theirishtimes--2020-08-03--No floor and wall tiling apprentices registered since 2012

There have been no floor and wall tiling apprentices registered since 2012 , a new report commissioned by the Construction Industry Federation ( CIF ) has found .
The study , carried out by the Technological University in Dublin , says the numbers of new apprenticeship registrations for “ wet trades ” plummeted during the economic downturn , and has not recovered at the same rate as other parts of the construction sector .
Wet trades include bricklaying , floor and wall tiling , painting and decorating , and plastering .
The report says all are critical to the functioning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lack of apprenticeship engagement is a serious concern for wet trades .
Respondent companies to this research confirmed that the lack of Government incentives , cost of engaging apprentices and duration of off-the-job phases ( for smaller companies in particular ) act as barriers in this regard .
“ In an employer-led model of apprenticeship training , the lack of company engagement has serious implications for the future supply of qualified workers , and thus the ability to ensure the highest quality and value for money in the delivery of construction projects.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by which wet trades are engaged , and is an essential component of the construction process .
“ However , sub-contractor respondents to the research confirmed that they are not engaging apprentices in large numbers , and they too sub-contract wet trades for similar reasons as main contractors .
The sub-subcontracting of labour in this manner shifts the risk further from the main contractor , and without adequate monitoring may result in diminished quality of output.
” The report says wet trades are critical in every sector of the construction industry , “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trades is of considerable concern ” .
It warns that the impact of this situation is likely to include “ wage inflation , cost overruns , and ultimately the inability to achieve value for money across both public and private sector construction projects ” .
The CIF says it wants to see “ a significant fund ” established to incentivise small and medium enterprises ( SMEs ) to hire apprentices on the basis of creating a sustainable supply of skills into the industry .
“ We want to work with Government to increase @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the industry has the capacity to deliver the National Development Plan , solve the housing crisis and make the vision in Project Ireland 2040 a reality.
” The report recommends that an independent review of the current apprenticeship model for wet trades should be undertaken on an individual trade basis .
It urges that following this review the Government should provide ring-fenced funding to an appropriate skills programme for construction trades to ensure a sustainable labour market throughout economic cycles .
The report suggests that “ intervention where minimum threshold levels are not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the direct engagement of apprentices by Government departments at least for the duration of the NDP 2018-2027 ” .
Separately on Sunday , Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris and Minister of State for Further Education and Skills Niall Collins announced the launch of a consultation process to help develop a new plan for apprenticeships .
The number of people registering for an apprenticeship has risen from 3,153 in 2015 to 6,177 in 2019 .
However , just 2.7 per cent self-declared as having a disability , and 4 per cent @ @ @ @ @ @ @

Wet trades include bricklaying, floor and wall tiling, painting and decorating, and plastering. The report says all are critical to the functioning of the construction industry. Photograph: Getty Images
There have been no floor and wall tiling apprentices registered since 2012, a new report commissioned by the Construction Industry Federation (CIF) has found.
The study, carried out by the Technological University in Dublin, says the numbers of new apprenticeship registrations for "wet trades"plummeted during the economic downturn , and has not recovered at the same rate as other parts of the construction sector.
Wet trades include bricklaying, floor and wall tiling, painting and decorating, and plastering. The report says all are critical to the functioning of the construction industry.
“The lack of apprenticeship engagement is a serious concern for wet trades. Respondent companies to this research confirmed that the lack of Government incentives, cost of engaging apprentices and duration of off-the-job phases (for smaller companies in particular) act as barriers in this regard.
READ MORE
“In an employer-led model of apprenticeship training, the lack of company engagement has serious implications for the future supply of qualified workers, and thus the ability to ensure the highest quality and value for money in the delivery of construction projects.”
It says sub-contracting is the predominant mechanism by which wet trades are engaged, and is an essential component of the construction process.
“However, sub-contractor respondents to the research confirmed that they are not engaging apprentices in large numbers, and they too sub-contract wet trades for similar reasons as main contractors. The sub-subcontracting of labour in this manner shifts the risk further from the main contractor, and without adequate monitoring may result in diminished quality of output.”
Labour market
The report says wet trades are critical in every sector of the construction industry, “and the labour market disequilibrium for these trades is of considerable concern”.
It warns that the impact of this situation is likely to include “wage inflation, cost overruns, and ultimately the inability to achieve value for money across both public and private sector construction projects”.
The CIF says it wants to see “a significant fund” established to incentivise small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to hire apprentices on the basis of creating a sustainable supply of skills into the industry.
“We want to work with Government to increase apprenticeship numbers in these critical trends so the industry has the capacity to deliver the National Development Plan, solve the housing crisis and make the vision in Project Ireland 2040 a reality.”
The report recommends that an independent review of the current apprenticeship model for wet trades should be undertaken on an individual trade basis. It urges that following this review the Government should provide ring-fenced funding to an appropriate skills programme for construction trades to ensure a sustainable labour market throughout economic cycles.
The report suggests that “intervention where minimum threshold levels are not achieved to meet demand should lead to the direct engagement of apprentices by Government departments at least for the duration of the NDP 2018-2027”.
Consultation
Separately on Sunday, Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris and Minister of State for Further Education and Skills Niall Collins announced the launch of a consultation process to help develop a new plan for apprenticeships.
The number of people registering for an apprenticeship has risen from 3,153 in 2015 to 6,177 in 2019. However, just 2.7 per cent self-declared as having a disability, and 4 per cent of the apprentice population was female.


theirishtimes--2020-08-03--Optimism fades for pubs under next lockdown lifting phase

There is growing pessimism among Government Ministers that pubs will be given the green light to reopen next week amid increasing levels of Covid-19 cases .
A number of rural Ministers are privately warning that they do not believe the industry can survive another “ body blow ” if it is not allowed resume business .
They have said they will push for rural pubs to reopen under strict guidelines , alongside a potential county-by-county approach .
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly will be briefed by public health officials on Tuesday morning .
He will then bring their recommendations to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on whether or not to move to the next phase of reversing Covid lockdown measures .
Meanwhile , five workers at the Carroll Cuisine food processing factory in Tullamore , Co Offaly have tested positive for Covid-19 .
The results emerged after an employee informed the company they had tested positive for the virus .
The company said it had tested all 330 employees and four other staff tested positive and are now also self-isolating .
According to figures from the Department of Health on Sunday , there were no further deaths related @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 53 new cases were confirmed .
This means the death toll from the virus stands at 1,763 while the total number of cases in the State rises to 26,162 .
Last Thursday saw a spike of 85 new cases .
This was followed by 38 extra cases on Friday and 45 on Saturday in what the department ’ s acting chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn called a “ clearly concerning trend ” .
Dr Glynn said the source of transmission for more than 90 per cent of cases reported on Sunday had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Health Organisation warned of “ response fatigue ” and a resurgence of cases in several countries that have lifted lockdowns .
WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said : “ Many countries that believed they were past the worst are now grappling with new outbreaks .
Some that were less affected in the earliest weeks are now seeing escalating numbers of cases and deaths.
” Mexico , which like many countries has lifted tight restrictions imposed earlier this year , reported a record 9,556 new cases on Saturday .
It also announced 784 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 47,472 deaths .
And the Australian state of Victoria has declared a disaster and placed Melbourne , the country ’ s second-biggest city , under night-time curfew as it grapples with hundreds of “ mystery cases ” of coronavirus .
There have been almost 17.8 million confirmed cases around the world and more than 684,000 deaths , according to the US-based Johns Hopkins University .
It comes as Mr Donnelly said that random testing was to be introduced at airports to boost the fight against Covid-19 .
A timeframe for the introduction of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ however , as the Cabinet has yet to sign off on the plan .
Cautioning against a return to previous levels of freedom of movement , the Minister said the Government ’ s overriding priority was the reopening of schools .

