Month: May 2006

STUDENTS who don’t mind getting down and dirty will be able to clean up this summer, with 700 temporary jobs on offer. Tipperary-based Ryan’s Cleaning Event Specialists, one of Ireland’s largest cleaning company’s are set to employ a staggering 700 temporary staff, mostly students during for the peak season from May to October.

Ryan’s hold the waste management responsibility for Ireland’s largest events, including music festivals and concerts, sporting events, exhibitions and private functions. The Oxegen Festival, Galway Races, Slane Castle and Electric Picnic are on their clean-up list this summer.

With the rise in concern for waste management in Ireland bringing business rolling in, Ryan’s Cleaning Event Specialists have also secured events in the UK, including the V Festival.

MD, Pat Ryan, said, “The summer period is our peak season. We expect to exceed our previous year’s employment levels this year. Our work suits students in Clare as it coincides with their college break.”

Ryan’s are responsible for the maintenance of each particular venue before, during and after each event.

Call 0504 51083 or email ryanscleanup@eircom.net for further information.

FIANNA Fáil Senator Brendan Daly has attacked what he has described as the “red tape” holding up the €30 million development plan for Ennis General Hospital.

The senator told a Seanad debate on the issue that there had been “a merry-go-round of discussions for the past two years with hospital, departmental and executive officials. The people of Clare want to see the hospital’s development begin as soon as possible,” he said.

Last week, Senator Daly appeared alongside the chairman of the Ennis General Hospital Development Committee, Peadar McNamara, at the May meeting of Kilrush Town Council to highlight the issue.

Four months previously, Senator Daly dismissed as a “publicity gimmick”, a move by the Hospital Development Committee to nail eight questions to the door of Health Service Executive (HSE) offices in Limerick, on the future of the A and E in Ennis.

In the Seanad last week, Senator Daly said it was over a year since a high-powered delegation, which included Clare politicians representatives of the Ennis General Hospital development committee, attended a meeting with the Tánaiste in Dublin, to emphasise how important it was to press ahead with the hospital’s development. But the deficiencies continued at the hospital, including security.

“In recent times, there has been an escalation in the aggressive attitude of patients at its accident and emergency department. They attend the department in an aggressive mood brought about through the over-indulgence in alcohol and, sometimes, drugs,” he said.

“The hospital has had to employ security personnel to keep law and order there at the weekends. On several occasions, the gardaí have had to be called to restore law and order in the department.

“This is unacceptable. No member can expect nursing and medical personnel to put up with such behaviour. Any solution to deal with this will be welcomed,” he added.

A MAJOR conference to take the pulse of the Irish Health Care system will take place in Ennis next week

The three day conference entitled “Who Owns Irish Health Care” will be held at the Auburn Lodge from May 18 – 20. It is being organised by members of the Ennis General Hospital Committee to examine issues surrounding the public and private control of the Irish Health Services.

One of the main topics up for discussion will be the growing effect private hospitals are having on the public healthcare system, and who are the people and organisations charged with providing health services in Ireland.

According to organisers the conference will examine whether the emergence of a “for profit” health sector will enhance or threaten the public health system

A wide range of speakers from across a range of disciplines and professions are expected to attend. These include Christine O’Malley, Chair of the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) and Dr James Sheehan, Director of the Galway and Blackrock Clinics. Dr Willie Walsh, Bishop of the Diocese of Killaloe is also expected to attend.

Peadar McNamara, Chairman of the Ennis General Hospital Committee says the conference will provide an essential overview of the state of the Irish Health sector.

“We are seeking an objective view on what contribution the public and private services should be making to the health of the nation. The purpose of this conference is to open debate and to hear the voices of all those concerned. It is vital that those involved in planning services should be engaged in this debate. In particular local authority members from all over the country are invited to attend. This will be a very valuable opportunity to discuss the changing role of local politicians in health care planning.

