The Clare People Archive

A FORMER Clare TD and MRSA sufferer has criticised the HSE for its extravagant use of expensive lime- stone cladding on a “glorified shed” at Ennis General Hospital.

Hospital campaigner James Breen said that with underfunding and over- crowding being blamed for the recent C- diff outbreak at the hospital, he received a number of phone calls in

recent weeks from hospital staff and the general public in relation to a building currently being constructed on the grounds of the hospital.

“This building is being faced with limestone, which seems to be ex- travagant in what I am led to believe is a glorified shed to house electrical equipment for the hospital, while staff and patients have to use pre-fabricated facilities for their needs,” he said.

The HSE has defended the con-

struction of the power sub-station on the basis that it is part of the site master plan and will integrate with it when completed.

“The first floor of the hospital re- development is to be stone-clad and the substation will match it as part of an overall scheme which has passed through the appropriate process of public review,” the HSE has said.

However, the proposed €39 million redevelopment will not commence

this year as funds were diverted to another project in Dublin. It is also unlikely that the project will get un- derway next year unless additional funding can be made available. James Breen says the new construc- tion is totally at odds with the exist- ing hospital building and pre-fabri- cated structures already on site. “This building is completely out of character with the others on the com- plex but more importantly is whether

this €1 million expenditure is justi- fied,” he said.

But the HSE claims that “given the prominent location of the Energy Centre on the site, the overall mas- ter plan and the protected structure status of the hospital, the additional cost involved in achieving the level of finish is not deemed excessive.

In December 2005, the emergency generator at Ennis General failed during a power failure forcing the

RYANAIR yesterday warned that its multi-million euro deal with the Shannon Airport Authority (SAA) may not be renewed if the airport does not further reduce its cost base.

The threat was issued by the low- cost airline as it confirmed that while passengers and routes are ahead of forecast at Shannon, they are based upon at much lower yields. Yields are the profits airlines make per passen- ger and the spokesman said that the lower yields are not a trend at Rya- nair’s other UK and European bases.

The maintenance of the five-year

deal — worth €300 million to the west of Ireland according to the Shannon Airport Authority (SAA) — is key to the airport’s survival and is up for re- newal in two years’ time.

The threat also comes as the airport authority negotiates its independence from the Dublin Airport Authority with the Department of Transport.

Asked if the low yields should be a cause of concern for interests in the west of Ireland anxious that Ryanair renew its deal with the SAA, the spokesman said, “No, but if the cost base at Shannon does not reduce fur- ther to reflect these lower yields, then the deal may not be renewed.”

Shannon Airport has become in- creasingly reliant on Ryanair since it established its base at Shannon in 2005, with the airline now flying to 32 destinations and accounting for over two million or two-thirds of passengers at Shannon.

Underlining Ryanair’s dominance at Shannon, the company has recent- ly erected a “Welcome to Ryanair Country’ billboard at the entrance to the airport.

SAA board member Tadgh Kear- ney said he would “caution against any scaremongering over a problem that hasn’t arisen yet.”

‘The facts are that we are halfway

through a five-year deal and in Year 3, we are going are to pass the targets for Year 5.”

Mr Kearney said that lower yields have arisen due to the global econ- omy being on the early stages of a downturn.

A spokesman for the SAA said, “Shannon Airport has enjoyed a very successful relationship with Ryanar, so much so that the targets for year 5S will be reached this year with two million passengers on Ryanair routes.

“We look forward to growing this business and to continue this rela- tionship when the current deal con- cludes in 2010.”

THE loss of the Shannon-Heathrow service has contributed to Shannon Airport suffering a six per cent drop in passenger traffic for the first quar- ter this year, new figures reveal.

Aer Lingus ended its Shannon- Heathrow service in January, with the consequent estimated loss of 331,000 passengers this year.

Low-cost airline Ryanair has in- creased its frequency and routes to London airports. However, Airport Director, Martin Moroney said that short-haul traffic numbers had suf- fered, due to the loss of the Heathrow

Tos ais eon

In the figures released, the Shannon Airport Authority (SAA) confirmed that, from January to March, term1- nal traffic was at 569,000.