A number of rural Ministers are privately warning that they do not believe the industry can survive another “body blow” if it is not allowed resume business. File photograph: Getty
There is growing pessimism among Government Ministers that pubs will be given the green light to reopen next week amid increasing levels of Covid-19 cases.
A number of rural Ministers are privately warning that they do not believe the industry can survive another “body blow” if it is not allowed resume business. They have said they will push for rural pubs to reopen under strict guidelines, alongside a potential county-by-county approach.
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly will be briefed by public health officials on Tuesday morning. He will then bring their recommendations to Cabinet where a decision will be made on whether or not to move to the next phase of reversing Covid lockdown measures.
Meanwhile, five workers at the Carroll Cuisine food processing factory in Tullamore, Co Offaly have tested positive for Covid-19. The results emerged after an employee informed the company they had tested positive for the virus. The company said it had tested all 330 employees and four other staff tested positive and are now also self-isolating.
READ MORE
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly: On Tuesday morning, he will bring public health officials’ recommendations to Cabinet where a decision will be made on the next phase of reversing lockdown measures. Photograph: Stephen Collins
According to figures from the Department of Health on Sunday, there were no further deaths related to the virus in the State but 53 new cases were confirmed.
This means the death toll from the virus stands at 1,763 while the total number of cases in the State rises to 26,162.
Last Thursday saw a spike of 85 new cases. This was followed by 38 extra cases on Friday and 45 on Saturday in what the department’s acting chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn called a “clearly concerning trend”.
Dr Glynn said the source of transmission for more than 90 per cent of cases reported on Sunday had been identified.
‘Response fatigue’
Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation warned of “response fatigue” and a resurgence of cases in several countries that have lifted lockdowns.
WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: “Many countries that believed they were past the worst are now grappling with new outbreaks. Some that were less affected in the earliest weeks are now seeing escalating numbers of cases and deaths.”
Mexico, which like many countries has lifted tight restrictions imposed earlier this year, reported a record 9,556 new cases on Saturday. It also announced 784 additional fatalities, bringing its total to 47,472 deaths. And the Australian state of Victoria has declared a disaster and placed Melbourne, the country’s second-biggest city, under night-time curfew as it grapples with hundreds of “mystery cases” of coronavirus.
There have been almost 17.8 million confirmed cases around the world and more than 684,000 deaths, according to the US-based Johns Hopkins University.
It comes as Mr Donnelly said that random testing was to be introduced at airports to boost the fight against Covid-19. A timeframe for the introduction of such checks has not been announced, however, as the Cabinet has yet to sign off on the plan. Cautioning against a return to previous levels of freedom of movement, the Minister said the Government’s overriding priority was the reopening of schools.


theirishtimes--2020-08-03--Misconduct claims in Department of Transport spark Garda inquiry

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has instructed detectives to investigate allegations of misconduct in public office in the Department of Transport .
The investigation relates to allegations that department officials interfered with inquiries into marine casualties by altering investigative reports which made criticisms of the department and removing safety recommendations made by investigators .
In January , maritime lawyer Michael Kingston , whose father was killed in the Whiddy Island oil tanker disaster in 1979 , met senior gardaí and made a series of detailed allegations regarding what he said was misconduct in public office by the department .
He said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has referred the matter to detectives in the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation ( NBCI ) which has responsibility for investigating allegations of this type .
This has been confirmed to The Irish Times .
In a statement , Garda headquarters said on Friday : “ Gardaí are examining allegations of misconduct in public office in relation to investigations into the seafaring tragedies and the implementation of maritime safety regulation to determine if a criminal act has occurred where a criminal investigation should be undertaken.
” Sources said the investigation was in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrongdoing had yet been made against anyone .
Mr Kingston , who is also a consultant with the International Maritime Organisation , said he has been in contact with several “ whistleblowers ” who have worked with the Marine Casualty Investigation Board ( MCIB ) and who have reported allegations of serious misconduct .
According to Mr Kingston these whistleblowers are willing to speak to gardaí as part of the investigation .
“ They will sit down with the guards and they will tell the truth.
” In response to queries , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not been notified of an investigation “ and has no comment in that regard ” .
“ A question about Garda investigations would be a matter for An Garda Síochána .
” The MCIB tasks investigators with examining maritime accidents before drawing up reports and making recommendations .
It does not enforce legislation and does not attribute blame , rather it issues recommendations on how future incidents can be avoided .
It has conducted almost 300 investigations in its 20-year existence .

“Gardaí are examining allegations of misconduct in public office in relation to investigations into the seafaring tragedies and the implementation of maritime safety regulation...”
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has instructed detectives to investigate allegations of misconduct in public office in the Department of Transport.
The investigation relates to allegations that department officials interfered with inquiries into marine casualties by altering investigative reports which made criticisms of the department and removing safety recommendations made by investigators.
In January, maritime lawyer Michael Kingston, whose father was killed in the Whiddy Island oil tanker disaster in 1979, met senior gardaí and made a series of detailed allegations regarding what he said was misconduct in public office by the department.
He said on Wednesday he received confirmation Mr Harris has referred the matter to detectives in the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (NBCI) which has responsibility for investigating allegations of this type. This has been confirmed to The Irish Times.
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‘Criminal act’
In a statement, Garda headquarters said on Friday: “Gardaí are examining allegations of misconduct in public office in relation to investigations into the seafaring tragedies and the implementation of maritime safety regulation to determine if a criminal act has occurred where a criminal investigation should be undertaken.”
Sources said the investigation was in the extremely early stages and no findings of wrongdoing had yet been made against anyone.
Mr Kingston, who is also a consultant with the International Maritime Organisation, said he has been in contact with several "whistleblowers" who have worked with the Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) and who have reported allegations of serious misconduct.
‘Tell the truth’
According to Mr Kingston these whistleblowers are willing to speak to gardaí as part of the investigation. “They will sit down with the guards and they will tell the truth.”
In response to queries, a Department of Transport spokesman said it had not been notified of an investigation “and has no comment in that regard”.
"A question about Garda investigations would be a matter for An Garda Síochána. "
The MCIB tasks investigators with examining maritime accidents before drawing up reports and making recommendations. It does not enforce legislation and does not attribute blame, rather it issues recommendations on how future incidents can be avoided.
It has conducted almost 300 investigations in its 20-year existence.


theirishtimes--2020-08-03--Concern as OPW rejects responsibility for ancient church in Dublin

The future preservation of a pre-Anglo-Norman church and ancient stone crosses in south Dublin is causing concern after the new Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works ( OPW ) , Patrick O ’ Donovan , said he couldn ’ t ascertain “ who , if anybody , is responsible for addressing heritage concerns in this area ” .
Tully church and a number of ancient stone crosses , at Laughanstown , are within the Cherrywood strategic development zone ( SDZ ) in south Dublin .
The church is possibly of Danish design , with a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 13th century .
It has a rounded arch and two round-headed east windows .
Nearby , at the side of the road , is a medieval stone cross which is understood to date from the 10th century ; and in a field across the lane form the church there is another statue , thought to from the 13th century .
A plinth supporting the roadside cross bears a plaque to the memory of James F Grehan , who , it says , “ saved this Celtic cross ” .
The plaque is dated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is preserved under the National Monuments Act , and the notice bears the logo of the OPW .
However Mr O ’ Donovan told the Dáil recently that the OPW had rejected responsibility for the artefacts .
In response to a parliamentary question from Fianna Fáil TD in the Dún Laoghaire constituency Cormac Devlin , Mr O ’ Donovan said the Department of Culture , Heritage and the Gaeltacht previously “ had responsibility for addressing the protection of Ireland ’ s cultural assets ” .
But he added “ the department ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ however , in recent days about its specific roles and powers at Cherrywood and refused last week to take this parliamentary question from us ” .
“ I have not been able to find out who , if anybody , is responsible for addressing heritage concerns in this area , ” he said .
He also read aloud advice from his civil servant : “ I suggest in these circumstances that the Minister would be circumspect about who exactly has responsibility for heritage protection.
” Under plans for the Cherrywood SDZ , Tully @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a focal point for a new park .
Development of the SDZ was halted due to the 2008 economic crash , with work resuming in recent years .
The Laughanstown Luas stop is about 600m from the church .
Mr O ’ Donovan said the OPW had a list of some 700 sites across the State for which it was responsible , but Tully church and the stone crosses were not among those listed .
Mr O ’ Donovan said the OPW ’ s heritage services had not been “ directly involved or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cherrywood SDZ and was “ not responsible at a national level for the protection of heritage , generally ” .
Mr Devlin told The Irish Times he was very concerned for the future protection of the complex of national monuments .
He said it appeared , at least from what he could glean , that the OPW was indeed responsible for the church , while Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council was responsible for the graveyard .
He said he thought the national monuments section of the Department of of Culture , Heritage and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the stone statues , but reorganisation of the department by the new Government had made the situation opaque .
He said the county council was working actively with the developers of the SDZ on the preservation of the graveyard .
Liz Pilkington of Cabinteely Tidy Towns said her committee was concerned for the future protection of both the crosses and the church as well as some grave slabs which appeared to be Hiberno-Norse .
She said the crosses should be brought to an indoor site in Cabinteely , while the committee would also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the protection of the church from decay or graffiti and vandalism in the future .

