Category: News

THE amount of money the HSE West is paying out for agency staff increased by almost one million euro during the first three months of this year.

The 21 per cent increase in agency staff had been attributed to a staff monitorium introduced by the Government and the inability of the hospital sector to attract specialist medical personnel on a full time basis.

While the cost of agency staff has increased, the overtime bill has decreased by 11 per cent.

Fianna Fáil county councillor Brian Meaney said staff are genuinely frustrated by these financial cuts.

“What they are saving on one side they are losing on the other,” he said.

He added that the CEO of the Mid Western Regional Hospital Group also informed him that the increase in the cost of agency staff in the midwest region was higher than the rest of the HSE Area West.

“The only people winning here are the agencies,” he said, as it emerged agency nurses cost the hospitals € 28 per hour, compared to a staff nurse at € 17 per hour.

“We should go with long term temporary contracts. They would give stability and improve morale,” he suggested.

The figures outlining the costs show a comparison between the amount paid out for overtime and agency staff during the first quarter of this year, and the sum paid from January to March in 2012.

During the first three months of last year € 4.354 million was paid to agencies supplying staff to hospitals in the HSE West area, including Ennis General Hospital.

During the same period this year that figure had risen by € 921,000 to € 5.275 million, leaving Cllr Meaney to question if the HSE was getting value for money and patients consistency of care.

While the cost of agency staff had increased significantly the cost of overtime at the area’s hospitals had dropped significantly.

During the first three months of 2012, overtime came to € 11.698 million. This dropped by 11 per cent to € 10.377 in 2013, saving the HSE € 1.321 million.

Francis Rogers, Assistant National Director of Human Resources HSE West, said this issue continues to be a “major challenge” for the HSE West, but there has been “a significant drop in expenditure”.

He added that while the cost of agency staff had “bottomed out slightly” last year, “it crept up on us during the first quarter of 2013”.

“These costs are a key element of 2013 Cost Containment Plans and reductions in expenditure levels will be critical in delivering the pay reductions necessary in 2013,” he said.

He attributed the need for agency staff to the moratorium.

The HSE’s assistant national director for finance, Liam Minihan, said that a large number of nurses had also left the HSE West under the early retirement scheme last year, and there were not enough nurses left to cross cover – hence the need for agency nurses.

SHANNON boasts Ireland’s longest r unway and is to play host to the world’s largest charter airline, after the decision announced last week by Thomson Ai rlines to use Clare’s international air por t as a training base for pilots on its Boeing Dreamliner passenger jets.

Thomson Airways officially took deliver y of its first Boeing 787 Dreamliner last week, making it the first British car rier to receive one of the jets – with the leisure car rier’s deliver y flight leaving Boeing’s factory in Washington for Manchester.

The next stop is Shannon as it’s one of several ai rports selected for training flights – the other airports being Cardiff, Doncaster Sheffield, Newquay, Prestwick and Hanover.

“Thomson have indicated to us that they wish to use Shannon for a series of touch-and-go procedures for a three-week period in June,” said Head of Operations and Services at Shannon Air por t Niall Maloney.

“Shannon has always been to the forefront of flight training and new technology and has a proud history of facilitating all types of aircraft. Concorde trained here as did the Ai rbus A380 while several ai rlines continue to use Shannon for training “Thomson’s decision to use Shannon fur ther highlights the potential of the ai rport with the longest r unway in Ireland and excellent weather conditions for such training flights,” Mr Maloney added.

The Dreamliner jets have been beset with difficulties since entering service last year. Ai rlines operating the Dreamliner were forced to ground them in Januar y following a number of serious incidents involving overheating batteries. Operators have however started to return their jets to service after Boeing remedied the problem.

Shannon was the first commercial air por t outside the US that a Boeing 787 Dreamliner visited and the jet has visited the ai rport five times in the past three years.

A SIGNIFICANT number of visitors would prefer later shopping and earlier entertainment on the streets of Ennis, according to the findings of a new survey.

The survey by the Ennis Purple Flag committee found that 83 per cent of respondents were in favour of late shopping in the town centre.

In February, Ennis became the first Irish town to receive the Purple Flag. The award aims to broaden the ap- peal and improve the standard of nighttime destinations.

A survey was carried out after Ennis received the flag, which was erected at O’Connell Square.

At a meeting on Thursday night, Brian O’Neill, Chairman of Promote Ennis, said the initial results of the survey show a significant interest in both later shopping and earlier entertainment.

The survey was distributed to visitors at three participating accommodation providers, Old Ground Hotel, the Temple Gate Hotel and the Rowan Tree Hostel.

Mr O’Neill, who runs the Rowan Tree Hostel, said, “The outcome of the survey, which was ‘would you be interested in more entertainment and shopping in Ennis in the early evening hours’ showed that over 83 per cent of respondents wanted shopping later or entertainment earlier. I face it on a daily basis with tourists, some of them with young families who are going off to visit places in the early morning. The issue they have is that the majority of them check in at 5 to 6pm. They head uptown and the feedback we’re betting is that when they head up town, the town itself is shutting down.”

