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xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 512 512" fill="currentColor" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><path d="M256 416C247.812 416 239.62 412.875 233.38 406.625L41.38 214.625C28.88 202.125 28.88 181.875 41.38 169.375C53.88 156.875 74.13 156.875 86.63 169.375L256 338.8L425.4 169.4C437.9 156.9 458.15 156.9 470.65 169.4C483.15 181.9 483.15 202.15 470.65 214.65L278.65 406.65C272.4 412.9 264.2 416 256 416Z"></path></svg></span></button></div><div class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-container "><ul class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-menu" id="header_sub_section_crime-law"><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/crime-law/courts" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Courts</a></li></ul></div></li><li class="section-item" data-testid="nav-chain-section-item"><div data-testid="nav-chain-section-item-subsection" class="c-stack b-header-nav-chain__subsection-anchor subsection-anchor " data-style-direction="horizontal" data-style-justification="start" data-style-alignment="center" data-style-inline="false" data-style-wrap="nowrap"><a class="c-link" href="/property" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Property</a><button aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="header_sub_section_property" aria-label="Show Property sub sections" class="c-button c-button--medium c-button--default submenu-caret" type="button"><span><svg class="c-icon" width="20" height="20" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 512 512" fill="currentColor" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><path d="M256 416C247.812 416 239.62 412.875 233.38 406.625L41.38 214.625C28.88 202.125 28.88 181.875 41.38 169.375C53.88 156.875 74.13 156.875 86.63 169.375L256 338.8L425.4 169.4C437.9 156.9 458.15 156.9 470.65 169.4C483.15 181.9 483.15 202.15 470.65 214.65L278.65 406.65C272.4 412.9 264.2 416 256 416Z"></path></svg></span></button></div><div class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-container "><ul class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-menu" id="header_sub_section_property"><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/property/residential" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Residential</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/property/commercial-property" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Commercial Property</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/property/interiors" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Interiors</a></li></ul></div></li><li class="section-item" data-testid="nav-chain-section-item"><div data-testid="nav-chain-section-item-subsection" class="c-stack b-header-nav-chain__subsection-anchor subsection-anchor " data-style-direction="horizontal" data-style-justification="start" data-style-alignment="center" data-style-inline="false" data-style-wrap="nowrap"><a class="c-link" href="/food" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Food</a><button aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="header_sub_section_food" aria-label="Show Food sub sections" class="c-button c-button--medium c-button--default submenu-caret" type="button"><span><svg class="c-icon" width="20" height="20" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 512 512" fill="currentColor" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><path d="M256 416C247.812 416 239.62 412.875 233.38 406.625L41.38 214.625C28.88 202.125 28.88 181.875 41.38 169.375C53.88 156.875 74.13 156.875 86.63 169.375L256 338.8L425.4 169.4C437.9 156.9 458.15 156.9 470.65 169.4C483.15 181.9 483.15 202.15 470.65 214.65L278.65 406.65C272.4 412.9 264.2 416 256 416Z"></path></svg></span></button></div><div class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-container "><ul class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-menu" id="header_sub_section_food"><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/food/drink" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Drink</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/food/recipes" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Recipes</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/food/restaurants" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Restaurants</a></li></ul></div></li><li class="section-item" data-testid="nav-chain-section-item"><div data-testid="nav-chain-section-item-subsection" class="c-stack b-header-nav-chain__subsection-anchor subsection-anchor " data-style-direction="horizontal" data-style-justification="start" data-style-alignment="center" data-style-inline="false" data-style-wrap="nowrap"><a class="c-link" href="/health" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Health</a><button aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="header_sub_section_health" aria-label="Show Health sub sections" class="c-button c-button--medium c-button--default submenu-caret" type="button"><span><svg class="c-icon" width="20" height="20" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 512 512" fill="currentColor" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><path d="M256 416C247.812 416 239.62 412.875 233.38 406.625L41.38 214.625C28.88 202.125 28.88 181.875 41.38 169.375C53.88 156.875 74.13 156.875 86.63 169.375L256 338.8L425.4 169.4C437.9 156.9 458.15 156.9 470.65 169.4C483.15 181.9 483.15 202.15 470.65 214.65L278.65 406.65C272.4 412.9 264.2 416 256 416Z"></path></svg></span></button></div><div class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-container "><ul class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-menu" id="header_sub_section_health"><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/health/your-family" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Your Family</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/health/your-fitness" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Your Fitness</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/health/your-wellness" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Your Wellness</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/health/your-fitness/get-running" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Get Running</a></li></ul></div></li><li class="section-item" data-testid="nav-chain-section-item"><div data-testid="nav-chain-section-item-subsection" class="c-stack b-header-nav-chain__subsection-anchor subsection-anchor " data-style-direction="horizontal" data-style-justification="start" data-style-alignment="center" data-style-inline="false" data-style-wrap="nowrap"><a class="c-link" href="/life-style" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Life & Style</a><button aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="header_sub_section_life-style" aria-label="Show Life & Style sub sections" class="c-button c-button--medium c-button--default submenu-caret" type="button"><span><svg class="c-icon" width="20" height="20" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 512 512" fill="currentColor" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><path d="M256 416C247.812 416 239.62 412.875 233.38 406.625L41.38 214.625C28.88 202.125 28.88 181.875 41.38 169.375C53.88 156.875 74.13 156.875 86.63 169.375L256 338.8L425.4 169.4C437.9 156.9 458.15 156.9 470.65 169.4C483.15 181.9 483.15 202.15 470.65 214.65L278.65 406.65C272.4 412.9 264.2 416 256 416Z"></path></svg></span></button></div><div class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-container "><ul class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-menu" id="header_sub_section_life-style"><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/life-style/fashion" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Fashion</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/tags/beauty/" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Beauty</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/life-style/fine-art-antiques" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Fine Art & Antiques</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/life-style/gardening" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Gardening</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/life-style/people" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">People</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/life-style/travel" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Travel</a></li></ul></div></li><li class="section-item" data-testid="nav-chain-section-item"><div data-testid="nav-chain-section-item-subsection" class="c-stack b-header-nav-chain__subsection-anchor subsection-anchor " data-style-direction="horizontal" data-style-justification="start" data-style-alignment="center" data-style-inline="false" data-style-wrap="nowrap"><a class="c-link" href="/culture" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Culture</a><button aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="header_sub_section_culture" aria-label="Show Culture sub sections" class="c-button c-button--medium c-button--default submenu-caret" type="button"><span><svg class="c-icon" width="20" height="20" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 512 512" fill="currentColor" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><path d="M256 416C247.812 416 239.62 412.875 233.38 406.625L41.38 214.625C28.88 202.125 28.88 181.875 41.38 169.375C53.88 156.875 74.13 156.875 86.63 169.375L256 338.8L425.4 169.4C437.9 156.9 458.15 156.9 470.65 169.4C483.15 181.9 483.15 202.15 470.65 214.65L278.65 406.65C272.4 412.9 264.2 416 256 416Z"></path></svg></span></button></div><div class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-container "><ul class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-menu" id="header_sub_section_culture"><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/culture/art" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Art</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/culture/books" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Books</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/culture/film" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Film</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/culture/music" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Music</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/culture/stage" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Stage</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/culture/tv-radio" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">TV & Radio</a></li></ul></div></li><li class="section-item" data-testid="nav-chain-section-item"><div data-testid="nav-chain-section-item-subsection" class="c-stack b-header-nav-chain__subsection-anchor subsection-anchor " data-style-direction="horizontal" data-style-justification="start" data-style-alignment="center" data-style-inline="false" data-style-wrap="nowrap"><a class="c-link" href="/environment" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Environment</a><button aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="header_sub_section_environment" aria-label="Show Environment sub sections" class="c-button c-button--medium c-button--default submenu-caret" type="button"><span><svg class="c-icon" width="20" height="20" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 512 512" fill="currentColor" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><path d="M256 416C247.812 416 239.62 412.875 233.38 406.625L41.38 214.625C28.88 202.125 28.88 181.875 41.38 169.375C53.88 156.875 74.13 156.875 86.63 169.375L256 338.8L425.4 169.4C437.9 156.9 458.15 156.9 470.65 169.4C483.15 181.9 483.15 202.15 470.65 214.65L278.65 406.65C272.4 412.9 264.2 416 256 416Z"></path></svg></span></button></div><div class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-container "><ul class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-menu" id="header_sub_section_environment"><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/environment/climate-crisis" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Climate Crisis</a></li></ul></div></li><li class="section-item" data-testid="nav-chain-section-item"><div data-testid="nav-chain-section-item-subsection" class="c-stack b-header-nav-chain__subsection-anchor subsection-anchor " data-style-direction="horizontal" data-style-justification="start" data-style-alignment="center" data-style-inline="false" data-style-wrap="nowrap"><a class="c-link" href="/technology" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Technology</a><button aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="header_sub_section_technology" aria-label="Show Technology sub sections" class="c-button c-button--medium c-button--default submenu-caret" type="button"><span><svg class="c-icon" width="20" height="20" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 512 512" fill="currentColor" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><path d="M256 416C247.812 416 239.62 412.875 233.38 406.625L41.38 214.625C28.88 202.125 28.88 181.875 41.38 169.375C53.88 156.875 74.13 156.875 86.63 169.375L256 338.8L425.4 169.4C437.9 156.9 458.15 156.9 470.65 169.4C483.15 181.9 483.15 202.15 470.65 214.65L278.65 406.65C272.4 412.9 264.2 416 256 416Z"></path></svg></span></button></div><div class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-container "><ul class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-menu" id="header_sub_section_technology"><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/technology/big-tech" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Big Tech</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/technology/consumer-tech" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Consumer Tech</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/technology/data-security" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Data & Security</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/technology/gaming" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Gaming</a></li></ul></div></li><li class="section-item" data-testid="nav-chain-section-item"><div data-testid="nav-chain-section-item-subsection" class="c-stack b-header-nav-chain__subsection-anchor subsection-anchor " data-style-direction="horizontal" data-style-justification="start" data-style-alignment="center" data-style-inline="false" data-style-wrap="nowrap"><a class="c-link" href="/science" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Science</a><button aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="header_sub_section_science" aria-label="Show Science sub sections" class="c-button c-button--medium c-button--default submenu-caret" type="button"><span><svg class="c-icon" width="20" height="20" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 512 512" fill="currentColor" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><path d="M256 416C247.812 416 239.62 412.875 233.38 406.625L41.38 214.625C28.88 202.125 28.88 181.875 41.38 169.375C53.88 156.875 74.13 156.875 86.63 169.375L256 338.8L425.4 169.4C437.9 156.9 458.15 156.9 470.65 169.4C483.15 181.9 483.15 202.15 470.65 214.65L278.65 406.65C272.4 412.9 264.2 416 256 416Z"></path></svg></span></button></div><div class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-container "><ul class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-menu" id="header_sub_section_science"><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/science/space" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Space</a></li></ul></div></li><li class="section-item" data-testid="nav-chain-section-item"><a class="c-link" href="/media" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Media</a></li><li class="section-item" data-testid="nav-chain-section-item"><a class="c-link" href="/abroad" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Abroad</a></li><li class="section-item" data-testid="nav-chain-section-item"><a class="c-link" href="/obituaries" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Obituaries</a></li><li class="section-item" data-testid="nav-chain-section-item"><a class="c-link" href="/transport" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Transport</a></li><li class="section-item" data-testid="nav-chain-section-item"><div data-testid="nav-chain-section-item-subsection" class="c-stack b-header-nav-chain__subsection-anchor subsection-anchor " data-style-direction="horizontal" data-style-justification="start" data-style-alignment="center" data-style-inline="false" data-style-wrap="nowrap"><a class="c-link" href="/motors" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Motors</a><button aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="header_sub_section_motors" aria-label="Show Motors sub sections" class="c-button c-button--medium c-button--default submenu-caret" type="button"><span><svg class="c-icon" width="20" height="20" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 512 512" fill="currentColor" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><path d="M256 416C247.812 416 239.62 412.875 233.38 406.625L41.38 214.625C28.88 202.125 28.88 181.875 41.38 169.375C53.88 156.875 74.13 156.875 86.63 169.375L256 338.8L425.4 169.4C437.9 156.9 458.15 156.9 470.65 169.4C483.15 181.9 483.15 202.15 470.65 214.65L278.65 406.65C272.4 412.9 264.2 416 256 416Z"></path></svg></span></button></div><div class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-container "><ul class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-menu" id="header_sub_section_motors"><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/motors/car-reviews/" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Car Reviews</a></li></ul></div></li><li class="section-item" data-testid="nav-chain-section-item"><a class="c-link" href="/listen/" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Listen</a></li><li class="section-item" data-testid="nav-chain-section-item"><div data-testid="nav-chain-section-item-subsection" class="c-stack b-header-nav-chain__subsection-anchor subsection-anchor " data-style-direction="horizontal" data-style-justification="start" data-style-alignment="center" data-style-inline="false" data-style-wrap="nowrap"><a class="c-link" href="/podcasts" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Podcasts</a><button aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="header_sub_section_podcasts" aria-label="Show Podcasts sub sections" class="c-button c-button--medium c-button--default submenu-caret" type="button"><span><svg class="c-icon" width="20" height="20" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 512 512" fill="currentColor" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><path d="M256 416C247.812 416 239.62 412.875 233.38 406.625L41.38 214.625C28.88 202.125 28.88 181.875 41.38 169.375C53.88 156.875 74.13 156.875 86.63 169.375L256 338.8L425.4 169.4C437.9 156.9 458.15 156.9 470.65 169.4C483.15 181.9 483.15 202.15 470.65 214.65L278.65 406.65C272.4 412.9 264.2 416 256 416Z"></path></svg></span></button></div><div class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-container "><ul class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-menu" id="header_sub_section_podcasts"><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/podcasts/in-the-news" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">In the News Podcast</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/podcasts/inside-politics" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Inside Politics Podcast</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/podcasts/the-womens-podcast" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">The Women's Podcast</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/podcasts/inside-business" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Inside Business Podcast</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/podcasts/ross-ocarroll-kelly" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Ross O'Carroll-Kelly</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/podcasts/the-counter-ruck" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">The Counter Ruck Podcast</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/podcasts/conversations-with-parents" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Conversations with Parents Podcast</a></li></ul></div></li><li class="section-item" data-testid="nav-chain-section-item"><a class="c-link" href="/video" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Video</a></li><li class="section-item" data-testid="nav-chain-section-item"><a class="c-link" href="/photography" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Photography</a></li><li class="section-item" data-testid="nav-chain-section-item"><div data-testid="nav-chain-section-item-subsection" class="c-stack b-header-nav-chain__subsection-anchor subsection-anchor " data-style-direction="horizontal" data-style-justification="start" 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Forecast</a></li><li class="section-menu--bottom-placeholder"></li></ul></div></div></div></nav></header><section role="main" tabindex="-1" class="b-it-right-rail-advanced__main" id="main"><div class="c-stack b-it-right-rail-advanced__full-width-1" data-style-direction="vertical" data-style-justification="start" data-style-alignment="unset" data-style-inline="false" data-style-wrap="nowrap"><div id="arcad-feature-f0fJKL80l2wX2PY-26e29f4f2d5b3" class="default__StyledAdUnit-sc-1moicrg-0 gKEhzJ arcad-feature" style="min-height:107px;--mobile-display:none;--tablet-display:block;--desktop-display:block"><div class="arcad-container width_100" style="max-width:970px"><div id="arcad_f0fJKL80l2wX2PY-26e29f4f2d5b3" class="arcad ad-970x90"></div></div></div><div class="c-stack b-section-title" data-style-direction="vertical" data-style-justification="start" data-style-alignment="unset" data-style-inline="false" data-style-wrap="nowrap"><h1 class="c-heading">Social Affairs</h1><div class="b-section-title__links"><a class="c-link" href="/tags/religion-beliefs/">Religion & Beliefs</a><span class="c-separator"></span><a class="c-link" href="/tags/direct-provision/">Direct Provision</a></div></div><hr class="c-divider b-it-divider-block"/><div id="lazy_73150" class="lazy_container"><div class="b-flex-chain"><div class="b-flex-chain__grid-container b-flex-chain__grid-container__444 has-divider gap-divider"><div class="c-stack grid-item " data-style-direction="vertical" data-style-justification="start" data-style-alignment="unset" data-style-inline="false" data-style-wrap="nowrap"><div class="c-stack b-flex-promo-list-block" data-style-direction="vertical" data-style-justification="start" data-style-alignment="unset" data-style-inline="false" data-style-wrap="nowrap" style="--c-stack-gap:1rem"><article class="b-flex-promo-card b-flex-promo-card__top c-it-border__bottom c-it-border--mobile c-it-border--tablet"><figure class="c-media-item"><a class="c-link b-flex-promo-card__link" href="/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/17/living-in-deprivation-i-felt-so-ashamed-that-i-couldnt-provide-properly-for-my-children/" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"><img fetchpriority="low" data-chromatic="ignore" alt="Living in deprivation: ‘I felt so ashamed that I couldn’t provide properly for my children’" class="c-image b-flex-promo-card__mobile-image-3-2 b-flex-promo-card__desktop-image-16-9" loading="lazy" src="https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/UWR2MSVJEJGGDHJ6NZTVYDP56I.jpg?focal=2240%2C1279&auth=502c6b3d3ab4bbbb1e98c610299abd5e514067fc2444bde3095fcf577fd7a672&width=800&height=450" srcSet="https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/UWR2MSVJEJGGDHJ6NZTVYDP56I.jpg?focal=2240%2C1279&auth=502c6b3d3ab4bbbb1e98c610299abd5e514067fc2444bde3095fcf577fd7a672&width=200&height=112 200w, https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/UWR2MSVJEJGGDHJ6NZTVYDP56I.jpg?focal=2240%2C1279&auth=502c6b3d3ab4bbbb1e98c610299abd5e514067fc2444bde3095fcf577fd7a672&width=400&height=225 400w, https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/UWR2MSVJEJGGDHJ6NZTVYDP56I.jpg?focal=2240%2C1279&auth=502c6b3d3ab4bbbb1e98c610299abd5e514067fc2444bde3095fcf577fd7a672&width=600&height=337 600w, https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/UWR2MSVJEJGGDHJ6NZTVYDP56I.jpg?focal=2240%2C1279&auth=502c6b3d3ab4bbbb1e98c610299abd5e514067fc2444bde3095fcf577fd7a672&width=800&height=450 800w, https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/UWR2MSVJEJGGDHJ6NZTVYDP56I.jpg?focal=2240%2C1279&auth=502c6b3d3ab4bbbb1e98c610299abd5e514067fc2444bde3095fcf577fd7a672&width=1200&height=675 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 400px) 400px, (max-width: 800px) 50vw, 100vw" width="800" height="450"/></a></figure><div class="b-flex-promo-card__text"><div class="b-flex-promo-card__text-no-overline"><h3 class="c-heading c-heading__md text-align_left"><a class="c-link font-bold" href="/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/17/living-in-deprivation-i-felt-so-ashamed-that-i-couldnt-provide-properly-for-my-children/">Living in deprivation: ‘I felt so ashamed that I couldn’t provide properly for my children’</a></h3><p class="c-paragraph"><a class="c-link b-flex-promo-card__link" href="/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/17/living-in-deprivation-i-felt-so-ashamed-that-i-couldnt-provide-properly-for-my-children/">Latest CSO figures show almost half of lone parents with children aged under 18 struggle to make ends meet</a></p><div class="b-flex-promo-card__metadata"><span class="c-it-byline c-it-byline--list"><span>By</span><span> Emmet Malone</span><span class="c-separator"></span></span><time class="c-it-promo-date" dateTime="2025-03-17T06:00:00Z">Mon Mar 17 2025 - 06:00</time></div></div></div></article></div></div><div class="c-stack grid-item " data-style-direction="vertical" data-style-justification="start" data-style-alignment="unset" data-style-inline="false" data-style-wrap="nowrap"><div class="c-stack b-flex-promo-list-block" data-style-direction="vertical" data-style-justification="start" data-style-alignment="unset" data-style-inline="false" data-style-wrap="nowrap" style="--c-stack-gap:1rem"><article class="b-flex-promo-card b-flex-promo-card__right-hide b-flex-promo-card__image-square-mobile-right c-it-border__bottom c-it-border--mobile c-it-border--tablet c-it-border--desktop"><figure class="c-media-item"><a class="c-link b-flex-promo-card__link" href="/ireland/2025/03/16/fewer-st-patricks-day-fairytales-in-new-york-for-todays-undocumented-irish/" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"><img fetchpriority="low" data-chromatic="ignore" alt="Fewer St Patrick’s Day fairytales in New York for today’s ‘undocumented’ Irish " class="c-image b-flex-promo-card__mobile-image-1-1 b-flex-promo-card__desktop-image-3-2" loading="lazy" src="https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/F7N6EJNLHZGPVAMFPHFZYTP4JY.jpg?smart=true&auth=2e76ac798f95a83c1b277029bc97756e2bdfffc7806d0dec351266f947c35d3b&width=274&height=182" srcSet="https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/F7N6EJNLHZGPVAMFPHFZYTP4JY.jpg?smart=true&auth=2e76ac798f95a83c1b277029bc97756e2bdfffc7806d0dec351266f947c35d3b&width=200&height=132 200w, https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/F7N6EJNLHZGPVAMFPHFZYTP4JY.jpg?smart=true&auth=2e76ac798f95a83c1b277029bc97756e2bdfffc7806d0dec351266f947c35d3b&width=400&height=265 400w, https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/F7N6EJNLHZGPVAMFPHFZYTP4JY.jpg?smart=true&auth=2e76ac798f95a83c1b277029bc97756e2bdfffc7806d0dec351266f947c35d3b&width=600&height=398 600w, https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/F7N6EJNLHZGPVAMFPHFZYTP4JY.jpg?smart=true&auth=2e76ac798f95a83c1b277029bc97756e2bdfffc7806d0dec351266f947c35d3b&width=800&height=531 800w, https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/F7N6EJNLHZGPVAMFPHFZYTP4JY.jpg?smart=true&auth=2e76ac798f95a83c1b277029bc97756e2bdfffc7806d0dec351266f947c35d3b&width=1200&height=797 1200w" sizes="30vw" width="274" height="182"/></a></figure><div class="b-flex-promo-card__text"><div class="b-flex-promo-card__text-no-overline"><h3 class="c-heading c-heading__md-sm text-align_left"><a class="c-link font-bold" href="/ireland/2025/03/16/fewer-st-patricks-day-fairytales-in-new-york-for-todays-undocumented-irish/">Fewer St Patrick’s Day fairytales in New York for today’s ‘undocumented’ Irish </a></h3></div></div></article><article class="b-flex-promo-card b-flex-promo-card__right-hide b-flex-promo-card__image-square-mobile-right c-it-border__bottom c-it-border--mobile c-it-border--tablet c-it-border--desktop"><figure class="c-media-item"><a class="c-link b-flex-promo-card__link" href="/video/video/2025/03/16/president-michael-d-higgins-delivers-final-st-patricks-day-message/" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"><img fetchpriority="low" data-chromatic="ignore" alt="President Michael D. Higgins delivers final St Patrick’s Day Message" class="c-image b-flex-promo-card__mobile-image-1-1 b-flex-promo-card__desktop-image-3-2" loading="lazy" src="https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/https%3A%2F%2Fd2j5ip5u6h2g6o.cloudfront.net%2F03-16-2025%2Ft_8e0670182fe94d86a6fcf5b3b06c209e_name_Higgins.jpg?smart=true&auth=636edf892d8ed2a6d857de6f5b8f2f8863d6417472ab2edd29ca7aa0a3aec7f1&width=274&height=182" srcSet="https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/https%3A%2F%2Fd2j5ip5u6h2g6o.cloudfront.net%2F03-16-2025%2Ft_8e0670182fe94d86a6fcf5b3b06c209e_name_Higgins.jpg?smart=true&auth=636edf892d8ed2a6d857de6f5b8f2f8863d6417472ab2edd29ca7aa0a3aec7f1&width=200&height=132 200w, https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/https%3A%2F%2Fd2j5ip5u6h2g6o.cloudfront.net%2F03-16-2025%2Ft_8e0670182fe94d86a6fcf5b3b06c209e_name_Higgins.jpg?smart=true&auth=636edf892d8ed2a6d857de6f5b8f2f8863d6417472ab2edd29ca7aa0a3aec7f1&width=400&height=265 400w, https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/https%3A%2F%2Fd2j5ip5u6h2g6o.cloudfront.net%2F03-16-2025%2Ft_8e0670182fe94d86a6fcf5b3b06c209e_name_Higgins.jpg?smart=true&auth=636edf892d8ed2a6d857de6f5b8f2f8863d6417472ab2edd29ca7aa0a3aec7f1&width=600&height=398 600w, https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/https%3A%2F%2Fd2j5ip5u6h2g6o.cloudfront.net%2F03-16-2025%2Ft_8e0670182fe94d86a6fcf5b3b06c209e_name_Higgins.jpg?smart=true&auth=636edf892d8ed2a6d857de6f5b8f2f8863d6417472ab2edd29ca7aa0a3aec7f1&width=800&height=531 800w, https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/https%3A%2F%2Fd2j5ip5u6h2g6o.cloudfront.net%2F03-16-2025%2Ft_8e0670182fe94d86a6fcf5b3b06c209e_name_Higgins.jpg?smart=true&auth=636edf892d8ed2a6d857de6f5b8f2f8863d6417472ab2edd29ca7aa0a3aec7f1&width=1200&height=797 1200w" sizes="30vw" width="274" height="182"/></a></figure><div class="b-flex-promo-card__text"><div class="b-flex-promo-card__text-no-overline"><h3 class="c-heading c-heading__md-sm text-align_left"><a class="c-link font-bold" href="/video/video/2025/03/16/president-michael-d-higgins-delivers-final-st-patricks-day-message/">President Michael D. Higgins delivers final St Patrick’s Day Message</a></h3></div></div></article><article class="b-flex-promo-card b-flex-promo-card__right-hide b-flex-promo-card__image-square-mobile-right c-it-border__bottom c-it-border--mobile c-it-border--tablet c-it-border--desktop"><figure class="c-media-item"><a class="c-link b-flex-promo-card__link" href="/video/video/2025/03/15/over-two-thousand-people-celebrate-holi-festival-of-colour-in-west-dublin/" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"><img fetchpriority="low" data-chromatic="ignore" alt="Over two thousand people celebrate Holi festival of colour in West Dublin" class="c-image b-flex-promo-card__mobile-image-1-1 b-flex-promo-card__desktop-image-3-2" loading="lazy" src="https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/https%3A%2F%2Fd2j5ip5u6h2g6o.cloudfront.net%2F03-15-2025%2Ft_faf6a2a878ef4799b241d739f95c0672_name_BOB_6872.JPG?smart=true&auth=a5ffaac3c1a0187f5fa22c06681ea9c8b88d3fdfd9bbae3bd7ee2127bc3fdd65&width=274&height=182" 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srcSet="https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/UQ57CSWCNZAZHPMCPVIG2GFC5A.jpg?smart=true&auth=fb5ef91620511f945d36a7538041ed264a5660c7c2ab3b65923bb9e04469f9d2&width=200&height=112 200w, https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/UQ57CSWCNZAZHPMCPVIG2GFC5A.jpg?smart=true&auth=fb5ef91620511f945d36a7538041ed264a5660c7c2ab3b65923bb9e04469f9d2&width=400&height=224 400w, https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/UQ57CSWCNZAZHPMCPVIG2GFC5A.jpg?smart=true&auth=fb5ef91620511f945d36a7538041ed264a5660c7c2ab3b65923bb9e04469f9d2&width=600&height=337 600w, https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/UQ57CSWCNZAZHPMCPVIG2GFC5A.jpg?smart=true&auth=fb5ef91620511f945d36a7538041ed264a5660c7c2ab3b65923bb9e04469f9d2&width=800&height=449 800w, https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/UQ57CSWCNZAZHPMCPVIG2GFC5A.jpg?smart=true&auth=fb5ef91620511f945d36a7538041ed264a5660c7c2ab3b65923bb9e04469f9d2&width=1200&height=674 1200w" sizes="30vw" width="274" height="154"/></a></figure><div class="b-flex-promo-card__text"><div 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loading="lazy" src="https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/ECDSSF5FMRCMBD23JY2LS2JVPQ.jpg?focal=1552%2C617&auth=e013e1c3c6f52ba75e109cb21216d33a53ba2097ca6b5ae3d9cb03964e14e2b7&width=274&height=154" srcSet="https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/ECDSSF5FMRCMBD23JY2LS2JVPQ.jpg?focal=1552%2C617&auth=e013e1c3c6f52ba75e109cb21216d33a53ba2097ca6b5ae3d9cb03964e14e2b7&width=200&height=112 200w, https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/ECDSSF5FMRCMBD23JY2LS2JVPQ.jpg?focal=1552%2C617&auth=e013e1c3c6f52ba75e109cb21216d33a53ba2097ca6b5ae3d9cb03964e14e2b7&width=400&height=224 400w, https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/ECDSSF5FMRCMBD23JY2LS2JVPQ.jpg?focal=1552%2C617&auth=e013e1c3c6f52ba75e109cb21216d33a53ba2097ca6b5ae3d9cb03964e14e2b7&width=600&height=337 600w, https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/ECDSSF5FMRCMBD23JY2LS2JVPQ.jpg?focal=1552%2C617&auth=e013e1c3c6f52ba75e109cb21216d33a53ba2097ca6b5ae3d9cb03964e14e2b7&width=800&height=449 800w, https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/ECDSSF5FMRCMBD23JY2LS2JVPQ.jpg?focal=1552%2C617&auth=e013e1c3c6f52ba75e109cb21216d33a53ba2097ca6b5ae3d9cb03964e14e2b7&width=1200&height=674 1200w" sizes="30vw" width="274" height="154"/></a></figure><div class="b-flex-promo-card__text"><div class="b-flex-promo-card__text-no-overline"><h2 class="c-heading c-heading__md text-align_left"><a class="c-link font-bold" href="/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/11/annual-bill-of-140m-for-deal-intended-to-resolve-long-running-health-workers-dispute/">Annual bill of €140m for deal intended to resolve long-running health workers’ dispute </a></h2></div></div></article><article class="b-flex-promo-card b-flex-promo-card__right-left c-it-border__bottom c-it-border--mobile c-it-border--tablet c-it-border--desktop"><figure class="c-media-item"><a class="c-link b-flex-promo-card__link" href="/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/11/cost-of-living-prices-cso-households-debt/" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"><img fetchpriority="low" data-chromatic="ignore" alt="Third of households with single adult and children went into debt to meet ordinary living costs last year" class="c-image b-flex-promo-card__mobile-image-16-9 b-flex-promo-card__desktop-image-16-9" loading="lazy" src="https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/WK4HHBMPFNGBPFQ7HGTEF6HSQI.jpg?focal=2855%2C2685&auth=5d3ca4ed298f2a72069d1ba701977e9f0c89fd5ff0fd9d338d7c383f698c5020&width=274&height=154" srcSet="https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/WK4HHBMPFNGBPFQ7HGTEF6HSQI.jpg?focal=2855%2C2685&auth=5d3ca4ed298f2a72069d1ba701977e9f0c89fd5ff0fd9d338d7c383f698c5020&width=200&height=112 200w, https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/WK4HHBMPFNGBPFQ7HGTEF6HSQI.jpg?focal=2855%2C2685&auth=5d3ca4ed298f2a72069d1ba701977e9f0c89fd5ff0fd9d338d7c383f698c5020&width=400&height=224 400w, https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/WK4HHBMPFNGBPFQ7HGTEF6HSQI.jpg?focal=2855%2C2685&auth=5d3ca4ed298f2a72069d1ba701977e9f0c89fd5ff0fd9d338d7c383f698c5020&width=600&height=337 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students</a></h2></div></div></article><article class="b-flex-promo-card b-flex-promo-card__right-left c-it-border__bottom c-it-border--mobile c-it-border--tablet c-it-border--desktop"><figure class="c-media-item"><a class="c-link b-flex-promo-card__link" href="/health/2025/03/10/pay-deal-worth-925-over-two-years-agreed-for-voluntary-health-workers-after-long-running-dispute/" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"><img fetchpriority="low" data-chromatic="ignore" alt="Pay deal worth 9.25% over two years agreed for voluntary health workers after long-running dispute" class="c-image b-flex-promo-card__mobile-image-16-9 b-flex-promo-card__desktop-image-16-9" loading="lazy" src="https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/FQEM2RXOPZVGMFJD5PP3XOV4RM.jpg?smart=true&auth=c60f15730f56c0220e87d056da368e42a4ea73c4d0e2e2667978adc4c83db6f0&width=274&height=154" 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data-style-justification="start" data-style-alignment="unset" data-style-inline="false" data-style-wrap="nowrap"><div class="c-stack b-results-list__wrapper" data-style-direction="vertical" data-style-justification="start" data-style-alignment="unset" data-style-inline="false" data-style-wrap="nowrap"><div class="b-results-list b-results-list--show-image"><figure class="c-media-item"><a class="c-link" href="/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/08/getting-a-space-for-a-baby-is-so-difficult-looming-ranelagh-creche-closure-leaves-families-scrambling-for-childcare/" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"><img data-chromatic="ignore" alt="‘Getting a space for a baby is so difficult’: Looming Ranelagh creche closure leaves families scrambling for childcare" class="c-image" loading="eager" src="https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/LCYT6N77LFFQLCQTKIX4SQTJ2Y.JPG?smart=true&auth=0fbb0d36450f1f0c23f1b64c4e2a9d321535b3deef171b89bc0b6752e8371443&width=500&height=333" 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href="/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/07/concern-wordlwide-lays-off-almost-400-staff-citing-aid-funding-cuts/" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"><img data-chromatic="ignore" alt="Concern Worldwide lays off almost 400 staff citing ‘aid funding cuts’" class="c-image" loading="eager" src="https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/75FN6GJPZMTZ2L3LDJ3WGQZGEQ.jpg?smart=true&auth=ff24ceea281664ca6bffab222c37ec5bebe04006acc16d8e505e77648a215bf5&width=500&height=333" srcSet="https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/75FN6GJPZMTZ2L3LDJ3WGQZGEQ.jpg?smart=true&auth=ff24ceea281664ca6bffab222c37ec5bebe04006acc16d8e505e77648a215bf5&width=250&height=166 250w, https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/75FN6GJPZMTZ2L3LDJ3WGQZGEQ.jpg?smart=true&auth=ff24ceea281664ca6bffab222c37ec5bebe04006acc16d8e505e77648a215bf5&width=500&height=333 500w" sizes="(min-width: 48rem) 500px, 250px" width="500" height="333"/></a></figure><h3 class="c-heading"><a class="c-link" href="/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/07/concern-wordlwide-lays-off-almost-400-staff-citing-aid-funding-cuts/">Concern Worldwide lays off almost 400 staff citing ‘aid funding cuts’</a></h3></div><hr class="c-divider"/><div class="b-results-list b-results-list--show-image"><figure class="c-media-item"><a class="c-link" href="/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/07/church-services/" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"><img data-chromatic="ignore" alt="Church services" class="c-image" loading="eager" src="https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/IN7OZZ6E2NGO5KX2KLF2SIQGJU.png?smart=true&auth=d4b9e121d137a9aeef92fc18438df403b5c177f6a3855de62a93ccfae6ccb05d&width=500&height=333" srcSet="https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/IN7OZZ6E2NGO5KX2KLF2SIQGJU.png?smart=true&auth=d4b9e121d137a9aeef92fc18438df403b5c177f6a3855de62a93ccfae6ccb05d&width=250&height=166 250w, https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/IN7OZZ6E2NGO5KX2KLF2SIQGJU.png?smart=true&auth=d4b9e121d137a9aeef92fc18438df403b5c177f6a3855de62a93ccfae6ccb05d&width=500&height=333 500w" sizes="(min-width: 48rem) 500px, 250px" width="500" height="333"/></a></figure><h3 class="c-heading"><a class="c-link" href="/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/07/church-services/">Church services</a></h3></div><hr class="c-divider"/><div class="b-results-list b-results-list--show-image"><figure class="c-media-item"><a class="c-link" href="/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/06/state-paid-more-than-708m-to-citywest-hotel-operator-last-year/" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"><img data-chromatic="ignore" alt="State paid more than €70.8m to Citywest hotel operator last year" class="c-image" loading="eager" src="https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/7UZAEXIHKXYQNTLY6IO4YHTSPI.jpg?focal=2031%2C2566&auth=4854874e53c51f308836adc5224327047f226e3a4c150411be26bc5d09c1074e&width=500&height=333" srcSet="https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/7UZAEXIHKXYQNTLY6IO4YHTSPI.jpg?focal=2031%2C2566&auth=4854874e53c51f308836adc5224327047f226e3a4c150411be26bc5d09c1074e&width=250&height=166 250w, https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/7UZAEXIHKXYQNTLY6IO4YHTSPI.jpg?focal=2031%2C2566&auth=4854874e53c51f308836adc5224327047f226e3a4c150411be26bc5d09c1074e&width=500&height=333 500w" sizes="(min-width: 48rem) 500px, 250px" width="500" height="333"/></a></figure><h3 class="c-heading"><a class="c-link" href="/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/06/state-paid-more-than-708m-to-citywest-hotel-operator-last-year/">State paid more than €70.8m to Citywest hotel operator last year</a></h3></div><hr class="c-divider"/><div class="b-results-list b-results-list--show-image"><figure class="c-media-item"><a class="c-link" href="/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/05/come-all-ye-faithful-dublins-pro-cathedral-celebrates-ash-wednesday-the-start-of-lent/" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"><img data-chromatic="ignore" alt="Come all ye faithful: Dublin’s Pro Cathedral celebrates Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent" class="c-image" loading="eager" src="https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/DSZRA7Q2PFDH5MHM7I74P4HCSI.JPG?smart=true&auth=732552b08f4435e26fcf60480d3f0eb48b372f2feab9ffa0b0917b58dbb70540&width=500&height=333" srcSet="https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/DSZRA7Q2PFDH5MHM7I74P4HCSI.JPG?smart=true&auth=732552b08f4435e26fcf60480d3f0eb48b372f2feab9ffa0b0917b58dbb70540&width=250&height=166 250w, https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/DSZRA7Q2PFDH5MHM7I74P4HCSI.JPG?smart=true&auth=732552b08f4435e26fcf60480d3f0eb48b372f2feab9ffa0b0917b58dbb70540&width=500&height=333 500w" sizes="(min-width: 48rem) 500px, 250px" width="500" height="333"/></a></figure><h3 class="c-heading"><a class="c-link" href="/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/05/come-all-ye-faithful-dublins-pro-cathedral-celebrates-ash-wednesday-the-start-of-lent/">Come all ye faithful: Dublin’s Pro Cathedral celebrates Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent</a></h3></div><hr class="c-divider"/><div class="b-results-list b-results-list--show-image"><figure class="c-media-item"><a class="c-link" href="/environment/2025/03/06/rising-electricity-and-gas-prices-prompt-government-officials-to-revisit-targeted-supports/" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"><img data-chromatic="ignore" alt="New supports needed as energy bills set to rise further, officials warn" class="c-image" loading="eager" src="https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/SXWBURRGCFH5BN27PF4GSHYJDQ.JPG?smart=true&auth=f3cc7c5ceb769408aacd7c3ae4561ac81486e35992db6b6141a2fc93980688e8&width=500&height=333" srcSet="https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/SXWBURRGCFH5BN27PF4GSHYJDQ.JPG?smart=true&auth=f3cc7c5ceb769408aacd7c3ae4561ac81486e35992db6b6141a2fc93980688e8&width=250&height=166 250w, https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/SXWBURRGCFH5BN27PF4GSHYJDQ.JPG?smart=true&auth=f3cc7c5ceb769408aacd7c3ae4561ac81486e35992db6b6141a2fc93980688e8&width=500&height=333 500w" sizes="(min-width: 48rem) 500px, 250px" width="500" height="333"/></a></figure><h3 class="c-heading"><a class="c-link" href="/environment/2025/03/06/rising-electricity-and-gas-prices-prompt-government-officials-to-revisit-targeted-supports/">New supports needed as energy bills set to rise further, officials warn</a></h3></div><hr class="c-divider"/><div class="b-results-list b-results-list--show-image"><figure class="c-media-item"><a class="c-link" href="/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/05/unvetted-staff-and-overcrowding-in-asylum-seeker-accommodation-report-finds/" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"><img data-chromatic="ignore" alt="Unvetted staff and overcrowding in asylum seeker accommodation, report finds" class="c-image" loading="eager" src="https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/K34PTMOM5ZBGRL2TTDA2FYGMXY.jpg?smart=true&auth=e2c0326dade070a1a3da1c086aad166eec480bc2a30516618793d352404b35fa&width=500&height=333" srcSet="https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/K34PTMOM5ZBGRL2TTDA2FYGMXY.jpg?smart=true&auth=e2c0326dade070a1a3da1c086aad166eec480bc2a30516618793d352404b35fa&width=250&height=166 250w, https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/K34PTMOM5ZBGRL2TTDA2FYGMXY.jpg?smart=true&auth=e2c0326dade070a1a3da1c086aad166eec480bc2a30516618793d352404b35fa&width=500&height=333 500w" sizes="(min-width: 48rem) 500px, 250px" width="500" height="333"/></a></figure><h3 class="c-heading"><a class="c-link" href="/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/05/unvetted-staff-and-overcrowding-in-asylum-seeker-accommodation-report-finds/">Unvetted staff and overcrowding in asylum seeker accommodation, report finds</a></h3></div><hr class="c-divider"/><div class="b-results-list b-results-list--show-image"><figure class="c-media-item"><a class="c-link" href="/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/04/refuge-provider-calls-for-single-999-style-call-line-for-women-fleeing-abuse/" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"><img data-chromatic="ignore" alt="Refuge provider calls for single 999-style phone line for women fleeing abuse" class="c-image" loading="eager" src="https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/R7OHHHIQYFGG7JCJQAL3GA2W6U.jpg?focal=2543%2C1878&auth=487c19eac0e1748de20a555d57696bf784060c276352389712251e91ca828c89&width=500&height=333" srcSet="https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/R7OHHHIQYFGG7JCJQAL3GA2W6U.jpg?focal=2543%2C1878&auth=487c19eac0e1748de20a555d57696bf784060c276352389712251e91ca828c89&width=250&height=166 250w, https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/R7OHHHIQYFGG7JCJQAL3GA2W6U.jpg?focal=2543%2C1878&auth=487c19eac0e1748de20a555d57696bf784060c276352389712251e91ca828c89&width=500&height=333 500w" sizes="(min-width: 48rem) 500px, 250px" width="500" height="333"/></a></figure><h3 class="c-heading"><a class="c-link" href="/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/04/refuge-provider-calls-for-single-999-style-call-line-for-women-fleeing-abuse/">Refuge provider calls for single 999-style phone line for women fleeing abuse</a></h3></div><hr class="c-divider"/><div class="b-results-list b-results-list--show-image"><figure class="c-media-item"><a class="c-link" href="/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/04/international-protection-system-records-death-of-14-asylum-seekers-last-year/" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"><img data-chromatic="ignore" alt="International protection system records death of 14 asylum seekers last year" class="c-image" loading="eager" src="https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/K34PTMOM5ZBGRL2TTDA2FYGMXY.jpg?smart=true&auth=e2c0326dade070a1a3da1c086aad166eec480bc2a30516618793d352404b35fa&width=500&height=333" srcSet="https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/K34PTMOM5ZBGRL2TTDA2FYGMXY.jpg?smart=true&auth=e2c0326dade070a1a3da1c086aad166eec480bc2a30516618793d352404b35fa&width=250&height=166 250w, https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/K34PTMOM5ZBGRL2TTDA2FYGMXY.jpg?smart=true&auth=e2c0326dade070a1a3da1c086aad166eec480bc2a30516618793d352404b35fa&width=500&height=333 500w" sizes="(min-width: 48rem) 500px, 250px" width="500" height="333"/></a></figure><h3 class="c-heading"><a class="c-link" href="/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/04/international-protection-system-records-death-of-14-asylum-seekers-last-year/">International protection system records death of 14 asylum seekers last year</a></h3></div><hr class="c-divider"/><div class="b-results-list b-results-list--show-image"><figure class="c-media-item"><a class="c-link" href="/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/04/most-believe-social-factors-should-be-considered-in-public-procurement-processes-research-suggests/" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"><img data-chromatic="ignore" alt="Most believe social factors should be considered in public procurement processes, research suggests" class="c-image" loading="eager" src="https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/5FEMWOMVXZD3TAQ6KFGHYFIS6Q.jpg?smart=true&auth=cd8533af51ee78f10706009f4d1f8ede75024eefef462d0f467f33487c10effe&width=500&height=333" srcSet="https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/5FEMWOMVXZD3TAQ6KFGHYFIS6Q.jpg?smart=true&auth=cd8533af51ee78f10706009f4d1f8ede75024eefef462d0f467f33487c10effe&width=250&height=166 250w, https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/5FEMWOMVXZD3TAQ6KFGHYFIS6Q.jpg?smart=true&auth=cd8533af51ee78f10706009f4d1f8ede75024eefef462d0f467f33487c10effe&width=500&height=333 500w" sizes="(min-width: 48rem) 500px, 250px" width="500" height="333"/></a></figure><h3 class="c-heading"><a class="c-link" href="/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/04/most-believe-social-factors-should-be-considered-in-public-procurement-processes-research-suggests/">Most believe social factors should be considered in public procurement processes, research suggests</a></h3></div><hr class="c-divider"/><div class="b-results-list b-results-list--show-image"><figure class="c-media-item"><a class="c-link" href="/health/2025/03/04/wrc-talks-aimed-at-resolving-s39-dispute-adjourned-until-friday/" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"><img data-chromatic="ignore" alt="WRC talks aimed at resolving S39 dispute adjourned until Friday" class="c-image" loading="eager" src="https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/BXXSY3IN2YAHKO3W5IKIN2Z2PA.jpg?smart=true&auth=b9993d351ad6a9c97b33fdf5f406007e330b324f55abac1572deaf4e9830b8d4&width=500&height=333" srcSet="https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/BXXSY3IN2YAHKO3W5IKIN2Z2PA.jpg?smart=true&auth=b9993d351ad6a9c97b33fdf5f406007e330b324f55abac1572deaf4e9830b8d4&width=250&height=166 