Month: March 2010

that she received a house from the council just over two years ago. As the in1- tial house was damp, she was then moved to her current home.

“When they gave me this I thought great because they promised to do work on it,’ she said.

“This was a dump when I got it but I thought it would be done up.”

Ms Guerin said that she put in new floors, painted and refurbished the house herself as best she could.

There is still no central heating in the house, and the Stanley range

does not work properly.

The only heating in the house are two electric heaters bought by Ms Guerin, which bring some heat to a room but at a huge cost.

She also raised concerns about the electrics in the house.

Ms Guerin explained that sparks come from some electric sockets when she switches them off, some sockets don’t work properly and if she puts the television on while the washing machine-dryer is on the switch at the mains is tripped.

She said there was also a problem with sewerage coming up through her garden when she moved in first, but while the sewerage no longer comes into her garden the underlying cause has not been solved and there is still a bad stench in the house dur- ing the summer from a pipe that run under the front of her house.

As an asthmatic, Ms Guerin said it is not possible for her to stay in a house that is cold and damp, and therefore despite paying rent, she must stay with her sister.

She said her GP has also written to the council on her behalf raising concerns about her health.

In the letter he said, “the level of dampness and fungal mould” in the house has caused an acute attack of Asthma to Ms Guerin, and described the house as unacceptable.

A spokesperson for Kilrush Town Council said it was the policy of the council not to comment on any indi- vidual tenant or individual tenancy pase eel

He said however that the council had spent more than €5 million to date on preliminary works and phase one of the remedial works in John Paul Estate.

The council is now in “advanced” talks with the Department of the En- vironment, Heritage and Local Gov- ernment (DoEHLG) for funding for phase two of the programme.

‘As part of the proposed works for which we have sought funding for phase two it is proposed to refurbish all occupied houses in the estate in- cluding the provision of central heat- ing. Detailed surveys have been car- ried out on our housing stock to carry out such works as part of our submis- sion to the DOEHLG,” he said.

While awaiting that approval the council has just upgraded five houses

in John Paul Estate under the Energy Efficiency Scheme rolled out by the department.

“This allowed us to significantly improve these houses and _ bring them up to a Cl Building Energy Rating (BER). Kilrush Town Coun- cil is planning further such works in 2010. Unfortunately as we have only received a provisional allocation of €100,000 for such works in 2010 it will not be possible to upgrade all houses and some will need to be car- ried out on a planned phased basis subject to the available funding,” he said.

The council also carries out essen- tial repairs to Local Authority Hous- ing stock by using its own mainte- nance budget and the response time for dealing with such repairs is pri- oritised, he said.

‘Any issues highlighted to us of an electrical or other nature, which may affect Health and Safety, are dealt with immediately once we become aware of the issue,” he added.

SCARIFF Community College’s as- sembly arena was overflowing for the annual open night.

Principal Sean Daly welcomed po- tential incoming students and their parents to the event which showcased the wide range of subjects and facili- ties available in the building and on the beautifully wooded 20-acre cam- pus as a whole.

Teachers were on hand to meet the visitors, demonstrating in particular the recently installed computerised information technology now avail- able in all classrooms. Part of this

development is a fixed data projec- tor for each room, providing access to information from the internet, world libraries, course textbooks and a host of other gadgetry of our in- formation age. Aided by broadband, these developments greatly enhance the learning experience for students WN uee

Current students took part in les- sons so that parents and would-be students alike got a flavour of the comprehensive curriculum of the college.

Sean Daly recalled that the col- lege, in arural setting close to Lough Derg, had a co-ed history going back

to the original vocational school in 1941. The new and imposing build- ing was completed in 1981.

He told those present that it was the college’s policy to view the devel- opment of the student in the widest possible sense, seeking to provide a learning experience both of a formal and informal nature which would lead to the development of one’s to- tal personality. “Through a broad curriculum, we seek to facilitate the development of our students so that each may leave the college equipped with good life skills,” he added.

