theirishtimes--2020-09-09--Mercosur accord contradicts EU Green Deal and fails to protect communities, study says

The upcoming trade agreement between the EU and Argentina , Brazil , Paraguay and Uruguay – the Mercosur bloc – “ fails across sustainability criteria and stands in direct contradiction to the goals of the European Green Deal ” , according to an international group of researchers .
Mechanisms to include and protect local communities ; trace the origin of commodities , and to enforce sustainability standards “ are lacking throughout the proposed EU-Mercosur deal text ” , concludes the research led by the University of Oxford and the Nature Conservancy .
Frameworks to support inclusiveness , such as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Peoples , have been overlooked in the deal , it finds .
Researchers also found that mechanisms to trace the origins of commodities with a high risk of driving deforestation , such as beef and soy , are absent .
“ Given the widespread Amazon and wetland fires , as well as [ German chancellor Angela ] Merkel ’ s recent ‘ considerable doubts ’ over the deal following her meeting with youth climate activists , our research adds to mounting evidence against this deal , ” said lead author Dr Laura Kehoe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ programme at the University of Oxford .
The LEAP programme aims to understand the health , environmental , social and economic effects of meat and dairy production and consumption to provide evidence and tools for decision makers to promote healthy and sustainable diets .
This provisional Mercosur deal comes at a time when deforestation and violent attacks on indigenous lands have accelerated in Brazil since president Jair Bolsonaro took office , with “ a sobering 516 major fires already detected this summer ” in Brazil ’ s Amazon , with unprecedented fires sweeping @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s wetlands , Dr Kehoe said .
“ The destruction of natural habitat causes species extinctions , increases the likelihood of future pandemics , and accelerates the global climate crisis.
” “ As the Amazon burns , it nears a tipping point , that if reached could trigger a rapid shift from lush rainforest to a dry savannah – drastically reducing the rainfall on which South America ’ s agriculture depends , ” adds the study , published in One Earth .
The research highlights that even without a trade deal , every @ @ @ @ @ @ @ million tonnes of soy and 200,000 tonnes of beef from the Mercosur bloc .
“ Ongoing imports to the EU from Mercosur are linked to one football pitch of deforestation every three minutes.
” The paper outlines how the economic power of trade could instead be utilised as an incentive for countries to meet their Paris Agreement commitments : “ Bans on trade in specific goods and services should be introduced until commodities comply with basic legal and sustainability criteria in line with international agreements .
This is a particularly powerful policy option @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enforce international agreements such as the Paris Agreement.
” At a time when deforestation , climate change , and indigenous rights violations are escalating , urgent action from the EU is crucial , it says .
“ Our window of opportunity for avoiding the disastrous outcomes of climate change is closing .
As the school strikes and climate protests across Europe have shown , we will no longer accept production practices that cause climate change , ” said Tiago Reis , a Brazilian researcher on how international trade affects land use in producing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Université Catholique de Louvain in Belgium .
“ The sad irony is that there was never any need for more deforestation in Brazil : research has shown that future agricultural demand could be met from improving existing farm practices and restoring degraded land , without any need for more conversion of natural habitats , ” he added .
While the trade deal text includes some sustainability principles , stating that “ increased trade should not come at the expense of the environment or labour conditions ” , the researchers note there are no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ such principles are followed .
“ It has become painstakingly clear : when we destroy forests we all suffer , ” Dr Kehoe said .
“ This is my message to the new [ EU ] trade commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis : we already have many of the solutions to avoid fuelling conflict and ecocide abroad , what we need is strong leaders willing to take action to transform trade and protect the living world .
A great first step would be to make trade deals contingent on countries progressing towards their Paris Agreement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ need to step up and recognise our responsibility as importers of grain from Brazil .
We can not continue to fuel deforestation abroad for our diets at home .
In case they forgot : we are in a climate emergency .
”

Farmers protest outside the Dáil following the announcement of the Mercosur trade agreement. File photograph: Alan Betson/The Irish Times
The upcoming trade agreement between the EU and Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay – the Mercosur bloc – "fails across sustainability criteria and stands in direct contradiction to the goals of the European Green Deal", according to an international group of researchers.
Mechanisms to include and protect local communities; trace the origin of commodities, and to enforce sustainability standards “are lacking throughout the proposed EU-Mercosur deal text”, concludes the research led by the University of Oxford and the Nature Conservancy.
Frameworks to support inclusiveness, such as the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, have been overlooked in the deal, it finds. Researchers also found that mechanisms to trace the origins of commodities with a high risk of driving deforestation, such as beef and soy, are absent.
"Given the widespread Amazon and wetland fires, as well as [German chancellor Angela] Merkel's recent 'considerable doubts' over the deal following her meeting with youth climate activists, our research adds to mounting evidence against this deal," said lead author Dr Laura Kehoe, an Irish scientist with the LEAP programme at the University of Oxford.
READ MORE
The LEAP programme aims to understand the health, environmental, social and economic effects of meat and dairy production and consumption to provide evidence and tools for decision makers to promote healthy and sustainable diets.
This provisional Mercosur deal comes at a time when deforestation and violent attacks on indigenous lands have accelerated in Brazil since president Jair Bolsonaro took office, with "a sobering 516 major fires already detected this summer" in Brazil's Amazon, with unprecedented fires sweeping through Argentina's and Brazil's wetlands, Dr Kehoe said.
“The destruction of natural habitat causes species extinctions, increases the likelihood of future pandemics, and accelerates the global climate crisis.”
“As the Amazon burns, it nears a tipping point, that if reached could trigger a rapid shift from lush rainforest to a dry savannah – drastically reducing the rainfall on which South America’s agriculture depends,” adds the study, published in One Earth.
The research highlights that even without a trade deal, every year the EU imports more than 10 million tonnes of soy and 200,000 tonnes of beef from the Mercosur bloc. “Ongoing imports to the EU from Mercosur are linked to one football pitch of deforestation every three minutes.”
Economic power
The paper outlines how the economic power of trade could instead be utilised as an incentive for countries to meet their Paris Agreement commitments: “Bans on trade in specific goods and services should be introduced until commodities comply with basic legal and sustainability criteria in line with international agreements. This is a particularly powerful policy option given the lack of legal mechanisms to enforce international agreements such as the Paris Agreement.”
At a time when deforestation, climate change, and indigenous rights violations are escalating, urgent action from the EU is crucial, it says.
"Our window of opportunity for avoiding the disastrous outcomes of climate change is closing. As the school strikes and climate protests across Europe have shown, we will no longer accept production practices that cause climate change," said Tiago Reis, a Brazilian researcher on how international trade affects land use in producing countries, who is based at the Université Catholique de Louvain in Belgium.
“The sad irony is that there was never any need for more deforestation in Brazil: research has shown that future agricultural demand could be met from improving existing farm practices and restoring degraded land, without any need for more conversion of natural habitats,” he added.
Sustainability principles
While the trade deal text includes some sustainability principles, stating that “increased trade should not come at the expense of the environment or labour conditions”, the researchers note there are no legally binding enforcement mechanisms included to ensure such principles are followed.
"It has become painstakingly clear: when we destroy forests we all suffer," Dr Kehoe said. "This is my message to the new [EU] trade commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis: we already have many of the solutions to avoid fuelling conflict and ecocide abroad, what we need is strong leaders willing to take action to transform trade and protect the living world. A great first step would be to make trade deals contingent on countries progressing towards their Paris Agreement targets."
She believed the Irish Government “need to step up and recognise our responsibility as importers of grain from Brazil. We cannot continue to fuel deforestation abroad for our diets at home. In case they forgot: we are in a climate emergency.”


theirishtimes--2020-09-09--Varadkar snubs bid by construction sector to defer 2.7% pay rise for workers

The Government has rejected suggestions from the constructions industry that it should intervene to defer pay rises due to thousands of building workers next month .
A spokeswoman for Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise , Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar said on Wednesday that the statutory increase due under the sectoral employment order for the construction industry would take effect from the beginning of October .
Under the terms of this order construction workers are due to receive a 2.7 per cent pay increase on 1st October It is understood that the Construction Industry Federation ( CIF ) asked Mr @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to to use his office to defer the increase due in the current circumstances ” .
It is understood that the Tánaiste declined to intervene and that the increase is now expected to go ahead in most cases .
Individual employers facing financial difficulties could invoke provisions in industrial relations legislation and apply to the Labour Court for a temporary exemption from the terms of the sectoral employment order ( SEO ) under its inability to pay clause .
The CIF told members that it would be applying to the Labour Court to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cancel the increase due .
However , it said it acknowledged that that any amendment to the terms of the order could not be made before October 1st .
In a bulletin to members ahead of the meeting with the Tánaiste , the CIF said it would be “ making a very strong case that any increase in labour costs will increase the cost of construction and put the future pipeline of work in jeopardy , at a time when the economy needs the construction industry operating at full capacity ” .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ruling by the High Court last June that declared that all sectoral employment orders ( i.e .
construction , mechanical and electrical ) were invalid .
This judgment came in a case taken by the National Electrical Contractors of Ireland ( NECI ) against the Minister , the Attorney General and the Labour Court .
On July 31st the High Court granted a stay on the construction and mechanical sectoral employment orders pending the outcome of the appeal by the State to the Court of Appeal / Supreme Court .
The CIF told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the High Court “ means that construction workers have a legal entitlement to an increase in pay and pensions of 2.7 per cent on 1st October next ” .
It said its industrial relations sub committee had agreed following a recent meeting that that increasing pay in the current circumstances of Covid-19 would be detrimental to the industry and that every effort will be made to defer this increase .
“ CIF members are working tirelessly to keep workers safe and sites open .
There are currently 17,500 unemployed construction workers availing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ further 9,600 are being supported through the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme .
Increasing labour costs at this time will only serve to put future work in jeopardy , which in turn will result in further job losses .
”

