Donie's Ireland daily news BLOG.

Some 170 Garda stations not connected on to the Pulse system

BEST PRACTICE SHOWS THERE ARE TOO MANY STATIONS FOR EFFECTIVE SERVICE, SAYS SINN FÉIN TD

    

THE MINISTER FOR JUSTICE FRANCES FITZGERALD: SAYS ENHANCING RURAL ACCESS TO THE GARDA NETWORK BY CONNECTING NON-NETWORKED SITES TO THE NETWORK IS BEING EXAMINED.

Many Garda stations are not connected to the Garda Pulse network, according to Department of Justice figures.

Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald said 167 stations were not connected to the Garda computer network, but that Gardaí can “contact the Garda Information Services Centre to provide relevant details to trained civilian call-takers who enter the details on the Pulse system”.

Enhancing rural access to the Garda network by connecting non-networked sites to the network was being examined, she said.

Sinn Féin justice spokesman Jonathan O’Brien, who sought the information in a parliamentary question, said Garda management “want to close as many stations as possible”.

Gardaí in non-Pulse connected stations report into a centralised centre in Connacht. The Garda Inspectorate and the Garda Commissioner favoured a regional model, he said.

Mr O’Brien, who was appointed justice spokesman after this year’s general election, said “it’s not politically popular but international best practice has shown and the Garda Inspectorate has said that we have too many Garda stations for an effective policing service”.

The 2016 election manifesto?

This conflicts with Sinn Féin’s 2016 election manifesto, which says “we will reverse the closure of Garda stations – these closures have provided minimal savings to the State of €556,000 per annum and are a shameful legacy of this government”.

However, the Cork North-Central TD said the Garda Inspectorate view was that “to have an effective police service in the 21st century, you’re going to have some stations that are going to have to close”.

Referring to the Garda Inspectorate’s report on the service, he said: “You don’t need an actual police station to have a police presence.”

Mr O’Brien pointed to the inspectorate’s call for a civilianisation programme of elements of the service, which he said “could release 1,500 Gardaí for active duty in a matter of months”, while the force would be recruiting 600 to 700.

Gardaí should not be at the front desk in a station to deal with passport applications, he said. That was a job for civilians.

He said Gardaí on duty reporting and investigating crimes should not actually be designating what category of crime is involved, in part because of excessive paperwork and also for improving crime classification.

Mr O’Brien said a “Garda in Cork might designate a crime as burglary while another garda elsewhere might report it as trespassing even though it’s the same type of offence”.

The Minister pointed to the launch in June of the Garda Síochána Modernisation and Renewal Programme 2016-2021 which aimed to “professionalise, modernise and renew An Garda Síochána” to meet current and future challenges.

The AAA-PBP surges to record high of 9% acording to Red C Poll

PARTY IS UP 3 POINTS TO 9% FOLLOWING ATTEMPTS TO PASS ABORTION REFERENDUM BILL

   

THE ANTI-AUSTERITY ALLIANCE AND PEOPLE BEFORE PROFIT PARTY HAS SEEN ITS SUPPORT SURGE TO ITS HIGHEST LEVEL IN THE LATEST SUNDAY BUSINESS POST/RED C POLL.

It is up by three points to a record 9% after extensive coverage of its attempt to pass an abortion referendum bill in the Dáil this week. The bill was defeated but party TDs such as Brid Smith, Ruth Coppinger, Paul Murphy and Richard Boyd Barrett all featured prominently in the debate.

The poll of 1,000 voters, which was carried out between Monday and Thursday last week, is also the first to show the impact of the Budget on party support.

Fianna Fáil, which played a key role in budget negotiations, has actually dropped in support by one point to 26%. It has now lost support in the last four Red C polls in a row. However, it still remains the most popular party among those polled.

Fine Gael did not make any gains from the budget two weeks ago with its support unchanged at 25%. But the Independent Alliance is up by two points to 6%. Support for other Independents, which includes the likes of Children’s Minister Katherine Zappone, Communications Minister Denis Naughten and Independent TDs in opposition, is unchanged at 10%.

