright waxing gibbous moon will wash out all but the brightest Quadrantid meteors,” EarthSky’s Bruce McClure reports. “But if you’re game, try watching between midnight and dawn on January 3 and/or 4.”

In response to our call for Geminid pictures via #NBCmeteor, Roberto De Lorenzo sent this picture of a meteor flash, witnessed in the skies over southern Italy on Saturday evening. “It shows a Geminid meteor crossing the sky between Orion and Taurus,” De Lorenzo wrote in an email. “I shot it with a Canon EOS with standard optics and 15 seconds of exposure.”

News Ireland daily BLOG by Donie

Saturday/Sunday 11 & 12th October 2014

More people at risk of losing their family home are seeking advice

 

As much as 3,588 people has sought advice from Focus Ireland in the first eight months of this year.

Focus Ireland says there has been a 43% increase in the number of people seeking advice and information so far this year because they are homeless or at serious risk of losing their home.

The latest figures released today shows that 3,588 people had sought advice and information in the first eight months of this year, compared to 2,500 people over the same period last year.

Focus Ireland said this significant rise is a reflection of the reality that more people are now at risk of losing their family home. The charity says it has had to expand its advice and information services to meet this growing need.

Fundraising for the expansion of services to meet the growing demand, Focus Ireland is preparing for a charity event taking place next Friday night, which involves nearly 100 business leaders and community leaders, who are all going to sleep rough in Dublin’s Iveagh Gardens and Cork’s City Gaol.

Head of Fundraising Lisa-Nicole Dunne said that the charity has to raise one-third of its income from fundraising so events like the Shine a Light Night are critical to allow Focus Ireland to continue to support families and single people struggling to keep a roof over their heads.

Focus Ireland stressed that early access to advice and information can help to prevent a housing problem from becoming a homeless crisis and appealed to anyone worried about their housing situation to contact the charity as soon as possible.

The charity is also putting out a final call to business leaders who would like to get involved in next week’s event.

To register for Shine A Light or to nominate your boss, see the Focus Ireland website.

Once again “Over 50,000 march in Dublin” to protest against Irish water charges

 

Groups from all over country converge on capital to oppose new measures

People taking part in the anti-water charges protest march in O’Connell Street, Dublin this afternoon.

Upwards of 50,000 people marched against water charges in Dublin today in one of the largest demonstrations seen in the capital in years.

The marchers took one hour and twenty minutes to pass the Spire in O’Connell Street as they made their way from Parnell Square, around the city finishing at the GPO in O’Connell Street.

While the Garda press office could not give a figure for the numbers in attendance, one garda observing the march estimated they could be as high as 100,000.

Banners could be seen from communities across Dublin, including Crumlin, Ayrfield, Clarehall, Brookvale, Donaghmede, Ballyogan, Finglas, Ballymun, Edenmore, Coolock, Tallaght, Clondalkin while others from outside Dublin came included ones from Carlow, Cork, Galway, Limerick, Offaly, Wicklow, Athlone, Ballyphehane, Co Cork, Letterkenny, Leitrim and Mayo.

There were also banners from trade unions Mandate, Unite, the CPSU, the Communication Workers Union and the plasterers’ union, OPATSI.

There was huge anger directed at Taoiseach Enda Kenny, as well as the Labour Party and at Tánaiste Joan Burton in particular for her comments during the week that anti-water charges protesters all seemed to have expensive mobile phones. A number of people carried placards with pairs of tin cans strung together attached, with slogans such as “My little phoney, Joaney” while one man was dressed as an iPhone. Other placards said:“Sold out by our own Government”; “Stick your water meters up your arse” and “Can’t pay, won’t pay”.

A number who spoke to The Irish Times, said the water charge was “the last straw”.

“Enough is enough,” said Kathleen McWilliams, a woman in her 50s from Artane.

“The property tax was bad enough but I have nothing left to give.”

There was also anger directed at the media which many protesters said had been agnoring anti-water meter protests around the country.

Among the chants were, “Enda in your ivory tower, this is called people power” and “From the rivers to the sea, Irish water will be free”.

One man was distributing plastic water meter hub caps which he said could be used to ensure a household’s water supply while others were handing out leaflets advising people that Irish Water did not have a legal right to force people to sign a contract with them, could not pursue money from people’s wages and could not cut off people’s water supply.

The Garda presence was low key, with small numbers standing some distance back from the march mainly on streets adjacent to the route.

Before the main speakers, the Resistance Choir sang from the platform and performed their song Now Is The Time For Rage.

Among the speakers was Audrey Clancy, of the Edenmore Says No campaign who urged people neither to fill in their ‘welcome packs’ from Irish Water nor to pay bills when they start arriving.

“We have to have mass non-compliance when these bills start coming in January. No contract, no consent.. We can beat this. We have to stick together. The power of the people is greater than the people in power. Stand up to them,” she said to enormous cheers.

People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett urged everyone to take selfies and email their photo to Tánaiste Joan Burton.

