News Ireland daily BLOG by Donie

Thursday 2nd October 2014

Irish Exchequer deficit at €6bn in September:  €1.2bn better than target

 

• Hopes for easier Budget as exchequer deficit is about €1.2bn better.

The Irish Exchequer deficit was at €6bn in September, which was an improvement of €1.2bn on the target that was set in last October’s budget with tax revenues up €703m.

Overall, the Exchequer deficit at end September 2014 stood at €5.96bn compared to €7.14bn in 2013 and the improvement of €1.2bn on the Budget 2014 target was driven by increased tax receipts and reduced interest expenditure.

Total tax revenue of €28.87bn was collected to end-September, an increase of €2.0bn (7.4%) on the same period last year. In addition, cumulative tax revenues are €703m (2.5%) ahead of target. With regards to the month of September, tax revenues were €268m (6.3%) below the monthly target. A significant portion of the shortfall for the month, c. €220m, was in respect of  delayed monies in relation to the levy on pension funds according to the Department of Finance.

Income tax totalled €11,768m to end-September, an increase of €956m (8.8%) year-on-year and up €136m (1.2%) on target. For the month of September, income tax receipts of €1.18bn were €37m (3.0%) below target.

VAT receipts for the year to date totalled €8.96bn, up €280m (3.2%) on target and up €550m (6.5%) in year-on-year terms.

Corporation tax receipts for the year to date of €2.71bn are up €77m (2.9%) year-on-year and €108m (4.1%) above target. Corporation tax receipts for the month of September at €327m are €78m (19.3%) below target.

Excise duties, at €3.56bn  for the first nine months of the year, are €217m (6.5%) up year-on-year and also up €197m (5.8%) against target. In September, excise receipts were €41m (11.5%) above the monthly target.

Cumulative Stamp Duties at €1.03bn down €62m (5.6%) year-on-year and down €41m (3.8%) on target.

Local Property Tax (LPT) receipts of €385m to end-September are €15m (3.8%) below target.

Taken together, the remaining smaller tax-heads – – Customs, CGT and CAT – – are up €67m (19.0%) year-on-year and €5m (1.2%) above target

Overall net voted expenditure to end-September, at €30.98bn is down €630m (2.0%) year-on-year and is €14m (0.0%) above target.

Total Exchequer debt serving costs at end-September 2014 were €5.61bn, a year-on-year increase of €100m or 1.8%. Interest expenditure – – the largest component of debt servicing – – was 7.3% below the Budget 2014 target at end-September 2014.

Current health spending was up €390m while the social protection budget was up €20 despite a fall in employment.

Peter Vale, tax partner at Grant Thornton, commented: “Today’s figures show that both tax receipts and control over spending are in good shape. Increasing consumer confidence and lower unemployment figures are reflected in VAT and income tax receipts that are both on target and well ahead of last year.

On the face of it, today’s figures reinforce the argument that Minister Noonan has scope to ease the pain for taxpayers in the Budget. However, there is increasing external pressure from the EU and IMF, and from some closer to home, to maintain a prudent position. What had looked like being a neutral budget, with many seeing their tax bills falling, now looks less certain. It’s possible that many of the promised tax reductions will be deferred until this time next year.

A postponement of any tax cuts would impact adversely on the domestic economy next year. This may encourage Minister Noonan to introduce tax incentives aimed at encouraging investment in Irish businesses; this would neutralise the adverse impact of additional taxes draining money out of the economy. Ireland lags significantly behind the UK in terms of providing incentives to those seeking to invest in businesses, a point stressed in pre-Budget submissions.

On the international front, it’s now looking very likely that the Budget speech will herald changes to Ireland’s tax regime for overseas investors. What’s critical is that there is certainty as to Ireland’s future tax strategy, with an alternative offering that does not in any way compromise on our existing competiveness. Any uncertainty as to what the Irish tax landscape will look like would pose serious risks to both existing and future foreign investment in Ireland.”

Here’s what PAC discovered about how public money was wasted

 

It has also listed spending recommendations to public bodies.

The public accounts Committee highlighted a number of ways in which public money was wasted in a report published this afternoon.

It says the report flows from a series of meetings which pointed to waste of exchequer funding in a number of public bodies.

PAC chairman John McGuinness said the document provides “valuable lessons for all public bodies in project management and general governance controls”.

“While the focus of the original report of the Comptroller & Auditor General is on specific issues where the outcome differed from what was intended…

The focus of this PAC report is on what can be learned and what can be applied across the public service.

So what did the report find?

State Pathology

PAC found that the Department of Justice and Equality wrote-off €2.78 million in 2012 after the abandonment of a project to build new offices for the State Pathologist.

It advises that, where a public body does not have a dedicated capital project unit, all its major capital projects should be put under the care and management of the Office of Public Works.

Land Swap Arrangements

The report found that land swap commitments were entered into without a full risk assessment.

The PAC says this was due to the lack of a lead agency acting on behalf of the State.