The future preservation of a pre-Anglo-Norman church and ancient stone crosses in south Dublin is causing concern after the new Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works (OPW), Patrick O’Donovan, said he couldn’t ascertain “ who, if anybody, is responsible for addressing heritage concerns in this area”.
Tully church and a number of ancient stone crosses, at Laughanstown, are within the Cherrywood strategic development zone (SDZ) in south Dublin.
The church is possibly of Danish design, with a chancel added to the nave during the 13th century. It has a rounded arch and two round-headed east windows. Nearby, at the side of the road, is a medieval stone cross which is understood to date from the 10th century; and in a field across the lane form the church there is another statue, thought to from the 13th century.
A plinth supporting the roadside cross bears a plaque to the memory of James F Grehan, who, it says, “saved this Celtic cross”. The plaque is dated 1897and carries a notice stating that it is preserved under the National Monuments Act, and the notice bears the logo of the OPW.
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However Mr O’Donovan told the Dáil recently that the OPW had rejected responsibility for the artefacts. In response to a parliamentary question from Fianna Fáil TD in the Dún Laoghaire constituency Cormac Devlin, Mr O’Donovan said the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht previously “had responsibility for addressing the protection of Ireland’s cultural assets”.
But he added “the department’s National Monuments Service has been unclear, however, in recent days about its specific roles and powers at Cherrywood and refused last week to take this parliamentary question from us”.
“I have not been able to find out who, if anybody, is responsible for addressing heritage concerns in this area,” he said.
He also read aloud advice from his civil servant: “I suggest in these circumstances that the Minister would be circumspect about who exactly has responsibility for heritage protection.”
Under plans for the Cherrywood SDZ, Tully church and the stone crosses would become a focal point for a new park. Development of the SDZ was halted due to the 2008 economic crash, with work resuming in recent years. The Laughanstown Luas stop is about 600m from the church.
A medieval stone cross near Tully church is understood to date from the 10th century. Photograph: Tom Honan
Mr O’Donovan said the OPW had a list of some 700 sites across the State for which it was responsible, but Tully church and the stone crosses were not among those listed. Mr O’Donovan said the OPW’s heritage services had not been “directly involved or consulted” in the creation of the Cherrywood SDZ and was “not responsible at a national level for the protection of heritage, generally”.
Concerned
Mr Devlin told The Irish Times he was very concerned for the future protection of the complex of national monuments. He said it appeared, at least from what he could glean, that the OPW was indeed responsible for the church, while Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council was responsible for the graveyard.
He said he thought the national monuments section of the Department of of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht was responsible for the care of the stone statues, but reorganisation of the department by the new Government had made the situation opaque.
He said the county council was working actively with the developers of the SDZ on the preservation of the graveyard.
Liz Pilkington of Cabinteely Tidy Towns said her committee was concerned for the future protection of both the crosses and the church as well as some grave slabs which appeared to be Hiberno-Norse. She said the crosses should be brought to an indoor site in Cabinteely, while the committee would also like to know who would be responsible for the protection of the church from decay or graffiti and vandalism in the future.


theirishtimes--2020-08-03--Covid tracker app alerts for close contacts issued to 137 people so far

The number of people who have received close contact alerts through the Republic ’ s Covid Tracker app has reached 137 since the app was launched on July 7th .
Of those 137 close contact alerts , 129 people have subsequently chosen to speak to the HSE ’ s contact tracing team for advice and to be offered testing .
Latest figures from the HSE show that up to lunchtime on Friday , 1,471,524 people had downloaded the app .
Fran Thompson , the HSE ’ s chief information officer , said that on average 10,000 to 20,000 people were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , with the figure tending to be higher after “ bad news ” such as a significant rise in the number of coronavirus cases .
Mr Thompson said the launch on Friday of the Northern Ireland contact tracing app , called STOPCovid NI , was a significant development , especially for those living in Border areas , as the two Irish app systems would shortly be able to work together .
This means that people living in either jurisdiction who had contact with someone from across the Border who tested positive for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ This is a huge leap forward .
There will be interoperability between the two apps , ” said the HSE executive .
It is expected the two apps will be co-operating as early as the end of next week .
The most recent figures for the Republic ’ s Covid Tracker app show that the average number of people using the optional daily check-in each day to record their symptoms is 280,000 .
The HSE also revealed that 58 people who have tested positive for Covid-19 have uploaded the random IDs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in order to anonymously alert people who they were in close contact with .
Mr Thompson said that while 129 of the 137 who received close contact alerts through the app had followed up with the contact tracing team , it would be wrong to assume that the other eight had not been tested as they may have dealt with the manual tracing service .
Figures for the number of people who tested positive after receiving close contact alerts have not been released .
According to the HSE , that information will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The HSE said its contact tracing operation was at the centre of the health service response to combat Covid-19 and protect communities .
Mr Thompson said that the HSE was pleased with the public ’ s response to the app , with the uptake here considerably higher than in many other countries .
“ It has gone really well , and the public interaction has been very positive , ” he said .
The HSE is now looking at the possibilities of adding new languages to make the app more accessible to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or Latvian people .

On average 10,000 to 20,000 people are downloading the Covid-19 tracker app every day in the Republic
The number of people who have received close contact alerts through the Republic’s Covid Tracker app has reached 137 since the app was launched on July 7th.
Of those 137 close contact alerts, 129 people have subsequently chosen to speak to the HSE’s contact tracing team for advice and to be offered testing.
Latest figures from the HSE show that up to lunchtime on Friday, 1,471,524 people had downloaded the app.
Fran Thompson, the HSE's chief information officer, said that on average 10,000 to 20,000 people were downloading the Covid-19 tracker app every day, with the figure tending to be higher after "bad news" such as a significant rise in the number of coronavirus cases.
READ MORE
Mr Thompson said the launch on Friday of the Northern Ireland contact tracing app, called STOPCovid NI, was a significant development, especially for those living in Border areas, as the two Irish app systems would shortly be able to work together. This means that people living in either jurisdiction who had contact with someone from across the Border who tested positive for the virus would receive a close contact alert.
“This is a huge leap forward. There will be interoperability between the two apps,” said the HSE executive.
It is expected the two apps will be co-operating as early as the end of next week.
Daily check-in
The most recent figures for the Republic’s Covid Tracker app show that the average number of people using the optional daily check-in each day to record their symptoms is 280,000.
The HSE also revealed that 58 people who have tested positive for Covid-19 have uploaded the random IDs that have been generated by their phone in order to anonymously alert people who they were in close contact with.
The issue is not with the HSE contact tracing app, but how Google Play Services functions on users’ phones. Photograph: Niall Carson/PA Wire
Mr Thompson said that while 129 of the 137 who received close contact alerts through the app had followed up with the contact tracing team, it would be wrong to assume that the other eight had not been tested as they may have dealt with the manual tracing service.
It has gone really well, and the public interaction has been very positive
Figures for the number of people who tested positive after receiving close contact alerts have not been released. According to the HSE, that information will be available once sufficient data has been gathered.
The HSE said its contact tracing operation was at the centre of the health service response to combat Covid-19 and protect communities.
Mr Thompson said that the HSE was pleased with the public’s response to the app, with the uptake here considerably higher than in many other countries.
“It has gone really well, and the public interaction has been very positive,” he said.
The HSE is now looking at the possibilities of adding new languages to make the app more accessible to immigrant communities such as Polish, Lithuanian or Latvian people.


theirishtimes--2020-08-03--DUP’s Brexit ads: Who bankrolled the secretive £435,000 campaign?

