Author name: oisinkelly

Senior management with HSE Community Services in the North West are publishing six special videos thanking staff for their efforts over the course of the Covid 19 pandemic. The first video was posted this afternoon featuring John Hayes, the Chief Officer in CHO Area 1, which encompasses Donegal, Leitrim, Sligo, Monaghan and Cavan. In it, […]

A Rural Ireland campaigner is calling on the government to build temporary and alternative accommodation for those in homes affected by Mica. It comes as the Tanaiste meets this afternoon with party colleagues who want the government to agree to a 100 per cent redress scheme. Leo Varadkar is speaking with TDs from some of

The PRO of the Mica Action Group has said that it’s increasingly likely that the civil servants on the Defective Block Working Group will have a different opinion to that of the Mica family representatives – and that both different perspectives will be presented to the Housing Minister on the Working Group’s final paper. Michael

The Policing Authority says it’s simply not good enough that a number of gardai cancelled emergency calls. It’s emerged a further 53 emergency calls were cancelled without a proper Garda response, after new procedures were implemented when it emerged that thousands of emergency calls to Gardaí had been cancelled. Chairman of the Policing Authority Bob

The UK Government has approved sending 100 military doctors to Northern Ireland to support under-pressure hospitals dealing with Covid-19. The medics are expected to be deployed at two hospitals in Belfast, and possibly a third. They will be sent to Northern Ireland in the next few days. Dr. Andrew Dobbin is an A&E Consultant at

  Several Fine Gael TDs will back calls for a 100 per cent mica redress scheme when they meet with the Tánaiste this afternoon. Leo Varadkar will hold talks with his party colleagues from some of the worst hit areas. Discussions are ongoing on the scheme, which is due to go to cabinet early next

A Glenties Municipal District councillor has welcomed the news that planning permission has been saught to refurbish the Seaview Hotel in Bunbeg. Planning permission for the hotel has been saught by a company called Vestada Private LTD, and the planning application includes plans for the construction of 44 new hotel bedrooms, and the renovation of

As the Defective Blocks Working Group meets again today, Tanaiste Leo Varadkar has told the Dail that 100% Redress is very much on the table, but no decisions have been made. He was questioned on the issue today by Deputy Thomas Pringle, who said a ‘senior government source’ is now briefing the media that 100%

  Donegal Deputy Pearse Doherty and Tánaiste Leo Varadkar have once again clashed in the Dáil today, this time over the issue of student accomodation and the general housing crisis. During Leaders’ Questions this afternoon, after Deputy Doherty brought up the issue of a lack of student accommodation across the country as well as the

Donegal Doctor Ciaran O’Fearraigh has welcomed the ceasing of asymptomatic contact tracing for school children aged below 13 in primary school and childcare settings. Contact tracing rules for asymptomatic children are set to change from this Monday, where if a child is not showing symptoms despite being a close contact, they will not have to

The General Secretary of the INTO has criticised the HSE and NPHET’s decision to stop contact tracing of asymptomatic children who are close contacts in primary school education or childcare environments. From next Monday children under the age of 13 in those settings will no longer have to self-isolate if they are a close contact

The Defective Blocks Working Group will meet for one of the final times later today, as Government seeks clarity on family representatives’ proposals for 100% Mica redress. Earlier today An Taoiseach Micheál Martin said that part of the final talks will be aiming to find a system that helps repair affected houses more quickly, with

A Donegal councillor says women who were deprived of hundreds of thousands of euro in wages because they were forced to leave their jobs are now being deprived of proper pensions, and that is a grave injustice. Cllr Ian McGarvey says he is aware of women who were in professional jobs, but married at 22

Donegal County Council has agreed to carry out an assessment of a busy route in Downings with a view towards establishing a footpath between the Main Street and the pier. Councillor John O’Donnell has called on the local authority to create a safe corridor between both areas due to the surge in tourists flocking to

A Donegal TD has told the Dail that fishing in Burtonport has already been decimated, and there’s a real risk other ports will suffer the same fate. Speaking during the resumed second stage debate on the Sea Fisheries Bill, Deputy Pringle said the only way of guaranteeing a sustainable fishing industry in Ireland is a

The Taoiseach says talks on the mica compensation scheme will be finished by the end of the month. Homeowners are meeting department officials today, with further talks with Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien in the coming days. Campaigners in Donegal and in other areas affected by mica want a 100 per cent redress scheme for those

The General Secretary of the INTO says he’s flabbergasted at the decision to stop contact tracing in primary schools from Monday. It also applies to childcare facilities. It means testing of asymptomatic close contacts will not take place and children aged 12 and under will not have to restrict their movements, unless advised by Public

  The number of Covid-19 cases linked to schools more than doubled in the last week. HPSC data shows 90 outbreaks in the week to last Saturday resulting in 412 new infections. That’s up from 40 outbreaks and 191 linked cases the previous week. There was one new outbreak in a university last week leading

The Dail has heard that the human toll of the Mica ordeal has been heartbreaking and has driven people to emotional breakdown and financial ruin. Donegal Deputy Padraig MacLocahlainn rowed in behind criticism of the Tanaiste’s comments that taxpayers will be the ones effectively paying for a 100% redress scheme. Responding, Public Expenditure Minister McGrath