Deputy principal John O’Donovan outlined details of the junior cycle up

to Junior Certificate and the senior cycle up to Leaving Certificate.

Cllr Pat Hayes, chairman of the college’s board of management, spoke of his unbounded admiration for the dedication of the staff and the high academic and technical results AYO eA ee mere ON ort

Before departing for conducted tours of the facilities, the visitors further heard an account from Mrs Geraldine Condren of the pastoral care action programme available in the college.

PUPILS from Scoil Chriost Ri, Cloughleigh, will be among thou- sands from around the world taking part in World Maths Day tomorrow (Wednesday, March 3).

Pupils from the Ennis school, who have been regular participants in World Maths Day, are busy sharpen- ing their maths skills ahead of the worldwide event.

World Maths Day is all about get- ting students to unite together. A global event, organisers say that World Maths Day 1s a fantastic op- portunity to be a part of something special. The World Maths Day team have been so impressed by the efforts of schools in 2009, they have decided to create a limited number of World Maths Day roving reporters.

Scoul Chriost Ri’s proud record in the event has seen first class pupil Maurice Abdulla being chosen to take on one of these roles.

Essentially the roving reporters will be tasked with writing a news report about World Maths Day at their school. These reports can be as creative as the student wishes and will be collated with the best ones being published online for all to see.

Each maths game is a series of one-minute quick fire mental maths questions, with four children from anywhere in the world competing against each other in each game.

All classes in Scoil Chriost Ri will be competing in the challenge and the target for this year is to answer over 100,000 maths questions in 48

hours.

Pupils can also log in at home and take on students from around the world. The challenge is to answer as many maths questions as possible during that time and to try and beat last year’s record of 64,568 correct answers.

A unique feature of World Maths Day is that it runs for 48 hours once it

is March 3 somewhere in the world.

Gearoid Roughan, learning sup- port teacher at Scoil Chriost Ri, ex- plained the school has been a regular participant in the event. He said the students were looking forward to once again taking part.

“It’s for schools from all over the world. The school (Scoil Chriost Ri) has taking part for a few years. This

year they have introduced a new fea- ture where one student is designated a World Maths Day reporter. One of the pupils here will be a reporter for the day,” explained Gearoid.

NINE years ago 16.5 per cent of the county’s secondary students had dropped out of school before com- pleting their Leaving Certificate ex- aminations.

Although Clare may have had one of the highest student retention rates in the country, the fact that three out of every twenty students dropped out of the education system before their eighteenth birthday should be the cause for some concern.

The demand for increased skill levels from employers has resulted in a steady decline in job opportuni- ties for those who leave school be- fore completing upper second-level education. Leaving school early is an important indicator of educational disadvantage and in the current cri- sis, a full education is a vital neces- sity for a successful future.

Back in 2001, the latest date for which department statistics are available, there were 1,388 students attending Clare’s eighteen second- level schools. 4.4 per cent of them left school before their Junior Certifi- cate examinations and 16.5 per cent before their Leaving Certificate.

On a national level, the number of first year pupils enrolled in the 705 second-level schools was 56,278. The number who sat and were grad- ed in at least one subject in the Junior Certificate examination, amounted to 54,067. Therefore there was a 13.9 per cent drop in attendance. The fi-

nal rate of students who dropped out before their Leaving Certificate was 15.3 per cent.

Male students were less likely to complete their Leaving Certificate with a drop-out rate of 18 per cent in secondary schools; 31 per cent in vocational schools and 24 per cent in community and comprehensive schools in comparison to 13 per cent, 18 per cent and 13 per cent respec- tively for female students.

There is now a wide range of pro- grammes and initiatives focused on ensuring each participating sec-

ond-level pupil can experience and progress to their full ability by pro- viding a wider range of curricula. These include the Junior Certificate school programme, the school com- pletion programme, the home school community liaison scheme and many more.

Full details are available on the De- partment of Education website.

