Donie's Ireland news on Saturday

Martin McGuinness indicates he might be prepared to meet the Queen in Northern Ireland

       

The Norths Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness has given his strongest indication yet that he is prepared to meet Queen Elizabeth, who is expected to visit Northern Ireland this summer.

Mr McGuinness said republicans needed to “consider making new compromises”, when he addressed an Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe conference on the peace process in Dublin yesterday.

Reconciliation between the republican community and the “British state” would not be easy but it was essential, he added.

“Republicans inflicted much hurt during the conflict, and hurt was inflicted upon republicans, but if we are to build a new future it is necessary and it is a road that I am not afraid to go down.”

Asked by reporters if he would meet the queen, Mr McGuinness did not answer directly but said progress had been made in Northern Ireland because politicians had been prepared to compromise.

“Compromise for me in our peace process is not a dirty word. Big challenges will lie ahead for all of us. Am I big enough to rise to challenges? Absolutely.”

During the queen’s visit to the Republic last May, Sinn Féin did not take part in the associated ceremonies and Mr McGuinness declined an invitation to attend the Dublin Castle function.

The North’s First Minister Peter Robinson told reporters he believed Mr McGuinness should meet the queen.

“I think it would be a step that should be taken. Many years ago of course I made the gesture of meeting the head of State here in the Irish Republic. Meeting the President of the Irish Republic is now something that people will take in their stride in Northern Ireland,” said Mr Robinson.

“And I think you’ll find that if he meets Her Majesty it will become a norm and meeting members of the royal family will become part of the everyday fabric of political life.”

Earlier, Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore told international delegates at the conference that the peace process in the North showed that a shared future could be forged from a seemingly intractable situation. “Ireland’s story is one of the impossible made possible. I hope it is one that will inspire those striving for peace beyond this island,” siad Mr Gilmore.

US secretary of state Hillery Clinton, in a video message to the conference, said it was important to consider the important role women played in resolving conflicts. Mrs Clinton said women could be “powerful mediators” who could build coalitions.

The conference was moderated by the former president of Finland and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Martti Ahtisaari, and was also addressed by George Mitchell, former United States special envoy for Northern Ireland, and British Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Owen Paterson.

Phil Hogan confirms that water meters are to be installed in all homes in Ireland

  

WATER meters will be installed in every home in the State, Minister for the Environment Phil Hogan has said.

Dublin city’s head of water services Tom Leahy last week said one-third of households eligible for water rates would have to pay a flat charge because the properties in question were not suitable for the installation of meters.

Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar accepted on RTÉ’s The Week in Politics last Sunday that older houses with shared supply pipes, or mains coming in to back gardens, would have to face a fixed charge, as stated by Mr Leahy.

However, he said it was his understanding that it would affect no more than 20 per cent of households and not one-third of houses.

“There will be about 20 per cent of older houses and apartments that won’t be able to be metered in the normal way,” Mr Varadkar said.

However, Mr Hogan said in Kilkenny yesterday that Mr Leahy was not correct and department officials had determined that meters could be installed on all properties.

“I don’t know on what basis he [Mr Leahy] came to that conclusion but I am sure he will tell me some time.”

His officials had examined the potential for meters in all local authority areas over a 10-month period, Mr Hogan said. “We have come to a different conclusion to Mr Leahy. In the initial phase we expect to have 85 per cent of the country metered.”

He compared the installation of meters to the establishment of the ESB in 1927 which was followed by a gradual electrification of all homes.

“Irish water will be working with local government to ensure that we meter as quickly as possible as many properties as possible and ultimately meter all properties.”

At the Irish Planning Institute conference in Kilkenny yesterday, Mr Hogan said the review announced by his predecessor John Gormley into planning matters in seven local authorities had not been abandoned.

However, he said he wanted to avoid a situation where the investigation of planning complaints would “set off” another tribunal.

“I want to correct the public record by saying that there was never any question of this planning review not being completed, rather it was a change of approach in order to reduce the taxpayers’ possible exposure to significant costs.”

He said the review was progressing well and a report on the matter would be delivered shortly and would be published.

“We want to be sure that when we sift through those complaints that they are valid, that they stand up to scrutiny and that they are not going to set off a very expensive tribunal.”

His officials were being “very careful” about verifying complaints and if external investigations were required arising out of that internal review of the department an external independent investigation would be established.

Separately, Mr Hogan said the plight of the residents of Priory Hall, who were evacuated from their homes seven months ago, was “appalling” but he hoped the new mediation process chaired by retired Supreme Court judge Joseph Finnegan would achieve a resolution.

“It is appalling . . . that such a nightmare would be foisted on people like the residents of Priory Hall through no fault of their own, and even though it has been long and protracted, regrettably for the residents.

