Month: May 2007

A TOTAL of 578 patients from County Clare have been treated un- der the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) since 2002.

The NTPF has arranged treat- ment for more than 75,000 people nationwide since it was established, including just over 115 people from OA a aero

According to its annual report launched this week, the average waiting times for the most common surgical procedures are two to five months, in comparison with waiting times of two to five years in 2002.

Since its establishment, the NTPF has provided operations in every specialty area, with the largest number of 9,536 in the ear, nose and throat category.

This is followed by ophthalmology

with 8,481 operations and general surgery with 8,064 operations.

The most common procedures in 2006 included hip and knee replace- ments, cataract surgery and tonsil extraction.

The number of patients calling the NTPF’s lo-call number 1890 720820 more than doubled to 20,000 en- quiries in 2006, showing a growing awareness of the fund’s work and greater empowerment of patients to self-refer.

Speaking at the report launch, NTPF Chief Executive Pat O’Byrne said, “Our message to patients is simple — there really is no reason to wait a long time for an operation.

“Anyone who has been waiting longer than three months for an in- patient operation can contact us d1- rectly and in most cases treatment can be arranged within weeks.”

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Folklore, which is being developed by Sony Computer Entertainment, is scheduled for a worldwide release in October of this year and is set in a fantasy version of the north Clare AUN ETSXon

Little is presently known about the game but it 1s believed to be a “dark fantasy” inspired by fairy tales and ancient adventure stories.

The game’s version of Doolin is de- scribed as a “mysterious town” where it is said that the living can speak to the dead. It follows the story of two strangers, Keats and Ellen, who are drawn together to uncover a myster1- ous legend of the town, which serves as a gateway between Earth and a number of fantastic other worlds in- habited by creatures, fairies, spirits

and monsters.

“Doolin is a worldwide tourist at- traction and it doesn’t surprise me that Playstation would decide to model a game on the town,” said lo- cal councillor, Martin Conway (FG).

“It is a unique spot, there is a magi- cal feel about the place. I think that Doolin itself is the best attraction for tourists but this could also be a help, not just for Doolin but for the whole north Clare region.

“With Fine Gael going into Gov- ernment, I would be fighting to see supports put in place for more projects like this as well as films and TV to be promoted in the area. Look at the boost that Fr Ted had for the area when it was shot here. It was a brilliant boost, especially as it came in off season times of the year.”

Folklore is due for release on the PS3 later this year.

THE inadequate public sewerage in- frastructure in the greater Ennis area is beginning to halt residential devel- opment on the outskirts of the town.

Clare County Council and Ennis Town Council jointly refused plan- ning permission for a development that would have opened up lands at Bunnow, Doora, Skehanagh and Clar- eabbey for housing development.

The council refused to grant plan- ning permission to Gareth Kelly on

four grounds. One of these is that the council “is not satisfied that there is sufficient capacity for the existing Clareabbey treatment plant to ac- commodate the proposed develop- nates Laan

It is understood that a new €50 mil- lion plant may not be in place for two to three years and further planning applications may be refused, pending the completion of the new plant.

Mr Kelly had lodged plans seeking planning for a sewerage and water supply scheme to facilitate the devel-

opment of the lands 1n question.

The proposal was said to be “pre- mature, pending the completion of an integrated sewerage design scheme to serve the general locality”.

Mr Kelly applied to have a total of 150 acres of land in those areas re- zoned from low-density housing to residential/commercial and remove the flood risk designation as part of the review of the Ennis and Environs Development Plan.

A further impediment to future housing growth around Ennis has

also been identified with the council refusing planning permission pend- ing the completion of a flood risk study of lands around Ennis.

The council pointed out that the proposed development encroaches on an area of land zoned as “flood risk” in the 2003 Ennis and Environs De- velopment Plan- the role and future of which is under review at present.

The council also ruled that it is not satisfied that the applicant has demonstrated sufficient legal inter- est to enable him to carry out the de-

velopment and that the route of the proposed Quin Road to Skehanagh roundabout ‘link road’ is not in ac- cordance with part of the develop- ment plan.

