Donie's Ireland daily news BLOG Thursday

Ireland now on top of the world as It is ranked as a ‘most good’ country

  

IRELAND is now ON TOP OF THE WORLD

Known round the globe as the land of a thousand welcomes, our international reputation continues to thrive as Ireland has officially been ranked the “goodest” country in the world.

The results of the “Good Country Index” has found that Ireland tops the list of 125 countries – aimed towards determining which country on earth contributes to the planet and human race the most.

Ireland was determined to have contributed the most to the planet, and was almost identical to Finland who came second, while our British neighbours trailed behind in seventh.

Nine of the top 10 spots were comprised of Western European countries, while Kenya was the highest ranking African nation at 26th. The world’s largest country, the Russian Federation, ranked 95th and Libya was last.

The survey is the first of its kind and is based upon analysis and research from 35 separate indicators from the United Nations, the World Bank, the Basel Convention, the Global Footprint Network, as well as several other international NGOs and institutions.

INDICATORS

The indicators include the number of Nobel prize winners, exports of creative goods and services, as well as drug seizures and humanitarian aid contributions.

These 35 indicators were then grouped into seven different contributory categories, including science, technology, culture, peace, world order and health. Care was taken to ensure countries with weaker economies weren’t “unduly penalised” when compiling the list, and their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was also taken into account.

International independent policy advisor Simon Anholt, founder of the “Good Country Index”, said that he believes countries need to stop “behaving as if they were islands, disconnected from the rest of the world”.

“We live in an age where the impacts of everything we do are always felt around the world, and we need to start taking responsibility for those impacts,” he continued.

“The Good Country Index is a tool that can help start this process”.

He added: “We need a world made of good countries, not a world of successful countries.

Irish Government agrees to a partial merger of Bord na Móna and Coillte

 

FOCUS OF MERGER WILL BE ON AREAS OF OVERLAP, SAYS SIMON COVENEY

Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney: “A joint venture between the two companies will manage their common business activities in biomass, wind energy, shared services, and recreation and tourism.”

The Government has agreed to a partial merger between two large semi-State companies, Bord na Móna and Coillte. The Cabinet made the decision yesterday following a year-long analysis of the implications of a beneficial merger.

Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney, who is leading a four-day trade-and-investment mission to the US, said the focus of the partial merger would be on areas of overlap.

“A joint venture between the two companies will manage their common business activities in biomass, wind energy, shared services, and recreation and tourism. This decision will maximise the levels of benefit to the State and the two companies in the medium term,” said Mr Coveney.

IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS

He added the decision was the culmination of an indepth analysis by the New Economy and Recovery Authority, and the relevant Government departments and it also included input from both companies.

Mr Coveney said he had considered the issue with Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin and Minister for Energy and Natural Resources Pat Rabbitte and they had agreed a partial merger was best.

In relation to Coillte, which forms part of his responsibility for forestry, the Minister said it was over 25 years in operation and the analysis of the sale of harvesting rights and a merger had been timely.

“The decision allows Coillte to focus on its core activities in forestry and operating its board mills while allowing the company to harness those areas of synergy it has with Bord na Móna. Ultimately this decision will allow the State to derive as much value as possible from both companies.”

Coillte said it fully supported the decision and was committed to implementing the joint venture which would focus on wind energy, biomass supply, shared services and green tourism.

Irish Mental health services are in danger of ‘moving backwards’

 

STATE WATCHDOG WARNS STAFF SHORTAGES could MEAN that PROGRESS IN SOME AREAS of Mental Health HAS GROUND TO A HALT.

Mental health services are in danger of “stagnating and moving backwards”, the State’s watchdog for psychiatric care has warned.

A combination of staff shortages and slow changes to work practices means progress in some areas has ground to a halt, the Mental Health Commission said.

“While some service providers are making progress toward providing a truly modern mental health care service, there are many others that are struggling,” said John Saunders, chairman of the commission.

 “We are moving to a dangerous area of stagnation in terms of progress in the development of mental health services in Ireland.”

Mr Saunders was speaking at the launch of the commission’s annual report which shows key areas of service provision fall below what the watchdog body deems as acceptable.

Some 44 per cent of services complied with staffing requirements last year, while 60 per cent met regulations in relation to individual care plans for patients.

Patricia Gilheaney, the chief executive of the commission, said the level of adherence to these statutory regulations was not acceptable.

“Seven years on, we should be at the stage where we’re moving on and aiming for higher standards.”

In all, there are a total of 9,000 staff working across mental health services in the State , although official policy states there should be 12,000.

Mr Saunders said service providers were under massive pressure to do more with less and that staffing issues were in danger of impacting on basic services.

He said the staffing of community mental teams, in particular, was a priority but significant gaps remained.