Longford-born journalist Peter Geoghegan was sitting in a train carriage in Newcastle just before the Brexit referendum in 2016 when a quest began to unravel a mystery about the Democratic Unionist Party ’ s role in winning it .
Flicking through a “ well-thumbed copy ” of the Metro newspaper , Geoghegan , who works now in Glasgow and London , saw the free newspaper ’ s front page “ wraparound ” advertisement .
In it , British voters were urged to “ Take back control ” , the slogan of the official Vote Leave campaign , ” Geoghegan recalls @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sale , which is published by Head of Zeus on Thursday .
“ I turned the paper over .
An imprint on the back said that the advert had been ‘ paid for by the Democratic Unionist Party ’ , ” says Geoghegan , a journalist with opendemocracy.net .
“ This was very curious .
Since its foundation in 1971 , the Democratic Unionist Party had never run a single candidate outside Northern Ireland , ” he writes .
It was a little epiphany that ultimately led him down a number of other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It is filled with the likes Steve Bannon , Donald Trump , Dominic Cummings , Boris Johnson , Nigel Farage and a former head of Saudi Arabian intelligence , Prince Nawwaf bin Abdul Aziz al Saud .
Right there , too , is the DUP , which spent £435,000 “ on a massive ad campaign promoting Brexit in England .
I knew that election spending in the UK is tightly capped.
” “ I also knew , having worked as a reporter in Belfast , that political donations to Northern Irish parties @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Perhaps this was a way around campaign limits ?
” So , would he solve the mystery ?
In his sleuthing Geoghegan examines how the DUP was “ bankrolled by the biggest [ political ] donation in Northern Irish history ” to support the campaign to take the UK out of the European Union .
Geoghegan contends in Democracy for Sale that the money was channelled to the DUP through the official Vote Leave campaign because Vote Leave had almost used up its permitted spending of £7 million .
Vote Leave and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Other organisations on both sides of the campaign were allowed additional spending of up to £700,000 .
The author recounts how he discovered that an uncommunicative organisation called the Constitutional Research Council ( CRC ) donated £435,000 to the DUP to support the Leave crusade .
To prop up his Vote Leave-DUP connection conviction , Geoghegan writes , “ Two months before the referendum , Matthew Elliott , Vote Leave ’ s chief executive , wrote in an email to senior staff : ‘ The DUP also have a £700k spending limit , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” “ At that stage the DUP had yet to register as a referendum participant , ” Geoghegan writes .
“ It only did so in late May .
When the CRC started giving money to the DUP , Vote Leave had almost completely exhausted its spending allowance.
” Geoghegan writes how the DUP ’ s Brexit “ spending spree began on June 9th , exactly two weeks before the vote , when the DUP bought £100,000 worth of placards , bags , window stickers , T-shirts and badges from a small branding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ company was based in the Cambridgeshire cathedral town of Ely .
The location and the company was a “ surprising choice ” for the DUP , thought Geoghegan .
The fact that it published more than £800,000 of material for various Leave-supporting groups reinforced his belief that this was part of the alleged Vote Leave-DUP nexus .
Two days before polls opened , Geoghegan writes , the CRC donated a further £334,993 to the DUP , much of which was spent on the wraparound ad in the Metro – a paper that does @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also says the DUP spent £32,000 on digital advertising through a Canadian company called AggregateIQ ( AIQ ) which had “ bought millions of pounds worth of Facebook ads on behalf of a suite of pro-Brexit campaigns clustered around Vote Leave ” .
The Westminster “ fake news ” inquiry that began in 2017 and concluded in 2019 heard that AIQ had links with Cambridge Analytica , the political consulting firm founded by US billionaire Robert Mercer and US president Donald Trump ’ s former chief strategist Steve Bannon , although this has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Cambridge Analytica got in serious trouble over allegedly misappropriating digital information , including acquiring the personal data of tens of millions of Facebook users .
Geoghegan , following the money trail , writes that “ according to Cambridge Analytica whistleblower Chris Wylie , the DUP were simply a front organisation to allow Vote Leave to go beyond spending limits imposed by election laws ” – again a charge that Vote Leave and the DUP strongly deny .
Geoghegan explores how the only publicly known person associated with the CRC – the group @ @ @ @ @ @ @ – is Scottish businessman Richard Cook , a Conservative Party activist and Glasgow Rangers supporter .
He is depicted as a colourful figure , who in 2013 jointly founded a company called Five Star Investments with Prince Nawwaf bin Abdul Aziz al Saud , a former director general of the Saudi intelligence agency who died in 2015 .
Cook held 5 per cent of the shares , the prince 75 per cent , and a third man , Danish national Peter Haestrup , held the other 20 per cent .
Haestrup was allegedly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as the Purulia Arms Drop .
Haestrup told Geoghegan he was never charged , had a “ 100 per cent clean record ” and had done nothing wrong .
He also explained how the wealth management business did not get off the ground and was dissolved in 2014 after “ a lot of good dinners ” .
Despite these intriguing connections , Geoghegan portrays Cook as a man who would not have £435,000 to easily hand over to the DUP .
He is convinced the CRC money came from other sources .
Former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Cook , his long-time political adversary in East Renfrewshire , was “ a bizarrely unlikely middle-man for this sort of money ” .
In addition to the £435,000 , the author writes about how the CRC made two further contributions to the DUP after the Brexit referendum , totalling more than £13,000 – the DUP very generally and impenetrably saying it had used the money to “ further the cause of unionism at home and abroad ” .
Geoghegan writes that Cook refused to reveal the source of the cash and said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ massive DUP donation , he had never received any money from his involvement in the CRC .
“ I just run a small consultancy company , doing some waste energy stuff internationally , ” he said .
Geoghegan does a lot of mining to find the other CRC backers but , as he admits , the gold seam proves elusive , his work not helped by electoral law in Northern Ireland or the DUP ’ s refusal to answer questions .
Under previous electoral legislation in the North , political donors during the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ names or the size of their contributions because doing so could endanger their lives .
In July 2017 that changed when then northern secretary James Brokenshire decided that life had moved on and donation details could be published .
It could have been the moment that changed everything .
However , it was not to be .
Brokenshire could have backdated that legislation to January 2014 , but decided not to .
This led to allegations that he had done a “ side deal ” with the DUP – a charge bolstered by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time when the DUP had signed up to a £1.5 billion confidence and supply deal to keep then UK prime minister Theresa May ’ s Tory government in power .
It prompted former head of the North ’ s Electoral Commission Seamus Magee to deduce : “ The deal on party donations and loans must be part of the DUP/Conservative deal .
No other explanation.
” This was denied at the time by DUP MP Jeffrey Donaldson .
Geoghegan , still chasing , writes how , in mid December 2017 , 17 MPs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ consider a legal order that would bring donor transparency to Northern Ireland .
During a “ truncated and bad-tempered ” debate , DUP MPs Sammy Wilson and Ian Paisley , who were observers , insisted that their party had been wholly transparent about the £435,000 donation .
Saying that the failure to backdate the legislation “ stinks ” , Labour MP Ben Bradshaw added : “ The only conclusion that any reasonable person can draw is that the DUP was used , with its knowledge , by the CRC to funnel money to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to this day keeps the source of that money secret .
By refusing to make this provision retrospective , the government are effectively complicit in covering that up.
” In his book Geoghegan addresses many fascinating issues in relation to “ dark money ” , Brexit and political funding but in the end admits his investigation into the DUP and CRC does did not answer the big question .
The wall of silence could not be penetrated .
He concedes , “ Just how much control the DUP had over its record donation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And who was behind the money is still a mystery .
”