While the AAA-PBP party has made gains, they appear to be at the expense of Sinn Féin, which is down by two points to 13%, and Labour, which drops by two points to 5%. The Green Party is up by one point to 3%, while the Social Democrats are down by one to 3%.

FOR A FULL BREAKDOWN AND ANALYSIS SEE BELOW.

How they stand:

Fianna Fáil 26 (-1)
Fine Gael 25 (no change)
Sinn Féin 13 (-2)
Independents 10 (no change)
AAA-PBP 9 (+3)
Independent Alliance 6 (+2)
Labour 5 (-2)
Social Democrats 3 (-1)
Green Party 3 (+1)  Totals 100. 

What do families who have already scattered the ashes of loved ones do now?

  

I REMEMBER CALLING TO GLASNEVIN TO PICK UP THE URN CONTAINING MY BELOVED FATHER’S ASHES AND WONDERING WHAT TO DO WITH IT; I COULDN’T PUT HIM IN THE BOOT, SO I STRAPPED HIM INTO THE BACK SEAT AS WE DROVE TO KERRY,

What are we going to do now? the families of the faithful who have already scattered our loved ones’ ashes? Can we assume that the new Vatican ban on the practice won’t be applied retrospectively?

Can we also ask if the Catholic Church is bent on alienating us, the relatives of the 1,300 people cremated in Ireland annually?

About 50% of all people who die in Ireland are cremated and, of those, about a quarter choose to bring the ashes home, or to scatter them.

Not all of those people are practising Catholics and many may simply choose to ignore the new guidelines issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and approved by Pope Francis. But for the observant, it is now against Church regulations to scatter the ashes of our departed relatives in the air, on land, at sea, or in some other way.

The measure is designed to counter so-called New Age ideas that death is a “fusion” with Mother Nature, or the “definitive liberation” from the prison of the body.

The new rules also consider it non-Christian to preserve ashes or bone fragments “in mementos, pieces of jewellery or other objects”.

That last instruction is, let’s say, interesting when you consider the bone fragments of saints that have, for centuries, been preserved “in mementos, pieces of jewellery or other objects” in lavishly made Church- approved reliquaries. You can visit them in the treasury houses of the bigger Catholic churches and cathedrals all around the world.

I love visiting those wonderful repositories, packed, as they are, with rings, chasubles, copes, beautifully illuminated books, crosses, crucifixes and breath-taking reliquaries. They offer a tantalising peep into the past.

They also show the deep human need for ritual in life but, more importantly, in death.

Of course, the key difference between the Church’s collection of mementos and those held by its grieving faithful is that the former are held in a sacred place. That is one of the central concerns behind the latest Vatican document — it insists that ashes should be kept only in sacred places, such as cemeteries.

In truth, the Catholic Church never fully endorsed cremation. It reluctantly allowed it as recently as 1963, so it is not entirely surprising to hear the Church say now that burial is the most “fitting way to express faith”.

I won’t be alone in feeling a deep sense of betrayal in that understandable U-turn. I say “understandable” because this measure is all about exercising more control and we have come to expect that from the Catholic hierarchy.

Though, it has to be said the softening of the rules on eulogies at funerals some years ago was a heartening step. In fact, only last week, at the funeral of a dear friend’s mother it struck me that Catholic funerals were one of the few truly inclusive Church occasions.

There is something genuinely comforting about allowing family members stand on the altar to recall their loved ones in those moving self-penned prayers and eulogies that are often delivered in quavering voices.

It is to the credit of Irish clergy that they allow a little of the profane to be included at the edges of their sacred rites. Allowing those family tributes has neither diluted the funeral liturgy, as was feared, nor turned religious ceremonies into some sort of a This is Your Life show. If anything, it has heightened the integrity of the sacrament and made it more meaningful to relatives and friends.

Thanks, too, to those understanding priests who bend the rules on hymns and music. My wonderful Auntie Mary went out to the strains of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, a nod to her love of jazz and her visit to New Orleans.

But now? What about those committed Catholics who have passed on believing that the ashes of their living spouses would be scattered as theirs were, in some favoured beauty spot?

Or those deeply Christian people, now departed, who would be rocked to their core to discover that they had contravened some Church regulation?

