theirishtimes--2020-10-29--Court ruling has major implications for reporting on killings of children

The decision of the Court of Appeal that the media can not name a deceased child victim of crime , because of a provision of the 2001 Children Act , is likely to create some striking anomalies in the future .
The ruling applies , or is triggered , by court proceedings , in that it only comes into effect once a person is charged .
It now seems that if the whole nation is talking about a murdered child , the publication of his or her name will come to a sudden halt once a person has been charged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are such that the identification of the person charged might in turn identify the victim , then media reports of the charge would be also forced to leave out the identity of the person accused .
It seems it is now the case that strangers to a child who are convicted of killing them can be named , but not persons who are close relatives , lest their being identified might in turn identify the victim .
The prohibition on naming the child victim persists , beyond the completion of the trial process @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , for instance , the media would have had to stop naming her once the boys who were convicted of killing her were charged , and would still be prohibited from naming her .
The media would not have been able to give the coverage it did to Ana ’ s parents , Geraldine and Patric , who did so much at the end of the trial to explain their love for her , thereby providing a counterweight to the darkness of a murder that had caused such generalised distress .
Another instance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how the media operates appears to be where an adult who was raped or sexually abused as a child by a family member and wants to allow their identity be revealed , so their abuser can also be named .
It now appears that to do so would be a criminal offence , even though the public naming of the perpetrator might be something wished for by the victim and might be of assistance to others .
None of this is to criticise the Court of Appeal .
The three judges who delivered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Barring a successful appeal to the Supreme Court , the ball is back in the court of the Oireachtas .
It can amend the 2001 Act to change what was presumably an unintended consequence of its wording .
But the media ’ s confidence in the ability of the Oireachtas to quickly progress necessary legislative reforms in their industry is pretty low .

The media would not have been able to give the coverage it did to Ana Kriégel’s parents, Geraldine and Patric, if this interpretation of the law had been in place. Photograph: Tom Honan
The decision of the Court of Appeal that the media cannot name a deceased child victim of crime, because of a provision of the 2001 Children Act, is likely to create some striking anomalies in the future.
The ruling applies, or is triggered, by court proceedings, in that it only comes into effect once a person is charged.
It now seems that if the whole nation is talking about a murdered child, the publication of his or her name will come to a sudden halt once a person has been charged.
If the circumstances of the crime are such that the identification of the person charged might in turn identify the victim, then media reports of the charge would be also forced to leave out the identity of the person accused.
READ MORE
It seems it is now the case that strangers to a child who are convicted of killing them can be named, but not persons who are close relatives, lest their being identified might in turn identify the victim.
The prohibition on naming the child victim persists, beyond the completion of the trial process.
In the case of Ana Kriégel, for instance, the media would have had to stop naming her once the boys who were convicted of killing her were charged, and would still be prohibited from naming her.
The media would not have been able to give the coverage it did to Ana’s parents, Geraldine and Patric, who did so much at the end of the trial to explain their love for her, thereby providing a counterweight to the darkness of a murder that had caused such generalised distress.
Another instance where the ruling is likely to change how the media operates appears to be where an adult who was raped or sexually abused as a child by a family member and wants to allow their identity be revealed, so their abuser can also be named.
It now appears that to do so would be a criminal offence, even though the public naming of the perpetrator might be something wished for by the victim and might be of assistance to others.
None of this is to criticise the Court of Appeal. The three judges who delivered the ruling are very highly regarded.
Barring a successful appeal to the Supreme Court, the ball is back in the court of the Oireachtas. It can amend the 2001 Act to change what was presumably an unintended consequence of its wording.
But the media’s confidence in the ability of the Oireachtas to quickly progress necessary legislative reforms in their industry is pretty low.


theirishtimes--2020-10-29--Postmortem results on mother and two children found dead in Dublin due on Friday

Postmortem results to determine if a mother and her two children were murdered in their home in south Dublin are not expected until Friday as the examinations have not yet been completed .
Locum Assistant State Pathologist Dr Heidi Okkers on Thursday began , but had not completed , postmortems on the remains of Seema Banu ( 37 ) and her 11-year-old daughter Asfira Riza and six-year-old son Faizan Syed .
Garda sources said detectives believed the two children were murdered but as the scene where their mother ’ s remains were found was more complex the results of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it could be established if she was murdered .
Detectives believed the two children were strangled and their remains were found in a bedroom in the house .
A ligature was found with the remains of their mother , who was found dead in another bedroom .
The bodies of the mother and two children were taken from their home on Llywellen Court , Ballinteer , just after 6pm on Wednesday , though the postmortems were not commenced until early on Thursday .
While results for all three examinations were hoped for on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Dublin , confirmed those examinations would not be completed until Friday .
The deaths were officially being treated as “ unexplained ” though all the resources of a triple murder investigation have been committed to the case .
The remains of the children and their mother are believed to have lain undiscovered in the house for several days , with a tap left running in the semi detached house flooding the property .
The bodies were discovered by gardaí just after midday on Wednesday and gardaí suspect the mother and two children @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ms Banu had been the victim of a serious assault earlier this year , which left her with a series of injuries .
A suspect for that attack had been charged with assault causing harm and was due to go on trial early next year .
Confirming that the postmortems would not be completed until Friday , Garda Headquarters urged anyone with information on the deaths of Ms Banu and her children to come forward and aid the investigation .
“ Investigating gardaí continue to appeal to members of the public not to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ uninformed and unhelpful to the criminal investigation , ” a Garda spokesman said , adding not further information was available at present .
The husband of Ms Banu , and father to the two children , has been liaising with gardaí based in Dundrum Garda station where the investigation is based .
No arrests have been made to date and gardaí said the results of the postmortems were crucial before the direction of the investigation could be determined .
Ms Banu was originally from India but had been living in Ireland for a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ moved into the house in Ballinteer in recent months and the children were relatively new to Ballinteer Educate Together National School where Faizan Syed was in first class and Asfira Riza was in sixth class .
School principal Orlaith Curran said the children would be “ greatly missed ” by everyone who knew them .
She explained the school had implemented its ‘ critical incident management plan ’ .
Psychologists from the National Educational Psychological Service had on Thursday been “ supporting and advising our school staff in preparation for the return of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The Educate Together national office said it had learned of the children ’ s deaths “ with great shock and sadness ” , adding it was an “ awful tragedy ” “ Words fall short of expressing the shock and profound sadness many are feeling when thinking about the children and family affected .
Our hearts are with the family , friends and classmates of the bereaved , ” it said .
Sandeep Kumar , Indian ambassador to Ireland , said Ms Banu ’ s family reacted with “ disbelief ” and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them in India to tell them about the tragic deaths .
Mr Kumar had first spoken with Ms Banu ’ s brother .
“ When we broke the news to them , the first reaction was that of disbelief , disorientation , and this is perfectly understandable , ” he told RTÉ .
“ We were very sensitive to the case .
We tried to explain it to them as best as we could.
” Mr Kumar said he understood Ms Banu ’ s family has relatives in Ireland who had been in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are meeting with them and we are providing full assistance , ” he added .

Seema Banu moved into the house in Ballinteer in recent months and the children were relatively new to Ballinteer Educate Together National School where her son Faizan Syed was in first class and her daughter Asfira Riza was in sixth class.
Postmortem results to determine if a mother and her two children were murdered in their home in south Dublin are not expected until today as the examinations have not yet been completed.
Locum Assistant State Pathologist Dr Heidi Okkers on Thursday began, but had not completed, postmortems on the remains of Seema Banu (37) and her 11-year-old daughter Asfira Riza and 6-year-old son Faizan Syed.
Garda sources said detectives believed the two children were murdered but as the scene where their mother’s remains were found was more complex the results of a post mortem on her remains were required before it could be established if she was murdered.
Detectives believe the two children were strangled and their remains were found in a bedroom in the house on Llywellen Court, Ballinteer. A ligature was found with the remains of their mother, who was found dead in another bedroom.
READ MORE
While an initial postmortem was performed on Ms Banu’s remains, it proved inconclusive and a more comprehensive examination was due to be conducted on Friday.
The deaths were officially being treated as “unexplained” though all the resources of a triple murder investigation have been committed to the case.
The remains of the children and their mother are believed to have lain undiscovered in the house for several days, with a tap left running in the semi detached house flooding the property.
Bank holiday
The bodies were discovered by gardaí just after midday on Wednesday and gardaí suspect the mother and two children died over the Bank Holiday Weekend.
Ms Banu had been the victim of a serious assault earlier this year, which left her with a series of injuries. A suspect for that attack had been charged with assault causing harm and is due to go on trial early next year.
Garda Headquarters urged anyone with information about the deaths of Ms Banu and her children to come forward and aid the investigation.
The husband of Ms Banu, and father to the two children, has been liaising with gardaí based in Dundrum Garda station where the investigation is based.
No arrests have been made to date and gardaí said the results of the postmortems were crucial before the direction of the investigation could be determined.
Ms Banu was originally from India but had been living in Ireland for a number of years.
She had moved into the house in Ballinteer in recent months and the children were relatively new to Ballinteer Educate Together National School where Faizan Syed was in first class and Asfira Riza was in sixth class.
School principal Orlaith Curran said the children would be “greatly missed” by everyone who knew them.
She explained the school had implemented its ‘critical incident management plan’. Psychologists from the National Educational Psychological Service had on Thursday been “supporting and advising our school staff in preparation for the return of our students from the mid-term break”.