Any funds generated by the conference will go towards the work of the Ennis General Hospital Development Committee and all are welcome to attend.

ENNIS General Hospital’s consultants and the county’s GPs and psychiatrists are to present a united front on Health Service Executive (HSE) proposals to review acute services at Ennis General and in the Mid-West.

Arising from a meeting last week in Ennis amongst the three groups, Ennis Hospital consultant, John O’Dea confirmed to The Clare People yesterday that the three are to make a joint submission to the external review of the acute hospital services in Ennis.

He said, “Everyone is concerned that the issues that we raised two years ago have not been addressed, including the real safety issues at the hospital. The GPs and psychiatrists shared our frustration and there is no confidence that the many promises made for the future development of the hospital are going to happen.”

Dr O’Dea said that the three groups would produce a joint submission “as it was decided that the only way we can influence the future development of the hospital is in a joint, cohesive submission”.

West-clare based GP, Dr Tom Nolan said, “The ultimate decision on Ennis General Hospital is a political one. Professor Brendan Drumm said that the Hanly Report is the only show in town, but alternatives have been put forward by the consultants at Ennis General and the Bradley report.

“We don’t know what else Prof Drumm needs and we view with some suspicion the use to which this new independent review will be put. Is it a means of getting the politicians off the hook, that it might be a get out of jail report for the politicians?”

Dr O’Dea said that the attendance at the meeting was very good and that the GPs support the notion of Ennis remaining as a general rather than becoming a local hospital as defined in the Hanly report.

PERMANENT drinking-up time is on the cards for many ‘locals’, with 43 pubs in Clare closing in just one year. And that number is expected to quadruple over the next few years, vintners have warned.

A Clare Vintners’ Federation representative says the future looks grim for the small pubs which have traditionally been an intrinsic part of many communities.

National figures show that 597 pubs closed nationwide between 2004 and 2005, 43 of these in Clare.

Clare Vinters’ Association spokesman, Michael McNamara from Scariff, said that this number “is just the tip of the iceberg. In the next few years, we are expecting that number to quadruple.”

And small rural pubs are being worst hit. The Scariff publican said, “Go into any rural village and you’ll see family names over pubs that are closed.”

The Vintners Federation are predicting that, of the 5,800 pubs outside Dublin, there will be just 3,000 left in five to seven years time.

Rising charges, increasing taxation, lack of public transport to avoid a drink-driving prosecution and the smoking ban are all contributing to the downfall of the local pub, the vintners say.

“Local authorities seem to pluck new charges out of the sky and we haven’t been allowed under law to provide any kind of comfort outside for our smoking customers,” McNamara said.

“People come to the pub to sit and chat — now they have to go outside and, on top of that, stand in the cold and rain.”

Heavy taxation is making the Irish pub a dearer place to drink, he added.

“If you go to the Canaries, you can buy a bottle of Jameson for €12 — here, the tax alone on a bottle is that much.”

And McNamara warned that the decline of the pub will change the fabric of rural society.

“Pubs have been in the forefront in the tourism trade and the pub has been the focus for everything from community meetings to games of cards. That’s all changing,” he said.

THE sin-bin awaits Clare County Councillors whose mobiles ring during meetings.

Mayor of Clare, Pat Keating (FF), says he’ll order councillors to leave the Council Chamber for 10 minutes each time their phones interrupt meetings.

They’ll also have to fork out a fine of €2 for each offence, with the money going to charity.

“The use of mobile phones at council meetings shows a lack of respect for what is going on in the Chamber,” said Mayor Keane.

“Meetings have been disrupted by mobile phone usage and it is the same councillors using the mobile again and again. Initially, the sin-bin initiative will be implemented and we will see how it goes. If councillors disrupt meetings, I will request them to leave the council chamber for 10 minutes.

“I understand that councillors must have their phones switched on to take calls from people, but all I am asking is that councillors have their phone on silent or vibrate.”

