Category: News

AN EAST Clare woman says she was treated ‘almost like a criminal’ by the HSE, when they accidentally sent her a full list of personal documentation belonging to another family earlier this year.

Noreen Keane has revealed that the Primary Care Reimbursement Service (PCRS) sent her a complete list of personal information – including banking details, pay statement and lease documents – belonging to another family in February of this year.

The East Clare woman, says she was then treated by suspicion when she reported the HSE’s mistake and paid for the documents to be couriered safely back to Dublin.

“In February I got two envelopes in my door from the HSE. One contained all of my original documents from the HSE, and the other one contained the entire documents belonging to somebody else. I couldn’t believe it,” she said.

“They had sent me somebody’s tax returns, their lease, their address, bank statement, pay statement, everything. I contacted them straight away and explained the situation to them.

“I was officially treated almost like a criminal and I don’t mind saying that. Even the wider situation surrounding the medical card they said that I was asking them to do something that was ‘illegal’,” she said. The Clare People contacted the HSE is relations to this story but no formal response was received at the time of going to press.

A LOCAL businessman has spoken of the “fright” his family felt after their home was broken into Ennis earlier this month. David Germaine and members of his family were asleep when their home at Brookville on the Lahinch Road was broken into in the early hours of Friday, June 13.

David and his wife Philomena were asleep when the thief walked into their bedroom and stole David’s phone.

“I had left it on the bedside locker. It was literally inches from my head. So whoever did it just came into the room and took it”, recalled David.

The thief also made of with a Samsung Galaxy Tablet 3 and a Sony Viaro Laptop. The loss of the laptop was a particular blow to the family as it contained precious family photographs. David is appealing for the laptop to be returned.

“The computer itself would be fair- ly old. Its pink in colour and a lot of the keys have been melted away..One of my daughters lived in Spain for a number of years and she has a lot of photographs stored on that computer from her time there. They mean an awful lot to her. She was absolutely devastated when she found out it had been stolen. You can replace the computer but you can’t replace what’s on it”, he explained.

David’s daughter Nicole has also issued an appeal through the social networking site, Facebook for the safe return of the laptop.

David, who runs a B&B at Brookville, said the break in left the family shocked.

“It is something that would frighten you. You would be a bit upset by it alright.

“My wife was very rattled by it. When something like this happens, when someone comes into your bedroom, you wonder what would’ve happened if you’d woken up”, he said.

Gardaí in Ennis are investigating the break in. It is though the thief gained access to the house through a downstairs sash window.

David, who also works as fisheries officer, said it took him some time to figure out the home had been broken into.

“I was expecting a call form someone at work. When I woke up I reached for my phone but couldn’t find it.

“So then I reached for my jeans but I couldn’t find them. I looked downstairs and saw them hanging on the banister at the bottom of the stairs”,

“My wife said she found them in the dining room. So I still couldn’t find the phone, so I went to get the laptop or the tablet to use Skype to make the call and I couldn’t find them. So I kind of worked it out then.

“He probably picked up the jeans but they started to rattle because of the belt so he took them downstairs”. Tue24June14

A CLARE Pro-Life group say they will continue to host pickets outside Timmy Dooley’s constituency office in Ennis until the 2013 Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill is overturned.

The group held a hour long protest outside Deputy Dooley’s constituency office on Friday afternoon, to highlight the East Clare TD’s decision to vote for the 2013 bill.

The bill brought in a legal framework for the Supreme Court ruling of the X Case, more than two decades after the initial court ruling.

Fianna Fail leader, Michael Martin, allowed his Dáil deputies an ‘open vote’ on the bill with only five of his 19 TD’s, including Deputy Dooley, supporting the legislation.

The Clare Pro-Life group have also held protests outside the office of Pat Breen (FG) and Joe Carey (FG) but have not picketed the office of Michael McNamara (LAB).

“We come out here to protest because Timmy Dooley voted for the abortion bill [the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill].

“Most of Fianna Fail voted against it, but he unfortunately went along with Michael Martin and voted in favour of the bill,” said Maria Mahoney of Clare Pro-Life.

“We’ve had contact with the TD on a number of occasions. Before the bill went through we had a lengthy contact with him [Timmy Dooley] and he wasn’t to be budged.

