Donie's news Ireland daily BLOG

Saturday/Sunday 8th & 9th March 2014.

Angela Merkel hints at debt bailout deal for Ireland

 

The German Chancellor Angela Merkel has cautiously indicated that Ireland could be in line for a deal on our bank debt which would have a positive knock-on for the taxpayer.

The most powerful leader in Europe hailed Ireland’s recovery as a “success” and said she was “positive” about moves to reduce the amount of money the country has to repay from the bank bailout.

And Chancellor Merkel said Ireland and Germany were two countries with a strong working relationship.

ADMIRATION: Attending the European People’s Party event at Dublin;s Convention Centre, a series of EU leaders praised Ireland’s exit from the bailout – not least Ms Merkel.

“I would like to use this opportunity of my bilateral visit to your country to pay you my respect and my admiration for what you have been able to achieve.

“This is thanks to the people of Ireland who were ready and willing to embark on this very difficult curse and I think once these first signs of success of the fact that Ireland was able to leave the Troika programme is obviously a success story,” Ms Merkel said.

Following a meeting with the Taoiseach Enda Kenny, the German leader said much work had to be done on putting the new banking supervisor in place.

“That’s a tremendous success story. You were able to emerge from this bailout,” she said.

The Chancellor appeared to suggest her support for a bank debt deal as she said a single supervisory mechanism had to be established before such issues can be examined. “All of that is currently in the consultation process,” she said.

“And I must say that I can only say I have a positive outlook on the possible outcome. We have achieved much but we are not at the end of the road yet.”

The Taoiseach interpreted the Chancellor’s comments as a sign she was “hopeful” there would be a debt deal.

Addressing a European political conference, hosted by Fine Gael in Dublin, Mr Kenny made specific reference to the more than €60bn injected by the taxpayer into the banking system.

PACKAGE: The Coalition is continuing to press for the debt deal as part of a package of measures to ease the burden in the wake of the bailout by the taxpayer of the banking system.

Mr Kenny said nothing can be done until the banking supervisor is in place.

He said the process was under way and meetings were happening.

“The Chancellor is hopeful there will be a good result about queries that will be made at that stage,” he said.

Ireland’s Grandparents could be forced to fill out child-minding tax forms

  

Grandparents of Ireland minding their offspring’s children may be targeted as Revenue begins a clampdown on child-minders.

It has been warned the new tax rules affecting all childminders could cause problems for parents and may not be in the best interests of children.

Child-minders who earn less than €15,000 a year are exempt from paying tax but they will now be obliged to fill in a 26-page tax return form for the first time.

The new rules even apply to grandparents who are minding their son’s or daughter’s children if they are being paid, Revenue confirmed.

Some child-minders last night told the Irish Independent the new rule could result in headaches for parents who discover fewer people in their locality willing to mind their children.

And some child-minders will be less inclined to register themselves for any regulation in order to avoid the extra red tape.

The spokeswoman for Revenue said just 450 people were claiming a tax exemption for minding children in their home, but it is thought that thousands more are looking after children without telling the authorities.

Child-minders warned the new rule would be counterproductive to efforts to encourage people to register as child-minders.

Teresa Heaney, chief executive of Early Childhood Ireland, said: “This move indicates to me that Revenue is aware there is an awful lot of unregulated childcare and they are trying to discover the extent of it.

“It could result in more people going into the black economy where childcare is not subject to inspection. That would be a poor outcome for any initiative and not in the best interests of children.”

And it has emerged that people minding children in their homes may be unaware that they are due to make pay related social insurance (PRSI) payments on the money they get for caring for children.

EXEMPT: People who mind children in their home are exempt from income tax if they register with the HSE, and if their income from child-minding does not exceed €15,000.

But a new briefing document issued by Revenue this week stresses that anyone claiming this relief must submit an annual tax return. This is known as Form 11 and runs to 26 pages.

Senior tax consultant with Taxback.com Christine Keily accused Revenue of clamping down on child-minders.

“The fact that Revenue issued this reminder would suggest that they do intend to clamp down on individuals who have been availing of this relief but not meeting their obligations under self-assessment. For any individual in these circumstances we would suggest that they reconcile their position without delay.”

She said there was a concern among the tax authorities that thousands of child-minders were availing of the income tax relief but failing to formalise this by filing an annual tax return.