A spokeswoman for Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar said the statutory increase due under the sectoral employment order for the construction industry would take effect from the beginning of October. Photograph: Crispin Rodwell/ The Irish Times
The Government has rejected suggestions from the constructions industry that it should intervene to defer pay rises due to thousands of building workers next month.
A spokeswoman for Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar said on Wednesday that the statutory increase due under the sectoral employment order for the construction industry would take effect from the beginning of October.
Under the terms of this order construction workers are due to receive a 2.7 per cent pay increase on 1st October
It is understood that the Construction Industry Federation (CIF) asked Mr Varadkar at a meeting last week "to to use his office to defer the increase due in the current circumstances".
READ MORE
It is understood that the Tánaiste declined to intervene and that the increase is now expected to go ahead in most cases.
Individual employers facing financial difficulties could invoke provisions in industrial relations legislation and apply to the Labour Court for a temporary exemption from the terms of the sectoral employment order (SEO) under its inability to pay clause.
The CIF told members that it would be applying to the Labour Court to amend the terms of the SEO to cancel the increase due. However, it said it acknowledged that that any amendment to the terms of the order could not be made before October 1st.
In a bulletin to members ahead of the meeting with the Tánaiste, the CIF said it would be “making a very strong case that any increase in labour costs will increase the cost of construction and put the future pipeline of work in jeopardy, at a time when the economy needs the construction industry operating at full capacity”.
The backdrop to the pay issue is the ruling by the High Court last June that declared that all sectoral employment orders (i.e. construction, mechanical and electrical) were invalid. This judgment came in a case taken by the National Electrical Contractors of Ireland (NECI) against the Minister, the Attorney General and the Labour Court.
On July 31st the High Court granted a stay on the construction and mechanical sectoral employment orders pending the outcome of the appeal by the State to the Court of Appeal / Supreme Court.
The CIF told members that the granting of the stay by the High Court “means that construction workers have a legal entitlement to an increase in pay and pensions of 2.7 per cent on 1st October next”.
It said its industrial relations sub committee had agreed following a recent meeting that that increasing pay in the current circumstances of Covid-19 would be detrimental to the industry and that every effort will be made to defer this increase.
“CIF members are working tirelessly to keep workers safe and sites open. There are currently 17,500 unemployed construction workers availing of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment and a further 9,600 are being supported through the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme. Increasing labour costs at this time will only serve to put future work in jeopardy, which in turn will result in further job losses.”


theirishtimes--2020-09-09--Dublin united in its criticism of Johnson’s ‘chaos’

In a Government that has sometimes struggled to present a united front , the Taoiseach , Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs were all on the same page on Wednesday morning , united in criticism of Boris Johnson .
The British government ’ s plan , they said , could not unilaterally set aside aspects of the withdrawal treaty , insisting that negotiations on a trade agreement could not proceed on the basis that the UK might ignore those parts of an agreement it did not like .
The criticism across the EU of the UK ’ s move became @ @ @ @ @ @ @ published text of the proposed legislation confirmed British intentions .
“ The British government has decided to cause chaos , ” Simon Coveney summarised on Wednesday night , as Micheál Martin was bending Johnson ’ s ear in “ forthright terms ” , Government Buildings let it be known , in a telephone call with Downing Street .
In Dublin , while preparations for a no-deal outcome are accelerating in the knowledge it is now a more realistic prospect than ever before , the predominant view – though by no means the only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will ultimately seek to agree a trade deal because it will not wish to accept the massive economic disruption that would result from a no-deal .
The Irish Government , in other words , expects its British counterpart to act rationally in line with its own interests in the end .
People at all levels of politics and officialdom here and in the EU ask : how can the UK expect people to make agreements with it if it casually discards the bits it does not like ?
In this view , then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is not actually a rogue actor on the international stage , merely threatening to act like one –the British actions of recent days are “ sabre-rattling ” .
Expect much more of this in the coming weeks , and then expect the UK to do a deal in the end .
This , after all , is what Theresa May did twice .
Then Johnson did it last year .
As to the statements in the House of Commons , well if one is going to rattle a sabre there is no point @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one may as well make a bit of noise with it .
People may take sabres out and wave them around a bit .
But ultimately the Irish view is that the sabre will be put away , and that the British will accept that jaw-jaw is better than war-war .
But progress has been minimal ; the two sides remain separated by a chasm .
The mad scramble as the clock ticks down has been a characteristic through Brexit .
The Irish side expects that pattern to be repeated .
But there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ held somewhat more nervously now .

In a Government that has sometimes struggled to present a united front, the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs were all on the same page on Wednesday morning, united in criticism of Boris Johnson.
The British government’s plan, they said, could not unilaterally set aside aspects of the withdrawal treaty, insisting that negotiations on a trade agreement could not proceed on the basis that the UK might ignore those parts of an agreement it did not like.
The criticism across the EU of the UK’s move became more pungent throughout the day after the published text of the proposed legislation confirmed British intentions.
"The British government has decided to cause chaos," Simon Coveney summarised on Wednesday night, as Micheál Martin was bending Johnson's ear in "forthright terms", Government Buildings let it be known, in a telephone call with Downing Street.
READ MORE
In Dublin, while preparations for a no-deal outcome are accelerating in the knowledge it is now a more realistic prospect than ever before, the predominant view – though by no means the only one – remains that the British government will ultimately seek to agree a trade deal because it will not wish to accept the massive economic disruption that would result from a no-deal.
The Irish Government, in other words, expects its British counterpart to act rationally in line with its own interests in the end.
People at all levels of politics and officialdom here and in the EU ask: how can the UK expect people to make agreements with it if it casually discards the bits it does not like?
In this view, then – which holds that the British government is not actually a rogue actor on the international stage, merely threatening to act like one –the British actions of recent days are “sabre-rattling”.
Expect much more of this in the coming weeks, and then expect the UK to do a deal in the end.
This, after all, is what Theresa May did twice. Then Johnson did it last year.
As to the statements in the House of Commons, well if one is going to rattle a sabre there is no point in giving it a minor tinkle – one may as well make a bit of noise with it.
People may take sabres out and wave them around a bit. But ultimately the Irish view is that the sabre will be put away, and that the British will accept that jaw-jaw is better than war-war.
But progress has been minimal; the two sides remain separated by a chasm. The mad scramble as the clock ticks down has been a characteristic through Brexit. The Irish side expects that pattern to be repeated.
But there is no doubt that the view is held somewhat more nervously now.


theirishtimes--2020-09-09--Any ‘tolerance’ for abuse in colleges must end, says rape crisis chief

Dublin Rape Crisis Centre chief executive Noeline Blackwell has said she will work to rid university life of the “ malfunction ” of tolerance for sexual abuse and harassment following her appointment to the governing authority of University College Dublin ( UCD ) .
Ms Blackwell ’ s appointment to the role was announced on Wednesday by Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris .
It follows Dr Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháinn ’ s decision to speak out about a two-year period of harassment by a colleague at the university .
Since details of the case were published in The Irish Times @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dr Ní Shúilleabháinn and pledged to adopt a “ zero tolerance ” approach to sexual assault and harassment .
Speaking after her appointment , Ms Blackwell said she will work to support policies to make that a reality .
“ We ’ ve said over the years that it couldn ’ t possibly be the case ; that the system was good given how few reports of sexual harassment all the colleges showed , ” she said .
“ Now , in large part thanks to Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin , it is clear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ understood in UCD as well as other colleges .
“ Our perception in the Rape Crisis Centre is that it is a very damaging malfunction within university society and it is damaging to those who have been abused , the institution itself , and to all of us as a society .
“ Hopefully I will be able to support efforts to rid the tolerance of sexual abuse and harassment that exists in all higher-level institutions .
“ I think UCD is trying to achieve this already .
I was out there last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ function for anonymous reporting so they were clearly working on various aspects .
“ It is , though , going to take quite a lot of thought , time and resources to instigate a true zero-tolerance approach to sexual assault and harassment.
” Ms Blackwell said she was “ very honoured ” to be appointed to the role , and praised Mr Harris for his “ determination to deal with the issues around sexual harassment and abuse in third-level colleges ” .
“ With the backing of the department , which is pushing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ healthier college culture for all students and staff , and all those who are at risk of power abuse in colleges , ” she said .
Mr Harris said the appointment of Ms Blackwell was a signal of his intent to tackle the issue at third-level institutions .
“ Noeline ’ s appointment , I hope , signals my intent in this area , ” he said .
“ I am conscious a lot of good work has been done by many universities in tackling sexual harassment and consent .
But there is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Noeline is an incredible advocate , a strong feminist and a wonderful person .
I know she will be a powerful voice in demanding the change we need in society .
Third level can be a real leader here.
” Hans Benjamin-Braun , who was professor for theoretical physics at UCD , was convicted in 2019 of harassing Dr Ní Shúilleabháin and ordered to stay away from her for five years .
UCD confirmed that Mr Braun left the university in March 2019 before his conviction .
UCD declined to state the @ @ @ @ @ @