The Department of the Environ- ment and the National Roads Au- thority (NRA) also raised concerns about the application.

The department stated that a major development in this low-lying coastal floodplain area could create a need for upgraded flood defences in the OUTRUN Kon

THE IFA has reignited the war of words between farmers and factories this week by launching a blistering attack on the beef factories for the price paid to winter finishers.

IFA President, Padraig Walshe, lashed factories, describing it as “an outright disgrace and a body blow” inflicted by factories on the coun- try’s best and most committed beef producers.

Beef finishers have taken a ham- mering this spring and there was now a serious question mark over beef factories’ commitment to a 52-

week supply from Irish farmers.

The IFA President said the big play- ers now had significant investment in Brazil and he was highly suspicious that price manipulation was taking place, not just in the Irish market, but across Europe including Italy, which has always been a high-priced outlet for beef and cattle.

‘Factories that had talked up cat- tle prices in November and Decem- ber were now gone to ground and messing farmers around getting cat- tle killed, and at bad prices,” said Walshe.

“Tam so angry at factories that to- day I have called on Minister Cough-

lan to put a stay on the €50 million government grants she announced for the industry some weeks ago, un- til law and order 1s restored.

“T am demanding that the Depart- ment of Agriculture publish the weekly kill for each factory. This in- formation is available in the Depart- ment and I’ve repeatedly asked for it to be published in the interests of transparency.

“The Minister for Agriculture must stop the foot—dragging. If factories have nothing to hide, then the figures will make it quite clear that the beef leaving the plant was slaughtered under the supervision of the Depart-

ment’s vets in that plant.”

The IFA President said that unless the meat factory owners put forward real and coherent marketing plans to lift the price of Irish beef, there is no reason the government should fund their Irish plants and allow them in- vest their own capital in Brazil.

“IT am also calling on the Minister to ban trade in imported beef by li- censed exporters to preserve the integrity and good name of Irish beef, both at home and in our export markets. A factory with an export h- cence should not be allowed import or handle South American beef on the same premises,’ he added.

IN her first major speech, the newly inaugurated national president of Macra na Feirme, Catherine Buckley, has called on the political parties to commit to devising and implement- ing a national strategy to encourage employers to facilitate employees in working from home through ‘e- working’.

Speaking last week, Ms Buckley, who is the first woman Macra presi- dent said that employers should be incentivised into allowing workers the option of “e-working’.

‘“Work-life balance has been a buzz- phrase for a few years now, but the

concept should not be discounted,” she said.

“It’s widely accepted that working from home can bring huge benefits, helping workers to organise their time more efficiently, work more effectively and reduce the stress of commuting.

“Studies have also shown that by offering employees a flexible work- ing environment – such as the op- tion to work even part-time from the home — productivity and employee retention levels are increased while costs can be reduced.”

She pointed out that giving people the opportunity to work from home would also be an effective way of al-

lowing local people in rural areas the chance to work in the areas where they are living, providing them with more time to become involved in community life rather than wasting hours commuting.

“If more people were facilitated in this way, it would reduce the number of commuters on our roads, improve peoples’ family hfe and would also mean that less people are wasting hours and hours per week stuck in their cars increasing carbon emis- sions and having a detrimental im- pact on the environment,” she con- abOLeCoe

“While everybody pays lip service to balanced regional development,

it has only had limited success. Yet if companies were to adopt a more enlightened approach in facilitating working from home, I believe they would benefit significantly in terms of staff retention and increased pro- Clie UAL AYAae

According to Buckley, many em- ployers and employees may not be aware of the fact that equipment provided to an employee by his/her employer is not assessed for tax as a benefit-in-kind so long as it is used primarily for business use.

She pointed out that an employer can also provide expenses to cover costs such as heating and light, with- out the employee being taxed.

AN 81-YEAR-OLD retired farmer from Sixmilebridge who drowned in February may have slipped and fallen into the river, an inquest heard last Ni sle @

Ennis Coroner’s Court heard that the body of Tom McInerney was found, some time after he went missing from his home, at Ballysheen, Sixmilebri- dge, on February 26 last.

McMclInerney was well known and well respected in the locality, where he looked after the local church.