As a result, the State has incurred extra costs of over €1 million arising from the failure to fulfil a land swap with a developer involving a Harcourt Terrace site.

National Gallery

The National Gallery agreed to pay a net total of €40,000 in ‘removal expenses’ to a new Director.

The report calls for a guidance note to be drawn up to cater for situations where the public service needs to recruit talent from abroad and where such appointees incur extra costs arising from the need to relocate here.

Waterford IT

The Committee found that weaknesses in governance at Waterford IT resulted in a failure to challenge inappropriate levels of expenditure and breaches of procurement rules.

The report calls for the Higher Education Authority to establish networks of key officials involved in controls in third level institutions.

It also advises each third level college to develop a whistle-blowers charter using the charter currently being rolled out in WIT as a blue-print.

Irish Pensioners face income cut over levy, IAPF warns

  

IAPF says a pensioner on retirement income of €10,000 per year would be paying a levy this year of €1,125Jerry Moriarty, chief executive of the Irish Association of Pension Funds:

Government appears to have forgotten the voting strength of pensionersMore than 13,000 pensioners face a cut in their retirement income if the Government does not withdraw the pensions levy in the forthcoming budget, according to an industry survey.

The Irish Association of Pension Funds (IAPF), which represents the pensions sector, says more than half of all private sector defined-benefit pensioners – about 36,000 people – have suffered a reduction in their income as the Government effectively taxed their retirement funds over the past four years.“

Almost half of the balance – 21% of schemes, representing approximately 13,000 pensioners – say they will have to reduce pension benefits if the Government reneges on its promise to halt this grossly unfair savings tax.

” the IAPF said.IAPF chief executive Jerry Moriarty said the Government appears to have forgotten the voting strength of pensioners who “understandably . . . will point the finger at the Government”.The IAPF said a pensioner on retirement income of €10,000 per year would be paying a levy this year of €1,125 assuming the 2014 double levy of 0.75% cent on a capital value of €150,000.

IAPF says a pensioner on retirement income of €10,000 per year would be paying a levy this year of €1,125Jerry Moriarty, chief executive of the Irish Association of Pension Funds: Government appears to have forgotten the voting strength of pensionersMore than 13,000 pensioners face a cut in their retirement income if the Government does not withdraw the pensions levy in the forthcoming budget, according to an industry survey.

The Irish Association of Pension Funds (IAPF), which represents the pensions sector, says more than half of all private sector defined-benefit pensioners – about 36,000 people – have suffered a reduction in their income as the Government effectively taxed their retirement funds over the past four years.

“Almost half of the balance – 21% of schemes, representing approximately 13,000 pensioners – say they will have to reduce pension benefits if the Government reneges on its promise to halt this grossly unfair savings tax,

” the IAPF said.IAPF chief executive Jerry Moriarty said the Government appears to have forgotten the voting strength of pensioners who “understandably . . . will point the finger at the Government”.The IAPF said a pensioner on retirement income of €10,000 per year would be paying a levy this year of €1,125 assuming the 2014 double levy of 0.75% cent on a capital value of €150,000.

Bankruptcies registered in Ireland this year now stands at 300

  

The number of bankruptcies registered in Ireland to date have increased 8 fold, when compared with figures from 2011.

According to the latest figures from business risk analyst firm, Vision-net.ie, the number of registered bankruptcies stands at 300, with just 35 recorded three years ago.

Dublin reported the highest number, with 77 bankruptcies, followed by Kildare, Cork and Wicklow.

The figures show Dublin reported the highest number of bankruptcies nationally with 77. Followed by 32 in Kildare, 28 in Cork, while Wicklow recorded 22.

But, despite this, the report finds the number of new start-up businesses also continue to grow, with 32,277 company and business start-ups established in 2014, a 3% rise on figures for last year.

In particular, the Irish tech start-up sector is performing strongly with over a 1,000 start-ups established during the first nine months of 2014.

The motor trade has experienced the most significant drop in the number of company failures, with a decline of 36%.

Wild mushroom warning as 11 children and 7 adults poisoned in Ireland

  

Food watchdog warns cooking is not enough to kill potentially toxic chemicals, 

Safety advice has been issued on wild mushrooms as figures reveal 11 children and seven adults are known to have been poisoned by fungal organisms this year.

Safety advice has been issued on wild mushrooms as figures reveal 11 children and seven adults are known to have been poisoned by fungal organisms this year.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has strongly advised people not to eat wild mushrooms without the advice of an expert mushroom forager.

It called on parents to be vigilant in relation to children near wild mushrooms.

The warning coincides with the start of the foraging season, and an increase in inquiries to the National Poisons Information Centre of Ireland in relation to wild mushroom consumption.

In 2013, 19 cases of poisoning related to wild mushrooms were notified to the centre involving seven adults and 12 children.

To date this year, 18 cases have been notified, involving seven adults and 11 children.

All the children had eaten wild mushrooms accidentally.