Tax practitioner with PayLessTax.ie Cathal Maxwell said that thousands of child-minders, who avoid income tax under the income tax exemption rule, may be unaware that they are still supposed to pay PRSI.

He said anyone with child-minding income of greater than €5,000 has to pay a flat rate of PRSI of €500.

An exemption from income tax for earnings up to €15,000 has been in place since 2006.

A spokeswoman for Revenue said: “The relief is available only to individuals who provide child-minding services in their own homes within the State on a self-employed basis, and is not available to individuals who are employees of a child-minding service.”

Young Irish women are best educated in the European Union

  

Young Irish women are the best educated in Europe. New figures show that Ireland has the highest proportion with college degrees among all Europeans aged in their early thirties.

More than 50pc of all Irish people of that age have a third-level qualification, the highest in Europe.

But women here are increasingly juggling work, education and family demands, the figures from Eurostat reveal.

Irish women come out on top in the Eurostat survey which showed 57.9pc of Irish women aged 30 to 34 have a third-level education, compared with the EU average of 39.9pc.

And 44pc of Irish men of the same age have a third-level education, compared with the EU average for men of 31.5pc. The figures will give some encouragement to those wishing to claim Ireland, whatever about its saints, is an island of scholars.

The survey, released to mark International Women’s Day, showed that Irish women and French women share the title of being the most fertile women in Europe, having an average of 2.01 children each.

The EU average is 1.58 children with the lowest figure in Portugal at 1.28 and Poland 1.30.

And as well as the high fertility rate here, Ireland had a female employment rate close to the EU average. Other key findings included:

1.      In Ireland, almost 80% of health and welfare graduates are female, 76% of graduates in the education and training field are female, and only 16.9pc of females chose engineering as their area of study.

2.     8.2% of young Irish women (aged 18 to 24) are early school leavers, compared with 11.2% of Irish men. A total of 20.8% of Spanish women leave school early, while only 3.2% of Slovenian women do so.

3.     55.1% of Irish women are in employment (EU average 58.5%), compared with 62.7% of Irish men (EU average 69.6%).

4.     34.9% of Irish women are in part-time employment, compared with 13.3% of Irish men. Both of these are above the EU average with 32% of women and 8pc of men in part-time employment in the 28 EU countries.

The study showed that females are far better at remaining in full-time education than men.

DIFFERENCES: A total of 10.9% of females in the EU leave education and training early compared with 14.4% of males.

In the EU overall, a higher proportion of young women than men have a college degree.

The largest differences in the rates between women and men with third-level qualifications were observed in Estonia (50.4% for women and 28.1% for men), Latvia (48.1% and 26.2%), Slovenia (49.6% and 29.5%) and Denmark (52.6% and 33.7%).

However, while almost 80% of EU graduates in their early 30s in the field of education are women, just 27% of graduates in engineering are women.

FOUR OUT OF 10 SCIENCE AND MATHS GRADUATES ARE WOMEN.

WOMEN GRADUATES DOMINATE CERTAIN FIELDS.

In Romania, 95.1% of education and training graduates are women. In Latvia, 93.7% of graduates in health and welfare are women.

Tánaiste Gilmore calls on Fine Gael strategist to attend Rehab hearings

 

Eamon Gilmore says the pay of a senior Rehab executives should be revealed to the public of Ireland.

Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore wants him to attend a Public Accounts Committee hearing

The Tánaiste called in the Dáil yesterday on Rehab director and senior Fine Gael strategist Frank Flannery to attend a public hearing with the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

Eamon Gilmore said it was a matter for the PAC to pursue the issue with Mr Flannery. “My view is very clear he should attend and I would encourage him to do so,’’ he added.

Mr Flannery, a former Rehab chief executive, declined to attend a PAC meeting last week, although he was present in Leinster House.

The PAC wants to question him on his pension and consultancy work he undertook on behalf of Rehab.

Public funds: Sinn Féin deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald said Rehab was in receipt of in excess of €83 million of public funds and enjoyed the benefit of charitable status in the State. The current chief executive, Angela Kerins, had refused to reveal to the PAC last week details of the pay levels of senior executives, she added.

“We find ourselves a week on and Ms Kerins and Rehab have failed to make that information public,’’ she said.

Ms McDonald revealed that a young woman on a rehabilitative training programme with Rehab had sent her a copy of her payslip.

