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Friday, August 31, 2012

Donie's news Ireland Blog Friday


HSE says healthcare cuts are very ‘regrettable’  Eamon Gilmore

Minister for Health James Reilly  
Minister for Health James Reilly and Eamon Gilmore regrettable cuts.
Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn has said he does not yet know the reasons behind the cuts imposed in health services announced by the HSE yesterday, while Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore has called the move “regrettable”.
Cuts affecting the elderly and the disabled feature strongly in a €130 million cost-reduction package announced by the executive yesterday. The cuts to home help services in particular have provoked a furious reaction from groups working with older people and the disabled and disagreement between the Government parties.
Speaking in Dublin this morning, Mr Quinn said Minister for Health James Reilly would brief the Cabinet on Tuesday “as to the raison d’être that’s behind it”.
He added: “We will await to hear what he has to say.”
Cuts had to be made “because we have lost our economic sovereignty, we are no longer in control of our cheque book”, he said.
“We don’t want to do theses things. We inherited a situation where we simply had no choice but to reduce expenditure and in those circumstances there is nothing sacrosanct unfortunately,” he said.
Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore today said it was “regrettable’’ that the Health Service Executive had announced cuts in services.
“Every organisation, every department and every service has to obviously work within budget,’’ he added. “My priority, and the priority of the Government, will be to ensure that services needed by people who need care and assistance continue to be provided.’’
Elsewhere, the HSE said that proposed cuts to home-help and homecare services will be considered on an individual basis, a move welcomed by Mr Gilmore.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland earlier today, Laverne McGuinness, national director of integrated services with the HSE. said that while the cuts were necessary, the first aim of the health service “was always to protect front-line services.”
Ms McGuinness said that while €26 million would be cut from home-help and homecare services, there would still be 10.1 million home-help hours available for those looking after people at home.
She also said that home-help cuts were being constantly reviewed and would be considered on an individual basis.
However, groups working with older people and the disabled continued to voice their opposition to the cuts announced yesterday.
The Carers Association said the cuts would likely discourage people from offering to care for family members being discharged from hospital.
“It’s going to put pressure on members of the family who are looking after somebody who is ill at home. It will also lead to earlier admissions to nursing homes as people at home with reduced support will not be able to cope. It is going to lead to longer stays in acute hospitals for people whose families simply aren’t able to take them out earlier…and it’s going to lead to an explosion in queues in emergency departments,” said John Dunne, acting chief executive of the Carers Association.
Mr Dunne said that the cuts would completely undermine the Government’s strategy in relation to healthcare.
“The Government has a coherent strategy in theory which is to encourage people out of expensive acute hospitals by providing greater community and home support services (but) if you start cutting those services then you’re completely undermining the rationale of shifting personnel out of hospitals.”
Dr John Ball, a spokesman for the Irish College of General Practicioners (ICGP), also criticised the Government’s decision to cut home-help and homecare services.
“It really is staggering because it is in everyone’s interest that patients stay at home. It obviously preserves the dignity of the patients themselves (and) the family carers involved. It also seems economically not to make sense because if patients don’t get this back-up care, the risks of falls increases and they end up in A&E.”
The chief executive of Alone, Seán Moynihan, called for an immediate reversal of the proposals.
“These cuts affect the basic needs of the one in ten older people who are in dire need of support which includes daily activities such as washing and cleaning. This is totally unacceptable,” he said. “Home care services are low-cost yet high value. The cost of home care provision is significantly less than that of nursing home care provision, or long term hospital stay and to propose cuts in this area is shortsighted in the extreme.”
The strength of the reaction appeared to take Government by surprise and caused dismay among Labour politicians.
Labour Party chairman and Galway East TD Colm Keaveney said last night he was “very uncomfortable” with the cuts affecting older people and the disabled. While accepting the need to deal with the HSE’s €260 million deficit, cutbacks should be targeted on “trophy areas that appear to be protected” instead of vulnerable groups.
“In the context of political stability, this can’t happen again. If I were minister instead of James Reilly, I’d be tackling consultant salaries and drug costs instead of the areas of greatest dependency.”
Another senior Labour source warned that the Government risked a re-run of the 2008 revolt by older people over changes to medical card eligibility. He claimed the cutbacks wouldn’t have been necessary if Dr Reilly had achieved savings in drug costs and secured a deal to charge more for the use of public hospital beds by private patients.
Siptu said its members working as home helps “will not stand idly by and allow this attack on the sick and vulnerable to proceed”.