The inquest heard that Tom was at home with his wheelchair-bound nephew Michael, that evening.

The two watched television and Michael went to bed at 7pm.

He woke several times during the night and noticed that his uncle hadn’t brought him tea, as was the norm.

He realised early in the morning that his uncle wasn’t there and the televi- sion was still on in the sitting room.

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He searched for ‘Tom, but could not find him. He went out to the yard and called his name, but did not get a re- sponse.

A neighbour, Eddie Russell, said

Michael phoned him at around 8am and said that his uncle had not brought in his tea, as he usually would.

They searched the house, farm- yard and sheds, before extending the search to the local area.

Mr Russell said he saw a body in the river, close to Mike Gleeson’s pub, a short time later. He identified the body to a garda.

Pathologist Dr Elizabeth Mulcahy carried out an autopsy on Mr MclIner- ney’s body the following day.

She noted there were two small cuts to the forehead and apart from that, there were no other obvious external injuries.

“In my opinion, the cause of death was drowning,” she said.

She said Mr McInerney had “‘signif- icant heart disease”, adding, “it was possible he could have had a cardiac event, that may have caused him to NIB DAKOmssopUh ome

County Coroner Isobel O’Dea said the appropriate verdict was an open one.

“It may well be that Mr MclIner- ney suffered a cardiac incident and slipped,” she said.

She said Mr McInerney was a “*well- known member of the community” whose loss was deeply felt.

THE HSE Mid West said that it could not comment “at this stage on the out- come of the review” of acute hospital Services in the mid west, “as the re- view is not yet completed”.

In a letter to the chairman of the En- nis General Hospital, the HSE said that as the scope of the review has

been extended to incorporate changes currently underway in primary, com- munity and continuing care services, the completion date has been extended and is not expected to be ready for some weeks yet.”

It was expected that the review would be published in April but the day is now more likely to be late May.

“This review will identify an overall

model of acute hospital care and also take account of developing needs in the area of pre-hospital emergency care and the transformation programme underway in primary, community and continuing care Services.”

An invitation to tender for the review was issued last December and the consultants appointed were Horwarth Consulting Ireland, in association with

SR ed aU Eder ontonlmelo mel Gore Meanwhile, the plans for the develop- ment of Ennis General Hospital were lodged with Ennis Town Council on Monday. The development consists of the demolition of existing single-sto- rey extensions and the original chapel to the rear of the main hospital and the provision of a new two-storey exten- sion incorporating the new A&E unit.

THE spring has hardly had a chance to get its feet under itself but the summer show season is rearing its head over the horizon. The tradition- al first show of the year takes place in Ennistymon over the bank holiday weekend and preparations are al- ready well under way.

The North West Clare Agricultural Show, which will take place at the Falls Hotel in Ennistymon on June 2 and 3, has been going from strength to strength in recent years.

‘“Ennistymon has always been re- garded very highly in the horsing circles. It comes so early in the year

that it can be a very important show to win,’ said Maurice Harvey.

“If they win at Ennistymon, it sets them up for the year. They get a good name and it can lead to them winning more and more throughout the year.

“The quality of cattle has been in- creasingly steady in recent years but the quantity hasn’t. The show has been able to attract cattle from as far away aS Mayo and the quality is ex- cellent. The flip side of this is that it tends to discourage some of the lo- cals from taking part.”

Closing date for entries in all cat- egories 1s this Thursday, May 24, and no late entries will be accepted.

“The showjumping will take place

all day on Saturday. The biggest at- traction of this will be the Amateur Derby which is sponsored by West Clare Saddlery,” continued Maurice.

“This offers prizes all the way down to sixth place and will be the real highlight of Saturday. It is a very exciting competition.”

The show is celebrating its 31st an- niversary this year and a number of interesting new additions look set to draw a large crowd, both of exhibi- tors and the general public.

“Along with the agricultural sec- tions, there are also a lot of other sections for people. The children’s art competition has been a great suc- cess 1n recent years so, for the first

time, this year we are going to open up that competition to all ages. We are very hopeful that this will prove very popular,” continued Maurice.

