Donie's Ireland daily news BLOG Wednesday

Irish exchequer tax revenue figures exceeds Government’s target by €450 million

 

LATEST FIGURES COME AS MICHAEL NOONAN SUGGESTS THE PLANNED €2 BILLION ADJUSTMENT MAY NOT BE NECESSARY

Minister for Finance Michael Noonan: “I don’t think €2 billion is the relevant figure

The State’s finances are continuing to improve with the latest official figures showing tax revenue running nearly €450 million ahead of projections for the first five months of the year, while spending is lower than forecast.

The better-than-expected out-turn for tax, if maintained, gives Minister for Finance Michael Noonan potentially more leeway to ease up on austerity in the upcoming budget.

He suggested earlier today that the planned €2 billion adjustment required to achieve the troika-agreed deficit target of 3% in 2015 may not be necessary.

“I don’t think €2 billion is the relevant figure. The relevant figure is to get the deficit below three per cent of GDP,” he said.

“With the tax numbers out this afternoon, and a couple of other things on the horizon, it might be possible to deliver a deficit of below three per cent without an adjustment of €2 billion.

“But it’s only early June so there’s a lot of things will move in the next three or four months. We’ll have a better idea as we come closer.”

His comments are at odds with recent warnings from Brussels that a €2 billion retrenchment was still required.

The exchequer returns – for the five months to the end of May – show tax revenue of €15.6 billion, which is 5.6% up on last year, and €446 million or 2.9% higher than the department’s own forecast.

Income tax, which is the biggest tax heading, generated €6.6 billion, which is 7.8% up on last year, and €114 million or 1.8% ahead of profile for the period.

Department of Finance said higher income tax receipts reflected improving conditions in the labour market.

The figures show the Revenue’s VAT intake, which has been behind projections up to now on the back of weak consumer spending, came in marginally ahead of expectations.

The sales tax generated €5.2 billion for Government coffers, which was 4.4% up on last year, and €39 million or 0.7% better than forecast.

Corporation tax receipts came in at €981 million, 13%t ahead of profile.

Excise duty was €1.9 billion, which was 5.5% up on the year and €91 million or 4.9% ahead of projections.

The better-than-expected excise receipts were linked to strong car sales in the early part of the year.

Overall, the exchequer deficit stood at €3.5 billion at the end of May, down from €5.3 billion at this stage last year.

According to the department, the main drivers behind this improvement are increased tax revenue, lower expenditure and a significant reduction in bank guarantee payments associated with the liquidation of IBRC, formerly Anglo.

On the spending side, the May figures show total net voted expenditure of €17.1 billion, which is €484 million, or 2.7%, down on the same period last year, and €156 million less than forecast.

Most worryingly, the main overrun is once again in health with spending €144 million or 2.8% ahead of profile.

This is offset, however, by underspends in several other departments, most notably social protection, where spending was €138 million or 2.7% lower than expected.

On the basis of these figures, the Government is on course to hit its budget deficit target for 2014 of 5.1% of gross domestic product.

The cost of serving the national debt to the exchequer was €4.07 billion so far this year, a decrease of €177 million or 4.2% on last year.

7,000 people in Ireland a month drop their private health insurance

 

Costly private health insurance has been dropped by an average of 7,000 people a month since the beginning of the year, according to the Health Insurance Authority (HIA).

This is more than double the rate for the last nine months of 2013 when an average of 2,800 people a month opted to stop paying for private health insurance.

The HIA said that by the end of March this year, 2.03m people had private in-patient health cover.

This represents a decrease of 21,000 for the first three months of this year alone.

The figure compares with 26,000 people dropping their insurance for the nine months to December of last year.

EXPENSIVE

  The number of people paying for policies is now at its lowest ever level, with only 44% of the population covered – a drop of 1% since last December and 7% since 2008.

At the peak in 2008, 2.3m people were covered by private health insurance, which represented almost 51% of the population.

Studies by the HIA have shown that cost is the primary reason people give up their health insurance.

One survey showed that two-thirds of those who gave it up did so because it was too expensive.

One in five said it was no longer value for money, which compared with less than one in 10 only two years previously.

