The Clare People Archive

THE Department of the Environ- ment has been accused of robbing Clare County Council of funding ring-fenced from motor-tax paid in the county.

Following the confirmation of a seven per cent cut in the council budget for next year, Cllr Patricia McCarthy (Ind) said that the Gov-

ernment was going back on a deal to ring-fence money collected from motor tax for use in the county.

‘This Government told us that they were ring-fencing the money from motor tax for the local authorities but now they are using this money for their own issues,” the councillor renee

“They said that this money was protected so why are they taking it

from the local authority. The level of money being paid for motor tax has not gone down so I don’t see why our funding in respect to this should be cut.”

Meanwhile, it was also revealed that Clare County Council is being forced to take out overdraft facilities to cover budget shortfalls as a result of delays in receiving payments from the Department of the Environment.

CLARE County Council and Ennis Town Council are aiming to house 60 Traveller families in standard council housing in the greater Ennis area over the next five years.

According to the council’s draft Traveller Accommodation Plan, there will be a need to house 123 Traveller families between 2009 and 2013. It has been established that 88 indigenous Traveller families are in need of permanent accommodation and it 1s anticipated that an addition- al 35 new families will also require accommodation during the period of the draft plan.

The draft plan confirms that the county’s Traveller population will be concentrated in Ennis, Ennistymon and Shannon where all but two of the 123 residential units will be pro- vided. The other two homes will be provided in Scariff and Killaloe over the five years.

The council makes no provision for transient sites in Clare, holding the view that this should be implement- ed on a national basis using regional NSM CRE Kony

The local authority will gener- ally endeavour to accommodate a minimum of one Traveller family in a grouping of ten local authority rented houses and give due consid-

eration to proportionality throughout the county, subject to the interests of proper estate management.

“This will allow for the ongoing integration of Traveller families into standard housing. The council will promote a progression from Travel- ler specific accommodation to stand- ard housing where appropriate and where the family so desires. This would serve to minimise the number of Traveller specific sites required in the future.”

A comprehensive assessment of the accommodation needs of Travellers took place in September when it was established that by far the greatest need for accommodation was in En- nis where 65 families required hous- ing. This compares to thirteen in the Ennistymon area and eight in the Shannon area.

The plan anticipates that 60 Travel- ler families will be accommodated in standard council housing in the greater Ennis area with 24 families accommodated in group housing or SEVER UNTSMESSI Roe

Ten Traveller families will be ac- commodated in standard council housing in Shannon, while six fami- lies will be accommodated in En- nistymon in council housing, while an additional twelve families will be accommodated in group housing in the north Clare town.

CLARE Fine Gael TD Joe Carey is one of a number of political fig- ures that has asked the minister for health to reverse her decision not to proceed with the vaccination programme against HPV (Human Papilloma Virus), a sexually trans- mitted infection that can lead to cervical cancer in some women. Deputy Carey said the abandon- ment of the programme proved that

“the minister for health is not pre- pared to address the fundamental issue of a real and genuine public sector reform’.

Speaking in the Dail on the HPV debate Deputy Carey explained how cervical cancer had ruined the life of one of his neighbours.

“She was diagnosed two years ago with cervical cancer. Her life was turned upside down; in her words, her life has been “wrecked” by the scourge of cancer. Her family life

has been ruined. She cannot under- stand what the minister is trying to do to the Irish people,” he said.

Cervical cancer is the eighth most common cancer in Ireland, with 240 new cases diagnosed every year and some 100 deaths.

“The minister gave an assurance to the public three months ago that this vaccine would be provided to all 12 year old girls. Three months later, however, this lifeline has been taken away for no apparent

reason other than to save a few euro. It is absolutely outrageous,” he said.

Clinical trials have shown that HPV vaccination prevents ad- vanced forms of non-invasive cer- vical cancer.

Although there are in excess of 200 HPV strains, just a small number are associated with the de- velopment of cancer of the cervix.

HPV types 16 and 18 are found in almost 70 per cent of cervical can-

cers, while another five sub-types are responsible for a further 20 per cent of cases.

However, the published data on the vaccine does not yet extend be- yond a six and a half follow-up pe- riod. There is currently a nine year study been under taken.

It has therefore yet to be scien- tifically proven that HPV vaccine prevents invasive cancer of the cer- vix or if a booster injection will be required in the future.

that prior to this, an average of 10 cases of this form of meningitis were reported to the HSE mid-west every year, with one death per annum.

The success of different vaccination programmes has depended on the uptake and that has often depended on associated published concerns.