“This young person receives an income of €31.80 per week and has travel expenses of €15 deducted, meaning the net income as reflected by the payslip is €16.80,’’ Ms McDonald added.

“This person has no difficulty with her income being known publicly.’’

Senior executives: Mr Gilmore said the pay of senior executives in Rehab, and any other organisation funded by the State through the HSE, should be made public.

Ms McDonald said it was clear that members of theOireachtas were of one mind on the issue, whether on Government or Opposition benches. Full details relating to payments to Rehab executives must be made public without any further delay.

She said an organisation in receipt of very substantial public money and enjoying charitable status had “thumbed its nose’’ at the general public and at its volunteers and donors.

Irish cars licensed for February 2014 increased by 23.1%

  

The number of new private cars licensed for the first time increased by 23.1% to11,906 in February 2014 compared to February 2013 – -  but from a low base. Used (imported) private cars licensed for the first time were up 22.1% to 4,537 for the same period.

The CSO said that in total, there were 27,881 new private cars licensed in the year to the end of February 2014, a rise of 36.6% compared to the same period in 2013. The corresponding figure for 2014 in respect of used (imported) private cars was 8,503 and this was up 32.9% from 2013.

The licensing figures also show that:

1.      The number of new goods vehicles licensed in February 2014 was 1,620, up 44.6% from February 2013;

2.     The total number of all new vehicles licensed during February 2014 was 14,547 compared with 11,518 during the same month in 2013 – an increase of 26.3%;

3.     In February 2014, of the 11,906 new private cars licensed, 2,902 (24.4%) were petrol and 8,850 (74.3%) were diesel;

4.     The highest number of new private cars licensed in February 2014, classified by make, was Volkswagen (1,432) followed by Toyota (1,262), Ford (1,135) and Opel (1,102);

5.     In February 2014, the total number of all vehicles licensed was 20,419 compared with 16,177 in the corresponding month last year – an increase of 26.2%. .

The licensing figures refer to vehicles taxed for road use only and classified by taxation class.

The CSO said licensing differs from registration in that a vehicle is licensed when a valid motor tax disc is issued for the first time. Registration occurs when a vehicle gets its licence plate (registration number) for the first time.

Great White shark swimming across Atlantic and heading for south of Ireland

  

A huge Great White ‘Lydia’ shark is ‘three days’ away from Cornish coast after being tracked in year-long research project and maybe heading towards the south of Ireland.

The 2,000lb shark has swum more the 19,000 miles after scientists caught her in Florida last year to fix a tracker to her fin.

And now the shark is just 1,000 miles from the Cornish Coast – which she could reach in three days’ time if she carries on her current route.

The shark was the first to be caught and fitted with a tracker as part of a major research project to track Great Whites’ movements around the Atlantic Ocean.

She was caught last year by being lured in with bait and lifted onto a platform above the sea so scientists from charity OCEARCH could fit a satellite tracker in her fin.

Now every time Lydia’s fin breaks the surface it sends a signal to a satellite – allowing researchers to plot her route.

In the last 72 hours the 4.4m shark has swum 380 miles – with scientists believing she is heading either for the UK, European mainland or North African coast.

Dr Gregory Skomal, senior fisheries biologist with Massachusetts Marine Fisheries, said Lydia is closer to Europe than North America: “She technically does not cross the Atlantic until she crosses the mid-Atlantic ridge, which she has yet to do.

“We have no idea how far she will go, but Europe, the Med, and the coast of Africa are all feasible.”

The shark’s route towards Cornwall would not be the first time Great Whites have been suspected of entering British waters – with scientists warning the species could become more common as sea temperatures rise with global warming.

Last year a fisherman moored off the Cornish coast saw a small blue shark on the end of his line come up with huge bite marks across it – suggesting it had been attacked by another shark the size of a Great White.  

Donie's news Ireland BLOG

Dick Spring defends €59k salary for 60 days work as a Public Interest Director

    

Former Tánaiste Dick Spring, who represents the taxpayer on the board of AIB, has defended his salary as “reasonable”. 

Mr Spring is a public interest director at the bank and was paid €59,000 for 60 days work last year.

He also receives one of the largest state pensions of more than €121,000.

The former Labour Party leader said the pay is appropriate for the work he does and that he has turned down higher paying jobs.