Mobile betting call’s boosts Paddy Power profit’s to a record €67m

   
Chief executive Patrick Kennedy at the announcement of Paddy Power’s interim results at the Merrion Hotel in Dublin yesterday
Betting group Paddy Power is luring more users to its mobile platforms and is poised to launch its latest foray into the online UK casino market as it posted record first-half results.
The company unveiled a 13pc rise to €67.1m in operating profit for the first six months of 2012, with net revenue climbing 29pc to €311m.
But shares in the group fell yesterday as the operating profit fell behind analyst expectations, even excluding losses associated with new ventures. The company also significantly increased its marketing spend in the first half, by 74pc to €35.2m.
Its online operations, including its operation in Australia, generated €49.1m of the group’s operating profit in the first half, or just over 73pc of the total.
The amounts staked online, excluding its Australian arm, rose 31pc to €1.05bn, but operating profit at the unit declined 6pc to €35.9m as the group spent €6m on start-up costs primarily related to its launch in Italy. It began offering services there in May and by June had captured 4pc of the market, according to chief executive Patrick Kennedy.
Volumes
The firm is increasingly investing in the development of mobile games. Mobile games and casino activities generated 20pc and 19pc of total revenues respectively by the end of June.
In Australia, Paddy Power said its online business generated a €13.2m operating profit in the first half, 24pc higher than in the first six months of 2011 as net revenue rose 32pc to €67.2m.
The Paddy Power retail division in Ireland has continued to experience tough conditions. While betting volumes have risen, the amounts staked continued to narrow, falling 2pc to €474m in the period.
But operating profit at its Irish stores jumped 79pc to €9m, helped by what Paddy Power said was the “normalisation” of sports results.
Mr Kennedy said he wasn’t particularly concerned that further tough Budgets would crimp demand for Paddy Power in Ireland for its betting services.
“We have seen tough Budgets since 2008 and 2009. Top line in Irish [betting] retail overall has declined by something close to 30pc,” he said, adding that more than 300 betting shops had closed over the past few years.
Mr Kennedy said that €78m was bet by punters with the group during the summer’s Euro football championship.
That was 168pc higher than during the tournament two years ago. He said the impact on the bottom line wasn’t significant, however, and that the championship was viewed more as an opportunity to gain new customers.
He said that €30m was bet with the group on Olympic events this year — that’s compared to the €2.5m that was bet during the Beijing Olympics four years ago.

Blind woman for 30 years “sees” again thanks to revolutionary bionic eye

She had electrodes fitted to her retina that send impulses to nerve cells, in the same way that occurs naturally in sighted people
  

A WOMAN who has been blind for almost 30 years can now see shapes again thanks to a ­revolutionary bionic eye.

Dianne Ashworth, 54, had electrodes fitted to her retina that send impulses to nerve cells, in the same way that occurs naturally in sighted people.
Speaking of the moment doctors switched on her prototype device, the mum-of-three said: “I didn’t know what to expect but all of a sudden I could see a little flash…
“Wow! It was amazing. Every time there was ­stimulation there was a different shape that appeared in front of my eye.”
Although other blind people have had bionic eyes fitted, including Brits Chris James, 54, and 60-year-old Robin Millar this year, scientists who ­developed Dianne’s say the way it was implanted makes it unique.
Dr Penny Allen led the Australian team of surgeons who performed the operation in Melbourne this May.
She said: “This is a world first. We implanted it behind the retina, ­demonstrating the viability of our approach.”
Dianne now hopes to see her son for the first time within 12 months as experts develop ways of improving the device while striving to create a complete bionic eye next year.
The implant’s electrodes are connected to a receptor fitted to the back of Dianne’s ear.
That is plugged in to a monitoring unit in a lab at the Australian Bionics Institute.
Two other Melbourne patients have had the device fitted and are waiting for them to be switched on.