“We are left with showing our disapproval with what he has done and protesting.

“The pro-life people who voted for him are not going to forget and we are not going to let him forget.

“It is a long way to the next election but people will support candidates based on the voting record in the Dáil.”

Deputy Dooley said that he wel- comed anyone who wished to express their views outside him office.

“People are fully entitled to exercise their views and they [the protesters] are welcome outside my office any time they like,” said Deputy Dooley.

“My vote is a matter of public record and anyone who would like to see it can.

“If some people have an issue with that [they way he voted] they are welcome to come and protest any time they like.”

MORE than 90 per cent of staff at Ennis General Hospital have voted to begin industrial action which could begin in as little as seven days.

The IMPACT trade union held the ballot at Ennis and other hospitals in the Limerick Hospital Group on Friday in response to the revelation that the HSE paid one of its local managers € 258,000, on a contract bases over a 13-month period.

The union claims that this role was previously carried out by a salaried staff member in the HSE who earning about € 80,000 per annum.

IMPACT will now bring the results of the ballot to the HSE and will begin industrial action within seven days if no agreement can be reached.

The industrial action will include a suspension of all contact between members of the IMPACT union and the manager in question but will not at this time include any withdrawal of work.

“The ballot was passed by about 90 per cent. I’m not surprised, I’ve rarely seen people this annoyed about a local issue within the hospital group,” said Andy Pike, IMPACT rep for Ennis General Hospital.

“Once notice of industrial action is served, no union member will taking instruction from that persons [the contracted manager], we wont be providing any information to that person or we wont be reporting to him.

“We are concerned that any form of industrial action that we undertake would not detrimentally effect patient services so this will be an inconvenience for people in the hospital group but it will not effect hospital services. “We plan to contact the HSE at national level and give them another chance to tell us when the contact with the individual will end. “If we get a satisfactory response to that engagement then the prob- lem can be solved. But if they still refuse to even inform staff when the contract is due to end then we will serve notice and the action will begin within seven days. “We think it is responsible to give the HSE another chance.” The contractor is paid in the region of € 700 a day – which amount to more than the total yearly salary paid to HSE secretary general Tony O’Brien.

THE COST of renting a house in Clare continues to fall, despite anecdotal evidence of a recovery in the property market in the county.

The average monthly rent paid by Clare people in for the first quarter of 2014 was € 513 – a drop of € 4 on the € 517 per month average recorded over the same period last year. These figures represent a 25.2 per cent decrease on the average monthly rent of € 686 which was recorded for Clare in 2008. The report also signals a clear disparity in the cost of renting a domestic property in different parts of Clare.

The least expensive place to rent a home is Kilrush – with an average monthly rent of € 469 per month while Newmarket on Fergus was the most expensive Clare location at € 582 per month. Sixmilebridge comes in at € 576 per month, Shannon at € 573, with Ennis at € 511 and Killaloe at € 544.

These Clare figures are in contrast to the national average where a year on year increase of 3.5 per cent was recorded for the first three months of 2014.

The largest increase was in the apartment sector – where average rents have climbed by 5.6 per cent while the cost of renting a house has increased by 1.6 per cent.

THE Ombudsman for Children is to be asked to investigate a case where children in State care in Clare were unallocated a social care worker for more than three months.

Judge Alan Mitchell directed that the children’s Guardian Ad Litem also refer the matter to the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA).

The children, who were found to have been neglected by their mother, have since been allocated a social care worker.

Figures supplied to the Clare People yesterday by the Child and Family Agency (CFA) show that there are currently 10 childcare cases unallocated in Clare.

The Children in Care team in Clare (CIC) is currently providing services to approximately 160 children in Clare.

The order that HIQA and the Ombudsman for Children consider a particular case involving social care services in Clare formed part of an extensive written judgment delivered at a sitting of the Family Law (District) Court on Tuesday.

Judge Mitchell was told by senior social worker Tina Wiseman that due to staffing difficulties, a “con- siderable case load” of the CIC team in Clare had been unallocated since November 2012.