A Vision for Change, the blueprint for the development of mental health services, was adopted as official policy in 2006 and envisaged the development of a recovery-oriented services.

While it found there was “considerable commitment” to the policy, it was being implemented unevenly and inconsistently across the State.

Other areas of concern include the over-use of seclusion and physical restraint, as well as the admission of children into adult psychiatric units.

Last year a total of 91 children were placed in adult psychiatric units, despite warnings from the commission that practice should only occur in extreme cases.

Ms Gilheaney also called for the commission to be given powers to inspect community-based services, such as nurse-supervised residences and other settings.

While the commission may inspect these services from time to time, it has no statutory role and care regulations do not apply to these settings.

A report from the Inspectorate for Mental Health Services expressed concern in recent days that many of these nurse-supervised community residences are institutional in nature and have limited access to therapy and support.

"Minister Fitzgerald" says some €12.8m paid to 357 Irish Magdalene women

  

MINISTER FOR JUSTICE SAYS LEGISLATION WILL PROVIDE EXTRA SUPPORTS FOR THE WOMEN. 

Ruth Coppinger TD:  (above right picture) “This is an important landmark for women. Gender-based violence is at epidemic levels and one in four women in Ireland has experienced domestic violence.”

Some 357 former Magdalene laundry residents have been paid a total of €12.8 million in lump sum payments, Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald has told the Dáil. “A further 106 formal offers have been made and letters of provisional assessment on the length of stay in a relevant institution have been issued to an additional 35 applicants,’’ she added.

She said the ex-gratia scheme covered the 10 Magdalene laundries, which were the subject of the McAleese report, as well as St Mary’s training centre, Stanhope Street, and the House of Mercy training school, Summerhill, Wexford. A substantial body of work and engagement had already taken place with those eligible for the scheme, she added. Seventy-one of the 754 applications had been refused because the applicants were not in the 12 specified institutions.

Ms Fitzgerald said the Government, in her proposal, had agreed to the publication of the scheme of a new Bill providing for services and supports for women who worked in the laundries. Its purpose was to make additional provision for access to health services and the exempting of payments made to by the State to the women on the basis of means-tested criteria. “It also provides for legal provision for relatives, or other appropriate persons, to act on behalf of any of the women who do not have the capacity to act on their own behalf.”

The Minister was replying to Independent TD Maureen O’Sullivan who asked why An Grianán was not included on the list of institutions covered by the restorative justice scheme. Ms Fitzgerald said the scheme was primarily for women who were in the laundries. “Obviously, we are in a different situation now with a new inquiry to be initiated following the Tuam situation,” she added.

Meanwhile, Ms Fitzgerald told Socialist Party TD Ruth Coppinger she was anxious to see Ireland ratifying the Council of Europe convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence as quickly as possible. It would require changes to domestic legislation which her department was working on.

Ms Coppinger said the convention had been signed in 2011, but it had not yet been ratified by the Government. “This is an important landmark for women,” she added. “Gender-based violence is at epidemic levels and one in four women in Ireland has experienced domestic violence.”

Ms Fitzgerald said the Government was committed to introducing consolidated and reformed domestic violence legislation.

Greater white-toothed shrew spreads across Ireland

   

Greater white-toothed shrews could colonise abandoned farmland across Ireland by 2050.

An invasive species of shrew is spreading across the Irish landscape at a rate of more than five kilometres a year, according to new research.

Greater white-toothed shrews were first discovered in Ireland in 2007.

They have greyish brown hair and a yellowish grey lower belly. The shrew have distinctive bright white teeth, prominent ears and long, white hairs on their tail.

Prof Ian Montgomery, Queen’s University Belfast, said: “The invasive small mammals of Ireland, the greater white-toothed shrew and the bank vole should be recognised as an invasive species that has the potential to have a large negative impact on the Irish ecosystem.”

He added that “the ecological impact of these alien species is likely to be far greater than, for example, the grey squirrel.”

Expansion: Scientists fear the greater white-toothed shrew could colonise field boundaries and abandoned farmland across the entire island by 2050.

Dr Allan McDevitt, University College Dublin, said “the invading population of the greater white-toothed shrew currently covers an area of 7,600 km2 and is found in Counties Tipperary, Limerick, Cork, Waterford, Kilkenny, Offaly.”

The greater white-toothed shrew has a competitive advantage over native shrew, in eating large insect prey.

This advantage combined with a fast paced expansion could lead to the disappearance of the pygmy shrew, which has been in Ireland for thousands of years.

The Pygmy shrew is one of the world’s smallest mammals.

Limiting the impact: The invasive species has not yet crossed the River Shannon.

However, it is understood that rivers and other barriers are only a temporary hindrance for the greater white-toothed shrew.