He continued, “That is the reality of it from a tourist perspective. It would be fair to say that the majority of the 10,000 people working in an around the town of Ennis, may come into town, or not, because the town is shutting down.”

Mr O’Neill said tourists are also looking for more early evening entertainment in Ennis. “Most of the pub sessions are on at 9.30pm or 10pm and that’s because for publicans that’s when most people are coming out these days. But there are a large amount of visitors to the town who would like to experience earlier evening entertainment. Not necessarily in the pubs, it could be more cultural, alcohol free events in appropriate locations in the town centre but they do want more earlier entertainment.”

He added, “There are about 10,000 people working in and around Ennis. They are probably the most important users of the evening and nighttime economy. This is not just about tourists.”

ONE Ennis businessman who has adapted to changing consumer trends says retailers must work together to develop a successful “culture of late opening” in Ennis.

David Woodford operated the wellknown Record Rack store in lower market street for 28 years. But with the decline in CD sales, he switched from music to tourist-based arts and crafts.

Mr Woodford told a meeting that the Irish Shop now regularly stays open to accommodate tourists returning to Ennis from day trips.

Speaking at a meeting in Ennis on Thursday night, he said businesses must “adapt” to customer needs.

He continued, “We need to give customers a broader timescale in which to shop. When it comes to choosing what nights to open late. Probably Tuesday is our best late night for shopping possibly with flights coming in and out of Shannon, that might be the case. My own feeling on it is that if we are to try this, and people may groan at this, I would suggest we try it every night.

“From a tourist’s perspective they don’t really come back into town ‘til around 5.30pm because they are out on daytrips. When they arrive back into town, the town is closing.”

Mr Woodford said Ennis could attract more shoppers if it developed a well-known “culture of late opening”.

He explained, “I’ve heard it said that for certain trades its not worth doing. For example, a hardware shop, they might not benefit from tourists. The fact of the matter is that we all need to do it together. If the town develops a culture of late opening and it becomes known that Ennis is open late, I think it’s only natural that the locals would start coming into town. We would all have to work together. People would also come in from the surrounding areas if they knew the town was open late.”

These sentiments were shared by Mike Buckley, a former President of Killarney Chamber of Commerce. Mr Buckley said Killarney worked hard over 20 years to become one of the busiest tourist towns in the country. He said co-operation between various business and volountary sectors and local authorities meant the town could effectively be “customised” to attract large business conferences or tourist groups. He said, “The whole town buys into it. That’s the secret. It creates a feel good factor and people will come back to Ennis.”

team. “They have a policy they work with and we couldn’t meet that target,” he admitted.

AT A recent sitting of the Circuit Court in Ennis, presided over by the President of the Circuit Court Mr Justice Raymond Groarke, a quarry operation carried out at Moveen, Kilkee was forced to close its gates when the judge granted an injuction to six co-owners which ordered the defendant, M Gerry Whelan to cease quarrying the lands in question.

The case arose from the ownership of some 174 acres at Moveen, near Kilkee and the operation of a quarry on part of the commonage by Gerry Whelan.

Plaintiffs Andrew Curtin, Caroline McMahon, Michael Murrihy, Damien McInerney, Eileen Walsh and Thomas Collins are six of eleven co-owners.

The defendant, Mr Gerry Whelan is another co-owner and operates the quarry.

The court heard that up to 2007 an agreement existed between most of the co-owners and Mr Whelan for the operation of the quarry, but this had expired in September of 2007. Mr Whelan however continued to operate the quarry and the plaintiffs alleged that Mr Whelan was obliged to account to them for royalties since that time.

The Circuit Court heard from one of the plaintiffs, Mr Whelan and also from engineers on behalf of the plaintiffs and defendant. Judge Groarke advised that Mr Whelan was obliged under the law to account to his co-owners.

He granted an injunction to the six plaintiffs directing the defendant, his servants or agents to forthwith cease quarrying the lands at Moveen together with an injunction restraining the defendant, his servants or agents, from the repitition or of continuance of the acts of trespass and nuisance as complained and an injuction in further acts of buying or development of or upon the commonage lands.

The judge also awarded the sum of € 83,427 to the plaintiffs, to be divided at one sixth each. He awarded costs to the plaintiffs.

He dismissed the defendants counterclaim with no orders to costs. Counsel for the plaintiffs was Lorcan Connolly BL, instructed by John Callinan and Co Solicitors, while counsel for the defendant was Pat Whyms BL, instructed by O’Keeffe Moylan Solicitors.

In his evidence to the court one of the plaintiffs, Andrew Curtin, indicated that the quarry provided local employment and that he didn’t wish to see it closed down, but wanted the exploitation of the commage to be regulated.

A TWO-tier property market has emerged in Clare over the last five years as demand for properties in urban centres such as Ennis and Shannon far outstripping rural areas.

According to figures produced by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), 22 per cent of the houses in Clare are currently unoccupied – one of the highest of any county in Ireland.

Clare spokesperson for the Respond housing charity, Paul Hargaden, believes that the recession has created a two-tier property sector in Clare.

“The situation is very different depending on where you are. People might not realise this but there is a demand for houses to be built in places like Ennis at the moment,” he said.

