The Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton looks set to implement plans to get more people to sign up for private pensions.Under the proposals employees will be automatically enrolled in pension schemes.
There have been warnings about the problems in the pensions system in recent times.
Under the plans drawn up by the Department of Social Protection, a new universal pension scheme will be introduced, to ensure employees have adequate funds when they retire.
The scheme will bring about automatic enrollment and workers will have to pro-actively opt out if they do not want to be part of it.
The National Treasury Management Agency will supervise the scheme so the State will be unable to access the fund for general spending.
It is believed that the Minister will give more details about the plans in the new year and its introduction is to happen when the economy shows signs of a recovery in the coming years.
Budget cuts will turn west into a wasteland warns IFA leader
A big warning has been issued this week that the West of Ireland is perilously close to becoming a rural wasteland because of Government cuts that will end the viability of family farms across the western seaboard.
Connacht IFA Vice-President, Padraic Divilly, told the Connacht Tribune, that unless there was a Government turnaround on income cuts to smaller farms, the fabric of rural life ‘as we know it’ would come to the end of its days over the next decade.
“We are now after being hit with six austerity budgets, and at the end of the day, are we any further on? The more incomes that are cut in the West, the less there is to spend in the local towns and villages – this policy of cutting and slashing is simply not working,” said Mr. Divilly from Kilkerrin.
He said that when farmers sold their stock and got their payments, all of the money ended up being circulated back into the local economy but over the past six years – and particularly the last two under Simon Coveney – it was the smallest farmers who had taken the biggest hit.
“Are we gone to the stage along the western seaboard where it’s a case of ‘the last one out puts out the lights’. Many years ago the late John Healy had a famous line that ‘no one shouted stop’ in relation to the decline of rural towns – the time has come again for people to shout stop,” said Mr. Divilly.
He added that while a number of meetings with Taoiseach Enda Kenny had helped to get the message across about the decay of rural Ireland, the same Budget pattern had again been repeated under Simon Coveney’s term of office.
Martin McGuinness resigns as MP for Mid-Ulster
Martin McGuinness will remain a Member of the Legislative Assembly
Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland, Martin McGuinness, has confirmed that he has formally resigned as MP for Mid-Ulster.
Mr McGuinness will remain a Member of the Legislative Assembly.
He said his resignation is in line with Sinn Féin’s commitment to end double-jobbing.
In a statement Mr McGuinness said: “I am resigning as MP but I have no intention of leaving Mid-Ulster. South Derry and East Tyrone have suffered immensely as a result of the conflict.
“I will always be grateful to the people of this area for trusting me to represent them and their interests. I will of course continue to represent the Mid-Ulster Constituency in the Assembly.
“I am honoured to do so both as an MLA and as deputy First Minister in equal partnership with Peter Robinson.”
Work it out in 2013 and stick to it
No new year would be complete without a resolution to get fitter.
There are very few who haven’t vowed to lose weight and get in shape for the year ahead, but as Ireland has one of the fastest growing rates of obesity in the world, a number of people are turning to cosmetic surgery to help shed a few inches.
And although this sort of treatment has traditionally been associated with women, figures from the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons show a significant increase in male patients with the number of ‘moob jobs’ looking set to double within the next five years.
Consultant plastic surgeon Dr Patricia Eadie says gynaecomastia, (enlarged male breasts), is a common problem which affects some men from their early teens and while she hasn’t seen an increase in demand for this sort of surgery, she says people are being more open about it.
“Gynaecomastia (moobs) has always been part of a plastic surgeon’s practice and in some cases we see them as young as 12 or 13,” she says. “I don’t think there has been a particular increase in Ireland lately but perhaps there is more willingness to talk about it.
“It can be very distressing for some, especially those with large breasts, which may be quite saggy, as it stops them from activities such as sport or going to beach. Even those with small breasts can be very self-conscious.”
The surgeon says the complexity of surgery largely depends on the severity of the problem.
“The operation varies depending on the breast size and the amount of skin laxity and whether there is more fat than actual breast or glandular tissue,” she says.
“In some cases, liposuction alone may solve the problem whereas others will require open surgery. Generally the incision is kept at the junction of the nipple and areolar complex and so is not visible afterwards, unless there is significant excess skin when occasionally, scars on the chest wall may be necessary.
“These procedures may be done in public hospitals if deemed significant and sometimes can be covered by health insurance. A rough estimate of the cost of surgery would be between €4,500 and €6,000.”
But personal trainer and fitness expert Karl Henry says surgery should be a last resort when it comes to getting rid of weight-related ‘moobs’ and a good exercise regime could make a big difference in itself.
“With changes in diet and hard-weights based training, there can be a drastic improvement in the shape and look of the man boobs,” he says. “Exercise will make a huge difference to the shape of the tissue, and improve the confidence of the man.”
Irish Coast Guard saves 161 lives in 2012
The Irish Coast Guard has dealt with 1954 incidents so far this year
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