Mr Spring said: “My pension as a former deputy, which you will be entitled to in time, and as a former minister you will achieve a ministerial pension if you enter ministerial office, and I think you will be perfectly entitled to it.

“There is another way of looking at this, I have turned down numerous invitations to take up other positions which would be equally, if not more lucrative, than working for Allied Irish Bank, I have turned them down.”

Meanwhile, the Government nominee to the board of AIB has said there will be “no divine mercy” when it comes to dealing with homeowners in arrears.

Michael Somers has told the Oireachtas Finance Committee that while people won’t be thrown out on the streets, this is an issue that will have to be dealt with.

Promise to ‘share the pain’ not delivered by Ireland's politicians

    

In the run-up to the Budget there were lots of promises that politicians would “share the pain”. But Public Expenditure Minister Brendan Howlin instead announced minor cuts, such as halving the allocation of free Oireachtas envelopes, the receipting of all constituency office expenses and a 10pc cut to the allowance paid to party leaders and Independent TDs.

Although no figures were provided, a rough calculation suggests these changes could save €3m per year at best.

But there was no reference to how much of a budget would be provided for running the Dail and Seanad.

It turns out that Coalition TDs and senators are going to award themselves an annual average of €108m before they go on their Christmas holidays.

It would be ridiculous to claim that a bigger hit to the Dail and Seanad budgets could have delivered the same savings as the child benefit cut, which is bringing in €140m, and the respite care grant cut that is worth €26m. But providing an annual budget of €108m at a time of economic crisis undermines the Government’s claims that the Budget was “tough but fair”.

The hedge clippers have been used instead of the chainsaw.

Ireland passes law to bolster housing market

   

Ireland’s Parliament passed a sweeping new law on Wednesday that could let thousands of borrowers reduce the amounts they owe on their mortgages.

The impact of the so-called personal insolvency bill, which overhauls several aspects of Ireland’s consumer debt laws, will be closely watched in other countries still grappling with housing busts.

The bill contains a ground breaking measure that would let stressed borrowers work with their banks to write down the value of their mortgages. The intent is to make the loans more affordable and avoid a wave of foreclosures.

In America and Europe, officials have generally shied away from policies that would make mortgage write-downs a major part of efforts to clean up their housing messes.

In a news release, Ireland’s Department of Justice and Equality, which handled the legislation, said the bill was “a fundamental part of the government’s strategy to return this country to stability and economic growth.”

The department acknowledged that the part of the bill that could lead to write-downs was unorthodox, saying it introduced “a concept unique in international insolvency law.”

The law, however, may not translate that readily to the United States.

There have been very few foreclosures in Ireland. The government owns large stakes in the biggest mortgage banks, and officials instructed the banks to refrain from repossessing large numbers of homes. As a result,uncertainty hangs over struggling households and weighs on the banks. The new bill aims to resolve that limbo.

Banks are expected to work with borrowers to make their mortgages payable. Where deals are possible, the borrower and the bank will be on a much more certain footing. Where there is too much debt, the banks will have more leeway to foreclose.

Nearly 18 percent of Irish mortgages on first homes were in default at the end of September, according to the Central Bank of Ireland. Ireland has nearly $150 billion of mortgage debt on first homes. Defaults are also high on mortgages taken out on investment properties, a big part of Ireland’s housing market.

Though the new law was constructed carefully to avoid unintended circumstances, it still carries significant risks.

It could prompt borrowers to default even if they can afford to repay the loan. That could lead to unexpected losses for Ireland’s banks, which could undermine their ability to finance a recovery. In a letter in September, Mario Draghi, the president of the European Central Bank, expressed concern about the potential costs the bill could place on Ireland’s banks.

The banks could still decline mortgage write-downs even when they may help borrowers. As the law is written, a majority of creditors have to agree to a write-down. Consumer advocates have criticized this part of the bill, saying it tips the balance of power in favor of the banks.

Alan Shatter, Ireland’s minister of justice, responded to those concerns on Wednesday. In the department’s news release, he said, “The reality is that it is in the best interests of both debtors and creditors to seek to conclude an acceptable and workable bilateral arrangement.”

Ireland continues to have highest birth rate in the European Union

   

Ireland continues to have the highest birth rate in the European Union.

