theirishtimes--2020-06-04--UK government ‘obliged’ to introduce abortion in North despite Stormont motion

The UK government has said it remains legally obliged to introduce abortion services in Northern Ireland regardless of a motion passed in the North ’ s Assembly rejecting the “ imposition ” of abortion legislation enacted at Westminster .
“ While I respect the Assembly ’ s right to state their position on this , it doesn ’ t have any bearing on the legal obligations which have been placed on us by parliament , ” the Northern Ireland Office ( NIO ) minister , Robin Walker , told the House of Commons on Thursday .
He was responding to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jeffrey Donaldson , who called on the UK government to “ withdraw these regulations , respect the fact that devolution has been restored and rather than seek to further undermine devolution allow the Northern Ireland Assembly its rightful place to legislate on its own abortion law.
” Abortion was decriminalised in Northern Ireland in October as a result of legislation passed in the UK parliament in the absence of a devolved government at Stormont .
Under the legal framework for access to abortion services published by the UK government , which became law @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be made available in Northern Ireland without restriction until the 12th week of pregnancy .
Abortions are also available up until 24 weeks if the continuation of the pregnancy would involve a risk to the woman ’ s physical or mental health greater than that of termination , and with no time limit in the case of severe foetal impairment or fatal foetal abnormality , or if there is a risk of death or grave permanent injury to the pregnant woman .
However there have been delays in implementing the legislation , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
On Tuesday a DUP motion in the North ’ s Assembly which “ rejects the imposition of abortion legislation which extends to all non-fatal disabilities , including Down ’ s syndrome ” was carried by 46 votes to 40 .
Mr Walker said that while he recognised the debate , “ unfortunately the motion that the Assembly debated and backed delivered proposed no solution which would deliver a CEDAW [ Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women ] compliant regime in this regard.
” However he said it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Assembly to propose reforms and a way forward on this regulation , so long as they can do so in a way that is CEDAW compliant , and I would be very happy for them to take that opportunity.
” The UK government , he said , was clear that the “ legal obligations remain in place on us to ensure that we have a human rights compliant model in every part of the UK , and that includes Northern Ireland.
” In a statement issued afterwards , Mr Donaldson said the regulations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when devolution was in abeyance ” and the Assembly had “ considered the regulations and rejected them on the basis of their discriminatory approach to unborn babies with non-fatal disabilities .
“ We want MPs to be aware that the regulations are not what the majority in Northern Ireland want , ” he said .
“ It is time for the government to withdraw these regulations and allow the Northern Ireland Assembly to deal with the matter.
” The Sinn Fein MLA Emma Sheerin said Tuesday ’ s motion had been put forward @ @ @ @ @ @ @ entirety of abortion regulations and service provision ” but “ only referenced a small part of the legislation.
” “ The end game for the DUP is to prevent any and all regulations and service provision being provided for , ” she said .
“ If this matter were to be returned to the Assembly , it is no secret that the DUP - who are opposed to abortion in any circumstances - would never legislate for the healthcare that women need and were denied for decades .
“ We urge everyone involved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and to ensure that the regulations , as set out by the legislation , are implemented and properly funded by the Department of Health to provide a fully commissioned service across all five health Trusts , ” she said .

DUP’s Jeffrey Donaldson who called on the UK government to “withdraw these regulations, respect the fact that devolution has been restored”. Photograph: Brian Lawless/PA Wire
The UK government has said it remains legally obliged to introduce abortion services in Northern Ireland regardless of a motion passed in the North's Assembly rejecting the "imposition" of abortion legislation enacted at Westminster.
"While I respect the Assembly's right to state their position on this, it doesn't have any bearing on the legal obligations which have been placed on us by parliament," the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) minister, Robin Walker, told the House of Commons on Thursday.
He was responding to an urgent question from the DUP MP Jeffrey Donaldson, who called on the UK government to "withdraw these regulations, respect the fact that devolution has been restored and rather than seek to further undermine devolution allow the Northern Ireland Assembly its rightful place to legislate on its own abortion law."
Abortion was decriminalised in Northern Ireland in October as a result of legislation passed in the UK parliament in the absence of a devolved government at Stormont.
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Under the legal framework for access to abortion services published by the UK government, which became law on March 31st, abortion was to be made available in Northern Ireland without restriction until the 12th week of pregnancy.
Abortions are also available up until 24 weeks if the continuation of the pregnancy would involve a risk to the woman’s physical or mental health greater than that of termination, and with no time limit in the case of severe foetal impairment or fatal foetal abnormality, or if there is a risk of death or grave permanent injury to the pregnant woman.
However there have been delays in implementing the legislation, which have been compounded by the coronavirus pandemic.
On Tuesday a DUP motion in the North’s Assembly which “rejects the imposition of abortion legislation which extends to all non-fatal disabilities, including Down’s syndrome” was carried by 46 votes to 40.
Mr Walker said that while he recognised the debate, “unfortunately the motion that the Assembly debated and backed delivered proposed no solution which would deliver a CEDAW [Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women] compliant regime in this regard.”
However he said it was “in the hands of the Assembly to propose reforms and a way forward on this regulation, so long as they can do so in a way that is CEDAW compliant, and I would be very happy for them to take that opportunity.”
The UK government, he said, was clear that the “legal obligations remain in place on us to ensure that we have a human rights compliant model in every part of the UK, and that includes Northern Ireland.”
In a statement issued afterwards, Mr Donaldson said the regulations had been “foisted upon Northern Ireland when devolution was in abeyance” and the Assembly had “considered the regulations and rejected them on the basis of their discriminatory approach to unborn babies with non-fatal disabilities.
“We want MPs to be aware that the regulations are not what the majority in Northern Ireland want,” he said. “It is time for the government to withdraw these regulations and allow the Northern Ireland Assembly to deal with the matter.”
The Sinn Fein MLA Emma Sheerin said Tuesday's motion had been put forward by the DUP to "undermine the entirety of abortion regulations and service provision" but "only referenced a small part of the legislation."
“The end game for the DUP is to prevent any and all regulations and service provision being provided for,” she said.
“If this matter were to be returned to the Assembly, it is no secret that the DUP - who are opposed to abortion in any circumstances - would never legislate for the healthcare that women need and were denied for decades.
"We urge everyone involved to recognise the current failures in provision and to ensure that the regulations, as set out by the legislation, are implemented and properly funded by the Department of Health to provide a fully commissioned service across all five health Trusts," she said.


theirishtimes--2020-06-04--Cork City Council opens a digital book of condolence for George Floyd

Cork City Council has opened a digital book of condolence for the people of Leeside to express their sympathies to the family of George Floyd who died in the course of being restrained by a police officer in the United States .
Green Party City Councillors contacted the Lord Mayor of Cork , Cllr John Sheehan yesterday afternoon seeking to have a book of condolences opened in City Hall for the late Mr Floyd , a 46-year-old African-American .
However , Cork City Council management told the Green Party that “ it was not feasible to open a book of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” but instead opened a digital book of condolence .
Green Party Cllr Dan Boyle said that the digital book , which can be found by going to “ bit.ly/gfloydcork , ” will be open from Thursday until close of business on Wednesday June 17th .
Responses will then be collected and sent to the US embassy in Dublin , for it to be passed along to the family of Mr Floyd , who died after a police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes while detaining him in Minneapolis on May @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has been charged with second degree murder and three other police officers involved in the arrest have been charged with aiding and abetting second degree murder .
Cllr Boyle , who was born in Chicago , urged people to show solidarity with Mr Floyd ’ s family by signing the book , saying “ what happened in the case of George Floyd , and in the case of too many before and since then , is abhorrent .
“ Too many times something like this has happened , even just in recent memory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against injustice like this , if you ’ re silent now – whether you ’ re in Cork or Kansas – then you ’ re standing with the injustice .
”

Protesters demonstrate over the death of George Floyd on Thursday, June 4th, in New York. Photograph: Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images
Cork City Council has opened a digital book of condolence for the people of Leeside to express their sympathies to the family of George Floyd who died in the course of being restrained by a police officer in the United States.
Green Party City Councillors contacted the Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr John Sheehan yesterday afternoon seeking to have a book of condolences opened in City Hall for the late Mr Floyd, a 46-year-old African-American.
However, Cork City Council management told the Green Party that “it was not feasible to open a book of condolence” during the current Covid restrictions” but instead opened a digital book of condolence.
Green Party Cllr Dan Boyle said that the digital book, which can be found by going to "bit.ly/gfloydcork," will be open from Thursday until close of business on Wednesday June 17th.
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Responses will then be collected and sent to the US embassy in Dublin, for it to be passed along to the family of Mr Floyd, who died after a police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes while detaining him in Minneapolis on May 25th.
Police officer, Derek Chauvin has been charged with second degree murder and three other police officers involved in the arrest have been charged with aiding and abetting second degree murder.
Cllr Boyle, who was born in Chicago, urged people to show solidarity with Mr Floyd's family by signing the book, saying "what happened in the case of George Floyd, and in the case of too many before and since then, is abhorrent.
"Too many times something like this has happened, even just in recent memory. If we don't stand against injustice like this, if you're silent now – whether you're in Cork or Kansas – then you're standing with the injustice."


theirishtimes--2020-06-04--Irish aid workers on the Covid-19 front line in Greece and Iraq