theirishtimes--2020-10-29--Hawkins House demolition begins

Hawkins House demolition begins

Demolition of Hawkins House , the former Department of Health headquarters in Dublin city centre , has finally started three years after it was approved .
John Tinnelly and Sons , the same firm that demolished the neighbouring Apollo House in 2017 , has begun an 11-month programme to level one of the city ’ s least popular buildings .
The Office of Public Works ( OPW ) said the future of the site , at the corner of Poolbeg Street and Hawkins Street , has yet to be determined and will be subject to the availability of funds post-demolition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ site will be offered for sale .
Hawkins House , built from 1962 to 1964 , is the last remaining building on a large city block which runs east-west from Tara Street to Hawkins Street , and north-south from Poolbeg Street to Townsend Street .
Recently demolished buildings on the block include Apollo House , the Screen cinema , College House , the Long Stone pub and Brokerage apartments .
Apart from the Brokerage and the Long Stone pub , which were both built towards the end of the 20th century , all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been developed during the 1960s and 1970s .
Hawkins House was the oldest building on the site .
Apollo House on Tara Street was built in 1969 , the Screen cinema at the corner of Hawkins Street and Townsend Street followed in 1972 , while College House – the former An Post building also on Townsend Street , came two years later in 1974 .
The entire site , apart from Hawkins House , is owned by developer Pat Crean who acquired it in stages between 2015 and 2018 .
In June 2017 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the OPW for the demolition of Hawkins House , and its replacement with an office complex up to 10 storeys tall .
At the same time the board also gave the go-ahead to Mazars , which was at the time the receiver appointed by the National Assets Management Agency ( Nama ) to Cuprum Properties Ltd , to demolish Apollo House and the Long Stone pub and replace them with buildings from five to 12 storeys high .
Mr Crean was last month granted permission to increase the height on the Apollo House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ addition of 54 build-to-rent apartments .
Around the corner on Townsend Street , College House and the Screen will be replaced with buildings up to 10 storeys , which will include a 500-seat entertainment venue .
The demolition will progress in stages , with scaffolding erected around the entire building before it is demolished floor by floor from the top down .
Preliminary construction work on Mr Crean ’ s scheme , which will be called College Square and will include shops , restaurants and cafes on the ground floor with offices and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the coming weeks .
Hawkins House was built on the site of the former Theatre Royal , an art deco theatre and cinema built in 1935 .
Its construction followed the demolition of the Victorian Theatre Royal , built in 1897 , which had also been used as a cinema in the final years before its demolition .
It also replaced an earlier Georgian Theatre Royal which had been built in 1820 .

Irish Times Dublin Editor Olivia Kelly reports on the commencement of the demolition of Hawkins House, often referenced as one of Dublin’s ugliest buildings. The process will take approximately eleven months. Video: Bryan O’Brien
Demolition of Hawkins House, the former Department of Health headquarters in Dublin city centre, has finally started three years after it was approved.
John Tinnelly and Sons, the same firm that demolished the neighbouring Apollo House in 2017, has begun an 11-month programme to level one of the city’s least popular buildings.
The Office of Public Works (OPW) said the future of the site, at the corner of Poolbeg Street and Hawkins Street, has yet to be determined and will be subject to the availability of funds post-demolition. However, it is expected the site will be offered for sale.
Hawkins House, built from 1962 to 1964, is the last remaining building on a large city block which runs east-west from Tara Street to Hawkins Street, and north-south from Poolbeg Street to Townsend Street. Recently demolished buildings on the block include Apollo House, the Screen cinema, College House, the Long Stone pub and Brokerage apartments.
READ MORE
Apart from the Brokerage and the Long Stone pub, which were both built towards the end of the 20th century, all the other buildings on the block had been developed during the 1960s and 1970s.
Apollo House
Hawkins House was the oldest building on the site. Apollo House on Tara Street was built in 1969, the Screen cinema at the corner of Hawkins Street and Townsend Street followed in 1972, while College House – the former An Post building also on Townsend Street, came two years later in 1974.
The entire site, apart from Hawkins House, is owned by developer Pat Crean who acquired it in stages between 2015 and 2018.
In June 2017, An Bord Pleanála granted permission to the OPW for the demolition of Hawkins House, and its replacement with an office complex up to 10 storeys tall.
At the same time the board also gave the go-ahead to Mazars, which was at the time the receiver appointed by the National Assets Management Agency (Nama) to Cuprum Properties Ltd, to demolish Apollo House and the Long Stone pub and replace them with buildings from five to 12 storeys high.
Mr Crean was last month granted permission to increase the height on the Apollo House site to 21 storeys, with the addition of 54 build-to-rent apartments. Around the corner on Townsend Street, College House and the Screen will be replaced with buildings up to 10 storeys, which will include a 500-seat entertainment venue.
College Square
The demolition will progress in stages, with scaffolding erected around the entire building before it is demolished floor by floor from the top down. Preliminary construction work on Mr Crean's scheme, which will be called College Square and will include shops, restaurants and cafes on the ground floor with offices and apartments above, is expected to begin in the coming weeks.
Hawkins House was built on the site of the former Theatre Royal, an art deco theatre and cinema built in 1935. Its construction followed the demolition of the Victorian Theatre Royal, built in 1897, which had also been used as a cinema in the final years before its demolition. It also replaced an earlier Georgian Theatre Royal which had been built in 1820.


theirishtimes--2020-10-29--Schools told to withdraw more than 50 hand sanitisers, wipes and detergents

Schools are scrambling to secure supplies of hand sanitiser after the Department of Education ordered the withdrawal more than 50 products due to potential safety concerns .
The move follows a review of sanitiser products after the Department of Agriculture last week requested that a hand sanitiser - ViraPro - be withdrawn due to safety issues .
The short notice given to schools has caused anger and frustration among teachers ’ unions and school managers who say principals will be under acute pressure to secure supplies in time for the reopening of schools on Monday .
It also sparked criticism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which said the development raised questions around whether the department was fit for purpose to steer schools through the Covid crisis .
The department , however , said it was working with suppliers to ensure stock is provided to schools in time for the reopening of schools .
In a statement , it said it had written to all schools to advise them of changes to its approved list of products and the steps they can take to procure new stock .
It said suppliers have committed to swift processing of orders and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said it was taking 22 hand sanitisers , 14 wipes , eight hand soaps and eight detergents off its approved list for schools because it had “ not been possible to satisfactorily confirm their registration status as part of the review ” .
It said these products will not be included on its approved list for schools until their registration status is confirmed .
The department said it has no evidence that these products are unsafe .
The step was undertaken in consultation with the Department of Agriculture , which is the regulator @ @ @ @ @ @ @ schools have stocks of the products listed as “ removed ” , whether purchased through a central procurement agreement or purchased locally , they have been instructed not to use them .
Schools impacted by the removal of these products will be provided with funding to source new supplies .
The department said it has issued to schools an updated list of all the new products on the agreement with all relevant associated pricing .
The suppliers and products on the agreement will be monitored on an ongoing basis and any further changes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ schools .
It said it has engaged with suppliers in the last few days to ensure there is sufficient stocks available for schools to order .
Schools seeking new product to replace stock are requested to contact any of the suppliers on the agreement directly to process orders .
Any school that is impacted by this will be provided with funding for an aide for two days to assist with dealing with these issues .
In response to the announcement , the Irish National Teachers ’ Organisation said it was very concerning that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ list of resources have now been deemed inappropriate .
“ That this information has come to light during the mid-term break is very unsatisfactory .
School leaders and boards of management needed this break to recharge after an incredibly stressful nine weeks , ” said INTO general secretary John Boyle .
Teachers ’ Union of Ireland general secretary Michael Gillespie called for a full standards audit of all the products that have been procured and said he was pleased that the Department has acted on that call .
“ We must all do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ safety of all in the school community and , therefore , the use of defective or sub-standard products must be eliminated .
We want real security , not the illusion of security , for our members , their students and their families.
” He urged the department to ensure that replacement products of the required high standard are supplied to schools as a matter of urgency so that school opening can be sustained .
“ Cutting corners or skimping on costs is false economy , ” he concluded .