250w, https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/BXXSY3IN2YAHKO3W5IKIN2Z2PA.jpg?smart=true&auth=b9993d351ad6a9c97b33fdf5f406007e330b324f55abac1572deaf4e9830b8d4&width=500&height=333 500w" sizes="(min-width: 48rem) 500px, 250px" width="500" height="333"/></a></figure><h3 class="c-heading"><a class="c-link" href="/health/2025/03/04/wrc-talks-aimed-at-resolving-s39-dispute-adjourned-until-friday/">WRC talks aimed at resolving S39 dispute adjourned until Friday</a></h3></div><hr class="c-divider"/><div class="b-results-list b-results-list--show-image"><figure class="c-media-item"><a class="c-link" href="/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/04/abusers-using-data-protection-law-to-get-details-on-victims/" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"><img data-chromatic="ignore" alt="Abusers using data protection law to get details on victims" class="c-image" loading="eager" src="https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/R4HYDJDK7AOYXFXYL75ACMGLYQ.jpg?smart=true&auth=5ae507ed8c0ef03c81e4fb9fc873b31fb8058ccc0c338d324c1f7f946a8ee0f8&width=500&height=333" srcSet="https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/R4HYDJDK7AOYXFXYL75ACMGLYQ.jpg?smart=true&auth=5ae507ed8c0ef03c81e4fb9fc873b31fb8058ccc0c338d324c1f7f946a8ee0f8&width=250&height=166 250w, https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/R4HYDJDK7AOYXFXYL75ACMGLYQ.jpg?smart=true&auth=5ae507ed8c0ef03c81e4fb9fc873b31fb8058ccc0c338d324c1f7f946a8ee0f8&width=500&height=333 500w" sizes="(min-width: 48rem) 500px, 250px" width="500" height="333"/></a></figure><h3 class="c-heading"><a class="c-link" href="/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/04/abusers-using-data-protection-law-to-get-details-on-victims/">Abusers using data protection law to get details on victims</a></h3></div><hr class="c-divider"/><div class="b-results-list b-results-list--show-image"><figure class="c-media-item"><a class="c-link" href="/ireland/education/2025/03/04/executive-education-bursaries-give-ukrainians-in-ireland-new-tools-to-progress/" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"><img data-chromatic="ignore" alt="Executive education bursaries give Ukrainians in Ireland new tools to progress" class="c-image" loading="eager" src="https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/4SFN3VKLU5DZHNW5RC2I56YET4.JPG?focal=2966%2C1463&auth=d641d4b4af1229c809cead6d8a27f649ebdbf23acfef2902cf2eb6d6cae89449&width=500&height=333" srcSet="https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/4SFN3VKLU5DZHNW5RC2I56YET4.JPG?focal=2966%2C1463&auth=d641d4b4af1229c809cead6d8a27f649ebdbf23acfef2902cf2eb6d6cae89449&width=250&height=166 250w, https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/4SFN3VKLU5DZHNW5RC2I56YET4.JPG?focal=2966%2C1463&auth=d641d4b4af1229c809cead6d8a27f649ebdbf23acfef2902cf2eb6d6cae89449&width=500&height=333 500w" sizes="(min-width: 48rem) 500px, 250px" width="500" height="333"/></a></figure><h3 class="c-heading"><a class="c-link" href="/ireland/education/2025/03/04/executive-education-bursaries-give-ukrainians-in-ireland-new-tools-to-progress/">Executive education bursaries give Ukrainians in Ireland new tools to progress</a></h3></div><hr class="c-divider"/><div class="b-results-list b-results-list--show-image"><figure class="c-media-item"><a class="c-link" href="/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/03/samaritans-seek-volunteers-as-demand-for-service-continues-to-grow/" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"><img data-chromatic="ignore" alt="Samaritans seek volunteers as demand for service continues to grow" class="c-image" loading="eager" src="https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/4JUSDRMQJRBUNKNCIYVJXC2Q7E.JPG?smart=true&auth=06ee124a985c147bd08ae95b71b5df8da076abf78389f351e704d5f4ee911ef6&width=500&height=333" srcSet="https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/4JUSDRMQJRBUNKNCIYVJXC2Q7E.JPG?smart=true&auth=06ee124a985c147bd08ae95b71b5df8da076abf78389f351e704d5f4ee911ef6&width=250&height=166 250w, https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/4JUSDRMQJRBUNKNCIYVJXC2Q7E.JPG?smart=true&auth=06ee124a985c147bd08ae95b71b5df8da076abf78389f351e704d5f4ee911ef6&width=500&height=333 500w" sizes="(min-width: 48rem) 500px, 250px" width="500" height="333"/></a></figure><h3 class="c-heading"><a class="c-link" href="/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/03/samaritans-seek-volunteers-as-demand-for-service-continues-to-grow/">Samaritans seek volunteers as demand for service continues to grow</a></h3></div><hr class="c-divider"/><div class="b-results-list b-results-list--show-image"><figure class="c-media-item"><a class="c-link" href="/politics/2025/03/01/companies-paid-millions-to-run-emergency-housing-for-children-in-care/" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"><img data-chromatic="ignore" alt="Companies being paid millions to run emergency housing for children in care " class="c-image" loading="eager" src="https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/LXTVWFS5AVHHLPCBUDIXK6SIKM.jpg?smart=true&auth=7746ca3afe18eb583ef66f998ce0be0f37032a043f77da269bd8e34327dc20fe&width=500&height=333" srcSet="https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/LXTVWFS5AVHHLPCBUDIXK6SIKM.jpg?smart=true&auth=7746ca3afe18eb583ef66f998ce0be0f37032a043f77da269bd8e34327dc20fe&width=250&height=166 250w, https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/LXTVWFS5AVHHLPCBUDIXK6SIKM.jpg?smart=true&auth=7746ca3afe18eb583ef66f998ce0be0f37032a043f77da269bd8e34327dc20fe&width=500&height=333 500w" sizes="(min-width: 48rem) 500px, 250px" width="500" height="333"/></a></figure><h3 class="c-heading"><a class="c-link" href="/politics/2025/03/01/companies-paid-millions-to-run-emergency-housing-for-children-in-care/">Companies being paid millions to run emergency housing for children in care </a></h3></div><hr class="c-divider"/><div class="b-results-list b-results-list--show-image"><figure class="c-media-item"><a class="c-link" href="/ireland/education/2025/02/28/pay-rises-of-over-1000-for-civil-and-public-servants-to-kick-in-from-today/" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"><img data-chromatic="ignore" alt="Pay rises of over €1,000 for civil and public servants to kick in from Saturday" class="c-image" loading="eager" src="https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/LWBXMJLLM5CB7CAP467UUNOSFI.jpg?smart=true&auth=20371f025bf6e093dcec2cb5ec738195812dde86b90b3a8cf37f635dfc87ebb2&width=500&height=333" srcSet="https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/LWBXMJLLM5CB7CAP467UUNOSFI.jpg?smart=true&auth=20371f025bf6e093dcec2cb5ec738195812dde86b90b3a8cf37f635dfc87ebb2&width=250&height=166 250w, https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/LWBXMJLLM5CB7CAP467UUNOSFI.jpg?smart=true&auth=20371f025bf6e093dcec2cb5ec738195812dde86b90b3a8cf37f635dfc87ebb2&width=500&height=333 500w" sizes="(min-width: 48rem) 500px, 250px" width="500" height="333"/></a></figure><h3 class="c-heading"><a class="c-link" href="/ireland/education/2025/02/28/pay-rises-of-over-1000-for-civil-and-public-servants-to-kick-in-from-today/">Pay rises of over €1,000 for civil and public servants to kick in from Saturday</a></h3></div><hr class="c-divider"/><div class="b-results-list b-results-list--show-image"><figure class="c-media-item"><a class="c-link" href="/ireland/social-affairs/2025/02/28/baby-names-jack-and-sophie-the-most-popular-in-2024/" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"><img data-chromatic="ignore" alt="Baby names: Jack and Sophie the most popular in Ireland in 2024" class="c-image" loading="eager" src="https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/PJ76ISYQZBBARCNKQPDJ2LDFHY.jpg?focal=2983%2C1357&auth=a972b18b2717b488d998b63b082235b0bad4cb1aafd31d55791d3c6f91a70bea&width=500&height=333" srcSet="https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/PJ76ISYQZBBARCNKQPDJ2LDFHY.jpg?focal=2983%2C1357&auth=a972b18b2717b488d998b63b082235b0bad4cb1aafd31d55791d3c6f91a70bea&width=250&height=166 250w, https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/PJ76ISYQZBBARCNKQPDJ2LDFHY.jpg?focal=2983%2C1357&auth=a972b18b2717b488d998b63b082235b0bad4cb1aafd31d55791d3c6f91a70bea&width=500&height=333 500w" sizes="(min-width: 48rem) 500px, 250px" width="500" height="333"/></a></figure><h3 class="c-heading"><a class="c-link" href="/ireland/social-affairs/2025/02/28/baby-names-jack-and-sophie-the-most-popular-in-2024/">Baby names: Jack and Sophie the most popular in Ireland in 2024</a></h3></div><hr class="c-divider"/><div class="b-results-list b-results-list--show-image"><figure class="c-media-item"><a class="c-link" href="/ireland/social-affairs/2025/02/28/spiritans-accused-of-two-tier-approach-to-redress-for-sex-abuse-cases/" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"><img data-chromatic="ignore" alt="Spiritans accused of two-tier approach to redress for sex abuse cases" class="c-image" loading="eager" src="https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/B5J5AX4GGMMNS5W6YCIOQE7KUI.jpg?smart=true&auth=59157664f983c28803743159fcabea467c53e058c179ec123d0dad21a0f46f35&width=500&height=333" srcSet="https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/B5J5AX4GGMMNS5W6YCIOQE7KUI.jpg?smart=true&auth=59157664f983c28803743159fcabea467c53e058c179ec123d0dad21a0f46f35&width=250&height=166 250w, https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/B5J5AX4GGMMNS5W6YCIOQE7KUI.jpg?smart=true&auth=59157664f983c28803743159fcabea467c53e058c179ec123d0dad21a0f46f35&width=500&height=333 500w" sizes="(min-width: 48rem) 500px, 250px" width="500" height="333"/></a></figure><h3 class="c-heading"><a class="c-link" href="/ireland/social-affairs/2025/02/28/spiritans-accused-of-two-tier-approach-to-redress-for-sex-abuse-cases/">Spiritans accused of two-tier approach to redress for sex abuse cases</a></h3></div><hr class="c-divider"/><div class="b-results-list b-results-list--show-image"><figure class="c-media-item"><a class="c-link" href="/ireland/social-affairs/2025/02/28/being-homeless-you-have-no-sense-of-security-we-all-know-from-the-get-go-we-are-just-a-number-in-their-system/" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"><img data-chromatic="ignore" alt="Young homeless woman who left State care six months ago feels ‘scared’ amid council housing change" class="c-image" loading="eager" src="https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/AEK3QHIA25AAXHDZ5GYIAJAOYI.JPG?smart=true&auth=bfa2ec57db30219e29835419328e8dc1a76083e54fe1c88119b092c588a08481&width=500&height=333" srcSet="https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/AEK3QHIA25AAXHDZ5GYIAJAOYI.JPG?smart=true&auth=bfa2ec57db30219e29835419328e8dc1a76083e54fe1c88119b092c588a08481&width=250&height=166 250w, https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/AEK3QHIA25AAXHDZ5GYIAJAOYI.JPG?smart=true&auth=bfa2ec57db30219e29835419328e8dc1a76083e54fe1c88119b092c588a08481&width=500&height=333 500w" sizes="(min-width: 48rem) 500px, 250px" width="500" height="333"/></a></figure><h3 class="c-heading"><a class="c-link" href="/ireland/social-affairs/2025/02/28/being-homeless-you-have-no-sense-of-security-we-all-know-from-the-get-go-we-are-just-a-number-in-their-system/">Young homeless woman who left State care six months ago feels ‘scared’ amid council housing change</a></h3></div><hr class="c-divider"/><div class="b-results-list b-results-list--show-image"><figure class="c-media-item"><a class="c-link" href="/ireland/social-affairs/2025/02/28/church-services/" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"><img data-chromatic="ignore" alt="Church services" class="c-image" loading="eager" src="https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/IN7OZZ6E2NGO5KX2KLF2SIQGJU.png?smart=true&auth=d4b9e121d137a9aeef92fc18438df403b5c177f6a3855de62a93ccfae6ccb05d&width=500&height=333" srcSet="https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/IN7OZZ6E2NGO5KX2KLF2SIQGJU.png?smart=true&auth=d4b9e121d137a9aeef92fc18438df403b5c177f6a3855de62a93ccfae6ccb05d&width=250&height=166 250w, https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/IN7OZZ6E2NGO5KX2KLF2SIQGJU.png?smart=true&auth=d4b9e121d137a9aeef92fc18438df403b5c177f6a3855de62a93ccfae6ccb05d&width=500&height=333 500w" sizes="(min-width: 48rem) 500px, 250px" width="500" height="333"/></a></figure><h3 class="c-heading"><a class="c-link" href="/ireland/social-affairs/2025/02/28/church-services/">Church services</a></h3></div><hr class="c-divider"/><div class="c-stack b-results-list__seeMore" data-style-direction="vertical" data-style-justification="start" data-style-alignment="center" data-style-inline="false" 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class="page-link">85</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/86/" class="page-link">86</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/87/" class="page-link">87</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/88/" class="page-link">88</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/89/" class="page-link">89</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/90/" class="page-link">90</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/91/" class="page-link">91</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/92/" class="page-link">92</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/93/" class="page-link">93</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/94/" class="page-link">94</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/95/" class="page-link">95</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/96/" class="page-link">96</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/97/" class="page-link">97</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/98/" class="page-link">98</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/99/" class="page-link">99</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/100/" class="page-link">100</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/101/" class="page-link">101</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/102/" class="page-link">102</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/103/" class="page-link">103</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/104/" class="page-link">104</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/105/" class="page-link">105</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/106/" class="page-link">106</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/107/" class="page-link">107</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/108/" class="page-link">108</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/109/" class="page-link">109</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/110/" class="page-link">110</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/111/" class="page-link">111</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/112/" class="page-link">112</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/113/" class="page-link">113</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/114/" class="page-link">114</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/115/" class="page-link">115</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/116/" class="page-link">116</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/117/" class="page-link">117</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/118/" class="page-link">118</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/119/" class="page-link">119</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/120/" class="page-link">120</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/121/" class="page-link">121</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/122/" class="page-link">122</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/123/" class="page-link">123</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/124/" class="page-link">124</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/125/" class="page-link">125</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/126/" class="page-link">126</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/127/" class="page-link">127</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/128/" class="page-link">128</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/129/" class="page-link">129</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/130/" class="page-link">130</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/131/" class="page-link">131</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/132/" class="page-link">132</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/133/" class="page-link">133</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/134/" class="page-link">134</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/135/" class="page-link">135</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/136/" class="page-link">136</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/137/" class="page-link">137</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/138/" class="page-link">138</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/139/" class="page-link">139</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/140/" class="page-link">140</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/141/" class="page-link">141</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/142/" class="page-link">142</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/143/" class="page-link">143</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/144/" class="page-link">144</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/145/" class="page-link">145</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/146/" class="page-link">146</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/147/" class="page-link">147</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/148/" class="page-link">148</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/149/" class="page-link">149</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/150/" class="page-link">150</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/151/" class="page-link">151</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/152/" class="page-link">152</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/153/" class="page-link">153</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/154/" class="page-link">154</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a href="/ireland/social-affairs/155/" class="page-link">155</a></li><li class="pagination-flex"><a 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","type":"text"},{"_id":"AULWLZFYQRA35FU2XLSQ5TOJ6I","additional_properties":{},"content":"“But when it came to me, personally, having to ask for that help, it was really tough, absolutely awful. I felt so ashamed that I couldn’t provide properly for my children.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"7WDYS37PTNBQPFC3EHFGUU7ZWE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Connolly (45), who lives in west <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/dublin/\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/dublin/\">Dublin</a>, and her ex-husband legally separated in 2018 and though she worked for a period afterwards, she lost her job in 2020. This, she suggests, was in part because of the amount of time she needed to take off because of her children, two of whom have autism.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DRNPEBJ6MVEIXBWJKY5C5SRDSM","additional_properties":{},"content":"“When I got an appointment for one of them, I had to take it. There was no choice but it got to the stage where my boss said to me: ‘Would you not be better off on social welfare?’ I said, ‘No, I want to work,’ but I’d be the first to admit, because I’m a carer for their needs, I’m not a reliable employee.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"3RQ7ANWHGND2LJ2OU5UR6Q5U7Y","additional_properties":{},"content":"The years since, she says, have been “challenging”. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"76CK7MIVAZDAJBTY746S6LEK54","additional_properties":{},"content":"Figures published last week by Central Statistics Office <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/11/cost-of-living-prices-cso-households-debt/\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/11/cost-of-living-prices-cso-households-debt/\">highlight that almost half of lone parents</a> with children aged under 18 live in deprivation. Almost a third went into debt last year to meet day-to-day needs. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"NDREV5U7WVHDLE6ZTNKUHP4APA","additional_properties":{},"content":"This comes as no surprise to Connolly. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"NAMVXLVZH5DUVLPKMJZCPRW64I","additional_properties":{},"content":"In her case, there are a few loan repayments to come out of the roughly €500 a week she usually gets in lone parent and carer allowances. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZDABW4OZ2RCD3LVLGPL54EPRDA","additional_properties":{},"content":"Previously an accounts administrator, she has gone back to college to study social care while doing the occasional relief work shift at a refuge when family commitments allow. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"BDBUNAJ275GLPKU27FXIUFV7A4","additional_properties":{},"content":"Unpaid work placements connected with her course, meanwhile, can impact her income if they take up too many hours in the week, she says, meaning a portion of her carer’s allowance sometimes stops.","type":"text"},{"_id":"A63HC2EA4ZDTFMSCIOGPINA75U","additional_properties":{},"content":"It is all a balancing act and with her youngest not always attending school, it has been hard to make it into college in Blanchardstown. The financial pressures are more constant, though.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4XNIBZBZYNGCDLICGKF53VQ75M","additional_properties":{},"type":"image"},{"_id":"W7YCUW5BI5BCVELA5KNIJZ5HNM","additional_properties":{},"content":"“I actually feel like one of the lucky ones because my ex-husband pays the mortgage and so I don’t have to worry about that, although the house will be sold when my youngest is 18, in seven years’ time, and I won’t be able to buy him out unless something drastically changes,” she says.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BRK546TGLNHIHN6XG7UTFIHWZA","additional_properties":{},"content":"“I have to tell my children ‘no’ a lot of the time. ‘Can I get this?’ And I’m like, ‘no’, because it’s not in the budget. It’s quite difficult. And Christmas, if the children are with me, is a massive struggle. Thankfully, they don’t ask for a lot. And the credit union is my best friend. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"U4QEZHCJNZGTTGBC2N3CBNJYIY","additional_properties":{},"content":"“But there was a trip to Spain in my eldest’s school a little while back and she didn’t even put her name forward. She’s conscious of how tight money is from an early age. I would have found it from somewhere. It’s heartbreaking.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"SKNCG4N6VBHU5ELSOA22M47B6A","additional_properties":{},"content":"In addition to the constant juggling, minor mishaps,such as the recent problem with her car that cost €200 to fix, represent big setbacks. Connolly also has had to pay for private appointments for her youngest two children because of waiting times. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"EBQT473DXNBTBLDBDT6Q5RYE5Q","additional_properties":{},"content":"The increased provision of school meals has helped, she says, but there have been various occasions when she has had to fall back on her local food bank to feed everyone.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6EAGEL6LWNEPBPZ4WO7I6MXWCI","additional_properties":{},"content":"“When I first contacted them, I was really struggling. Thankfully in the last few months I haven’t been. I’ve been really trying to carefully manage, setting a very strict budget that I try and keep to.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"KSV5DJ3R5BHNNAIGFESL4ET2FY","additional_properties":{},"content":"Connolly says things like the one-off social protection and fuel payments have really helped, but she wishes these were spread out over the year so she could budget for it.","type":"text"},{"_id":"P52I2VM3AVFGBGXO4ZU4TK2JRU","additional_properties":{},"content":"“Getting back to work is the dream,” she says. She should finish her degree this year but is not certain how things will work out because of childcare challenges.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3YLLNI72UJAVXLNFBYJNG6I6TM","additional_properties":{},"content":"Carly Bailey, policy manager at One Family, says the difficulties faced by lone parents can vary. The sort of financial issues Connolly faces account for a substantial proportion of the calls the organisation’s helpline receives.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GJXRCDZMH5EBLMX52WIJUPKIGM","additional_properties":{},"content":"Income inequality and child deprivation is fuelling disengagement from civic society","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"3YLLNI72UJAVXLNFBYJNG6I6TM","additional_properties":{},"content":"Short-term pressures on lone parents to get back into the workforce can lead to longer-term problems, she says, as many take on low-paid roles that leave one in five to endure in-work poverty.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6ZOBII4SOFF2REQ3MR2DUDGNWA","additional_properties":{},"content":"The organisation would like to see more parents being supported to return to education, as Connolly has done, and build secure futures for them and their families.