Irish staff working in Iraq and Greece with Médecins Sans Frontières ( MSF ) during the Covid-19 pandemic have warned of “ potentially catastrophic ” implications if the virus spreads into refugee camps .
In late March doctors from across Europe launched an appeal for the European Union to relocate vulnerable refugees from overcrowded camps , saying the situation could “ escalate to a medical disaster ” .
Dr Claire Dunne , who flew back to Ireland at the end of March after spending 10 months working with refugees on the island of Lesvos , returned to Greece in early @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Covid-19 emergency response .
Before the pandemic Dr Dunne worked with survivors of torture and sexual violence .
She also worked with children suffering from conditions related to living in the unhygienic and overcrowded setting of the island ’ s Moria refugee camp , including scabies , diarrhoea and respiratory infections as well as severe mental trauma .
“ Before Covid hit things were already horrific in the camp with the lack of basic services and access to healthcare , ” says Dr Dunne .
“ Covid has only made things worse with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the camp .
The suffering of these people is very much being forgotten.
” When the virus first arrived in Europe , MSF called for the immediate evacuation of the most vulnerable people living in the camp .
A small number have been moved from Moria – a camp built to house 3,000 people but currently home to more than 20,000 – but more than a thousand vulnerable people still need to be relocated , she says .
European governments should also take responsibility for the around 1,000 unaccompanied children living in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ urged the Irish Government to honour its commitment to accept more than 250 children from Greece and Calais .
“ Every day they are losing their childhood and at risk of traumatic events , the scars of which they may have to carry for their entire lives.
” Last week , Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan said eight unaccompanied minors would be brought to Ireland in the coming weeks from Greece .
Some 112 young people had arrived in Ireland under the State ’ s refugee protection programme by the end of 2019 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if not impossible to implement the preventative measures advised for Covid-19 , ” says Dr Dunne .
“ It ’ s difficult to access water and soap ; frequent hand washing is not an option for many .
There are hundreds of elderly people with chronic lung disease and heart disease and diabetes in the camp with no way of socially distancing from others .
We are still extremely concerned for that group.
” While no cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in the camp , widespread testing is not taking place so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ certain whether or not people have the virus .
In Iraq , where Alex Dunne has been working since last September , nearly 6,200 cases of the virus have been confirmed with 195 deaths and the majority of cases in the capital city of Baghdad .
However , the actual number of cases is probably much higher , says Mr Dunne ( no connection to Dr Dunne ) .
“ There ’ s been no massive explosion of the disease in Iraq which was quite surprising to us .
There ’ s certainly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but choose not to travel to hospital.
” Some 4.5 million Iraqis are internally displaced and living in camps while another 100,000 Syrian refugees also live in overcrowded camp settings .
MSF has permission from Iraqi authorities to transport medical staff and supplies during the country ’ s lockdown .
However , most other humanitarian organisations are struggling to continue their operations , says Mr Dunne , MSF ’ s humanitarian officer in Iraq .
“ Refugee camps need support with water and sanitation services but they can ’ t get those supplies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ teaching and training on infection control and hygiene but without HR staff you have a really weak management system.
” People living in camps , many of who were displaced because of the Islamic State conflict , live in close proximity to one another in tents or prefabs , says Mr Dunne .
“ They ’ re in large family groups with poor hygiene and no real capacity to implement social distancing .
“ If you fuse that with the breakdown in logistics and movement of medical cargo there ’ s no real @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could mount an adequate response to an outbreak.
” Working thousands of miles from home during the pandemic also carries a personal toll for aid workers , he admits .
“ It ’ s a combination of the uncertainty and anxiety of knowing that if anything happens to someone close to you can ’ t get home .
I have a colleague whose father passed away and was unable to go home .
That creates a lot of stress .
”

Irish staff working in Iraq and Greece with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) during the Covid-19 pandemic have warned of "potentially catastrophic" implications if the virus spreads into refugee camps.
In late March doctors from across Europe launched an appeal for the European Union to relocate vulnerable refugees from overcrowded camps, saying the situation could "escalate to a medical disaster".
Dr Claire Dunne, who flew back to Ireland at the end of March after spending 10 months working with refugees on the island of Lesvos, returned to Greece in early May as part of MSF's Covid-19 emergency response.
Before the pandemic Dr Dunne worked with survivors of torture and sexual violence. She also worked with children suffering from conditions related to living in the unhygienic and overcrowded setting of the island’s Moria refugee camp, including scabies, diarrhoea and respiratory infections as well as severe mental trauma.
READ MORE
“Before Covid hit things were already horrific in the camp with the lack of basic services and access to healthcare,” says Dr Dunne. “Covid has only made things worse with the restriction of movement in and out of the camp. The suffering of these people is very much being forgotten.”
When the virus first arrived in Europe, MSF called for the immediate evacuation of the most vulnerable people living in the camp. A small number have been moved from Moria – a camp built to house 3,000 people but currently home to more than 20,000 – but more than a thousand vulnerable people still need to be relocated, she says.
European governments should also take responsibility for the around 1,000 unaccompanied children living in the camp, says Dr Dunne who urged the Irish Government to honour its commitment to accept more than 250 children from Greece and Calais. "Every day they are losing their childhood and at risk of traumatic events, the scars of which they may have to carry for their entire lives."
Last week, Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan said eight unaccompanied minors would be brought to Ireland in the coming weeks from Greece. Some 112 young people had arrived in Ireland under the State’s refugee protection programme by the end of 2019.
“It’s extremely difficult if not impossible to implement the preventative measures advised for Covid-19,” says Dr Dunne. “It’s difficult to access water and soap; frequent hand washing is not an option for many. There are hundreds of elderly people with chronic lung disease and heart disease and diabetes in the camp with no way of socially distancing from others. We are still extremely concerned for that group.”
While no cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in the camp, widespread testing is not taking place so it’s impossible to say for certain whether or not people have the virus.
Alex Dunne, humanitarian officer for Médecins Sans Frontières humanitarian in Iraq
Iraq
In Iraq, where Alex Dunne has been working since last September, nearly 6,200 cases of the virus have been confirmed with 195 deaths and the majority of cases in the capital city of Baghdad. However, the actual number of cases is probably much higher, says Mr Dunne (no connection to Dr Dunne).
“There’s been no massive explosion of the disease in Iraq which was quite surprising to us. There’s certainly under-reporting. Patients may have the virus but choose not to travel to hospital.”
Some 4.1 million people in Iraq are in need of humanitarian assistance including 1.28 million internally displaced Iraqis who live in camps and another 247,000 Syrian refugees who also live in overcrowded camp settings.
MSF has permission from Iraqi authorities to transport medical staff and supplies during the country’s lockdown. However, most other humanitarian organisations are struggling to continue their operations, says Mr Dunne, MSF’s humanitarian officer in Iraq.
“Refugee camps need support with water and sanitation services but they can’t get those supplies to camps. They need to implement teaching and training on infection control and hygiene but without HR staff you have a really weak management system.”
People living in camps, many of who were displaced because of the Islamic State conflict, live in close proximity to one another in tents or prefabs, says Mr Dunne. “They’re in large family groups with poor hygiene and no real capacity to implement social distancing.
“If you fuse that with the breakdown in logistics and movement of medical cargo there’s no real feasible way in the current environment we could mount an adequate response to an outbreak.”
Working thousands of miles from home during the pandemic also carries a personal toll for aid workers, he admits. “It’s a combination of the uncertainty and anxiety of knowing that if anything happens to someone close to you can’t get home. I have a colleague whose father passed away and was unable to go home. That creates a lot of stress.”
*This article was amended on June 5th. A previous version stated that some 4.5 million Iraqis are internally displaced and living in camps while another 100,000 Syrian refugees also live in overcrowded camp settings. This has been corrected.


theirishtimes--2020-06-04--Churches may reopen for public events in late June, Archbishop says

It is possible churches may reopen for public events later this month rather than on July 20th as currently planned , Catholic Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin has said .
“ There is a willingness on the part of public authorities to examine the possibility of bringing forward the opening of churches for public worship into phase three of the roadmap , which would begin on June 29th .
Naturally , any decision would have to take place closer to that date and would have to take into consideration the overall situation of the virus at that time , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thursday evening .
“ In any case , it is important that we progress the preparation of our Churches so that if possible we are fully ready towards the end of June , ” he said .
The Catholic Bishops are to hold their summer meeting early next week and he said that on Monday they would “ issue clear guidelines for all dioceses ( on church re-openings ) .
Each parish should be building up a core group that can monitor preparation.
” In the meantime , people “ should be careful @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that we will be in a position to implement and respect norms should the timeline change .
Jumping the queue can set everyone back , ” he said .
The Archbishop drew attention to advice given in other countries , to “ be ready by the date ; if you are not fully ready , wait until you are ready ; if it is not possible to apply the guidelines , remain closed ” .
It was also the case that it might not “ be possible for all Churches to open and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ commented that “ watching televised Masses from other European countries in these days , I realise that Mass with social distancing is not the joyful celebration that we might desire — but it is an important first stage .
”