Of course, they could not possibly know that the Church would move the goal posts, yet it is still not clear if the guidelines are retroactive or not. Worse, there is no explicit instruction on what Catholics should do if they scattered their loved ones’ ashes in a practice now deemed improper.

In the ten years since we, as a family, scattered my father’s ashes, it comforts me to think that he got the dignified funeral that he had wished for. He was a committed Catholic but more than that, he was a truly Christian man in the broadest possible sense. One of the balms during his illness were the regular visits from local priests. They, too, were Christian in the broadest sense — those kind, generous, men helped us navigate some sort of a path through those final bewildering months.

There were lots of bewildering moments in death, too. I remember calling to Glasnevin Cemetery to pick up the urn containing my beloved father’s ashes and wondering what to do with it; I couldn’t, in all conscience, put him in the boot, so I strapped him into the back seat as we drove to our native Kerry. I am almost afraid now to say exactly how we dispensed with those ashes, but I can say that, to us, it was sacred and fitting and solemn.

The Catholic hierarchy has already alienated so many with its indifference to the child abuse scandals and its continuing refusal to include women, to mention the most damaging examples. Many, however, are still happy to dance around the fringes and join in during those important times in a Catholic’s life — baptism, Communion, Confirmation, marriage and death. But for how long?

The Catholic Church is not a democracy, of course. Still, I can’t help feeling these new guidelines will prompt even more people to vote with their feet.

Irish among the biggest consumers of calories per day

    

PEOPLE IN IRELAND CONSUME THREE TIMES MORE CALORIES PER DAY THAN THOSE LIVING IN INDIA AND WE ARE AMONG THE BIGGEST CONSUMERS OF CALORIES IN THE WORLD, ACCORDING TO A REPORT.

The average daily consumption of calories in the world is 1,398, with the lowest seen in India at 761 calories per capita per day. The highest is Belgium with 2,580 per capita per day.

THE IRISH NATIONAL AVERAGE IS AT NO 12 ON A TABLE OF 54 COUNTRIES WITH 2,307 DAILY CALORIES PER DAY.

Data analysts, Euromonitor International, reveal that Ireland’s love affair with red meat and baked goods has bumped up calorie intake.

Nutrition analyst at Euromonitor International, Sara Petersson, said the nation’s carbohydrate-heavy diet accounts for Ireland’s high calorie score.

“Most of Ireland’s calories derive from meat, followed by baked goods, with bread being the primary source within that category.

“In third place is dairy, and confectionery in fourth. This pattern is similar to what we see in other Western Countries such as the UK, the US or Canada.

“It differs from Asian Pacific Countries, where rice, noodles or nuts, play a more significant role in the diet.”

The Irish are the biggest carnivores in Europe with the nation tucking into nearly three times as many red meat dinners as our counterparts in Britain.

Irish people ate the equivalent of more than 70 steaks or 140 quarter pounders per head of population last year to become the top beef and veal eaters in Europe just ahead of the Netherlands and Denmark.

Ms Petersson said the passport nutrition data relating to Ireland also shows the country consumes a high number of liquid calories.

“Soft drinks are the seventh highest source of calories in Ireland, providing over 100 calories per capita per day, followed by alcoholic drinks in eighth place, delivering a very similar number, also over 100 calories a day.”

Our overweight and obesity prevalence has risen steadily over the past couple of decades from around 43% of the population in 1996 to 51% of the population in 2015, according to Euromonitor Data.

In terms of just obesity, according to Euromonitor, Ireland was number 53 among 80 researched countries in 1996 and is currently ranked 59 in 2015.

America had the highest rate of obesity followed by Kuwait and Venezuela.

While 43% of the US population is classed as obese, the figures showed that 14.5% of the Irish population was obese in 2015.

TOP OF THE TABLE

Euromonitor Table of Calories Per Capita for last year 2015.