Last September the HSE intro- duced a new childhood immunisa- tion for all babies born on or after July 1, 2008.

The additional vaccines in the new scheme, PCV and Hepatitis B, are aimed at protecting children against two serious diseases – Pneumococcal disease which can cause meningitis, septicaemia (blood poisoning) and pneumonia and Hepatitis B infection that affects the liver and can cause lifelong liver disease.

The Hepatitis B vaccine is given to children at two months as part of the new six-in-one vaccine. PCV is also given at two months and started in the UK last year.

Dr Fitzgerald explained that the vaccine has proved successful not only in the recipient but there was

“twice as much success in those not vaccinated”. In other words for every child vaccinated two more were con- sidered safe.

This vaccine is given only to those under two years of age with another form available to adults with a di- minished immune system.

The public health specialist also pointed out that vaccines have im- proved since they were first intro- duced.

BCG is not 100 per cent effective but is very good at preventing certain strains of TB.

2001 marked the lowest uptake of BCG, but the uptake is now at 97 per NMI D Kore hce

Dr Fitzgerald said that cases of TB could be attributed to its incubations orem (olen

“Incubation of TB could be dec- ades. Some of the cases today got TB when young,” she explained.

She said it was important that the population continue to avail of vac- orb ee

“People say these diseases are gone, that we don’t have cases but we do,’ she said.

“These are serious illnesses and there are vaccines to prevent them that work. One in 1,000 who get measles die in developed countries where you have good nutrition,” she warned.

“Nothing is 100 per cent safe but any difficulties you have with a vac- cine 1s much less than you have with the disease,’ she said.

AN INCREASE in the number of cases of mumps reported this year has led to questions about the suc- cess of the MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella) vaccination programme.

There has been an estimated 800 cases in Ireland this year.

The Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) continues to monitor the growing number.

Almost 60 per cent of reported cases are in the 10 to 24 year age group.

Mostindividuals affected by mumps either never received or received just one dose of MMR vaccine.

The up take of MMR vaccine is not

even at 90 per cent in Ireland. Na- tionally the uptake is at 89 per cent with a larger up take in the mid-west at 91 per cent.

Despite the higher uptake in the Clare area it is still not high enough to render the population immune.

“If you have a 95 per cent uptake in the vaccine you have herd immunity as it does not replicate,” explained Dr Rose Fitzgerald, Specialist in Public health Medicines.

‘There is a possibly only 80 to 90 per cent of the population covered,’ she said.

The MMR vaccine has a history of bad publicity as question marks re- mained over the vaccine following the Wakefield report.

In 1998, British gastroenterologist Dr Andrew Wakefield published a pa- per suggesting a possible association between childhoods MMR immu- nisation, bowel disease and autism. The Lancet, one of the world’s top medical journals, published Wake- field’s study. Later, however, they called the study “fatally flawed.”

Since 2001 the number receiving the vaccine has increased as the re- port according to Dr Fitzgerald was discredited.

In 2001 less than 70 per cent of the population were receiving the vac- cine, but the number is now up to 89 per cent nationally and 91 per cent for the mid-west.

The history of the MMR vaccine

dates back to the rubella vaccine given to girls in the 1970s. A vaccine against mumps was given to boys.

In 1985 a measles only vaccine was introduced. By 1988 it was decided to combine all of the vaccines and give them to both genders.

In 1992 it was decided to give a sec- ond MMR vaccination to children at two years of age instead of the rubel- la vaccine for girls. In 2001 the age of the second or booster vaccine was changed to four or five years of age.

“If you give 100 per cent of the population MMR 90 per cent will be effective,” explained Dr Fitzgerald.

“By giving the second one (injec- tion) you get 90 per cent of the 10 per cent which is 99 per cent coverage.

You will still have one per cent not covered.”

The HSE face the difficulty that they do no know what per centage of the population have had both inocu- lations.

“IN the early days of the MMR in 1988 it was a new vaccine and did not have a very good record so we don’t know how many are covered,’ said Dr Fitzgerald.

In 2007 142 cases of mumps were recorded, 427 in 2006 and 1079 cas- es in 2005 which was due to a na- tionwide outbreak that year. Several mumps outbreaks have been notified in third level colleges and in schools, both primary and second-level this year.

OPPOSITION continues to grow among local residents in Ballina- Killaloe following the lodging of a planning application by developers to build a high-rise apartment com- plex at the Derg marina.

Now an information evening or- ganised in opposition to the planning application has been arranged by the Ballina Marina Action Group for 8pm on Thursday, November 27 at the Lakeside Hotel, Ballina.