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin: ‘There is a willingness on the part of public authorities to examine the possibility of bringing forward the opening of churches’. Photograph: Bryan O Brien
It is possible churches may reopen for public events later this month rather than on July 20th as currently planned, Catholic Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin has said.
“There is a willingness on the part of public authorities to examine the possibility of bringing forward the opening of churches for public worship into phase three of the roadmap, which would begin on June 29th. Naturally, any decision would have to take place closer to that date and would have to take into consideration the overall situation of the virus at that time,” he said in a brief statement on Thursday evening.
“In any case, it is important that we progress the preparation of our Churches so that if possible we are fully ready towards the end of June,” he said.
The Catholic Bishops are to hold their summer meeting early next week and he said that on Monday they would “issue clear guidelines for all dioceses (on church re-openings). Each parish should be building up a core group that can monitor preparation.”
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In the meantime, people “should be careful to observe the current norms and show that we will be in a position to implement and respect norms should the timeline change. Jumping the queue can set everyone back,” he said.
The Archbishop drew attention to advice given in other countries, to “be ready by the date; if you are not fully ready, wait until you are ready; if it is not possible to apply the guidelines, remain closed”.
It was also the case that it might not “be possible for all Churches to open and provide the necessary supervision needed.” He commented that “watching televised Masses from other European countries in these days, I realise that Mass with social distancing is not the joyful celebration that we might desire — but it is an important first stage.”


theirishtimes--2020-06-04--Third man charged in connection with attempted murder of Christy Keane

A third man has appeared before the Special Criminal Court charged with involvement in the attempted murder of Christy Keane by the Limerick-based McCarthy-Dundon crime gang .
Noel Price ( 42 ) of Kileely Road , Kileely , Limerick on Thursday appeared before the three-judge non-jury court where he was charged with , having knowledge of the existence of the McCarthy-Dundon criminal organisation , he assisted in making available a vehicle to that criminal organisation with the intention of facilitating the attempted murder of Christy Keane or being reckless as to same .
The offence is alleged to have occurred @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Detective Garda Barry Moylan of Henry St Garda Station told solicitor Michael O ’ Donovan for the Director of Public Prosecutions that he arrested Mr Price at 11am on Thursday in a holding cell in the Criminal Courts of Justice building on Parkgate Street in Dublin .
He said he explained the charge to him in ordinary language and Mr Price made no comment .
Mr Price , who is already in custody in relation to other matters , will appear again before the Special Criminal Court on Friday June 12th .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ directed that he appear by videolink .
On Wednesday John Costello ( 39 ) of Hennessy Avenue , Kileely , Co Limerick , appeared before the same court and was charged with knowledge of the existence of a criminal organisation , to wit the McCarthy-Dundon criminal organisation , and that he provided transport to persons with the intention of facilitating the commission of the attempted murder of Mr Christy Keane at the University of Limerick car park on June 29th , 2015 .
Larry McCarthy ( 42 ) of Tower Lodge , Old @ @ @ @ @ @ @ charged with making a vehicle available to a criminal organisation , the McCarthy-Dundons , in the attempted murder of Mr Christy Keane , between 27th and 29th of June , 2015 .
The alleged offences come under Section 72 of the Criminal Justice Act 2006 .

A third man has appeared before the Special Criminal Court charged with involvement in the attempted murder of Christy Keane by the Limerick-based McCarthy-Dundon crime gang.
Noel Price (42) of Kileely Road, Kileely, Limerick on Thursday appeared before the three-judge non-jury court where he was charged with, having knowledge of the existence of the McCarthy-Dundon criminal organisation, he assisted in making available a vehicle to that criminal organisation with the intention of facilitating the attempted murder of Christy Keane or being reckless as to same. The offence is alleged to have occurred between June 27th and June 29th 2015.
Detective Garda Barry Moylan of Henry St Garda Station told solicitor Michael O'Donovan for the Director of Public Prosecutions that he arrested Mr Price at 11am on Thursday in a holding cell in the Criminal Courts of Justice building on Parkgate Street in Dublin. He said he explained the charge to him in ordinary language and Mr Price made no comment.
Mr Price, who is already in custody in relation to other matters, will appear again before the Special Criminal Court on Friday June 12th.
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Mr Justice Tony Hunt, presiding, directed that he appear by videolink.
On Wednesday John Costello (39) of Hennessy Avenue, Kileely, Co Limerick, appeared before the same court and was charged with knowledge of the existence of a criminal organisation, to wit the McCarthy-Dundon criminal organisation, and that he provided transport to persons with the intention of facilitating the commission of the attempted murder of Mr Christy Keane at the University of Limerick car park on June 29th, 2015.
Larry McCarthy (42) of Tower Lodge, Old Court Road, Limerick City, was charged with making a vehicle available to a criminal organisation, the McCarthy-Dundons, in the attempted murder of Mr Christy Keane, between 27th and 29th of June, 2015. The alleged offences come under Section 72 of the Criminal Justice Act 2006.


theirishtimes--2020-06-04--House parties are being held ‘with abandon’, Holohan warns

House parties are being organised “ with abandon , as though we weren ’ t in the midst of a pandemic ” , chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan has said .
There were good public health reasons for “ these things ” not to happen at present , he stressed , adding that indoor activities would be permitted in later phases of the Government ’ s roadmap .
Warning people against organising such indoor gatherings , he said those who were thinking of voluntarily attending had a choice - “ you can choose not to ” .
It was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ learned to recognise the conditions that could lead to the spread of Covid-19 , he said .
“ When you ’ re out and about , or attending things , to recognise what a crowded space looks like .
And if it ’ s crowded , or it doesn ’ t accord to the public health advice , stay away.
” Dr Holohan said there had been a lot of focus on activity on beaches and railway platforms but it was the “ unseen activity ” in ordinary houses that was the “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ though the public had “ stayed with us ” on the public health advice .
A further five deaths of people diagnosed with Covid-19 have been reported by the National Public Health Emergency Team ( NPHET ) .
This bring to 1,664 the total number of deaths in the Republic .
NPHET also reported another 38 new cases of the disease at its briefing on Thursday .
This brings the total number of cases to 25,142 .
Meanwhile , the reproduction number , a measure of how many people a confirmed case , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to between 0.4 and 0.7 , officials told the briefing .
“ The easing of restrictions in phase one has not negatively impacted the R-number , in no small part thanks to the collective behaviours of our population in preventing resurgence of the disease , ” said Prof Philip Nolan , chair of the NPHET epidemiological modelling advisory group .
The average number of new cases each day last week was 48 , compared to 559 in mid-April , and deaths were down to three a day on average , from 33 at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ such low prevalence , it was difficult to estimate how the disease was spreading in the population , he said , but the group was confident the reproduction number was significantly below 1 .
This number may have been marginally higher this week than in the previous one , he said .
Asked about case data for minority ethnic groups , officials said the HSE was planning on collecting this information in the coming weeks .
There was no change overnight in the number of clusters of the disease in residential care facilities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ homes ( 258 ) .
An additional 22 cases in residential care facilities were reported , including 14 in nursing homes .
Residential care facilities now account for 63.5 per cent of all deaths , and nursing homes for 55.5 per cent .
A total of 8,018 healthcare workers have been infected , 31.6 per cent of all cases .
Seven have died ; this figure is unchanged from last week .
Of those with Covid-19 who have died , 90.2 per cent had an underlying condition .
Some 822 were male and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of deaths was 84 years and the mean was 81 .
A total of 410 people with the disease have been admitted to intensive care , of which 36 remain there .
There was no increase in ICU admissions over the past 24 hours .
There are currently 144 people diagnosed with the virus in hospital .

Dr Tony Holohan and Professor Philip Nolan have spoken about the current Covid-19 situation at the daily National Public Health Emergency Team press conference. Video: RTE News Now
House parties are being organised "with abandon, as though we weren't in the midst of a pandemic", chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan has said.
There were good public health reasons for “these things” not to happen at present, he stressed, adding that indoor activities would be permitted in later phases of the Government’s roadmap.
Warning people against organising such indoor gatherings, he said those who were thinking of voluntarily attending had a choice - “you can choose not to”.
It was important as restrictions were eased that people learned to recognise the conditions that could lead to the spread of Covid-19, he said.
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“When you’re out and about, or attending things, to recognise what a crowded space looks like. And if it’s crowded, or it doesn’t accord to the public health advice, stay away.”
Dr Holohan said there had been a lot of focus on activity on beaches and railway platforms but it was the “unseen activity” in ordinary houses that was the “real concern”.
In general, though the public had “stayed with us” on the public health advice.
A further five deaths of people diagnosed with Covid-19 have been reported by the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET). This bring to 1,664 the total number of deaths in the Republic.
NPHET also reported another 38 new cases of the disease at its briefing on Thursday. This brings the total number of cases to 25,142.
Meanwhile, the reproduction number, a measure of how many people a confirmed case, goes on to infect, has risen to between 0.4 and 0.7, officials told the briefing.
"The easing of restrictions in phase one has not negatively impacted the R-number, in no small part thanks to the collective behaviours of our population in preventing resurgence of the disease," said Prof Philip Nolan, chair of the NPHET epidemiological modelling advisory group.
The average number of new cases each day last week was 48, compared to 559 in mid-April, and deaths were down to three a day on average, from 33 at the height of the pandemic.
With such low prevalence, it was difficult to estimate how the disease was spreading in the population, he said, but the group was confident the reproduction number was significantly below 1.
This number may have been marginally higher this week than in the previous one, he said.
Asked about case data for minority ethnic groups, officials said the HSE was planning on collecting this information in the coming weeks.
There was no change overnight in the number of clusters of the disease in residential care facilities (472 in total) or nursing homes (258).
An additional 22 cases in residential care facilities were reported, including 14 in nursing homes.
Residential care facilities now account for 63.5 per cent of all deaths, and nursing homes for 55.5 per cent.
A total of 8,018 healthcare workers have been infected, 31.6 per cent of all cases. Seven have died; this figure is unchanged from last week.
Of those with Covid-19 who have died, 90.2 per cent had an underlying condition. Some 822 were male and 842 were female.
The median age of deaths was 84 years and the mean was 81.
A total of 410 people with the disease have been admitted to intensive care, of which 36 remain there. There was no increase in ICU admissions over the past 24 hours. There are currently 144 people diagnosed with the virus in hospital.