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5GFO3DALYRDFNMQ7A5HHNCLLPM","additional_properties":{},"content":"In the meantime, Bailey suggests, these parents, predominantly women, badly need the Government to address structural issues such as housing and healthcare provision.","type":"text"},{"_id":"QYECRF6EHFAM7PCB5Y3XGVNVIU","additional_properties":{},"content":"“Going back to education is about the long term,” she says, adding that this can be hard to think about “when you’re scraping every day just to make ends meet.”","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Emmet Malone"}},"name":"Emmet Malone"}]},"description":{"basic":"Latest CSO figures show almost half of lone parents with children aged under 18 struggle to make ends meet"},"display_date":"2025-03-17T06:00:00Z","headlines":{"basic":"Living in deprivation: ‘I felt so ashamed that I couldn’t provide properly for my children’","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"UWR2MSVJEJGGDHJ6NZTVYDP56I","auth":{"1":"502c6b3d3ab4bbbb1e98c610299abd5e514067fc2444bde3095fcf577fd7a672"},"focal_point":{"x":2240,"y":1279},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/UWR2MSVJEJGGDHJ6NZTVYDP56I.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/17/living-in-deprivation-i-felt-so-ashamed-that-i-couldnt-provide-properly-for-my-children/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social Affairs"}}}},{"_id":"CVP5EZTXXVEUHA4344KYP5VLK4","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":488,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/3de5f488-89fa-4259-8938-9668a760e18c/versions/1742139769/media/528b36bccd99f50f3d5514dab7e1da13_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/2025/03/16/fewer-st-patricks-day-fairytales-in-new-york-for-todays-undocumented-irish/","content_elements":[{"_id":"SYOL4M6YIRB3NMLNGEKKDQ36OM","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111274},"content":"During the dismal years of the early 1980s, New York’s Third Avenue was choked with Irish bars and newly arrived emigrants from Ireland. Today, a dozen or so of the pubs, including Malone’s, or Molly’s Shebeen, remain.","type":"text"},{"_id":"34IO7Y5JJBCOJHXTQNBTFSTH44","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111275},"content":"The casualties in the pub trade were caused by many challenges: rising costs, changing social tastes and the Covid-19 pandemic. But also, notably, by the absence of a new generation of Irish emigrants to replenish the ranks as those who arrived in the 1980s grew older.","type":"text"},{"_id":"HPDKWCXXBBECXG2KWRUCTNUYHE","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111276},"content":"Today, most who then happily filled those bars and stayed on in the US are middle-aged parents, living in New York suburbs, such as New Jersey or Connecticut, and are no longer, or only rarely, part of the nightlife scene.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JZQKWJ2K3TTB3VP3FQ5VW4CNKE","additional_properties":{"_id":1742208969839},"type":"image"},{"_id":"E4SOQ77J7ZF2PIYY53SLRILHXA","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111277},"content":"Elsewhere in Manhattan on Friday evening, McDaids of Seventh Avenue was modestly busy, just three days before up to 2 million spectators will, according to the New York Times, gather to view the Fifth Avenue St Patrick’s Day parade.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ABH4O6V4OVEHDAWOV47L2ZLSUY","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111278},"content":"“Very quiet tonight,” said the waitress. “It might be busy tomorrow because the half marathon passes here. Monday? I am not sure about Monday. How many will come into town? I don’t know.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"EOW732DDBBAH3PKU3UASQGCKQ4","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111279},"content":"US president Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown comes up regularly, though a veil of omerta covers related arrests of Irish people that have already happened, as lobbying goes on quietly to ease their plight.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WBGMJEKOR5GGVCDJNLINAO5ZZM","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111280},"content":"Nobody wants to talk publicly about them, partly because of fear of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), but also a belief that other nationalities will be hit harder, and first.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AZUCYIGVDJCW7MLKMZGSHLM3WY","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111281},"content":"However, the “undocumented” Irish – rarely, if ever, described as “illegals” – are not as high-profile today as they were in the 1980s and later. Many went home, or finally got their US papers.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6TLO4QKLWRRCQE4GLVDM6WGVRY","additional_properties":{"_id":1742208969845},"type":"image"},{"_id":"F73N2X5BZBBQPNSLB77KALFS5E","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111282},"content":"Ironically, some are now in the US for so long that their children – all US citizens by birth – can apply to have them stay once they pass the age of 21 under so-called family-based applications.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XDU7GZPUJZBCLMQIUHGZGJJ3OY","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111283},"content":"“The ones who are the most nervous right now are the ones with children who are 15, or 16. Still in school, but not old enough to apply,” said one person experienced in dealing with Irish immigration files.","type":"text"},{"_id":"SILXTP24GJE2ZKXKGBD6HPA7N4","additional_properties":{"_id":1742208969848},"content":"The applications are in a way, an inverted throwback, since Irish emigrants, after visa rules tightened in 1965, gained entry via sponsorship from earlier arrivals. “The 1980s/1990s generation were the first to come with no-one,” one observer said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LIKHUFDABFCZNLCUOBIN624Q3E","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111285},"content":"Now, some undocumented are facing unexpected problems, including realising that dealing with inheritances is dramatically more difficult, and expensive, without a green card, while pension issues arise, too.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MJPYGS7CBBGX5E62J4N4UCSK2M","additional_properties":{},"content":"If anything, the conversation amongst many Irish-Americans, it seems, is more often about applying for an Irish passport themselves - especially for those who have daughters, concerned by the actions taken by Republicans on abortion to date, and the fear of what is to come.","type":"text"},{"_id":"HSD35UXK3BBE3DTZKCWSYLV7V4","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111286},"content":"The changing immigration picture reflects US-Irish relations. While visiting New York last week, Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill was one of many senior Irish Ministers keen to point out it is a two-way rather than a one-sided relationship.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2QLODXKS5ZDZTF4GTZYJCOQLDE","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111287},"content":"“In 2019, Ireland was the ninth-largest foreign investor in the US. In 2025, Ireland is the sixth – the sixth – largest investor in the USA, third in the EU and first per capita,” she said to applause.","type":"text"},{"_id":"225NG5LJQNF63BTJMIBBDBGVFY","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111288},"content":"Speaking in Ireland House in the MetLife building on New York’s Park Avenue, the home of Irish diplomacy in the US, the Minister noted that 200,000 American workers “woke up this morning across 50 states and went to work in Irish companies”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"VK3OGN5V3BBFDGK25GMHWIKLGI","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111289},"content":"John Foley is an example of the Irish who came in the 1980s and 1990s, and stayed. From “between Glenbeigh and Killorglin” in Co Kerry, he arrived in the 1990s, “married Trish from Tyrone”, had three children and “built a great life, thank God”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"A52L6EXGTJFGXE6MQ3QROP3BJA","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111290},"content":"Foley had earlier attended the St Patrick’s Day parade in his hometown of Bridgeport, Connecticut, which brought pipe bands, step dancers and thousands of spectators on to the streets.","type":"text"},{"_id":"J76TXHXOW5EZFMHHMXK5YQJC6M","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111291},"content":"He accepts that the visibility of the Irish in New York has changed over recent decades.","type":"text"},{"_id":"SFDGD7TH3ZBTRLYF4I4M5SXAMA","additional_properties":{"_id":1742208969856},"content":"“It is less than it used to be. But, cities change and we’ve got to change with them. But it is striking, nonetheless,” he adds. “We don’t have a voting bloc in the way that we used to have in years past. People in the community are diverse in their opinions from the far left to the far right.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"OWGAITNFPBGRFABPO4ORK72564","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111293},"content":"The unifying factor for most is an interest in – or a sentimental attachment to – Ireland, plus their own identity as Irish-Americans.","type":"text"},{"_id":"25EBJLU7PJB7RJOVM2AWHYCAXE","additional_properties":{"_id":1742208969858},"content":"“Thank God we have that, because otherwise we would have nothing in common, we wouldn’t talk at all,” Foley says.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PCYF5ZP4HZH7JML4QH4A6T4UJE","additional_properties":{"_id":1742208969859},"type":"image"},{"_id":"FQ75CV5JT5A3LPCF56FVLWHUU4","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111294},"content":"The community is divided strongly over Trump, more so than people in Ireland realise. The traditional image of the Irish in the US as strong Democratic Party supporters still has a half-life of sorts.","type":"text"},{"_id":"OY2HOA4XJNFQPNYKZQCJ53MFY4","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111295},"content":"Foley, a senior executive in a large property management company, is a Democrat, and strongly so. The run-up to November’s presidential election was an eye-opener, with so many in his social circle supporting Trump.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4DCWXEXY4RF7PCAIP4AKCBNMQ4","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111296},"content":"“I had not realised that we were so politically polarised. You look at somebody when they tell you that they voted for Trump, and it’s almost a surprise because you have this perception of what a Trump supporter would be,” he says.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DLZFVOCUY5GV5J4YLM6F63X25E","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111297},"content":"“And they are not it. They’re decent people. For many Irish Americans, this isn’t really about Trump – it’s about how they see the country changing. They come from generations who arrived with nothing, worked hard, and helped build what America is today.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AL4Y7J6LMVCJTNWMB3OVVJHYMU","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111298},"content":"“They weren’t given handouts, and they don’t see themselves as victims. Their values are rooted in a work ethic, self-reliance and opportunity, not identity politics.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"ODNKVYJKFJHNVCW2JOC3WGOCC4","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111299},"content":"However, he believes Republicans “have set a trap, framing every issue as a fight over America’s core identity”, while the Democratic Party is failing because it has not got an economic vision and is “too intent on fighting cultural battles”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4SB66WM7FNEQFAFCNVCWMIYQSQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111300},"content":"“Irish-American voters don’t want to be dragged into a culture war – they just want a government that prioritises economic opportunity and security,” says Foley, who lists his points of disagreement with Trump.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AYAHPO6Y5BCVRAB7UIQXOYUPFY","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111301},"content":"Many had “a lot of reasons” to support Trump. “These people are not stereotypical, I think I have to open my eyes to, or open my viewpoint to try and understand them, and their reasons for voting for Trump.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"BH267GM2QVA3DFGJSAS7FHPAY4","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111302},"content":"If New York is not as Irish-dominated as before, the Irish identity – or, more importantly, the Irish-American identity – remains strong in places such as Fairfield, Connecticut, near Bridgeport.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XCOF3V6QDVGRJG6ZZQ2CNAS5MU","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111303},"content":"There, the local GAA club, founded in 1948, has 6,000 members. It has moved twice in its lifetime, having outgrown its previous accommodation. The club says it offers “a home away from home” to “gather and enjoy each other’s company”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2N6D7VFY4VB7ZOMO5PP2T2VJ4A","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111304},"content":"“It’s very active, and people, all the volunteers work hard, with Irish dancing, Irish language classes,” Foley says. “There’s a tremendous amount of work being done to preserve Irish culture.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ES6SKHCEVRGSVMP5YRWF5K4GYA","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111305},"content":"“The connections with Irish culture are strong. There’s still quite a few Irish there, too, but it’s mostly Irish-American now,” he adds, noting the popularity of Irish language classes delivered by native-born Irish speakers.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UUJXVJQIAFH5FDKULDMERAPLRQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111306},"content":"“They’ll speak Irish to me. They’re not too bad at all. I only learned school Irish, but they were absolutely fine, 100 per cent. They love it if they’re given any opportunity at all to talk about Ireland and talk about their connection.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"TXNRJ4EOEZBJ5CKLLXZIQHDXA4","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111307},"content":"The social capital flowing from these connections runs deep, even as the direct link with Ireland dims as the years and generations pass, left unreplenished by the lack of a new generation of emigrants.","type":"text"},{"_id":"HIVWXG2KYBFIDF524SNCCW5ZBU","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111308},"content":"On Monday, Foley spoke with a new business contact of Irish heritage.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NREVZOI7XJFDXPLRDCUBJNPJVE","additional_properties":{"_id":1742208969875},"content":"“‘Are you Irish?’ he said. I said, ‘Yeah, absolutely.’ We chatted for over an hour before we got to the job. We talked for two minutes about the job. That connection is priceless.”","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Mark Hennessy"}},"name":"Mark Hennessy"}]},"description":{"basic":"A new generation of emigrants never arrived to replenish the ranks who came in droves in the 1980s, but the connection is still precious"},"display_date":"2025-03-16T19:00:53Z","headlines":{"basic":"Fewer St Patrick’s Day fairytales in New York for today’s ‘undocumented’ Irish ","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"F7N6EJNLHZGPVAMFPHFZYTP4JY","auth":{"1":"2e76ac798f95a83c1b277029bc97756e2bdfffc7806d0dec351266f947c35d3b"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/F7N6EJNLHZGPVAMFPHFZYTP4JY.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Ireland"},{"name":"World"},{"name":"US"},{"name":"Social Affairs"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/2025/03/16/fewer-st-patricks-day-fairytales-in-new-york-for-todays-undocumented-irish/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Ireland"}}}},{"_id":"f25ff8bc-0f4b-49a9-8825-13157aebdb6a","additional_properties":{},"canonical_url":"/video/video/2025/03/16/president-michael-d-higgins-delivers-final-st-patricks-day-message/","credits":{},"description":{"basic":"President Michael D. Higgins has released his 2025 St Patrick’s Day Message, his final St Patrick’s Day Message as he ends his term in office in November."},"display_date":"2025-03-16T14:52:16Z","embed_html":"<div class=\"powa\" id=\"powa-f25ff8bc-0f4b-49a9-8825-13157aebdb6a\" data-org=\"irishtimes\" data-env=\"prod\" data-uuid=\"f25ff8bc-0f4b-49a9-8825-13157aebdb6a\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.562\" data-api=\"prod\"><script src=\"//irishtimes.video-player.arcpublishing.com/prod/powaBoot.js?org=irishtimes\"><\/script></div>","headlines":{"basic":"President Michael D. Higgins delivers final St Patrick’s Day Message"},"promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"636edf892d8ed2a6d857de6f5b8f2f8863d6417472ab2edd29ca7aa0a3aec7f1"},"type":"image","url":"https://d2j5ip5u6h2g6o.cloudfront.net/03-16-2025/t_8e0670182fe94d86a6fcf5b3b06c209e_name_Higgins.jpg"}},"subtype":"irish-times-video","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Video"},{"name":"Ireland"},{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Politics"}]},"type":"video","website_url":"/video/video/2025/03/16/president-michael-d-higgins-delivers-final-st-patricks-day-message/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/video","name":"Video"}}}},{"_id":"ef0f9d9c-4b44-44cf-a2aa-fc19930c179b","additional_properties":{},"canonical_url":"/video/video/2025/03/15/over-two-thousand-people-celebrate-holi-festival-of-colour-in-west-dublin/","credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Bryan O'Brien"}},"name":"Bryan O'Brien"}]},"description":{"basic":"Members of Dublin's Hindu community and others of all religions have celebrated the Holi festival of colour, in Adamstown, west Dublin. Video: Bryan O'Brien"},"display_date":"2025-03-15T16:01:21Z","embed_html":"<div class=\"powa\" id=\"powa-ef0f9d9c-4b44-44cf-a2aa-fc19930c179b\" data-org=\"irishtimes\" data-env=\"prod\" data-uuid=\"ef0f9d9c-4b44-44cf-a2aa-fc19930c179b\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.562\" data-api=\"prod\"><script src=\"//irishtimes.video-player.arcpublishing.com/prod/powaBoot.js?org=irishtimes\"><\/script></div>","headlines":{"basic":"Over two thousand people celebrate Holi festival of colour in West Dublin"},"promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"a5ffaac3c1a0187f5fa22c06681ea9c8b88d3fdfd9bbae3bd7ee2127bc3fdd65"},"type":"image","url":"https://d2j5ip5u6h2g6o.cloudfront.net/03-15-2025/t_faf6a2a878ef4799b241d739f95c0672_name_BOB_6872.JPG"}},"subtype":"irish-times-video","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Video"},{"name":"Culture"},{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Dublin"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"video","website_url":"/video/video/2025/03/15/over-two-thousand-people-celebrate-holi-festival-of-colour-in-west-dublin/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/video","name":"Video"}}}},{"_id":"RCXTBOMKHVAFFDAZCMPEESNV4U","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":605,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/3e186d14-5362-499a-af76-24887692d746/versions/1741702739/media/235a2f94f08e1dba82e2148ddb52a8de_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/life-style/people/2025/03/15/asylum-seekers-in-dublins-east-wall-just-ordinary-decent-people-that-wanted-a-better-life-for-themselves/","content_elements":[{"_id":"RYZ545EYCZDFNIJCEV7QOLIEKQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1741629563366},"content":"Sithembiso Ndlovu stepped outside the Gateway Integration Centre on <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/dublin/\" target=\"_blank\">Dublin’s</a> East Wall Road for the first time on the morning of December 23rd, 2022. The offices in the surrounding area had closed for <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/christmas/\" target=\"_blank\">Christmas</a> and the streets felt quiet. However, Ndlovu was nervous. She’d seen the videos of protesters outside the building she now called home and knew some in the local community did not want her there.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5KKHWSA3SJFRZD2EZWVWPYVLHQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1741629563367},"content":"“We walked in twos and threes to the shop that day,” says Ndlovu. Originally from Zimbabwe, Ndlovu had arrived in Ireland three weeks previously seeking international protection.","type":"text"},{"_id":"52656JV4HBAPXLDGLAM4FLIQQU","additional_properties":{"_id":1741629563368},"content":"“I felt threatened. I felt scared and lost. In the shops, you could see people looking at you, talking about you. It felt painful.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"BPCP3XTY6JCK5POXN55IU3OCBA","additional_properties":{"_id":1741629563369},"content":"Ndlovu was among the first group of women to arrive at the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/international-protection-office/\" target=\"_blank\">international protection</a> accommodation centre in East Wall, a few weeks after it first opened to 100 male residents on November 18th, 2022.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MXCDRK75CJCBXBFGNP46VLT574","additional_properties":{"_id":1741629563370},"content":"In the days following the men’s arrival, scores of people <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/dublin/2022/11/20/east-wall-residents-protest-against-new-refugee-accommodation/\" target=\"_self\">gathered outside the centre calling for residents to be sent elsewhere</a>. A video posted on Facebook on November 19th, 2022, shows crowds chanting “get them out” and “we don’t want them in our community”. Another video from the same day shows a couple of women shouting “you won’t be here for long, we’re gonna get youse out”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DSMFSYANZJESJPYSAUUKH7YTAY","additional_properties":{"_id":1741629563371},"content":"Word of the protests spread quickly, with anti-<a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/immigration/\" target=\"_self\">immigration</a> and far-right activists flocking to the area to make videos and speeches about the “replacement” of the Irish people. Participants from other parts of the city joined, even when some of the original protesters stepped back. In December, protesters brought Dublin’s rush-hour traffic to standstill when participants marched through the north inner city.","type":"text"},{"_id":"J5QU4NLRLJBPJP2GKKQCXZNWTU","additional_properties":{"_id":1741629563372},"content":"By the time families started to arrive at the centre in early January 2023, the larger-scale protests had ended. However, about a dozen individuals continued to gather outside the Gateway centre every Wednesday evening, playing loud music and chanting anti-immigrant slogans, while young children watched from inside the glass building.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6EYCGBJR6JDAZG6HDFZVX66TLE","additional_properties":{"_id":1741629563373},"content":"“I remember the kids crying seeing those men say we had to leave, that they would burn this place,” says Ndlovu. “We didn’t know what to do. I understand people’s frustration, they think we’re coming to take over their country and get everything for free. But I wish I could get them to listen to our stories and be in our shoes for a day. What pushed us from our own countries? Maybe then they’d understand.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"CE4JQCXU7VDFJFCZOISVCTJGTA","additional_properties":{"_id":"CPIXVNIQPBDNJJ4FRNYS7XZRY4"},"type":"image"},{"_id":"MZISKWDFNNCWFIB4DPMIXG3LYE","additional_properties":{"_id":1741629563374},"content":"Nearly 2½ years on from these protests, Ndlovu smiles when asked how she feels living in East Wall today. “The difference now is huge, I don’t even know how to begin telling you how huge it is.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"5FLP2CB6IVESVINP4TLH2HSVK4","additional_properties":{"_id":1741629563375},"content":"Ndlovu is referring in part to community acceptance but also to renovations at the former Gateway office block where she lives. The centre is now home to about 450 families, couples and single men and women from across the globe. The canteen area is bustling with activity the afternoon of The Irish Times visits. Across the corridor, a couple of women sort donations in what has become known as “The Shop” – a well-organised and brightly lit room lined with shelves of second-hand clothing and shoes. Down the corridor, a teenage boy focuses on his homework in the quiet study room, next door a young man picks up a letter from the designated postal room, while a toddler and his mother play in the nearby multicoloured children’s room.","type":"text"},{"_id":"E4RSPITSGFC23OE3JOSELJNEWE","additional_properties":{"_id":1741629563376},"content":"Judith Nwagazue, who arrived in the centre in early 2024, often brings her two-year-old daughter Elena and eight-month-old son Adriel to the playroom and takes part in the centre’s weekly toddler group. A single mother, Nwagazue admits caring for her children in the centre is “demanding and challenging”, particularly when she must carry them with her every time she walks down the hall to use the bathroom.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CH2WA4MIOZG77HSXP3Y4NDGXLM","additional_properties":{"_id":1741629563377},"content":"“But I am grateful to have a roof over my head and the management are great. They try really hard for us, especially the mothers with babies.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"ASO4TW4FNBGJXOH24KM66OR3NA","additional_properties":{"_id":1741629563378},"content":"Like Ndlovu, she says she understands the local community’s concerns about new arrivals. “I don’t blame them, they’re just trying to be protective of their country. But on the other hand, I wish they could understand the reasons we came here.