Research suggests the only means of limiting the impact of invasive small mammals is to encourage bigger hedgerows and more deciduous woodland across Ireland.

These habitats favour indigenous species against invaders.

Prof Montgomery said: “Ireland has a pitifully small area of woodland.

“Biodiversity would be greatly enhanced by a serious effort to increase the ecological value of hedgerows and expansion of woods and forests throughout the island. “  

Donie's Ireland news daily BLOG Saturday

Horse-meat ingredient in burgers ‘Poland was the possible source’ says Minister Simon Coveney 

  

The horsemeat found in burgers came from imported ingredients, the Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney has confirmed. Polish ingredients were the likely source of horse meat found at 29 per cent in a Tesco burger made by Silvercrest Foods, Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney said this evening.

He said three burgers produced since the start of January by Silvercrest Foods had tested positive for horse DNA, at levels of seven per cent, 3.6 per cent and 1.2 per cent, relative to beef content. Mr Coveney said the burger which had seven per cent horse DNA contained a significant amount of Polish ingredients and when that raw material was tested, it contained 4.1 per cent horse DNA. The other burgers also contained the Polish material which he described as a beef product made from low value cuts and trimmings. The raw ingredients that went into the burger with 29 per cent horse meat are no longer available as that burger was produced in November.

“We are now in a position to be able to say with a degree of certainty that the horse meat in burgers is likely, is more than likely, to have come from a significant ingredient that has been supplied to the factory now for nearly a year,” he said.

“It’s certainly the likely reason for the 29 per cent horse DNA content in the burger that actually kicked off this whole thing.”

Mr Coveney said there was no evidence that the ABP Food Group, which owns Silvercrest Foods, had knowingly imported product containing horse meat.

He said he had asked the company to source all product from Ireland and the UK from now on. “Secondly they have agreed to change the management at Silvercrest. Thirdly they have agreed to remove all product from the Silvercrest facility,” he said. It was also agreed that the Department of Agriculture would have a presence in the plant for at least six months.

A statement from ABP confirmed that a new management team would be appointed to the facility and said ABP had undertaken a group reorganisation. “With immediate effect responsibility for the Silvercrest business will transfer to ABP Ireland – the Irish chilled beef division. The sister business in the UK, Dalepak Foods, will come under the immediate control of ABP UK – the UK chilled beef business.”

A statement from Tesco welcomed the news and said the findings correlated with the results of its own investigations at the plant. “We will give detailed consideration to all the findings during next week,” the statement said.

Burger King, which said last week it was replacing Silvercrest Foods as its supplier, welcomed the confirmation that no horse DNA was found in tests of its products. “We want to apologise to our guests who may have been concerned by the news of a breach at one of our suppliers and we will dedicate ourselves to determining where the breakdown occurred, what lessons can be learned and what additional measures should be taken to ensure that we always provide our guests the high quality products they expect from us,” the statement said.

IFA president John Bryan said these results should bring a definitive conclusion to this issue. “The Minister also confirmed that all tests of Irish ingredients are clear of equine DNA. This will provide the necessary reassurance to consumers and buyers about the integrity and reputation of Irish-produced food”.

The Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association president Gabriel Gilmartin said farmers had been let down by industry. “There are now serious questions to be asked about why Polish ingredients were going into Irish beef burgers even though Ireland is the largest exporter of beef in the Northern hemisphere,” he said. “ICSA welcomes the new stringent terms that will apply but Irish farmers will feel very let down by what has happened. The Department must learn the lesson that there has been too much focus on farms and not enough on meat

Brave Fiona Doyle (47) still love’s her father despite the years of sexual abuse

  

The brave victim Fiona Doyle above left picture of evil dad Patrick O’Brien right picture says she still loves her father, despite enduring a decade of sexual abuse at his hands.

Fiona Doyle (47) finally saw victory in a life-long battle to see her father jailed.

The 72-year-old had walked free from court on bail earlier this week having been sentenced to 12 years, with nine years suspended.

However, he was back before the court a few days later when his three-year term was activated following a reversal by trial judge Mr Justice Paul Carney.

The woman who won the hearts of the nation, and even the Taoiseach, through her courage in telling her horror story, admitted last night that she still loved her dad, but did not forgive him.

She told Ryan Tubridy on RTE’s Late Late Show that seeing her father in the courtroom was “hard. I felt pity, he’s still my dad.”

Asked if she still loved him, she replied: “Yes.”

“Isn’t it normal for every child to love her parents?

Coffee: “When he was being led from court to begin his jail sentence, I nearly shouted at them not to take him.

“I walked out those court doors an orphan, because I left my mother sitting inside there. I haven’t told anybody this actually, but I was nearly on the verge of asking her if she wanted a lift home.”