This was particularly true for the 35 to 54 age group.

Irish teenager’s at he top of EU for coke use

 

Irish teenagers are in one of the top spots of the league table of cocaine use in the EU, new research has identified.

Schoolchildren aged between 15 and 16 are among the most regular users of the lethal drug, the survey has found.

A total of 3% of Irish teens in that category said that they have tried cocaine.

But the number jumps when it comes to experimentation with cannabis – almost one in five said they have tried the drug.

And a further 2% of 6-year-olds have tried ecstasy.

DRUG ABUSE: DRUG USE AMONGST ALL YOUNG IRISH PEOPLE IS THE THIRD HIGHEST WHEN IT COMES TO COCAINE ABUSE.

Irish under-35s fall just behind their Spanish and UK counterparts, according to the research.

The latest survey shows that almost a quarter of European teenagers have dabbled in illegal drugs at some point or other with cannabis being the most widely used drug.

Usage is 1.5 times more likely among males compared
with females.

Cocaine is now the most widely available illegal drug in Europe with 2.2 million users in the 15 to 34 age group.

The report was compiled by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, which also found the so-called darknet’ is increasingly used by both dealers and addicts.

Drug overdose remains a major cause of avoidable death among young Europeans – particularly in Nordic countries.

The findings follow a recent HSE public alert after a number of fatalities were linked to pills called “Green Apple” and “Green Rolex”.

The HSE also believes a lethal ecstasy-type substance known as “Double Cross” has now made its way into the Irish drugs scene.

 HELP CALL: PAUL CONLON, CEO FOR AISEIRI, WHICH PROVIDES RESIDENTIAL SERVICES TO HELP YOUNG PEOPLE OVERCOME ADDICTION, SAID THE MAJORITY OF ADDICTS IT SAW WERE BATTLING A RANGE OF ADDICTIONS.

“We now treat teenagers dealing with multiple drug issues – cocaine is part of a wider selection of drugs people indulge in,” he said.

“We’re seeing high levels of cannabis use, as well as a range of head-shop drugs, which are being accessed via the internet. Opiates are also in the mix.

“But I’m not surprised Ireland has a high prevalence of cocaine and stimulant use compared to European averages.”

Researchers have found a massive underground river network in Galway Bay

 

These rivers could be flowing under the seabed out as far as 48 kilometer’s from the shore.

Evidence from residents on the Aran Islands and local fishermen has led to the discovery of a massive underground river network in Galway Bay.

These rivers are made possible due to the limestone landscape of Galway being easily dissolved by rainwater to form conduits underground – the same process that produced the distinctive karst landscape of the Burren.

They have been tapped into by islanders for supplies of fresh water – the result of rain falling on the land, running through the limestone, and then flowing out under the sea.

Researchers from NUI Galway’s school of Earth and Ocean Sciences predict that some of these rivers, hidden under the seabed, could be up to 48 kilometres long and 20 metres wide.

“We were told about a well at a local hotel on Inishmaan that had an excellent supply of fresh water,” Dr Tiernan Henry, Lecturer in Environmental Geology, School of Natural Sciences at NUI Galway said.

“The islands can have water problems, they are always short, but this well went deep into the rock and was getting more water than falls on the whole island.”

Fishermen familiar with the area had also reported freshwater risings in areas along the south coast of Galway Bay.

This prompted researchers to investigate the claims further, leading to identification of these ‘freshwater rivers’.

The Burren was last year given an award to recognise the work being undertaken to conserve some of Europe’s most outstanding natural and semi-natural areas.

The Council of Europe chose the Burren, stating the award “recognises the European significance of the area, which has remarkable natural values, a rich flora and fauna, an important cultural heritage, traditional socio-economic activities and good management”.

Irish scientists discover the Wakatobi Flowerpecker a new bird species

  

A new species of a tiny, colourful bird the Wakatobi Flowerpecker (Male bird above) has been found by Irish scientists in a small under-explored island chain in the tropics.