theirishtimes--2020-06-04--Two teenage girls charged with murder of Cian English on Gold Coast

Two teenage girls have been charged with the murder of an Irish teenager who fell to his death from a balcony in Australia .
Cian English ( 19 ) , originally from Bullock Park , Carlow town but who was living with his parents Siobhan and Vinny and older brother Dylan , in the eastern Brisbane suburb of Hawthorne , suffered traumatic injuries when he fell from a balcony at the View Pacific resort in Surfers Paradise on May 23rd .
Det Supt Brendan Smith of Queensland police said mobile phone footage had led them to arrest the two teenage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Three men were already charged with Mr English ’ s murder , Jason Ryan Knowles ( 22 ) , Hayden Paul Kratzmann ( 20 ) , and Lachlan Paul Soper-Lagas ( 18 ) , and have been remanded in custody until August 4th when their cases will be mentioned in court .
They also face two charges of armed robbery and two counts of deprivation of liberty , on the Gold Coast located 74kms away from Brisbane .
The girls were arrested on Thursday and have also been charged with armed robbery @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stealing .
Det Supt Smith said police would allege the two girls were “ aiding or encouraging an offence ” .
Meanwhile , the remains of Cian English were cremated following his funeral in Brisbane on Wednesday .
An additional service will be held in the Cathedral of the Assumption Carlow at a later date when his ashes are brought back to Ireland .

Cian English (19), originally from Bullock Park, Carlow town, was living with his parents Siobhan and Vinny and older brother Dylan, in the eastern Brisbane suburb of Hawthorne
Two teenage girls have been charged with the murder of an Irish teenager who fell to his death from a balcony in Australia.
Cian English (19), originally from Bullock Park, Carlow town but who was living with his parents Siobhan and Vinny and older brother Dylan, in the eastern Brisbane suburb of Hawthorne, suffered traumatic injuries when he fell from a balcony at the View Pacific resort in Surfers Paradise on May 23rd.
Det Supt Brendan Smith of Queensland police said mobile phone footage had led them to arrest the two teenage girls, reportedly aged 15 and 16.
Three men were already charged with Mr English’s murder, Jason Ryan Knowles (22), Hayden Paul Kratzmann (20), and Lachlan Paul Soper-Lagas (18), and have been remanded in custody until August 4th when their cases will be mentioned in court.
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They also face two charges of armed robbery and two counts of deprivation of liberty, on the Gold Coast located 74kms away from Brisbane.
The girls were arrested on Thursday and have also been charged with armed robbery, deprivation of liberty, torture and stealing.
Det Supt Smith said police would allege the two girls were “aiding or encouraging an offence”.
Meanwhile, the remains of Cian English were cremated following his funeral in Brisbane on Wednesday.
An additional service will be held in the Cathedral of the Assumption Carlow at a later date when his ashes are brought back to Ireland.


theirishtimes--2020-06-04--McHugh confident changes to public health advice will allow more pupils resume school

Minister for Education Joe McHugh says he is confident that public health advice will change soon to allow a “ maximum ” number of pupils return to school in late August .
Speaking in the Dáil on Thursday , he said current public health guidelines - based on two-metre social distancing rules - would only allow a partial reopening of schools .
However , based on recent briefings and international developments , Mr McHugh said he was “ confident ” this will change in advance of publishing a roadmap for reopening schools .
This is due to be published at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Minister was responding to questions from Sinn Féin ’ s education spokesman Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire , who asked Mr McHugh if schools will reopen on a “ full or phased ” basis .
“ If the current health guidelines stay as they are , we ’ re in a position where you ’ ll be looking at a partial reopening , ” Mr McHugh said .
“ But if you listen carefully to what I ’ ve had to say in my public commentary , I am working - through my officials and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Health - to look at difference advice , which they are learning all the time from European and international experience .
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“ So , I am confident to say here publicly that that advice will change .
I am also in a position to say that we will be in a better position , before I make an announcement at Cabinet , on what that advice will be.
” Schools have indicated that even if social distancing rules are relaxed from two to one metres , many students will still not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
However , Department of Education sources have indicated that one option being examined is segregating large groups of students or even entire classes at all times , so they have little or no contact with other school students .
This could allow larger numbers return to school full-time and , potentially , by-pass social distancing rules .
Countries such as Greece , France , Denmark and the UK , for example , allow groups of up to 15 students in a classroom who are kept apart from other pupils in the school @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Cabinet at the end of next week with a detailed roadmap on how to reopen schools safely .
“ I want to see the maximum return to school possible in late August and September consistent with the need to do this in a safe way , ” he said .
Managing the re-opening of schools was a “ massive logistical operation ” that requires careful planning and management , he told the Dáil .
“ My Department is engaging in a process of detailed planning and stakeholder engagement at primary and post-primary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ objective in a way that is safe for students and staff.
” Among other things , he said his officials are examining public health guidance and mitigation measures to build confidence within the school community of teachers , staff , parents and children .
There will also be measures to ensure hygiene and infection prevention and control , along with training for staff and communication with families to promote those measures .
In addition , he said much attention will focus on promoting children ’ s wellbeing in returning to school .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the experience of countries which have re-opened schools , and to emerging scientific evidence .
I will be continuing to engage with my counterparts in the North , the UK and across Europe to learn from their experiences , ” he said .

Minister for Education Joe McHugh said he is confident public health rules will change to allow a “maximum” number of pupils return to school. Photograph: Crispin Rodwell for The Irish Times
Minister for Education Joe McHugh says he is confident that public health advice will change soon to allow a “maximum” number of pupils return to school in late August.
Speaking in the Dáil on Thursday, he said current public health guidelines - based on two-metre social distancing rules - would only allow a partial reopening of schools.
However, based on recent briefings and international developments, Mr McHugh said he was “confident” this will change in advance of publishing a roadmap for reopening schools. This is due to be published at the end of next week.
The Minister was responding to questions from Sinn Féin’s education spokesman Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire, who asked Mr McHugh if schools will reopen on a “full or phased” basis.
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“If the current health guidelines stay as they are, we’re in a position where you’ll be looking at a partial reopening,” Mr McHugh said.
"But if you listen carefully to what I've had to say in my public commentary, I am working - through my officials and public health officials in the Department of Health - to look at difference advice, which they are learning all the time from European and international experience . . .
“So, I am confident to say here publicly that that advice will change. I am also in a position to say that we will be in a better position, before I make an announcement at Cabinet, on what that advice will be.”
Schools have indicated that even if social distancing rules are relaxed from two to one metres, many students will still not be able to be accommodated in classrooms.
However, Department of Education sources have indicated that one option being examined is segregating large groups of students or even entire classes at all times, so they have little or no contact with other school students.
This could allow larger numbers return to school full-time and, potentially, by-pass social distancing rules.
Countries such as Greece, France, Denmark and the UK, for example, allow groups of up to 15 students in a classroom who are kept apart from other pupils in the school.
Mr McHugh said he will return to Cabinet at the end of next week with a detailed roadmap on how to reopen schools safely.
“ I want to see the maximum return to school possible in late August and September consistent with the need to do this in a safe way,” he said.
Managing the re-opening of schools was a “massive logistical operation” that requires careful planning and management, he told the Dáil.
“My Department is engaging in a process of detailed planning and stakeholder engagement at primary and post-primary level to support the achievement of this objective in a way that is safe for students and staff.”
Among other things, he said his officials are examining public health guidance and mitigation measures to build confidence within the school community of teachers, staff, parents and children.
There will also be measures to ensure hygiene and infection prevention and control, along with training for staff and communication with families to promote those measures.
This will include good hand hygiene, enhanced cleaning, good respiratory practices.
In addition, he said much attention will focus on promoting children’s wellbeing in returning to school.
"I am paying very close attention to the experience of countries which have re-opened schools, and to emerging scientific evidence. I will be continuing to engage with my counterparts in the North, the UK and across Europe to learn from their experiences," he said.


theirishtimes--2020-06-04--Number of people homeless falls for third month in a row

The number of homeless people in the State fell for the third consecutive month in April , with fewer people living in emergency accommodation than at any point in the last two years , the Minister for Housing has said .
Figures published on Thursday show there were 9,335 people in emergency accommodation in April , a decrease of 572 when compared to March .
Some 6,262 adults were in homelessness in April , a drop of 290 on the previous month , while there were 3,073 homeless children , a decrease of 282 .
There were 1,339 homeless families @ @ @ @ @ @ @ welcoming the reduction in people in emergency accommodation , homeless charities fear the number could rise again when lockdown restrictions are lifted .
Wayne Stanely , national spokesman for the Simon Communities of Ireland , said the charity is concerned that as Covid-19 restrictions ease “ we could see a spike in homelessness ” .
He said this concern was particularly in rural areas “ where we have not seen the increases in availability of rental accommodation due to the collapse of short-term lettings ” .
Focus Ireland has also warned that that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ - such as a rent freeze and ban on evictions – could result in a new surge in homelessness .
Chief executive Pat Denniga said it believes Covid-19 can be “ a turning point in the fight against homelessness ” , adding that he hopes individuals who were accommodated during lockdown “ will not be expected too return to the streets or hostels ” .
The 2020 quarterly report , also published on Thursday , shows a 12 per cent increase in the number of people exiting homelessness into tenancies when compared to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ left homelessness in the first three months of the year , compared to 1,401 in 2019 .
Speaking about the figures , Minister for Housing Eoghan Murphy said the work of the Dublin Region Homeless Executive has been a “ significant factor ” behind the decrease .
“ Despite the current challenges posed by Covid-19 we have been able to consistently move families out of emergency accommodation into secure long term homes , ” Mr Murphy said .
“ The reduction in the homeless numbers has been achieved due to a significant number @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tenancies.
” The Minister added that individuals and families accommodated in short-term accommodation secured in recent weeks , as part of the response to Covid-19 are still being included in the homeless figures .