FSAI director of consumer protection Ray Ellard said: “The high number of cases involving children in particular points to the need for parents and guardians to be vigilant and to teach children not to eat wild mushrooms,” he said.

“We’re advising parents and guardians to specifically watch children who may be playing in gardens or fields where wild mushrooms could be growing in case they accidentally eat a poisonous mushroom.”

According to Mr Ellard, it is extremely difficult for amateur mushroom foragers to distinguish between safe and poisonous mushrooms growing in the wild. “Given the serious health implications, we’re advising people to be aware of the risks involved and to seek specialist advice from an experienced mushroom forager if they plan to undertake this activity,” he said.

“In our opinion, websites and books showing visuals of mushrooms are not sufficient to identify safe mushrooms and we would not recommend people to solely rely on these to determine the safety of a wild mushroom.”

He said it was important to note cooking does not kill potentially toxic chemicals that can be found in some wild mushrooms.

“Eating a wild poisonous mushroom, raw or cooked, can result in people becoming very ill with symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea and, in some cases, it can result in liver failure,” Mr Ellard said.

There are 14 native species of mushrooms growing in Ireland that can cause food poisoning.

A further 13 species can cause hepatic and renal toxicity and ultimately can be life-threatening.

Consumers with food safety queries about wild mushrooms can contact the FSAI Advice Line on 1890 33 66 77 or the Poisons Information Centre of Ireland on 01-8092166 or at http://www.poisons.ie

Human consumption is main reason for wildlife loss

 

The plight of much of the world’s wildlife seems ‘worse than ever’, writes Alex Kirby. To blame is unsustainable human consumption, which is driving habitat loss, climate change and the illegal wildlife trade.

The scale of biodiversity loss, and damage to the very ecosystems that are essential to our existence is alarming. This damage is not inevitable but a consequence of the way we choose to live.

Human pressure has halved the numbers of many of the Earth’s wild creatures in just four decades, the Worldwide Fund for Nature says.

While the main recorded threat to biodiversity comes from habitat loss and degradation, it found, climate change is a growing concern. Both are driven by unsustainable human consumption.

WWF’s Living Planet Report 2014 says that vertebrate wildlife populations have declined by an average of just over half, with freshwater species suffering a 76% decline, almost double the average loss of land and ocean species.

In a foreword the director-general of WWF International, Marco Lambertini, writes: “This latest edition of the Living Planet Report is not for the faint-hearted.

“One key point that jumps out is that theLiving Planet Index (LPI), which measures more than 10,000 representative populations of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish, has declined by 52% since 1970.

“Put another way, in less than two human generations, population sizes of vertebrate species have dropped by half.”

The Report is based on the Index, a database maintained by the Zoological Society of London(ZSL).

Industrial-scale killing

According to WWF, the state of the world’s biodiversity “appears worse than ever.” But it is confident in the robustness of its findings:

“This is a much bigger decrease than has been reported previously, as a result of a new methodology which aims to be more representative of global biodiversity.”

The authors calculated the decline by analysing 10,000 different populations of 3,000 vertebrates. This data was then, for the first time, used to create a representative Living Planet Index, reflecting the state of all 45,000 known vertebrates. The consequences, it shows, can be drastic.

Last week conservationists said that elephant poaching was now happening on an unprecedented and “industrialised” scale in Mozambique, after 22 of the animals were killed for their tusks in the first two weeks of September. Numbers of some marine turtles are estimated to have dropped by 80%.

Professor Ken Norris, director of science at the ZSL, said: “The scale of biodiversity loss, and damage to the very ecosystems that are essential to our existence is alarming. This damage is not inevitable but a consequence of the way we choose to live.”

There is wide disagreement about the number of species on Earth. In 2007, when the total was estimated by many scientists at around 1.5 m (it is now thought to be 8.7 m) the number of vertebrate species was put at about 60,000 in the IUCN Red List.

WWF says too that humans are using more resources than the Earth can continue to provide, felling trees more quickly than they can regrow, for example, catching fish faster than they can reproduce, emptying rivers and aquifers – and emitting too much carbon for natural systems to absorb.

Boundaries crossed

The Report devotes a section to the idea of the Ecological Footprint, the sum of the ecological services that people demand which compete for space. For more than 40 years, it says, humanity’s demand on nature has exceeded what the planet can replenish, principally through climate change.

“Carbon from burning fossil fuels has been the dominant component of humanity’s Ecological Footprint for more than half a century, and remains on an upward trend. In 1961, carbon was 36% of our total Footprint; by 2010, it comprised 53%.”

WWF urges respect for “planetary boundaries” beyond which humanity will “enter a danger zone where abrupt negative changes are likely to occur.”

It says “three planetary boundaries appear to have already been transgressed: biodiversity loss, and changes to the climate and nitrogen cycle, with already visible impacts on the well-being of human health and our demands on food, water and energy.”

The Report argues for the diversion of investment away from the causes of environmental problems and towards solutions, and for “ecologically informed” choices about how we manage resources.