Cllr Colm Wiley (FF), an outspoken critic of mobile usage in the Chamber, lashed out at those who put the importance of their calls before the importance of the meetings.

“It is a disgrace that councillors cannot behave themselves. And you have members of the public watching from the public gallery. What must they think?” he asked.

Cllr Wiley said that there was a procession of the same councillors walking out of meeting taking calls on their mobile phones.

“With all the sounds going off, it is like the philharmonic orchestra playing. I’m tempted to ask Cllr Kelly beside me, ‘may I have the next dance?’, with all the music going on.”

But Cllr Wiley said that there was no need for the Mayor to be put in place a sin-bin.

“All that is required is for a sign to be placed on the door of the meeting, ‘please switch off mobile phones’,” he said.

Cllr Wiley said that the usage of mobile phones “is very insulting” to the business of the council.

“It delays meetings. Councillors come back in from taking their call and want to go over ground that has already been covered.”

THE Labour Relations Commission (LRC) has imposed a news “black-out” on talks aimed at overcoming the impasse on the €30 million survival plan for Shannon Airport.

The talks commenced earlier this month with a Labour Court recommendation urging the parties to conclude the talks within a two-month period. Talks on restructuring commenced last summer, but were marred by accusation on both sides on the level of engagement. Before the LRC talks commenced earlier this month, no discussions had taken place on the substantive issues over the past nine months.

Fine Gael deputy Pat Breen said yesterday, “Obviously, if the LRC has imposed a blackout, they obviously mean business and we hope that all sides can produce a resolution beneficial to the future of Shannon.”

Shannon-based councillor Patricia McCarthy said, “Megaphone negotiations can have a negative effect and, on such a sensitive issue, I think it is advisable that a black-out has been put in place to avoid expectations being played-up or down. I believe, however, that there is a need to advise staff on how the talks are progressing.”

Both sides were observing the blackout and have declined to give any detail on progress.

Throughout the talks process, SIPTU has outlined its opposition to plans by the DAA to cut the workforce of 520 through 200 voluntary redundancies by outsourcing a number of areas of work at Shannon.

As part of the survival plan, the DAA is offering sums of up to €10,000 for the workers that remain. The voluntary redundancy package gives staff with over 24 years’ experience a €100,000 pay-off, and entitles workers to their company pensions at 55.

The DAA’s director for change, John Horgan, has previously expressed confidence that if the proposals were put to the workers at Shannon, a majority would vote in favour of the deal. Both the DAA and SIPTU declined to comment ahead of today’s talks.

GARDAI in Clare were busiest in January, June and July of last year and note that their resources are most stretched during holiday periods. Chief Superintendent Liam Quinn said the increase in non-headline crime, by 31 per cent, is linked to alcohol.

“It is linked to the increased availability of money and the increased consumption of alcohol. The highest number of incidents occur during holiday time. These are very low in November and May, while the peak time for incidents would be January, June and July. January is linked with New Year’s Day,” he said, adding that a large percentage of incidents coincide with the closure of pubs and nightclubs.

Two pubs in Clare were closed last year for serving alcohol to underage people, while eight have been closed in the courts, over the years, under the Liquor Licensing laws.

The increases in the number of burglaries in Clare is a worry for gardai. There was a huge rise in the number of thefts from shops last year — 221, which is an increase by more than a third. Thefts from unattended vehicles fell by 15 per cent, to 187.

There were three burglaries in which firearms were used (aggravated burglaries) last year, while there were 317 burglaries last year, an increase of five per cent on the figure for 2004. Car break-ins has been particularly prevalent so far this year, and this is being targeted by gardai.

“We have been tracking this carefully. We have identified a number of people who we believe are responsible and are closely monitoring that. We are involved in a major operation across the western seaboard to counteract that,” said Chief Supt Quinn.

“You have groups from outside coming in to Ennis at night and they are hitting 10 to 12 cars at a time.”