Minister for Housing Eoghan Murphy said the work of the Dublin Region Homeless Executive has been a “significant factor” behind the decrease. Photograph Nick Bradshaw
The number of homeless people in the State fell for the third consecutive month in April, with fewer people living in emergency accommodation than at any point in the last two years, the Minister for Housing has said.
Figures published on Thursday show there were 9,335 people in emergency accommodation in April, a decrease of 572 when compared to March.
Some 6,262 adults were in homelessness in April, a drop of 290 on the previous month, while there were 3,073 homeless children, a decrease of 282.
There were 1,339 homeless families a monthly fall of 149 .
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While welcoming the reduction in people in emergency accommodation, homeless charities fear the number could rise again when lockdown restrictions are lifted.
Wayne Stanely, national spokesman for the Simon Communities of Ireland, said the charity is concerned that as Covid-19 restrictions ease "we could see a spike in homelessness". He said this concern was particularly in rural areas "where we have not seen the increases in availability of rental accommodation due to the collapse of short-term lettings".
Focus Ireland has also warned that that the sudden lifting of temporary prevention measures - such as a rent freeze and ban on evictions – could result in a new surge in homelessness.
Chief executive Pat Denniga said it believes Covid-19 can be “a turning point in the fight against homelessness”, adding that he hopes individuals who were accommodated during lockdown “will not be expected too return to the streets or hostels”.
The 2020 quarterly report, also published on Thursday, shows a 12 per cent increase in the number of people exiting homelessness into tenancies when compared to the previous year.
Some 1,565 individuals left homelessness in the first three months of the year, compared to 1,401 in 2019.
Speaking about the figures, Minister for Housing Eoghan Murphy said the work of the Dublin Region Homeless Executive has been a "significant factor" behind the decrease.
“Despite the current challenges posed by Covid-19 we have been able to consistently move families out of emergency accommodation into secure long term homes,” Mr Murphy said.
“The reduction in the homeless numbers has been achieved due to a significant number of households moving from emergency accommodation to tenancies.”
The Minister added that individuals and families accommodated in short-term accommodation secured in recent weeks, as part of the response to Covid-19 are still being included in the homeless figures.


theirishtimes--2020-06-04--Woman wins court declarations against mental hospital

A woman diagnosed with schizophrenia who was found not guilty by reason of insanity of violent crimes has won Supreme Court declarations over the Central Mental Hospital ’ s handling of her bid to vary her living arrangements when she was on conditional release from the hospital .
The five-judge court said the clinical director of the CMH was wrong to refuse to put in place arrangements to give practical effect to a conditional order proposed by the Mental Health Review Board in the woman ’ s case .
It found the woman , who was released unconditionally from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ heard , is not entitled to damages for breach of her constitutional rights but said it will decide later if she is entitled to damages for breach of the obligations of public bodies under the European Convention on Human Rights Act 2003 .
The woman , who can not be identified , was detained in the CMH arising from her conviction relating to events which occurred almost 20 years ago .
Following the enactment of the 2006 Criminal Law Insanity Act , she was reclassified as a person found not guilty of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her initial conditional release from the CMH , her place of residence outside it was determined by her treating psychiatrist .
As her mental health improved , she was permitted to return home to live with her husband and children .
When on conditional release , her husband , who has a history of being violent towards her , verbally abused her .
Fearing a setback in her mental health the CMH advised her to live with another relative and not be alone with her husband .
After living with other relatives , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ husband and their children .
She sought a variation of the terms and conditions of her release so she alone could determine where she would reside .
The Mental Health ( Criminal Law ) Review Board , which reviews detention of patients in the CMH , directed the clinical director to assess and confirm the making of certain arrangements to facilitate the variation , and to supervise and enforce the revised conditions .
The director declined to do so .
The court heard the CHM believed the conditions it had in place were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ woman ’ s mental health by the husband ’ s behaviour .
In High Court judicial review proceedings against the director , with the board as a notice party , the woman sought orders directing the respondent to make such arrangements .
She also sought declarations , including that the refusal to make the arrangements to facilitate the variation breached her rights , was unreasonable , unlawful and an unwarranted interference with the board ’ s functions .
By the time her case was heard in the High Court , the board had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allowing her to reside where she wanted with the effect she no longer needed to pursue much of her claim .
She sought certain declarations and damages on grounds including her rights under the Constitution and ECHR Act had been been breached .
The High Court dismissed her action as moot ( pointless ) and the Court of Appeal agreed .
The Supreme Court agreed to hear a further appeal and , in its unanimous judgment on Thursday , made certain findings in the woman ’ s favour .
Giving the court ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said the director was wrong to refuse to put in place the necessary arrangements to give practical effect to the conditional order the board proposed in the woman ’ s case .
The board is an independent body which balances clinical decisions , patient rights and the public interest , and whose decisions are final , subject only to challenge by judicial review , she said .
The board had made a decision that has legal effect and must be put into being , she said .
In the circumstances , the court @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to put arrangements relating to the woman in place and the director failed to perform that statutory duty .
The director ’ s decision was not an appropriate response and the determination of how the different interests in the woman ’ s case are to be protected and enhanced lay with the Mental Health Review Board , the judge said .
She stressed it was not argued the director had acted negligently and said it was accepted the director acted with the best interests of the woman and the wider public in mind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ damages for breach of her constitutional rights but the court would hear submissions on whether she is entitled to damages under section 3 of the ECHR Act , which requires public bodies to perform their functions in a manner compatible with the ECHR , she said .

A woman diagnosed with schizophrenia who was found not guilty by reason of insanity of violent crimes has won Supreme Court declarations over the Central Mental Hospital’s handling of her bid to vary her living arrangements when she was on conditional release from the hospital.
The five-judge court said the clinical director of the CMH was wrong to refuse to put in place arrangements to give practical effect to a conditional order proposed by the Mental Health Review Board in the woman’s case. It found the woman, who was released unconditionally from the CMH in 2012 before her case was heard, is not entitled to damages for breach of her constitutional rights but said it will decide later if she is entitled to damages for breach of the obligations of public bodies under the European Convention on Human Rights Act 2003.
The woman, who cannot be identified, was detained in the CMH arising from her conviction relating to events which occurred almost 20 years ago.
Following the enactment of the 2006 Criminal Law Insanity Act, she was reclassified as a person found not guilty of the crimes by reason of insanity. Following her initial conditional release from the CMH, her place of residence outside it was determined by her treating psychiatrist. As her mental health improved, she was permitted to return home to live with her husband and children. When on conditional release, her husband, who has a history of being violent towards her, verbally abused her.
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Fearing a setback in her mental health the CMH advised her to live with another relative and not be alone with her husband.
After living with other relatives, she gradually returned to live with her husband and their children. She sought a variation of the terms and conditions of her release so she alone could determine where she would reside.
The Mental Health (Criminal Law) Review Board, which reviews detention of patients in the CMH, directed the clinical director to assess and confirm the making of certain arrangements to facilitate the variation, and to supervise and enforce the revised conditions. The director declined to do so.
The court heard the CHM believed the conditions it had in place were necessary given the risk posed to the woman’s mental health by the husband’s behaviour.
In High Court judicial review proceedings against the director, with the board as a notice party, the woman sought orders directing the respondent to make such arrangements. She also sought declarations, including that the refusal to make the arrangements to facilitate the variation breached her rights, was unreasonable, unlawful and an unwarranted interference with the board’s functions.
By the time her case was heard in the High Court, the board had unconditionally discharged her from the CMH, allowing her to reside where she wanted with the effect she no longer needed to pursue much of her claim.
She sought certain declarations and damages on grounds including her rights under the Constitution and ECHR Act had been been breached.
The High Court dismissed her action as moot (pointless) and the Court of Appeal agreed.
The Supreme Court agreed to hear a further appeal and, in its unanimous judgment on Thursday, made certain findings in the woman’s favour. Giving the court’s decision, Ms Justice Marie Baker said the director was wrong to refuse to put in place the necessary arrangements to give practical effect to the conditional order the board proposed in the woman’s case. The board is an independent body which balances clinical decisions, patient rights and the public interest, and whose decisions are final, subject only to challenge by judicial review, she said.
The board had made a decision that has legal effect and must be put into being, she said. In the circumstances, the court would declare the legislation requires the director to put arrangements relating to the woman in place and the director failed to perform that statutory duty.
The director’s decision was not an appropriate response and the determination of how the different interests in the woman’s case are to be protected and enhanced lay with the Mental Health Review Board, the judge said. She stressed it was not argued the director had acted negligently and said it was accepted the director acted with the best interests of the woman and the wider public in mind.
The woman is not entitled to damages for breach of her constitutional rights but the court would hear submissions on whether she is entitled to damages under section 3 of the ECHR Act, which requires public bodies to perform their functions in a manner compatible with the ECHR, she said.