Noeline Blackwell was appointed to the role by Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris.
Dublin Rape Crisis Centre chief executive Noeline Blackwell has said she will work to rid university life of the "malfunction" of tolerance for sexual abuse and harassment following her appointment to the governing authority of University College Dublin (UCD).
Ms Blackwell's appointment to the role was announced on Wednesday by Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris.
It follows Dr Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháinn’s decision to speak out about a two-year period of harassment by a colleague at the university.
Since details of the case were published in The Irish Times on Saturday, UCD has apologised to Dr Ní Shúilleabháinn and pledged to adopt a “zero tolerance” approach to sexual assault and harassment. Speaking after her appointment, Ms Blackwell said she will work to support policies to make that a reality.
READ MORE
“We’ve said over the years that it couldn’t possibly be the case; that the system was good given how few reports of sexual harassment all the colleges showed,” she said.
“Now, in large part thanks to Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin, it is clear that this is something that is little understood in UCD as well as other colleges.
“Our perception in the Rape Crisis Centre is that it is a very damaging malfunction within university society and it is damaging to those who have been abused, the institution itself, and to all of us as a society.
“Hopefully I will be able to support efforts to rid the tolerance of sexual abuse and harassment that exists in all higher-level institutions.
“I think UCD is trying to achieve this already. I was out there last year at the launch of a new function for anonymous reporting so they were clearly working on various aspects.
“It is, though, going to take quite a lot of thought, time and resources to instigate a true zero-tolerance approach to sexual assault and harassment.”
Ms Blackwell said she was “very honoured” to be appointed to the role, and praised Mr Harris for his “determination to deal with the issues around sexual harassment and abuse in third-level colleges”.
“With the backing of the department, which is pushing this, we could see a much healthier college culture for all students and staff, and all those who are at risk of power abuse in colleges,” she said.
Mr Harris said the appointment of Ms Blackwell was a signal of his intent to tackle the issue at third-level institutions.
“Noeline’s appointment, I hope, signals my intent in this area,” he said. “I am conscious a lot of good work has been done by many universities in tackling sexual harassment and consent. But there is a lot of work to do.
“Noeline is an incredible advocate, a strong feminist and a wonderful person. I know she will be a powerful voice in demanding the change we need in society. Third level can be a real leader here.”
Hans Benjamin-Braun, who was professor for theoretical physics at UCD, was convicted in 2019 of harassing Dr Ní Shúilleabháin and ordered to stay away from her for five years.
UCD confirmed that Mr Braun left the university in March 2019 before his conviction. UCD declined to state the circumstances in which he left.


theirishtimes--2020-09-09--CT scan errors led to patients being exposed to ‘low-level’ radiation

Errors were made in the provision of CT scans to almost 50 patients last year , resulting in an accidental exposure to low levels of radiation .
There were 68 notifications of significant exposure to ionising radiation to patients in 2019 , a small number relative to the estimated three million radiological procedures carried out each year , according to the Health Information and Quality Authority ( Hiqa ) .
The most common error reported in diagnostic imaging involved failures in patient identification , resulting in the wrong patient receiving an exposure .
Hiqa says failures in identifying the correct @ @ @ @ @ @ @ patient pathway , from the point of referral to initiating the exposure .
“ While this finding is in line with previously reported national and international data , it certainly highlights an area for improvement for undertakings , ” the report states .
CT scans accounted for 68 per cent of the 68 notifications received , with radiotherapy accounting for 19 per cent and nuclear medicine for 10 per cent .
Of the CT scans , almost half related to either the wrong patient being referred or errors in failing to correctly identify @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ The report indicates the use of radiation in medicine in Ireland is generally quite safe for patients , ” says John Tuffy , ionising radiation manager with Hiqa .
“ The incidents which were reported during 2019 involved relatively low radiation doses which posed limited risk to service users .
“ However , there have been radiation incidents reported internationally which resulted in severe detrimental effects to patients , so ongoing vigilance and attention is required .
“ While the occurrence of any significant incident is unwanted , incident reporting can be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ safety culture within a service , ” the report notes .
“ Low levels of reporting could be suggestive of a lack of reporting rather than a lack of errors.
” Hiqa says some investigation reports it received focused on human error in isolation , without considering this as a symptom of wider weaknesses in the system .

CT scans accounted for 68 per cent of the 68 notifications received, with radiotherapy accounting for 19 per cent and nuclear medicine for 10 per cent. Photograph: iStock
Errors were made in the provision of CT scans to almost 50 patients last year, resulting in an accidental exposure to low levels of radiation.
There were 68 notifications of significant exposure to ionising radiation to patients in 2019, a small number relative to the estimated three million radiological procedures carried out each year, according to the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa).
The most common error reported in diagnostic imaging involved failures in patient identification, resulting in the wrong patient receiving an exposure. Hiqa says failures in identifying the correct patient occurred at various points in the patient pathway, from the point of referral to initiating the exposure.
“While this finding is in line with previously reported national and international data, it certainly highlights an area for improvement for undertakings,” the report states.
READ MORE
CT scans accounted for 68 per cent of the 68 notifications received, with radiotherapy accounting for 19 per cent and nuclear medicine for 10 per cent.
Identify
Of the CT scans, almost half related to either the wrong patient being referred or errors in failing to correctly identify patients at the point of exposure.
"The report indicates the use of radiation in medicine in Ireland is generally quite safe for patients," says John Tuffy, ionising radiation manager with Hiqa. "The incidents which were reported during 2019 involved relatively low radiation doses which posed limited risk to service users.
“However, there have been radiation incidents reported internationally which resulted in severe detrimental effects to patients, so ongoing vigilance and attention is required.
“While the occurrence of any significant incident is unwanted, incident reporting can be suggestive of a positive and transparent patient safety culture within a service,” the report notes.
“Low levels of reporting could be suggestive of a lack of reporting rather than a lack of errors.”
Hiqa says some investigation reports it received focused on human error in isolation, without considering this as a symptom of wider weaknesses in the system.


theirishtimes--2020-09-09--Frampton says £400,000 tax bill was ‘turning point’ against McGuigan

Carl Frampton vowed never to fight for ex-manager Barry McGuigan again after the taxman called at his home with a bill for nearly £400,000 , the boxer told the High Court in Belfast on Wednesday .
The former world champion also claimed financial arrangements left him fearing he could end up boxing for no pay at his dream venue of Windsor Park stadium .
Mr Frampton ( 33 ) is suing Mr McGuigan for allegedly withheld earnings from some of his title bouts .
The fighter split from his one-time mentor ’ s Cyclone Promotions in 2017 following eight successful @ @ @ @ @ @ @ second day of the multimillion-pound lawsuit , he recalled how their deteriorating relationship finally ended after he learned about the tax demand in July that year .
His wife Christine informed him by telephone while he was training in London , the court heard .
At the time he was preparing to face Andrés Gutiérrez in Belfast – a bout ultimately called off when the Mexican slipped and injured himself in the shower .
“ She [ Christine ] was very angry on the phone .
She was at home alone with our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ HM Revenue & Customs ] had come looking for £397,000 in unpaid VAT , ” he said .
The bill was said to relate to another Cyclone company based in Northern Ireland which included Mr Frampton among its directors .
According to the boxer , he resigned from the company within a day .
“ At this stage , before the HMRC came to my house , I was still hopeful that we would resolve the issues , ” he said .
“ When that happened , that was the turning point for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was going to have to fight Gutiérrez , and I wasn ’ t going to fight for the McGuigans again.
” The Gutiérrez fight was originally scheduled for Windsor Park , before being moved to the SSE Arena .
Mr Frampton , from Belfast ’ s Tiger ’ s Bay , described how training had been far from ideal , with tensions over money issues on his mind .
He told how he had wanted the contest held at Windsor Park .
“ It ’ s just a dream to do it , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Irish football and I believed we could sell it out , ” he said .
His full purse fee of £200,000 was dependent on achieving a 12,000-capacity attendance , an alleged arrangement he described as “ strange ” .
Mr Frampton said : “ I started to get concerned then , doubts whether I could actually sell Windsor Park out , and I was worried that I may fight and actually get no money for a fight.
” Earlier , Mr Frampton told the court he was never paid as a director of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Mr McGuigan .
He also claimed that he was promised a 30 per cent share of profits made by the venture .
In evidence , Mr Frampton claimed he queried the financial arrangements with two of Mr McGuigan ’ s sons , Jake and Blain .
“ Both answers were very similar : ‘ We don ’ t make profits , there ’ s not enough money in this game , we receive a wage.
’ I think Jake told me he was on 30 grand a year.
” Barry McGuigan never @ @ @ @ @ @ @ alleged .
“ It was always difficult to speak to Barry about money issues , ” he said .
Mr McGuigan is defending the action and counter-suing for alleged breach of contract .
His barrister disputed the truthfulness of Mr Frampton ’ s version of events .
In cross-examination Liam McCollum QC put it to the boxer : “ Your case is essentially he [ Mr McGuigan ] stole money from you.
” Mr Frampton replied : “ Yes.
” But counsel challenged him repeatedly , pointing out that his client could have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agreement .
Rejecting the fighter ’ s claims that he was underpaid in purse fees by the McGuigans , Mr McCollum said : “ The only way you knew about the money was they told you about it .
”