Irish residential property prices down 13% on last year

  

NATIONAL RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY PRICES FELL BY 13.6 PER CENT IN THE YEAR TO JULY BUT ROSE BY 0.2 PER CENT IN THE MONTH.

This compares with an annual rate of decline of 14.4 per cent in June and a decline of 12.5 per cent in the 12 months to July of last year.
The slight rise in property prices in the month of July compares with a drop of 1.1 per cent in June and a decline of 0.8 per cent in July 2011, according to the residential property price index published by the Central Statistics Office yesterday.
In Dublin, residential prices fell by 0.3 per cent in July and were 16.6 per cent lower than a year ago.
House prices in the capital were down 0.2 per cent in the month and were 16.7 per cent lower than a year earlier.
Apartment prices were 19.6 per cent lower compared with July 2011.
Residential property prices in the rest of Ireland (excluding Dublin) were up 0.3 per cent in July compared with a drop of 1.3 per cent in July of last year. Prices were 12.1 per cent lower than in that month.
House prices in the capital are now 56 per cent lower than at their highest level in early 2007, while apartment prices are some 63 per cent lower.
Residential property prices in Dublin are 57 per cent lower than at their highest level in February 2007.
In the rest of Ireland, the decline in the price of residential property since that time is 47 per cent, while overall the national index is 50 per cent lower than at its height in 2007.
Davy chief economist Conall Mac Coille said the data reflected transactions in the first half of 2012. New mortgage lending had hit a fresh low of just €974 million, well down on the €1.26 billion in the same period last year.
Prices reflected a “dysfunctional market”, with a very low level of transactions, particularly in rural areas.
Davy said anecdotal evidence suggested cash purchases accounted for up to 40 per cent of transactions, given weak lending, and that a lack of supply had supported prices in the Dublin area.
The firm noted census data that showed the number of households with a mortgage and in unemployment had increased from 14,757 in 2006 to 50,792 in 2011.
“We retain our view that repossessions will have to rise and, coupled with weak mortgage lending and a slow recovery in the economy, house prices will fall further.”
Merrion Economics said it did not see a major improvement in the housing market until there was clear evidence that Ireland’s jobless rate had peaked and was on a sustained downward trend.
“Furthermore, the uncertainty of how a proposed property tax will be calculated is also likely to weigh negatively on house sales/ prices in the run-up to December’s budget.”
KBC chief economist Austin Hughes said it was far too early to make any definitive judgment, but the broad picture emerging was one of a “tentative stabilisation”.
“There is a consistent message across a range of domestic economic indicators that things have stopped getting worse, though that doesn’t mean there will be a dramatic turnaround.”
Property website MyHome.ie, which is owned by The Irish Times, said it was “a little surprised” at the figures, adding that a cautious approach should be adopted when analysing them.
“The new property register, which will record actual transaction prices, is due to go live next month and that is a very welcome development,” said Myhome.iemanaging director Angela Keegan.
Aoife Brennan, head of research at Lisney, said she was not surprised at a monthly decrease in the Dublin index.
For some time, the agency had believed the CSO index was “lagging the market” by about six months.
“Consequently, we believe that the CSO index is under-playing the fall in residential prices.”
Coalition to avoid further taxes on salaries: page 9; ‘Tricky balance’ to be struck on debt forgiveness, says Central Bank economist: Business This Week

Some 4,000 people from 115 countries get Irish citizenship at ceremony in Dublin

   

New citizens listen to the national anthem at yesterday’s Citizenship Ceremony in the Convention Centre Dublin. Attorney General Máire Whelan and retired High Court judge Bryan McMahon presided over the ceremonies.