1. Belgium 2,580
2. Austria 2,558
3. Germany 2,519
4. Chile 2,518
5. Bulgaria 2,517
6. Netherlands 2,447
7. Hungary 2,418
8. Sweden 2,348
9. Finland 2,343
10. Romania 2,334
11. Czech Republic 2,321
12. Ireland 2,307

Now revealed the 32 best pubs in Ireland for a drink and a bite

    

SOME QUALITY PUB EATING HOUSES WEST OF THE SHANNON ABOVE.

IF YOU HAVE BUILT UP AN APPETITE AS WELL AS A THIRST, 32 IRISH PUBS ACROSS 15 COUNTIES CAN PROVIDE THE SOLUTION.

The hostelries north and south of the Border have been named in the prestigious 2017 ‘Michelin Eating Out In Pubs Guide’.

Of the 32 establishments listed, 25 are in the Republic and seven are in the North.

And if you’re in Dublin, the two winners are only about 100 metres apart.

Down dominates the winners with six listings, followed closely by Cork with five, Clare with four and Kildare with three.

Galway, Dublin and Mayo each received two listings, while Antrim, Kerry, Leitrim, Louth, Sligo, Tipperary, Wexford and Wicklow all have one.

The capital’s listings are the Old Spot and the Chop House, both located in Ballsbridge, Dublin 4.

General manager of the Old Spot, Conor Kavanagh, spoke about what it takes to be listed in the guide for the second year in a row.

“We opened at the end of 2014, so we’re really delighted about this,” he said. “We have a real dedication to quality and because we declared ourselves as a gastropub when we opened. I think people wanted to come and see us to check us out.

OFFERING QUALITY.

“We offer fantastic food in a pub environment, very high quality produce, great wine and a great cocktail list. We’re in a great part of Dublin, right beside the Aviva Stadium.”

Antrim’s listing is Billy Andy’s in Mounthill, near Larne. Clare’s pubs are Morrissey’s in Doonbeg, Vaughan’s Anchor Inn in Liscannor, the Wild Honey Inn in Lisdoonvarna and Linnane’s Lobster Bar in New Quay.

Cork’s listed pubs are Mary Ann’s in Castletownshend, the Poacher’s Inn in Bandon, Deasy’s in Clonakilty, Cronin’s in Crosshaven and Toddies at The Bulman in Kinsale.

Down’s winning pubs were the Pheasant in Annahilt, the Poacher’s Pocket in Comber, the Parson’s Nose and the Plough Inn, both in Hillsborough, Pier 36 in Donaghadee and Balloo House in Killinchy.

Galway’s listings were Moran’s Oyster Cottage in Kilcolgan and O’Dowd’s in Roundstone.

Kerry’s listed pub is the O’Neill’s Seafood Bar in Caherciveen. Kildare impressed with Hartes in Kildare town, the Ballymore Inn in Ballymore Eustace and Fallons in Kilcullen.

Leitrim’s stand-out pub is the Oarsman in Carrick-on-Shannon, while Co Louth’s is Fitzpatrick’s in Jenkinstown.

Mayo’s listings are The Tavern in Murrisk and the Sheebeen in Westport.

Sligo’s top gastropub is Hargadon in Sligo town, while Larkins in Garrykennedy is the premier pub in Tipperary.

Wexford’s listing is the Lobster Pot in Carne, while Wicklow won with Byrne & Woods in Roundwood.

Wild Honey Inn and Toddies at The Bulman both retained an ‘Inspectors’ Favourites’ commendation, described as “establishments found to be particularly charming and which offer something extra special”.

Fossilised dinosaur brain discovered for the first time same as Crocodiles and Birds

   

Scans from the fossil (pictured above right) revealed the brain tissue had distinct similarities to those of modern-day crocodiles and birds.

WE’VE LONG KNOWN THAT DINOSAURS EXISTED, MAINLY BECAUSE OF THEIR FOSSILIZED SKELETONS. HOWEVER, WE’VE NEVER SEEN A BRAIN UNTIL JUST RECENTLY.

Scientists have come across several dinosaur fossils in the past, but never have they seen a fossilized dinosaur brain. Well, this is no longer the case for the first fossilized brain tissue has been found in southeast England.

The small clump of the rock-looking object most likely comes from a dinosaur that lived 133 million years ago. According to scientists, what they have found is a small brain tissue of a leaf-eating dinosaur, a large one at that. Researchers are not 100 percent confident of the type, but it could be similar to an Iguanodon.