Barry McGuigan with Carl Frampton at a featherweight title contest in New York in July 2016. Photograph: William Cherry/Inpho/Presseye
Carl Frampton vowed never to fight for ex-manager Barry McGuigan again after the taxman called at his home with a bill for nearly £400,000, the boxer told the High Court in Belfast on Wednesday.
The former world champion also claimed financial arrangements left him fearing he could end up boxing for no pay at his dream venue of Windsor Park stadium.
Mr Frampton (33) is suing Mr McGuigan for allegedly withheld earnings from some of his title bouts. The fighter split from his one-time mentor’s Cyclone Promotions in 2017 following eight successful years together.
Giving evidence on the second day of the multimillion-pound lawsuit, he recalled how their deteriorating relationship finally ended after he learned about the tax demand in July that year. His wife Christine informed him by telephone while he was training in London, the court heard.
READ MORE
At the time he was preparing to face Andrés Gutiérrez in Belfast – a bout ultimately called off when the Mexican slipped and injured himself in the shower.
“She [Christine] was very angry on the phone. She was at home alone with our children and someone from the HMRC [HM Revenue & Customs] had come looking for £397,000 in unpaid VAT,” he said.
Resigned
The bill was said to relate to another Cyclone company based in Northern Ireland which included Mr Frampton among its directors. According to the boxer, he resigned from the company within a day.
“At this stage, before the HMRC came to my house, I was still hopeful that we would resolve the issues,” he said.
“When that happened, that was the turning point for me, and I knew that I was going to have to fight Gutiérrez, and I wasn’t going to fight for the McGuigans again.”
The Gutiérrez fight was originally scheduled for Windsor Park, before being moved to the SSE Arena.
Mr Frampton, from Belfast’s Tiger’s Bay, described how training had been far from ideal, with tensions over money issues on his mind.
He told how he had wanted the contest held at Windsor Park.
“It’s just a dream to do it, it’s the home of Northern Irish football and I believed we could sell it out,” he said. His full purse fee of £200,000 was dependent on achieving a 12,000-capacity attendance, an alleged arrangement he described as “strange”.
Mr Frampton said: “I started to get concerned then, doubts whether I could actually sell Windsor Park out, and I was worried that I may fight and actually get no money for a fight.”
Earlier, Mr Frampton told the court he was never paid as a director of the promotional company he signed up to with Mr McGuigan. He also claimed that he was promised a 30 per cent share of profits made by the venture.
Queried
In evidence, Mr Frampton claimed he queried the financial arrangements with two of Mr McGuigan’s sons, Jake and Blain.
“Both answers were very similar: ‘We don’t make profits, there’s not enough money in this game, we receive a wage.’ I think Jake told me he was on 30 grand a year.”
Barry McGuigan never discussed finances with him, it was alleged. “It was always difficult to speak to Barry about money issues,” he said.
Mr McGuigan is defending the action and counter-suing for alleged breach of contract. His barrister disputed the truthfulness of Mr Frampton’s version of events.
In cross-examination Liam McCollum QC put it to the boxer: “Your case is essentially he [Mr McGuigan] stole money from you.” Mr Frampton replied: “Yes.”
But counsel challenged him repeatedly, pointing out that his client could have taken a larger percentage under the managerial agreement.
Rejecting the fighter’s claims that he was underpaid in purse fees by the McGuigans, Mr McCollum said: “The only way you knew about the money was they told you about it.”
The hearing continues.


theirishtimes--2020-09-09--Nurses, doctors clash with Government over staffing and contracts

Nurses and midwives have warned the Government that their continued co-operation in the health service over the winter “ should not be taken for granted ” .
The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation ( INMO ) said its members ’ safety was facing a triple threat from understaffing , the winter surge in demand for care and the Covid-19 pandemic .
Separately public health doctors expressed “ extreme disappointment ” over a lack of progress in talks with Government and health service officials on Wednesday on moves to place specialists in this area on contracts on a par with those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Organisation ( IMO ) said public health doctors were getting just “ lip service ” for their efforts in the fight against Covid-19 .
It said it was the essential work of public health doctors that was “ allowing society and schools to re-open through their management of outbreaks , clusters and surges of Covid ” .
The IMO is seeking that the public health becomes a consultant-led service and that public health specialists be awarded consultant contracts “ to reflect their expertise and specialist skills ” .
Public health specialists earn €113,822 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ type-A contract - which permits them to treat only public patients - have a pay scale that ranges from €141,026 to €195,653 .
IMO chief executive Susan Clyne said on Wednesday following the talks : “ It is a matter of extreme disappointment that we were advised that the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform ( DPER ) had no timelines for the required legislative reform to enable progress and have yet to sanction the terms of the new consultant contract and its implementation .
“ The argument for public health specialists to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accepted in many Government- commissioned reports including Crowe Howarth and Dr Gabriel Scally ’ s report on cervical check yet little or no progress has been made to date .
It is all the more concerning that even in the context of Covid there is no urgency on the part of Government to deal with this matter.
” The IMO said the Government was prepared to rush through legislation to facilitate pay increases for super junior Ministers “ but the same urgency is not there when it comes to delivering a consultant-led , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ system ” .
“ It is all the more frustrating and disrespectful to our public health specialists in circumstances where it is their essential work that is allowing society and schools to reopen through their management of outbreaks , clusters and surges of Covid and they receive little more than lip service for their efforts.
” The INMO said its executive was “ urgently seeking talks to establish how many extra nursing and midwifery posts will be funded over the coming year - particularly in winter ” .
INMO president and Sligo-based nurse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meeting of the union ’ s executive on Wednesday that the health service was facing a triple threat from understaffing , winter and Covid .
“ The three make for a bruising combination , pushing nurses and midwives to breaking point.
” “ We are not simply attending work : we taking serious risks to provide care , often in exceptionally uncomfortable environments .
“ The INMO executive council today had a very clear message : the HSE must engage with the union on its workforce plans urgently .
We can not go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s agreed with frontline workers .
Nurses and midwives can not be taken for granted.
” INMO general secretary , Phil Ní Sheaghdha said HSE needed to set out how and where the health service would find additional nursing and midwifery staff this winter .
“ That should naturally be done in consultation with the INMO , yet we have still had no engagement , with winter fast approaching.
” The Department of Health said the Minister for Health and the HSE were committed to the early introduction of a new model for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ status for public health specialists .
It said engagement with the IMO on the twin issues of consultant status and remuneration for public health specialists had been ongoing since January 2019 .
“ The Department and the HSE have consistently indicated their support for consultant status and significantly enhanced levels of remuneration ( a type ‘ A ’ consultant contract ) in this engagement .
“ It is envisaged that sanction will be sought from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform for consultant status and remuneration as soon as the model is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it had been engaging with DPER “ on the need to prioritise the amending legislation in the autumn session to enable implementation ” .

The INMO said its executive was “urgently seeking talks to establish how many extra nursing and midwifery posts will be funded over the coming year - particularly in winter”. Photograph: Alan Betson
Nurses and midwives have warned the Government that their continued co-operation in the health service over the winter “should not be taken for granted”.
The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) said its members' safety was facing a triple threat from understaffing, the winter surge in demand for care and the Covid-19 pandemic.
Separately public health doctors expressed “extreme disappointment” over a lack of progress in talks with Government and health service officials on Wednesday on moves to place specialists in this area on contracts on a par with those of hospital consultants.
The Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) said public health doctors were getting just "lip service" for their efforts in the fight against Covid-19. It said it was the essential work of public health doctors that was "allowing society and schools to re-open through their management of outbreaks, clusters and surges of Covid".
READ MORE
The IMO is seeking that the public health becomes a consultant-led service and that public health specialists be awarded consultant contracts “to reflect their expertise and specialist skills”.
Public health specialists earn €113,822 at present. Hospital consultants with a type-A contract - which permits them to treat only public patients - have a pay scale that ranges from €141,026 to €195,653.
IMO chief executive Susan Clyne said on Wednesday following the talks: "It is a matter of extreme disappointment that we were advised that the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) had no timelines for the required legislative reform to enable progress and have yet to sanction the terms of the new consultant contract and its implementation.
"The argument for public health specialists to be awarded consultant posts has long been accepted in many Government- commissioned reports including Crowe Howarth and Dr Gabriel Scally's report on cervical check yet little or no progress has been made to date. It is all the more concerning that even in the context of Covid there is no urgency on the part of Government to deal with this matter."
The IMO said the Government was prepared to rush through legislation to facilitate pay increases for super junior Ministers “but the same urgency is not there when it comes to delivering a consultant-led, well resourced and appropriately staffed public health system”.
“It is all the more frustrating and disrespectful to our public health specialists in circumstances where it is their essential work that is allowing society and schools to reopen through their management of outbreaks, clusters and surges of Covid and they receive little more than lip service for their efforts.”
‘Triple threat’
The INMO said its executive was “urgently seeking talks to establish how many extra nursing and midwifery posts will be funded over the coming year - particularly in winter”.
INMO president and Sligo-based nurse, Martina Harkin-Kelly, said following a meeting of the union’s executive on Wednesday that the health service was facing a triple threat from understaffing, winter and Covid.
“The three make for a bruising combination, pushing nurses and midwives to breaking point.”
“We are not simply attending work: we taking serious risks to provide care, often in exceptionally uncomfortable environments.
“The INMO executive council today had a very clear message: the HSE must engage with the union on its workforce plans urgently. We cannot go into winter without a plan that’s agreed with frontline workers. Nurses and midwives cannot be taken for granted.”
INMO general secretary, Phil Ní Sheaghdha said HSE needed to set out how and where the health service would find additional nursing and midwifery staff this winter.
“That should naturally be done in consultation with the INMO, yet we have still had no engagement, with winter fast approaching.”
The Department of Health said the Minister for Health and the HSE were committed to the early introduction of a new model for public health care which would incorporate consultant status for public health specialists.
It said engagement with the IMO on the twin issues of consultant status and remuneration for public health specialists had been ongoing since January 2019.
“The Department and the HSE have consistently indicated their support for consultant status and significantly enhanced levels of remuneration (a type ‘A’ consultant contract) in this engagement.
“It is envisaged that sanction will be sought from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform for consultant status and remuneration as soon as the model is finalised.”
The Department of Health said it had been engaging with DPER “on the need to prioritise the amending legislation in the autumn session to enable implementation”.