This is a six per cent reduction on the previous year. Transit totals for the same period were down by five per cent to 91,500.

In a statement, the SAA blamed the “single digit percentage drop in the first quarter due to recent airline route decisions,’ while it expressed confidence for the remainder of 2008 season, due to indications of increased traffic growth.

The SAA confirmed that terminal

traffic for the month of March de- creased by two per cent compared to the 2007 figure, with over 226,000 passengers using the airport, along with 28,400 transit passengers.

The authority also stated that tran- sit figures were reduced by 8,000 largely due to the decline in pas- senger numbers on combined Shan- non/Dublin transatlantic services as a result of “open skies’.

Mr Moroney said that a downturn in traffic had been expected due to a number of factors.

In relation to short haul, Mr Mo- roney said that the new Air France service is performing well with high

load factors, albeit with less capac- ity and frequency than the Heathrow service had offered.

‘A downturn in transatlantic traffic had been expected this year due to the effects of “Open Skies’ which are in fact in place since the beginning of the Winter 2007/8 schedule,’ said Mr Moroney.

“The recent confirmation by Aer Lingus of year-round commitment to their Shannon transatlantic routes was a welcome development, as was the announcement of additional pro- motional funding aimed at support- ing traffic development on all trans- atlantic routes to Shannon.”

EMPLOYERS lobby group IBEC, has welcomed the statement from the independent Referendum Commis- sion that there are no changes in the Lisbon Treaty with regard to tax. IBEC Regional Director Chris O’Donovan said the Treaty clarifies the position on tax, and confirms that every country in the EU has a veto over decisions in this area. Speaking at the launch of the Ref- erendum Commission’s information campaign, Chairman Mr Justice Jarfhlaith O’Neill said it was their view that the present veto on taxation will continue.

“One of the main reasons IBEC is calling for a yes vote, is that Ireland’s veto on tax issues is secure. This was a significant achievement for Irish negotiators, who protected national interests in the years of debate that led to the Lisbon Reform Treaty,” continued Mr O’Donovan.

‘The Treaty will create a more ef- fective, democratic and transparent EU, that works harder, smarter and performs better’, he said.

IBEC also welcomed the launch of the Referendum Commission’s infor- mation campaign, which will include the distribution of two million cop- ies of a guide to the treaty to every home in the country.

PSYCHIATRIC services in Clare are coming under pressure as a com- bination of staff shortages and indus- trial action by psychiatric nurses has left many of the county’s psychiatric facilities “unsafe”’.

SIPTU National Nursing Official, Louise O’Reilly says her union and the Psychiatric Nurses Association are likely to escalate their dispute when the joint strike meets later today.

The dispute 1s over a compensation scheme for members injured as the result of assaults at work.

The work to rule action already un- dertaken by the nurses has impacted on Clare, a county with a psychiatric nursing shortfall of between 16 to 20 LOD RNTorSe

The nursing shortage in the county has been attributed to a difficulty in recruitment. This problem had been solved with overtime in the past and the good will of the staff.

An average of six to seven psychi- atric nurses work overtime in Clare everyday. This number reached an

all-time high of 17 on one occasion.

Work to rule means that staff are now being redirected from the com- munity services to cover in patient services in the county as the posi- tions affected by the nurse shortages and sick leave go unfilled.

A source close to the service said the staff welfare and patient safety couldn’t be guaranteed.

“The vulnerable groups who rely OMAN oMON EDEN DIMM Ms onnOlNomYo better than this – nurses likewise want jobs, not overtime. Under- staffing also jeopardises safety for patients and staff alike. That is why SIPTU members rejected the ‘gener- ous’ HSE compensation scheme for injuries suffered as the result of as- sault at work by 91 per cent,” said Ms O’Reilly.

“It was a very clear message to the HSE but it still does not seem to have registered with them. Our members have given us a very clear mandate and we remain strong and deter- mined to secure a decent scheme which does not treat nurses as sec- ond-class citizens.”

BATS and badgers are to benefit from a local building boom.

The creatures are to get their own means of safe passage around the proposed new Shannon Tunnel.