Zoologists from Trinity College Dublin named the new find the Wakatobi Flowerpecker (Dicaeum kuehni) after identifying it on numerous expeditions to the biodiversity hotspot of Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Sean Kelly, PhD student at Trinity and lead author of the study confirming the discovery, warned that the pace of development in the region could wipe out other undocumented creatures before they are identified.

“As humans are changing the natural environments of Sulawesi at an incredibly fast rate, the discovery and description of species in the region is of major importance,” he said.

“This study also highlights the need for integrative, multi-disciplinary research in the region.

“Without this we will likely fail to recognise and appreciate the true biodiversity of this remarkable region. Furthermore, we run the risk of losing evolutionarily distinct species before we can even discover or enjoy them.”

 THE FEMALE FLOWERPECKER.

The Wakatobi flowerpecker is genetically distinct and substantially larger than its closest relative, the grey sided flowerpecker, which it does not mix or breed with. The studies also showed that it does not cross a 27km stretch of sea where its neighbour lives.

The region where the discovery was made, the Wakatobi islands in south-east Sulawesi, was made famous in science circles by one of the forgotten fathers of modern science, Alfred Russel Wallace.

He independently conceived the idea of evolution by natural selection in the 1850s. Some of his work was published alongside writings by his more famous contemporary Charles Darwin before the groundbreaking Origin Of The Species went to print.

Despite boasting an incredibly large number of bird species that are found nowhere else in the world, the Sulawesi region has remained poorly studied.

Scientists now believe that the lack of research and genetic analyses on similar birds has meant that the number of species on the relatively under-explored islands has been significantly underestimated.

The findings of this latest zoological discovery have been published in the journal PLOS ONE.

Dr Nicola Marples, associate professor of zoology at Trinity and senior author on the paper, said the protection status of the Wakatobi islands must be reassessed following the discovery.

“While the islands sit within the Wakatobi Marine National Park, they currently receive no protection. The Wakatobi Islands are an incredibly exciting place to work and they serve as a unique living laboratory in which we can study evolution in action,” she said.

There are many different varieties of the flowerpecker across the tropics with the spectacled flowerpecker also a separate species and only identified in Borneo in 2009.  

Donie's news Ireland BLOG FRIDAY

High Court sentences Grandfather Sean Quinn aged 66 to 9 weeks jail including Christmas

   

One Quinn going out of Jail and the other Quinn going in?

Sean Quinn, once Ireland’s richest man but now bankrupt, is beginning a nine-week jail sentence this afternoon.

Mr Quinn has decided to begin the term imposed on him now despite the fact he is to appeal to the Supreme Court against findings he acted in outrageous contempt of court orders, his lawyer said.

Having been given time to consider the matter, Eugene Grant QC, for Mr Quinn, said his client wanted to begin his jail term now as, while he was maintaining his appeal, he was also conscious of the Supreme Court’s recent decison dismissing his son’s finding against a three month sentence for contempt.

Counsel said Mr Quinn was a 66-year-old grandfather and was anxious to attend a grandchild’s christening on December 22nd next but was not eligible for remission as this was a sentence for contempt. He asked that the court agree to release him for that event.

Miss Justice Elizabeth Dunne said an application for compassionate release would have to be made to the prison authorities.

Miss Justice Dunne earlier said Mr Quinn’s contempt was so serious that she could come to no other conclusion that it mandated a term of imprisonment.

She could not ignore the extent and degree of contempt by Mr Quinn and, taking all various matters into account, including his health problems, she would impose a nine-week term.

While Mr Quinn had spoken about how the court proceedings had negatively consumed his life and that of his family, she said: “In my view, he has only himself to blame.”

It was not disputed significant assets had been put beyond the reach of IBRC, the former Anglo Irish Bank, and the position of the Quinn defendants apperared to be they were so successful in that regard, they themselves could not retrieve the assets, the judge said. However, she did not have to decide that issue now.

The situation was IBRC claimed it was owed €2.8 billion by the Quinns and, while there was dispute about that, it was accepted €455 million was owed.

The judge had said she was imposing a nine-week term but the issue of whether there would be a serious dispute about that, it was accepted the Quinns owed €455 million to the bank, she said. Putting assets beyond the reach of the bank in defiance of the court’s orders was, as she had previously found, “nothing short of outrageous”.