theirishtimes--2020-09-09--Coronavirus: 84 new cases, three deaths amid warning Dublin infections may double in fortnight

About 10 days after the opening of the State ’ s 4,000 schools , cases have been identified in 54 of them , according to public health officials .
In only one school has an additional case been identified and in most instances , the case is being attributed to infection in the community , a National Public Health Emergency Team ( NPHET ) briefing heard on Wednesday .
A further 84 confirmed cases of Covid-19 have been notified to NPHET , including 51 in Dublin , it has reported .
This brings to 30,164 the total number of cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Three further deaths were reported , bringing the total number of deaths at 1,781 .
Four people with Covid-19 have died in the past five days , after almost a month with no deaths .
The reproduction number , a measure of how many people a case goes on to infect , now stands at close to 1 but 1.4 in Dublin , according to Prof Philip Nolan , chair of the NPHET epidemiological modelling advisory group .
The 14-day national incidence of the disease stands at 38 cases per 100,000 population .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1,810 cases - half of them in Dublin .
The median age of cases is 32 and 70 per cent are under 45 years .
Expressing concern about the rise in cases , including among older people , Prof Nolan said the daily average has increased from 100-120 to 172 .
“ We are seeing increasing case numbers in Dublin , growing close to 5 per cent per day .
If this were to continue , the number of cases would double every 14 days.
” “ Given the size of Dublin ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any further spread now - by limiting our social contacts and taking precautions during any essential contacts.
” The number of hospital patients is 49 with an average of three admissions a day .
“ We continue to see a concerning pattern of cases , particularly in Dublin , ” said acting chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn .
“ Transmission is diffuse across the county , is in all age groups and is mainly being driven by social interaction within and between households.
” Prof Nolan said there has been a “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ number of people hospitalised , though the severity of cases is lower because a younger population is affected than previously .
While cases numbers had remained stable for three weeks , they have been growing for the last 10 days , mostly driven by close contacts of confirmed cases .
At the same time , the number of cases among older people is increasing , and for the first time recently , among the over-85s .
“ The fact that the virus has spread into the older age groups is a source of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said .
In most of the country , the level of disease is stable or decreasing , but Dublin , Limerick and some other counties are “ going in the opposite direction ” .
In 25 of the Republic ’ s 26 counties , there was a average of two cases per 100,000 population in the last week , but in Dublin this figure was over six .
Officials said they did not have details of the deaths of recent days but would be watching closely to ensure no new trend was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said , the vast majority of cases are occurring in households , and under half are isolated cases .
All parts of the county apart from Dublin South have seen a significant rise in cases .
NPHET is due to review the recent rise in cases at its meeting on Thursday , when it will also review testing procedures and isolation rules .
Dr Glynn said it was in the hands of people in Dublin to “ stop this getting worse ” , and he went on to suggest that if possible people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ such as christenings , Communions and household gathering for the next few weeks .
“ We want people to be able to socialise and to have as normal a life as possible but they need to do it safely.
” Almost 70,00 tests were completed over the past week , and new locations have opened to carry out swabbing , officials said .
Calling on people to exercise personal vigilance , Prof Nolan said he suspected people are “ guarded ” in some social settings and especially with strangers but much less so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Yet they are equally likely to be infected by people they know .
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said on Wednesday there was a lot of concern about the rising numbers in Dublin and Limerick but ruled out immediate local restrictions for the two counties .
Mr Martin said the Government ’ s longer-term plan for managing the virus , which is due to be launched next Tuesday , would “ deal more comprehensively ” with spikes in Covid-19 cases in the two counties .
“ No specific decisions have been made in relation to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ continue to monitor the situation , ” he told reporters at a press briefing at Government Buildings .
There will be a Covid-19 cabinet meeting on Thursday where this would be discussed “ in great detail , ” he said .
The message to people in Dublin and Limerick was to remain “ very vigilant , socially distance , reduce your social contacts , ” he said .
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar questioned the need to introduce restrictions in Dublin and Limerick when the incidence of Covid-19 cases is higher in Belfast or other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and resident of Dublin and a minister responsible for business and employment , I would want a very good justification for that from the public health people as to why we would do anything more drastic in Dublin or Limerick than is being done in other cities around Europe that may have a higher incidence , ” he said .
Asked whether the Government was considering similar measures to Glasgow where people are restricted from visiting other people ’ s homes to stem infections , Mr Varadkar said that he did not know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would need to be an analysis of them first .
Mr Varadkar said that the public managed to reduce the virus to very low levels earlier in the summer with public health measures and that people need “ to step that up and intensify that ” to avoid any new restrictions .

Dr Ronan Glynn, acting chief medical officer has emphasised in recent days the need for numbers to stabilise in Dublin and Limerick. Photograph: Colin Keegan/ Collins Dublin
About 10 days after the opening of the State’s 4,000 schools, cases have been identified in 54 of them, according to public health officials.
In only one school has an additional case been identified and in most instances, the case is being attributed to infection in the community, a National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) briefing heard on Wednesday.
A further 84 confirmed cases of Covid-19 have been notified to NPHET, including 51 in Dublin, it has reported. This brings to 30,164 the total number of cases of the disease in the Republic.
Three further deaths were reported, bringing the total number of deaths at 1,781. Four people with Covid-19 have died in the past five days, after almost a month with no deaths.
READ MORE
The reproduction number, a measure of how many people a case goes on to infect, now stands at close to 1 but 1.4 in Dublin, according to Prof Philip Nolan, chair of the NPHET epidemiological modelling advisory group.
The 14-day national incidence of the disease stands at 38 cases per 100,000 population. Over that period, there have been 1,810 cases - half of them in Dublin. The median age of cases is 32 and 70 per cent are under 45 years.
Expressing concern about the rise in cases, including among older people, Prof Nolan said the daily average has increased from 100-120 to 172.
“We are seeing increasing case numbers in Dublin, growing close to 5 per cent per day. If this were to continue, the number of cases would double every 14 days.”
“Given the size of Dublin’s population it is essential we prevent any further spread now - by limiting our social contacts and taking precautions during any essential contacts.”
The number of hospital patients is 49 with an average of three admissions a day. “We continue to see a concerning pattern of cases, particularly in Dublin,” said acting chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn. “Transmission is diffuse across the county, is in all age groups and is mainly being driven by social interaction within and between households.”
Prof Nolan said there has been a “progressive and clear” increase in the number of people hospitalised, though the severity of cases is lower because a younger population is affected than previously.
While cases numbers had remained stable for three weeks, they have been growing for the last 10 days, mostly driven by close contacts of confirmed cases.
At the same time, the number of cases among older people is increasing, and for the first time recently, among the over-85s.
“The fact that the virus has spread into the older age groups is a source of very considerable concern to us,” he said.
In most of the country, the level of disease is stable or decreasing, but Dublin, Limerick and some other counties are “going in the opposite direction”.
In 25 of the Republic’s 26 counties, there was a average of two cases per 100,000 population in the last week, but in Dublin this figure was over six.
Officials said they did not have details of the deaths of recent days but would be watching closely to ensure no new trend was involved.
Christenings
In Dublin, Prof Nolan said, the vast majority of cases are occurring in households, and under half are isolated cases. All parts of the county apart from Dublin South have seen a significant rise in cases.
NPHET is due to review the recent rise in cases at its meeting on Thursday, when it will also review testing procedures and isolation rules.
Dr Glynn said it was in the hands of people in Dublin to “stop this getting worse”, and he went on to suggest that if possible people should not go ahead with family events such as christenings, Communions and household gathering for the next few weeks.
“We want people to be able to socialise and to have as normal a life as possible but they need to do it safely.”
Almost 70,00 tests were completed over the past week, and new locations have opened to carry out swabbing, officials said.
Calling on people to exercise personal vigilance, Prof Nolan said he suspected people are “guarded” in some social settings and especially with strangers but much less so when friends are in their home. Yet they are equally likely to be infected by people they know.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said on Wednesday there was a lot of concern about the rising numbers in Dublin and Limerick but ruled out immediate local restrictions for the two counties.
Mr Martin said the Government’s longer-term plan for managing the virus, which is due to be launched next Tuesday, would “deal more comprehensively” with spikes in Covid-19 cases in the two counties.
“No specific decisions have been made in relation to those counties right now and NPHET will continue to monitor the situation,” he told reporters at a press briefing at Government Buildings.
There will be a Covid-19 cabinet meeting on Thursday where this would be discussed “in great detail,” he said.
The message to people in Dublin and Limerick was to remain “very vigilant, socially distance, reduce your social contacts,” he said.
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar questioned the need to introduce restrictions in Dublin and Limerick when the incidence of Covid-19 cases is higher in Belfast or other European cities.
“As a citizen and resident of Dublin and a minister responsible for business and employment, I would want a very good justification for that from the public health people as to why we would do anything more drastic in Dublin or Limerick than is being done in other cities around Europe that may have a higher incidence,” he said.
Asked whether the Government was considering similar measures to Glasgow where people are restricted from visiting other people’s homes to stem infections, Mr Varadkar said that he did not know whether they had worked and that there would need to be an analysis of them first.
Mr Varadkar said that the public managed to reduce the virus to very low levels earlier in the summer with public health measures and that people need “to step that up and intensify that” to avoid any new restrictions.