DESPITE spending €1.2 million on its environmental programme, En- nis Town Council is losing the bat- tle against litter louts, it was claimed yesterday.

At yesterday’s meeting of Ennis Town Council, Clir Brian Meaney (GP) said that given the scale of 1I- legal dumping taking place around the outskirts of Ennis, it was time for the council to re-assess its litter policy.

‘The volume of rubbish dumped in Lees Road has snowballed in the last

couple of months,” said Cllr Meaney. He added, “It’s unbelievable what is being dumped there. This is a battle we are losing.”

Cllr Meaney said the council need- ed to secure some “high profile” prosecutions of people engaged in illegal dumping and should engage in “covert and non-covert” surveil- lance of litter blackspots.

Cllr Meaney said that the absence of documentation in the items being dumped showed that this was “pre- meditated” activity.

Cllr Peter Considine (FF) said that the council had lost the fight against

litter on country roads.

Town clerk Eddie Power said the council’s environmental staff were working hard to stamp out illegal olovesheyparee

He told the meeting that the coun- cil would focus on the Lees Road area during an upcoming spring oA Crea onl

Figures from the council’s 2009 report on prevention and control of litter show that a total of 130 litter fines were issued in 2009.

The report states that the council received income totaling €8,970 from litter fines while a total of 131

fines were issued in 2009.

The figures show that just 59 of these fines were paid in 2009 while two cases were referred to a solicitor. Explaining the figures, town clerk Eddie Power said that often difficul- ties arise when pursuing legal action against people for littering offences.

He said often there was difficulty in identifying litter louts while in some cases, alleged offenders may have moved away from Ennis.

Town Manager Ger Dollard said the some of the fines could be paid nO OF

Cllr Mary Howard (FG) urged

the council to consider re-locating Wheelie bins at Drumcliffe grave- yard in order to prevent dumping in the area.

She said that dumping was also prevalent along a stretch of the N85. Mayor of Ennis Cllr Frankie Neylon (Ind) said the bins had been removed from Drumcliffe as people had been using them to dump household rub- tOE

The litter report states that Ennis Town Council issued 114 abandoned vehicle notices under the waste management act while 24 cars were removed on behalf of the council.

A 19-YEAR-OLD man, described in court as a “drunken lout’, re- ceived a three-year suspended jail sentence for an unprovoked assault on a man in Lahinch.

At Ennis Circuit Court, Judge Sean O Donnabhain said he was “torn” between two sides when sen-

tencing Christopher Collins.

The judge said it was a very vi- cious assault and he was impressed by the evidence given by the vic- tim, who “seems a very stoic young rere be ae

He said the victim, who had lost six teeth and required a bridge, would carry the scars of the attack for the rest of his life.

“This was an unprovoked assault by a drunken lout,” said the judge. He said the severity of the assault deserved “the imposition of a pris- ONS ie eee

Judge O Donnabhain added that he was also taking into account “no previous convictions’, the death of Mr Collins’ brother and his level of co-operation with the court.

“You are showing some element, although late in the day, of matu- rity,’ he told Mr Collins.

“In the circumstances I think it is appropriate to sentence you to three years, suspended for three years.”

The judge also directed the de- fendant to stay under the care of the probation service and undertake any counselling, including inpa-

tient care, directed by the service.

Mr Collins is also to pay €20 per week until he pays back €3,000; the cost of the victim’s dental treat- eetoale

“If he doesn’t obey the conditions, to jail he will go. He is to remain sober in public for the duration of the sentence,” said the circuit court judge.

THE number of break-ins to houses and business premises increased by 20 per cent in 2008, while just one- third were detected.

Figures published by the CSO show that just 36 per cent of burglaries in the county were detected, while just 89 of the 522 recorded cases in 2008 were brought to court. There were four cases of aggravated burglary, all of which were detected and two of which resulted in proceedings.

The number of cases of robbery dropped from 23 in 2007 to 13 in 2008. In this category, the detection rate increased significantly, from 56 per cent to 92 per cent.