IT WAS a day of celebration at the Convention Centre Dublin yesterday as almost 4,000 people from 115 countries became Ireland’s newest citizens.
Many of those present had waited a considerable time to be granted citizenship. Among them was Maria Elizabeth Mallo (50) from the Philippines who has lived in Roscommon for the past 10 years.
“I am very excited today because I have been here for so long working hard to get my citizenship,” she said. “I love Ireland, although being from a tropical country I don’t think I will ever get used to the weather.”
Attorney General Máire Whelan and retired High Court judge Bryan McMahon presided over four ceremonies at which 3,800 individuals were sworn in as Irish citizens, having made a declaration of loyalty to the nation and fidelity to the State as well as undertaking to faithfully observe the laws of the State and respect its democratic values. Paul Ewetuga (42), from Lagos, Nigeria, but now living in Cork city, had also waited for 10 years to get citizenship. “It is good for me today because it will make some major changes to my life such as access to good healthcare and education,” he told The Irish Times. “When I was not a citizen here my life was much harder.”
In his speech, Minister for Justice Alan Shatter said the granting of citizenship was a major event in the lives of all of those who applied for it. “It is a time of celebration, a rite of passage and a moment for you all to cherish,” he said. Mr Shatter also said Ireland was enriched by the presence of these new citizens.
The first Citizenship Ceremony ever held in the State took place in June last year when 73 new citizens were sworn in. Since then about 14,000 individuals from 161 countries have been granted citizenship at 55 ceremonies.
Dhan Maya Adhikari (39), from Pokhara in Nepal, attended her husband’s citizenship ceremony last September, and yesterday it was her turn. “I am living over six years in Ireland, and it is very nice to become a citizen now like my husband. I like very much the people here, and we are very happy,” she said.
Mr Shatter said attempts by the Department of Justice to deal with the massive backlog of citizenship applications had been successful. He said that when the Government came into office, 22,000 applications were awaiting decisions. More than 30,000 applications have now been dealt with, including almost 17,000 so far this year.

Type A Personalities Have Higher Stroke Risk If Stressed

     
People with a Type A personality who live with chronic stress are more likely to develop a stroke,
Researchers at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain, revealed in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry. Chronicstress means that the stress is persistent for over six months.
The team gathered data on 150 adults who had been admitted to one stroke unit, they were aged 54 years (average). They compared them to a randomly-selected group of 300 people of the same age and lived in the same neighborhood.
The researchers assessed chronic stress by combining the scores from four validated scales. They looked at major life events and symptoms which are associated with stress, including anxiety and depression, as well as behavior patterns seen in people with Type A personalities.
A Type A personality is ambitious, extremely organized, often sensitive, cares for others, truthful, and highly status conscious. Behavior patterns linked to Type A that the team were looking out for included a quick temper, impatience, aggression and hostility.
The team assessed the participants for stroke risk factors, such as hypertension (high blood pressure), diabetes, a history of arrhythmias, elevated cholesterol, and daytime drowsiness. Data was also gathered on some of their lifestyle habits, such as smoking status, their consumption of caffeine, energy drinks, and alcohol. They were asked whether they were in employment and had a partner.
Several factors were found to be independently linked to a higher risk of stroke.
People who had experienced a major life during the previous 12 months were four times as likely to suffer a stroke than those who had not, the authors found.
Examples of a major life event include getting married, the death of a loved one, the birth of a child, losing your job, changing house, divorce, or going to college. For many people, when a country goes into recession or an economic downturn, stress increases. A recent study found that a href=”http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/241966.php”>stress rises 40% during a recession.
Those with a high score had twice the risk of having a stroke.
Stroke risk was increased by the following factors:
  • having a history of regular smoking – twice the risk of stroke
  • Consuming at least two energy drinks a day – twice the risk of stroke
  • Having some kind of rhythm disturbance – three times the risk of stroke
  • Having a high daytime sleepiness score – triple the risk of stroke
  • Males were found to be nine times as likely to have a stroke than women
Even when assessing all the factors together, the researchers found that stroke risk was linked to a stressful life and Type A behaviors, regardless of other risk factors and types of lifestyles.
A great deal of research has gone into stress and its effect on our mental and physical health. Researchers from the Ruhr-Universität Bochum found that psychological stress may increase mental and physical illness by altering the control of genes.