Next year world leaders are due to conclude two critical global agreements: the post-2015 development framework, which will include Sustainable Development Goals intended to be met by all countries by 2030; and a UN treaty leading to effective action to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

News Ireland daily BLOG by Donie

Thursday 19th June 2014

AIB says it intends to repay the €20.8 billion bailout from Irish State

 

The banks chairman tells shareholders that repayment of bailout was ‘constant focus’ of his board

AIB chairman David Hodgkinson told shareholders today that the bank intends to repay the €20.8 billion in bailout funds that it has received from the State since 2009.

“This bank will over time repay the €20 billion to the State,” he said in response to a rambling question from shareholder Niall Murphy at its annual general meeting in Ballsbridge. “That is our intention. We have to create a viable institution and we are well on that path.”

Earlier, in a prepared statement, Mr Hodgkinson said it was the “constant focus” of the board of AIB to repay the State and he said the bank had paid €2 billion in recent years to the exchequer in fees related to the Government guarantees and coupon payents on its contingent capital notes.

Mr Hodgkinson also revealed that AIB chief executiveDavid Duffy has agreed to a permanent contract with the bank, having previously been on a three-year contract that was due to end in December.

There was no financial update from AIB at its AGM this morning, given that it had issued an interim management statement in May and its results for the first half of this year will be published on July 30th.

Mr Hodgkinson said a number of milestones had been met by the bank recently, including approval for its restructuring plan by the European Commission. He reiterated that AIB had returned to post-provision profitability during the first quarter of this year.

Mr Hodgkinson said AIB plans to deliver mortgage approvals of between €7 billion and €10 billion each year out to 2017. Lending drawdowns by customers in its combined businesses were 60 per cent higher during the first three months of this year when compared with the same period of 2013.

He said mortgage drawdowns in the Republic were 50 per cent higher during the first three months of 2014 when compared to the same period last year.

The AIB chairman added that mortgage arrears in Q1 was “stable”.

“We are fully aware of the distress suffered by many customers in financial difficulty and we are making real and tangible inroads into restructuring their borrowings,” he said.

On SME lending, Mr Hodgkinson said credit demand is improving and lending approvals in the first quarter of 2014 were 25 per cent higher than the same period of last year.

The bank is to hold an extraordinary general meeting later to deal with a proposed capital reorganisation.

AIB currently has in excess of 523 billion shares in issue, 99.8 per cent of which are held by the State, and the bank plans to simplify this structure.

European court rules against Dunnes Stores in copyright case

 

Karen Millen the designer says Dunnes should not be allowed copy its skirt and top.

A sweater designed by Karen Millen in 2005 (left) and another design which appeared on the shelves of Dunnes Stores outlets in 2006.

The European Court of Justice has ruled against Dunnes Stores in relation to arguments it has made in the case where British fashion company Karen Millen is complaining about the copying of its designs.

A number of questions were referred to the court by the Irish Supreme Court concerning the interpretation of EU regulations on the protection of fashion designs. The outcome is seen in some quarters as having ramifications for all high-street retail chains.

In the High Court, Ms Justice Mary Finlay Geogheganruled that Dunnes, in offering for sale a black knit top and blue and brown shirts, infringed Karen Millen’s rights to unregistered community design under council regulation (EC) number 6/2002 in each of the three designs.

The issue was then appealed to the Supreme Court, where Dunnes argued that as Karen Millen had failed to prove the individual character of the designs at issue, it was not the holder of an unregistered community design.

It said the individual character of a design must be assessed by reference not only to one or more individual designs made available to the public previously, but also by a combination of features taken in isolation and drawn from a number of earlier designs.

In its judgment, the court in Luxembourg said that the individual character of a design must be assessed by reference to one or more specific, individualised, defined and identified designs from among all the designs which have been made available to the public previously.

“Consequently, that assessment cannot be conducted by reference to a combination of features taken in isolation and drawn from a number of earlier designs.”

The Supreme Court had already rejected some of the Dunnes Stores claims and a full hearing of the appeal by the Irish retailer can now go ahead after the rulings from the Luxembourg Court.

In the European court’s judgment, it says that the British fashion designer put the shirt and top on sale in Ireland in 2005, and that the items were purchased by representatives of Dunnes Stores. “Dunnes subsequently had copies of the garments manufactured outside Ireland and put them on sale in its Irish stores in late 2006.”

Irish consumer prices are 18% higher than the EU average

 

Figures from Eurostat also show alcohol and tobacco prices are on average 78% more expensive than the EU.

Even after six years of austerity, consumer prices in Ireland are on average 18% higher than the European Union norm, prompting renewed concern about the country’s competitiveness.

According to figures from Eurostat, Ireland is considerably more expensive than most of its European neighbour’s when it comes food, alcohol, restaurants, hotels, transport and electronic goods.

The figures, which are based on data from last year, ranked Ireland as the fifth most expensive of 28 member states, behind Denmark, Sweden, Luxembourg and Finland, with prices estimated to be 118% of the EU average.