The €600 million project will take 40,000 vehicles off the streets of Limerick city, but it will be built right in the path of a number of crea- tures who need protection.

Kevin Cleary of White Young Green Consultants said that four badger sets have been identified within the construction site span-

ning the river between Coonagh and Bunlicky and a the same number of protected species of bats have been found along the construction site.

To prevent the badgers from meet- ing a terrible fate if they wander on to the tunnel road, the construction will include badger fencing, which is sunk into the ground to prevent them burrowing and specially constructed underpasses the help them cross the road.

The mature tress which are home to the bats will now only be felled at certain times of the year to allow the bats time to breed and rear young and

once they are cut down , they will be left without further disturbance for 24 hours to allow their winged in- habitants to move home.

The biggest engineering project in the midwest region, the fourth river crossing’s new planned route in- cludes 11 bridges and each will be complete with two bat boxes and a bat fly-over.

“This means keeping the vegeta- tion raised to a certain height to al- low bats, which rely on sonar, to stay clear of traffic and other dangerous obstacles’, said Mr Cleary..

And birds and other wildlife are to

get a newly constructed wetland and dry reserve to compensate for the loss of 15 per cent of habitats in the area.

Rare plant species, meanwhile, will be experimentally transplanted to the Trinity Botanic Gardens.

The tunnel scheme is hailed as the answer to congestion on the roads into Limerick

It will also act as a method of short- ening journeys and cutting costs for commercial transport.

The construction was approved by An Bord Pleanala in 2004 after a five year period of consultation.

ENNIS is to get a new bridge across the River Fergus as part of a major development by a Galway company which has just got the go-ahead from Ennis Town Council.

Briarlane Development secured planning permission for a major ex- tension to the Abbey Hostel near the existing Club Bridge. The company iS proposing the construction of a

footbridge across the River Fergus to link the development to the Abbey Street car-park.

As part of a four-floor structure, the developers plan a 120-bunk bed extension to the existing hostel building. The development is to also include a restaurant, an internet café and a wine bar with all ancillary oats one

The extended hostel is expected to fill a gap in the local tourist market

where, currently, there are no hostel spaces for independent tourists.

The Briarlane project faced no local opposition and the company was able to satisfy concerns that the Depart- ment of the Environment expressed over otters in the River Fergus.

The granting of planning permis- sion five years after the company first sought to develop the strategic site adjacent to the River Fergus follows a decision by An Bord Pleanala last

year to refuse planning for a project that promised to transform the Ennis skyline as part of a €25 million riv- erside development.

Early last year, Ennis Town Council gave the go-ahead for the ambitious project in spite of warnings from Clare’s Conservation Officer that the plan had the potential to do “ir- reparable damage to a very attractive and uniquely ancient county town”.

The council chose to ignore Con- servation Officer Risteard UaCron- in’s warning that “the design of the proposed development 1s neither con- temporary nor innovative and reflects large city suburban developments of the 1970s and 1980s, many of which are presently being demolished”.

But his stance was endorsed last September by the appeals board which ruled that the proposal would seriously injure the visual amenities of the area and the character of the architectural heritage area.

The development involved a six- storey building opposite the Abbey Street car-park arranged around a central podium and included a plan to develop a 30-bedroom hotel, 58 apartments and a pedestrian bridge across the River Fergus.

The board also ruled that one of the apartment blocks would provide poor quality accommodation and serious- ly injure the residential amenities of future occupants and of property in the vicinity.

THE Health Service Executive (HSE) has stated that the discharge of raw sewage into the River Fergus by Ennis Town Council “represents a serious public risk and should be treated with the greatest urgency”’. Correspondence released under the Freedom of Information Act by the Environmental Protection Agency outlines the number of complaints that have been made in recent times

over the pumping of raw sewage into the River Fergus from the pumping station at Francis Street.

The situation is not expected to be fully addressed until the provision of a new €75 million sewage treat- ment plant at Clareabbey to serve the greater Ennis area which will not be in place until 2012.

In one of the letters HSE Environ- mental Health Officer Fiona Healy said she witnessed the discharge of sewerage twice and on both occa-

sions, murky water spread throughout the river, leaving a layer of scum.