The show, in its current guise, has been taking place each year since 1976 but an annual agricultural show has been in existence in Ennistymon since 1960.

For more information, contact show secretary Josephine Blackwell at 7071121.

MORE than 200 farmers could be forced off the Rural Social Scheme in Ireland before the end of the year, according to a survey released last week by the ICMSA Rural Develop- ment Committee.

Chairperson of the ICMSA Ru- ral Development Committee, John O’Donnell, stated that he believes the Rural Social Scheme (RSS) is a crucial measure for rural Ireland.

The scheme, which was introduced in 2004, helps to maintain farming in certain parts of the country. This is done by providing income sup- port to farmers who are currently in receipt of long-term social welfare

payments. It has also enhanced rural communities, through maintaining and improving local amenities, as well as delivering a range of other OMIA one

“Although there are over 200 on the waiting list nationally, in cer- tain parts of the country there are as many as 20 on the list, which would mean that 20 farmers could be forced to step down from the RSS in a sin- gle county,’ he said.

“The Leader companies _inter- viewed confirmed to ICMSA that they have stopped recruiting partici- pants for the RSS to avoid increasing the waiting list.”

O’Donnell also explained why over 200 participants in the scheme could

face the chop. The RSS is based on the FAS Community Employment Scheme and has many of the same terms and conditions.

‘Participation in the scheme is on an annual basis and the individual must therefore continue to be eligible for the scheme annually.

“However, 1n an area where there is a waiting list, after spending three years on the scheme, an individual could be forced to leave the scheme to accommodate the waiting list. Since the scheme has been in opera- tion since 2004, this is the first year that we will see this clause being UEtere

“The RSS has become a crucial scheme for the 2,600 families partic-

ipating in it and the rural communi- ties that they live in,” he continued.

“The earnings from the RSS now constitute a large proportion of these 2,600 familie’s household income. A certain level of dependence will have been built on this income and the threat of taking it away from some of the participants is not acceptable. Some RSS workers have also built up a certain level of social dependence over the last three years working on the scheme.

“When these factors are coupled with the huge benefit that the scheme has delivered to rural communities, there 1s a very strong argument to actually increase the places on the scheme.”

DUBLIN’S RDS belonged to the transition-year students of Gort Community School last week. Some 20 students and two teachers from the school made the long trek to the capital to take part in the National Young Social Innovators Showcase.

The journey was well worth it, how- ever, as the school saw off competi- tion from almost 400 other schools to win their category and come sec- ond in the overall competition.

The students presented a project based on the work they have been doing in highlighting issues around HIV and AIDS over the past year.

“Each school had a stand, the kids would man the stand and students

from other schools and judges would come and visit the stand. It is like a Young Scientist competition for so- cial issues,’ said teacher, Carmel Neylon.

“We thought that we were getting on well because the judges kept com- ing back for a second and third look. They especially liked the links that we made with outside partnership eroups, people like Aids West, Aids Partnership Africa and all the vari- ous projects that the students have undertaken on an ongoing basis, things like World Aids Day.

“We are also now selling pins with all the profits going to AIDS chari- ties. They organised workshops for other students in the school to make them aware of HIV/AIDS, to make

them and the wider community aware and got politicians involved as well.”

The project grabbed national head- lines last year when a photo-shoot was organised featuring almost 100 students spelling out the word HIV.

“It has really opened their eyes. They would have known of HIV/ AIDS, they probably would have known how people become infected but they would not have known the huge numbers of people who die in different countries every day. This is partly because there is a stigma at- tached to it and that is why it is not being tackled properly,’ continued Cr Turtoe

“The wider community was a big focus. It wouldn’t have been as effec-

tive if we had started it just here in the school. One the biggest achieve- ments of the project is the creation of a mural, which will be put up in the community as a long-term reminder of the project.”

Meanwhile, the school’s debating team reached the final of the Concern National Debating Championships for the second year in succession last week. The team — which included Kate O’Connor, Emma _ Fogarty, Danielle Cuffe and James Mahon — was coached by Sr de Lourdes Fahy and Caroline Meagher and lost out narrowly in the grand final.