theirishtimes--2020-06-04--Children’s services facing ‘extensive demands’, says Hiqa report

The State ’ s health watchdog has said there are “ extensive demands ” across some service areas for children to receive initial assessments of their protection and welfare .
In its annual overview report on inspection and regulation of children ’ s services , the Health Information and Quality Authority ( Hiqa ) said there was “ no national approach ” being taken by Tusla last year to manage waiting lists for children and families awaiting services .
Hiqa said risk-based inspections of child protection and welfare services found children and their families experienced variance in the quality and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resulting in “ delays in screening , preliminary enquiries and initial assessments ” .
“ There are extensive demands across some service areas for children to receive initial assessments of their protection and welfare , with lengthy waiting lists in place in the areas where risk-based inspections were carried out , ” it said .
“ There was no national approach being taken by Tusla to manage waiting lists for children and families awaiting a service from Tusla.
” Hiqa found that while there were “ marked improvements ” across many children ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ monitoring and oversight , quality assurance and risk management differed in a number of service areas and needed to improve .
“ Notifications of serious incidents involving children who are known to Tusla ’ s child welfare and protection services , including the deaths of children in care , are issued to Hiqa ’ s children team by Tusla within 48 hours of the death or serious incident happening , ” the report says .
“ During 2019 , the children ’ s team received 28 notifications of serious incidents , including the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reviews are carried out by Tusla following such incidents .
These review reports are forwarded to Hiqa once completed.
” Hiqa also received 79 pieces of unsolicited information last year from members of the public who had a concern about services provided .
The report says at the end of 2019 , the number of cases open to the child protection and welfare service was 24,827 .
Open cases are where referrals are either waiting for a service or are being actively worked on by Tusla .
Of the total number of open @ @ @ @ @ @ @ social worker and of those , 653 were high priority cases .
Meanwhile , 482 out of 5,461 children living in foster care did not have a named social worker allocated to their case .
Mary Dunnion , Hiqa ’ s director of regulation and chief inspector of social services said risks in some children ’ s services remain and “ without doubt Tusla continues to face a number of key challenges ” .
“ These challenges primarily relate to the pace of implementing a workforce strategy that both involves attracting more social @ @ @ @ @ @ @ social work staff , ” she said .
“ There is limited capacity to meet the demands placed on social workers.
” Hiqa said an announced inspection of Oberstown Children Detention campus last year focused specifically on the use of restrictive practices and the delivery of programmes to address offending behaviour .
“ Although the majority of young people were positive about their stay in Oberstown Children Detention Campus the opportunities it provided them in particular to help break a cycle of offending behaviour and to manage their feelings in a better way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the campus and where they would live , ” it said .
Inspectors found young people were provided with a good standard of care and it was evident that there were improvements to the quality of their lives through the opportunities made available to them .
“ However , poor quality records did not always show how the young peoples ’ rights and best interests were consistently promoted as required whenever restrictive practices were used , ” the report added .
Hiqa said although restrictive practices had reduced in 2019 compared to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ practices “ remained significant ” .

Hiqa received 79 pieces of unsolicited information last year from members of the public who had a concern about services. Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty
The State’s health watchdog has said there are “extensive demands” across some service areas for children to receive initial assessments of their protection and welfare.
In its annual overview report on inspection and regulation of children’s services, the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) said there was “no national approach” being taken by Tusla last year to manage waiting lists for children and families awaiting services.
Hiqa said risk-based inspections of child protection and welfare services found children and their families experienced variance in the quality and timeliness of the services they received, resulting in “delays in screening, preliminary enquiries and initial assessments”.
“There are extensive demands across some service areas for children to receive initial assessments of their protection and welfare, with lengthy waiting lists in place in the areas where risk-based inspections were carried out,” it said.
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“There was no national approach being taken by Tusla to manage waiting lists for children and families awaiting a service from Tusla.”
Hiqa found that while there were “marked improvements” across many children’s residential centres, areas such as monitoring and oversight, quality assurance and risk management differed in a number of service areas and needed to improve.
“Notifications of serious incidents involving children who are known to Tusla’s child welfare and protection services, including the deaths of children in care, are issued to Hiqa’s children team by Tusla within 48 hours of the death or serious incident happening,” the report says.
“During 2019, the children’s team received 28 notifications of serious incidents, including the deaths of children in care. Local reviews are carried out by Tusla following such incidents. These review reports are forwarded to Hiqa once completed.”
Hiqa also received 79 pieces of unsolicited information last year from members of the public who had a concern about services provided.
The report says at the end of 2019, the number of cases open to the child protection and welfare service was 24,827. Open cases are where referrals are either waiting for a service or are being actively worked on by Tusla.
Of the total number of open cases, 5,291 were not allocated a social worker and of those, 653 were high priority cases.
Meanwhile, 482 out of 5,461 children living in foster care did not have a named social worker allocated to their case.
Challenges
Mary Dunnion, Hiqa's director of regulation and chief inspector of social services said risks in some children's services remain and "without doubt Tusla continues to face a number of key challenges".
“These challenges primarily relate to the pace of implementing a workforce strategy that both involves attracting more social workers into the service and retaining current social work staff,” she said. “There is limited capacity to meet the demands placed on social workers.”
Hiqa said an announced inspection of Oberstown Children Detention campus last year focused specifically on the use of restrictive practices and the delivery of programmes to address offending behaviour.
“Although the majority of young people were positive about their stay in Oberstown Children Detention Campus the opportunities it provided them in particular to help break a cycle of offending behaviour and to manage their feelings in a better way, some were concerned about eventually leaving the campus and where they would live,” it said.
Inspectors found young people were provided with a good standard of care and it was evident that there were improvements to the quality of their lives through the opportunities made available to them.
“However, poor quality records did not always show how the young peoples’ rights and best interests were consistently promoted as required whenever restrictive practices were used,” the report added.
Hiqa said although restrictive practices had reduced in 2019 compared to the year before, the use of such practices “remained significant”.


theirishtimes--2020-06-04--Poor levels of diversity in Irish public life, Immigrant Council warns

Ireland has “ poor levels of diversity ” in positions of authority , in politics , in education and in the workplace , the Immigrant Council of Ireland has warned .
The organisation ’ s director Brian Killoran said “ real change ” was needed to give a voice and recognition to Ireland ’ s diverse people and their talents .
Speaking at the online launch of the Immigrant Council of Ireland ’ s ( ICI ) 2019 Impact report , he said changes in recruitment procedures , particularly in the private sector , are necessary to enable people with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ careers .
These changes need to happen now or Ireland will have to deal with the repercussions further down the road , said Mr Killoran .
“ Young people growing up in Ireland from a migrant background need to see themselves represented at these levels , they need to know that ’ s a possibility for them.
” He said “ comprehensive immigration reform and access to justice for migrants ” was badly needed in Ireland along with a “ strategic plan for migration ” .
He also called for a national action @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hate crime legislation without delay .
The State ’ s current “ bureaucratic and slow ” migration system , which is often governed through discretionary procedures , is creating barriers to people seeking to build a life in this country , he said .
Also speaking was Labour candidate in last year ’ s local elections Anne Waithira Burke who grew up in Kenya but is now an Irish citizen .
She said rarcism , discrimination and unfair representation are at the heart of Irish governing structures .
She said it is “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in all aspects of Irish life so this country can “ protect , preserve and save lives ” .
Ms Waithira Burke said she hoped the outrage following George Floyd ’ s death in the United States had “ ignited a fire under the Irish people ” to stand up and call for change .
“ Yes , Ireland is one of the best places for a migrant to live but we can no longer live in denial of the fact that things like racism , discrimination and unfair representation are at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government level .
“ Our next generation needs us .
I ’ m doing this for my kids so they don ’ t have to live the hurt , the racism , the discrimination , that feeling of being invisible with nowhere to go.
” In 2019 , the immigrant council received 5,035 calls to its helpline , a rise of 40 per cent on the previous year , with 148 different nationalities represented among callers .
One in five calls were regarding citizenship or family reunification while 14 per cent had a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than eight per cent were about employment permits .
Many of the calls were answered by volunteers from law firm Arthur Cox who have offered their services pro-bono to the council since last October .
Pro-bono support for unaccompanied minors trying to bring family to Ireland was required “ because of the absence of State civil aid to support these children , ” said Catherine Cosgrave , ICI ’ s managing solicitor .
Ms Cosgrave also called on the next government to address the issue of stateless people living in Ireland , an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ here ” .
Some 27 victims of trafficking received legal advice and assistance from the council last year , four of who had been trafficked into Ireland for sexual exploitation .
The ICI ’ s advocacy centre worked on issues around domestic abuse , citizenship , rights and entitlements and EU treaty rights while the council also brought five cases to the high court in 2019 relating to child citizenship and family reunification .
The centre ran migrant-councillor internships ahead of the 2019 local elections to help build migrant representation at a political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than 1,900 election candidates in last year ’ s local elections came from a migrant background .
Of these , just nine were voted in .