It was important to ensure court orders were complied with and the integrity of the court system was not set at naught by “an egregious breach of court orders”.

A stay on the nine-week term pending an appeal against the findings of contempt was adjourned earlier today after Mr Quinn’s lawyer said he wanted time to consider whether to go to jail immediately or proceed with the appeal.

Shane Murphy SC, for IBRC, had said it would agree to a stay provided Mr Quinn’s lawyers progressed any appeal urgently.

However, at 12.50 today, Mr Grant said his client would begin his term now while maintaining the appeal.

In her decision today, the judge eferred to her previous findings of contempt against Mr Quinn and her rejection of his evidence in the contempt hearing as not credible, evasive and unco-operative. She had also found he had given his imprimatur to the asset-stripping scheme.

She stresssed the only issue she was dealing with today was the punitive aspect of the case as coercive matters have been adjourned. She was dealing with punitive issues arising from past non-compliance with court orders.

The judge delivered her ruling in a courtroom packed with lawyers, journalists and supporters of Mr Quinn. Mr Quinn’s son Sean and sons in law Niall McPartland and Stephen Kelly were also in court.

IBRC was represented in court today by its chief executive Mike Aynsley and senior executive Richard Woodhouse.

Mr Quinn was jailed arising from the judge’s findings last June that acted in contempt of court orders made in June and July 2011 restraining stripping of assets valued up to US$430 million from companies in the IPG.

Mr Quinn told reporters following the sentence that he just wanted to get on with the sentence. He intends to appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court.

Dr Susan O’Reilly National Cancer Control Programme director praises cancer diagnosis rate

AT IRISH RAPID ACCESS PROSTATE CANCER CLINICS

  

A diagnosis rate of 38% has been achieved at Rapid Access Prostate Cancer Clinics in their first year of operation.

Figures released by the National Cancer Control Programme show that 2,460 men were seen in the clinics, established in 2011, with 925 men diagnosed with prostate cancer.

That figure is expected to increase significantly in 2012 with all eight Rapid Access Clinics open and fully operational.

By September this year, 1,804 men had attended the clinics with 750 men diagnosed.

NCCP Director Dr Susan O’Reilly said the diagnosis rate illustrates that the clinics are providing a good service that fast tracks patients into the system.

She was speaking at the Inaugural National Cancer Control Programme Prostate Cancer Quality and Audit Forum.

She said: “For the vast majority of men who do not have cancer, that short timeframe reduces the anxiety that any waiting period involves.

“And for those men who are diagnosed, their treatment options are discussed and considered by an expert multi-disciplinary team who ensure that the patient is given all the options and all the information on the best approach to be taken.”

Over 2,800 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer annually in Ireland, with this number expected to increase over the coming decades as the population ages.

Over half of Irish hospital consultants back work practice proposals

     

The Irish Hospital Consultants’ Association (IHCA) has said 57 per cent of its members in a survey have backed proposals for work practice changes that emerged from talks at the Labour Relations Commission in September.

However, the organisation has sought a meeting with senior Health Service Executive management to discuss outstanding concerns.

The IHCA survey was not a ballot of members. The association has consistently argued that it does not engage in collective bargaining and that it is up to each individual consultant to decide for themselves on contractual changes. The association did not disclose how many consultants took part in its survey of members.

In a statement it said members had identified a number of significant concerns to be addressed. These include that Ireland had only about half the number of consultants needed to provide the necessary care for patients.

The IHCA said consultants were also concerned about proposed arrangements for weekend work and compliance generally with the European working time directive.

It said the proposal to roster consultant physicians and surgeons on-call with no conflicting commitments would impact adversely upon patient care and health service delivery. It said inadequate frontline resources, including acute hospital beds, theatre access and other essential facilities would continue to impact adversely and make it more difficult for consultants to treat patients within medically acceptable time frames.

The IHCA also said that the Government’s unilateral plans to cut pay for new consultants by 30 per cent – which fall outside the Labour Relations Commission proposals – would undermine the capacity of the health services to recruit the calibre and number of consultants required.