This placed us ahead of countries like the UK, France,Germany and Spain.

Despite the country’s large agricultural sector, the price of food and non-alcoholic beverages here was 17% higher than the average.

In terms of alcohol and tobacco, Ireland ranked as the most expensive state in the EU and by some way, with prices 78% higher than the average.

However, the study noted the large price variation in this category reflected, in the main, differences in taxation.

The Drinks Industry Group of Ireland called for the reversal of excise duty on alcohol, saying the “unfair” excise rate was a tax on jobs, tourism and consumers.

The cost of restaurants and hotels in Ireland was found to be 28% above the average, placing Ireland third behind only Sweden and Denmark as the most expensive place to stay and eat out.

Ireland was also ahead of the norm in terms of the cost of personal transport equipment (111 %) and when it came to consumer electronics (105%).

Clothing was the only category in which prices here were found to be below the average, in this case by 2%.

Alan McQuaid, economist with Merrion Stockbrokers, described the figures as disappointing, especially as the only countries with higher prices than Ireland were the traditionally tax-high states of Scandinavia and cash-rich Luxembourg.

“We were a lot closer to the EU on the prices front at the height of the crisis, though we were higher on average at the height of the boom.”

“The data highlight that Ireland is in danger of becoming uncompetitive, charging more for its goods than other EU member states.”

Mr McQuaid said higher taxes were clearly a factor, noting the VAT and excise duty hikes that were implemented as part of the fiscal austerity process.

“With an increase in corporation tax being ruled out, and little scope left for income tax hikes, then the only option left is indirect taxes, which of course add to prices.”

“The other key issue which these figures highlight is the underlying cost for retailers – e.g. rents, insurance and wage costs – are higher than elsewhere. You cannot look to have one of the highest minimum wages in Europe, and then not be surprised that prices are more expensive than the rest of the bloc.”

Whatever about wages, he said the Government need to address the issue of high insurance, rents and other administrative costs.

“Overall, the figures are no great surprise and despite the low headline annual inflation rate, should be a reminder to policymakers not to rest on their laurels and take things for granted.”

Recent consumer price data from the Central Statistics Office showed suggested annual inflation was running at just 0.4% in May.

A breakdown of the figures showed, however, the cost of renting a home rose more than 20 times faster than the average level of inflation over the past 12 months.

Meanwhile:-

The rate of jobless households in Ireland is far above the European norm

 

About a quarter of Irish households are currently jobless at a level “far above” the European norm in a situation described as “not acceptable” says Taoiseach Kenny.

A new report by a Government-sponsored think tank has found that 23% of Irish households are jobless, compared to a European average of just 11%, and that 56% of Irish jobless households have children.

The National Economic and Social Council warned that these households have a high risk of poverty, with the danger of passing on joblessness and poverty across generations.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has now pledged to break the cycle and reiterated the Government’s commitment to “continue the plan to dismantle the passive welfare system” which had “abandoned such large numbers of households to lifelong dependency on the State”.

“This is essential if we are to break the cycle of poverty and unemployment associated with jobless households,” he said.

The report, ‘Jobless Households: An Exploration of the Issue’, found that those who live in jobless households are more likely to have no educational qualifications, to have never worked or to be in the unskilled social class.

They are also more likely to be renting their accommodation, to be single or parenting alone, and to either have a disability or to live with someone with a disability.

The NESC has pointed out that because of the multiple reasons for joblessness, a one-solution-fits-all approach will not work and that packages of support must reflect individual needs.

Adult literacy, child development, family supports, addiction services, disability services, housing, education and training, public and community employment as well as engagement with employers must all form part of a tailored service to cater for people’s circumstances, the NESC said.

Helen Johnston, author of the report (pictured), explained that the reasons for household joblessness are complex – but the age, level of education and health of the adults in the household are all factors.

Blind dog reacts to seeing his owner and family again
 

Duffy is an Irish terrier that has risen to YouTube fame thanks to a video put up two days ago by his owner, YouTuber Benjamin May.

According to May Duffy had gone blind from complications with doggy diabetes. However, after regulating the dog’s condition, Duffy was able to get a restorative surgery to bring back his sight again.

As he darts around the room with an Elizabethan collar—the cone given to pets after surgical procedures—his tail is wagging and he starts to whine with excitement. But enough of this play-by-play. Take a look at the video above.

After the successful operation adorable Duffy is let into the room where his owners are waiting and is overcome with doggy delight.

He clearly recognises them and not knowing who to greet first the happy chappy chases around the room in ecstasy.

You Tuber Ben Myer uploaded the smile-inducing video two days ago.

He wrote: “This is my Irish Terrier Duffy. He’s a rescue dog and he’s had a lot of struggles with his health.

“He developed diabetes and lost his eyesight. With medication we got his diabetes stable and he qualified for eye surgery to give him back his sight. Here is seeing my parents afterwards.”

A record number of flamingo chicks raised in Gloucestershire England

  

A total of 35 fluffy chicks are being raised at the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust in Slimbridge, whose flock is the largest in Europe with 245 birds.