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"WYTGUH5ZCNEAFHYHIW4LUUJMZY","additional_properties":{"_id":1741629563379},"content":"The Gateway centre is a far cry from the images of rooms packed with bunk beds which many have come to associate with <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/direct-provision/\" target=\"_self\">direct provision</a>.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5BDPFP7HDBFWFO77OMGFTOITAI","additional_properties":{"_id":1741629563380},"content":"“We felt like direct provision had become very hidden in Ireland, you were never able to walk into a centre,” says Gateway director Sinéad Fennelly. “We didn’t want to be ashamed of this place.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"7Q27VVNNOBHDJLFMZW3VBWUMAA","additional_properties":{"_id":1741629563381},"content":"Fennelly and her team, who took over the centre’s management in April 2023, have focused on removing the “office feel” of the place. “Even down to signage was important. I’ve seen in other centres the tone of signs is very rules-based and that causes tension. People had an image of the centre in their minds, they presumed it was a horror show inside. When we started welcoming people inside they were shocked.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"GTWZI3TERZB2XBCOOHTJARQP2M","additional_properties":{"_id":"52FGZZI7H5B45FEY5ALCV3PD6Y"},"type":"image"},{"_id":"PJWPUVGEPNGIXOV7GGX5UISIAM","additional_properties":{"_id":1741629563382},"content":"When they first took over, staff focused on creating “a home” for asylum seekers, while “weathering the storm” of the protests, says centre manager Declan McKenna. “It was all fear-based,” he says, reflecting on the Wednesday-evening protests, which lasted for months. “It’s fear of the worst-case scenario and the vast majority of the time that scenario doesn’t occur.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"74KMLY3QIREJ5PLHLBSNQ7QKOE","additional_properties":{"_id":1741629563383},"content":"The centre’s core focus is “transparency and honesty”, McKenna says. “We don’t just sit in an office – we talk to the residents, we learn about their lives. We don’t even consider this direct provision, it’s a dedicated space for people to live as humanely as possible on their journey looking for international protection.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"P4QL53GJDNFFTFWDAAOOMDSKWQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1741629563384},"content":"Keen to form links with the local community, Fennelly set up a fund to help local clubs and sports groups link up with children in the centre. “We have a budget for outings and social events for the residents so we decided to put a community fund formally in place. We wanted to forge a permanent relationship with these clubs that are taking the children in.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"VDOEFXXKBBEAPI5JI5XEBJBWT4","additional_properties":{"_id":1741703595701},"content":"Alan Gannon, a brother of <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/social-democrats/\" target=\"_self\">Social Democrats</a> TD <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/gary-gannon/\" target=\"_self\">Gary Gannon</a>, is community engagement officer at the centre.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YROC2ZAA4VHWBFVI2DGX2VUFEE","additional_properties":{"_id":1741629563385},"content":"The operators of international protection accommodation centres have a “responsibility” to invest in their properties and create a positive atmosphere, says Fennelly. “It shouldn’t be secret. If you can’t open your doors you need to ask yourself why?”","type":"text"},{"_id":"XWVD3LTDNBDTHPCR6YFRHXEU7Q","additional_properties":{"_id":1741703595696},"content":"International protection system records death of 14 asylum seekers last year","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"5C7VM2JZ7NEUBLQWJQEVAG55TQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1741703595699},"content":"International Protection accommodation bill tops €1 billion for first time","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"WE2ZXNTUEVEFLH7IIYXI7PA5XA","additional_properties":{"_id":1741629563386},"content":"Fennelly acknowledges a “small minority” of East Wall residents remain unhappy about the centre but says the majority now welcome residents. However, some of these people are “afraid to vocally come out and support us”, she adds. The Irish Times attempted to speak with a community member who took part in the 2022 protests but now supports the centre. After a number of rejections, local resident Derek, who preferred not to give his surname, agreed to talk.","type":"text"},{"_id":"URWFMTKO5BFEZHUUGP4L62A5WE","additional_properties":{"_id":1741629563387},"content":"He says he joined the protests because he believed claims that his wife and daughter would be in danger walking the streets of East Wall.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZSYNPUL3EBEKHPHSXMGOD2F7M4","additional_properties":{"_id":1741629563388},"content":"“But, in the months after that, I see how much work the people within the complex have done and how they’re integrating the men, women and children into the community,” he told The Irish Times over WhatsApp. These new arrivals, and their children who have joined local sports clubs, have been a “massive benefit” to the area, he says.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CWD7GJA4ZVFNFBRTD2SCER6UPM","additional_properties":{"_id":1741629563389},"content":"“It opened people’s eyes to what we what we thought was coming in, and what actually did come in, with just ordinary, decent people that wanted a better life for themselves. All in all, I have changed my thought on all these centres. They’re a great idea.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"QYFL42MS6VDC5PIDFNFIYFHZ4Y","additional_properties":{"_id":"VDHALVFFQJCNDB25LFQDVT3BPA"},"type":"image"},{"_id":"7SMRRTJ6TVHQHLQQMOTBAHMBXY","additional_properties":{"_id":1741629563390},"content":"Roxanna Nic Liam, who was working in a local East Wall cafe when the rumours started circulating that a centre was opening, was one of the first local residents to join the East Wall Here For All advocacy group. She says the community felt divided for about six months. “You’d be scared to bring it up, I worried about saying I volunteered there. But most people have moved on with their lives. The hassle has died down, it’s quiet now. We’re not as needed, which is a good thing.","type":"text"},{"_id":"V3CNKMRPJFFFFMLKIK4MBJYUSQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1741629563391},"content":"“I know a lot of people who took part in those protests and went on to help the kids and be very involved. I think when the kids started going to school, that was a turning point. Kids are a great way of bringing people together, they see people at the school gates, it becomes more humanised.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"NN7RP74RHZDEPF5C6BXH7IUF6Y","additional_properties":{"_id":1741703595707},"content":"‘Too many people’ not entitled to International Protection applying in Ireland, Minister for Justice says","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"YPAUQS4VONAD5F2GAQNHLHNWHE","additional_properties":{"_id":1741629563392},"content":"Rebecca Kehoe, who has run Cross Cultural Conversations language classes for Gateway residents since 2023, says the initial “shameful, disturbing protests” outside the centre are a thing of the past but believes there’s still underlying discontent among some in the community. She recalls the discomfort she felt bringing an African resident for breakfast in a local cafe six months ago. “There were people looking at us, not the staff but the clientele. I felt distinctly uncomfortable and I’m sure he felt it too.","type":"text"},{"_id":"HJ2XJ7N6VBB7LGW4LEXTZSFIDI","additional_properties":{"_id":1741629563393},"content":"“The centre is established now and most protesters got tired, they had better things to do with their time. But I don’t know if that’s acceptance or that animosity is still there and hidden. It’s calm for now, thankfully.”","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Sorcha Pollak"}},"name":"Sorcha Pollak"}]},"description":{"basic":"Fear was widespread when an international protection centre opened here in 2022; now tensions seems lower and ties are growing between residents of the centre and the wider community "},"display_date":"2025-03-15T06:10:00Z","headlines":{"basic":"Asylum seekers in Dublin’s East Wall: ‘Just ordinary, decent people that wanted a better life for themselves’","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"46VQ4D5PLJCUBHF2XLFYPRDTKY","auth":{"1":"8bd397cff8874e87c3613d46314abfa6443834598239fadb8e3d450cf9503550"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/46VQ4D5PLJCUBHF2XLFYPRDTKY.jpg"}},"subtype":"feature","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"People"},{"name":"Dublin"},{"name":"Ireland"},{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Life & Style"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/life-style/people/2025/03/15/asylum-seekers-in-dublins-east-wall-just-ordinary-decent-people-that-wanted-a-better-life-for-themselves/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/life-style/people","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"People"}}}},{"_id":"ZHLTJC3ORNAKZJBHNOW6XFJZAA","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":235,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/f0462d42-2174-4703-93de-647ba38d8bf2/versions/1741979953/media/1ff5c48cec1017a7abcebab10436272c_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/14/disused-banks-pubs-and-equestrian-centres-could-be-used-to-house-asylum-seekers/","content_elements":[{"_id":"V22UFQFNGFELXKH2MUV5ULRULQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"Banks, nightclubs and equestrian centres are among the properties that could be used to house international protection (IP) applicants, according to internal Government documents.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BG5ER7OCPFBCPI6I4TZRJPLXAI","additional_properties":{},"content":"The <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/department-of-children-equality-disability-integration-and-youth/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/department-of-children-equality-disability-integration-and-youth/\">Department of Integration</a> wants to extend temporary legislation which loosens the rules around which types of properties can be used as asylum seeker accommodation.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XZ3TMUXP5NCORHKWCFLEX5P7EM","additional_properties":{},"content":"In briefing documents seen by The Irish Times that were prepared by the department in advance of Government formation talks in December, officials said statutory instruments should be expanded so that additional property types could be used for IP accommodation.","type":"text"},{"_id":"KJ7GT7FSMJEN5PKDH3GNROTH7A","additional_properties":{},"content":"Officials said the “one area” of “consistent success from a legal perspective” was “the use of a planning exemption that allows certain classes of properties to be temporarily used” in this manner.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7SCBN4ZZXRDC5CNQSXV27YTANI","additional_properties":{},"content":"The briefing document notes that properties such as hotels and <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/defence-forces/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/defence-forces/\">Defence Forces</a> barracks are more commonly used for this purpose. However, officials said many other kinds of properties are “rarely if ever used”, such as schools, colleges or gymnasiums.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TZTHQLNH6RFS7HLL2P7CRE6MLM","additional_properties":{},"content":"Officials added that other property types should be added to the list of buildings covered by statutory instruments. The briefing document states that equestrian centres, banks or other financial institutions, public houses, nightclubs, restaurants and retail properties should be considered.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2OMUFD3NFFCTZKJMBXORCCRMZE","additional_properties":{},"content":"These types of properties “are being offered as a solution for IP accommodation and currently being rejected”. Officials also want commercial buildings which have been vacant for a number of years, and are not on the exemption list, to be repurposed as accommodation centres.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YF6JVDOTPBGONNTPLZZ74C7FCM","additional_properties":{},"content":"In the briefing document, officials called for the temporary legislation which allows a variety of properties to be used to house asylum seekers to be extended beyond its current deadline of December 2028 until December 2032. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"VNHZIQ5NF5ELLL67DDME72YJJA","additional_properties":{},"content":"“This deadline, within the context of the current pressures, is not sufficient.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"ATJT4FZALFBMFKLLADSOY3YO6M","additional_properties":{},"content":"International Protection accommodation bill tops €1 billion for first time","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"MGHNRAFGBNDFXKLMRMOBYU5A5Q","additional_properties":{},"content":"Officials said that capital purchases and the use of emergency powers to build modular units will “dominate Reception Centre delivery in 2025 and 2026″.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4RLCIIDKFBB7LJINWAMZ5GVIQ4","additional_properties":{},"content":"Building new IP accommodation centres would likely take at least three years due to the time it takes to secure planning permission and engage with communities before construction begins, officials noted.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PSSDAI2FMBCJRL2YZTKNPLBGTY","additional_properties":{},"content":"“Realistically a site identified in 2025 will take at least three years to receive planning and commence construction, with delivery in 2028/2029.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"XGTLU2S7YFCIZHZGZUCJNQ6EHI","additional_properties":{},"content":"<a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/social-affairs/2025/01/27/ireland-saw-record-number-of-asylum-applicants-in-2024/#:~:text=A%20total%20of%2018%2C651%20people,made%20applications%20for%20international%20protection.\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/social-affairs/2025/01/27/ireland-saw-record-number-of-asylum-applicants-in-2024/#:~:text=A%20total%20of%2018%2C651%20people,made%20applications%20for%20international%20protection.\">More than 18,000 asylum seekers came here in 2024</a>, with another 15,000 expected this year, according to the files. Based on this projection, it is expected that IP accommodation will cost around €1.4 billion in 2025. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"QVINMYLSRVF6ZOTNVHKYELNCKA","additional_properties":{},"content":"The documents also show that the Government hopes to “stabilise” the number of people seeking asylum in Ireland by 2028. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"G2C3H36ZBRHF7G6LIGUFDWMH2E","additional_properties":{},"content":"“On foot of successful implementation of the Migration Pact and speedy processing of applications, it will hopefully be necessary to steadily reduce the overall capacity and number of properties in the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/international-protection-accommodation-services-ipas/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/international-protection-accommodation-services-ipas/\">IPAS</a> portfolio.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"5ZUMTDOZ2BGRNGEXE6TNFWFQEE","additional_properties":{},"content":"The EU <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/podcasts/in-the-news/what-is-the-eu-migration-pact/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/podcasts/in-the-news/what-is-the-eu-migration-pact/\">migrant and asylum pact</a> aims to have faster processing of asylum applications, enhanced screening and security checks, and quicker returns of unsuccessful asylum applicants.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ITUTEMQYXRENPEVMFEL5V2XW5M","additional_properties":{},"content":"As reported by The Irish Times on Friday, the Government has stopped opening new IP accommodation centres in certain parts of the country due to “<a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/14/no-new-asylum-seeker-centres-in-certain-areas-due-to-local-feedbackand-criminality/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/14/no-new-asylum-seeker-centres-in-certain-areas-due-to-local-feedbackand-criminality/\">local and political feedback</a>”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BGRQA7SB6FAQVLASYVXSJYH2YY","additional_properties":{},"content":"In terms of tackling misinformation related to accommodation centres, officials said it is “essential” to provide clear and accurate information to the public about “this topical and sensitive area”.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Órla Ryan"}]},"description":{"basic":"Department of Integration wants to loosen rules about which types of property can be used for this purpose"},"display_date":"2025-03-14T19:14:10.216Z","headlines":{"basic":"Disused banks, pubs and equestrian centres could be used to house asylum seekers","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"4HRBQDV3Z5CFHCJ6NAVHCTWKS4","auth":{"1":"43c529d1ecde5c3d82ed0ce7817fa4025748fbc8fc6a6ba730477dfb0949a1d8"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/4HRBQDV3Z5CFHCJ6NAVHCTWKS4.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Politics"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/14/disused-banks-pubs-and-equestrian-centres-could-be-used-to-house-asylum-seekers/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social Affairs"}}}},{"_id":"2O6J5KIZXNBYPFFVBBP5W33LW4","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":263,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/9199af4a-3679-4a1a-8e47-47b3fd77ecca/versions/1741893427/media/6f46e50061a39d6904e771398ad1225a_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/14/no-new-asylum-seeker-centres-in-certain-areas-due-to-local-feedbackand-criminality/","content_elements":[{"_id":"ABAGDSGERVHC3HFEBGCHAO3WXU","additional_properties":{},"content":"The Government has stopped opening new <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/migrant-crisis/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/migrant-crisis/\">asylum seeker</a> accommodation centres in certain parts of the country, including north inner-city <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/dublin/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/dublin/\">Dublin</a>, due to “local and political feedback”, according to internal Government documents seen by The Irish Times. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"UL4MPPKHQZBQNHVGQPMYP7BPEA","additional_properties":{},"content":"Under the policy, <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/international-protection-accommodation-services-ipas/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/international-protection-accommodation-services-ipas/\">the International Protection Accommodation Service</a> (IPAS), an agency of the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/department-of-children-equality-disability-integration-and-youth/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/department-of-children-equality-disability-integration-and-youth/\">Department of Integration</a>, stopped accepting several types of “properties and locations”, in 2024. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"4DUC6DLOEZFMLHGXNWWIEB7CGY","additional_properties":{},"content":"As well as properties in north inner-city Dublin, these include hotels that are the “last hotel in town” and properties in several counties including Kerry, Clare, Mayo and Donegal that had previously been used for housing Ukrainian refugees.","type":"text"},{"_id":"S2LI4ZE7XRGK5AQL5VR6QJUQJA","additional_properties":{},"content":"In other cases, hotels formerly used to accommodate Ukrainians became available for IPAS use but a decision was made to allow them to revert to tourism.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZD6MCRWAJBGWJPRVN4PEXXVLYE","additional_properties":{},"content":"“Many properties” were not used as IPAS centres due to these policies, according to the briefing documents that were prepared by the Department of Integration in advance of Government formation talks in December 2024.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DYB2U5NGW5DUXOTAKICBUNTBOI","additional_properties":{},"content":"The comments were made to illustrate the extreme difficulty in securing enough accommodation for the record number of asylum seekers who arrived last year.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DV2TUELT4NCWPGQVC5BIYXYE24","additional_properties":{},"content":"More than 18,000 asylum seekers came to Ireland in 2024, with another 15,000 expected in 2025, it said. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"SMEL6I6RSNGKLNJWPDRV7YT6PM","additional_properties":{},"content":"Less than half of new international protection applicants are men and one in four are children, it stated. IPAS currently houses 33,000 international protection applicants, a 400 per cent increase on 2021. It has been unable to provide accommodation to 3,000 single male applicants.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TBGEU2SBVND3HHTM3ALLZG64IQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"One of the major issues encountered by departmental officials is “violent protest and criminality”, the documents state.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BECR7QM3BRARBOXDS6BIK2FYBM","additional_properties":{},"content":"Ukrainian refugees told to leave accommodation due to refurbishment works","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"CPXSS7QT65CLDPSWTRVUVG6KTY","additional_properties":{},"content":"“Fairly uniquely in the Civil Service, the work of the division is subject to significant instances of protest, instances of arson and other violence or criminality, and targeting by anti-immigration or far-right activists,” it stated.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ALXRS5PBJJCLJPAMUCYZKSN674","additional_properties":{},"content":"It said there were 33 arson attacks recorded against planned, actual or rumoured IPAS accommodation, between August 2023 and August 2024, significantly more than previously publicly reported.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XWFJOQ5F6FBXFMAN3DG2UPHAYM","additional_properties":{},"content":"These attacks have resulted in properties being damaged beyond use. They have also had a “knock-on effect” in making providers reluctant to offer properties due to fears of violence or arson.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7STII23PLNBPPC6S3PMPGN7IAY","additional_properties":{},"content":"Officials said there was a “marked drop” in the number of private properties offered for international protection accommodation in 2024.","type":"text"},{"_id":"43CNT4VTTZCYTIRNH6BQP7UGAE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Resistance to new IPAS centres comes in the form of “legal, local and criminal challenges”, the department said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"47AHM2ROJJACNJIL767L2VJ2LQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"This resistance is driven by “diverse factors, ranging from far-right, anti-immigration criminality, to sincerely held concerns about local public service capacity”. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"TAZ2BYCJ5BCA3HEUDGE4BDLYCI","additional_properties":{},"content":"The document also cites a range of court challenges to new accommodation centres, in places such as Thornton Hall, Crooksling, Athlone and elsewhere. These challenges are “bringing our capacity to deliver on Government strategy into question”, officials said. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"Z36MUUW7WBHIXMEPOKC7OET3UE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Another major challenge is the lack of accommodation for people whose asylum claims have been accepted. As of November 2024, 5,360 successful asylum seekers were still in IPAS centres as they were unable to get housing in the private market.","type":"text"},{"_id":"IR64NPGXSFD7LLM3U5KIIAGB7E","additional_properties":{},"content":"This accounts for 17 per cent of all IPAS residents, a figure that is double and sometimes quadruple the figure in other EU countries.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XULZWPYX5NCVJJ3U6SBN244ZLA","additional_properties":{},"content":"The briefing also notes Ireland issues a far lower number of deportation orders than other EU countries. Ireland signed 2,400 deportation orders in 2024, when 18,000 people applied for international protection.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AZQXDOIL35D2FPVCGUBGOK6PEQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"To reach EU norms, it would have to sign 12,000 orders a year, officials said. “A shift of this nature would free up significant space in IPAS centres.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"Y6HWINOVO5CPNKHFTOA36GTMKE","additional_properties":{},"content":"In a statement, a spokesperson for the department said that the State has “worked under significant pressure over the last few years to find accommodation” for asylum seekers.","type":"text"},{"_id":"HBZOL6BHTFADJIY5ZCU7SUEAPM","additional_properties":{},"content":"It added that IPAS carries out “an appraisal” when considering offers of accommodation.