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Donie's Ireland news BLOG Wednesday


Closure threat to Dublin-Sligo rail line services

  

While no decision has yet been made to cut the Dublin-Sligo rail services, Irish Rail has confirmed to the Leader that “in view of the impact of the ongoing economic recession on our business, we have to examine the level of demand for our train services on all routes at all different times of the day and the week”.

Barry Kenny, Corporate Communications Manager at Irish Rail, confirmed in a statement: “Where there are trains that are greatly under-utilised, it may be necessary for us to amend the schedules accordingly.”
He added: “Before we can do this, we are required to obtain the approval of the National Transport Authority (NTA). We also intend to publish any draft schedules on our website, and invite our customers to give us feedback as part of a public consultation on the proposed schedules.”
Mr Kenny advised, however, that no changes would occur to the schedule for the remainder of 2012.
Speaking about passenger numbers on the Dublin-Sligo line, Mr Kenny confirmed that a total of 1.23 million passenger journeys were made on the line in 2011 and that “year-to-date 2012 sees demand largely unchanged”.
“The busiest times daily are the commuting focused hours (morning arrivals into Dublin, afternoon/early evening departures from Dublin), and Friday afternoon (Dublin-Sligo) and Sunday afternoon (Sligo-Dublin), would be the busiest times of the week.
“Journeys beyond the commuter belt on the 19:05 would be very low, indicating a limited demand for late evening services at present,” he added.

Monthly retail sales rise as overall annual trend stays negative

  

The volume of retail sales rose by 0.7 per cent in July as hardware, fuel and textile businesses recorded a modest increase in trade.

The volume of retail sales rose by 0.7 per cent in July as hardware, fuel and textile businesses recorded a modest increase in trade.
However, the latest Central Statistics Office (CSO) data showed retail sales continued to fall on an annual basis, declining by 1.5 per cent year-on-year as the sector remained in the doldrums.
Separately, a KBC Ireland/ESRI survey showed a marked increase in Irish consumer sentiment in August which reached its highest level in almost five years as pessimistic views about the economy abated.
The  index rose to 70 in August, up from 67.7 in July. Seven months out of last eight have now increased.
The CSO figures showed the volume of retail sales, excluding the volatile motor trade, increased by 1.1 per cent in July compared with the previous month, while there was an annual decrease of 0.5 per cent.
The sectors with the largest monthly volume increase were clothing, footwear and textiles (+5 per cent); hardware, paints and glass (+4.5 per cent); and fuel (+3.8 per cent).
A monthly decrease was seen in electrical goods (-1.9 per cent); bar trade (-1.7 per cent) as well as books, newspapers and stationery (- 0.9 per cent).
The figures showed the value of retail sales rose by 0.9 per cent in July following a drop of 1.5 per cent in June. This was the first monthly rise in the value of retail sales sine March. However, the annual change remained in the negative at -1.6 per cent.
Retail Excellence Ireland chief executive David Fitzsimons welcomed the increase in sales but warned the industry continues to be in a state of great distress”.
He said budget speculation is killing consumer sentiment. “We would ask the Government and media to refrain from any budget commentary until it is necessary to do so,” he said.
The Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association said the lack of consumer confidence was crippling the retail sector.
Isme chief executive Mark Fielding said: “The retail industry, with excess capacity, reduced consumer spend and rising government influenced costs has been attempting to adjust its cost base in the changed economic conditions.
“However the biggest costs to retailers, such as inequitable commercial rates, unrealistic rents and uncompetitive labour costs have remained stubbornly high. These costs, together with recent transport fuel increases continue to make life hell for SME retailers, who, due to pathetic government inaction, will result in more closures and job loses,” he said.