“Members have highlighted the importance of addressing these concerns in order to protect the quality and effectiveness of health services to the public. On that basis, the IHCA national council is recommending that its members engage in a collaborative approach to improve healthcare services.”

The HSE did not comment last night on the IHCA statement. It has said local management will be free to implement the work practice changes set out in the Labour Relations Commission proposals from next Monday.

Separately the Labour Court over the coming days is expected to issue a binding recommendation under the Croke Park agreement on a number of outstanding issues such as rest days and payments for psychiatrists for second opinions.

The IHCA last week declined to attend a Labour Court hearing on these issues on the grounds that the issues were outside the scope of the agreement.

It remains to be seen whether the IHCA will accept the findings of the Labour Court. The Government has previously indicated that organisations which did not accept binding recommendations from the Labour Court would lose the protections of the Croke Park agreement. This could pave the way for the Government to introduce pay cuts for serving hospital consultants.

Donegal Gardai quiz three teenagers over Erin Gallaghers internet bullying claims

 

Erin Gallagher and Ciara Pugsley, their deaths have stunned their communities

Gardai investigating the death of Erin Gallagher have formally questioned three teenagers about bullying allegations.

The revelation comes as the boss of social networking ask.fm rejected claims that her death was linked to website bullying.

Gardai carried out more interviews with three school girls and their families yesterday.

They met two of the teenagers earlier this week, who voluntarily attended a garda station along with their parents.

The development came a day after the 13-year-old was laid to rest after funeral Mass in Stranorlar and just hours after the founder of Ask.fm rejected links between his site and the deaths of two Irish teenagers.

Erin took her own life last weekend at her home in Co Donegal. Fifteen-year-old Ciara Pugsley died by suicide near her home in Co Leitrim in September.

Taunted: Both Erin and Ciara had been taunted by vile messages by anonymous posters on ask.fm.

But the website’s founder Mark Terebin insisted the media was “knocking on the wrong door”.

“It is necessary to go deeper and to find a root of a problem. Its not about the site, the problem is about education, about moral values that were devaluated lately,” said Mr Terebin on his own site.

He said his site, based in Latvia, was “just a tool which helps people to communicate with each other, same as any other social network, same as phone, same as piece of paper and pen”.

He told Dublin-based documentary-maker Lynne Nolan: “Don’t blame a tool, but try to make changes … start with yourself… be more polite, more kind, more tolerant of others … cultivate these values in families, in schools.” He also blamed TV and newspapers for its coverage of suicides for further deaths, rather than ask.fm.

He said: “Suicide is not something to encourage via mass media. The more you promote suicide, the more it happen. Do you think mass media cares?

“They want scandals, they want sensations and finally they want money.

“Sorry, but we do not want to participate in it.”

The documentary — ‘Nowhere to turn: The Battle Against Cyberbullying’ — is being supported by Jonathan Pugsley, Ciara’s dad. Asked about the death of Erin Gallagher, Mr Terebin: “What happened is a true tragedy and we give our deepest condolences to the victim’s family and relatives.”

Meanwhile, gardai questioned the children about comments left on websites as well as texts sent to Erin’s phone.

“This is a hugely sensitive investigation because it involves children,” said one source.

“There is a great deal of tension in Stranolar and Ballybofey after Erin’s death and gardai are keen to calm the situation.

“They are also duty bound to investigate all the facts in the case for the coroner.”

Nine health professionals continue to offer counselling to pupils at Finn Valley College after the teenager’s death.

Meanwhile:

Website boss disclaiming responsibility for Irish teenagers suicide deaths

’Do not point finger at us says Mark Terebin’

      

THE founder of a controversial website implicated in the suicides of two young Irish girls has insisted: ‘Don’t blame us for the deaths.’

This week saw Donegal teenager Erin Gallagher (13) laid to rest after taking her own life in her home last weekend, having been consistently targeted by un-named cyberbullies on ask.fm.

Her tragic death came after Ciara Pugsley (15) died by suicide after being bullied on the same site last September by anonymous users.

The website’s boss, Latvian-based businessman Mark Terebin, has claimed that the media is “knocking on the wrong door.”

He said that people should look closer to home — and it was society as a whole that created the circumstances behind the young girls’ deaths.