Reacting to the planning applica- tion, BMAG spokesperson, Joe Ca- halane said today, “There is consid- erable unease here toward the marina development proposals. This project is masquerading as a marina devel- opment when it is, to all intents and purposes, a massive apartment com- plex rising to five storeys at its high- est point. We are urging all those concerned with the developer’s pro- posals to turn out in force at the pub- lic meeting in Lakeside Hotel.”

The deadline for acceptance of planning objections to the proposals is Friday, December 5.

Mr Cahalane said that “the design and scale is completely at odds with

the sustainable development of a heritage town and would be more at home in the Dublin Docklands than in the tranquil setting of Ballina and GTI elena

The developers of the €60 mil- lion Shoreline marina, housing and commercial development, Eclipse Developments had said they would have further public consultation on the plan, after they had filed for plan- ning permission.

The developers say the plan will create 70 jobs when finished, en- hance public amenities for visitors and locals in Killaloe and Ballina and bring a €6 million annual spend to the area and extend the tourism season.

Locals are also concerned that the proposed marina is abounds a Spe- cial Protection Area (SPA), a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and a National Heritage Area (NHA) in a recognised heritage town.

Mr Cahalane stated that the local residents had asked for a detailed copy of the marina plan and for the model of the development to be put on display in the area but claimed that neither of these requests were complied with.

A MEMBER of Kilrush Town Coun- cil has accused the ESB of snubbing the council as a meeting between the electricity supply board and the local authority failed to materialise.

Councillor Collie Sweeney (Ind) also asked if the electricity supply board was in breech of its contract with the council.

He told Thursday evening’s meet- ing of the council, “We invited repre- sentatives of the ESB to address this council and to account for its neglect of the public lightening system in OTT ab ss e

“This council pays a premium rate to the ESB for the contract to supply and maintain a decent public light- ening service in the town. I think we should call in our legal adviser and ask if the ESB might be sued for breach of contract as it has failed to fulfil its obligations. But then the ESB enjoys a monopoly and can snub and ignore anything we say in this council chamber,” he said.

“There is an urgent need to carry out a survey of the public lightening in the town.”

“T walk the town every night of the week and can tell you that many lights are out of commission. Some

housing estates have no proper light- ing and this has security considera- tions for the residents living there. Maybe the town engineer will con- duct this survey and redden the ears of the ESB as to their contractual ob- ligations,” said Cllr Sweeney.

The Independent councillor said that on November 12 there were 42 lights out in the town and asked if the council was getting a sufficient Service.

Executive Engineer Derek Troy in- formed the councillor that all public lights are checked on the first week of each month by the town general Services Supervisor.

‘Following the monthly check a re- port of all defective public lights 1s sent to the ESB. Under the council’s contract with the ESB, any defec- tive public lights are required to be repaired within two weeks of this report,” the reply said.

‘An overall assessment of the pub- lic lighting system is carried out reg- ularly in conjunction with a member of personnel from the ESB. This as- sessment sets outs areas in need of upgrade to existing public lights and areas for the provision of additional or new public lights where street lighting does not currently exist,” he NCO

KILRUSH Superintendent Michael Comyns met with the members of Kilrush Town Council on Thursday last to discuss the future of the Joint Policing Committee (JPC) in the OD e0r

The Kilkee native told the mem- bers that they would drive the suc- cess and workings of the committee as the council makes up the biggest group in the 17 person committee.

JPCs have been set up nationally in accordance with the Garda Siochana Act 2005, which provides for such a committee in each local authority administrative area.

The purpose of these committees is to provide a forum where a local authority and the senior Garda of- ficers responsible for the policing of that area, with the participation of Oireachtas members and community interests, can consult, discuss and make recommendations on matters affecting the policing of the area. It is intended that the committees will be co-operative in nature and will Operate with the minimum of for- mality.

“One of the most important parts of the committee 1s the people from the community and people from the vol- untary organisations. The best thing is to pick from the widest spectrum

such as the youth group and older people,’ the newly appointed super- intendent advised.

“You can only have three from the voluntary and community sector. This is very small for an area like Kilrush so it 1s important to pick from a broad spectrum,” he added.

‘The town council will have a huge influence on the joint policing com- mittee. The biggest thing is that this is not a blame game,” he said.

“Things will go wrong but if every- one pulls together hopefully we will get it right.”

Supt Comyns told the council that the committee can have a huge input into law and order in the town.

“If there is a public premises acting outside the law we can discuss it here and we can send someone from the joint police committee to object to the licence,” he said.

While most committees are to be made up of three Oireachtas mem- bers, Kilrush will have just one due to the number of TDs in the constitu- ency.