The Department of Education has asked schools to withdraw more than 50 hand sanitisers, wipes and detergents from schools after it was unable to guarantee if they were safe to use. Photograph: iStock
Schools are scrambling to secure supplies of hand sanitiser after the Department of Education ordered the withdrawal more than 50 products due to potential safety concerns.
The move follows a review of sanitiser products after the Department of Agriculture last week requested that a hand sanitiser - ViraPro - be withdrawn due to safety issues.
The short notice given to schools has caused anger and frustration among teachers’ unions and school managers who say principals will be under acute pressure to secure supplies in time for the reopening of schools on Monday.
It also sparked criticism from Oppostion parties such as Labour, which said the development raised questions around whether the department was fit for purpose to steer schools through the Covid crisis.
READ MORE
The department, however, said it was working with suppliers to ensure stock is provided to schools in time for the reopening of schools.
In a statement, it said it had written to all schools to advise them of changes to its approved list of products and the steps they can take to procure new stock.
It said suppliers have committed to swift processing of orders and delivery to support schools.
The department said it was taking 22 hand sanitisers, 14 wipes, eight hand soaps and eight detergents off its approved list for schools because it had “not been possible to satisfactorily confirm their registration status as part of the review”.
It said these products will not be included on its approved list for schools until their registration status is confirmed. The department said it has no evidence that these products are unsafe.
The step was undertaken in consultation with the Department of Agriculture, which is the regulator in Ireland for biocidal products.
Removal of stock
Where schools have stocks of the products listed as “removed”, whether purchased through a central procurement agreement or purchased locally, they have been instructed not to use them.
Schools impacted by the removal of these products will be provided with funding to source new supplies.
The department said it has issued to schools an updated list of all the new products on the agreement with all relevant associated pricing.
The suppliers and products on the agreement will be monitored on an ongoing basis and any further changes to the list will be notified to schools.
It said it has engaged with suppliers in the last few days to ensure there is sufficient stocks available for schools to order.
Schools seeking new product to replace stock are requested to contact any of the suppliers on the agreement directly to process orders.
Any school that is impacted by this will be provided with funding for an aide for two days to assist with dealing with these issues.
In response to the announcement, the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation said it was very concerning that many of the products on the approved list of resources have now been deemed inappropriate.
"That this information has come to light during the mid-term break is very unsatisfactory. School leaders and boards of management needed this break to recharge after an incredibly stressful nine weeks," said INTO general secretary John Boyle.
Teachers' Union of Ireland general secretary Michael Gillespie called for a full standards audit of all the products that have been procured and said he was pleased that the Department has acted on that call.
“We must all do everything possible to protect the health and safety of all in the school community and, therefore, the use of defective or sub-standard products must be eliminated. We want real security, not the illusion of security, for our members, their students and their families.”
He urged the department to ensure that replacement products of the required high standard are supplied to schools as a matter of urgency so that school opening can be sustained.
“Cutting corners or skimping on costs is false economy,” he concluded.


theirishtimes--2020-10-30--HSE ‘at war’ with then taoiseach and minister in 2019, says Reid

HSE chief Paul Reid has said when he took over the role in 2019 the health authority was “ at war ” with then Taoiseach Leo Varadkar , the then Minister for Health and his department , the trade unions and most of its other stakeholders .
However , he told an industrial relations conference on Friday the situation had considerably improved in recent times .
He pointed to the major increase in funding secured from Government for the year ahead .
In an address and interview at the Industrial Relations News annual conference he said he was not speaking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that at the time the HSE was “ at war with most of its stakeholders ” .
He said this included the then Taoiseach , the Minister at the time ( Simon Harris ) , the Department of Health , the trade unions , many patient advocacy groups and many of its consultants .
He also said the HSE did not have a strong engagement with the public .
Mr Reid said at the time the view of the government was that it was putting all this money into the health service and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to end up at the end of the year .
He said one of his early challenges was to get a financial grip on the HSE .
He said the priority for him was to stabilise relationships with key stakeholders .
“ It is OK to be at war with some of your stakeholders some of the time but all of them all of the time is not good for anybody.
” Mr Reid he also believed that the HSE had to listen and take cognisance of the clinical voices in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ too much of an administrative system at the centre of the HSE.
” He said he experienced a strong disconnect between the centre of the HSE and the services .
“ We should be supporting the services and not the other way around.
” Mr Reid said since the Covid-19 pandemic hit , he had never experienced so much change in so short a period of time .
He said the HSE and the health system in general had built up stronger confidence and trust among its stakeholders .
He said he believed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Government in it .
He pointed to the recent budget negotiations which saw it receive an additional €4 billion .
Mr Reid said the HSE had a damaged reputation over many years and he urged industrial relations practitioners to represents their interests and members in a way that did not involve slamming or damning the health authority .
He said when the public heard very fractious or very damaging comments , they lost confidence in their health system .
Mr Reid said the country ’ s economy was very fragile economy .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ front needed to be managed given the hit that the economy had taken as a result of the pandemic .
The HSE chief told the conference that he acknowledged that the HSE had not fully utilised the private hospitals or the facilities at the Citywest hotel which it had secured during the first wave of Covid-19 as these had not been needed .
However , he said he would also point out that the HSE had also not needed to use the temporary mortuary that it had also put in place at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ private and public hospitals could work together in the future .
He said there were no waiting lists in the private sector but lengthy queues in the public system .
Mr Reid said resolving the pay parity issue would help the HSE in recruiting hospital consultants .
He said the HSE had seen more hospital consultants taking up roles .
He said this year there had been a net increase of 155 consultants in the public hospital system but he wanted to build on this and recruit more .
Mr Reid said the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for staff - which were put in place under the 2013 Haddington road agreement and which unions now want to be ended - to would have a “ significant and major impact on the HSE ” and other public bodies .
He said rosters and clinical care had been build around these additional hours .
Mr Reid , who was a senior official in the Department of Public Expenditure when that agreement was being put in place , said the view at the time was that these measures were not temporary but rather @ @ @ @ @ @ @ improve efficiency in the public service ” .

HSE chief executive Paul Reid said the authority had become ‘too much of an administrative system’. Photograph: Leon Farrell/ Photocall Ireland
The Health Service Executive (HSE) was "at war" last year with senior politicians, the Department of Health, trade unions and many other stakeholders, its chief executive has said.
Paul Reid told the Industrial Relations News conference that when he took up his role last year relations were strained with the then taoiseach Leo Varadkar, the then minister for health Simon Harris and others.
However, the situation had improved considerably since and a major increase in funding had been secured from Government for the year ahead.
Mr Reid said he was not speaking lightly when he said his experience was that at the time the HSE was “at war with most of its stakeholders”. He also said the HSE did not have a strong relationship with the wider public.
READ MORE
He said the view of the government at the time was that a lot of money was going into the health service and it did not know what financial positon it would be in at the end of last year.
Getting a grip
His early challenges, he said, included getting a grip on the HSE’s finances and stabilising its relationships with key stakeholders.
“It is OK to be at war with some of your stakeholders some of the time but all of them all of the time is not good for anybody.”
Mr Reid he also believed that the HSE had to listen and take cognisance of voices in the health service as there was a “strong disconnect” between the parties.
“We had become too much of an administrative system at the centre of the HSE.”
Mr Reid said that since the Covid-19 pandemic hit, he had never experienced so much change in so short a period of time. He said the HSE and the health system in general had built up stronger confidence and trust with its stakeholders, including the Government which provided an additional €4 billion in the budget earlier this moth.
The HSE had, he said, had a damaged reputation over many years and he urged industrial relations practitioners to represent their interests and members in a way that did not involve slamming or damning it. He said that when the public heard very fractious or very damaging comments, confidence was lost in the system.
Fragile economy
Mr Reid said the country’s economy was very fragile and that expectations on the industrial relations front needed to be managed carefully given the financial hit experienced during the pandemic.
He said resolving a pay parity issue would help the HSE in recruiting hospital consultants and that more were taking up roles. He said there had been a net increase of 155 consultants in the public hospital system this year but he wanted to recruit more.
The removal of the additional unpaid working hours for staff - which were put in place under the 2013 Haddington road agreement and which unions now want to end - would have a “significant and major impact on the HSE”and other public bodies as rosters and clinical care had been built around these additional hours, he said.
Mr Reid, a senior official in the Department of Public Expenditure when that agreement was being put in place, said the view then was that these measures were not temporary but rather part of a “sustainable model to improve efficiency in the public service”.


theirishtimes--2020-10-30--Difficult to predict when Covid-19 cases will peak during winter, HSE chief says

It is difficult predict when Covid-19 cases will peak during this winter , the Health Service Executive chief executive Paul Reid said this morning .
One reason for this was the time lag between cases in younger people moving on to those in the over-65 age group , he said .
This lag , between cases in those between 18 to 25 years of age and those among older and more vulnerable people , was not unique to Ireland and was also evident in other countries , he added .
He said while there was evidence of Level 3 and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ impact there was a need for caution .
There is rising concern in Europe at the rate of transmission in many countries – with 200,000 cases reported in one week alone in France – and an increase in European cases of 36 per cent .
The HSE ’ s Chief Clinical Officer Colm Henry said on Newstalk Radio on Friday : “ we ’ ve always been behind [ Europe ] in terms of our experience and had the advantage of seeing how it ’ s beginning to impact on their healthcare services @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now in Belgium and the Czech Republic , where their intensive care and acute hospital services are under strain ” .
Mr Reid said while there had been an easing in the positivity rates in Ireland recently , the number of people in hospital and intensive care units was continuing to rise .
“ This morning there are 327 patients with Covid-19 in hospital , of which 43 are in intensive care units .
“ So the message this morning is – there are green shoots of hope , but we ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from our health systems from being overrun , ” he told RTÉ ’ s Morning Ireland .
Mr Reid also said there was no agreement in place to provide ICU beds for patients from Northern Ireland but the HSE would do so if requested .
“ There have been various levels of engagement with Northern Ireland health service , but no formal request for help yet .
Should a request be made , we would be willing to help.
” With regards to nursing homes , Mr Reid said four nursing homes were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 25 others were receiving a range of supports .
Yesterday the National Public Health Emergency Team reported six more deaths related to Covid-19 and the number of cases surpassed 60,000 as 866 new infections were confirmed .
The median age of the latest confirmed cases is 35 years old , with cases almost split evenly between men ( 428 ) and women ( 438 ) .
Some 242 cases were confirmed in Dublin , 166 in Cork , 56 in Donegal , 54 in Galway , 44 in Meath and the remaining 304 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