The Judge said, “That’s a source of serious concern to me”. He said the un-allocation of childcare cases is something that the CEO of the CFA, Gordon Jeyes could hardly condone. He asked Ms Wiseman if it was worth highlighting these deficiencies both locally and nationally. She said, “I’m in total agreement with you. It is scandalous”. Ms Wiseman said, “I can’t stand over what has happened and at the end of the day, the children are in state care.” Judge Mitchell granted a full child care order on application from the CFA in respect of a number of children. The children’s parents were not present or legally represented in court. The children were represented by their Guardian Ad Litem. Judge Mitchell commended Ms Wiseman “for not trying to defend the indefensible”. After hearing the case Judge Mitchell ruled that the Court was satisfied the children “have been neglected that their health, development, welfare has been and is likely to be avoidably impaired or neglected and the child requires care or protection….” He ordered that the Guardian Ad Litem “refer this case to the Ombudsman for Children to request her to carry out a preliminary investigation under Section 8 of the Ombudsman for Children Act 2002 and to HIQA to consider the non allocation of a social worker to the child in excess of three months, without sufficient reason being acceptable to the Court and the Court finds this practice was not in the best interests of the child and may have adversely affected the child”. The court was told that Clare CFA social workers have written to Gordon Jeyes, and the Minister for Children to express their concerns over resource concerns. Judge Mitchell adjourned the case for review to October.

CLARE County Council will spend more on average on road maintenance and business and tourism development than most other counties in Irelan but less, per person, on housing in 2014 than any other county in Munster.

According to figures obtained by from local authority watchdog, Public Policy.ie, Clare County Council will spend just over € 91 per person on housing this year, compared to € 387 per person in Dublin, and the national average which stand at just over € 160.

In contrast to housing however, the local authority will spend more on average on road maintenance and business and tourism development than most other counties in Ireland.

A new analysis of spending trends across all local authorities in Ireland has revealed that Clare County Council will spend a total of € 98.4 million on services in the county this year, or roughly € 840 per person in Clare.

The councils spend on housing for 2014 will amount to just over 10 per cent of its entire budget for services. The lions share of the housing budget will be used to fund rentals accommodation schemes or leasing programmes. This will amount to more than 30 per cent of the housing budget or 3.5 per cent of the overall services budget.

The smallest slice of the housing budget will be spent on the administration of services for the homeless in Clare which will account for approximately 0.4 per cent of the overall housing budget or € 400,000.

Clare is one of highest spending local authorities in Ireland when it comes to development management – which includes, heritage, tourism and the development of the local economy.

Clare will invest near € 95 per Clare person on development management this year – nearly twice the national overage of just € 59.

The lions share of this budget will be spend on tourism development and promotions with more than € 5 million, or 5.1 per cent of the entire budget, earmarked for this area in 2014.

Clare County Council will spend less than the national average on both environmental services and recreational space in 2014. A to tal of € 12.78 million will be spend on environmental services in Clare this years with the largest section of this being on fire services as well ad street cleaning and aftercare for the Central Waste Management Facility at Ballyduff beg.

The majority of the county’s recreation and amenity’s budget will be spent on the library services in 2014 – which will cost almost four per cent of entire services budget.

OVER 100 people sought help from an Ennis based relationship counseling service last year, according to new figures.

Figures from ACCORD – an agency that provides counseling and other services for the Diocese of Killaloe – show that seven counsellors from the Ennis centre delivered a total of 785 Counselling Hours to 110 clients who were experiencing difficulties in their relationships in 2013.

A spokesperson for ACCORD said the level of State funding it has received since 209 has been reduced by approximately 40 per cent and a further cut of 15 per cent is expected this year. The figures come as ACCORD prepares to open a new office at the Carmody Street business park in Ennis on Friday.

ACCORD Ennis (formerly known as the Catholic Marriage Advisory Council) is one of 58 Accord centres throughout Ireland. It is the administrative centre for counselling, marriage preparation and relationship and sexuality education schools programme for the Killaloe Diocese, which incorporates both Ennis and Nenagh Accord centres

The first meeting of Accord Ennis was held on September 17 1970 and was chaired by Fr Willie Walsh, who worked with the centre until he was ordained Bishop of Killaloe.

Bishop Walsh continued to support the work of the centre and worked as National President of ACCORD until his retirement. Accord Ennis celebrated 40 years of its existence in 2010. During the 1970’s and 1980’s the centre was located at the Social Service Office in O’Connell Street in Ennis but services were provided around the county in Kilrush, Shannon and Scariff.