More than 74,000 babies were born in the Republic in 2011, a rate of 16 births per 1,000 of population.

The annual perinatal report from the ESRI (Economic and Social Research Institute) shows that a third of newborns were to single mothers.

Almost a quarter of births were to women born outside the country, compared to 16% in 2004.

The report also indicates that 40% of babies were born to first-time mothers, with an average age of 29.

Breastfeeding rates are low. Just 40% of Irish babies are breastfed, compared to more than 75% of babies born to mothers from Europe and Australia.

Almost 29% of women giving birth were aged 35 years or older, and 2% of women giving birth were aged 19 years or less.

US travellers pick Ireland as top destination

    

Readers of US travel magazine Global Traveller have named Ireland as their favourite tourism destination in a new poll.

The magazine asked 28,000 of its business and luxury traveller readers to select their favourite destination, airline and other travel-related products and services.

Alison Metcalfe, above right pic. the tourism Ireland’s Vice President of Marketing in the US, said: “It is really important to make the island of Ireland stand out from other destinations – so this award is good news indeed, particularly as we prepare to kick off our extensive 2013 promotional drive.”

Tourism Ireland said 2012 looks set to be one of the strongest years ever for visitors from North America to Ireland, since the previous high of 2007, when we welcomed over one million visitors.

A new three-year plan – “Make Ireland Jump Out” – will be rolled out in the US in 2013. It aims to increase the number of American visitors by twenty per cent between 2013 and 2015 and to win a greater share of all travel by Americans to Europe.

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REILLY-CONSTITUENCY CARE CENTRES TO BE BUILT under SEPARATE CONTRACTS

  

It has emerged this morning that both of the primary care centres in Health Minister James Reilly’s constituency will be built under separate contracts to the other sites on the list.

The Sunday Business Post has revealed that both Swords and Balbriggan, which were among five locations added to a priority list of centres, will not proceed under the Public-Private Partnership initially set out for all of the developments.

The newspaper says these centres, along with another five, will go ahead as part of a lease model where a developer will be responsible for building and managing the facility, including the sourcing of a GP.

James Reilly’s decision to add these two locations to the original list drawn up by former Junior Health Minister Roisin Shortall proved widely controversial and led to Ms Shortall’s resignation.

Irish grocery market lifted 0.4% in November 2012, Kantar Worldpanel reveals

    

Irish grocery market share figures

Latest supermarket share figures from Kantar Worldpanel in Ireland, for the 12 weeks ending 25 November 2012, show the grocery market has grown by 0.4% – the second month of sales growth in a row and the highest rate since January this year.  

This is a positive sign for the industry; however, real-term growth still remains elusive with inflation at 4.2%, said researchers.

David Berry, commercial director at Kantar Worldpanel, said: “There is no doubt household budgets are increasingly stretched and this is reflected in the changing nature of the grocery shop. To help offset the impact of price inflation the ‘little and often approach’ to shopping continues; with the average household making an extra 2.5 grocery trips this year – that’s an additional four million trips across the country.”

For the retailers it has been an encouraging month, particularly at the start of the run up to Christmas.

Berry said: “Fortunes at Dunnes have also begun to improve this month. Despite sales growth at the retailer still trailing behind the market, it has strengthened its position since September when sales declined by almost 8%. Dunnes now has a 23.2% market share and is in a better position to compete as the crucial Christmas trading period approaches.”

Among the other major supermarkets Aldi sets the pace, with sales growth remaining above 30% for the second successive month, said Kantar Worldpanel. Much of this success has been achieved by attracting more shoppers to the store and encouraging them to shop more often and increase the amount they spend.

Tesco has also grown ahead of the market, leading to a boost in market share of 0.2 points to 27.9%. This is thanks in part to its wide shopper base, with almost 83% of Irish households having shopped in Tesco over the past 12 weeks – an improvement of 3% when compared with last year.

European Union picks up Nobel Peace prize

The European Union received the Nobel Peace Prize on Monday at a ceremony in which the chairman of the Nobel Committee said the 27-nation grouping had a critical role to play in avoiding a destructive response to the continent’s financial crisis.

At the award ceremony, Thorbjorn Jagland invoked the specter of the 1930s in Europe, saying the alternative to cooperation could have been new protectionism and nationalism.