Councillor Christy O’Malley (FF) pointed out to the meeting however that none of the four TDs in Clare could be considered local to west OE cer

The cost of this new committee is to be borne by the council and it must hold a public meeting once a year.

THE region’s waste management plan is now redundant following the confirmation that two private com- panies are pursuing thermal treat- ment technologies that were not in place when the plan was originally adopted.

That’s the view of Cllr Brian Meaney (Green) who made his com- ments after Regional Waste Co-ordi- nator, Phillipa King confirmed that two private firms are pursuing forms of thermal technologies in the Lim- erick area.

She confirmed that the technolo- gies being pursued were not around when the plan for Clare, Kerry and Limerick was adopted in 2006.

One plan is only at pre-planning stage, while the Regional Waste Of- fice has raised questions over a Ssec- ond proposal to meet the criteria laid down for thermal treatment.

Cllr Meaney said the waste plan needs to be reviewed as soon as the review ordered by Environment Min- ister John Gormley into the national waste strategy takes place .

“The current plan is redundant by its irrelevance. One indicator of ir-

relevance is the thermal treatment proposals by the private sector are taking place outside of the thermal treatment aspect of the plan and the direction from the Minister that ther- mal treatment is to be removed from waste plans.”

The presentation by Ms King also confirmed that there are less house- holds engaged in refuse collection in Clare last year than there were in paul etes

The number of Clare households signed up to the service is 57% or 21,290 compared to 22,285 or 58% of the 38,210 total in 2006.

However, the county boasts the highest recycling rate in the region at 35% compared to Limerick city (23%), Limerick county (29%) and Kerry (23%) and the regional aver- age of 28%.

Ms King’s presentation also con- firmed that at current filling rates, the landfills in the region have a lifespan of seven more years.

The capacity in the region is 1.324 million tonnes and that the current capacity is 765,000 tonnes, while the plan review states that there are 50 closed landfills in the region.

However, Ms King anticipated that

the lifespan of the landfills will be longer when organic waste is divert- ed from landfill.

Clare County Council along with other local aurthorities are aiming that 20% of households have segre- gated organic collection by Septem- ber of next year and that by December 2010, 40% of housholds must have a segregated organic collection.

The amount of household waste is currently down 3%, uncollected household waste is down 50%, Con- struction and Demolition Waste down 6% and Commercial waste up Ce

KILRUSH was the big winner at last nights Community Environmen- tal Awards hosted by Clare County Council – taking the Clare In Bloom competition.

Communities around the county received awards in a number of com- petitions included Clare In Bloom, Best Public Seat and Co-operation Ireland Pride of Place.

Scoring highly in landscaping and the range of planting, colour, Lit- ter control and waste prevention, the people of Kilrush and the Kil-

rush Tidy Towns Group were over- Whelmed with achieving the top eV Aer

The “Clare in Bloom” competi- tion is a motivational mechanism for the many small local based groups throughout the county to enhance the visual impact of their towns and villages by means of flower, tree and shrub planting.

This year’s competition attracted marks towards waste prevention, maintaining bring banks and en- ergy initiatives. Judging which takes place from mid-July to mid-August, considers such factors as colour, size,

variety, location and appropriate- ness of the various planting schemes along with the management of litter.

The Category 1 award was won by Kildysart Tidy Towns Committee, who finished ahead of Quin Devel- opment Association and Shannon Tidy Towns.

Ballynacally Development As- sociation was named the winner of Category 2, with Tuamgraney De- velopment Association and Kilmihil Community Development Associa- tion achieving second and third plac- es, respectively.

Category 3 was won by Labash-

eeda Community Pride with Bally- vaughan Tidy Towns in second and Bridgetown Tidy Towns in third place

A Special Endeavour Award went to Knock for the huge community ef- fort demonstrated by the overall ap- pearance of the village and great use of colour in this west Clare village.

The Cathaoirleach’s Environmen- tal Award, as well as a cheque for €1,000 was presented to St Marys Community Development Lissyca- Sey.

The Best Public Seat Award went to Ballyea who scooped the prize for

a third year in a row with Ballyna- cally second and Knock third.

The Pride of Place competition is an annual competition, which is run with Co-Operation Ireland in conjunction with Local Authorities north and south of the border.

Clare County Council and Co-Op- eration Ireland honoured the local contribution that Tuamgraney De- velopment Association, The Bur- ren Centre, Kilfenora, West Clare Resource Centre, Miltown Malbay, OBAIR Newmarket on Fergus, and Gleann an Oir Residents Association Shannon have made.