The HSE said that while evidence is emerging of Level 3 and Level 5 measures beginning to have an impact, a need for caution remains. File photograph: The Irish Times
Ireland is outperforming almost all European countries in controlling the spread of Covid-19, the National Health Emergency Team has said. However it also warned that continued and sustained efforts were needed to contain the virus.
Data presented by the team on Friday show that almost all European countries have seen an increase in the seven-day incidence of the virus, ranging from 2 per cent to 59 per cent, compared to the previous week.
The same metric shrank in only four countries in Europe, one of which was Ireland, which saw a 30 per cent fall in the week up to Friday. The Republic now ranks 20th overall on this measurement.
Hospital Report
The team on Friday reported the first positive trends in the data for three months, but sounded a note of caution of the spread of the virus in older cohorts in particular which have seen incidence rates increase just as they have declined among younger people.
READ MORE
While there have been significant reductions in the 19-24 age group, the incidence in the 75-84 age group has grown from 70 per 100,000 of population to 184 in recent weeks.
‘System stable’
Chief clinical officer of the HSE Dr Colm Henry said the hospital system is “currently stable”, with 325 cases in hospital and 42 in intensive care. He warned, however, that “we are only ever a few weeks away from healthcare systems becoming overwhelmed”.
The Department of Health reported 772 new cases of Covid-19 and six deaths. There have now been a total of 61,059 cases of the disease diagnosed in the State, and 1,908 deaths linked to the virus. There have been 96 deaths in October, 34 of which are in nursing homes – this compares to a total of 36 deaths in September and five in August. The R number is estimated to be about 1, with the team estimating that it should be at about 0.5 in order to get case numbers to approximately 100 per day by the end of the six-week period of restrictions.
As the key indicators of the disease in Ireland continue to fall, Prof Philip Nolan of the Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group said he was in a position to report positive trends in the data for the first time in months.
“This is the first time in three months that I’ve been able to report positive indications that we are starting to suppress transmission of the virus,” said Prof Nolan. “When we achieve this sort of suppression, the important thing is to make it last.”
Data show that the recent surge of the virus peaked with a seven-day average of new cases about 1,200 last week. As of Friday, the seven-day average is down to 836.
Incidence
The 14-day incidence of the disease per 100,000 of population, another key metric, peaked at about 310 to 287. While case numbers are declining, hospitalisations continue to increase, albeit they have departed from the exponential growth seen in recent weeks.
The reversal being seen in the growth of the virus, said Prof Nolan, was down to the introduction of a ban on household mixing rather than the Level 3 restrictions that were in place beforehand, or the Level 5 restrictions introduced on October 21st.
The effect of Level 5 will not be reflected in the number of cases being diagnosed for another week or so, he said. Once those measures are reflected in the case numbers, “we’ll have a much clearer picture of are we on track to be where we need to be at the end of the six week period”.
The team remain concerned, however, that the reduction could be reversed, based on the experience of Dublin after Level 3 measures were introduced in September. While cases there stabalised for about two weeks, they then rose precipitously, doubling over 10 days.
Chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan said the team did not have any concerns about schools reopening next week. He reiterated the team’s view that its analysis shows that transmission in schools is low and they are not a high-risk environment.
Winter worries
Earlier in the day HSE chief executive Paul Reid said it is difficult predict when Covid-19 cases will peak during this winter.
One reason for this is the time lag between cases in younger people moving on to those in the over-65 age group, he said. This lag, between cases in those between 18 to 25 years of age and those among older and more vulnerable people, was not unique to Ireland and was also evident in other countries, he added.
He said while evidence is emerging of Level 3 and Level 5 measures beginning to have an impact, there is a need for caution.
Mr Reid said while there had been an easing in the positivity rates in Ireland recently, the number of people in hospital and intensive care units continues to rise.
Mr Reid also said there was no agreement in place to provide intensive care beds for patients from Northern Ireland but the HSE would do so if requested.
“There have been various levels of engagement with Northern Ireland health service, but no formal request for help yet. Should a request be made, we would be willing to help.”
With regards to nursing homes, Mr Reid said four nursing homes are dealing with a serious Covid-19 outbreak and 25 others are receiving a range of supports.


theirishtimes--2020-10-30--Storm Aiden prompts nationwide weather alerts for Halloween

If the Level 5 restrictions had not already placed a severe dampener on Halloween the first storm of this winter is on the way prompting orange weather warnings for many counties tomorrow .
The orange alerts – the second highest – are in place for counties Carlow , Kilkenny , Wexford , Wicklow , Cork , Kerry and Waterford between 5am and 10am and in Donegal , Galway , Mayo , Sligo and Clare between 8am and 4pm , Met Éireann said .
Storm Aiden , the first storm of the 2020/2021 winter season , will bring wind speeds of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gusts of 100 to 130km/h forecast .
The rest of the country has been issued a status yellow alert from 1am on Saturday morning until 3pm on Saturday afternoon .
Overall , Saturday will be dry with some squally showers throughout the day .
It will become drier in the evening with winds tapering off .
Highest temperatures will be between 12 and 15 degrees but turning colder in the evening .
The rain will return on Saturday night starting in Munster , but it will extend nationwide during the night with strong @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will drop to between 4 to 7 degrees .
On Sunday , the rain will clear for a time with just the odd shower .
However , another band of heavy rain will extend across the country throughout the afternoon and evening .
Maximum temperatures of 10 to 15 degrees with strengthening winds , potentially increasing to gale force .
Rain will continue overnight on Sunday with a risk of localised flooding .
Meterologist with Met Éireann , Gavin Gallagher , says there will be three separate low pressure systems tracking close to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ possibly stormy weather ” for Halloween weekend .
“ Each system is around 24 hours apart ... so this is not just one event , but rather a series of low pressure systems affecting us over a three-day period , with cumulative impacts from rainfall , strong winds and high seas ” .
Earlier this week , waves of over 18m were seen off the Sligo coast .
The dramatic waves were caused by the remnants of Hurricane Epsilon in the Atlantic Ocean .
Met Éireann said the Irish Weather Buoy Network recorded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coast on October 27-28th .
Individual waves of 20m , 16.9m and 21.7m have also been recorded at these buoys .
A “ phenomenal ” sea is classified as having a significant wave height of 14m or more .
The ex-hurricane Epsilon originally developed off Bermuda before being “ consumed ” into the jet stream .

Storm Aiden will reach speeds of 65 to 80km/h with severe and damaging gusts of 100 to 130km/h. File photograph: Alan Betson
If the Level 5 restrictions had not already placed a severe dampener on Halloween the first storm of this winter is on the way prompting orange weather warnings for many counties tomorrow.
The orange alerts – the second highest – are in place for counties Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford, Wicklow, Cork, Kerry and Waterford between 5am and 10am and in Donegal, Galway, Mayo, Sligo and Clare between 8am and 4pm, Met Éireann said.
Storm Aiden, the first storm of the 2020/2021 winter season, will bring wind speeds of 65 to 80km/h with severe and damaging gusts of 100 to 130km/h forecast.
#StormAiden has been named by Met Éireann for Halloween. Orange & yellow wind warnings are in effect for Sat. Potential for severe & damaging gusts.
All current warnings here : https://t.co/ozrQHtGpc1
Satellite below shows the position of #StormAiden in the Atlantic pic.twitter.com/mblYdArK0B — Met Éireann (@MetEireann) October 30, 2020
The rest of the country has been issued a status yellow alert from 1am on Saturday morning until 3pm on Saturday afternoon.
READ MORE
Overall, Saturday will be dry with some squally showers throughout the day. It will become drier in the evening with winds tapering off.
Highest temperatures will be between 12 and 15 degrees but turning colder in the evening.
The rain will return on Saturday night starting in Munster, but it will extend nationwide during the night with strong to gale force southerly winds.
Temperatures will drop to between 4 to 7 degrees.
On Sunday, the rain will clear for a time with just the odd shower. However, another band of heavy rain will extend across the country throughout the afternoon and evening.
Maximum temperatures of 10 to 15 degrees with strengthening winds, potentially increasing to gale force.
Rain will continue overnight on Sunday with a risk of localised flooding.
Low pressure systems
Meterologist with Met Éireann, Gavin Gallagher, says there will be three separate low pressure systems tracking close to Ireland “bringing wet, windy and possibly stormy weather” for Halloween weekend.
“Each system is around 24 hours apart...so this is not just one event, but rather a series of low pressure systems affecting us over a three-day period, with cumulative impacts from rainfall, strong winds and high seas”.
Earlier this week, waves of over 18m were seen off the Sligo coast. The dramatic waves were caused by the remnants of Hurricane Epsilon in the Atlantic Ocean.
Met Éireann said the Irish Weather Buoy Network recorded “phenomenal” seas off the west coast on October 27-28th. Individual waves of 20m, 16.9m and 21.7m have also been recorded at these buoys.
A “phenomenal” sea is classified as having a significant wave height of 14m or more. The ex-hurricane Epsilon originally developed off Bermuda before being “consumed” into the jet stream.


theirishtimes--2020-10-30--ASTI meets to plan outcome of ballot for industrial action