Peter Geoghegan contends that the money was channelled to the DUP through the official Vote Leave campaign. Photograph: Andrew Milligan/PA Wire
Longford-born journalist Peter Geoghegan was sitting in a train carriage in Newcastle just before the Brexit referendum in 2016 when a quest began to unravel a mystery about the Democratic Unionist Party's role in winning it.
Flicking through a "well-thumbed copy" of the Metro newspaper, Geoghegan, who works now in Glasgow and London, saw the free newspaper's front page "wraparound" advertisement.
In it, British voters were urged to “Take back control”, the slogan of the official Vote Leave campaign,” Geoghegan recalls in his new book, Democracy for Sale, which is published by Head of Zeus on Thursday.
"I turned the paper over. An imprint on the back said that the advert had been 'paid for by the Democratic Unionist Party'," says Geoghegan, a journalist with opendemocracy.net.
READ MORE
"This was very curious. Since its foundation in 1971, the Democratic Unionist Party had never run a single candidate outside Northern Ireland, " he writes.
It was a little epiphany that ultimately led him down a number of other tracks and has resulted in the book.
It is filled with the likes Steve Bannon, Donald Trump, Dominic Cummings, Boris Johnson, Nigel Farage and a former head of Saudi Arabian intelligence, Prince Nawwaf bin Abdul Aziz al Saud.
Right there, too, is the DUP, which spent £435,000 "on a massive ad campaign promoting Brexit in England. I knew that election spending in the UK is tightly capped."
"I also knew, having worked as a reporter in Belfast, that political donations to Northern Irish parties were kept secret under anachronistic local laws. Perhaps this was a way around campaign limits?"
So, would he solve the mystery?
In his sleuthing Geoghegan examines how the DUP was "bankrolled by the biggest [political] donation in Northern Irish history" to support the campaign to take the UK out of the European Union.
Geoghegan contends in Democracy for Sale that the money was channelled to the DUP through the official Vote Leave campaign because Vote Leave had almost used up its permitted spending of £7 million.
Vote Leave and the DUP have denied the claim.
Geoghegan contends that the money was channelled to the DUP through the official Vote Leave campaign
Uncommunicative group
Other organisations on both sides of the campaign were allowed additional spending of up to £700,000. The author recounts how he discovered that an uncommunicative organisation called the Constitutional Research Council (CRC) donated £435,000 to the DUP to support the Leave crusade.
To prop up his Vote Leave-DUP connection conviction, Geoghegan writes, "Two months before the referendum, Matthew Elliott, Vote Leave's chief executive, wrote in an email to senior staff: 'The DUP also have a £700k spending limit, which can be spent nationwide!' "
“At that stage the DUP had yet to register as a referendum participant,” Geoghegan writes. “It only did so in late May. When the CRC started giving money to the DUP, Vote Leave had almost completely exhausted its spending allowance.”
Geoghegan writes how the DUP’s Brexit “spending spree began on June 9th, exactly two weeks before the vote, when the DUP bought £100,000 worth of placards, bags, window stickers, T-shirts and badges from a small branding agency called Soopa Doopa”.
This company was based in the Cambridgeshire cathedral town of Ely. The location and the company was a “surprising choice” for the DUP, thought Geoghegan. The fact that it published more than £800,000 of material for various Leave-supporting groups reinforced his belief that this was part of the alleged Vote Leave-DUP nexus.
Geoghegan portrays Cook as a man who would not have £435,000 to easily hand over to the DUP. He is convinced the CRC money came from other sources
Two days before polls opened, Geoghegan writes, the CRC donated a further £334,993 to the DUP, much of which was spent on the wraparound ad in the Metro – a paper that does not circulate in Northern Ireland.
He also says the DUP spent £32,000 on digital advertising through a Canadian company called AggregateIQ (AIQ) which had "bought millions of pounds worth of Facebook ads on behalf of a suite of pro-Brexit campaigns clustered around Vote Leave".
The Westminster "fake news" inquiry that began in 2017 and concluded in 2019 heard that AIQ had links with Cambridge Analytica, the political consulting firm founded by US billionaire Robert Mercer and US president Donald Trump's former chief strategist Steve Bannon, although this has been denied by AIQ co-founder Zack Massingham.
Cambridge Analytica got in serious trouble over allegedly misappropriating digital information, including acquiring the personal data of tens of millions of Facebook users.
Front organisation
Geoghegan, following the money trail, writes that "according to Cambridge Analytica whistleblower Chris Wylie, the DUP were simply a front organisation to allow Vote Leave to go beyond spending limits imposed by election laws" – again a charge that Vote Leave and the DUP strongly deny.
Geoghegan explores how the only publicly known person associated with the CRC – the group that gave the £435,000 to the DUP – is Scottish businessman Richard Cook, a Conservative Party activist and Glasgow Rangers supporter.
He is depicted as a colourful figure, who in 2013 jointly founded a company called Five Star Investments with Prince Nawwaf bin Abdul Aziz al Saud, a former director general of the Saudi intelligence agency who died in 2015. Cook held 5 per cent of the shares, the prince 75 per cent, and a third man, Danish national Peter Haestrup, held the other 20 per cent.
Haestrup was allegedly linked to an Indian gun-running case known as the Purulia Arms Drop. Haestrup told Geoghegan he was never charged, had a "100 per cent clean record" and had done nothing wrong. He also explained how the wealth management business did not get off the ground and was dissolved in 2014 after "a lot of good dinners".
Geoghegan's work is not helped by electoral law in Northern Ireland or the DUP's refusal to answer questions
Despite these intriguing connections, Geoghegan portrays Cook as a man who would not have £435,000 to easily hand over to the DUP. He is convinced the CRC money came from other sources. Former Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy told Geoghegan that Cook, his long-time political adversary in East Renfrewshire, was "a bizarrely unlikely middle-man for this sort of money".
In addition to the £435,000, the author writes about how the CRC made two further contributions to the DUP after the Brexit referendum, totalling more than £13,000 – the DUP very generally and impenetrably saying it had used the money to “further the cause of unionism at home and abroad”.
Geoghegan writes that Cook refused to reveal the source of the cash and said that, although he had administered the massive DUP donation, he had never received any money from his involvement in the CRC. “I just run a small consultancy company, doing some waste energy stuff internationally,” he said.
Elusive truth
Geoghegan does a lot of mining to find the other CRC backers but, as he admits, the gold seam proves elusive, his work not helped by electoral law in Northern Ireland or the DUP’s refusal to answer questions.
Under previous electoral legislation in the North, political donors during the Troubles did not have to disclose their names or the size of their contributions because doing so could endanger their lives.
In July 2017 that changed when then northern secretary James Brokenshire decided that life had moved on and donation details could be published.
It could have been the moment that changed everything. However, it was not to be. Brokenshire could have backdated that legislation to January 2014, but decided not to.
This led to allegations that he had done a “side deal” with the DUP – a charge bolstered by the fact that this was at a time when the DUP had signed up to a £1.5 billion confidence and supply deal to keep then UK prime minister Theresa May’s Tory government in power.
It prompted former head of the North's Electoral Commission Seamus Magee to deduce: "The deal on party donations and loans must be part of the DUP/Conservative deal. No other explanation."
This was denied at the time by DUP MP Jeffrey Donaldson.
In his book Geoghegan addresses many fascinating issues in relation to "dark money", Brexit and political funding
Geoghegan, still chasing, writes how, in mid December 2017, 17 MPs met in a Westminster committee room to consider a legal order that would bring donor transparency to Northern Ireland.
During a "truncated and bad-tempered" debate, DUP MPs Sammy Wilson and Ian Paisley, who were observers, insisted that their party had been wholly transparent about the £435,000 donation.
DUP MP Sammy Wilson. Photograph: Liam McBurney/PA Wire
DUP MP Ian Paisley. Photograph: Charles McQuillan/Getty
Saying that the failure to backdate the legislation "stinks", Labour MP Ben Bradshaw added: "The only conclusion that any reasonable person can draw is that the DUP was used, with its knowledge, by the CRC to funnel money to the Leave campaign in a way that to this day keeps the source of that money secret. By refusing to make this provision retrospective, the government are effectively complicit in covering that up."
In his book Geoghegan addresses many fascinating issues in relation to “dark money”, Brexit and political funding but in the end admits his investigation into the DUP and CRC does did not answer the big question.
The wall of silence could not be penetrated. He concedes, “Just how much control the DUP had over its record donation and how it was spent remains unclear. And who was behind the money is still a mystery.”


theirishtimes--2020-08-03--Urgent reforms needed for disability service provision, HSE says

The rate of disability in Ireland is increasing with an additional 47,796 people reporting at least one disability since 2011 .
The Government at present is providing an annual budget of about €2 billion for disability services .
However , a new top-level health service management report for the board of the Health Service Executive acknowledges there is considerable unmet need , suggests hundreds of millions in additional funding will be required in the years ahead and raises serious concerns about the sustainability of existing funding arrangements and the manner in which services are delivered .
In conclusion , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ objectives require that health and social care supports are reformed to meet the requirements of citizens in a more effective and cost-efficient manner .
“ There is a confluence of factors underpinning this unsustainable approach , ranging from the lack of long-term investment planning , poorly defined statutory role/functions pertaining to health and social care provision as well as an overly intensified regulatory environment coupled with fragmentation and duplication of organisational delivery models.
” The HSE report says that shifting demographics , increased life expectancy and changing needs for those with physical , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a significant increase in the need for disability services across all settings , including day supports , residential , respite , personal assistant and home support services .
It forecasts that 540 additional residential places will be needed by 2025 as well as 7,200 additional day services .
It says a shortage of funding between 2008 and 2013 – following the last economic crash – led to significant unmet need in the sector and when this is combined with new and emerging requirements for services and supports it is creating “ a level @ @ @ @ @ @ @ able to match ” .
The report warns that “ despite year-on-year increases in statutory funding , the approach to implementing the disability strategy and policy is financially unsustainable and will , arguably , impede necessary healthcare reforms envisaged under Sláintecare [ the Government ’ s overall health reform plan ] if not addressed ” .
It calls for the HSE to adopt a different approach .
“ In essence people with disabilities are living longer and healthier lives .
Coupled with price increases as well as intensive regulatory implementation , urgent action @ @ @ @ @ @ @ long-term investment approach as distinct to year-to-year budget allocations which only impedes the HSE ’ s capacity to plan and commission services to meet need.
” It said one “ perverse outcome ” as a result of this approach has been the phenomenal growth in high-cost “ emergency residential placements ” for people with complex needs .
“ The net impact of not developing a multiannual investment approach means the HSE is faced with year-on-year financial challenges in terms of funding gaps.
” It says , in 2019 , the funding gap for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , was €78.5 million “ owing to unfunded costs in 2018 relating to high-cost emergency residential responses as well as cost growth associated with the application of [ Hiqa ] regulatory standards ” .
“ This is not just an unsustainable approach , it is also a significant opportunity cost issue for the State in terms of the foregoing investment in more appropriate services for the citizen , eg early-intervention clinical support services.
” The HSE report says the single most significant driver of costs in the disability sector has been the regulation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says between 2016 and 2018 the HSE spent about €82 million on “ Hiqa-related additional essential expenditure ” .
It says regulations for disability centres are broadly identical to those in place for nursing homes within domestic dwellings in the community with four or five people living there .
It says nursing homes could have up to 50 residents on a single site and therefore benefit from significant economies of scale .
The HSE report says disability facilities with four or five residents are required to meet the same standards as a larger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health and safety/fire management , care planning , medication management , access to clinical supports and accessibility/building regulation requirements applicable to a clinical-type setting rather than a domestic dwelling ” .
“ The increased regulatory burden has led to significant increases in non-pay and capital outlay .
.
.
but has also had the effect of requiring additional staffing to meet such needs as client-handling and transfer , safe evacuation procedures and managing behaviours of concern .
”