According to a report released by the Geological Society of London, the specimen is the first brain tissue found for a dinosaur, so there is a chance of finding more, but those chances are rather slim. Furthermore, scientists say the fossilized brain tissue has similar characteristics to that of crocodiles and birds.

“What we think happened is that this particular dinosaur died in or near a body of water, and its head ended up partially buried in the sediment at the bottom,” said David Norman from the University of Cambridge. “Since the water had little oxygen and was very acidic, the soft tissues of the brain were likely preserved and cast before the rest of its body was buried in the sediment.”

Here’s the thing, these findings could potentially shed light on how dinosaur brains and the brains of other ancient creatures have evolved over millions of years. This has always been a problem for researchers, but things could change for the better.

One of the reasons why scientists haven’t come across dinosaur brain tissue in the past is the fact that brains are the first part of a body to decay. It’s quite surprising this clump of brain tissue has been found, considering the circumstances.

More Findings On The Horizon?

This finding should allow scientists to have an idea of what to look for when seeking out fossilized dinosaur brains. They know where to look now, so it’s only a matter of time, no matter how long, before another clump of brain is located.

How Smart Were The Dinosaurs?

Where the brain fossil was located in the skull should give scientists an idea of how intelligent the ancient creatures were. However, they are hesitant at coming to any conclusion based on a single fossil. We’re guessing if more fossils are found in the future, researchers will make an announcement. Don’t be too surprised if these creatures were as smart as a crocodile. That would be scary, right?

A New Dinosaur Species

Recently, we reported the discovery of a new species of plant-eating dinosaur in Australia. This is the first to ever be discovered in the country, and we’re sure it won’t be the last. We understand the creature is a long-neck Sauropod, and spans nearly half the length of a basketball court.   

Donie's Ireland daily news BLOG update

KBC cuts mortgage interest rates for new and existing customers

Both fixed and variable rates to be reduced, with possible savings of more than €23,000

    

EXISTING CUSTOMERS OF KBC WILL ONLY BE ABLE TO APPLY FOR THE REVISED MORTGAGE INTEREST RATE AFTER SUBMITTING AN UP-TO-DATE VALUATION OF THEIR PROPERTY BY AN APPROVED VALUER.

KBC Bank Ireland is to cut fixed and variable mortgage interest rates by between 0.1% and 0.6% for both new and existing customers.

The bank, which has previously been criticised for only passing on rate cuts to new customers, said the revised rates varied depending on the mortgage amount relative to the value of the home.

While the bank has reduced some of its rates, it is not cutting back its standard variable rate, which remains high at 4.25%.

KBC said that along with the new rate cuts it is also offering €2,000 towards professional fees for switchers, movers, first-time buyers and buy-to-let investors. In addition, it has extended its 50% offer of home insurance for new mortgage customers until the end of the year.

The bank said under the new rates, an existing customer with a €250,000 mortgage balance on a standard variable rate at 4.25% and 20 years remaining and a loan-to-value (LTV) of between 80% and 90% could save €98.19 per month and €23,565 over the term of the mortgage by availing of the reduced LTV variable rate of 3.50%.

A similar customer could also increase their savings in year 1 to €174.01 per month and €25,261 over the term by availing of the one-year fixed rate of 2.90%, the bank said.

Valuation

New mortgage customers will be able to avail of the new rates from the start of November. Existing customers will able to apply for the revised rate from early December but only after submitting an up-to-date valuation of their property by an approved valuer.

KBC has also announced a new limited offer promising what it said was the lowest personal loan rate currently available of over €10,000 at 6.3% annual percentage rate (APR).

Investec chief economist Phlip O’Sullivan said he expected the impact of both political pressure and rate cuts by the likes of KBC to feed through to similar 25 basic point cuts in lending rates by the rest of the major Irish mortgage providers during the fourth quarter.

He said downward pressure would likely remain on mortgage pricing next year, particularly with niche new entrants to the Irish market such as Frank Money expected to offer rates below 3%.