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ITZLKJE73ZESZDSQVZEPESPZXI","additional_properties":{},"content":"“A range of issues are considered by that appraisal which may lead to a refusal. These might include ineligibility for planning exemptions or other building and fire regulations managed by the Local Authority. They might also include concerns about services, transport and other logistical issues,” the statement said. ","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"premium"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Conor Gallagher"}},"name":"Conor Gallagher"}]},"description":{"basic":"Number of arson attacks recorded far higher than previously reported "},"display_date":"2025-03-14T06:00:01Z","headlines":{"basic":"State stops opening new asylum seeker centres in certain areas due to ‘local feedback’ and ‘violent protest’","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"4FGYIJWLBTMNJ74AOOWWM33C7Q","auth":{"1":"2c61e9fe5b767bffd3c67e9cb51e3522fa3d4c743aac70b3bd5f5ff739031fd1"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/4FGYIJWLBTMNJ74AOOWWM33C7Q.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/14/no-new-asylum-seeker-centres-in-certain-areas-due-to-local-feedbackand-criminality/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social Affairs"}}}},{"_id":"NO74JHIIZRG2FNUETVS34DCDAM","additional_properties":{},"canonical_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/14/church-services/","content_elements":[{"_id":"BAL3BOUK3FBP7FALSR5JZMP7BI","additional_properties":{},"content":"CATHEDRALS","type":"header"},{"_id":"SEA4SYZICFGNJNAEZIWEDURUXQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"<b>National Cathedral of Saint Patrick, Dublin</b> THE SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT - 09.15 EUCHARIST said in the Lady Chapel. 11.15 CHORAL EUCHARIST- sung by the Lay Vicars Choral - Josquin: Missa Pange Lingua, Psalm: 27, Sheppard: Libera nos, salva nos, Preacher: The Revd P.R. Campion, B.A., B.Th., M.A., M.Phil. Canon Precentor. 15.15 CHORAL EVENSONG - sung by the Cathedral Choir- Responses: Leigh, Blair in B minor, Psalm: 84, Sumsion: Praise to the Lord of our Salvation, Rheinberger: Finale (Sonata no. 7). SAINT PATRICKS DAY- 9.15 EUCHARIST said in Irish in the Lady Chapel. 11.15 CHORAL EUCHARIST sung by the Cathedral Choir. Preacher: The Very Revd W.W. Morton B.Th., M.A., Ph.D., M.Mus., D.Litt., Dean and Ordinary. 18.00 DUBLIN COUNCIL OF CHURCHES SERVICE. SUNG MATINS at 09.00 Tuesday to Friday. EUCHARIST at 11.05 on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. CHORAL EVENSONG at 17.30 Tuesday to Friday. For further information visit www.stpatrickscathedral.ie","type":"text"},{"_id":"V2VXT7BK2ZDB7FDMCD35GI36PM","additional_properties":{},"content":"CHURCH OF IRELAND","type":"header"},{"_id":"AGUVYFNY6FHETB3NPHPLWWTMPY","additional_properties":{},"content":"<b>Ardamine Group of Parishes, Co Wexford</b> Services Sunday 16th March LENT 2 Monamolin 9 am Holy Communion Ardamine 10.15 am Holy Communion Kilnamanagh 11.45 am Morning Prayer","type":"text"},{"_id":"EZ7CAJUVHBC5RABUJ4JNILHXII","additional_properties":{},"content":"<b>St Audoen Cornmarket</b> 9.30 Bellringing, 10.00 Eucharist (every Sunday), with hymns and Anglican chant, the Second Sunday in Lent. Access through the main entrance. Cars may be parked between Francis Street and Christ Church.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RAN3DR47DBA3RFMNDUUJ6TCPLM","additional_properties":{},"content":"<b>St Catherine St James Donore Avenue</b> 11.30 Service of the Word, St Patrick, Apostle of Ireland. Organist, Olesia Borsuk. Cars may be parked in the Churchyard.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NDF5E3VZL5BW3MWSIABWJ3UMWM","additional_properties":{},"content":"<b>Zion Parish Church</b> Sunday 16th March - The Second Sunday in Lent. 9am Holy Communion 1. 10.30am Holy Communion. All welcome.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GXS2QHOJQBGVXPUE73TN63ZGNI","additional_properties":{},"content":"PRESBYTERIAN","type":"header"},{"_id":"AT2HJ3FMC5BGTKTODD4CEE46AE","additional_properties":{},"content":"<b>About The Presbyterian Church in Ireland</b> The Presbyterian form of the Christian faith is best described as Reformed; with its strong emphasis on the Sovereignty of God, the Kingship of Christ, and the authority of the Bible. For more information, and for a full list of congregations around the whole island of Ireland, visit: <a href=\"http://www.presbyterianireland.org/\" rel=\"\">www.presbyterianireland.org</a>","type":"text"},{"_id":"X75B2JRTHZEOFOTUWO434Y5V5E","additional_properties":{},"content":"METHODIST","type":"header"},{"_id":"ERYNUIPVDRDVPFITEMV55V5WMY","additional_properties":{},"content":"<b>About the Methodist Church in Ireland</b> - The Methodist Church in Ireland is a community of people drawn together by Gods love, who seek to live wholeheartedly as followers of Jesus for the transformation of the world. With 212 churches spread across the island of Ireland from North to South, and East to West. To find a church near you visit <a href=\"https://irishmethodist.org/\" rel=\"\">https://irishmethodist.org</a>","type":"text"},{"_id":"TS2SXGH3WVAATLKMVC54P53WKQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"<b>Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin</b> The Methodist Church, Northumberland Avenue, Dún Laoghaire. Sunday Service 11am. Our services are available at www.dlmc.org ","type":"text"},{"_id":"MOH6UU4NOVARXOSUUVTOIQOXII","additional_properties":{},"content":"RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIENDS","type":"header"},{"_id":"DREN3GDJURASHOOZIYM324SG5U","additional_properties":{},"content":"<b>Quaker Meetings in Ireland</b> Visitors are always welcome to join us for Meeting for Worship at any of our Meeting Houses around the country. You will be warmly welcomed and there will be an opportunity to ask any questions you might have. You will find a list of Meetings on our website: https://quakers-in-ireland.ie/map-of-quaker-meetings-worship-groups/","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZHDU3D42BRDWNM2BGKZE4LBPAU","additional_properties":{},"content":" ","type":"text"},{"_id":"ETERSHUN2FDV5HW357FRYJDIAQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"","type":"text"},{"_id":"RUKMCLNG7NFFXETUOHJ65DZP5Q","additional_properties":{},"content":"","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[]},"description":{"basic":"Week beginning Saturday, March 15th, 2025"},"display_date":"2025-03-14T06:00:01Z","headlines":{"basic":"Church services","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"IN7OZZ6E2NGO5KX2KLF2SIQGJU","auth":{"1":"d4b9e121d137a9aeef92fc18438df403b5c177f6a3855de62a93ccfae6ccb05d"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/IN7OZZ6E2NGO5KX2KLF2SIQGJU.png"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/14/church-services/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social Affairs"}}}},{"_id":"EGIJ2ITZMZDE5CQIMHMP2YC64M","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":139,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/9aaad7ce-13b7-4a76-af03-1298c9541d91/versions/1741878030/media/5968fb173088c0f6238dc19605580e8f_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/13/households-of-people-with-disabilities-hit-by-extra-costs-and-lower-income/","content_elements":[{"_id":"DBIGYN4AGJHF3BSTK3WSIXDE5Y","additional_properties":{},"content":"","type":"text"},{"_id":"MM453LXBGFGKBMMAYQ7HLYT3S4","additional_properties":{},"content":"Households in which there are people living with <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/disability/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/disability/\">disabilities</a> are being forced to spend the majority of their disposable income on measures to mitigate the disability. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"5NCAGAQRM5GYPH34TQZ5NYP324","additional_properties":{},"content":"As a result, they are more likely than other household types to be at risk of poverty.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LGDBF4NNOZA6ZNZFKSDTDZHV4I","additional_properties":{},"content":"That is according to a report, <a href=\"https://www.esri.ie/publications/adjusting-estimates-of-poverty-for-the-cost-of-disability#:~:text=These%20two%20methods%20allow%20us,with%20the%20severity%20of%20disability.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://www.esri.ie/publications/adjusting-estimates-of-poverty-for-the-cost-of-disability#:~:text=These%20two%20methods%20allow%20us,with%20the%20severity%20of%20disability.\">Adjusting Estimates of Poverty for the Cost of Disability</a>, published by the Economic and Social Research Institute (<a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/esri/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/esri/\">ESRI</a>) and the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (<a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/irish-human-rights-and-equality-commission/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/irish-human-rights-and-equality-commission/\">IHREC</a>) on Thursday. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"XD5FZDOTFZE75D2K4KKCWL26ZU","additional_properties":{},"content":"It shows that households affected by disability have higher consumption needs, including healthcare and transportation, than other households, a factor which compounds their risk of deprivation.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RWCWKJ5YRNCFXN2FNB6P4GNW7M","additional_properties":{},"content":"Because of this, households with a disabled member require, on average, 52-59 per cent extra disposable income to achieve the same standard of living as a similar household with no disabled members. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"KQ3T2V4GZVA3ZPSZ36G2ZKXP7E","additional_properties":{},"content":"For households with a member who has severe disabilities, the cost can be as high as 93 per cent of their disposable income, the report found. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"TDAE6JKGFRABFGSXLPUE2DBCVE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Disabled individuals and households also experience a double penalty to their living standards as their labour income is lower and consumption needs are higher, the report found. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"NBA7STLUGVHK5OTHYYS2PFFSVA","additional_properties":{},"content":"Report co-author Agathe Simon of the ESRI said “income poverty rates are substantially higher among disabled people due in part to their lower employment rates. The consumption needs of disabled households are also higher, on average, leading to a double penalty in living standards.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"COQ4N637G5CABA6PQMJUNS4TWQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"Spiralling numbers being diagnosed with disabilities will have ‘significant impact’ on social welfare spend","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"JTUJNM5MNNAF3EF3NEPO2MWF3E","additional_properties":{},"content":"Fellow co-author Theano Kakoulidou said “one way to address the higher rates of income poverty among disabled people is by removing barriers to work” that they and their family members face. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"X45742CPXZH5FJHYA2WDJTBGXY","additional_properties":{},"content":"“Income poverty could also be reduced by directly increasing targeted welfare payments or introducing a ‘cost of disability’ payment,” he said. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"TTATRQLQ6NECZBCDFUJZM2WOHM","additional_properties":{},"content":"Liam Herrick, chief commissioner of IHREC,said it was “unacceptable that the majority of disabled people live in conditions of poverty in Ireland”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"HCXXPD47WNBLBLJJZCJ4QE5JPI","additional_properties":{},"content":"“The State is obliged to actively support and resource disabled people to live independently, including through the provision of person-centred financial supports,” he said.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Tim O'Brien"}},"name":"Tim O'Brien"}]},"description":{"basic":"Up to 93% of household disposable income goes towards mitigating severe disability, report finds"},"display_date":"2025-03-13T14:55:21.488Z","headlines":{"basic":"Households of people with disabilities hit by extra costs and lower income","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"CJD2J4UZHJBCNF4HUCFRLTRVGE","auth":{"1":"b1511bd891730dd54470ca73854f48d6284f14d149549751f1374699c7799736"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/CJD2J4UZHJBCNF4HUCFRLTRVGE.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/13/households-of-people-with-disabilities-hit-by-extra-costs-and-lower-income/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social Affairs"}}}},{"_id":"NQQ3UCCXWBH4NNJXHZN5ECOVSM","additional_properties":{},"canonical_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/13/one-in-two-homeless-people-using-depaul-services-experience-mental-health-difficulties-says-report/","content_elements":[{"_id":"NTM6V3UYEZBS3ELNPPHMGSW3YY","additional_properties":{},"content":"","type":"text"},{"_id":"SHW4SJIGTBHJHN7CGSB6CB2MIA","additional_properties":{},"content":"","type":"text"},{"_id":"CQCBFKK75ZAV3M7XMIDRUYC6IU","additional_properties":{},"content":"Half of the residents of <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/depaul/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/depaul/\">Depaul</a> <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/homeless-crisis/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/homeless-crisis/\">homelessness </a>services struggle with thoughts of depression, anxiety and suicide, according to a new report.","type":"text"},{"_id":"FELILNUAYBEEXBQ6PUICWQI6XM","additional_properties":{},"content":"Although one in five people in Ireland experience mental health difficulties, that figure rises to one person out of every two homeless people receiving help from Depaul’s services, according to a new report from the housing charity and mental health advocacy group Mental Health Reform. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"GHPE2MHFVVGFRPLZ2TMUJFM57Q","additional_properties":{},"content":"Depaul is a cross-Border charity supporting people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. It offers support and guidance through 40 specialised accommodation centres and outreach services. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"BEUYRIFJ5FAW7GZQ3UMEO7GTPA","additional_properties":{},"content":"Mental Health Reform is a coalition of 86 member organisations working for progressive reform of mental health services and supports. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"B3JXK77YZVGCTHZ24EKRR5LRXQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"The report, Breaking the Cycle, jointly published by both bodies on Thursday, says at least one in two residents in Depaul services struggle with thoughts of depression, anxiety, and suicide – a factor that the report authors call “a crisis hidden in plain sight”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"V43UJEQBENBOFD4MXSOVIF6MLQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"The report’s findings are based on Depaul’s administrative data of 4,504 individuals and self-reported experiences, but the organisation said “given the barriers to self-reporting and the limitations of data collection, the actual figure is likely even higher”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"EEW4C4FAKFBOBO4UAN2F6IXZMY","additional_properties":{},"content":"Within Depaul’s services, 36.9 per cent of residents reported enduring mental health difficulties requiring intervention, nearly twice the national rate. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"XPU3LTBHZJBFLIGUTJQWPD3YMA","additional_properties":{},"content":"However, the charity said the real picture could be nearly twice the national rate and more than likely massively underestimated, as Government homelessness data excludes many people living in precarious situations, such as those couch-surfing or living in direct provision.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LO6VT7OBFJBYHCUWCVRZN3GVGU","additional_properties":{},"content":"Key findings of the report include that 16 per cent of Depaul residents have been hospitalised for mental health issues, rising to 38 per cent among those who self-report mental health difficulties.","type":"text"},{"_id":"A2CL6JEOWND3TFZMOSNDKYCKDQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"Only 4 per cent of Depaul residents have access to a psychiatric nurse, and just 9.4 per cent can see a counsellor. Some 88 per cent of service providers cite staff shortages and long waiting lists as major barriers to accessing care.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JRRT3KLO7JA6LJCXE6DBL4I6UU","additional_properties":{},"content":"David Carroll, chief executive of Depaul, said services need to be restructured to help people move forward successfully from homelessness. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"R3EV3XU7RJFGHCK7ZHKQKDUFM4","additional_properties":{},"content":"Mr Carroll told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland that although the majority of people Depaul help suffer from mental health challenges, including depression and anxiety, many also have complex underlying issues, such as addiction, and resources need to be pumped into the system to assist them.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZHJGRBXQ25HMXPS7AZCQEDLBGY","additional_properties":{},"content":"Mr Carroll described the mental health system as a “major, major challenge. We need specific access to consult psychiatry. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"T7Q7I5RO5JH7PDDW6I4MNTVTBU","additional_properties":{},"content":"“We need more community psychiatry nurses and we need to support our existing staff to be equipped in the best possible way to deal with what they’re facing on a day-to-day basis as well.”","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Tim O'Brien"}},"name":"Tim O'Brien"},{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Vivienne Clarke"}},"name":"Vivienne Clarke"}]},"description":{"basic":"Residents are struggling with thoughts of depression, anxiety and suicide, according to Mental Health Reform group "},"display_date":"2025-03-13T10:08:42.765Z","headlines":{"basic":"One in two homeless people using Depaul services experience mental health difficulties, says report","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"6A256NT4VXTT5JBWNA7LREEAUI","auth":{"1":"07442ea531c805869b213b639305b10bc2a3630f5ae7ce8cb4585d759f6dee2d"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/6A256NT4VXTT5JBWNA7LREEAUI.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/13/one-in-two-homeless-people-using-depaul-services-experience-mental-health-difficulties-says-report/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social Affairs"}}}},{"_id":"35TFMAN2KFGLFCO7WHRAQPS7HA","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":228,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/56c1273b-5ce0-4ebc-9894-4c4c2975887a/versions/1741800115/media/9fdb3fc952515bcc0faa347d30635a49_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/world/uk/2025/03/12/labour-mp-introduces-bill-to-end-penalty-on-compensation-from-irish-mother-and-baby-homes/","content_elements":[{"_id":"JFIVIEGQ7VAZ5LDNF5FUVGBZ5U","additional_properties":{"_id":1741868125520},"content":"","type":"text"},{"_id":"TRLESDPQNFAB7BS32O7OMPE3PQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1741868125521},"content":"MPs in the House of Commons have been urged to back a change to British law which currently financially penalises British-resident Irish women and their children if they accept compensation for abuse they suffered in <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/mother-baby-homes/\">mother and baby homes</a> in the Republic.","type":"text"},{"_id":"KMJJPIMFMNCZFNJ2WYQE25P5X4","additional_properties":{"_id":1741868125522},"content":"Liam Conlon, a London-based Labour MP with Irish roots, has introduced legislation in Westminster to prevent victims’ means-tested state benefits from being cut in Britain if they take the Irish payouts.","type":"text"},{"_id":"FTYR2SKPD5AZXBERCWJOIJOL6M","additional_properties":{"_id":1741868125523},"content":"The penalty has “deterred” many from seeking compensation, he said, noting that only 5 per cent of the 13,000 eligible women in Britain have applied. Applicants from Northern Ireland do not face the same block.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3NZ4YV2E3VCLRDIZ7EEPFF36FI","additional_properties":{"_id":1741868125524},"content":"Mr Conlon told MPs on Wednesday that many victims had moved to Britain to escape the pain of what had happened to them in institutions. He said they fled Ireland as a “direct result” of their experiences, which included having their babies taken and forced unpaid work.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5PW5BQHS2BGAZOLVX5NRM5BGFU","additional_properties":{"_id":1741868125525},"content":"“Some also thought that disappearing was the only way to protect their families’ reputations,” said Mr Conlon, chairman of the Labour Party Irish society. His mother, <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/sue-gray/\">Sue Gray</a>, the daughter of Irish immigrants, is also a former chief of staff to prime minister <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/keir-starmer/\">Keir Starmer</a>.","type":"text"},{"_id":"HBXP57FN7JAG3NCMO4UZHYUZFQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1741868125526},"content":"“We must change the law,” Mr Conlon told MPs, as he proposed that the Irish payouts should get a “capital disregard” when assessing for British benefits. There is precedent for such a move, including for compensation for survivors of the 7/7 bombings in London in 2005 and Windrush immigrants.","type":"text"},{"_id":"IIJULAYADBGWLOOKVPVD2JV23A","additional_properties":{"_id":1741868125527},"content":"His proposal is being called Philomena’s Law, after Limerick-born campaigner <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/philomena-lee/\">Philomena Lee</a>. She spent 50 years searching for her son, who was forcibly taken from her at a mother and baby home in Tipperary and adopted in the United States. She was later played by Oscar-winning actress <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/judi-dench/\">Judi Dench</a> in a 2013 Hollywood adaptation of her story, Philomena, which also starred <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/steve-coogan/\">Steve Coogan</a>.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DOF2Q6RQQ7ECWOWNQDAHOQ4WDM","additional_properties":{"_id":1741868125528},"type":"image"},{"_id":"W57UVPA4M5DXVAD3Y4BX3D5WFU","additional_properties":{"_id":1741868125529},"content":"Ms Lee later moved to England to work as a nurse. Seventy years on, her daughter Jane and grandson Joshua acknowledged Mr Conlon from the gallery above the Commons chamber as he rose to his feet to introduce his bill, which received vocal support from MPs on all sides of the house.","type":"text"},{"_id":"E33LF7DFXVD7BIANDUALAPWHJY","additional_properties":{"_id":1741868125530},"content":"It was formally backed by Labour MPs including Irish-born parliamentarians Deirdre Costigan, originally from Walkinstown and now MP for Ealing Southall in London, and Damien Egan, born in Cork and now MP for Bristol North East.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ACPOP56Y3BDK5F7NN4LWEN4IJQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1741868125531},"content":"Case of three siblings abandoned as babies in London suburb confounds police","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"JCBON4EMURBZTJ6PKQ7VYCET5A","additional_properties":{"_id":1741868125532},"content":"It is also backed by the SDLP, whose leader, Claire Hanna, and former leader Colum Eastwood sat behind Mr Conlon as he delivered his speech.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DGGD4AWXEFGG7JOU23FHXUD7HI","additional_properties":{"_id":1741868125533},"content":"The bill is also supported by Irish groups in the UK, such as the umbrella group Irish in Britain, as well as the London Irish Centre in Camden and the Irish Cultural Centre in Hammersmith.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CUHCSDD2CZBXLNOZ4OW7BNNUVQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1741868125534},"content":"Rosa Gilbert, Irish in Britain’s policy manager, said the financial penalty caused “significant distress to survivors”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3CK2GRSOEBCJDDYQCCMOXHGJ2A","additional_properties":{"_id":1741868125535},"content":"Speaking after addressing parliament, Mr Conlon said he knew of an Irish woman in London who accepted a €10,000 payout from the Irish Government, only to find that her housing benefit would be cut. He said he wanted to combat the “stigma and shame” some women felt and is organising an event in parliament for survivors later this month with Irish in Britain.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3363VQPVERC6VE7BNIRIW6X3UM","additional_properties":{"_id":1741868125536},"content":"There was recently a flurry of ads on the London Underground promoting the Irish compensation scheme. Mr Conlon said he would also speak to the Irish Government about potentially relaxing a six-month time limit for applicants in Britain to accept payouts.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Mark Paul"}},"name":"Mark Paul"}]},"description":{"basic":"Grandson of Irish immigrants wants to combat the ‘stigma and shame’ some survivors feel "},"display_date":"2025-03-12T17:21:47.094Z","headlines":{"basic":"‘Philomena’s Law’: Labour MP introduces Bill to end penalty on compensation from Irish mother and baby homes","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"UQ57CSWCNZAZHPMCPVIG2GFC5A","auth":{"1":"fb5ef91620511f945d36a7538041ed264a5660c7c2ab3b65923bb9e04469f9d2"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/UQ57CSWCNZAZHPMCPVIG2GFC5A.