Demographic needs and policy require that supports are reformed to meet the requirements of citizens in a more effective and cost-efficient manner.
The rate of disability in Ireland is increasing with an additional 47,796 people reporting at least one disability since 2011.
The Government at present is providing an annual budget of about €2 billion for disability services.
However, a new top-level health service management report for the board of the Health Service Executive acknowledges there is considerable unmet need, suggests hundreds of millions in additional funding will be required in the years ahead and raises serious concerns about the sustainability of existing funding arrangements and the manner in which services are delivered.
In conclusion, it says demographic needs coupled with important policy objectives require that health and social care supports are reformed to meet the requirements of citizens in a more effective and cost-efficient manner.
READ MORE
“There is a confluence of factors underpinning this unsustainable approach, ranging from the lack of long-term investment planning, poorly defined statutory role/functions pertaining to health and social care provision as well as an overly intensified regulatory environment coupled with fragmentation and duplication of organisational delivery models.”
The HSE report says that shifting demographics, increased life expectancy and changing needs for those with physical, sensory and intellectual disability has led to a significant increase in the need for disability services across all settings, including day supports, residential, respite, personal assistant and home support services .
It forecasts that 540 additional residential places will be needed by 2025 as well as 7,200 additional day services.
‘Unmet need’
It says a shortage of funding between 2008 and 2013 – following the last economic crash – led to significant unmet need in the sector and when this is combined with new and emerging requirements for services and supports it is creating “a level of demand that current resources are not able to match”.
The report warns that “despite year-on-year increases in statutory funding, the approach to implementing the disability strategy and policy is financially unsustainable and will, arguably, impede necessary healthcare reforms envisaged under Sláintecare [the Government’s overall health reform plan] if not addressed”.
It calls for the HSE to adopt a different approach.
“In essence people with disabilities are living longer and healthier lives. Coupled with price increases as well as intensive regulatory implementation, urgent action is required in terms of taking a long-term investment approach as distinct to year-to-year budget allocations which only impedes the HSE’s capacity to plan and commission services to meet need.”
It said one “perverse outcome” as a result of this approach has been the phenomenal growth in high-cost “emergency residential placements” for people with complex needs.
“The net impact of not developing a multiannual investment approach means the HSE is faced with year-on-year financial challenges in terms of funding gaps.”
‘Opportunity cost’
It says, in 2019, the funding gap for disability provision alone, prior to mitigation, was €78.5 million “owing to unfunded costs in 2018 relating to high-cost emergency residential responses as well as cost growth associated with the application of [Hiqa] regulatory standards”.
“This is not just an unsustainable approach, it is also a significant opportunity cost issue for the State in terms of the foregoing investment in more appropriate services for the citizen, eg early-intervention clinical support services.”
The HSE report says the single most significant driver of costs in the disability sector has been the regulation of residential and respite centres. It says between 2016 and 2018 the HSE spent about €82 million on “Hiqa-related additional essential expenditure”.
It says regulations for disability centres are broadly identical to those in place for nursing homes within domestic dwellings in the community with four or five people living there. It says nursing homes could have up to 50 residents on a single site and therefore benefit from significant economies of scale.
The HSE report says disability facilities with four or five residents are required to meet the same standards as a larger nursing home “in such areas as health and safety/fire management, care planning, medication management, access to clinical supports and accessibility/building regulation requirements applicable to a clinical-type setting rather than a domestic dwelling”.
“The increased regulatory burden has led to significant increases in non-pay and capital outlay . . . but has also had the effect of requiring additional staffing to meet such needs as client-handling and transfer, safe evacuation procedures and managing behaviours of concern.”


theirishtimes--2020-08-03--HSE says provision of disability services by voluntary bodies not sustainable

The current model for the provision of services to people with disabilities is not sustainable , an internal report by senior health service management for the board of the HSE has warned .
In the majority of cases disability services , such as residential and respite care and home support , are not provided by the HSE directly but rather by voluntary organisations which receive funding from the government .
The report says that many of these voluntary organisations , which are known technically as Section 38 and Section 39 bodies , are facing financial difficulties , and are trying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ requirements .
It suggests they may not be in a position to keep going in the future .
“ The degree to which these significant stakeholders can maintain their position should be of particular concern to the State in terms of resilience and capacity to continue indefinitely to maintain organisational service delivery.
” The HSE report says that many disability organisations are “ struggling in terms of financial sustainability ” .
It said a review of 29 of the Section 38 and Section 39 organisations undertaken by the HSE showed total financial deficits @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says the majority of services for people with disabilities are not provided directly by the HSE , but rather by voluntary organisations which receive money from the State .
Section 38 organisations receive direct funding for their services from the State , and their employees are considered to be public service personnel .
Section 39 bodies are grant-aided by the HSE .
Their staff are not deemed to be public servants .
All of the voluntary Section 38/39 organisations have their own boards .
The HSE report says the financial difficulties being experienced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trying to meet and maintain compliance with standards set down by the health service watchdog Hiqa .
The problems are also as a result of their weakened financial resilience due to cuts in State funding over the austerity years .
“ In this context , and given the range of other statutory regulatory compliance requirements ( including charity , company law and housing regulations ) , it is critically important to note the vulnerable position of Section 38 and Section 39 company directors , ” it says .
It notes all of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with intensive demands to deliver services whilst meeting extremely intensive regulatory/compliance standards which , whilst understandable in terms of achieving public confidence , has nevertheless created a significant burden in both reputational and professional terms for those concerned ” .
The report says the single most significant driver of costs in the disability sector has been the regulation of residential and respite centres .
It says between 2016 and 2018 the HSE spent about € 82 million on “ Hiqa-related additional essential expenditure ” .
It says the cost of meeting regulatory requirements @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and capital outlay which has had a devastating impact on the accumulated financial reserves of some providers .
The report says the HSE has a budget of about €2 billion for disability services .
However , “ evidently the supply of services is not meeting demand ” .
The report suggests € 82 million in additional funding will be needed annually to 2025 to meet identified needs in different areas such as multidisciplinary care , respite , home support and the provision of personal assistants .
Several hundred million in additional capital funding @ @ @ @ @