“IT have seen sanitary towels in the discharge and there has been a foul smell on both occasions,” she said.

Us Tee MC sc MA SULA OMEN MDAUercA bes 2006 and in a separate letter Envi- ronmental Health Officer, Brendan Mortell says the sewage overflow has been causing a nuisance for residents at this location for a number of years and should be given as high a prior- ity as possible, considering its close

proximity to dwellings.

In a letter to the HSE, Town Engi- neer, [om Tiernan said the discharge to the river following heavy rainfall was “not acceptable in this day and age. It is, however, outside the coun- cil’s control until such time as the upgrading of the station can be pro- ceeded with”.

In response the EPA serving notice, the Town Council compiled a report last October outlining the actions it had taken to minimise the problem.

SPITTING is very serious and can lead to infection, a district judge warned, after he heard that a bar manager had been spat at after he ejected a man from the premises.

Marcin Tkacz (27), of Bruach na Sionna, Shannon, pleaded guilty to assault and two public order charges arising from an incident on Decem- ber 21, last.

Inspector Michael Gallagher told Ennis District Court that gardai were called to Durty Nelly’s bar in Bunratty amid claims that there were problems with a man who had been asked to leave.

“Gardai met the manager. He point- ed out the accused, who was sitting in the back of a taxi,” said Inspector Gallagher.

He said the accused was asked to get out of the taxi and he obliged. However, he became verbally abusive towards the manager Gary O’Toole and had to be restrained by gardai.

“Mr O’Toole alleged to gardai the defendant had already punched him in the face and pushed him against

the wall before the arrival of the gardai, when he was refused entry to the pub,” said Inspector Gallagher.

Defending solicitor Jenny Fitzgib- bon said her client had been out so- cialising with work colleagues.

He had a lot to drink and was “not in aclear state’, she said.

Mr O’ Toole told the court the 1nc1- dent lasted more than a half hour.

‘“T had asked him several times to

get a taxi. He assaulted me at the doorway. He swung a punch at me,’ he said, adding that he also spat at abbeee

Judge Tim Lucey said, “Spitting has become a very serious business nowadays, because of the possibility of infections especially. Where did he spit at you?”

Mr O’ Toole replied, “It didn’t actu- ally land on me.”

The judge asked did the accused have compensation in mind and Ms Fitzgibbon said he had €500 in court, which he was prepared to of- oe

The judge said, “Mr O’Toole, that is not in any way compensation for you being assaulted or being spat at, which is an assault in itself nowa- days. I hope you will accept it as a token.”

Mr O’Toole said he wished the money to go to charity and a recom- mendation of Cancer Research at Cahercalla Hospice was accepted by eemeelebum

SENTENCING of a Clare man for sexually abusing two of his daugh- ters has been adjourned, because he claimed he was not told by prison staff that probation officers had at- tended to assess him for a report. The 36-year-old man has been on remand in Wheatfield Prison and told his counsel Gerard Groarke BL that there are four men with the same

name as him in custody there. He suggested that this led to one of them being informed of the probation of- ficers’ attendance, rather than him.

He was remanded in custody last November after a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court jury convicted him on 10 counts of sexual assault on two of his daughters.

The offences occurred on dates from September 2001 to December 2004.

A probation officer told the court she had been advised there were four people in the prison with the same name as the man. She provided the prison staff with his address, date of birth, his prison number and the wing he was on.

She said she was informed a few minutes later that he was unwilling to attend a visit with her. She said she never met him face to face.

She said that another colleague

also attended at the prison to meet the man and got the same response from prison officers.

She agreed she “could not be sure that there was not a mistake on the other side”.

Judge Desmond Hogan said it was ‘a matter of no small regret” that he could not proceed with the case but added that it would be “foolhardy” to deal with the sentencing without a probation report.

He added that he was “very con- scious’ of the age of the accused’s victims and was “very anxious” to deal with the case soon.

Mr Groarke said his client was “ready, willing and able” to meet the Probation Service and had not re- fused to meet with the officers.

Judge Hogan adjourned the case and told Mr Groarke he wanted him to ascertain “how accurate your cli- ent’s instructions are’.