A Record number of chicks are being reared at Europe’s largest greater flamingo flock. A total of 35 fluffy chicks are being raised at the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust in Slimbridge, Gloucestershire, England.

The wetland centre’s flock is the largest in Europe with 245 birds and the number of newborns has smashed the previous record of 25 set in 2010.

Mark Roberts, aviculture manager, said: “It is really quite incredible as the wet weather in May certainly made rearing challenging for them.

“Their nesting island is now made out of sand rather than mud which has been shown in recent studies to be better and they really like the environment of Flamingo Lagoon, so I think it must be down to these factors.

“It is a stunning sight to see all the chicks around the nesting island and the observatory has been busy with visitors enjoying watching all the action.”

Now the successful flock is taking great care rearing the bumper yield of chicks using supervised ‘creches’ to allow the parents time to themselves.

The chick’s parents still crop feed the bird but for long periods of the day the chicks will stay with each other with just seven or eight ‘nanny’ adults supervising them.

Mr Roberts added: “The creches are fun to watch. If a plane flies over or if there is any other disturbance that they deem a threat the chicks all huddle together with the ‘nanny’ birds forming a protective ring on the outside.

“Flamingos are extremely sociable birds with a complex hierarchy. This emphasis on flock behaviour starts from when they are just days old when they join the creche.”

Four of the world’s six flamingo species are classed as ‘Vulnerable’ or ‘Near Threatened’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

It is thought there are less than 30 breeding sites left in the whole world.

News Ireland daily BLOG by Donie

Wednesday 12th June 2013

Threat to shoot Taoiseach Enda Kenny JFK style by a Mayo man

  

Gardai investigated a threat to shoot Taoiseach Enda Kenny, it has been revealed.

The man Kevin Cashin above was questioned by officers in Mayo after a post on a public Facebook page was discovered.

The message on the “Save the Sacred Heart Hospital Castlebar” site read “If they close this hospital I’ll shoot Enda Kenny JFK assassination style.”

Speaking in the Irish Sun newspaper Castlebar Town Council member Ger Deere said: “The comment was a very serious one and we felt it should be passed on to the gardai. It crossed the line.”

A Garda spokesman told the paper: “We can confirm an investigation took place into a comment on a social media site. One person has been interviewed and a file is being prepared for the DPP.”

The Sacred Heart Hospital in Castlebar will be brought up to HIQA standards in time for the 2015 deadline, following the announcement last week that €11 million was being sanctioned for the necessary refurbishment works by the HSE.

An Taoiseach Enda Kenny welcomed the announcement that the hospital has now been included in the HSE’s Capital Programme.

Poll suggests overwhelming support for proposed abortion legislation

 

The Irish Times/Ipsos MRBI poll finds 75% in favour of law based on judgment in X case

There is overwhelming public support for the Government’s proposed legislation on abortion, according to the latest Irish Times/Ipsos MRBI poll.

The poll also shows that a substantial majority of voters back wider access to abortion than that being proposed in the legislation.

The poll was conducted on Monday and Tuesday of this week as the debate over publication of the detailed legislation was at its height.

The statement from the Catholic bishops opposing the legislation was issued on Tuesday.

Asked if they were for or against the heads of the Bill to legislate for the Supreme Court X judgment of 1992 permitting abortion where a mother’s life is in danger, 75 per cent said Yes, 14 per cent said No and 11 per cent had no opinion.

Supporters of both Coalition parties were the strongest backers of the legislation with 79 per cent of Fine Gael voters favour; 78 per cent of Labour; 77 per cent of Sinn Féin and 74 per cent of Fianna Fáil supporters.

People over 65 were the least enthusiastic about the legislation with 60 per cent in favour and 26 per cent against.

The 25 to 34 age group was the most strongly in favour but there were large majorities across all age cohorts.

The best-off social categories were strongest in support of legislation while farmers and the poorest DE social group were the least enthusiastic.

In regional terms Munster was strongest in favour, followed closely by Dublin with voters in Connacht Ulster least supportive of legislation.

There were big majorities for legislation in all regions, social categories and age groups.

The survey was undertaken last Monday and Tuesday among a representative sample of 1,000 voters aged 18 and over, in face-to-face interviews at 100 sampling points in all constituencies.

The margin of error is plus or minus 3 per cent.

The result shows a small increase in support for legislation to give effect to the Supreme Court judgement compared to the last Irish Times poll in February conducted before the heads of the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill were published.

In that poll people were asked in principle if they supported the introduction of legislation to give effect to the X case decision, including the threat of suicide. In response 71 per cent said yes, 11 per cent said no and 18 per cent had no opinion.

Voters were also asked if abortion should be permitted in six specified circumstances. 89 per cent said it should be allowed where a woman’s life is at risk.

Asked if abortion should be permitted in cases where the foetus is not capable of surviving outside the womb, 83 per cent said it should.