Mr O’Sullivan said he expects Permanent TSB and Bank of Ireland will continue to only focus on cutting rates for new customers to protect income from existing loans.

FF deputies vote against Government over blocking abortion Bill

DÁIL APPROVES GOVERNMENT AMENDMENT THAT BLOCKS PROPOSED AAA-PBP LEGISLATION

   

ANTI-AUSTERITY ALLIANCE-PEOPLE BEFORE PROFIT TDS RUTH COPPINGER AND BRÍD SMITH: “THE KEY POINT IS WE MUST KEEP WOMEN’S BODIES OUT OF THE CONSTITUTION.”

Five Fianna Fáil TDs voted against a Government amendment that blocked a Bill to allow a referendum on abortion.

The Dáil approved the amendment by 96 votes to 47 and blocked the Anti-Austerity Alliance-People Before Profit (AAA-PBP) Bill from being read a second time. Sinn Féin, Labour, the Green Party and the Social Democrats voted with the AAA-PBP.

Cork North-Central TD Billy Kelleher, Limerick TD Niall Collins, Mayo TD Lisa Chambers, Kildare South TD Fiona O’Loughlin and Clare TD Timmy Dooley voted against the Government amendment on the issue.

Party whip and Cork North-West TD Michael Moynihan abstained, as did Independent TD Maureen O’Sullivan. A majority of Fianna Fáil’s deputies voted with the Government. The party had allowed its TDs a free vote on the issue.

The dissenting party members supported the Bill which had been introduced by Dublin West TD Ruth Coppinger and Dublin South-Central TD Bríd Smith. It proposes a referendum to remove from the Constitution the equal right to life of the mother and the unborn.

A FREE VOTE?

However, an amendment agreed between the Fine Gael and Independent Alliance coalition Government prevented a vote on the legislation, the 35th Amendment of the Constitution (Repeal of the Eighth Amendment) Bill.

Independent Alliance members insisted on a free vote on abortion and to avoid another bitter split in Cabinet, Fine Gael and the Independents in Government agreed a deal, after late night talks, preventing a vote on abortion.

The Citizens’ Assembly established by Taoiseach Enda Kenny to discuss abortion will report back to an Oireachtas committee in June next year and make recommendations.

The Government motion gives the Oireachtas committee an additional six months after the assembly reports to complete its deliberations. This means there will be no referendum on abortion before 2018 at the earliest.

A division in the Cabinet ensued in July on a Bill to allow abortion in cases of fatal foetal abnormality, when Independent Alliance Ministers insisted on a free vote.

BODILY AUTONOMY

During the Dáil debate on the Bill on Tuesday night, AAA-PBP TD Ruth Coppinger said the Dáil and the electorate were very clear that Fine Gael and the Independent Alliance were, in effect, opposing the repeal of the Eighth Amendment.

“What will enrage many women and young people is that Independents, who were elected on a platform of repealing the amendment, are now buckling under a whip and kicking this issue to touch,’’ she said.

Ms Coppinger said the issue was about bodily autonomy. “The key point is we must keep women’s bodies out of the Constitution,’’ she said.

Ms Smith said the public was angry that the Taoiseach and Ministers had let women down.

Minister for Health Simon Harris said during the debate that the issue cannot be answered “with one word or three words or one Bill”.

He said the Citizens’ Assembly should be allowed to conclude its deliberations and make its recommendations.

“Tabling a referendum Bill is the easy part,” he said. “Telling the Irish people what would replace that constitutional amendment in law or elsewhere is the difficult work we have to do.”

Fracking ban gains ground after Fianna Fáil opposes delay to legislation

   

ATTEMPTS TO GET THE GOVERNMENT TO BAN FRACKING LOOK SET TO PASS THEIR FIRST HURDLE, IT HAS EMERGED.

Legislation put forward by Fine Gael backbench TD Tony McLoughlin was due to be put on hold for at least eight months to allow for an independent report on the controversial gas extraction to be completed.

But the proposal may progress more quickly after Fianna Fáil refused to support the delay.

Mr McLoughlin’s legislation had been accepted by Government this week but it attempted to add a clause to stop it from further parliamentary scrutiny until after June 30 next year, potentially delaying an outright ban until 2018.

