Review of current educational, medical, family and social issues in Ireland
Time for Stormont to make tough choice of painful cuts
Belfast Telegraph – Ed Curran, former Editor writes – The biggest shake-up in welfare benefits is about to hit Northern Ireland. One way or another, cuts cannot be avoided which may take as much as £450m out of the local economy. As community, charity and church groups are warning, the welfare reform will have an impact far beyond the homes of the disabled, mentally ill, disadvantaged and impoverished in our society. You cannot take that amount of money out of circulation without hitting an already ailing economy.
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/columnists/ed-curran/time-for-stormont-to-make-tough-choice-of-painful-cuts-16132897.html
Nurses’ strain after A&E closure
The strain on the A&E Department at the Royal Victoria Hospital is preventing staff from delivering proper care, according to the Royal College of Nursing.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-17442105
Nurse has not worked since death
The BBC understands that an agency nurse who works at the Royal Victoria Hospital’s A&E department has not returned to work since an elderly man died after waiting almost 24 hours on a trolley.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-17453720
Poots plans to cut waiting times
BBC – The health minister wants to see 95% of patients in A&E departments admittted or discharged within four hours.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-17458615
Discrimination protection concerns
Belfast Telegraph – Minority ethnic and black people in Northern Ireland have less protection against discrimination, harassment and victimisation than in the rest of the UK, it has been claimed. Eileen Lavery, head of advice and compliance at the Equality Commission, said there were increasing concerns about shortcomings in race legislation.
She said: “There are no quick or easy answers to eliminating inequality and deep-seated prejudices like racism.
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/discrimination-protection-concerns-16133855.html
Sunday closing will cost Northern Ireland £3m
Belfast telegraph – Retailers want trading laws eased over fears they will hit tourist spend. Northern Ireland could lose out on a Sunday tourism spend of around £3m every week as a result of not relaxing trading restrictions. The warning was issued 10 days ahead of the opening of Titanic Belfast, when thousands of visitors are expected to descend on the city.
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/sunday-closing-will-cost-northern-ireland-3m-16133933.html
Study shows benefits of parenting programmes
Irish Times – NEW RESEARCH shows high-quality parenting programmes result in improved child behaviour and provide major long-term benefits for both families and the State.
Researchers from NUI Maynooth have found that while it costs about €2,200 on average to deliver a programme per family, the health, social and economic benefits are estimated to be worth €315,000 per family.
As well as reducing childhood behavioural problems, the parenting programmes – particularly those delivered in group settings – are shown to have a positive impact on the mental health of parents.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/health/2012/0320/1224313567167.html
More children in care over parents’ alcohol abuse
Examiner – More and more children are being taken into care due to families’ problems with drugs and alcohol addiction, according to the Frances Fitzgerald, the children’s minister. There are now 6,160 children in care, up from 5,727 during 2011, and a 13% increase since 2006.
Fiona Ryan, head of Alcohol Action Ireland, said it was amazing how little attention the issue of parental alcohol abuse got considering the number of children affected by the problem.
http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/more-children-in-care-over-parents-alcohol-abuse-187675.html
Disabilities: 1,700 apply for Domiciliary Care Allowance
TheJournal.ie – It was proposed that the age of eligibility for the DCA scheme be extended to compensate for changes in the Disability Allowance scheme in this year’s Budget.
http://www.thejournal.ie/disabilities-1700-apply-for-domiciliary-care-allowance-385499-Mar2012/
Teachers’ union rejects Friends of the Elderly’s Transition Year claims
TheJournal.ie – Earlier this week the Friends of the Elderly said they wanted the “self-indulgent” year scrapped.
http://www.thejournal.ie/teachers-union-rejects-friends-of-the-elderlys-transition-year-claims-389714-Mar2012/