Some 81 per cent said abortion should be allowed in cases of rape or abuse, while 78 per cent were in favour in cases where a woman’s health is at risk.

Asked if abortion should be allowed where a woman is threatening suicide 52 per cent said Yes, 29 per cent said No and 19 per cent had no opinion.

Finally, when asked if abortion should be permitted where a woman deems it to be in her best interest, 46 per cent said it should not,

39 per cent said it should and 15 per cent had no opinion.

Banks battle for customers as they offer new cut-price deals on credit cards

         

Banks have begun battling for new customers with dirt-cheap credit card deals. These include the first free balance transfer since the credit crunch and a new cash-back credit card that doubles as a cheap way to spend abroad. 

This week, Tesco Bank became the first company to offer a 0 per cent balance-transfer credit card with no switching fee since the banking crisis began in 2007.

Cardholders used to be able to take advantage of dozens of free balance-transfer deals, which allow you to switch debt from another card. This was supposed to give borrowers breathing space to pay off their bills.

In reality, all many did was switch the balance from one free card to another.

And card companies made millions from customers who forgot when the interest-free period ended and started paying huge rates on what they owed.

At the start of the banking crisis these deals disappeared, partly because they were expensive to run and partly due to pressure to be more open with customers.

Gradually, interest-free cards have returned, but all with a fee — typically 2 per cent to 3 per cent of the balance someone wanted to move. On a £3,000 debt, a 3 per cent fee would be £90.

Tesco’s offer means someone can shift a balance and avoid paying interest for 12 months. There is also no interest to pay on purchases for 12 months. Interest after this is a typical 16.9 per cent.

Customers will also receive one Clubcard point for every £4 they spend on their card. Barclaycard currently offers a 0 per cent balance-transfer deal for 27  months. But there is a 2.98 per cent fee — £89.40 on a £3,000 balance.

Meanwhile, Capital One has launched a new cashback credit card, which also lets you spend cheaply overseas. The amount of cashback you earn depends on how much you spend.

You will get 0.5 per cent on all purchases up to £5,999.99 a year, 1 per cent between £6,000 and £9,999.99, and 1.25 per cent over £10,000.

It’s vital you clear the balance each month to avoid paying interest, as the rate is a hefty 19.9 per cent.

Customers who spend £1,500 a month on this card can earn £169.98 a year in cashback. There is no annual fee and no limit on how much cashback you can earn. You will not earn any cashback when you use your card to make purchases abroad.

However, there is no foreign exchange fee — typically around 3 per cent. You will still be charged to use a cash machine — 3 per cent of the sum withdrawn or £3 (whichever is greater).

Just 3 per cent of Irish homeowners have sought property tax deferral

  

It will take more than 125 years of property tax to pay off banking debt, according to SF
Homeowners consider the property tax fair and have an ability to pay it because fewer than 3 per cent have sought deferrals, Minister for Finance Michael Noonan has told the Dáil.

He said more than 1.55 million returns had been received for the tax. “Less than 3 per cent of the 1.55 million homeowners who registered for the property tax sought deferrals,” Mr Noonan said.

“So, that’s a fair indication that the public regard this as a fair tax and that they have an ability to pay it, because they didn’t seek deferral even though the options were available.”

He said over €121 million had already been paid to the exchequer, which was a significant amount, given that payment was not due until July.

The Minister said the tax offered an opportunity for political reform at local government level. “It would provide a stable funding basis for local authorities.”

He was responding to a Sinn Féin private member’s motion, which introduces legislation to repeal the tax.

‘Austerity tax’
The party’s finance spokesman Pearse Doherty rejected the assertion that the charge would fund local authorities. He said it was “an austerity tax being levied on home owners to pay off banking debts”.

He said that with a return of €500 million a year if everyone paid the tax, it would take more than 125 years to pay off the banks’ debts.

“That’s 5½ years to pay the so-called investment in Irish Life & Permanent,” he said. “ It would take 9½ years to repay the money sunk into Bank of Ireland, 10½ years to repay Irish Nationwide debt, 41½ years to repay the bailing out of AIB and over 50 years of property taxes to recoup what was paid into Anglo Irish Bank.

“Overall, that is 125 years of property tax returns, year after year after year for 125 years, just simply to pay off the toxic banking debt. So let’s not pretend that this tax is anything to do with local services because the people simply aren’t buying it.”

Mr Doherty said “the people are not fooled. They know where this money is going. They know that this will go into paying for some of the excesses in Irish society.”

Mr Doherty referred to the provision to allow local authorities increase the tax by up to 15 per cent from January 2015. He pledged that every Sinn Féin candidate who won a seat in the local elections next year, “will be mandated to vote to reduce the charge by the maximum allowable of 15 per cent as soon as possible”.

Mr Noonan said that was how local democracy should operate. “If people want more services they should propose increases in tax. If they think things can be run on a tighter basis, they should propose reductions in tax.”
‘Partitionist’
He again hit out at Sinn Féin policy in the North to support property taxes. He accused the party of being “partitionist and sectarian”, because “you have one law you justify in Northern Ireland and you have another which you deplore in the South”.