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"UK"},{"name":"Ireland"},{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"World"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/world/uk/2025/03/12/labour-mp-introduces-bill-to-end-penalty-on-compensation-from-irish-mother-and-baby-homes/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/world/uk","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"UK"}}}},{"_id":"FAZR4PU64FDH3EK7SJ6QUVM7IQ","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":210,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/66405f4a-e0c0-4ec3-b94b-1d7a67d65599/versions/1741718422/media/c121a84e94303eb3c25029549b4a7cb7_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/11/annual-bill-of-140m-for-deal-intended-to-resolve-long-running-health-workers-dispute/","content_elements":[{"_id":"MGAB6LTSOBGZ7EERFOAPYFHPTU","additional_properties":{},"content":"Proposals intended to resolve the long-running dispute involving health and social care workers employed by charities and voluntary organisations will cost €140 million annually, the Government has said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"Q3YSK74FGVD2XGFXUQFJOAMLNQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"There is likely to be some disappointment among some union members the deal does not match the targeted measures for less well paid workers contained in the public sector pay agreement.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JVHMU72BSZBOLLCVX77M6SOYQ4","additional_properties":{},"content":"The 9.25 per cent total pay increases envisaged over two years is broadly in line with that public pay deal, however, and the commitment to a link with future such deals will be welcomed given the delays experienced with negotiations over the past couple of years.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CFJYRZ72KNEAXPJHI3KZKGIJEQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"The issue is that the public sector agreement provided for some minimum increases for staff earning below €50,000 – at least €1,000 at the start of this month, or 2 per cent, whichever was higher – a structuring that meant the overall deal was worth more than 17 per cent to the very lowest paid workers.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PRMLQDJQQZHBLFV323VFSGML7Y","additional_properties":{},"content":"The proposals tabled after protracted talks on Monday evening do not include such clauses, however, despite union concerns regarding the prevalence of low pay in some of the organisations involved.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GVZM25CP3JHGHMFHZA5LMVUR3E","additional_properties":{},"content":"“Those clauses were something we wanted to replicate,” said one union source on Tuesday. “But the other side they didn’t know what the cost would be and couldn’t open the Government up to funding something that couldn’t be quantified. It was difficult to refute that.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"FXBGFNZUTNAIXMBSHNPOUABYI4","additional_properties":{},"content":"The issue highlights the slightly chaotic nature of the way a system of outsourcing by the Government of various health and social services has evolved over the years with neither side at Monday’s talks quite sure how many people are working for the bodies being funded by the various government departments and agencies or how much they earn.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ARXFMCYZIFHLDKA3U7MBSLJMK4","additional_properties":{},"content":"Asking a third party to try to assemble that information is part of the proposed agreement with eight months allowed for the process, although the timeframe might yet prove optimistic.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3EOJMJYXAVHU3IILGM72K3XAPU","additional_properties":{},"content":"The unions also failed to get the Government negotiators to budge on their refusal to apply the increases to workers where the services being provided have been the subject of a tendering process. It was said this would have the potential to contravene competition or procurement rules. The Workplace Relations Commission document sent to the two sides on Tuesday says that pay for these staff “can only be dealt with through the existing procurement processes”. It is not clear how that will work. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"SV4ZY45W4NCBFBNS75B4ASGSAE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Nevertheless, there are clear positives in the proposals, with basic pay rates set to increase by almost 10 per cent over the next 18 months and staff in line, if they approve the deal, for modest lump sums to cover a 2 per cent initial increase backdated to the start of October, commitments to much smoother implementation of the funding required by employer organisations to pay increases and an acknowledgment that backing will also need to be provided to cope with greater non-payroll cost, including auto-enrolment.","type":"text"},{"_id":"U6LANO6JUBBM5OZHPLSRUI6JCY","additional_properties":{},"content":"If accepted, the deal would not restore the link to grades in the public sector some workers lost over the years but Minister for Children Norma Foley described it as “historic” and the unions involved are set to recommend it to members.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WEHYQJRZWVCALKB2KFEEX3UWEE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Employers, meanwhile, have welcomed the proposals with one source saying on Monday “the agreement should have a real impact on recruitment and retention and also provides a mechanism for addressing remaining discrepancies, some historical anomalies and other issues such as costs.” ","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Emmet Malone"}},"name":"Emmet Malone"}]},"description":{"basic":"Disappointment among union members that agreement fails to match public sector pact on low pay"},"display_date":"2025-03-11T18:35:14.375Z","headlines":{"basic":"Annual bill of €140m for deal intended to resolve long-running health workers’ dispute ","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"ECDSSF5FMRCMBD23JY2LS2JVPQ","auth":{"1":"e013e1c3c6f52ba75e109cb21216d33a53ba2097ca6b5ae3d9cb03964e14e2b7"},"focal_point":{"x":1552,"y":617},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/ECDSSF5FMRCMBD23JY2LS2JVPQ.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Ireland"},{"name":"Health"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/11/annual-bill-of-140m-for-deal-intended-to-resolve-long-running-health-workers-dispute/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social Affairs"}}}},{"_id":"PUQHUCSCDZF6HMAPBJAYIAJ54Q","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":181,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/54a47bfb-5da6-4b3e-91df-a19e4b5099be/versions/1741701669/media/1582f7d81f387a60969fa88ecbb89ab4_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/11/cost-of-living-prices-cso-households-debt/","content_elements":[{"_id":"J6LSORAVPFC2JMP6JGSXIOPMNA","additional_properties":{"_id":1741698491640},"content":"Almost one third of households comprised of one adult and children under 18 went into debt to meet ordinary <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/cost-of-living/\" target=\"_blank\">living expenses</a> last year, the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/central-statistics-office/\" target=\"_blank\">Central Statistics Office (CSO)</a> has said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"SK2PUMCJQBCC3KPRJEJEP2TAIA","additional_properties":{"_id":1741698491641},"content":"One fifth of these households reported struggling to make ends meet and 54 per cent found the basic cost of <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/housing-crisis\" target=\"_blank\">housing</a> to be a “heavy burden”, according to the CSO’s annual Income and Living Conditions survey.","type":"text"},{"_id":"L3REKG3N5RAL7PSLTJ2RQELPGY","additional_properties":{"_id":1741698491642},"content":"Overall, the research found the number of people living in enforced deprivation, measured by their ability to afford a specified range of items, last year fell to 15.7 per cent from 17.3 per cent in 2023. However, the rate of deprivation among single adult households with children increased by almost five percentage points to 46.3 per cent.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TCYEUEUQYNFXVBBGSJRSEM32H4","additional_properties":{"_id":1741698491643},"content":"Deprivation among those with health problems (38.5 per cent) and the unemployed (37.8 per cent) also remained substantially higher. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"QDQ64SWSHRD5VIGUPWKFDS4N7Q","additional_properties":{},"content":"Carly Bailey, policy manager at One Family, formerly Cherish said the data should serve as a “wake-up call” to the new Government. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"5236LZ5M7NCOZEONJMZGRTUIKY","additional_properties":{},"content":"“Unlike other groups, one-parent families have an increased deprivation rate, up a staggering 11 per cent compared to last year. Worryingly, this tells us that almost half of all one-parent families are living in enforced deprivation, a rate that is almost three times greater than it is for two-parent families (16.2 per cent),” she said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BO7FGXMLCZCAJNN2XXP4LOOXMA","additional_properties":{},"content":"The findings come as “no surprise” to the One Family organisation, as it “fully reflects the growing numbers of families that have contacted us concerned about how to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table”, she said. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"3WZSZNBIQBBB7ADWDXLGZ2BBC4","additional_properties":{},"content":"The organisation has called on Minister of State for Social Protection, Dara Calleary, to meet with its representatives to discuss what measures might be taken to address the issues highlighted for one-parent families.","type":"text"},{"_id":"URTJBBMY3ZGZVBY6L7R6O5HK7Y","additional_properties":{"_id":1741698491644},"content":"The CSO findings further indicate the differences between how people in rented accommodation and owner-occupiers say they are coping financially.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LGEOBR5BJFHWPFZFJ6Z55T3YJQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1741698491645},"content":"Across the entire population, 29.5 per cent of households reported the cost of housing itself to be a heavy burden, down slightly on the previous two years.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PLDDZGW5ANDCHEGL6A56LVHXI4","additional_properties":{"_id":1741698491646},"content":"But this stood at 41.4 per cent among people in rented accommodation.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YGBHE3OMJNCY7GBTXMCZOBHPBA","content":"<iframe title=\"Unable afford to get-together with family or friends for a drink or meal once a month\" aria-label=\"Grouped Columns\" id=\"datawrapper-chart-eZD6d\" src=\"https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/eZD6d/2/\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;\" height=\"515\" data-external=\"1\"></iframe><script type=\"text/javascript\">!function(){\"use strict\";window.addEventListener(\"message\",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll(\"iframe\");for(var t in a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"][t]+\"px\";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}();\n<\/script>","type":"raw_html"},{"_id":"HEAVQEMVCVCSNPJ45UDZHOIUG4","additional_properties":{"_id":"MZZ6LNRXEJGFFDZQWZSFDEOWKQ"},"content":"Grocery prices in Irish supermarkets on the way up again, new figures show","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"W2QZFXMXAZBA5PABPTNBAJ7BDA","additional_properties":{"_id":1741698491647},"content":"One in 10 households in the rental sector said they had failed to make at least two rent payments on time last year, up from 9.2 per cent the previous year. Some 10.7 per cent of renters said they struggled with day to day living costs, compared to 3.2 per cent of owner occupiers.","type":"text"},{"_id":"I6FHVIJEVZARPBY4IASEIWWOZI","additional_properties":{"_id":1741698491648},"content":"Just over 8 per cent of households generally found themselves in arrears with utility bills at some point last year, slightly up on 2023 before but down on 2022.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ONBIS5QYGFFILGRXHZ7MBFPBZM","additional_properties":{"_id":1741698491649},"content":"The figure was about twice as high when renters alone were considered and about four times higher in households comprised of one adult and children.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PUFD3HO5CBDBJIN3WPR7RUNJUU","additional_properties":{"_id":1741698491650},"content":"The pattern was similar when debt related to loans and hire purchase agreement was considered.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2MPFQWEUMJC5FARXHJVSEXGFJ4","additional_properties":{"_id":1741698491651},"content":"As fuel costs reduced, however, so too did the total number of people saying they could not afford to adequately heat their homes, falling from 7.2 per cent in 2023 to 4.9 per cent last year. Some 8.2 per cent said they were forced to go without heating at some point over the course of the year.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BV6XNCL5ABEAVOUUTL4UPI2UCI","additional_properties":{"_id":1741698491652},"content":"There were broadly similar reductions in the numbers who reported being unable to afford new clothes, down from 8.1 per cent to 6.2 per cent, meet socially with friends during the previous two weeks, down from 11.8 per cent to 10.1 per cent.","type":"text"},{"_id":"IYAKDPSCBBE5JFUWWZU7OXZANQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1741698491653},"content":"Some 22.9 per cent of respondents said they could not afford at least one week of a holiday away from home in the previous year, down from 23.8 per cent in 2023.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Emmet Malone"}},"name":"Emmet Malone"}]},"description":{"basic":"CSO says 54 per cent found basic cost of housing to be a ‘heavy burden’"},"display_date":"2025-03-11T13:55:51.512Z","headlines":{"basic":"Third of households with single adult and children went into debt to meet ordinary living costs last year","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"WK4HHBMPFNGBPFQ7HGTEF6HSQI","auth":{"1":"5d3ca4ed298f2a72069d1ba701977e9f0c89fd5ff0fd9d338d7c383f698c5020"},"focal_point":{"x":2855,"y":2685},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/WK4HHBMPFNGBPFQ7HGTEF6HSQI.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/11/cost-of-living-prices-cso-households-debt/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social Affairs"}}}},{"_id":"GN36QK4V6VHLLLOCG6SX72SEQQ","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":395,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/5469/podcasts/c7d97533-b1a7-4ea3-a6ab-8ad2ce627cc3/versions/1741083883/media/435f635c46814d8946e4fe501431f1e7_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/education/2025/03/11/theyre-walking-taller-disabled-adults-learning-tech-skills-from-transition-year-students/","content_elements":[{"_id":"WBZZIXZBFFEY5INCVNDWXSRVVQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"Until recently, Jessica Gill, a transition-year student in St Paul’s Secondary School in Greenhills, Dublin, had never known anyone with an intellectual disability.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NMUTFWACNZHAZI4QF7N6LNRNY4","additional_properties":{},"content":"Now, after meeting up with Julie Malone, an adult with an intellectual disability, one day a week over five weeks, she feels “more open to talking to and helping people with intellectual disabilities”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"KR7BMOYJX5CD7IUAGYEYA2MVOU","additional_properties":{},"content":"Gill is one of a group of students from St Paul’s who were buddied with an adult with an intellectual disability as part of a Creative TY Connections programme in Dublin city centre","type":"text"},{"_id":"7JNOZOQU65BT3JZUI6LUOHRQ5Q","additional_properties":{},"content":"“I learned how to use WhatsApp and FaceTime and how to take selfies,” says Malone, who met us in St Paul’s during a catch-up after the programme had ended.","type":"text"},{"_id":"IXFBTUII3VFMRD6P46VXYCWXDA","additional_properties":{},"content":"Cathy Nichol from Tallaght was another adult participant in the programme. “I learned how to use my phone to text friends and family,” she says. “I got to meet different people. It was great fun.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"VDZIUQA76FDNZIKKXCVUM4VN6I","additional_properties":{},"type":"image"},{"_id":"LO3NEWLFLVD7DON44BJQN6N4DU","additional_properties":{},"content":"Ella Connaughton, who was Nichol’s buddy, says “I was nervous at first as I didn’t know what to expect but it taught me a lot of about understanding people more and that we are all kind of different in different ways”. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZUY5AN3JEJCORPMKMAQIM3Q3HY","additional_properties":{},"content":"Selina Prah was another transition year buddy from St Paul’s. “I broadened my understanding of IT and how I could teach people with different abilities,” she says. “I didn’t know that I could have such patience and care to explain things in detail.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"4YD34Z6A4RDNXDOC7L6W33JIX4","additional_properties":{},"content":"By participating in the programme, Prah says she recognised her personal leadership skills. “I felt I was able to help people instead of people helping me.” ","type":"text"},{"_id":"IEV5OQR3ZNAJZM5MSL33BAJ4LE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Isha Nair, another transition-year buddy from St Paul’s says she has an uncle with a mild intellectual disability and that it upsets her to see him treated indifferently. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"6OU75T7LBFGURFX7AMCKV5EOHQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"“People can become capable if you teach them how,” she says. “The world is becoming more technologically advanced and it’s better that everyone can use different modes of technology.” ","type":"text"},{"_id":"KVAXRBS5IFEIZDURDTILFUQ7Q4","additional_properties":{},"content":"Linda Smyth is a support staff worker from Stewarts Care in Palmerstown, a daytime hub for adults with disabilities. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"RVJ3M42QQNGKRB7YAAFULJKNAU","additional_properties":{},"content":"“I’ve seen people walk taller, beam with pride to be treated on an equal footing,” she says. “These transition-year students could be the employers of the future and it’s good for them to see that ability comes in all shapes and sizes; that everyone has worth and that our differences can unite us.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XA3ZXKF2INDHNMCVF5XISY3CAI","additional_properties":{},"content":"Miriam Spollen developed the Creative TY Connections programme as part of her vision for inclusive community-based creative learning opportunities for adults with disabilities.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BD7ASCBTS5CBROUTJJHGXG4I2A","additional_properties":{},"type":"image"},{"_id":"TBVWEKWJVVB7BNIN7QXIBF5DKM","additional_properties":{},"content":"“This programme counters the isolation and disconnection adults with disabilities face when they leave secondary school,” says Spollen.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AB45H2U2YRD7ZCJ6K22IQZIK6A","additional_properties":{},"content":"She says the HSE New Directions policy, which was introduced in 2012, changed the way disability services were run, bringing much more focus on adults with disabilities partaking in mainstream community activities.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4AEO2BNJ6RG2LK4QN4ZTAPATCQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"“They were encouraged to access programmes in community education programmes at libraries or in education training board centres that they used to do on-site in disability day services.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PXNCR5GCFRGJPAJAPA2AGB5ZDM","additional_properties":{},"content":"“But many of these programmes are not accessible to the level they are at,” says Spollen. “There is no structure in community education programmes which support people with intellectual disability.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"JETZVB4AHFFUPOIP57DUZIGYMA","additional_properties":{},"content":"This realisation spurred her to design programmes for community settings that would be inclusive for adults with disabilities, offering them the one-to-one support they need.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WHDYLWVW6ZGCXPQHSMLWBKQGW4","additional_properties":{},"content":"The Creative TY Connections programme started in two schools in 2022. Two years later, Spollen was running eight programmes across four Dublin schools – Loreto Beaufort in Rathfarnham, St Paul’s Secondary School in Greenhills, the King’s Hospital School in Palmerstown and Templeogue College. Students from these schools were paired up with adults attending day centres in disability service organisations. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"U62TLPG5QNDFBMTBVJQJ5VTVQU","subtype":"pullquote","type":"quote"},{"_id":"ZSGRJ77O2FDKTGNHOA4SBWNFQY","additional_properties":{},"content":"Ann Moriarty, who leads the groups in the IT skills module of Creative TY Connections, says the community training programmes not only offer opportunities for continuous learning but that they build self-esteem, confidence and improve emotional wellbeing among the participants. “Our training programmes are designed to encourage independent contributors to society,” she says. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"HMYUO3XP4BCBFICYTWL2K5JRVM","additional_properties":{},"content":"There are four modules, which focus on: everyday IT, money management, sustainability and upskilling for employment. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"BMMQHXYJ6NAQLL6JRUY7T7RC7Q","additional_properties":{},"content":"The long-term aim for Spollen is to develop an inclusive community arts centre in Rathgar, where the Connections Arts Centre already leases space. There she hopes to expand on the inclusive supported arts and lifestyle classes already running so that artists with disabilities can reach their creative potential. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"AC5KDMJNKZF6ZFVOALNTXALH5E","additional_properties":{},"content":"“I struggled with <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/dyslexia/\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/dyslexia/\">dyslexia</a> and undiagnosed <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/adhd\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/adhd\">ADHD</a> in secondary school myself and I was very lucky to go to art college where I could learn through creativity,” she says. She studied textiles and fashion at the National College of Art and Design in Dublin. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"Q6BAIFP4CZHPJDEXNFKWVEB2ZE","additional_properties":{},"content":"“Our mission is to assist people with disabilities to overcome barriers, encountered every day, that lead to them being devalued and excluded from their communities.” ","type":"text"},{"_id":"4VZZDUYG6BFUFD5SWJLTBPYUGY","additional_properties":{},"content":"Spollen also hopes to scale up the transition-year programme by offering support to disability service providers, community educators and schools. Funding for her not-for-profit social enterprise comes from paid-for accessibility training and consultancy services as well as grants and corporate partnerships.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NZV2AWKXDBDOTJNV7J6SLVSBDM","additional_properties":{},"content":"“The programme for government commits to supporting adults with disabilities by expanding lifelong learning opportunities and fostering inclusion and equality, and this programme delivers on these promises, she says. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"QJH4M33Y6VBHVEHZ3GDPJRAXKU","additional_properties":{},"content":"More specifically, she believes the programme builds confidence and a sense of belonging. “It supports the development of practical skills and challenges misconceptions by fostering appreciation and respect for others,” she says. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"H67NRAXVQNCFDCXLDCPAW57XDE","additional_properties":{},"content":"She also believes that the buddy system – where each transition-year student is paired with an adult with a disability – empowers all participants giving the students a sense that they can make a difference.","type":"text"},{"_id":"M6V7RBDFJNHXHP6ULKFLZGX7RU","additional_properties":{},"content":"Darragh Patton, transition-year co-ordinator at St Paul’s Secondary School in Greenhills, Dublin, says the new programme is very community-focused. “Students are encouraged to get out into the community to do various things, and this programme helped the girls see people with disabilities in their communities in a whole other way.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"DGCNWCJSDJHTLKQI2ZL6LESRTA","additional_properties":{},"content":"Patton says participation in the programme also helped break down barriers within the school between students in the school’s autism units and in other classrooms.","type":"text"},{"_id":"I67NQZIUK5CFPDAR6WEHDBLDUA","additional_properties":{},"content":"“We have our autism units in the middle of the school, next to the cafeteria, not hidden down at the end of a corridor. So, the girls who did the Creative TY Connections programme became more relaxed about helping out with projects in the autism unit,” he says.