The executive committee of the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland ( ASTI ) is due to meet Friday to consider the outcome of a ballot by members in favour of industrial action – including strikes – over safety concerns in schools .
The ASTI ’ s 23-member standing committee is due to discuss what action it is willing take in a meeting scheduled for this afternoon .
The union ’ s general secretary Kieran Christie has said strike action will be a measure of last resort and there will no knee jerk action .
However , he said the union @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Government does not follow through on its demands .
ASTI members voted in favour of motions over the need for stricter definitions for what constitute close contacts , guaranteed 24-hour turnaround times for test results , a serial testing programme for schools and allowing hundreds of teachers in high-risk categories to work from home .
The ballot paper said the Government should address concerns by Friday , October 30th , or face the prospect of industrial action .
The vote was based on a turnout of 42 per cent of the union @ @ @ @ @ @ @ majority of secondary schools .
Mr Christie said this vote showed a desire among members for stronger safety measures to ensure schools are kept open in a safe and sustainable way .
A revamped testing and tracing regime is due to be implemented in schools from next Monday .
School teams will be established in each Health Service Executive ( HSE ) area to help ensure there is faster response and contact tracing when cases are detected .
Public health authorities , meanwhile , said the latest data indicates schools safe settings with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Dr Abigail Collins , a consultant in public health medicine , told a HSE press conference on Thursday that the latest figures are very reassuring and show that schools are in general not incubators of the disease .
HSE data from earlier this week indicate that 599 cases of Covid-19 have been detected among pupils or staff in primary or secondary schools since they reopened in late August .
On foot of these cases , just over 15,000 staff and students were tested following risk assessments which identified them as a close @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 384 cases , or 2.5 per cent of all cases tested .
The HSE said this compares to a positivity rate of about 10 per cent of close contacts in the community .
The difference between positivity rates in schools versus the community is regarded as an encouraging sign that schools are not “ amplifying ” transmission of the virus .
A further breakdown of these figures shows positivity rates following the testing of close contacts are highest in special education schools ( 3.3 per cent ) , followed by primary schools ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( 2 per cent ) .
Dr Collins said this positive data from schools was reflected in national age data , which shows that the proportion of children contracting the virus has remained stable since schools reopened .
While 14.5 per cent of cases were among children aged between four to 18 in August , that figure rose slightly to 14.9 per cent in September and 15.6 per cent in October .
Overall , she said most evidence indicated that students or staff with Covid-19 contracted the virus in the community or within @ @ @ @ @ @ @ setting .
For example , available evidence suggested that transmission of the virus within the school occurred in under 2 per cent of the country ’ s schools – or 70 out of about 4,000 primary and secondary schools .
While teachers ’ unions have raised concerns over “ inconsistencies ” in the definition of what constitutes a close contact across schools , Dr Collins explained that each case is different and “ soft ” information gathered by public health teams can lead to different conclusions over the number of close contacts .

Public health authorities say latest data indicates schools safe settings with very low rates of transmission of Covid-19. Photograph: Alan Betson
Substantial progress on safety issues in schools is needed to avoid industrial action, the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) has warned.
The union’s executive committee met on Friday to consider the outcome of a ballot by members in favour of industrial action – including strikes – over safety concerns in schools.
The committee was told that there has been “improved engagement” with the Department of Education and public health authorities and a number of clarifications have been provided. It is expected that this engagement will continue.
Hospital Report
However, ASTI president Ann Piggott said "substantial progress" on safety issues in schools was needed to avoid industrial action.
READ MORE
These steps include faster testing and tracing turnaround times , a redefinition of close contacts, IT resources for students and teachers to facilitate continuity of learning, and reasonable accommodations for teachers in “high risk” categories.
“We need much more progress in order to get to the point where teachers believe that the safety of students and teachers is being prioritised during this pandemic,” she said,
The ASTI said it will regularly review progress as engagement continues.
In a separate ballot, ASTI members voted to take industrial action for equal pay for equal work, to be taken in conjunction with one or both of the other teacher unions.
Combined effort
In a statement, the ASTI said it will contact the other teacher unions the INTO and TUI with a view to seeking a combined effort to bring an end to the scandal of pay inequality.
“The current teacher-shortage crisis is a result of an unfair pay gap that cannot be allowed to continue. Teachers affected are on a different pay scale than their colleagues for their entire career,” said Ms Piggott.
“This destructive policy has caused a drop in morale and has exacerbated a recruitment and retention crisis in second-level teaching. We will be seeking to work with the INTO and the TUI to end pay inequality.”
The Department of Education, meanwhile, has pledged that a revamped testing and tracing regime is due to be implemented in schools from next Monday.
School teams will be established in each Health Service Executive (HSE) area to help ensure there is faster response and contact tracing when cases are detected.
Public health authorities, meanwhile, have said the latest data indicates schools safe settings with very low rates of transmission of Covid-19.
Dr Abigail Collins, a consultant in public health medicine, told a HSE press conference on Thursday that the latest figures are very reassuring and show that schools are in general not incubators of the disease.
Detected cases
HSE data from earlier this week indicate that 599 cases of Covid-19 have been detected among pupils or staff in primary or secondary schools since they reopened in late August.
On foot of these cases, just over 15,000 staff and students were tested following risk assessments which identified them as a close contact.
These tests uncovered an additional 384 cases, or 2.5 per cent of all cases tested.
The HSE said this compares to a positivity rate of about 10 per cent of close contacts in the community.
The difference between positivity rates in schools versus the community is regarded as an encouraging sign that schools are not “amplifying” transmission of the virus.
A further breakdown of these figures shows positivity rates following the testing of close contacts are highest in special education schools (3.3 per cent), followed by primary schools (2.7 per cent) and secondary schools (2 per cent).
Dr Collins said this positive data from schools was reflected in national age data, which shows that the proportion of children contracting the virus has remained stable since schools reopened.
While 14.5 per cent of cases were among children aged between four to 18 in August, that figure rose slightly to 14.9 per cent in September and 15.6 per cent in October.
Overall, she said most evidence indicated that students or staff with Covid-19 contracted the virus in the community or within their families rather than in a school setting.
For example, available evidence suggested that transmission of the virus within the school occurred in under 2 per cent of the country’s schools – or 70 out of about 4,000 primary and secondary schools.
While teachers’ unions have raised concerns over “inconsistencies” in the definition of what constitutes a close contact across schools, Dr Collins explained that each case is different and “soft” information gathered by public health teams can lead to different conclusions over the number of close contacts.


theirishtimes--2020-10-30--No examinations of public complaints by new planning regulator

The State ’ s new planning regulator has not examined any complaints made by the public in relation to the planning system , according to his office ’ s first annual report published on Friday .
A total of 91 cases were last year brought to the Office of the Planning Regulator ( OPR ) headed by Niall Cussen , but no examinations of the local authorities concerned were initiated according to the 2019 annual report .
The establishment of an independent planning regulator to investigate “ possible systemic problems ” in the planning system , “ including those raising @ @ @ @ @ @ @ key recommendations of the 2012 report of the Mahon Tribunal .
However , none of the 91 cases met the “ statutory criteria ” for undertaking examinations of the local authorities concerned , the OPR said .
“ Many related to individual planning application or planning enforcement cases which the OPR can not become involved in , rather than systemic issues that the OPR is mandated to examine.
” Mr Cussen said while no examinations were initiated , the matters raised by the public “ were not without merit ” as they indicated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plans system .
“ In many cases , complaints made to the OPR relate to individual applications which are more appropriately considered through local authority internal complaints procedures and the Ombudsman ’ s Office.
” It was he said “ taking time for the public to understand that the OPR is an independent office where complaints about overall local authority planning systems and procedures across a range or pattern of decisions could be examined , rather than another level of planning appeal above An Bord Pleanála .
” The report also raised concern @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with a “ trend of faster development in Dublin commuter counties than city core ” .
A total of 55 per cent of all houses granted permission in the eastern and midlands area were in the four commuter counties outside Dublin – Kildare , Louth , Meath and Wicklow – “ which poses a challenge to the Government ’ s planning objectives in tackling the sprawl of major urban areas , including Dublin ” .
However , the report said approvals of apartment developments , which were “ key to sustainable urban development @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first time in 2019 .
In total , 60 per cent of apartment units permitted in 2019 were facilitated by the Strategic Housing Development process , where applications for large scale housing developments are made directly to An Bord Pleanála , bypassing local authorities .
The 2018 removal of the cap on the height of apartment blocks and the changes to apartment standards had also influenced the growth in apartment numbers the report said .
The four Dublin authorities accounted for over 82 per cent of all permitted apartments in the east and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of all apartments permitted nationally .
This compares to 27 per cent and almost 12 per cent respectively for houses .
The OPR examined 25 local authority development plans and made recommendations for changes in relation to 11 .
Most of the recommendations related to “ better implementation ” of ministerial guidelines on issues such as flood risk management , plan preparation , and policies on national roads .
All recommendations made were implemented , the report said .