He told Sinn Féin TDs: “Lads, if you ever want to aspire to be over here [on the Government benches], would you ever grow up and take these issues seriously.”

The Cheetahs Secret Weapon: A Tight Turning Radius

   

They are the fastest animal on land, but new research shows that much of their predatory success is based not on sprinting, but on stopping and starting with extraordinary agility.

Anyone who has watched a cheetah run down an antelope knows that these cats are impressively fast. But it turns out that speed is not the secret to their prodigious hunting skills: a novel study of how cheetahs chase prey in the wild shows that it is their agility — their skill at leaping sideways, changing directions abruptly and slowing down quickly — that gives those antelope such bad odds.

Cheetahs don’t actually go very fast when they’re hunting,” said Dr. Alan M. Wilson, a professor at the Royal Veterinary College at the University of London who studied cheetahs in Botswana and published a paperabout them on Wednesday in the journal Nature. “The hunt is much more about maneuvering, about acceleration, about ducking and diving to capture the prey.”

Until now researchers had been able to gather data on the hunting habits of cheetahs only by studying the animals in captivity, or from direct — though relatively imprecise — observations of their movements in the wild. But Dr. Wilson and his team spent nearly 10 years designing and building a battery-powered, solar-charged tracking collar, one that uses an accelerometer, a gyroscope and GPS technology to monitor the animal’s movements.

They attached these collars to five cheetahs in the Okavango Delta region and observed 367 of their hunting runs over six to nine months. The cheetahs ran as fast as 58 miles an hour, and their average speed was 33 m.p.h. High-speed runs accounted for only a small portion of the total distance covered by the cheetahs each day, the researchers found.

They also found that a cheetah can slow down by as much as 9 m.p.h. in a single stride — a feat that proves more helpful in hunting than the ability to break highway speed records. A cheetah often decelerates before turning, the data showed, and this enables it to make the tight turns that give it an advantage over its fast and nimble prey.

“Its muscles are very powerful,” Dr. Wilson said. “They’re arranged in a way that gives it the ability to accelerate very quickly.”

Along with those leg muscles, cheetahs have a flexible spine and big claws that give them a great deal of grip — “more grip than even a motorbike,” as Dr. Wilson put it. This anatomy helps the cats get their feet in the right positions to turn and maneuver.

“If you’ve ever done snow skiing or skateboarding really fast, you realize that stability and maneuverability at high speeds are a real problem,” said Dr. John Bertram, a professor of medicine at the University of Calgary in Alberta, who was not involved in the study. Cheetahs have adapted to handle these challenges of physics in a way “we hadn’t expected,” he said.

Dr. Bertram praised the team’s tracking collar as “a very clever approach” that uses the latest technology to study cheetah movement in a way that had never been done before. Dr. Wilson previously tested a version of the collar on pigeons in a 2011 study published in the journal Nature, but this was the first time the device has been used to capture movement data on an animal in the wild.

Dr. Wilson’s paper may have also put to rest the question of how fast cheetahs can actually run. In the 1960s, researchers in Africa recorded cheetahs running as fast as 65 m.p.h., but since then a number of scientists, including Dr. Wilson, have been able to clock them at speeds of only 30 to 40 m.p.h. This made some researchers “a little bit suspicious,” Dr. Bertram said. He added that Dr. Wilson’s latest data seems to confirm that cheetahs do reach speeds approaching 60 m.p.h. “on a fairly regular basis,” making it the fastest land mammal.

What is more, its ability to maneuver at high speeds far surpasses that of the greyhound and the horse, its closest competitors in that category, Dr. Wilson said. “The cheetah is way out there ahead of those animals,” he added. “It’s really the all-around athlete, the all-around pursuit predator.”

World Health Organisation says more blood needed as demand rises

 

World Health Organisation ( WHO) has stated that more blood donors are needed to meet the increasing demand.

The organisation has urged countries to put more emphasis on voluntary blood donors, observing that it is the safest source of blood and bloodproducts.

  WHO noted that the need for blood and blood products is increasing every year, saying that every country has a duty to step up collection of the crucial commodity.

The organisation now calls on all countries to strive to obtain 100 per cent of their supplies ofblood and blood products from unpaid blooddonors by 2020.

“Blood collection from voluntary non-remunerated blood donors is the cornerstone of a safe and sufficient blood supply in all countries,” explained Neelam Dhingra, Coordinator for Blood Transfusion Safety.

He added:“Furthermore, the safety and quality of blood and blood products should never be compromised, ” he pointed out.

He argued that regular voluntary unpaid blood donors are the safest as there are fewer bloodborne infections among these donors than amongpeople who give blood in exchange for money or who donate for family members during emergencies.

Though the organisation provides policy guidance and technical assistance to support countries in developing national blood systems, Dhingra said nations should implement quality systems to ensure safe and quality blood and blood products for use by  people who need them.