‘Young people growing up in Ireland from a migrant background need to see themselves represented at these levels,’ chief executive of the Immigrant Council of Ireland, Brian Killoran said. File photograph : Laura Hutton
Ireland has "poor levels of diversity" in positions of authority, in politics, in education and in the workplace, the Immigrant Council of Ireland has warned.
The organisation’s director Brian Killoran said “real change” was needed to give a voice and recognition to Ireland’s diverse people and their talents.
Speaking at the online launch of the Immigrant Council of Ireland’s (ICI) 2019 Impact report, he said changes in recruitment procedures, particularly in the private sector, are necessary to enable people with a migrant background to progress in their careers.
These changes need to happen now or Ireland will have to deal with the repercussions further down the road, said Mr Killoran. “Young people growing up in Ireland from a migrant background need to see themselves represented at these levels, they need to know that’s a possibility for them.”
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He said “comprehensive immigration reform and access to justice for migrants” was badly needed in Ireland along with a “strategic plan for migration”.
He also called for a national action plan on racism and the introduction of hate crime legislation without delay.
The State’s current “bureaucratic and slow” migration system, which is often governed through discretionary procedures, is creating barriers to people seeking to build a life in this country, he said.
Also speaking was Labour candidate in last year's local elections Anne Waithira Burke who grew up in Kenya but is now an Irish citizen. She said rarcism, discrimination and unfair representation are at the heart of Irish governing structures.
She said it is “paramount” that migrant voices are represented in all aspects of Irish life so this country can “protect, preserve and save lives”.
Ms Waithira Burke said she hoped the outrage following George Floyd's death in the United States had "ignited a fire under the Irish people" to stand up and call for change.
“Yes, Ireland is one of the best places for a migrant to live but we can no longer live in denial of the fact that things like racism, discrimination and unfair representation are at the heart of our country, meaning at government level.
“Our next generation needs us. I’m doing this for my kids so they don’t have to live the hurt, the racism, the discrimination, that feeling of being invisible with nowhere to go.”
In 2019, the immigrant council received 5,035 calls to its helpline, a rise of 40 per cent on the previous year, with 148 different nationalities represented among callers.
One in five calls were regarding citizenship or family reunification while 14 per cent had a question around EU treaty rights and more than eight per cent were about employment permits.
Many of the calls were answered by volunteers from law firm Arthur Cox who have offered their services pro-bono to the council since last October. Pro-bono support for unaccompanied minors trying to bring family to Ireland was required “because of the absence of State civil aid to support these children,” said Catherine Cosgrave, ICI’s managing solicitor. Ms Cosgrave also called on the next government to address the issue of stateless people living in Ireland, an area which “receives very little attention here”.
Some 27 victims of trafficking received legal advice and assistance from the council last year, four of who had been trafficked into Ireland for sexual exploitation.
The ICI’s advocacy centre worked on issues around domestic abuse, citizenship, rights and entitlements and EU treaty rights while the council also brought five cases to the high court in 2019 relating to child citizenship and family reunification.
The centre ran migrant-councillor internships ahead of the 2019 local elections to help build migrant representation at a political level. Some 56 out of the more than 1,900 election candidates in last year’s local elections came from a migrant background. Of these, just nine were voted in.


theirishtimes--2020-06-04--Up to North’s Executive to implement Troubles victims’ payment scheme – Lewis

The North ’ s Secretary of State has said the disagreement between the UK government and the Northern Executive over who should pay for a pension scheme for victims of the Troubles is not to blame for the delay in the scheme ’ s introduction .
“ Discussions about funding are not preventing the Executive from being able to progress implementation , ” Brandon Lewis wrote to the chairman of the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee , Simon Hoare , on Thursday .
“ The key step to unblocking progress is the designation of a department to provide administrative support to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ North ’ s Minister of Justice , Naomi Long , has said her department is willing to administer the scheme .
This has been accepted by the DUP but not by Sinn Féin , which said “ it does not make sense to nominate a department to lead on the scheme before all outstanding issues have been resolved in relation to the eligibility criteria and the source of funding .
” Mr Lewis said it was now up to the Northern Executive to implement the scheme so that victims of the Troubles could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ imperative that Sinn Féin , along with all the parties , enable the scheme to move forward as the time for delay is done , ” he said .
Legislation to provide a pension scheme for people who suffered physical or mental injury “ through no fault of their own ” as a result of the Troubles was introduced by the Secretary of State in January , and should have opened for applications on May 29th .
Payments will range from £2,000 to £10,000 per year and will cover injuries sustained between 1966 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ UK ; and UK or Northern Ireland citizens injured in Europe , are potentially eligible to apply .
However the scheme has stalled ; the government department in Northern Ireland which is to oversee the administration of the scheme has not yet been designated , and the Northern Executive and the UK government are deadlocked over who should pay the estimated £100 million cost .
The Executive maintains it is Westminster ’ s responsibility , as the legislation was introduced in the UK parliament , includes victims from throughout the UK , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ period when Northern Ireland was governed through direct rule from London .
The UK government maintains it has always been the case that the scheme was to be paid for out of Northern Ireland ’ s block grant – the money the Northern Executive receives from Westminster to fund public services in the North .
Sinn Féin is also challenging the eligibility criteria , which it says is discriminatory because it excludes anyone who has served a prison sentence of more than two-and-a-half years – whether or not the conviction was Troubles-related – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a victim in Northern Ireland .
Mr Lewis said the eligibility criteria were “ already set in legislation and provides a fair basis for helping those who suffered most throughout the Troubles ” .
This is also contested by the Belfast-based victims and survivors group Relatives for Justice , which said the Northern Ireland Office ( NIO ) has acted “ shamefully ” and has “ produced legislation that is clearly discriminatory and will potentially exclude thousands of people who have suffered horrendous harms mostly at the hands of state forces .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ politics with victims in order to suit their narrative of the conflict , ” a spokesman said .
“ They need to amend the legislation in order to resolve this matter.
” However , Kenny Donaldson , from Innocent Victims United , said the British government must follow through on the commitments on eligibility made in the legislation .
“ The UK government must finish the job it started , ” he said .
“ It needs to understand the gravity of these issues and what capitulation would signify to innocent victims and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ victims ’ groups suggested the question of eligibility might ultimately be resolved through a legal challenge once the scheme is operational .
On Wednesday the North ’ s victims ’ commissioner , Judith Thompson , wrote to the UK prime minister , Boris Johnson , asking for an end to the “ shameful stand-off ” which has become “ the ultimate insult to those victims and survivors who campaigned for years to be acknowledged , respected and valued , ” she said .
Responding to a question from the shadow Secretary of State @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the House of Commons on Thursday , the NIO minister Robin Walker said any attempts “ to reopen questions which have already been settled around the definition of the victims or the role of the independent panel are totally unnecessary and actually would upset the vast majority of victims who we want to get on and help through this scheme .
“ The Executive is responsible for delivering this much-needed scheme and needs to communicate a timetable for opening the scheme urgently .
“ This current delay and a lack of clarity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” he said .

The North’s Minister of Justice, Naomi Long, has said her department is willing to administer the scheme. Photograph: Kelvin Boyes/Press Eye/PA
The North’s Secretary of State has said the disagreement between the UK government and the Northern Executive over who should pay for a pension scheme for victims of the Troubles is not to blame for the delay in the scheme’s introduction.
"Discussions about funding are not preventing the Executive from being able to progress implementation," Brandon Lewis wrote to the chairman of the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, Simon Hoare, on Thursday. "The key step to unblocking progress is the designation of a department to provide administrative support to the Victims' Payments Board."
The North's Minister of Justice, Naomi Long, has said her department is willing to administer the scheme. This has been accepted by the DUP but not by Sinn Féin, which said "it does not make sense to nominate a department to lead on the scheme before all outstanding issues have been resolved in relation to the eligibility criteria and the source of funding ."
Mr Lewis said it was now up to the Northern Executive to implement the scheme so that victims of the Troubles could begin receiving payments. “It is imperative that Sinn Féin, along with all the parties, enable the scheme to move forward as the time for delay is done,” he said.
READ MORE
Legislation to provide a pension scheme for people who suffered physical or mental injury “through no fault of their own” as a result of the Troubles was introduced by the Secretary of State in January, and should have opened for applications on May 29th.
Payments will range from £2,000 to £10,000 per year and will cover injuries sustained between 1966 and 2010. Anyone injured in the UK; and UK or Northern Ireland citizens injured in Europe, are potentially eligible to apply.
However the scheme has stalled; the government department in Northern Ireland which is to oversee the administration of the scheme has not yet been designated, and the Northern Executive and the UK government are deadlocked over who should pay the estimated £100 million cost.
The Executive maintains it is Westminster’s responsibility, as the legislation was introduced in the UK parliament, includes victims from throughout the UK, and the majority of incidents occurred during a period when Northern Ireland was governed through direct rule from London.
The UK government maintains it has always been the case that the scheme was to be paid for out of Northern Ireland’s block grant – the money the Northern Executive receives from Westminster to fund public services in the North.
Sinn Féin is also challenging the eligibility criteria, which it says is discriminatory because it excludes anyone who has served a prison sentence of more than two-and-a-half years – whether or not the conviction was Troubles-related – and runs contrary to the legal definition of a victim in Northern Ireland.
Mr Lewis said the eligibility criteria were “already set in legislation and provides a fair basis for helping those who suffered most throughout the Troubles”.
This is also contested by the Belfast-based victims and survivors group Relatives for Justice, which said the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) has acted “shamefully” and has “produced legislation that is clearly discriminatory and will potentially exclude thousands of people who have suffered horrendous harms mostly at the hands of state forces.
“The NIO need to stop playing politics with victims in order to suit their narrative of the conflict,” a spokesman said. “They need to amend the legislation in order to resolve this matter.”
However, Kenny Donaldson, from Innocent Victims United, said the British government must follow through on the commitments on eligibility made in the legislation.
“The UK government must finish the job it started,” he said. “It needs to understand the gravity of these issues and what capitulation would signify to innocent victims and survivors of terrorism.”
Other sources within victims’ groups suggested the question of eligibility might ultimately be resolved through a legal challenge once the scheme is operational.
On Wednesday the North's victims' commissioner, Judith Thompson, wrote to the UK prime minister, Boris Johnson, asking for an end to the "shameful stand-off" which has become "the ultimate insult to those victims and survivors who campaigned for years to be acknowledged, respected and valued," she said.
Responding to a question from the shadow Secretary of State, the Labour MP Louise Haigh, in the House of Commons on Thursday, the NIO minister Robin Walker said any attempts "to reopen questions which have already been settled around the definition of the victims or the role of the independent panel are totally unnecessary and actually would upset the vast majority of victims who we want to get on and help through this scheme.
“The Executive is responsible for delivering this much-needed scheme and needs to communicate a timetable for opening the scheme urgently.
“This current delay and a lack of clarity cannot be allowed to continue,” he said.