“In other areas there are lots of empty houses that nobody wants and it is hard to see that they will ever be a demand for all of these. The majority of these properties are buy-to-lets or holiday homes in rural parts of the county.

“There is a demand for houses which are located close to where the jobs are located. There is need to build new houses in these areas and there is also a need for more social housing and local authority housing in places like Ennis, Shannon and Kilrush. There is basically a two-tiered housing system at work in Clare at the moment.”

A growing number of Clare families are also struggling to pay their mortgage and Respond are calling for a revamped mortgage-to-rent scheme to save Clare people in arrears.

“We are also seeing a lot of people in Clare who need help and support in maintaining their mortgages. It is a growing problem and it needs to be tackled by the banks and the Government,” continued Mr Hargaden.

“There is virtually no successful claims coming through the current scheme and something needs to be done to address that because people are in over their heads.”

The construction industry in the county has been the hardest hit as a result of the recession with a massive 87 per cent drop in the number house completions between 2005 and 2007.

ST TOLA Goats Cheese in Inagh is officially the best cheese in Ireland – after it’s new Ash Log took the top award at the Irish Cheese Awards this weekend.

The award was the finale of a big week for the North Clare producers, who were already celebrating the opening of its first cheese shop in Inagh last week.

The development of the shop is a major milestone for St Tola and for the local eco-tourism community and will stock a number of locally roduced products alongside a full range of cheese.

“The shop is a big step for us. There is a growing demand for food tourism and a lot more people are becoming interested in food and how it is made,” said Grainne Casey from St Tola.

“When people come to our shop they can look in on the animals and see for themselves how well they are treated and the high standards of the farm. As well as cheese, we also stock a range of local products and we will have a lot of information about tourism and the local area. It is a real holistic approach to food and tourism.”

St Tola’s newest product, the Ash Log, won a Gold Medal and then was named the Supreme Champion of this weekend’s Irish Cheese Awards.

“The team in Inagh are dedicated and uniquely skilled and awards such as these motivate us to continue to develop high-quality products for our customers,” said Siobhán Ní Ghairbhith of St Tola.

“The St Tola Ash Log is rolled in vegetarian food grade charcoal by our experts in Inagh. Rolling the cheese log while its fresh preserves the unique citrus and slightly acidic flavours of the cheese. Consumers will particularly appreciate the smooth and creamy texture of the finished product which is encapsulated by the ash.”

The new shop is open from Monday to Saturday, 12am to 5pm, and on Sundays from 12 noon to 5pm.

MORE than half (51 per cent) of all Clare people over the age of 75 in 2012 considers themselves to be disabled – one of the highest percentages in Ireland.

These figure, which was obtained from the Central Statistics Office (CSO), come at a time of widespread cuts to supports for people with disabilities.

Research compiled is the Clare People’s Life in Clare 2013 study reveals that much has changed in the county over the past decade. This change can be see in the way we live our lives – how we live and even who we are.

More than 11,000 non-Irish born people now call the Banner county their home. The majority of these new Clare people come from UK and other EU national, but the county is now also home to 940 people who were born in Africa and more than 700 people who classify themselves as being Asian born.

The way in which people in Clare has also changed dramatically with three out of every 10 people choosing to live by themselves – the highest level on record. The technology serving these houses has also changed dramatically with 68 of Clare households now containing at least one computer.

Detached houses are by far the most popular homes owned by peo- ple in Clare. Of the 46,000 houses in the county – almost 60 per cent (59.1) are detached, with 22.9 being semidetached and 11.9 per cent terraced.

Four in every ten Clare people own their own home (39.8) without any outstanding loan or mortgage. This in one of the highest levels of debt free ownership of houses in Ireland. Almost 37 per cent of Clare peo- ple own their house but have an outstanding mortgage and just 22.2 per cent of Clare people rent their home – one of the lowest percentages in Ireland.

THE new Emergency Department for the mid-west region will not be open and ready for its first patient for at least another year and a half.

The region’s only 24-hour Accident and Emergency Department, the Mid West Regional Hospital, Limerick has on-going overcrowding issues as emergency cases from Clare and Nenagh are routed through the Limerick hospital.

Last April the HSE announced that 20 beds would be reopened in a bid to alleviate chronic overcrowding.

Patients from Clare, Limerick and North Tipperary had been subjected to long waits and hours on trolleys as staff struggled with patient numbers.

A spokesperson for the HSE said at the time;

“We are very much aware of the inadequacies of the present Emergency Department and construction has commenced on a new department which is expected to be operational in two years.”

Ann Doherty, CEO, Mid Western Regional Hospital Group now says that the new Emergency Department would be open and ready for occupation in late 2015.

“Construction has commenced for the new Emergency Department. The project is being delivered in two phases.

“Phase one is due for completion by end of March 2014. Phase two which is the ‘fit-out’ of the Emergency Department is due to commence in June 2014,” she said.

Meanwhile the five-storey critical care block development on the site of the Mid Western Regional Hospital, Dooradoyle will be officially opened once full services have moved in.

The cardiac services have already moved in to floors three and four. The first and second floors are currently being equipped and commissioned. Staff recruitment has also commenced.

No date for the opening had been released by the HSE however.