Ken Maginnis MP quits Ulster Unionist Party

   

Former Fermanagh South Tyrone MP Ken Maginnis is leaving the Ulster Unionist Party

Lord Ken Maginnis said the election of Mike Nesbitt as UUP leader was a “mistake”.
Mr Nesbitt said he regretted Lord Maginnis’s decision to leave the party. He said “recent matters could have been resolved”.
Lord Maginnis lost the party whip at Westminster in June after controversial comments about homosexuality on BBC Radio Ulster’s Nolan show.
The peer called homosexuality “unnatural and deviant”.
He says he has no regrets about those comments.
‘Offhand’
The unionist peer says he has had hundreds of messages of support for his opposition to gay marriage.
Lord Maginnis said he found the recent Gay Pride march through Belfast “offensive”.
The former MP said people did not want the moral values of society undermined, did not want a change in the age of sexual consent, and did not want the legalisation of paedophilia.
Lord Maginnis says he does not regret his comments about homosexuality
He said he had objected to the “thin end of the wedge” and thought the majority of people in Northern Ireland agreed with him.
He had fallen out with Mr Nesbitt over the Nolan show remarks, when he had ignored the leader’s rule that no party member should broadcast on the topic without first informing the Ulster Unionist press office.
Lord Maginnis said he had been treated in an offhand way by the current leader Mike Nesbitt, and had no intention of clearing his statements with the Ulster Unionist press office.
He argued that under Mr Nesbitt’s leadership the party had accelerated its demise in terms of its connection with the wider unionist community.
Lord Maginnis said that although he has resigned from the UUP he does not want to lead an exodus.
He was an MP for 18 years, from 1983 to 2001.
A former major in the Ulster Defence Regiment, Ken Maginnis was well known during the troubles, taking a strong line on security matters but a more moderate stance on political talks.
An MP from 1983, he strongly backed David Trimble’s decision to sign the Good Friday Agreement.
In more recent years Lord Maginnis played a role in securing the victories of first Tom Elliott then Mike Nesbitt as Ulster Unionist leaders.
Mr Nesbitt said Mr Maginnis’s departure was not the outcome he had been seeking although he said he would respect his decision.
“On behalf of the party and the unionist people more widely, we owe a debt of gratitude to Ken Maginnis,” he said.
“He was the sort of progressive unionist I admire. I regret we will not have access to his experience and expertise as we move to rebuild and revive this great party.”
Protest
Lord Maginnis was a member of the House of Commons Select Committee on Defence from 1984 to 1985 and a member of the House of Commons Select Committee that worked on the 1990 Armed Forces Bill.
He was chairman of the Southern Health and Social Services Board from 1989 – 1991.
As a member of the old Northern Ireland Assembly from 1982 – 1986, he was chairman of the security committee from 1983-86.
In 1987 he served a short term in prison for refusing to pay car tax in protest at the Anglo Irish Agreement.
He was a member of Dungannon District Council in County Tyrone from May 1981 to 1993.
In 1991 he was chairman of the council for a period under a local power-sharing arrangement.
Lord Maginnis worked as a teacher at Cookstown Secondary School in County Tyrone from 1959 to 1960, Drumglass Primary School, in Dungannon 1960 from 1966 and was principal of Pomeroy Primary School from 1966 to 1982.

Three well preserved 230-million-year-old insects found in Italy

   
(On the right) These 230-million year old pieces of amber each have an insect inside.

Scientists said on Monday they have found three well-preserved ancient insects frozen in amber – and time – in what may be Earth’s oldest bug trap.

The discovery in north-eastern Italy may sound like something out of Jurassic Park, but these bugs are even older than that.
They are about 230 million years old, which puts them in the Triassic time period. This also makes them about 100 million years older than the oldest insects previously found trapped in amber, or fossilised tree resin.
Mr Derek Briggs, Director of Yale University’s Peabody Museum of Natural History, who was not part of the research, called the discovery tantalising, saying it could help researchers further understand how life evolved on land.
The discovery was reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Donie's news Ireland daily Blog Tuesday