theirishtimes--2020-09-09--Witness says he heard ‘laughing’ after fatal Dundrum stabbing

A friend of a boy accused of murdering a teen during a melee in a Dublin park has on Wednesday told the Central Criminal Court he heard one of the deceased ’ s friends laughing following the fatal stabbing .
The witness , who can not be identified because he is a minor , told James Dwyer SC for the prosecution that after the fight broke out he saw Azzam Raguragui being stabbed twice in the leg .
He described Mr Raguragui ’ s friends as Arabs , and said that following the stabbing : “ One of the Arabs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ got stabbed.
” The 17-year-old accused has pleaded guilty to manslaughter but not guilty to the murder of 18-year-old Azzam Raguragui at Finsbury Park , Dundrum , Dublin 14 on May 10th 2019 .
Mr Raguragui was stabbed five times including a fatal wound to the chest .
The witness told Mr Dwyer that his friends met up with Azzam ’ s group at Finsbury Park .
Azzam was speaking with the accused and for about 15 to 20 minutes there was no problem .
But then another member of the witness ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Azzam he was punched from behind by a member of Azzam ’ s group .
The punch put the boy on the ground , the witness said , and then the two groups started fighting .
The witness said he saw Azzam run past him towards the accused .
He later saw Azzam on the ground kicking at the accused while the accused had a knife in his hand .
Azzam , the witness said , “ got stabbed twice in the leg.
” After telling the court about hearing someone laughing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Azzam say to the accused : “ Remember my face.
” He couldn ’ t remember if the accused responded .
The witness said he left the park and met up with the accused and another friend later that evening .
They went to a friend ’ s house .
Another friend of the accused told Mr Dwyer that during the fight he saw Azzam running holding his chest .
He agreed with Mr Dwyer that in his statement to gardaí two days after the incident he had said that he saw Azzam @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did not say he saw him running holding his chest .
He further explained to defence counsel Michael Bowman SC that he didn ’ t mention seeing Azzam running holding his chest because when giving the statement he “ just wanted to go home ” .
The trial continues in front of Mr Justice Paul McDermott and a jury of six men and six women .

A friend of a boy accused of murdering a teen during a melee in a Dublin park has on Wednesday told the Central Criminal Court he heard one of the deceased’s friends laughing following the fatal stabbing.
The witness, who cannot be identified because he is a minor, told James Dwyer SC for the prosecution that after the fight broke out he saw Azzam Raguragui being stabbed twice in the leg.
He described Mr Raguragui’s friends as Arabs, and said that following the stabbing: “One of the Arabs was laughing on the phone saying Azzam got stabbed.”
The 17-year-old accused has pleaded guilty to manslaughter but not guilty to the murder of 18-year-old Azzam Raguragui at Finsbury Park, Dundrum, Dublin 14 on May 10th 2019.
READ MORE
Mr Raguragui was stabbed five times including a fatal wound to the chest.
The witness told Mr Dwyer that his friends met up with Azzam’s group at Finsbury Park. Azzam was speaking with the accused and for about 15 to 20 minutes there was no problem. But then another member of the witness’s group arrived and while he spoke with Azzam he was punched from behind by a member of Azzam’s group.
The punch put the boy on the ground, the witness said, and then the two groups started fighting. The witness said he saw Azzam run past him towards the accused. He later saw Azzam on the ground kicking at the accused while the accused had a knife in his hand. Azzam, the witness said, “got stabbed twice in the leg.”
After telling the court about hearing someone laughing about the incident he said he heard Azzam say to the accused: “Remember my face.” He couldn’t remember if the accused responded.
The witness said he left the park and met up with the accused and another friend later that evening. They went to a friend’s house.
Another friend of the accused told Mr Dwyer that during the fight he saw Azzam running holding his chest. He agreed with Mr Dwyer that in his statement to gardaí two days after the incident he had said that he saw Azzam on the ground holding his chest but did not say he saw him running holding his chest.
He further explained to defence counsel Michael Bowman SC that he didn’t mention seeing Azzam running holding his chest because when giving the statement he “just wanted to go home”.
The trial continues in front of Mr Justice Paul McDermott and a jury of six men and six women.


theirishtimes--2020-09-09--Covid-19 brought ‘seismic’ change to justice system, committee hears

The Covid-19 pandemic has led to a “ seismic ” change in how justice is administered in the State , an Oireachtas committee has heard .
Legal representative groups and academics told the Oireachtas Covid-19 committee the pandemic has accelerated some changes around remote hearings , but also has raised significant logistical issues and potential pitfalls in accessing justice promptly .
Michele O ’ Boyle , the president of the Law Society , told the committee the introduction of remote hearings in April “ marked a seismic shift in the manner in which justice is administered in the State ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remarkable fast-forwarding in the adoption and implementation of technology right across the profession , ” she said , which is likely to be permanent “ as many traditional ways of doing business are unlikely to ever return ” .
Ms O ’ Boyle added that the use of technology , and the introduction of a legislative framework to facilitate remote hearings “ paves the way for the courts service and the judiciary to offer an improved and more cost efficient service to the public ” , but cautioned that “ fit-for-purpose technology platforms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ SC , the chair of the Council of the Bar of Ireland , warned however that there were emerging issues around physical infrastructure capacities within the courts system , saying that while all stakeholders were trying to ensure access to justice , “ you ’ re trying to fit the equivalent of a square peg into a round hole ” .
“ The resources aren ’ t there , and by resources I mean not just personnel , I mean accommodation for the numbers of persons required ” .
She said that under @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suddenly a building that could take 100 people six months ago , can now only take 20 people.
” Ms McNally said the “ only means of appropriately overcoming that is with proper investment in the infrastructure , and by that I mean : rent buildings ” .
She said that court houses were not proving large enough for their intended purpose , and said that other spaces would have to be rented .
“ You ’ ll have to bring the jury to a ballroom somewhere , so that they can be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that there are significant backlogs emerging within the legal system .
Ms O ’ Boyle called for appropriate investment in systems to allow for remote hearings .
“ If we are going to ensure access to justice going forward , we will have to adopt a model of remote hearings.
” Dr David Kenny , a Trinity College Dublin academic giving evidence on behalf of the university ’ s Covid-19 Law and Human Rights Observatory , said other considerations emerged along with the benefits of remote hearings , including that justice be seen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It would be very important to provide for that in an ongoing way , but also to consider that if we make court hearings much more accessible by being available online , that also raises some privacy concerns in terms of the details of people ’ s lives that can be put out in court hearing , ” he said “ That ’ s quite different perhaps for that to be heard by a few people who come to court to hear it versus if that is available online or available in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @

The Oireachtas committee on Covid-19 was told issues around physical infrastructure capacities within the courts system were emerging. File photograph: Collins Courts
The Covid-19 pandemic has led to a "seismic" change in how justice is administered in the State, an Oireachtas committee has heard.
Legal representative groups and academics told the Oireachtas Covid-19 committee the pandemic has accelerated some changes around remote hearings, but also has raised significant logistical issues and potential pitfalls in accessing justice promptly.
Michele O'Boyle, the president of the Law Society, told the committee the introduction of remote hearings in April "marked a seismic shift in the manner in which justice is administered in the State".
“Recent months have seen a remarkable fast-forwarding in the adoption and implementation of technology right across the profession,” she said, which is likely to be permanent “as many traditional ways of doing business are unlikely to ever return”.
READ MORE
Ms O’Boyle added that the use of technology, and the introduction of a legislative framework to facilitate remote hearings “paves the way for the courts service and the judiciary to offer an improved and more cost efficient service to the public”, but cautioned that “fit-for-purpose technology platforms must be available”.
Maura McNally SC, the chair of the Council of the Bar of Ireland, warned however that there were emerging issues around physical infrastructure capacities within the courts system, saying that while all stakeholders were trying to ensure access to justice, “you’re trying to fit the equivalent of a square peg into a round hole”.
“The resources aren’t there, and by resources I mean not just personnel, I mean accommodation for the numbers of persons required”.
She said that under new regulations on social distancing, “suddenly a building that could take 100 people six months ago, can now only take 20 people.” Ms McNally said the “only means of appropriately overcoming that is with proper investment in the infrastructure, and by that I mean: rent buildings”.
She said that court houses were not proving large enough for their intended purpose, and said that other spaces would have to be rented. “You’ll have to bring the jury to a ballroom somewhere, so that they can be empanelled,” she said, adding that there are significant backlogs emerging within the legal system.
Ms O’Boyle called for appropriate investment in systems to allow for remote hearings. “If we are going to ensure access to justice going forward, we will have to adopt a model of remote hearings.”
Dr David Kenny, a Trinity College Dublin academic giving evidence on behalf of the university's Covid-19 Law and Human Rights Observatory, said other considerations emerged along with the benefits of remote hearings, including that justice be seen to be done in public.
“It would be very important to provide for that in an ongoing way, but also to consider that if we make court hearings much more accessible by being available online, that also raises some privacy concerns in terms of the details of people’s lives that can be put out in court hearing,” he said
“That’s quite different perhaps for that to be heard by a few people who come to court to hear it versus if that is available online or available in a lasting way,” he said.