A total of 55 per cent of all houses granted permission in the eastern and midlands area were in the four commuter counties outside Dublin – Kildare, Louth, Meath and Wicklow.
The State’s new planning regulator has not examined a single complaint made by the public about the planning system, according to the regulator’s first annual report published on Friday.
Ninety one cases were reported to the Office of the Planning Regulator (OPR), headed by Niall Cussen, but no examinations of the local authorities concerned were begun.
The planning regulator’s office was established to investigate “possible systemic” planning problems including those “raising corruption risks”, following the recommendations of the 2012 report of the Mahon tribunal.
However, none of the 91 cases met the “statutory criteria” for undertaking examinations of the local authorities concerned, the regulator’s annual report said.
READ MORE
“Many related to individual planning application or planning enforcement cases which the OPR cannot become involved in, rather than systemic issues that the OPR is mandated to examine.”
While no examinations were initiated, the matters raised by the public “were not without merit”, Mr Cussen said, since they gave a sense of the quality of service offered by the planning system.
“In many cases, complaints made to the OPR relate to individual applications which are more appropriately considered through local authority internal complaints procedures and the Ombudsman’s Office.”
Systems
It is “taking time” for the public to understand that the OPR is an independent office set up to look into local authority planning systems and procedures, rather than being “another level of planning appeal above An Bord Pleanála”.
OPR director Gary Ryan said 130 cases had been received so far this year, and a small number of these would be “quality complaints” and did require preliminary examination. These appeared to relate to administrative aspects of planning procedures, “not any kind of major diseconomies or impropriety in terms of local authorities”.
The annual report raised concern about the ongoing pattern of residential development with a "trend of faster development in Dublin commuter counties than city core".
Fifty five per cent of all houses granted permission last year in the eastern and midlands area are in the four commuter counties outside Dublin: Kildare, Louth, Meath and Wicklow.
This did not indicate inappropriate development in these counties, he said but rather indicated the lack of new houses in Dublin itself, which “poses a challenge” to the Government’s ambitions to tackle urban sprawl.
However, the report said approvals of apartment developments, which were “key to sustainable urban development”, exceeded house approvals for the first time in 2019.
Nearly two-thirds of apartment units permitted in 2019 were cleared by Strategic Housing Development plans for large-scale housing developments that are made directly to An Bord Pleanála, bypassing local authorities.
The 2018 removal of the cap on the height of apartment blocks and the changes to apartment standards had also influenced the growth in apartment numbers, the report said.
More than eight in 10 of all apartments approved in the east and midlands region are in Dublin, accounting for 69 per cent of all apartments permitted nationally. For houses, the figures are 27 per cent and almost 12 per cent.
The OPR examined 25 local authority development plans and recommended changes to 11 of them to cut flood risk and improve road policies. All recommendations made were implemented, the report said.


theirishtimes--2020-10-30--‘Clothes are not essential’: Damien English defends retail restrictions

The junior minister with responsibility for the retail sector Damien English has been criticised for insisting that children ’ s clothes are not essential items under the criteria set down by the Government .
When asked by RTÉ ’ s Prime Time presenter Miriam O ’ Callaghan on Thursday night why it was possible to “ buy a bottle of wine , but not socks for my son ” , Mr English said “ socks come under clothes [ AND ] clothes are not essential.
” Responding to those comments , Social Democrat TD Gary Gannon said he believed clothes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that during the first lockdown in March , April and May supermarkets were able to sell clothes alongside food and other essential items .
This practice has now ceased as retailers have been encouraged to adhere more closely to the definition of “ essential items , ” resulting in sections of supermarkets displaying toys , clothes and homeware being cordoned off .
“ There ’ s absolutely no point in closing those aisles at the minute , ” Mr Gannon said .
“ In terms of how we make it fair , we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think closing down certain aisles in supermarkets where you can pick up socks and t-shirts , there is no point closing them down.
” He said shops had the “ capacity for ventilation and they can apply social distancing manners .
That ’ s not the case in every shop but for the large outlets that they should be able to.
” On social media people were critical of the stance adopted by Mr English .
“ If children ’ s clothes were not considered essential then the Government would remove the 0 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out Mary Clary .
“ I know it ’ s only six weeks but kids tend to grow fast , put their knees through stuff and lose coats/jumpers/shoes at an alarming rate , ” she added .
Sharon Leavy , meanwhile , said her children “ go through trousers like you wouldn ’ t believe .
Yes , I can order online but that takes a week and I ’ m lucky to be in the position that I have a card and good wifi to do that .
Many do not .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
” Jeanne Dowling echoed similar concerns .
“ My two year old ’ s shoes became too small during last lockdown , ” she said .
“ I couldn ’ t buy online as she has an extremely wide foot with high instep usually I ’ m lucky to get one or two pairs in the whole shop that fit her properly .
Now it looks like she ’ ll be squashed into theses ones until December.
” On Wednesday , Mr English hosted a conference call with retailers and representative groups @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allowed to operate between now and the beginning of December when the current Level 5 rules are set to be eased .
One person at the meeting told The Irish Times that Mr English had taken a similarly firm line when asked for by a Dunnes Stores representative for greater clarity as to what was deemed essential and non-essential .
They were told no further clarifications were needed as all the information was already in the public domain .
Most large retailers across the State have modified stores and blocked off products deemed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 5 restrictions .
Under those rules shops that can remain open include supermarkets , pharmacies , health and hardware stores , shops selling PPE , fuel providers , shops selling things deemed essential for the welfare of animals and shops selling products necessary for the “ essential upkeep and functioning of places of residence and businesses ” .
Last weekend the Tánaiste and the Minister for Enterprise Leo Varadkar said selling non-essential items alongside essential goods was “ not lawful ” and he called on retailers to “ abide by the regulations and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the regulations.
” He said mixed retailers would have to separate their stock “ and only sell the items that are essential ” and cited the example of a supermarket , which has groceries and clothes saying the latter section should be cordoned off .
On Saturday and Sunday gardaí stepped up the policing of retail spaces although a spokesman declined to say how many shops had been visited or what if any action had been taken against those found to be in breach of the rules .
Tesco has said that even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in place it had been “ adhering to Government guidelines and have closed our F & F clothing , home entertainment and toys units across the country .
We will continue to offer a very limited range of essential clothing items only for customers for example , school wear and some baby clothing.
” A spokeswoman for Boots said as an essential service it was able to continue to trade .
“ We are prioritising the sale of essential items in our stores , however if a customer wishes to purchase additional products @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they are able to do so .
”

The junior minister with responsibility for the retail sector Damien English has been criticised for insisting that children's clothes are not essential items under the criteria set down by the Government.
When asked by RTÉ’s Prime Time presenter Miriam O’Callaghan on Thursday night why it was possible to “buy a bottle of wine, but not socks for my son”, Mr English said “socks come under clothes [AND]clothes are not essential.”
Responding to those comments, Social Democrat TD Gary Gannon said he believed clothes were an essential item and pointed out that during the first lockdown in March, April and May supermarkets were able to sell clothes alongside food and other essential items.
This practice has now ceased as retailers have been encouraged to adhere more closely to the definition of “essential items,” resulting in sections of supermarkets displaying toys, clothes and homeware being cordoned off.
READ MORE
“There’s absolutely no point in closing those aisles at the minute,” Mr Gannon said.
“In terms of how we make it fair, we have to make it sensible. I think closing down certain aisles in supermarkets where you can pick up socks and t-shirts, there is no point closing them down.”
He said shops had the “capacity for ventilation and they can apply social distancing manners. That’s not the case in every shop but for the large outlets that they should be able to.”
Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe said on Friday the decision on children’s clothing was taken in the interest of being fair to small retailers. He said there needed to be a level playing field.
Mr Donohoe said when dealing with the issue of public health, consistency was important to reduce contacts to protect public health.
He said the Government had a responsibility to protect the public health and an economic responsibility to those who have had to close their business
On social media people were critical of the stance adopted by the Government and Mr English.
"If children's clothes were not considered essential then the Government would remove the 0 per cent VAT rate," pointed out Mary Clary. "I know it's only six weeks but kids tend to grow fast, put their knees through stuff and lose coats/jumpers/shoes at an alarming rate," she added.
Sharon Leavy, meanwhile, said her children "go through trousers like you wouldn't believe. Yes, I can order online but that takes a week and I'm lucky to be in the position that I have a card and good wifi to do that. Many do not. On what planet are clothes not essential?"
Jeanne Dowling echoed similar concerns. "My two year old's shoes became too small during last lockdown," she said. "I couldn't buy online as she has an extremely wide foot with high instep usually I'm lucky to get one or two pairs in the whole shop that fit her properly. Now it looks like she'll be squashed into theses ones until December."
On Wednesday, Mr English hosted a conference call with retailers and representative groups to discuss how the sector will be allowed to operate between now and the beginning of December when the current Level 5 rules are set to be eased.
One person at the meeting told The Irish Times that Mr English had taken a similarly firm line when asked for by a Dunnes Stores representative for greater clarity as to what was deemed essential and non-essential. They were told no further clarifications were needed as all the information was already in the public domain.
Most large retailers across the State have modified stores and blocked off products deemed unessential while the country is under level 5 restrictions.
Under those rules shops that can remain open include supermarkets, pharmacies, health and hardware stores, shops selling PPE, fuel providers, shops selling things deemed essential for the welfare of animals and shops selling products necessary for the “essential upkeep and functioning of places of residence and businesses”.
Last weekend the Tánaiste and the Minister for Enterprise Leo Varadkar said selling non-essential items alongside essential goods was "not lawful" and he called on retailers to "abide by the regulations and ... to abide by the spirit of the regulations."
He said mixed retailers would have to separate their stock “and only sell the items that are essential” and cited the example of a supermarket, which has groceries and clothes saying the latter section should be cordoned off.
On Saturday and Sunday gardaí stepped up the policing of retail spaces although a spokesman declined to say how many shops had been visited or what if any action had been taken against those found to be in breach of the rules.
Tesco has said that even before the Garda enforcement measures were put in place it had been "adhering to Government guidelines and have closed our F&F clothing, home entertainment and toys units across the country. We will continue to offer a very limited range of essential clothing items only for customers for example, school wear and some baby clothing."
A spokeswoman for Boots said as an essential service it was able to continue to trade. “We are prioritising the sale of essential items in our stores, however if a customer wishes to purchase additional products from another area of the store, they are able to do so.”