Mick Wallace must give up his seat in the Dail as motion of censure threatens

  
When deputies return from their summer holidays next month, the Dail will debate a motion of censure on the independent TD for Wexford, Mick Wallace. No doubt the motion will be adopted.
And no doubt he will ignore the slap on the wrist and continue to sit in the Dail.
But does Deputy Wallace retain the moral right to sit there?
He has admitted that he under-declared €1.4m in VAT in his construction company, now in liquidation. He has made a settlement of €2.1m with the Revenue Commissioners.
He will give up half his Dail salary of €92,000 a year. In theory, the Revenue will be paid off in 87 years. Since the deputy most assuredly will not hold his seat for 87 years, the taxpayers will be at a loss.
Meanwhile, the director of corporate enforcement, Paul Appleby, has said that he does not propose to investigate Mr Wallace’s tax default.
Why not? Among the deputies who would like an answer to this question is Tom Barry, Fine Gael TD for Cork East. He wants a “rational explanation” why the director does not have the power to investigate.
Inquiry or no inquiry, should Mr Wallace resign his Dail seat?
Of course he should. But that is not enough.
Similar activities have gone unpunished in the past.
The members should review the antiquated rules and set better and stricter guidelines for the future.

Pat Rabbitte gives order to Cardinal Brady to stay out of the abortion row

    

The Irish cabinet is set to be rocked by a fresh abortion debate as Ministers today were taking on the head of the Catholic Church Cardinal Brady who has been warned to stay out of the debate.

But as first revealed in the Herald last month the row within Cabinet could be just as contentious as the church-state divide.
This newspaper reported last month how Health Minister James Reilly was warned by his own TDs not to promote an abortion agenda as it would “rip Fine Gael apart”.
Now Laobur’s Communications Minister, Pat Rabbitte, has spoken out in response to Cardinal Sean Brady’s promise of an all-out assault to counter any new abortion legislation.
The Government is expected to legislate on abortion following a 2010 European Court of Human Rights ruling.
But Dr Brady said the Church thinks “a referendum is the only solution” and would vigorously resist any moves to bring in abortion with members of the Church lobbying TDs.
“We would have a media campaign, we would be lobbying public representatives and also hope to write a pastoral letter on this situation,” he said.
“We would want to inform people of the ills of abortion.”
Mr Rabbitte, however, said he was “surprised” when he heard “the cardinal’s reference to lobbying and engaging, canvassing public representatives”.
“I don’t welcome the cardinal promising to engage in the political campaign,” Mr Rabbitte told RTE.
He also said the Government saw no necessity to have a referendum. Mr Rabbitte said he was surprised at the Primate’s reference to lobbying and canvassing politicians.
“I think it would be a retrogressive step to go back to the days of the Catholic Church dictating to elected public representatives how it should address an issue,” he added.
A 14-member group is due to report back to Health Minister James Reilly on the implications of a 2010 European Court of Human Rights ruling on Irish abortion laws.

RSA report gives Sligo a second place in league table of test centre’s pass rates

   

New figures show a significant variation between pass rates at driving test centres around the country.

A report by the Road Safety Authority shows a 28% gap between the highest and lowest ranking test centres, which means your chances of passing the test could depend on where you live.
The unpublished report shows significant variation in pass rates at test centres around the country.
Ennis has the highest pass rate, at almost 68%, with Sligo and Clifden coming in second and third.
However, Kilkenny comes in at the other end of the scale with the lowest pass rate at almost 40%, just after Finglas and Rathgar in Dublin.
The RSA has defended the figures, saying they are in line with other countries and depend on the number of people tested which can vary greatly between test centres.
It also said the introduction of mandatory driving lessons is expected to significantly improve pass rates.

Refusing a job and training offers means a dole cut for 1,275 people

   

Over 1,275 jobless people have had their benefits cut – because they failed to take-up work or training offers.

The Department of Social Protection said today that while there is a right to a payment, there was also a matching responsibility on the unemployed person ‘’to engage’’.
But today the Irish National Organisation for the Unemployed told RTE’s News at One that ‘’penalising those who are unemployed should be a last resort’’.
Spokesperson Bríd O’Brien said the bigger issue facing those who are unemployed was the lack of quality education places.
The Department introduced a measure last April, where jobseeker payments would be cut by €44 a week.
The reduction is for those who refuse to take-up training offers, employment opportunities or job interviews.
Since then, over 1,200 such payments have been reduced.
The highest rate of jobseeker benefit is €188, which can be cut by €44.
Lower rates of benefit face lower, proportional cuts.
The penalty applies only to an individual’s personal jobseeker payments.
No penalty is applied to any additional payments relating to adult or child dependants.