The TD for Sligo Leitrim, one of the three regions identified for potential shale gas exploration, sought to ban energy companies from using high-pressure water and other additives to extract raw fuels from rocks, sands and coal seams.

The legislation will be brought before the Dáil later today.

It is understood the Government cancelled proposals to stall the legislation until next June after Fianna Fáil warned it would not vote in favour of any delay.

Oisin Coghlan, director of Friends of the Earth Ireland, had expressed concern that the Government was trying to slow the reform.

“I hope that reports Fine Gael will now drop their motion to delay the bill to ban fracking are true,” he said.

“On the day the Dáil voted to ratify the Paris Agreement Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Fine Gael risk being on the wrong side of history.

“All party agreement tonight to progress the bill without delay would be a sign that Ireland is finally getting serious about climate action.”

If the legislation progresses it will be the first step in enforcing a nationwide ban on fracking and it will give the Government 12 weeks before it goes before further parliamentary scrutiny.

Hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as fracking, involves drilling into the earth before a high-pressure water mixture is forced into rock to release gas.

Three exploratory licences were granted in Ireland but no extraction has taken place.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) commissioned a report on the impact of the controversial gas extraction on the environment and human health. It is due in the coming months.

Eamon Scanlon, Fianna Fáil TD for Sligo-Leitrim, said the Government was trying to push the legislation back for at least a year.

“It said it wanted to wait for the EPA to report. There are many people I’ve spoken to in relation to fracking who have no confidence in the EPA report,” he said.

“We were supporting the Bill as it was. There was no question about that.

“And I would like to see a ban in the next year.”

New CSO figures reveal the new health state of our nation

  

NEW CSO CENSUS FIGURES HAVE HIGHLIGHTED THE NEW BIRTH RATES AND THE MAIN CAUSES OF DEATH IN IRELAND.

The latest Central Statistic Office (CSO) figures have revealed how the nation’s birth rate has stalled while fewer people are dying.

The new data showed how there were 67,295 children born in Ireland during 2014, down 1,659 from 2013.

The CSO said this is the lowest number of births since 2006 when there were 65,425 births.

The birth rate was 14.6 per 1,000 of the population in 2014 compared to 15.0 in 2013 and 15.3 in 2004.

It also emerged that teen pregnancies are down over 50% compared to 10 years ago while births to mothers over 40 surged by over 70%.

The figures showed just 1,296 births were registered to women under the age of 20 in 2014.

The figure stood at 2,493 in 2004.

In fact, it emerged the average age of mothers is rising with the typical new Irish mothers now aged 30.5 years old compared to 28.5 years old 12 years ago.

DEATH RATES

The “Vital Statistics Annual Report 2014″ by the CSO also revealed that circulatory and respiratory conditions are still some of the biggest killers on the island.

Heart problems accounted for 8,852 deaths while respiratory illness killed 3,492 in 2014.

The CSO said there were 29,252 deaths in Ireland in 2014, of which 14,897 were men and 14,355 were women.

The death rate for 2014 stood at 6.3 deaths per 1,000 total population, slightly lower than the 6.4 recorded in 2013.

Royal College of Surgeons advises doctors to let patients decide on treatment options

   

THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS HAS ADVISED DOCTORS TO LET PATIENTS CHOOSE WHETHER OR NOT TO UNDERGO MEDICAL TREATMENTS IN NEW CONSENT GUIDANCE.

According to the guidance, doctors must now outline every risk of the procedure that may be significant to the patient along with other treatment options.

The guidance adds that in cases where patients ’choose to refuse treatment and this path is potentially dangerous or fatal, surgeons must respect the patient’s decision.’

Intending to replace the ’paternalistic’ approach to consent with a ’patient-centred perspective’ the RCS guidelines says surgeons are ‘no longer the sole arbiter of determining what risks are material to their patients’.

The RCS warns that if these changes to how doctors obtain consent are not made, NHS trusts could face increasing medical negligence claims.

According to the NHS Litigation Authority, which handles medical negligence claims on behalf of hospitals, trusts in England paid out more than £1.4bn in during 2015/2016.