He claimed that while the incidents were tragic, their coverage was because media organisations “want scandals, they want sensations and finally they want money.

“Mass media is knocking on the wrong door. It is necessary to go deeper and to find a root of a problem. It’s not about the site, the problem is about education, about moral values that were devalued lately,” he said.

“Don’t blame a tool but try to make changes… start with yourself. Be more polite, more kind, more tolerant of others.”

He also blamed TV and newspapers for its coverage of suicides for further deaths. “Suicide is not something to encourage via mass media,” he said. “The more you promote suicide, the more it happens.”

Mr Terebin added: “Ask.fm is just a tool which helps people to communicate with each other, same as any other social network.”

Meanwhile, gardai investigating the death of Erin Gallagher in Stranorlar have formally questioned three teenage girls about bullying allegations.

Interviews

Gardai carried out more interviews with the girls and their families as they probe the circumstances behind her tragic passing.

They met two of the teenagers earlier this week who voluntarily attended a garda station along with their parents. Gardai questioned the children about comments left on websites as well as texts sent to Erin’s phone.

“This is a hugely sensitive investigation because it involves children,” said one source.

“There is a great deal of tension in Stranolar and Ballybofey after Erin’s death and gardai are keen to calm the situation.

“They are also duty bound to investigate all the facts in the case for the coroner.

Pupils at Finn Valley College in Donegal are being offered counselling after the teenager’s death.

‘Environmental groups great concern’ as deal to protect Antarctic seas fails

 

Governments meeting in Australia have failed to reach agreement on new marine protected areas for the Antarctic ocean.

They have deferred a decision until July 2013 when all the relevant science will be considered.

Environmental groups have expressed deep concern about the lack of consensus on how to develop a network of protected zones.

They blame Russia, China and Ukraine for blocking agreement.

For the past two weeks the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) has been meeting in Tasmania.

Hot target

Made up of representatives from 24 governments and the European Union, it has been considering proposals for the establishment of marine reserves in two critical areas of the Southern Ocean.

Many parts of Antarctica have been coming under increasing pressure as the growing global demand for sea food means the region’s rich resources are increasingly targeted.

Climate change and increased acidification of the waters are also likely to affect the food sources and habitats of many species in the region including penguins, seals and whales.

At the meeting the United States and New Zealand put forward competing plans to create a marine protected area of 1.6 million square kilometres in the Ross Sea.

Another proposal would have created a reserve zone around East Antarctica – At around 1.9 million square kilometres, it would have covered an area almost three times the size of France.

Environmental groups had called for public participation via online petitions. The Antarctic Ocean Alliance (AOA) said that 1.2 million people had supported calls for large scale protection areas.

Hollywood star Leonardo Di Caprio wrote an email saying that as whales and penguins can’t speak for themselves there should be a “massive wave of public pressure” to drive forward the plans for restrictions.

But ultimately that pressure failed to deliver agreement.

Campaigners were critical of the failure to move forward with the proposals. WWF expressed “deep concern”.

Speaking to BBC News, Steve Campbell of the AOA said he was also very disappointed with the results.

“There are competing interests, in terms of commercial interests and in terms of the economic control of these areas, we floundered essentially at the end of the talks.”

Sad and angry

He praised the constructive contributions of a number of countries including the United States, Australia and the UK. But with consensus of all 25 members needed for progress, some countries refused to compromise on the proposals.

“At the end of the day it seems that countries like Russia, Ukraine and China couldn’t really make it work – and we’re hoping that at the next meeting they’ll come with a stronger commitment to the conservation objectives of the commission.”

Jim Barnes, the executive director of the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition was also disappointed with the outcome.

“I am feeling sad and angry” he said. “This responsibility, and this failure, rests with all the members.”

The focus will now turn to a special session of the Commission which will meet in Germany in July 2013. Activists say the situation is grave and there can be no backsliding on decision at that point.

Many still have hope that agreement can be found.

“There’s a number of factors involved and it is quite complex,” said Steve Campbell, “but I do believe that CCAMLR has a history of creating conservation outcomes and I believe they can do it again”