theirishtimes--2020-10-30--New pay deal for State employees cannot come at any price, says McGrath

The Government wants a new pay agreement for the country ’ s 340,000 public service staff but this can not come at any price , the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Michael McGrath has said .
The Minister also told a conference on industrial relations on Friday that unemployment levels were likely to worsen in the weeks ahead as a result of the heightened Covid-19 restrictions introduced earlier this month .
Addressing the annual Industrial Relations News conference , Mr McGrath said the current public service pay agreement would expire at the end of the year and Government and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a new deal .
However , he said these talks were taking place “ against the most difficult economic backdrop imaginable ” .
“ As a Government we want a new agreement that works for society as a whole , for the taxpayer , for everyone who relies on public services and for public service workers .
An agreement that provides for certainty in public service delivery , uninterrupted by strike action.
” “ Such an agreement can not be at any price .
Our economy faces severe challenges in the years ahead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the economy .
“ The Government believes in the potential of a collective approach to underpin our response to these challenges and our recovery .
We will continue to pursue that objective through dialogue over the period ahead.
” “ Ultimately we can ’ t control the fact that Covid-19has hit us , all that we can control is how , as a society and as individuals we respond to this challenge .
I can assure you that the Government will continue to take the decisions necessary for our recovery.
” Mr @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which had been taken in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic had “ resulted in a sharp contraction in economic activity , with the size and speed of impact unprecedented in modern times ” .
The Minister said at the peak of the crisis , well over a million people in Ireland were in receipt of some form of State income support .
“ As of last Tuesday , nearly 300,000 people are in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment .
“ According to the latest data from the Revenue Commissioners , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme and over 211,000 people are on jobseekers payments .
“ “ With Level 5 restrictions in place , regrettably , many of these figures will deteriorate in the coming weeks .
Elevated levels of unemployment will be one of the ongoing impacts of this crisis and the most challenging to address.
” The chief executive of the employers ’ group Ibec Danny McCoy told the conference at the end of the year the country faced the same challenges that were there at the start .
He said social @ @ @ @ @ @ @ McCoy said he believed that Irish public sector had become “ too small for the scale of the private sector ” .
He said GDP in Ireland was about €360 billion .
He said the Government contribution in relation to public service pay and commercial semi-state companies was about ten per cent of this figure at about €36 billion .
He said the State transacted a lot more money and - this year there would be a record amount - but this will be on transfer payments in the main .
He said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contributed as small a figure as ten per cent .
“ If you look pre-Covid , our employment had risen to 2.3 million people at work .
Of that 350,000 are public sector workers .
You are looking at low teens as a percentage of the workforce.
” Mr McCoy said the ratio of public service workers to those employed in the private sector was getting out of balance .
“ What we are seeing is that as people get richer - as evidenced by the disposable income and household savings being at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ - is that a rich society demands better public services .
”

Minister for Public Expenditure Michael McGrath says talks on a new deal were taking place ‘against the most difficult economic backdrop imaginable’. Photograph: Collins Photos
The Government wants a new pay agreement for the country’s 340,000 public service staff but this cannot come at any price, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Michael McGrath has said.
The Minister also told a conference on industrial relations on Friday that unemployment levels were likely to worsen in the weeks ahead as a result of the heightened Covid-19 restrictions introduced earlier this month.
Addressing the annual Industrial Relations News conference, Mr McGrath said the current public service pay agreement would expire at the end of the year and Government and trade unions were exploring the scope for a new deal.
However, he said these talks were taking place “against the most difficult economic backdrop imaginable”.
READ MORE
“As a Government we want a new agreement that works for society as a whole, for the taxpayer, for everyone who relies on public services and for public service workers. An agreement that provides for certainty in public service delivery, uninterrupted by strike action.”
“Such an agreement cannot be at any price. Our economy faces severe challenges in the years ahead, and Brexit is an ongoing threat to the economy.
“The Government believes in the potential of a collective approach to underpin our response to these challenges and our recovery. We will continue to pursue that objective through dialogue over the period ahead.”
“Ultimately we can’t control the fact that Covid-19has hit us, all that we can control is how, as a society and as individuals we respond to this challenge. I can assure you that the Government will continue to take the decisions necessary for our recovery.”
Pandemic
Mr McGrath said the necessary public health measures which had been taken in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic had “resulted in a sharp contraction in economic activity, with the size and speed of impact unprecedented in modern times”.
The Minister said at the peak of the crisis, well over a million people in Ireland were in receipt of some form of State income support.
“As of last Tuesday, nearly 300,000 people are in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment.
“According to the latest data from the Revenue Commissioners, a further 344,000 people are being supported through the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme and over 211,000 people are on jobseekers payments. “
“With Level 5 restrictions in place, regrettably, many of these figures will deteriorate in the coming weeks. Elevated levels of unemployment will be one of the ongoing impacts of this crisis and the most challenging to address.”
The chief executive of the employers’ group Ibec Danny McCoy told the conference at the end of the year the country faced the same challenges that were there at the start.
He said social dialogue would be absolutely crucial.
Mr McCoy said he believed that Irish public sector had become “too small for the scale of the private sector”.
He said GDP in Ireland was about €360 billion.
He said the Government contribution in relation to public service pay and commercial semi-state companies was about ten per cent of this figure at about €36 billion.
He said the State transacted a lot more money and - this year there would be a record amount - but this will be on transfer payments in the main.
He said very few societies had a state that contributed as small a figure as ten per cent.
“If you look pre-Covid, our employment had risen to 2.3 million people at work. Of that 350,000 are public sector workers. You are looking at low teens as a percentage of the workforce.”
Mr McCoy said the ratio of public service workers to those employed in the private sector was getting out of balance.
“What we are seeing is that as people get richer - as evidenced by the disposable income and household savings being at record levels with €120 billion on deposit - is that a rich society demands better public services.”


theirishtimes--2020-10-30--Two men charged after gardaí seize €218,000 of drugs and cash

Two men in their 30s have been charged and are due to appear before a court on Friday in relation @ @ @ @ @ worth of drugs and cash in Cork and Dublin this week .
Gardaí seized €100,000 @ @ @ @ @ €30,000 of cash during the search of a car and a house in Castlemartyr , @ @ @ @ @ Two men , aged in their 30s , were arrested at the scene and brought @ @ @ @ @ they were detained under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice ( Drug Trafficking ) Act @ @ @ @ @ their investigation into this seizure , gardaí executed a search warrant at a house in @ @ @ @ @ Wednesday evening .
A quantity of fireworks and €88,000 of cash was found .
Both @ @ @ @ @ before Cork City District Court at 10.30am .

Two men, aged in their 30s, were arrested at the scene of the seizure in Co Cork.
Two men in their 30s have been charged and are due to appear before a court on Friday in relation to the seizure of €218,000 worth of drugs and cash in Cork and Dublin this week.
Gardaí seized €100,000 of suspected cannabis herb and €30,000 of cash during the search of a car and a house in Castlemartyr, Co Cork on Tuesday.
Two men, aged in their 30s, were arrested at the scene and brought to Midleton Garda Station where they were detained under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act 1996.
As part of their investigation into this seizure, gardaí executed a search warrant at a house in Tallaght, west Dublin on Wednesday evening. A quantity of fireworks and €88,000 of cash was found.
READ MORE
Both men are due to appear before Cork City District Court at 10.30am.


theirishtimes--2020-10-30--Coronavirus: Ballyjamesduff in Co Cavan over 5 times the national incidence rate

The electoral area of Ballyjamesduff in Co Cavan has the highest 14-day incidence rate of coronavirus cases in the State and is more than five times the national rate .
The latest data from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre ( HPSC ) examines the 14-day Covid-19 incidence rate between October 13th and 26th in each of the 166 electoral areas .
The electoral area of Ballyjamesduff has an incidence rate of 1484.4 cases per 100,000 population , more than five times the national incidence rate of 292.1 The Ratoath electoral area in Co Meath has the second highest rate in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Galway City Central ( 1018.7 ) , Belturbet , Co Cavan ( 928.4 ) and Ashbourne , Co Meath ( 887.2 ) .
Nenagh in Co Tipperary ( 56.1 ) and Corca Dhuibhne in Co Kerry ( 56.4 ) have the lowest 14-day incidence rates in the country .
Nenagh recorded 12 cases of coronavirus during the period in question , while Corca Dhuibhne recorded just eight cases .
Ballymun-Finglas has the highest 14-day incidence rate of coronavirus in Dublin at 494.5 cases per 100,000 population , followed by Blanchardstown-Mulhuddart at 402.2 and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lowest rate in Dublin at 90.1 along with Killiney-Shankill ( 107.7 ) .
There were six more deaths and a further 866 confirmed Covid-19 cases reported by the National Public Health Emergency Team ( Nphet ) on Thursday .
Eight more deaths from coronavirus were reported in Northern Ireland where a further 822 new cases of Covid-19 were also identified .