This warning comes following a judgment given last year in the Supreme Court case of Nadine Montgomery, who son has cerebral palsy.

Ms Montgomery, who is small and a type 1 diabetic, was awarded £5.25m after doctors failed to tell her the risks of her condition and offer her a caesarean section.

The judges in the case said doctors must tell patients the ‘material risks’ that will matter to them.

The new guidelines clarify that doctors must assess a ‘material risk’ as one that ‘a reasonable person in the patient’s position would be likely to attach significance to the risk, or the doctor is or should reasonably be aware that the particular patient would likely attach significance to it.’

Mr Leslie Hamilton, a Royal College of Surgeons council member, said the RCS is ‘very concerned that doctors and hospitals haven’t fully appreciated’ how the judgment changed the understanding of patient consent.

He said: ‘Hospitals and medical staff are leaving themselves very vulnerable to expensive litigation and increased pay-outs by being slow to change the way the consent process happens.

‘We cannot underestimate the psychological impact facing litigation can also have on doctors. It can do serious damage to their confidence in practice and their reputation. Doctors must protect themselves and their patients by ensuring the consent process is carried out properly.’

Dr Keith Grimes, a GP in East Sussex, said on Twitter that shared decision making is something that “GPs have been doing for decades, and I learned about 16 [years ago].’

Dr Martin Brunet, a GP in Guildford, said he agrees with the guidelines but hopes ‘doctors don’t now abandon patients in making decisions’.

The BMA also added that implementing the new guidelines will be “difficult”.

Dr Mark Porter, BMA chair of council, said: ‘Doctors must have the time to fully explain and outline the risks involved in any procedure to their patients before it takes place. In today’s NHS it is becoming increasingly difficult as we face rising demand and staff shortages.’

Wildlife populations drop by almost 60% since 1970

   

‘WILDLIFE IS DISAPPEARING WITHIN OUR LIFETIMES AT AN UNPRECEDENTED RATE,’ SAYS WWF.

Worldwide populations of mammals, birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles have plunged by almost 60 per cent since 1970 as human activities overwhelm the environment, the WWF conservation group said on Thursday.

An index compiled with data from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) to measure the abundance of biodiversity was down 58% from 1970 to 2012 and would fall 67% by 2020 on current trends, the WWF said in a report.

The decline is yet another sign that people have become the driving force for change on Earth, ushering in the epoch of the Anthropocene, a term derived from “anthropos”, the Greek for “human” and “-cene” denoting a geological period.

Conservation efforts appear to be having scant impact as the index is showing a steeper plunge in wildlife populations than two years ago, when the WWF estimated a 52% decline by 2010.

“Wildlife is disappearing within our lifetimes at an unprecedented rate,” Marco Lambertini, Director General of WWF International, said in a statement of the group’s Living Planet Report, published every two years.

“Biodiversity forms the foundation of healthy forests, rivers and oceans,” he said in a statement.

“We are entering a new era in Earth’s history: the Anthropocene,” he said. WWF is also known as the World Wide Fund for Nature.

The index tracks about 14,200 populations of 3,700 species of vertebrates – creatures that range in size from pea-sized frogs to 100 ft long whales.

The rising human population is threatening wildlife by clearing land for farms and cities, the WWF’s report said.

Other factors include pollution, invasive species, hunting and climate change.

But there were still chances to reverse the trends, it said.

“Importantly … these are declines, they are not yet extinctions,” said Professor Ken Norris, Director of Science at ZSL.

Deon Nel, WWF global conservation director, told Reuters it wasn’t all bad news.

“I don’t speak at all about doom and gloom – we do see a lot of positive signs,” Nel said.

One hopeful sign is a global agreement by almost 200 nations last year to curb climate change could, for instance, help protect tropical forests, slow a spread of deserts and curb an acidification of the seas caused by a build-up of carbon dioxide.

And a 2015 UN plan for sustainable development by 2030, seeking to end poverty with policies that safeguard the environment, would also help if properly implemented.

Also, some species are recovering. Last month, the giant panda was taken off an endangered list after a recovery in China.