theirishtimes--2020-09-09--Frontline worker and husband fined €1,000 each for holding house party

A couple in Co Meath , one a front line worker , have been fined €1,000 each after holding a house party for 30 people in breach of Covid-19 regulations .
Juztyna Orkwiszewski and her husband Krsystof Orkwiszewski of The Glebe , Kells appeared at Trim District Court charged under the Health Act 1947 with breaching lockdown regulations on 16th May this year .
Sergeant Kevin Mooney told the court that gardaí visited the couple ’ s address and looked in a window and saw six people sitting at a table .
On admission to the house they found 10 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ garden and a further 10 people upstairs .
The only three people resident in the house were the accused and their young daughter .
Defending solicitor Miriam Regan said there had been a number of house parties in Kells on the same day .
She acknowledged Ms Orkwiszewski was a front line worker and should have known better .
Some people had arrived in Ireland from Poland and had come to The Glebe “ to say hello and goodbye ” , she said .
Ms Regan also said Ms Orkwiszewski was very concerned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Judge Cormac Dunne imposed a fine of €1,000 on each of the accused .
Separately , Leon Bond ( 19 ) Yellow Furze , Dunderry , Co Meath was fined €400 and James Colgan ( 21 ) , Tobertynan , Rathmolyon , Co Meath was fined €1,200 for breaching Covid-19 regulations by travelling outside a 5km limit from their homes .
The court heard that James Colgan had breached the regulations twice earlier this year .

Defending solicitor Miriam Regan acknowledged Ms Orkwiszewski was a front line worker and should have known better.
A couple in Co Meath, one a front line worker, have been fined €1,000 each after holding a house party for 30 people in breach of Covid-19 regulations.
Juztyna Orkwiszewski and her husband Krsystof Orkwiszewski of The Glebe, Kells appeared at Trim District Court charged under the Health Act 1947 with breaching lockdown regulations on 16th May this year.
Sergeant Kevin Mooney told the court that gardaí visited the couple’s address and looked in a window and saw six people sitting at a table. On admission to the house they found 10 people inside, 10 more in the garden and a further 10 people upstairs. The only three people resident in the house were the accused and their young daughter.
Defending solicitor Miriam Regan said there had been a number of house parties in Kells on the same day. She acknowledged Ms Orkwiszewski was a front line worker and should have known better.
READ MORE
Some people had arrived in Ireland from Poland and had come to The Glebe “to say hello and goodbye”, she said. Ms Regan also said Ms Orkwiszewski was very concerned because her job was at risk.
Judge Cormac Dunne imposed a fine of €1,000 on each of the accused.
Separately, Leon Bond (19) Yellow Furze, Dunderry, Co Meath was fined €400 and James Colgan (21), Tobertynan, Rathmolyon, Co Meath was fined €1,200 for breaching Covid-19 regulations by travelling outside a 5km limit from their homes. The court heard that James Colgan had breached the regulations twice earlier this year.


theirishtimes--2020-09-10--HSE says Covid-19 testing is ‘reaching capacity’ after surge in demand

The HSE has defended its decision to suspend serial testing in meat plants to meet the surge in referrals for Covid-19 tests from GPs for people showing symptoms in the community .
Paul Reid , chief executive of the HSE , said that it was the “ right decision ” to redeploy resources from serial , asymptomatic testing in food processing plants because if the trend of community testing referrals continued , the system would be almost at its weekly capacity of 100,000 tests .
Speaking at the HSE ’ s weekly Covid-19 briefing , he said the number of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a large proportion of which was for children returning to school and people in north Dublin - created a “ significant challenge on the daily lab testing because we are reaching capacity.
” Mr Reid said that the HSE had to “ triage ” testing and prioritise the referral of people who were showing Covid-19 symptoms and must take “ the right daily agile decisions.
“ “ We have the 100,000 capacity .
We have to address what comes at us on a daily basis and we have to take public health guidance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Mr Reid .
Asked if the weekly capacity of 100,000 tests , which equates to roughly 14,200 a day , needed to be increased , he said : “ If capacity needs to be increased , we will have to seek that.
” The HSE received 13,000 referrals for tests on Monday and a further 8,000 on Tuesday , forcing the health service to postpone scheduled serial testing on asymptomatic cases in meat plants and food processing companies - a high-risk area that led to local lockdowns last month - to next @ @ @ @ @ @ @ days ] are significant increases on a normal day ’ s referral for community testing , which has generally been 4,000 to 5,000 , ” Mr Reid told reporters at the briefing in UCD in Dublin .
The 21,000 referrals for community testing in a two-day period compares with 28,000 community test referrals for the whole of last week and 25,000 the week before .
This amounted to an increase of 16.5 per cent in community testing needs in the week , he said .
Mr Reid said that on some days , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ excess of 14,000 , which is close to the State ’ s daily capacity for Covid-19 testing .
Niamh O ’ Beirne , the HSE ’ s lead on testing and contact tracing , said that there are more than 12,000 appointments scheduled for today for symptomatic people looking for Covid-19 tests .
“ That makes our decision the right thing to have done to make sure we have the capacity to do those tests in our community because on top of that 12,000 , we will have at least 3,000 in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ already you are hitting 15,000 , ” Ms O ’ Beirne said .
To cope with the increased number of referrals for testing in the community , the HSE has opened three additional “ pop-up ” swabbing centres : in Limerick , Tallaght and Carlow-Kilkenny .
It is adding more staff to increase vehicle lanes at testing centres in Swords and at Citywest in Dublin and was deploying more Defence Forces staff at the test centre at the Aviva stadium .
Almost 57,000 swabs have been taken in serial testing of nursing homes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and 12,800 swabs in meat plants , which showed a 0.27 per cent positivity rate .
The positivity rate on tests overall has risen to more than 1 per cent over the past six weeks .
Mr Reid said that the median end-to-end turnaround time from referral for a test to the contacts of an infected person being traced was 2.1 days and the median testing turnaround was 27 hours .
The HSE ’ s chief clinical officer Dr Colm Henry said that the 14-day incidence rate of infections was 38 per 100,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dublin , at 71 and Limerick , at 60 .
The National Public Health Emergency Team would when it meets today be “ mindful ” in considering the options for public health measures in response to higher infection rates in the two counties in light of the impact that lockdowns have on children and older people , he said .
“ Nobody wants to go back to a full-scale lockdown , ” he said , though he noted the concern of local resurgences of the disease on groups who are more vulnerable to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be considering how we can tighten up on extinguishing the virus within households by reducing the opportunity the virus has to propagate to jump from one household to another , ” he told the briefing .
Dr Henry said that there had been a “ small but steady increase ” in the numbers of people aged over 75 - the age group most at risk from Covid-19 - who have been contracting the virus recently .
The HSE said that the number of people hospitalised with the coronavirus disease among 888 cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was 59 , or 3.1 per cent .
Of the 59 people hospitalised with the disease in the two weeks to September 7th , 31 were aged 65 and over , 16 are under the age of 35 and 12 were aged between 35 and 65 .
Mr Reid said the average daily number of new Covid-19 cases over the past seven days has been 151 , up from 120 in a week .
The number of confirmed cases in hospitals has been trending upwards , standing at 50 now , up from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases in intensive care units remain stable at six .
Mr Reid said that the HSE has a seen a “ concerning trend ” of people presenting to the health services with anxiety and mental issues during the Covid-19 pandemic .