The report says the HSE has a budget of about €2bn for disability services. However, “evidently the supply of services is not meeting demand”
The current model for the provision of services to people with disabilities is not sustainable, an internal report by senior health service management for the board of the HSE has warned.
In the majority of cases disability services, such as residential and respite care and home support, are not provided by the HSE directly but rather by voluntary organisations which receive funding from the government.
The report says that many of these voluntary organisations, which are known technically as Section 38 and Section 39 bodies, are facing financial difficulties, and are trying to deliver services while meeting intensive regulatory requirements. It suggests they may not be in a position to keep going in the future.
“The degree to which these significant stakeholders can maintain their position should be of particular concern to the State in terms of resilience and capacity to continue indefinitely to maintain organisational service delivery.”
READ MORE
The HSE report says that many disability organisations are “struggling in terms of financial sustainability”.
It said a review of 29 of the Section 38 and Section 39 organisations undertaken by the HSE showed total financial deficits of about €30 million.
The report says the majority of services for people with disabilities are not provided directly by the HSE, but rather by voluntary organisations which receive money from the State.
Own boards
Section 38 organisations receive direct funding for their services from the State, and their employees are considered to be public service personnel. Section 39 bodies are grant-aided by the HSE. Their staff are not deemed to be public servants. All of the voluntary Section 38/39 organisations have their own boards.
The HSE report says the financial difficulties being experienced by disability organisations are mainly due to trying to meet and maintain compliance with standards set down by the health service watchdog Hiqa.
The problems are also as a result of their weakened financial resilience due to cuts in State funding over the austerity years.
“In this context, and given the range of other statutory regulatory compliance requirements (including charity, company law and housing regulations), it is critically important to note the vulnerable position of Section 38 and Section 39 company directors,” it says.
It notes all of the directors are volunteers “that are faced with intensive demands to deliver services whilst meeting extremely intensive regulatory/compliance standards which, whilst understandable in terms of achieving public confidence, has nevertheless created a significant burden in both reputational and professional terms for those concerned”.
The report says the single most significant driver of costs in the disability sector has been the regulation of residential and respite centres. It says between 2016 and 2018 the HSE spent about € 82 million on “Hiqa-related additional essential expenditure”.
Capital outlay
It says the cost of meeting regulatory requirements has led to significant increases in non-pay and capital outlay which has had a devastating impact on the accumulated financial reserves of some providers.
The report says the HSE has a budget of about €2 billion for disability services. However, “evidently the supply of services is not meeting demand”.
The report suggests € 82 million in additional funding will be needed annually to 2025 to meet identified needs in different areas such as multidisciplinary care, respite, home support and the provision of personal assistants. Several hundred million in additional capital funding may also be needed.


theirishtimes--2020-08-03--Investigations staff at Dept of Agriculture cut from six to two

The Department of Agriculture has denied downgrading its investigations division despite the number of investigators working in it being reduced from six to two .
The unit has been involved in investigating breaches of animal health rules , animal welfare cases and public health matters across the State , and secured a number of high-profile convictions over the last number of years .
However , four of the most senior investigators in the division – two vets and two agricultural inspectors with some 70 years of experience between them – were last month informed they were being transferred to other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two investigating officers .
An informed source said the unit was losing experienced investigators who had developed contacts and intelligence on criminal activity in agriculture over the years .
They also had experience presenting evidence in court when prosecuting cases .
“ The staff numbers in the investigations division and its predecessor , the special investigations unit , have gone from 12 active investigators in 2012 with a senior superintendent veterinary inspector and a superintendent veterinary inspector to two active investigators , ” the source said .
The changes follow a number of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of investigations and prosecutions within the Department of Agriculture , Food and the Marine .
The source said the decision to cut the number of investigators ran counter to some of the recommendations .
“ The review argued for a core group of highly-skilled and trained investigators to carry out any type of investigation to the standard required for court and it proposed a team of 14 investigators going forward , ” the source said .
“ How can you square that with reducing the number from six to two ?
” The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or larger groups particularly in the initial stages of an investigation such as the execution of a search warrant and reducing the number of investigators to two makes this impossible , they added .
According to the source , special investigations will now be carried out by district veterinary officers ( DVOs ) rather than the investigations division .
The State ’ s 15 or so DVOs do have experience in the areas of animal welfare prosecutions , such as prosecutions for breaches of TB regulations , but might find it more difficult @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on a regular basis .
The source also said DVOs are extremely busy carrying out animal welfare inspections and checking to ensure all TB tests are done and may not have the time to perform more detailed specialist investigations .
However , this has been disputed by the Department of Agriculture which said hundreds of its staff carry out thousands of inspections and investigations into agricultural matters each year .
“ This inspection/investigative capability is supplemented by a central investigations division , ” the department said .
It said the investigations division ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and enquiries across all areas of the department and to provide assistance to other divisions in relation to potential fraud and other illegalities and irregularities .
“ The team is multidisciplinary and the mix of staff expertise and backgrounds in the staffing complement reflects the nature and focus of the work.There are no plans to reduce the staff numbers in the division , ” the department said , in response to questions from The Irish Times .
Asked about the transfer of four investigators , it said “ any apparent reductions are temporary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from one role to another ” .

The changes follow a number of recommendations made as part of a review of investigations and prosecutions within the Department of Agriculture. Photograph: iStock
The Department of Agriculture has denied downgrading its investigations division despite the number of investigators working in it being reduced from six to two.
The unit has been involved in investigating breaches of animal health rules, animal welfare cases and public health matters across the State, and secured a number of high-profile convictions over the last number of years.
However, four of the most senior investigators in the division – two vets and two agricultural inspectors with some 70 years of experience between them – were last month informed they were being transferred to other duties, leaving the unit with just two investigating officers.
An informed source said the unit was losing experienced investigators who had developed contacts and intelligence on criminal activity in agriculture over the years. They also had experience presenting evidence in court when prosecuting cases.
READ MORE
“The staff numbers in the investigations division and its predecessor, the special investigations unit, have gone from 12 active investigators in 2012 with a senior superintendent veterinary inspector and a superintendent veterinary inspector to two active investigators,” the source said.
The changes follow a number of recommendations made as part of a review of investigations and prosecutions within the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. The source said the decision to cut the number of investigators ran counter to some of the recommendations.
“The review argued for a core group of highly-skilled and trained investigators to carry out any type of investigation to the standard required for court and it proposed a team of 14 investigators going forward,” the source said.
“How can you square that with reducing the number from six to two?”
The review recommended that investigators work in pairs or larger groups particularly in the initial stages of an investigation such as the execution of a search warrant and reducing the number of investigators to two makes this impossible, they added.
According to the source, special investigations will now be carried out by district veterinary officers (DVOs) rather than the investigations division.
The State’s 15 or so DVOs do have experience in the areas of animal welfare prosecutions, such as prosecutions for breaches of TB regulations, but might find it more difficult to investigate farmers if they encounter them on a regular basis.
The source also said DVOs are extremely busy carrying out animal welfare inspections and checking to ensure all TB tests are done and may not have the time to perform more detailed specialist investigations.
‘Temporary anomalies’
However, this has been disputed by the Department of Agriculture which said hundreds of its staff carry out thousands of inspections and investigations into agricultural matters each year.
“This inspection/investigative capability is supplemented by a central investigations division,” the department said.
It said the investigations division’s remit is to carry out investigations and enquiries across all areas of the department and to provide assistance to other divisions in relation to potential fraud and other illegalities and irregularities.
“The team is multidisciplinary and the mix of staff expertise and backgrounds in the staffing complement reflects the nature and focus of the work.There are no plans to reduce the staff numbers in the division,” the department said, in response to questions from The Irish Times.
Asked about the transfer of four investigators, it said “any apparent reductions are temporary anomalies which arise where staff are moving from one role to another”.


theirishtimes--2020-08-03--Covid-19: Senior public servants warn against any moves back to offices