“We know from the interwar years that this is what can happen when ordinary people pay the bills for a financial crisis triggered by others,” Mr. Jagland said, warning countries against acting at the expense of others and against blaming vulnerable minorities for the crisis. “That would lead us into yesterday’s traps,” he said.

He handed the Peace Prize medal and diploma to presidents of three EU institutions—Herman Van Rompuy, the head of the European Council that represents the bloc’s governments, European Commission chief José Manuel Barroso and Martin Shultz, president of the European Parliament.

The Nobel ceremony is held annually in the Oslo City Hall on Dec. 10, the date of Alfred Nobel’s death. The prize consists of a medal, a personal diploma and a sum of money, currently about €927,000 ($1.2 million.)

Many of the EU’s 27 prime ministers and presidents were present at the ceremony, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President François Hollande and the leaders of debt-ridden countries such as Greece, Portugal and Spain. U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron declined to participate.

According to Nobel’s will, the Peace Prize should be awarded to whoever “have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.”

“It’s the golden rule of Jean Monnet: Better fight around a table than on a battlefield,” said Mr. Van Rompuy in his speech, arguing that the EU’s close cooperation has led to a situation where “war becomes materially impossible.”

But “peace” may not be the first word that comes to mind for parents struggling to make ends meet, workers who have been laid off, and students who don’t think they can get a job, Mr. Van Rompuy said. He warned that the current economic crisis, the worst in two decades, could make Europeans begin to doubt its joint decisions.

“It is natural to see a hardening of hearts, the narrowing of interests, even the return of long-forgotten fault-lines and stereotypes,” he said. “The test Europe is currently facing is real.”

Mr. Jagland said that the EU had much work left to do, to handle debts, introduce new financial regulation and reduce corruption.

“We are not gathered here today in the belief that the EU is perfect,” he said, adding that the bloc needs strong institutions to be able to solve its problems. “We need institutions to ensure that both nation-states and individuals exercise self-control and moderation.”

Ordination in Sligo of six new deacons

   

The six men, David Muldowney, Damien Kearns, Wando Araujo, William Gacquin, Frank McGuinness and Seamus Talbot, being ordained on Saturday.

A post-primary teacher, a bakery manager and a tool designer were among six men ordained as permanent deacons in Sligo on Saturday, a Catholic ministry which permits them to preside at funerals, celebrate Baptism and officiate at marriages.

The new deacons, all married and in permanent employment, were ordained at Sligo cathedral by the Bishop of Elphin, Christopher Jones. He described the occasion as “truly joyous” and historic, pointing out that it was almost 1,500 years “almost back to the time of St Patrick himself” since a similar ordination had taken place in the diocese.

Fr Michael Duignan, director of the permanent diaconate in the diocese, told reporters that responding to a shortage of priests was not the primary reason for the revival of the permanent deacon, but he agreed that it would be “very helpful”.

Newly ordained William Gacquin (57), who teaches Spanish, Irish and religion at CBS Roscommon, said the last recorded reference to a deacon in diocesan records was when one baptised St Ciaran in the parish of Fuerty, Co Roscommon, in the sixth century.

The men were ordained following four years of study at St Angela’s College Sligo. The ministry does not permit them to say Mass, although they can assist the priest, read the Gospel and preach a homily. They cannot hear Confession or anoint the sick.

One of the deacons, Wando Araujo (41), a father and grandfather, originally from Brazil, now lives in Roscommon town, where he runs a bakery.

“I regard the diaconacy as a vocation,” he said. His brother Claudio has already invited him to officiate at his wedding in Brazil next summer.

Frank McGuinness (42), a native of Rossinver, Co Leitrim, was keeping a close eye on his sons James (5) and John (10) as the families waited to be photographed with the bishop after the ceremony. He said his decision was far from a shock to his wife Louise: “Faith is a big part of both our lives.”

‘Not replacing priests’

A former IT worker in the healthcare sector, he said the role was “not about replacing priests”.

David Muldowney (42), a native of Lucan who lives in Ballinameen near Boyle said his wife Meg, who is Anglican, had been very supportive and had kept him going through the four years of intensive study.

The father of three, who runs his own software company for banks, said: “I always had a wish to give myself closer to God.” On the issue of whether priests should be allowed to marry he said: “Let the church decide in its own time.”

Also ordained were Seamus Talbot (44), a tool designer who lives in Roscommon, and Damien Kearns (37), a technician based at St Angela’s college, Sligo.