Fiona also described some of the horrific effects of the sexual abuse which, the court heard, had become as regular and as normal as having dinner.

She revealed that her father asking her for a cup of coffee at night was the signal to rape her.

She said she has been attending a counsellor for the past two years. “I know I didn’t do nothing wrong, but it doesn’t stop you feeling uncomfortable. And you feel bad because you make other people feel uncomfortable.”

Her life was like “being born and put on a rollercoaster straight away.

“I was put on to a rollercoaster, handcuffed on to it, and it was let go. There was nobody there”.

Mental health education promotion is the key in Irish primary schools

‘Say’s President Michael D Higgins’

   

The importance of the promotion of positive mental health and well being in the primary school setting has been stressed by President Michael D. Higgins.

Addressing over 1,000 primary school principals at the Irish Primary Principals Network’s annual conference on Friday, the President said that the achievement of good mental health and the building of positive self esteem and problem-solving abilities amongst young people must happen in their primary years of education and the school environment has a critical role to play in promoting that positive mental well-being.

“A country’s well-being is so much more than its economic performance. The ability of people to relate as one equal citizen to another to value our shared health and the natural environment is a proper aim of education and a true measure of a country that has the mental well being of its citizens as its concern.”

Addressing the issue of cyberbullying he commented that bullying often extends far beyond the boundaries of the school grounds, blurring the demarcation line between where the school principal can and cannot become involved.

President Higgins also expressed his great concern at the results of the IPPN survey of Irish principals which showed that one principal in five reported that more and more children are arriving at school hungry. Drawing on his visits to schools, he said “it is the wish of Irish people that no child go to school hungry”.

A decrease of 17% in organ transplants in Ireland the last year of 2012

  

The number of organ transplant operations carried out in Ireland fell last year from a record high of 248 in 2011 to 206 in 2012

The figures show a drop in kidney, liver and pancreas procedures, but a rise in heart and liver transplants.

  In total the number of deceased donors dropped from 93 to 78 last year.

The total number of transplants from deceased donors fell from 248 in 2011 to 206.

There were 131 kidney transplant operations, and 50 liver procedures in 2012, both down by around 20%

One pancreas transplant was carried out – down from eight the previous year.

Ten heart transplants and 14 lung transplants were carried out.

There was an increase in the number of kidney donations from living donors, continuing a trend that began five years ago when the procedure was first made available here

Irish state refuses to acknowledge genetic mother of Twins

 

A surrogate who gave birth to twin girls because their genetic mother could not do so is the children’s mother as a matter of law, the High Court has heard.

In a landmark legal action that has raised issues never considered by the courts, the Government insists that a married couple who arranged for the wife’s sister to act as surrogate for their children can not be recognised as the twins’ parents.

The ova produced by the genetic mother was fertilised by sperm from the father and implanted in the surrogate mother who then gave birth and supports the genetic parents bid to be recognised as the parents on the girls’ birth certs.

The married couple claim that the State’s refusal to recognise them as the twin’s parents is unlawful and in breach of their constitutional rights.

But the State is defending the case on the basis that the genetic parents cannot be recognised as the parents because of the “invariable and irrefutable rule” that the gestational mother – the woman that gives birth – is and must always be treated as the mother of the child.

Expert geneticists have travelled to Ireland to testify in the action which is expected to be appealed to the Supreme Court by the losing parties.

The family law division of the High Court has heard that the children are seeking declarations, under the Status of Children Act, that their genetic mother is their mother, and that she is entitled to be registered as their mother and have the register of births corrected to reflect their true parentage. They want the court to order the Registrar General to correct the register of births to reflect this.

Unlawful

They are also seeking a declaration that the continued failure to recognise the father and genetic mother of the children is unlawful.

In the alternative, they seek a declaration that the father and genetic mother are the children’s guardians.

Senior Counsel Gerry Durcan, acting on behalf of the children, in his opening of the case before Mr Justice Henry Abbott, said the legal issues raised in the case won’t be easy to resolve.

The surrogate mother is supporting the couple’s application, which was refused by the office of Registrar in 2011, on the ground that there is no legal basis to change the name of the mother on the birth cert from the surrogate mother to the genetic mothers.

More details of the case emerged yesterday following the release to designated media of redacted transcripts of the opening days of the hearing, before Mr Justice Henry Abbott.

Following an application by the Irish Independent, ‘Sunday Times’ and ‘Irish Times’ Newspapers, Mr Justice Abbott allowed restricted reporting of the case by designated media.

The restrictions include that direct evidence given by the parties taking the case cannot be reported on.

There is also a prohibition on contemporaneous reporting of the proceedings on social media, such as Twitter. The restrictions were imposed in order to protect the identity and privacy of the parties taking the landmark action.