Senior public servants are warning the Government against any moves towards them returning to offices en masse after a poll showed the vast majority do not want to go back to pre-pandemic working conditions .
Thousands of high-ranking officials are “ on the whole ” happy working from home , although they want help creating better workspaces and a reduced workload , the Association of Higher Civil and Public Servants ( AHCPS ) has found .
Ciaran Rohan , general secretary of the AHCPS which represents 3,500 senior civil servants and public service managers , said he expected most of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ future .
“ Our members on the whole are happy to be home-working .
There are issues around equipment and the like which can be managed , but the way we are going to work into the future has changed , probably forever .
I just don ’ t see large numbers returning to offices everyday .
Ever.
” The findings are revealed following a shift in Government policy last week to public sector staff returning to workplaces “ when and as necessary , and deemed appropriate by their employer ” .
Previously @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at home and work remotely where possible .
They also follow controversial remarks by Fianna Fáil TD Marc MacSharry accusing public servants of using the Covid-19 crisis as an excuse to “ lie on the couch and watch box sets ” , and questioning why many remained away from their offices .
Mr Rohan said senior public servants “ would certainly have an issue ” with any attempts to “ force ” staff back into their traditional work settings .
“ In the context of people being forced back to the workplace , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that was happening on a large scale or wider basis , ” he said .
Accepting some work could not be done remotely , he said there were differing views about it among senior staff .
“ Most are working from home , and most of them are happy to work from home in some shape or form .
A very small number want to go back into the office .
Others would like a mix , ” he said .
The AHCPS has been polling its members in recent weeks .
Findings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , around a quarter are between the home and office , and less than 5 per cent are in the office .
Seven in 10 want to continue working from home at least part of the week and one in 10 for all of the week .
Less than 6 per cent want to return to working conditions before the Covid-19 outbreak .
Six in 10 said their work-life balance had improved , and nine in 10 said it would improve further once initial issues are ironed out .
Asked about the benefits @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( 79 per cent ) were enjoying the end of the daily commute and reduced costs ; 45 per cent liked greater flexibility in managing their day ; and 42 per cent thought they were contributing to a greener environment .
More than a quarter ( 26 per cent ) said they were better able to manage childcare and other caring duties , while 22 per cent said they were less stressed .
Just 11 per cent reported no benefits .
On the downside , 70 per cent missed social interaction with colleagues @ @ @ @ @ @ @ staff remotely ; while 54 per cent found it hard to “ switch off ” from work .
More than a third reported an increased workload ( 36 per cent ) and complained about the lack of working space ( 34 per cent ) .
Internet and IT issues , home distractions , online meetings being more stressful and a lack of childcare were also common complaints .
Asked how to best describe their current pattern of working hours , 58 per cent said they were as normal , but around a fifth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ later .
Bernard Harbor , of Fórsa which represents around 75,000 public servants , said the union was also polling members about their attitude to home-working , and there was a “ fairly strong appetite ” for it “ at least some of the time ” .
“ Over time I would certainly anticipate many more public servants working remotely or a mix between home work and working in the workplace .
“ There is a shift across the economy in this direction .
The public service is the biggest employer in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if it were to be outside that trend.
” Mr Harbor said workers should have “ an element of choice ” that should include the option to not work remotely .
“ There is a significant group of people for whom home working is not appropriate to them .
“ But there needs to be consistent criteria to make those decisions , so it is not just , for example , a manager likes one employee and so allows them to work at home , and doesn ’ t like another so makes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fairness , I think we are moving towards that .
”

“Over time I would certainly anticipate many more public servants working remotely or a mix between home work and working in the workplace.” Photograph: Getty Images
Senior public servants are warning the Government against any moves towards them returning to offices en masse after a poll showed the vast majority do not want to go back to pre-pandemic working conditions.
Thousands of high-ranking officials are “on the whole” happy working from home, although they want help creating better workspaces and a reduced workload, the Association of Higher Civil and Public Servants (AHCPS) has found.
Ciaran Rohan, general secretary of the AHCPS which represents 3,500 senior civil servants and public service managers, said he expected most of them to stay remote-working for the foreseeable future.
“Our members on the whole are happy to be home-working. There are issues around equipment and the like which can be managed, but the way we are going to work into the future has changed, probably forever. I just don’t see large numbers returning to offices everyday. Ever.”
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The findings are revealed following a shift in Government policy last week to public sector staff returning to workplaces “when and as necessary, and deemed appropriate by their employer”.
Previously staff were ordered to continue to stay at home and work remotely where possible.
They also follow controversial remarks by Fianna Fáil TD Marc MacSharry accusing public servants of using the Covid-19 crisis as an excuse to “lie on the couch and watch box sets”, and questioning why many remained away from their offices.
A very small number want to go back into the office. Others would like a mix
Mr Rohan said senior public servants “would certainly have an issue” with any attempts to “force” staff back into their traditional work settings.
“In the context of people being forced back to the workplace, we wouldn’t be happy if that was happening on a large scale or wider basis,” he said.
Accepting some work could not be done remotely, he said there were differing views about it among senior staff.
Happy
“Most are working from home, and most of them are happy to work from home in some shape or form. A very small number want to go back into the office. Others would like a mix,” he said.
The AHCPS has been polling its members in recent weeks. Findings show seven in 10 are remote working, around a quarter are between the home and office, and less than 5 per cent are in the office.
Seven in 10 want to continue working from home at least part of the week and one in 10 for all of the week. Less than 6 per cent want to return to working conditions before the Covid-19 outbreak.
Six in 10 said their work-life balance had improved, and nine in 10 said it would improve further once initial issues are ironed out.
Asked about the benefits of home-working, almost eight in 10 (79 per cent) were enjoying the end of the daily commute and reduced costs; 45 per cent liked greater flexibility in managing their day; and 42 per cent thought they were contributing to a greener environment.
More than a quarter (26 per cent) said they were better able to manage childcare and other caring duties, while 22 per cent said they were less stressed.
Just 11 per cent reported no benefits.
On the downside, 70 per cent missed social interaction with colleagues; 55 per cent reported difficulty managing staff remotely; while 54 per cent found it hard to “switch off” from work.
More than a third reported an increased workload (36 per cent) and complained about the lack of working space (34 per cent).
Internet and IT issues, home distractions, online meetings being more stressful and a lack of childcare were also common complaints.
Current pattern
Asked how to best describe their current pattern of working hours, 58 per cent said they were as normal, but around a fifth said they were starting earlier and finishing later.
There is a significant group of people for whom home working is not appropriate to them
Bernard Harbor, of Fórsa which represents around 75,000 public servants, said the union was also polling members about their attitude to home-working, and there was a “fairly strong appetite” for it “at least some of the time”.
“Over time I would certainly anticipate many more public servants working remotely or a mix between home work and working in the workplace.
“There is a shift across the economy in this direction. The public service is the biggest employer in the economy, and it would be bizarre if it were to be outside that trend.”
Mr Harbor said workers should have “an element of choice” that should include the option to not work remotely.
“There is a significant group of people for whom home working is not appropriate to them.
“But there needs to be consistent criteria to make those decisions, so it is not just, for example, a manager likes one employee and so allows them to work at home, and doesn’t like another so makes them come into the office. In fairness, I think we are moving towards that.”


theirishtimes--2020-08-02--Portuguese police disperse groups of young Irish holidaymakers

Police in the Algarve in Portugal have been dispersing large groups of Irish and British holidaymakers who are breaking the country ’ s Covid-19 restrictions .
Officers from the GNR ( Guarda Nacional Republicana ) have been emptying restaurants and clubs in the resort .
In a news report on Portuguese television , one unnamed teenage Irish holidaymaker said he and his friends came to the Algarve every year .
When asked how many of his friends were there , he responded : “ Like maybe 50 ” .
Under Portuguese law , gatherings are limited to 20 people and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on public roads .
Strict closing times are observed too .
Local bar owner Martin Kerr said alcohol was having a disinhibiting impact on many young tourists in the resort .
“ With the current restrictions , we have to respect the laws and , after a few drinks , some of them forget , ” he told RTP , Portuguese state television .
RTP reported that the Portuguese police were frequently called to break up large house parties involving foreign tourists .
Portugal has had 51,463 infections to date and 1,738 deaths @ @ @ @ @ @ @ same as the Republic ’ s but has less deaths though it has twice the population .
However , it is seeing a surge in cases in recent weeks with an average of more than 200 new infections per day at present .
As a result of the continued presence of Covid-19 in the country , Portugal was left off the green list of 15 countries deemed by the Government to be safe for travel .
Irish tourists to Portugal are expected to quarantine for two weeks on their return from the country @

Ferragudo, Algarve: Officers from the Guarda Nacional Republicana have been emptying restaurants and clubs in the resort. File photograph: Getty
Police in the Algarve in Portugal have been dispersing large groups of Irish and British holidaymakers who are breaking the country's Covid-19 restrictions.
Officers from the GNR (Guarda Nacional Republicana) have been emptying restaurants and clubs in the resort.
In a news report on Portuguese television, one unnamed teenage Irish holidaymaker said he and his friends came to the Algarve every year. When asked how many of his friends were there, he responded: “Like maybe 50”.
Under Portuguese law, gatherings are limited to 20 people and there is a prohibition of alcohol consumption on public roads. Strict closing times are observed too.
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Local bar owner Martin Kerr said alcohol was having a disinhibiting impact on many young tourists in the resort.
“With the current restrictions, we have to respect the laws and, after a few drinks, some of them forget,” he told RTP, Portuguese state television.
RTP reported that the Portuguese police were frequently called to break up large house parties involving foreign tourists.
Portugal has had 51,463 infections to date and 1,738 deaths. Its infection rate is roughly the same as the Republic’s but has less deaths though it has twice the population.
However, it is seeing a surge in cases in recent weeks with an average of more than 200 new infections per day at present.
As a result of the continued presence of Covid-19 in the country, Portugal was left off the green list of 15 countries deemed by the Government to be safe for travel.
Irish tourists to Portugal are expected to quarantine for two weeks on their return from the country.