In 2001 the Irish Episcopal Conference received permission from the Holy See to restore the permanent diaconate in Ireland. Saturday’s was the second ordination – last June eight deacons were ordained in the Archdiocese of Dublin.

65% of people with diabetes prone to heart failure risk

     

Heart failure occurs when the heart fails to pump blood around the body as it should

People with diabetes are up to 65% more likely to have heart failure, an analysis has found.

The National Diabetes Audit looked at data on almost two million people and also found increased risk of other complications, and premature death.

The charity Diabetes UK, said people were “dying before their time”.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said progress was being made, but there was “unacceptable variation in diabetes care”.

Heart damage

The audit, in its eighth year, covered about 85% of people in England with diabetes, and about 54% of those in Wales.

Much can be done to reduce these risks if all health care sectors work together with people who have diabetes”

The researchers compared the rates of a range of complications among people with diabetes with those seen in the the same sized group in the general population.

In 2010-11, 45,000 people with the condition had heart failure – where the heart does not pump blood as effectively as it should, when the expected number would have been 27,300.

The most common reason for heart failure is that the muscle has been damaged, for example, after a heart attack.

Heart attacks were 48% more likely – 14,500 people with diabetes suffered this complication in 2010-11 – when 9,800 of such cases would have been expected.

And people with diabetes were also at a significantly increased risk of need an amputation of the foot or leg.

All the complications studied are recognised as being linked to diabetes and therefore more likely to occur in people with the condition.

But the researchers say better preventative care would reduce cases.

‘Scope for improvement’

Dr Bob Young, of the National Diabetes Information Service who led work on the audit, said: “If everyone achieved the treatment targets that are laid down by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), none of the complications would be inevitable.

“There is substantial scope for improvement.”

The audit also estimated people with diabetes have a 40% higher risk of death than the general population 65,700 deaths compared with an expected 47,000.

Dr Young added: “Much can be done to reduce these risks if all health care sectors work together with people who have diabetes.”

Barbara Young, chief executive of Diabetes UK, said: “We hope this report spurs the NHS into action to improve the current situation where fewer than half of people with diabetes meet the recommended cholesterol levels and a significant minority are not even having it measured.”

Prof Peter Weissberg, medical director at the British Heart Foundation, said: “It’s essential that, firstly, everyone with diabetes is identified and, secondly, they receive appropriate treatment and advice to help them avoid cardiovascular complications.

“Still more important is the need to prevent diabetes from occurring in the first place by tackling the increasing levels of obesity in our society, particularly in our children.”

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: “People with diabetes should be able to expect excellent care from the NHS and they will get it more consistently in future.

“I know there has been progress, but there is still unacceptable variation and we are determined to put that right.”

He said the new GP contract would include new measures to help GPs manage the care of people with diabetes better and that local authorities would be given ring-fenced budgets to target problems like obesity which can lead to Type 2 diabetes.

Hi-tech ‘solar greenhouse’ grows first cucumbers in Sahara

Cucumbers have been successfully grown in the Sahara Forest Project using seawater and solar power – and the £3 million project aims to ‘turn the desert green’.

The Sahara Desert might not seem the ideal place for a greenhouse – but scientists have grown cucumbers there this year.

The vegetables were grown using seawater and solar power at the Sahara Forest Project pilot facility in Qatar.

In the long term, the project aims to create technologies for turning the desert green.

The £3.3m ‘greenhouses’ which grew the cucumbers took just 10 months to build – and pump salt water up from beneath the ground to cool the facility, using a cooling principle said to be based on a camel’s nostril.

No water is allowed to evaporate in the sun’s heat – instead, it’s recondensed, and used to water the plants.

The 10,000 square metre facility is unique – and its scientists are also working on the region’s largest algae research facility.

The Norwegian Minister of the Environment, Bård Vegar Solhjell, was among the first guests at the pilot facility inside Measaieed Industrial City in Qatar.

“It is designed to utilize what we have enough of to produce what we need more of, using deserts, sunlight, saltwater and CO2 to produce food, water and clean energy,” says Joakim Hauge, CEO of The Sahara Forest Project.

“This is a fascinating project,” said Solhjell. “It’s almost like you cannot believe it until you see it. Here they use what there is abundance of to create what there is the least of.”