Theft cases increased in 2008 – from 992 to 1,133. However, the de- tection rate slipped from 42 to 31 per cent. Just 219 of the 1,113 cases re- sulted in proceedings. 166 cars were stolen in 2008, but just 21 of those resulted in proceedings.

There were 21 cases of handling stolen property in 2008; which was an increase on 16 in the previous

year. There was a 100 per cent detec- tion rate in both years. Cases of fraud and deception increased from 76 to 108, but the detection rate dropped from 70 per cent to 53 per cent.

According to the CSO figures, the number of public order cases in Clare dropped slightly in 2008 – from 1,380 to 1,293. The detection rate was 98.5 per cent. 64 cases of trespass were recorded, but just eight of these re- sulted in court proceedings.

In 2008, there were no murder cases, compared with three in 2007. Two cases of threatening to kill were recorded in both 2007 and 2008. Seven cases of rape were detected in 2008; none of which resulted in pro- ceedings. This compared with eleven in 2007; four of which were brought to court. One case of defilement was recorded each year, while the number of sexual offences decreased in 2008 – from 20 to 13. Just eight of the 13 resulted in proceedings being issued.

While the burglary rates are alarm- ing, the trend does not appear to have changed. Several parts of Clare have

been subjected to a spate of burgla- ries in recent weeks, including Shan- non. The mayor of Shannon Coun- cillor Sean McLoughlin (Fine Gael) said yesterday, “There is a concern about burglaries and knife-related attacks in the town. I understand gardai have extra personnel and [| welcome that. Shannon traditionally has been associated with low crime rates and we want to get back to that. There is huge concern and worry in the community.

“Vd ask any member of the pub- lic who knows anything to contact the gardai. Without the public help- ing out the gardai can’t solve these crimes. It is not feasible to have a garda on every corner,” said Cllr McLoughlin.

CALLS have been made for a garda drug unit to be set up in each garda district in Clare, in the wake of fig- ures showing the number of drug of- fences in the county increased by 10 per cent in 2008.

CSO figures published last week show that there were 394 controlled drug offences in 2008; an increase on 357 in the previous year. The de- tection rate for these type of offences was high, at 99.2 per cent in 2008, oyenlorTaere Malem roRon oo) mene TAL ONE Of the 394 offences, proceedings were taken in 282.

Reacting to the figures, Fine Gael Councillor Martin Conway said it showed that the drugs issue was prevalent in the county.

“We have seen the proliferation of head shops throughout Ireland, including Clare. It shows that abuse

is rampant from north Clare right through to west Clare. Drugs destroy the lives of young people,” he said. A divisional drugs unit is attached to Ennis Garda Station and a unit was set up at Shannon Garda Sta- tion last year. Cllr Conway believes that similar units should be set up in the districts of Ennistymon, Kilrush and Killaloe, in an effort to curb the growth in the use of illegal drugs. “Each district needs a dedicated drugs unit. The figures prove that drugs are widely and regularly avail- able in Clare and we need to address that urgently,” said Cllr Conway. Meanwhile, the figures show that detection rates in Clare were high for robbery and public order offences. However, they were lower in offences of arson, criminal damage, car thefts and burglaries. While the number of cases of arson increased in 2008 – from 44 to 78 – the detection rate

remained low. It stood at just 19.2 per cent in 2008, compared with 11.4 per cent during the previous year. Just 26.5 per cent of the 845 criminal damage cases were detected in 2008. Only 85 of those were followed by court proceedings.

The figures also reveal that the number of assaults in Clare jumped by 50 per cent in 2008; from 215 to 322. However, several of those cases do not end up in court, as proceed- ings were issued in just 99 cases. In relation to more serious assaults, the figure for 2008 was on a par with that of 2007. There were 68 in 2008 and 69 during the previous year. The vast majority were detected by gardai.

The number of harassment cases increased from 75 to 96. While 31 per cent were detected, just two made their way to court.