In 1988 when the new “Clarecare” building was opened at Harmony Row, Accord Ennis moved to this new location.

Last year nine Facilitators from the Ennis centre delivered 12 Marriage Preparation Courses to 210 couples, choosing to get married in the Catholic Church.

A spokesperson stated, “The Primary Schools Relationships an d Sexuality Education Pilot Programme was launched in the Clare area in 2013. Success in this work is evident from the large number of schools who have booked the programme for their 6th Class students in 2014. While the demand for Accord services continues to grow, we are always seeking to recruit new volunteers”.

Bishop of Killaloe, Dr Kieran O’Reilly will open the new office at the Carmody Street business park at 7.30pm on Friday.

LARGE crowds will gather in Spancilhill at the weekend to celebrate one of the landmark occasions in Irish rural life.

The annual Spancilhill Fair begins on Monday June 23 with horse traders from across the country expected to descend on the fair green.

A busy programme of events is also organised for the days prior to the world famous fair.

Michael Duggan of the local organizing committee says huge numbers of people are again expected to attend this year’s event.

“For the fair, we’d get massive crowds.

“It’s midsummer. You have people planning their year around it. It’s one of those big landmark events in rural life in Ireland”

“The horse trade would not be fantastic anymore but you’re still getting big crowds every year”, he adds.

The festivities kick off on Friday June 20 with a music session in Duggan’s Pub from 9.30pm.

Local historian Joe Queally will lead a walk through Spancilhill area on Saturday.

The walk starts at 6pm from Duggan’s pub and finishes with a singsong afterwards. No charge applies but contributions will be donated to Cahercalla Hospice.

The ‘Eve of Fair Family Fun Day’ on Sunday, June 22 will feature a vin- tage horse drawn carriage, donkey derby, tug of war and lots of other fun activities.

Michael says. “The day before has become a big part of the whole occasion.

“The family day is a good way of introducing a younger generation to Spancilhill and what it’s all about”.

Gardaí will oversee a traffic management plan in the area during the fair. Michael is appealing to those coming to the fair to park in the allotted car parks and keep approach roads to the fair green clear.

The first charter for the historic fair was granted by King Charles over 300 years ago. In the past the fair lasted for a week or more with people coming from all over the world.

In recent times it has evolved into a one-day show and fair where the leading horses in the country are presented.

Buyers from all over Europe are still attending and purchasing horses that have gone onto make their name on the international stage in both the show jumping and pony circles.

In 1913 it was recorded that 4,000 horses were present and a feature of that fair was the purchasing of horses as cavalry horses for the British, Belgian and French armies. 1,175 horses were purchased on that day on behalf of the British army.

DESPITE being battered by an unprecedented series of storms this winter only 35 Clare residents have been granted humanitarian aid from the government under the Humanitarian Assistance Scheme.

This is in stark contrast to Limerick where a total of 531 people have received assistance under the same scheme.

According to figures obtained by the Department of Social Protection, just over € 70,000 has been paid to the 35 Clare residents to date in 2014.

This is despite Clare being the hardest hit county in the devastating series of storms which struck the western seaboard in January and February of this year. Damage was inflicted to scores of houses in North and West Clare which caused severe floods, which flood waters yet to fully recede in some areas.

A total of € 888,916 has been paid out through the scheme for the first five months of 2014.

Of this total the vast majority, € 518,104, was paid to Limerick – the home county of Finance Minister Michael Noonan (FG).

A further € 104,263 was paid to Waterford with the remaining € 250,000 being shared by 14 counties including Clare.

It is unclear whether Clare’s low level of successful application is due to a lack of applications from Clare or a high level of refusals.

A spokesperson from the Department of Social Protection yesterday encourages any Clare person who has not submitted an application to do so as soon as possible.

“The Department of Social Protection is continuing to engage with Local Authorities and other bodies to ensure that all households that require assistance are identified and provided with access to supports,” said a spokesperson.

“The Department is encouraging anybody, affected by the weather events of earlier this year, who has not yet contacted the Department to do so by contacting their local Community Welfare Service, details of which are available on the Department’s website.”

The storm damage in Clare was estimated to cost the county in excess of € 35m for repairs and some parts of Clare are still suffering the effects of the high winds and flooding.