The HSE has defended its decision to suspend serial testing in meat plants to meet the surge in referrals for Covid-19 tests from GPs for people showing symptoms in the community.
Paul Reid, chief executive of the HSE, said that it was the "right decision" to redeploy resources from serial, asymptomatic testing in food processing plants because if the trend of community testing referrals continued, the system would be almost at its weekly capacity of 100,000 tests.
Speaking at the HSE’s weekly Covid-19 briefing, he said the number of GP referrals for testing this week - a large proportion of which was for children returning to school and people in north Dublin - created a “significant challenge on the daily lab testing because we are reaching capacity.”
Mr Reid said that the HSE had to “triage” testing and prioritise the referral of people who were showing Covid-19 symptoms and must take “the right daily agile decisions.“
READ MORE
“We have the 100,000 capacity. We have to address what comes at us on a daily basis and we have to take public health guidance and the prioritisation of resources,” said Mr Reid.
Asked if the weekly capacity of 100,000 tests, which equates to roughly 14,200 a day, needed to be increased, he said: “If capacity needs to be increased, we will have to seek that.”
The HSE received 13,000 referrals for tests on Monday and a further 8,000 on Tuesday, forcing the health service to postpone scheduled serial testing on asymptomatic cases in meat plants and food processing companies - a high-risk area that led to local lockdowns last month - to next week.
“Both of these [days ]are significant increases on a normal day’s referral for community testing, which has generally been 4,000 to 5,000,” Mr Reid told reporters at the briefing in UCD in Dublin.
The 21,000 referrals for community testing in a two-day period compares with 28,000 community test referrals for the whole of last week and 25,000 the week before. This amounted to an increase of 16.5 per cent in community testing needs in the week, he said.
Mr Reid said that on some days, demand for lab testing had reached in excess of 14,000, which is close to the State’s daily capacity for Covid-19 testing.
Niamh O’Beirne, the HSE’s lead on testing and contact tracing, said that there are more than 12,000 appointments scheduled for today for symptomatic people looking for Covid-19 tests.
“That makes our decision the right thing to have done to make sure we have the capacity to do those tests in our community because on top of that 12,000, we will have at least 3,000 in the acute [hospital] system, so already you are hitting 15,000,” Ms O’Beirne said.
To cope with the increased number of referrals for testing in the community, the HSE has opened three additional "pop-up" swabbing centres: in Limerick, Tallaght and Carlow-Kilkenny.
It is adding more staff to increase vehicle lanes at testing centres in Swords and at Citywest in Dublin and was deploying more Defence Forces staff at the test centre at the Aviva stadium.
Almost 57,000 swabs have been taken in serial testing of nursing homes showing a 0.2 per cent positivity rate and 12,800 swabs in meat plants, which showed a 0.27 per cent positivity rate.
The positivity rate on tests overall has risen to more than 1 per cent over the past six weeks.
Mr Reid said that the median end-to-end turnaround time from referral for a test to the contacts of an infected person being traced was 2.1 days and the median testing turnaround was 27 hours.
Limerick and Dublin
The HSE's chief clinical officer Dr Colm Henry said that the 14-day incidence rate of infections was 38 per 100,000 people for the country but higher in Dublin, at 71 and Limerick, at 60.
The National Public Health Emergency Team would when it meets today be “mindful” in considering the options for public health measures in response to higher infection rates in the two counties in light of the impact that lockdowns have on children and older people, he said.
“Nobody wants to go back to a full-scale lockdown,” he said, though he noted the concern of local resurgences of the disease on groups who are more vulnerable to ending up in hospital.
“NPHET will be considering how we can tighten up on extinguishing the virus within households by reducing the opportunity the virus has to propagate to jump from one household to another,” he told the briefing.
Dr Henry said that there had been a “small but steady increase” in the numbers of people aged over 75 - the age group most at risk from Covid-19 - who have been contracting the virus recently.
The HSE said that the number of people hospitalised with the coronavirus disease among 888 cases notified between August 25th and September 7th was 59, or 3.1 per cent.
Of the 59 people hospitalised with the disease in the two weeks to September 7th, 31 were aged 65 and over, 16 are under the age of 35 and 12 were aged between 35 and 65.
Mr Reid said the average daily number of new Covid-19 cases over the past seven days has been 151, up from 120 in a week.
The number of confirmed cases in hospitals has been trending upwards, standing at 50 now, up from 40 last week.
The number of cases in intensive care units remain stable at six.
Mr Reid said that the HSE has a seen a “concerning trend” of people presenting to the health services with anxiety and mental issues during the Covid-19 pandemic.


theirishtimes--2020-09-10--‘Wet pubs’ will be allowed to hold live music sessions when they reopen

‘ Wet pubs ’ will be allowed to host live music when they reopen on September 21st , according to informed Government sources .
The current regulations surrounding Covid-19 do not expressly prohibit music being played in public houses .
As part of a wider drive to give support to the entertainment sector , which has also been hit hard by the pandemic , the sources said the Government will not discourage live music or sessions in public houses involving small bands , or individuals .
However , all the social distancing and Covid-19 guidelines must be followed .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that as much activity as possible takes place and we get as big a number of musicians and performers back in operation , ” said the source .
Minister for Media , Arts and Culture Catherine Martin will on Thursday name the chair of the taskforce which is being established to help the arts and culture sector adapt to the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic .
Earlier Ms Martin said she wanted to see the current restrictions on gatherings lifted to support the arts and music industry , so they can get back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ performers performing again .
The current restrictions on numbers attending events were not viable for the industry and were an anomaly , she told RTÉ radio ’ s Today with Claire Byrne show .
“ I want our musicians to play , to sing again , to earn a living.
” On Tuesday , Cabinet gave the green light for all so-called “ wet pubs ” , which do not serve food , to reopen from September 21st , seven months after they first shut due to the Covid-19 pandemic .
They will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ireland which designate pubs as “ controlled environments ” and therefore subject to strict restrictions .
Most of the requirements already apply to restaurants and food-serving pubs which were permitted to open in June .
However there are some new restrictions , particularly in the area of social distancing .
Q & A : How will ‘ wet ’ pubs operate from September 21st ?
Ms Martin added that she fully accepted the social and economic impacts restrictions had on the arts , music and sports sectors and she wanted to see audiences @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Financial supports for sports organisations were being considered as the loss of ticketing and the closure of stadiums was being felt .
She said she was “ more about opening up than closing down ” and understood the demands on performers as she had worked in the sector and busked on Grafton Street .
Public health was central to all decisions , she said , but she felt numbers could be increased in line with what had happened abroad .
“ Let ’ s open up as safely as possible.
” She said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ available under a new arts task force along with two pilot schemes launched this week .

Live music events will have to adhere to social distancing rules when ‘wet pubs’ reopen on September 21st. This file imags shows a music session in a pub before the pandemic. File photograph: Frank Miller.
The National Public Health Emergency Team has recommended that new household restrictions be introduced in Dublin to address rising numbers of Covid-19 cases in the capital.
It is understood that NPHET has told the Government its preference would be to reduce the number of families allowed in any one house during visits from three to two. This measure is being proposed to deal with the high number of community transmissions in Dublin - many of the cases are caused by household clusters.
The current number of six will not be lowered, however, just the reduction in number of people from different families.
It is also understood that the team has made no recommendation that would restrict travel in and out of the capital other than new advice that people should limit their travel and not consider doing so for social occasions.
READ MORE
While pubs are due to reopen on September 21, NPHET has also issued a note of caution about premises in the capital saying some restrictive measures might be desirable if the numbers do not stabilise.
The Cabinet sub-committee on Covid-19 is currently meeting and will consider the advice of the expert body this afternoon. The meeting of the group, which includes Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar, and Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly, was delayed because of a series of Dáil votes.
Sources familiar with the NPHET discussion said the sense was that the main discussion on public houses in Dublin will occur in the run-up to the proposed reopening on September 21st and the decision will be determined by levels of the virus then.
Nphet also discussed updating the guidance on visiting older people in vulnerable settings such as care homes. The thrust of the discussions on Thursday was about the situation in Dublin and not Limerick. It is not likely any new travel restrictions will be imposed preventing people from leaving the Dublin area.
‘Wet pubs’
Earlier it emerged that ‘wet pubs’ will be allowed to host live music when they re-open on September 21st, according to informed Government sources.
The current regulations surrounding Covid-19 do not expressly prohibit music being played in public houses. As part of a wider drive to give support to the entertainment sector, which has also been hit hard by the pandemic, the sources said the Government will not discourage live music or sessions in public houses involving small bands, or individuals.
However, all the social distancing and Covid-19 guidelines must be followed.
“We are very keen to make sure that as much activity as possible takes place and we get as big a number of musicians and performers back in operation,” said the source.
Minister for Media, Arts and Culture Catherine Martin will on Thursday name the chair of the taskforce which is being established to help the arts and culture sector adapt to the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Earlier Ms Martin said she wanted to see the current restrictions on gatherings lifted to support the arts and music industry, so they can get back to work as she wanted to see performers performing again.
The current restrictions on numbers attending events were not viable for the industry and were an anomaly, she told RTÉ radio's Today with Claire Byrne show.
“I want our musicians to play, to sing again, to earn a living.”
On Tuesday, Cabinet gave the green light for all so-called “wet pubs”, which do not serve food, to re-open from September 21st, seven months after they first shut due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
They will operate under guidelines drawn up by Fáilte Ireland which designate pubs as "controlled environments" and therefore subject to strict restrictions. Most of the requirements already apply to restaurants and food-serving pubs which were permitted to open in June. However there are some new restrictions, particularly in the area of social distancing.
Q&A: How will 'wet' pubs operate from September 21st
Ms Martin added that she fully accepted the social and economic impacts restrictions had on the arts, music and sports sectors and she wanted to see audiences back and the “turnstiles open.”
Financial supports for sports organisations were being considered as the loss of ticketing and the closure of stadiums was being felt. She said she was "more about opening up than closing down" and understood the demands on performers as she had worked in the sector and busked on Grafton Street.
Public health was central to all decisions, she said, but she felt numbers could be increased in line with what had happened abroad. “Let’s open up as safely as possible.”
She said funding for the arts sector would be available under a new arts task force along with two pilot schemes launched this week.