“Let her wallpaper her office with all the photos of people here. Will we pay the water charges?,” he asked, to which the crowd responded loudly, “No, no, no.” He urged people to take part in planned demonstrations around the State on November 1st.

“Today we brought Dublin to a standstill. On November 1st we will bring the country to a standstill.”

Independent TD Clare Daly said there were historic days from which point nothing would be the same, and this was one of them.

“The people are here with our mobile phones and our tablets and we’re saying, ‘You are not getting any more blood from these stones’.”

Older peoples mental health in Ireland linked to deprivation

  

Older people living in disadvantaged areas of Ireland are much more likely to have poor mental health, a new study has found.

The results are based on an analysis of data collected as part of the TUDA Ageing study – a study involving over 5,000 older people living in the Republic and Northern Ireland.

The researchers acknowledged that cognitive functioning generally decreases as people age. However, they found that older people living in disadvantaged areas had a greater risk of developing cognitive dysfunction, ranging from mild cognitive impairment to dementia, than those living in less deprived areas.

They also found that those living in the most deprived areas were more likely to be anxious or depressed and had three years less education. They also exercised less, weighed more and smoked more.

“The overall results of our study suggest that older people living in the most deprived areas in Ireland, North and South, are at higher risk of poor mental health and developing cognitive impairment. We should target resources and strategies at this group to reduce the risk of developing cognitive impairment,” commented Prof Helene McNulty of the University of Ulster.

The findings were presented at the recent annual Scientific Meeting of the Irish Gerontological Society in Galway.

Leo Varadkar health Minister says the cycle of cuts in healthcare is over

 

Minister for Health says spending savings will go back into services and not to pay debt any more?

The Minister for Health Leo Varadkar has said the cycle of cuts in health care is now over.

It was revealed yesterday that Mr Varadkar will receive a €500 million supplementary budget estimate this year, with some €300 million to be rolled over into 2015.

The two-year budget deal his department has struck is designed to ensure it can adhere to spending limits without the need for repeated financial bailouts.

“The good news is, the cycle of cuts in health care is over,” he told a conference in Dublin earlier today but cautioned that “we’re not flush with cash”.

“Our spending ceiling is now rising again so it means any savings or efficiencies we do make in our health services will go back into our health services and not into deficits or to pay down debt,” he said.

Mr Varadkar was speaking at the International Street Medicine symposium hosted by Safetynet Ireland and The Street Medicine Institute which looks at health of homeless people and rough sleepers.

He said the number of drug-related deaths was a matter of serious concern and was “surprised” by data from 2011 which showed that there were 60 poisoning deaths from heroin compared to 113 from methadone.

In order to respond to the problem of drug related deaths and overdoses the health service has developed an overdose prevention strategy which recommends making Naloxone routinely available in Ireland, he said.

Naloxone is an antidote to heroin which temporarily reverses the effects of an opiate overdose.

Naloxone is a prescription-only medication in Ireland and an amendment to current legislation would be required for it to be made available to opiate users .

“It is intended that Naloxone can be administered by non medical staff such as care workers, family members and addicts themselves and other people trained in the use of it,” he said.

“There’s no doubt the scale and nature of the drug problem in Ireland is constantly evolving. The emergence new pscyho active substances, the increased strength of cannabis and the prevalence of poly drug use represents serious challenges for our services,” he said.

Mr Varadkar said the area of drug use and deprivation and how it impacts on health is one he will take a personal interest in under his tenure as Minister for Health.

“Under the previous minister, the whole position – and this isn’t a bad thing – was delegated to the Minister for State.”

Mr Varadkar said that responsibility for drugs and drug policy will now full under his remit.

He said the “ social problems left untackled” were a burden on emergency departments and health services and “the cost of not dealing with these things is phenomenal”.

A robot Snake Teach Scientists How Sidewinders Move

  

Elizabeth the robot snake gave scientists insight into sand dune travel

Scientists have finally figured out how sidewinder snakes work their way up sand dunes — thanks to the help of a robot snake (yes, a robot snake) named Elizabeth.

For a study published recently in Science, researchers observed that sidewinding rattlesnakes flattened themselves on steep dunes to maximize body contact with sand, rather than dig their bodies deeper into the dune, the BBC reports.

Researchers took their observations and contacted a lab that develops robot sidewinders to further explore the movement. After a robot snake named Elizabeth was unable to scale a desert dune in Egypt, they brought Elizabeth to a fake dune in Atlanta, where “she” ultimately found more success after researchers applied the flattening technique to her movements.

Following that breakthrough, playing with Elizabeth’s settings gave the scientists insight into how sidewinders move so effortlessly. As it turns out, an out-of-sync combination of left-and-right motions and up-and-down movements working their way down the body helps keep the sand stable underneath the snake, to avoid slipping. The flattening motion helps keep the snake’s contact with the sand at the ideal, moderate amount. Too much contact and the snake can slip; too little, and it can’t successfully scale.