The latest data from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HSPC) examines the 14-day Covid-19 incidence rate between October 13th and 26th in each of the 166 electoral areas. File photograph: Alan Betson/The Irish Times.
The electoral area of Ballyjamesduff in Co Cavan has the highest 14-day incidence rate of coronavirus cases in the State and is more than five times the national rate.
The latest data from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) examines the 14-day Covid-19 incidence rate between October 13th and 26th in each of the 166 electoral areas. The electoral area of Ballyjamesduff has an incidence rate of 1484.4 cases per 100,000 population, more than five times the national incidence rate of 292.1
The Ratoath electoral area in Co Meath has the second highest rate in the country at 1365.6, followed by Galway City Central (1018.7), Belturbet, Co Cavan (928.4) and Ashbourne, Co Meath (887.2).
Nenagh in Co Tipperary (56.1) and Corca Dhuibhne in Co Kerry (56.4) have the lowest 14-day incidence rates in the country. Nenagh recorded 12 cases of coronavirus during the period in question, while Corca Dhuibhne recorded just eight cases.
READ MORE
Ballymun-Finglas has the highest 14-day incidence rate of coronavirus in Dublin at 494.5 cases per 100,000 population, followed by Blanchardstown-Mulhuddart at 402.2 and Clondalkin at 384.8. Glencullen-Sandyford has the lowest rate in Dublin at 90.1 along with Killiney-Shankill (107.7).
There were six more deaths and a further 866 confirmed Covid-19 cases reported by the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) on Thursday.
Eight more deaths from coronavirus were reported in Northern Ireland where a further 822 new cases of Covid-19 were also identified.


theirishtimes--2020-10-30--HSE seeks help with contact tracing but fewer public service staff available

There are fewer public service personnel available for redeployment to other areas during the current heightened Covid-19 restrictions than was the case last spring , the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform has said .
The department said recently there have been approaches from the Health Service Executive ( HSE ) to have staff from the civil service re-assigned to assist with contact tracing .
It said the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection had also sought additional personnel as part of the Government ’ s temporary re-assignment initiative .
The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform said on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for redeployment than was the case last spring .
It said it was important to note that unlike during the first period of restrictions in March , April and May this year , on this occasion “ in the main all areas across the civil and public service are now back to being fully operational ” .
“ This decreases the available staff pool , in comparison with last spring , ” the department said this week .
In March , the Government announced a scheme under which civil and public service bodies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in roles that were deemed as essential by their organisation at that time .
At the time it said that temporary assignments of personnel were urgently required to deal with resourcing challenges , particularly in the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection – which was handling hundreds of thousands of applications for pandemic unemployment payments – and the HSE .
The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform said this week that the temporary assignment policy and scheme , which was developed to manage immediate and significant demands in terms of assignments to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , would continue to operate .
“ The Public Appointment Service , who are the administrators of the scheme , may periodically issue detailed requests to organisations seeking employees who are deemed to be releasable in the context of their business continuity plan for the temporary assignment scheme .
Recently , within the Civil Service , there have been further requests from the HSE ( contact tracing ) and the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection ( telephone queries relating to applications for social welfare payments ) .
All organisations also continue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ”

There are fewer public service personnel available for redeployment to other areas during the current heightened Covid-19 restrictions than was the case last spring, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform has said.
The department said recently there have been approaches from the Health Service Executive (HSE) to have staff from the civil service re-assigned to assist with contact tracing.
It said the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection had also sought additional personnel as part of the Government’s temporary re-assignment initiative.
The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform said on this occasion there were fewer staff available for redeployment than was the case last spring.
READ MORE
It said it was important to note that unlike during the first period of restrictions in March, April and May this year, on this occasion “in the main all areas across the civil and public service are now back to being fully operational”.
“This decreases the available staff pool, in comparison with last spring ,” the department said this week.
In March, the Government announced a scheme under which civil and public service bodies would release staff who were not working in roles that were deemed as essential by their organisation at that time.
At the time it said that temporary assignments of personnel were urgently required to deal with resourcing challenges, particularly in the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection – which was handling hundreds of thousands of applications for pandemic unemployment payments – and the HSE.
The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform said this week that the temporary assignment policy and scheme, which was developed to manage immediate and significant demands in terms of assignments to the HSE and other departments and offices, would continue to operate.
“The Public Appointment Service, who are the administrators of the scheme, may periodically issue detailed requests to organisations seeking employees who are deemed to be releasable in the context of their business continuity plan for the temporary assignment scheme. Recently, within the Civil Service, there have been further requests from the HSE (contact tracing) and the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection (telephone queries relating to applications for social welfare payments). All organisations also continue to redeploy staff internally as appropriate.”


theirishtimes--2020-10-30--Covid-19 transmission rates at schools remains low, says HSE

Schools remain safe settings with very low rates of transmission of Covid-19 , according to public health authorities .
On Thursday Dr Abigail Collins , a consultant in public health medicine , said the latest data is very reassuring and shows schools are in general not incubators of the disease .
New figures released by the HSE indicate a total of 599 cases of Covid-19 detected among pupils or staff in primary or secondary schools since they reopened in late August .
On foot of these cases , just over 15,000 staff and students were tested following risk assessments which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ These tests uncovered an additional 384 cases , or 2.5 per cent of all cases tested .
The HSE says this compares to a positivity rate of about 10 per cent of close contacts in the community .
The difference between positivity rates in schools versus the community is regarded as an encouraging sign that schools are not “ amplifying ” transmission of the virus .
A further breakdown of these figures shows positivity rates following the testing of close contacts are highest in special education schools ( 3.3 per cent ) , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cent ) and secondary schools ( 2 per cent ) .
Dr Collins said this positive data from schools was reflected in national age data which shows that the proportion of children contracting the virus has remained stable since schools reopened .
While 14.5 per cent of cases were among children aged between four to 18 in August , that figure rose slightly to 14.9 per cent in September and 15.6 per cent in October .
Overall , she said out of the 300 or so students diagnosed with Covid-19 in schools , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus in the community or within their families rather than in a school setting .
Available evidence indicated transmission of the virus within the school occurred in under 2 per cent of the country ’ s schools – or 70 out of about 4,000 primary and secondary schools .
While teachers ’ unions have raised concerns over “ inconsistencies ” in the definition of what constitutes a close contact across schools , Dr Collins explained that each case is different and “ soft ” information gathered by public health teams can lead to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contacts .
She said public health teams were working hard to balance what was reasonable with what was necessary in limiting the spread of the virus .
“ Schools are very important places .
If you designate someone a close contact you are automatically excluding them from education for two weeks and exclusion is harmful and undesirable.
” Yesterday Micheál Martin said schools will definitely open on Monday after the mid-term break , despite a vote by teachers ’ unions in favour of industrial action .
Speaking at Government Buildings , he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” and that the Government would “ do everything we can to ensure that industrial action does not takes place.
” Asked if he could tell parents today that schools will definitely open on Monday , Mr Martin replied : “ Yes , yes .
We ’ ve nothing to say that they won ’ t ; we ’ re saying they will open , of course they ’ ll open on Monday .
We ’ ll continue to engage with all the partners , but they will open on Monday .
”

New figures released by the HSE indicate a total of 599 cases of Covid-19 detected among pupils or staff in primary or secondary schools since they reopened in late August. File photograph: Getty
Schools remain safe settings with very low rates of transmission of Covid-19, according to public health authorities.
On Thursday Dr Abigail Collins, a consultant in public health medicine, said the latest data is very reassuring and shows schools are in general not incubators of the disease.
New figures released by the HSE indicate a total of 599 cases of Covid-19 detected among pupils or staff in primary or secondary schools since they reopened in late August.
On foot of these cases, just over 15,000 staff and students were tested following risk assessments which identified them as a close contact.
READ MORE
These tests uncovered an additional 384 cases, or 2.5 per cent of all cases tested.
The HSE says this compares to a positivity rate of about 10 per cent of close contacts in the community.
The difference between positivity rates in schools versus the community is regarded as an encouraging sign that schools are not “amplifying” transmission of the virus.
A further breakdown of these figures shows positivity rates following the testing of close contacts are highest in special education schools (3.3 per cent), followed by primary schools (2.7 per cent) and secondary schools (2 per cent).
Dr Collins said this positive data from schools was reflected in national age data which shows that the proportion of children contracting the virus has remained stable since schools reopened.
While 14.5 per cent of cases were among children aged between four to 18 in August, that figure rose slightly to 14.9 per cent in September and 15.6 per cent in October.
Overall, she said out of the 300 or so students diagnosed with Covid-19 in schools, most evidence indicated that they contracted the virus in the community or within their families rather than in a school setting.
Available evidence indicated transmission of the virus within the school occurred in under 2 per cent of the country’s schools – or 70 out of about 4,000 primary and secondary schools.
While teachers’ unions have raised concerns over “inconsistencies” in the definition of what constitutes a close contact across schools, Dr Collins explained that each case is different and “soft” information gathered by public health teams can lead to different conclusions over the number of close contacts.
She said public health teams were working hard to balance what was reasonable with what was necessary in limiting the spread of the virus.
“Schools are very important places. If you designate someone a close contact you are automatically excluding them from education for two weeks and exclusion is harmful and undesirable.”
Yesterday Micheál Martin said schools will definitely open on Monday after the mid-term break, despite a vote by teachers’ unions in favour of industrial action.
Speaking at Government Buildings, he said teachers “want to be in school” and that the Government would “do everything we can to ensure that industrial action does not takes place.”
Asked if he could tell parents today that schools will definitely open on Monday, Mr Martin replied: “Yes, yes. We’ve nothing to say that they won’t; we’re saying they will open, of course they’ll open on Monday. We’ll continue to engage with all the partners, but they will open on Monday.”