“I’m hopeful that the mediation system that has been put in place now under former justice Finnegan will help to resolve matters with residents, local authorities and the financial institutions by July.”

‘House price decline’ slows down in Ireland for first time in seven months

   

Residential property prices fell further in the year to the end of March, but the pace of decline slowed for the first time in seven months, according to new data published yesterday.

According to the Central Statistics Office, prices for homes fell by an average of 16.3 per cent on an annual basis last month, compared with 17.8 per cent in the year to the end of February.

However, on a monthly basis, there was no change compared with February. The last time there was a halt in monthly price declines was August 2010.

“While these figures are undoubtedly positive in the context of accelerating price falls since late 2010, it is worth noting that monthly price data can be volatile, particularly as the data is restricted to mortgage transactions and prices have still fallen 4.1 per cent in the first quarter,” Glas Securities said in a note.

“Nevertheless, today’s release will be welcomed given the high levels of negative equity and mortgage arrears in the Irish banking system and forthcoming price data will be closely monitored to establish if these figures mark the early stages of a stabilisation in property prices.”

In Dublin, property prices were 0.7 per cent higher in March, but remained 18.3 per cent lower than in March 2011. House prices in the capital were 18.4 per cent lower compared to a year earlier, and showed a 0.7 per cent rise month on month.

Prices for apartments were 18.9 per cent lower over the year.

Overall, property prices in the capital have fallen 57 per cent from their peak level in early 2007.

Apartments have declined most, falling by 61 per cent, while house prices have lost 55 per cent of their value.

In the rest of the country, residential property prices were 0.6 per cent lower last month, and 15.5 per cent lower over the year. Since the peak of the property market, home prices have fallen by 45 per cent.

According to Central Statistics Office figures, which do not take into account cash sales, the national index of house prices is now 49 per cent lower than its highest level in 2007.

Bloxham’s Alan McQuaid said the March figures were an improvement on the previous two-month period, and offered signs of encouragement that the annual rate of decline has stabilised.

However, he said, there was unlikely to be a significant improvement to the market until the employment situation improved.

“Irish consumers will want to see the housing market stabilising before they feel confident about the economy overall. Even allowing for the Budget 2012 initiatives to boost the property market, as well as lower interest rates from the European Central Bank, the short-term risks to house prices remain to the downside in our view,” he said.

“Although the March data are a step in the right direction we don’t see any significant improvement in the housing market until the employment situation gets better and bank lending returns to some sort of ‘normality’, which is still some way off in our opinion.”

Bloxham is predicting a double-digit decline in house prices for the year, in the region of 15 per cent.

Children who are Bullied 

‘are more prone to self harm’

     

Being picked on at school can have serious consequences in the teenage years. Children bullied during their early years are up to three times more likely to self harm than their classmates when they reach adolescence, a study suggests.

It found that half of 12-year-olds who harm themselves were frequently bullied.

The researchers are calling for more effective programmes to prevent bullying in schools.

The study is published in the British Medical Journal.

The research, from King’s College London, also showed that victimised children with mental health problems were at greater risk of self-harming in later life.

In their paper the authors suggest that efforts should focus on improving the ways in which children cope with emotional distress.

“Bullying by peers is a major problem during the early school years,” they said.

Frequent victimisation by peers increased the risk of self harm.”

“This study found that before 12 years of age a small proportion of children frequently exposed to this form of victimisation already deliberately harmed themselves and in some cases attempted to take their own lives.

Persisting problems

The researchers also raised fears over the long-term implications of bullying which, they said, could result in psychological issues, serious injury or death.

“This study adds to the growing literature showing that bullying during the early years of school can have extremely detrimental consequences for some children by the time they reach adolescence,” they wrote.

“This finding is even more concerning given that studies have suggested that early patterns of self harm can persist through adolescence into adulthood and increase the risk of later psychological problems.”

The authors looked at more than 1,000 pairs of twins – born between 1994-1995 in England and Wales – at five, seven, 10 and 12 years old.

The children were assessed on the risks of self-harming in the six months prior to their twelfth birthdays.

Data from 2,141 participants showed that 237 children were victims of frequent bullying and, of that number, 18 (around 8%) self harmed.

This involved cutting or biting arms, pulling out clumps of hair, a child banging its head against walls or attempting suicide.

Of 1,904 children who were not bullied, 44 (2%) self harmed.

It also showed bullied children who had family members who had either attempted or committed suicide were more likely to self harm than others.

“Although only a small proportion of bullied children in this sample engaged in self harm, this is clearly too many and victims need to be provided with alternative coping strategies from a young age,” the authors said.