There were two incidents of homicide last year and charges were brought in relation to both, which are pending before the courts. Incidents of rape and sexual assault decreased significantly. There were 192 drug seizures last year. 179 people were prosecuted for drugs offences last year, the majority of who were men aged 21 and over. There were 25 cases of breaches of domestic violence last year, 17 of which were for barring order breaches.

There were 4,784 road traffic proceedings initiated last year, which is an increase from 3,634 in 2004.

FIFTY new gardai must be deployed to Clare, to deal with the spiralling number of incidents under investigation, according to the head of the Clare Garda Division.

Chief Superintendent Liam Quinn was speaking to The Clare People in the wake of the publication of the crime statistics for last year, which shows that gardai in the county dealt with almost 11,000 incidents last year — an increase of 19 per cent on the previous year.

The figures show that serious crime — headline offences — dropped by six per cent last year, when compared with the figures for 2004.

The detection rate in Clare increased from 33 per cent, to 36 per cent last year.

“It is always good to see crime down. The crime rate in Clare is 15.5 per cent per 1,000, compared to the national average of 25.9 per cent. That is 40 per cent lower than the national average,” said Chief Superintendent Quinn.

Non-headline offences — including minor assaults, criminal damage and public order and motoring offences — increased dramatically, by 31 per cent, from 5,142 in 2004 to 6,755 last year. This compares with an average national increase of 12 per cent.

“We are dealing with almost 11,000 incidents a year. That is a demand on our resources and is a significant increase.

“We are noticing that, on the ground, there is less and less time to deal with incidents and that is causing us difficulty. There is a huge stretch on resources and we have applied for more resources,” he said.

One of the areas poised to expand is the division’s Traffic Corps, which is to increase from its existing 12 to 31. That will include the establishment of a traffic corps in Killaloe, which will also deal with crime rates in the east Clare area.

“We have made a substantial application. We are looking for 50 gardai, under new national resources,” he said.

There are currently 267 gardai in the Clare Garda Division, which includes 24 who are based, temporarily, in Shannon.

“We have made the case on what we need. We are dealing with definite numbers,” he said.

There have been repeated calls for additional gardai to be deployed in various parts of Clare, not least Kilrush and west Clare.

Chief Supt Quinn said this is being monitored on an ongoing basis.

“We have set up very specific operations in west Clare. We have deployed and continue to deploy significant resources and that is ongoing,” he said.

THE number of offences being committed by juveniles in Clare has risen sharply, by almost 50 per cent.

Official statistics contained in the Garda Annual Report show that 576 referrals were made from the Clare Garda Division to the Garda National Juvenile Officer throughout last year.

This is a 48 per cent increase on the figure for 2004 (388).

Some 459 individual children were referred, under the Juvenile Liaison programme, last year.

This is an increase on 355 during 2004.

Fifty-nine of the 459 were deemed unsuitable for inclusion under the programme. Sixty-nine were issued with formal cautions; 267 received informal cautions while no further action was taken against 33.

Cases involving 31 of the youths are still pending.

Nationally, thefts accounted for 18 per cent of offences committed by youths, with criminal damage accounting for 10 per cent, followed by public order (nine per cent).

This trend is similar in Clare, according to Chief Superintendent Liam Quinn.

A second juvenile liaison officer (JLO), Garda Margaret Purcell, was appointed last year and works in conjunction with Garda John O’Neill.

“We have sent up a second JLO and that has increased our capacity to deal with that,” said Chief Superintendent Quinn.

“This is focusing on anti-social behaviour in the town,” he added.

The fight against crime in housing estates in Ennis has been boosted through the appointment of four community gardai in separate geographical areas.

Garda Tim Ryan is based in Ennis town, Garda Albert Hardiman is responsible for Cloughleigh, Garda Irene O’Flynn is based in the Lahinch Road area and Garda Jeremy Murphy is focused on the Tulla Road.