theirishtimes--2020-06-04--Foreign languages could be taught in preschool and primary - Department

Teaching foreign languages should be considered in preschools and primary schools , according to Department of Education school inspectors .
In a new report on the quality of teaching practice , inspectors said pre-school teachers could be trained to integrate languages such as French , German and Polish in early learning settings .
In addition , it says re-instating modern languages to the primary school curriculum would be a timely move .
The bulk of the inspectors ’ report focuses on the quality of tuition at second level , which is generallyfound to be positive .
Inspectors found that students @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 98 per cent of lessons observed during the subject inspections The fact that the quality of learner engagement in language lessons in post-primary schools was found to be satisfactory or better in 95 per cent of the lessons evaluated “ augurs well for successful language learning ” .
When student enjoyment and motivation for learning were surveyed , it found a majority of lessons ( 72 per cent ) were “ good ” or “ very good ” , while a further 21 per cent were satisfactory .
For the small minority @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fair or weak , it was noted that students lacked concentration during the lesson tasks Findings in relation to the attainment of learning objectives was mixed .
In most cases ( 74 per cent ) , the attainment of learning objectives was found to be either “ good ” or “ very good ” .
A total of 16 per cent were satisfactory and the remaining 10 per cent were either “ fair or weak ” .
Inspectors also reported finding examples of preschools using a number of approaches to include foreign language @ @ @ @ @ @ @ focused on the promotion of inclusion and diversity , particularly supporting children from heritage language backgrounds .
For example , in one early learning and care setting , Polish was the first language spoken by the practitioners and by the majority of the children .
It found that practitioners worked to enhance children ’ s vocabulary acquisition and tried to balance listening and speaking to the children in both English and Polish .
They used rhymes and action activities to promote children ’ s language development in English .
In another setting , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were supported with a “ communication corner ” which used symbols to enhance communication with the children and their parents .
Prior to the settling-in period , preschool teachers and practitioners met with parents to build positive relationships and discuss the various approaches used by the practitioners to support children .
They also organised an open day to establish effective settling-in procedures .

The idea of training pre-school to integrate foreign languages in early years learning settings should be considered, according to Department of Education inspectors. Photograph: iStock
Teaching foreign languages should be considered in preschools and primary schools, according to Department of Education school inspectors.
In a new report on the quality of teaching practice, inspectors said pre-school teachers could be trained to integrate languages such as French, German and Polish in early learning settings.
In addition, it says re-instating modern languages to the primary school curriculum would be a timely move.
The bulk of the inspectors’ report focuses on the quality of tuition at second level, which is generallyfound to be positive.
READ MORE
Inspectors found that students experienced a satisfactory or better language-learning environment in 98 per cent of lessons observed during the subject inspections
The fact that the quality of learner engagement in language lessons in post-primary schools was found to be satisfactory or better in 95 per cent of the lessons evaluated “ augurs well for successful language learning”.
When student enjoyment and motivation for learning were surveyed, it found a majority of lessons (72 per cent) were “good” or “very good”, while a further 21 per cent were satisfactory.
For the small minority of lessons where learner engagement was either fair or weak, it was noted that students lacked concentration during the lesson tasks
Findings in relation to the attainment of learning objectives was mixed.
In most cases (74 per cent), the attainment of learning objectives was found to be either “good” or “very good”.
A total of 16 per cent were satisfactory and the remaining 10 per cent were either “fair or weak”.
Inspectors also reported finding examples of preschools using a number of approaches to include foreign language tuition in schools.
Such practices often focused on the promotion of inclusion and diversity, particularly supporting children from heritage language backgrounds.
For example, in one early learning and care setting, Polish was the first language spoken by the practitioners and by the majority of the children.
It found that practitioners worked to enhance children’s vocabulary acquisition and tried to balance listening and speaking to the children in both English and Polish.
They used rhymes and action activities to promote children’s language development in English.
In another setting, families with English as an additional language were supported with a “communication corner” which used symbols to enhance communication with the children and their parents.
Prior to the settling-in period, preschool teachers and practitioners met with parents to build positive relationships and discuss the various approaches used by the practitioners to support children. They also organised an open day to establish effective settling-in procedures.


theirishtimes--2020-06-04--Three arrested after crime agency makes its biggest ever drugs seizure in North

Three men were arrested following the biggest drug seizure ever made in Northern Ireland by the UK National Crime Agency ( NCA ) , it was reported on Thursday .
The crime agency in a joint operation with PSNI officers stopped a lorry in the Templepatrick area of Co Antrim in the early hours of Wednesday morning and recovered an estimated 600 kilos of herbal cannabis from among a cover load of vegetables .
The drugs are valued at an estimated £10-12 million .
NCA investigators arrested three men , including the lorry driver , on suspicion of conspiring to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 62 , 37 and 32 , and from counties Tyrone , Derry and Armagh .
All three remain in custody .
Two premises were also searched , one in Co Derry and one in Co Tyrone .
“ This is an incredibly significant seizure of controlled drugs , the biggest the NCA has ever made here in Northern Ireland , ” said NCA Belfast branch commander David Cunningham .
“ A seizure of this size will have a huge impact on the organised crime groups involved in its importation , depriving them of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” he said .
“ We are determined to do all we can with our law enforcement partners to disrupt and dismantle drug supply routes , not only here in Northern Ireland but across the UK , ” he added .
PSNI Det Chief Insp Brian Foster said the discovery was made after police officers stopped a lorry entering Northern Ireland .
“ This seizure of drugs is significant both in terms of the quantity and also the disruption this will have caused to the organised crime group who would have brought @ @ @ @ @ @ @ money for their own selfish gain , ” he said .
“ This successful operation demonstrates the significant benefits of joint working with law enforcement partners and we will continue to work closely with NCA to disrupt the nefarious activities of organised crime groups operating in Northern Ireland , ” he added .

An estimated 600 kilos of herbal cannabis was recovered from among a cover load of vegetables from a lorry stopped in Templepatrick, Co Antrim in the early hours of Wednesday. Photograph: National Crime Agency/PA
Three men were arrested following the biggest drug seizure ever made in Northern Ireland by the UK National Crime Agency (NCA), it was reported on Thursday.
The crime agency in a joint operation with PSNI officers stopped a lorry in the Templepatrick area of Co Antrim in the early hours of Wednesday morning and recovered an estimated 600 kilos of herbal cannabis from among a cover load of vegetables. The drugs are valued at an estimated £10-12 million.
NCA investigators arrested three men, including the lorry driver, on suspicion of conspiring to import controlled drugs. They are aged 62, 37 and 32, and from counties Tyrone, Derry and Armagh. All three remain in custody.
Two premises were also searched, one in Co Derry and one in Co Tyrone.
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"This is an incredibly significant seizure of controlled drugs, the biggest the NCA has ever made here in Northern Ireland," said NCA Belfast branch commander David Cunningham.
“A seizure of this size will have a huge impact on the organised crime groups involved in its importation, depriving them of commodity and, most importantly, profit,” he said.
“We are determined to do all we can with our law enforcement partners to disrupt and dismantle drug supply routes, not only here in Northern Ireland but across the UK,” he added.
PSNI Det Chief Insp Brian Foster said the discovery was made after police officers stopped a lorry entering Northern Ireland.
“This seizure of drugs is significant both in terms of the quantity and also the disruption this will have caused to the organised crime group who would have brought these drugs into our communities to make money for their own selfish gain,” he said.
“This successful operation demonstrates the significant benefits of joint working with law enforcement partners and we will continue to work closely with NCA to disrupt the nefarious activities of organised crime groups operating in Northern Ireland,” he added.