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AZC344IVCBCORIAUGUGNGKPEFM","additional_properties":{},"content":"","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Sylvia Thompson"}},"name":"Sylvia Thompson"}]},"description":{"basic":"An innovative transition year programme is empowering disabled adults and boosting students’ leadership skills"},"display_date":"2025-03-11T06:58:00Z","headlines":{"basic":"‘They’re walking taller’: disabled adults learning tech skills from transition year students","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"5469"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"EYFFIAKFE5A4ZOJ4GR6ANUIA3U","auth":{"1":"bdf7a6a1c0215896c8c451c3380aebf7cce05c86b21c10afe592401f33f4da1f"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/EYFFIAKFE5A4ZOJ4GR6ANUIA3U.JPG"}},"subtype":"feature","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Education"},{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/education/2025/03/11/theyre-walking-taller-disabled-adults-learning-tech-skills-from-transition-year-students/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/education","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Education"}}}},{"_id":"USAF6YGXZVECPMJ4QFXEV2EZGQ","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":182,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/0b102305-c9af-48fa-9ce1-219a16e2be8b/versions/1741645479/media/21ffb9e92043195f3bec6d4e3dad9233_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/health/2025/03/10/pay-deal-worth-925-over-two-years-agreed-for-voluntary-health-workers-after-long-running-dispute/","content_elements":[{"_id":"A7PXIMRNUNC45NPNYFXFWTD3NE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Unions representing thousands of health workers employed by charities and voluntary organisations agreed a deal on Monday evening with government representatives intended to end the long-running dispute over pay and conditions in the sector.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DFZVKUBIM5A4BHNRVMLOUI3VXI","additional_properties":{},"content":"Care workers, administrators and therapists, many employed by organisations such as the Irish Wheelchair Association, Rehab and Enable Ireland, had been seeking increased pay and the restoration of a link to colleagues doing similar or the same work in the HSE and wider public sector.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CUFFN2RIQJGBBEKCJE43RK3GUE","additional_properties":{},"content":"On Monday evening, after another long day of talks, the two sides reached an agreement that provides for pay increases of 9.25 per cent over two years, starting in October last year, and on a future link to public sector increases.","type":"text"},{"_id":"D357LMDU7BDWPCWX23ETKM3534","additional_properties":{},"content":"A separate deal is said to have been reached in relation to the funding of staff, other than doctors themselves, at out of hours doctors’ services, a key sticking point last week.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZLJRE3M34NCTFA4PFNCVCVG3EY","additional_properties":{},"content":"After the talks Liam Berney of the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/irish-congress-of-trade-unions-ictu/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/irish-congress-of-trade-unions-ictu/\">Irish Congress of Trade Unions (Ictu)</a> said “a set of proposals have emerged from the talks process and the unions will be consulting with our members on them over the next couple of weeks”. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"C2OL4AB3XRCMDCHE2P2WEGAGDI","additional_properties":{},"content":"Asked if the union side was happy with what was agreed, he said the members would have the final say on that.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ORIGIR33GBFQLPOCZ7Y6EHBS5Y","additional_properties":{},"content":"The deal will cover tens of thousands of staff working in the care sector and disability support sectors at charities and voluntary organisations contracted to provide services on behalf of the State under Section 39 of the 2002 Health Act.","type":"text"},{"_id":"SINEZAJHI5HYJC4TJIKWKXZYSU","additional_properties":{},"content":"What were the issues disability worker Charlotte Fallon was trying to raise with Simon Harris?","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"WLTXQRQH7VAPLFDVS5KYRELZ3E","additional_properties":{},"content":"It is intended to head off the prospect of industrial action by workers at about 20 such organisations <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/health/2025/02/27/section-39-health-care-workers-vote-for-industrial-action-in-long-running-dispute/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/health/2025/02/27/section-39-health-care-workers-vote-for-industrial-action-in-long-running-dispute/\">where employees voted overwhelmingly in favour of action last month</a>.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3ZR6NEZTTRFH3J5BKK5T7M7ZIA","additional_properties":{},"content":"Those staff are members of Siptu, but Fórsa and the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation also have significant numbers of members involved.","type":"text"},{"_id":"QHYZ7RP44ZB2DHI6IPFHWJW6OE","additional_properties":{},"content":"The deal will also apply to staff at organisations contracted by Tusla and the Department of Housing in areas such as family and homelessness, variously known as s10, and s56 workers, but not initially in some others funded by the departments of Justice or Education or by Pobal. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"5NCVWK4AKRHSHB7TACJHVT7HNA","additional_properties":{},"content":"There is said to be an agreement to have a third-party conduct a survey to ascertain how the deal might be applied. One union source saying on Monday there was considerable uncertainly on both sides about the numbers of workers potentially involved and how pay and other increases would work given the multiplicity of funders in some instances.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RGCGJ27XPRBIZINSFLTGH4MZO4","additional_properties":{},"content":"One official from an employer organisation welcomed the reaching of an agreement, but said they hoped it would be followed by a wider look at funding of the sector, pointing out that about 20 per cent of costs on average lie in areas other that staffing.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NJXMLXW23RDKJIAC5CXK5XGCBM","additional_properties":{},"content":"“This is good news, though, and we are confident there is the goodwill required on the Government side to go on and address the other challenges the organisations employing the staff providing these vital services face,” they said.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Emmet Malone"}},"name":"Emmet Malone"}]},"description":{"basic":"Section 39 issues took centre stage in general election campaign due to Simon Harris encounter with disability worker Charlotte Fallon"},"display_date":"2025-03-10T22:19:15.257Z","headlines":{"basic":"Pay deal worth 9.25% over two years agreed for voluntary health workers after long-running dispute","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"FQEM2RXOPZVGMFJD5PP3XOV4RM","auth":{"1":"c60f15730f56c0220e87d056da368e42a4ea73c4d0e2e2667978adc4c83db6f0"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/FQEM2RXOPZVGMFJD5PP3XOV4RM.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Health"},{"name":"Ireland"},{"name":"Social Affairs"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/health/2025/03/10/pay-deal-worth-925-over-two-years-agreed-for-voluntary-health-workers-after-long-running-dispute/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/health","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Health"}}}},{"_id":"2GXSJL73SVEOBO6L4K3RBRELOQ","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":254,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/d1702942-9bfe-4994-89a8-4a13895eed3e/versions/1741443371/media/5ea8ab6673c48f1519b5173ac6210d3f_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/08/getting-a-space-for-a-baby-is-so-difficult-looming-ranelagh-creche-closure-leaves-families-scrambling-for-childcare/","content_elements":[{"_id":"N2VZRN5BMJEVJJBCJU7PAPCXY4","additional_properties":{"_id":1741449403190},"content":"Dozens of families have been left scrambling for new <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/childcare/\" target=\"_blank\">childcare</a> providers after being told last week that the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/ranelagh/\" target=\"_blank\">Ranelagh</a> branch of the Nest Creche and Montessori is to close in the summer.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LGPHRLB47ZDCBM34K2MDMIQG2Q","additional_properties":{"_id":1741449403191},"content":"About 50 children, ranging in age up to six years, attend the facility which provides preschool, as well as full- and part-time care, but parents say it has a waiting list of up to two years said to include the names of 200 children whose parents had expected to use the service in the future.","type":"text"},{"_id":"FWRCVO3KPJGRFALRGPGU2G47HE","additional_properties":{"_id":1741449403192},"content":"On Tuesday, however, manager Colm Bowers wrote to parents to say the building in which the creche is located is to be redeveloped for residential use and so the facility will close on August 29th.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GUJH6B22ZBEDFCP552N7U4H5DA","additional_properties":{"_id":1741449403193},"content":"Mr Bowers said the operators do not expect to find an alternative facility but parents have approached local politicians with a view to exploring whether another suitable building might be found, while many families have already embarked on a scramble to find new places for their children.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4DEN4GEMLBAXNHZADSIPTF4JAI","additional_properties":{"_id":1741449403194},"content":"Mother of two Sorcha Hanratty said last week’s announcement came as a shock, not least because the creche and its staff are very well regarded by the families whose children attend. She said she appreciates the situation may be beyond the control of the company behind it, which runs four other facilities around Dublin, but that even with six months’ notice many families, especially those with the youngest children, are going to struggle to find new places.","type":"text"},{"_id":"X2JOKA4FTZDIBJ6L2QSQMSEJ3A","additional_properties":{"_id":1741449403195},"content":"“I’m probably in a more fortunate position in that one of our boys is going to school in September while the other is getting to Montessori age, that little bit older, where there seem to be a few more places around.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MPSOAKGRABFA7DOZU6JRLAS6SU","additional_properties":{"_id":1741449403196},"content":"Childcare: ‘I never knew how tough it was to be a working mother in this country’","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"II7IIDIMXREY7N662IX7PRLKHQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1741449403197},"content":"“A friend of mine has a one-year-old, though, and she is really struggling. Trying to get a space for a baby is so difficult.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"TLMKQCK5IZCENHS3FVJ3DXHV3I","additional_properties":{"_id":1741449403198},"content":"Arie Fisher said he has received a string of “straight nos” from other providers to inquiries regarding a place for his two-year-old daughter since being told the Nest would close. Both his older children went there in recent years and, like the other parents who spoke to The Irish Times, he was very happy with it. Now, finding an alternative for his youngest is proving to be a real challenge.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PJNPMYZ3F5ALTCCPUS66E6KWZE","additional_properties":{},"content":"“I’ve contacted just about every childcare facility in the area and beyond but most won’t even accept applications on to the waiting list because they say they are so long, there would be no point.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4EQM2E3XGNDN3GN2YUQXYPXYYI","additional_properties":{"_id":1741449403200},"content":"“A few say I can put her name down but they have no availability for the next couple, but that’s the most positive thing I have been told so far.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"ASPCU7JI6ZFRHJT2IJYJNFPVH4","additional_properties":{"_id":1741449403201},"content":"Another parent impacted, Brian Savage, said the owners have been approached but he is unaware of any engagement. He said he hopes other premises can be found but is sceptical because of the regulatory requirements in the sector and likely rental rates in the area.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LKTZDHF3AFAZJOJPVYH6GS7S3M","additional_properties":{"_id":1741449403202},"content":"About 90 creches closed across Ireland last year, roughly the same as opened, the first time since the current system of annual monitoring began in 2017 that the numbers did not decline. Despite the overall numbers having stabilised, however, each closure results in a scramble for alternative sources, often in areas where there is already an acute shortage.","type":"text"},{"_id":"EVMSWJYWGZE4LJPY4RKCU5QWLY","additional_properties":{"_id":1741449403203},"content":"Why so many creches have been closing and what can be done about it","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"OEBXGV6Y3JATXC4HKHW2VJOZ2A","additional_properties":{"_id":1741449403204},"content":"Local councillor Dermot Lacey said he hopes a meeting for parents in Ranelagh can be arranged for this week but admits he is not optimistic regarding the prospects of finding a solution.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6FPBREHZBNCU3B45U4RUWHSQAU","additional_properties":{"_id":1741449403205},"content":"“We will see if we can find a place, but it’s difficult and I don’t think the situation is helped by the strict regulations put in place by the department and Tusla. It’s not that I want low standards but I do think it is time we had a discussion about the standards being set and whether they can be met, particularly by community creches, which we should be encouraging.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"QUNRG2XRBFHZFCHXK26MMQ7FGQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1741449403206},"content":"Ms Hanratty said she accepts that more housing is required and so buildings will be repurposed or redeveloped, but “there is all the talk about the need for people to be working but then there aren’t the amenities required for people to actually work and, yes, we need more homes for people but those people need amenities like this”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"Q3Y2QYVZHNDNZBDV56BJOYSXKI","additional_properties":{"_id":1741449403207},"content":"“It needs to be better thought out. Allowing amenities like this to be lost doesn’t make sense to me.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"YEYB4L5RX5GFDL6IA6FDYKHFAA","additional_properties":{"_id":1741449403208},"content":"The management of the Nest did not respond to attempts to contact them.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Emmet Malone"}},"name":"Emmet Malone"}]},"description":{"basic":"Nest Creche and Montessori in Ranelagh, attended by 50 children and with 200 on its waiting list, to be redeveloped for residential use"},"display_date":"2025-03-08T14:11:02.864Z","headlines":{"basic":"‘Getting a space for a baby is so difficult’: Looming Ranelagh creche closure leaves families scrambling for childcare","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"LCYT6N77LFFQLCQTKIX4SQTJ2Y","auth":{"1":"0fbb0d36450f1f0c23f1b64c4e2a9d321535b3deef171b89bc0b6752e8371443"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/LCYT6N77LFFQLCQTKIX4SQTJ2Y.JPG"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/08/getting-a-space-for-a-baby-is-so-difficult-looming-ranelagh-creche-closure-leaves-families-scrambling-for-childcare/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social Affairs"}}}},{"_id":"ARDBZUKO6ZG7BMR5IBZ7U6BQSI","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":219,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/c32d5eef-ab35-4944-93e1-42e73c909bd3/versions/1741385874/media/ce46aad0599f687442c5da49d63b4e0b_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/07/concern-wordlwide-lays-off-almost-400-staff-citing-aid-funding-cuts/","content_elements":[{"_id":"FZ3BFO5L6VARRDTNFRNLWROCS4","additional_properties":{},"content":"Almost 400 staff working with Concern Worldwide have lost their jobs in a move the humanitarian organisation linked to “aid funding cuts”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WMHTO6EQBRESDGNPVMFMSDLOZ4","additional_properties":{},"content":"The number of job losses is expected to rise due to the severity of the funding cuts the charity has experienced, a spokesman said. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"R7OKYDQYW5A6VNRAQZHCXLWT4I","additional_properties":{},"content":"He added that positions were also at risk in the organisation’s head office in Dublin, but the numbers were still to be determined due to the “fluidity of the situation”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LSA4WU3WKJGHBJLWEBQPU7DCSU","additional_properties":{},"content":"Concern was formally founded in March 1968 at the Dublin home of Kay and John O’Loughlin-Kennedy. In 1967, Fr Raymond Kennedy, John’s brother, returned from Nigeria to Ireland with news about the ongoing crisis in Biafra. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZOD3NGDTURHKZE734GYO3QSUUU","additional_properties":{},"content":"To raise awareness and funds, the trio held a conference in a Dublin hotel. The donations raised allowed them to send the first of what Concern called “mercy flights”. A short time later, Africa Concern was officially founded.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CEZLP24KOFALXMEQQJE4CMHPLM","additional_properties":{},"content":"Concern Worldwide said it was being “forced” to make cuts that would hit staff across 13 of the 26 countries in which it operates. They have impacted staff in places such as Afghanistan, Lebanon, Syria/Iraq, Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Haiti, Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, and Burkina Faso. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"T7RGOLAGNNFCTOJPNIZS2EBINY","additional_properties":{},"content":"Many of these countries are experiencing protracted conflicts, forcing a large proportion of their citizens to rely on humanitarian aid for their basic needs. The charity says it helps 25 million vulnerable people each year in some of the world’s hardest to reach and fragile places.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2GTFJS6RV5DPDEUWWWRXRAA3R4","additional_properties":{},"content":"The Trump administration announced last month it was cancelling nearly 10,000 foreign aid grants and contracts worth almost $60 billion, ending about 90 per cent of the US Agency for International Development (USAid) global work.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JPB4ZUV265AYJKN3XRLNBDVZKY","additional_properties":{},"content":"Other aid donors like Britain have also announced cuts as countries face growing pressure to boost defence spending.","type":"text"},{"_id":"KXL5II3P65FMJHM7OVR4NZ25FI","additional_properties":{},"content":"The <a href=\"http://irishtimes.com/tags/united-nations\" rel=\"\" title=\"http://irishtimes.com/tags/united-nations\">United Nations</a> this week released $110 million from an emergency fund to help neglected crises around the world, including Sudan, in response to the cuts. It said that funding levels, which were dwindling long before US president’s move, are projected to drop to a record low this year.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7A3HEZUJGBGFHOIQLAYKOHJSOY","additional_properties":{},"content":"The Concern spokesman said these “aid cuts will have a direct impact on the ability of organisations such as Concern to continue to reach those who desperately need our support”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DS4APINIGRCONF7UJRM2XTZ42I","additional_properties":{},"content":"Dominic Crowley, Concern chief executive, said the charity had to let go of staff working in what he described as “incredibly difficult and insecure environments, who have made monumental sacrifices to support and serve their communities”. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"OLKUPZXM5BFO7GCLJO2K2XQLXY","additional_properties":{},"content":"He said these employees “now find themselves unemployed due to aid cuts”. Mr Crowley said “the greatest impact will be on the communities” they work with, which included “some of the poorest and most vulnerable people on the planet”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AROAMWF24RBO3KOEDTN6HN52CQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"He said Concern’s first priority continues to be sustaining its country programmes, but “this cannot be done without adequate funding”. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"HK2NHM4ZWBBJVDDOX5RK5CMRIY","additional_properties":{},"content":"Mr Crowley added: “We have sought to keep staff informed throughout the process, and to maintain the right level of staffing to maintain effective programming. This is obviously difficult in a context of budget cuts. We are seeking to minimise our global teams’ stress and anxiety in this context of deep uncertainty.”","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Sarah Slater"}]},"description":{"basic":"Positions at risk in organisation’s Dublin head office but numbers unclear due to ‘fluidity of the situation’"},"display_date":"2025-03-07T22:11:50.225Z","headlines":{"basic":"Concern Worldwide lays off almost 400 staff citing ‘aid funding cuts’","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"75FN6GJPZMTZ2L3LDJ3WGQZGEQ","auth":{"1":"ff24ceea281664ca6bffab222c37ec5bebe04006acc16d8e505e77648a215bf5"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/75FN6GJPZMTZ2L3LDJ3WGQZGEQ.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/07/concern-wordlwide-lays-off-almost-400-staff-citing-aid-funding-cuts/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social Affairs"}}}},{"_id":"O6IJ7BYUGZF2ZAUMRIQYMM5JN4","additional_properties":{},"canonical_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/07/church-services/","content_elements":[{"_id":"7DRFFYZAWBDVNAF272A5C3WJ3I","additional_properties":{},"content":"CATHEDRALS","type":"header"},{"_id":"3UWNMXPCP5FABO4WZPJQCCX7X4","additional_properties":{},"content":"<b>National Cathedral of Saint Patrick, Dublin</b> THE FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT - 09.15 EUCHARIST said in the Lady Chapel. 11.15 CHORAL MATINS- sung by the Cathedral Choir - Responses: Leighton, Psalm: 46 vv 1-7, Bairstow: The Lamentations of Jeremiah, Dyson in D, Preacher: The Most Revd M.G.St A. Jackson, M.A., Ph.D., D.Phil. Prebendary of Cualaun and Visitor. . 15.15 CHORAL EVENSONG - sung by the Cathedral Choir - Responses: Leighton Psalm: 47, Leighton: The Second Service, Bruckner: Christus factus est Preacher: The Most Revd M.G.St A. Jackson, M.A., Ph.D., D.Phil. Prebendary of Cualaun and Visitor. SUNG MATINS at 09.00 Monday to Friday. EUCHARIST at 11.05 on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. CHORAL EVENSONG at 17.30 Monday to Friday. For further information visit: www.stpatrickscathedral.ie","type":"text"},{"_id":"5PG6MUKTVVGUPKP2EAUSHYSTJY","additional_properties":{},"content":"CHURCH OF IRELAND","type":"header"},{"_id":"JQAI3KDEJJCOVI5CI6SCLGKP4Y","additional_properties":{},"content":"<b>Christ Church, Bray</b> Revd Dr Leonard Madden: 8.30am Holy Communion; 11am Sunday Service . Live stream: http://www.churchservices.tv/christchurchbray For more details of services visit www.christchurchbray.ie","type":"text"},{"_id":"3NIFNJDHWVGJHE2XILFG7BL3TU","additional_properties":{},"content":"<b>St Audoen Cornmarket</b> 9.30 Bellringing, 10.00 Eucharist (every Sunday), with hymns and Anglican chant, the First Sunday in Lent. Access through the main entrance. Cars may be parked between Francis Street and Christ Church.","type":"text"},{"_id":"T6Q4UWHUYFEJ7JFDJWUCMNUS6M","additional_properties":{},"content":"<b>St Catherine St James, Donore Avenue</b> 11.30 Service of the Word, the First Sunday in Lent. Organist, Olesia Borsuk. Cars may be parked in the Churchyard.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CGEOQRWNYVGBLMXSHDVY6QCW5E","additional_properties":{},"content":"<b>Zion Parish Church</b> Sunday 9th March - The First Sunday in Lent. 9am Holy Communion 1. 10.30am Morning Prayer. All welcome.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UIJWRUNYJNAUHMWH3L25J4KFO4","additional_properties":{},"content":"PRESBYTERIAN","type":"header"},{"_id":"N4YD3X3KUJFXJJ3XDQBDT7CCA4","additional_properties":{},"content":"<b>About The Presbyterian Church in Ireland</b> The Presbyterian form of the Christian faith is best described as Reformed; with its strong emphasis on the Sovereignty of God, the Kingship of Christ, and the authority of the Bible. For more information, and for a full list of congregations around the whole island of Ireland, visit: <a href=\"http://www.presbyterianireland.org/\" rel=\"\">www.presbyterianireland.org</a>","type":"text"},{"_id":"HNNPVE3VBNABTDSVVE25A67LFE","additional_properties":{},"content":"METHODIST","type":"header"},{"_id":"GRVFBTOYNZAVFCZVUJVPZTFYQA","additional_properties":{},"content":"<b>About the Methodist Church in Ireland</b> - The Methodist Church in Ireland is a community of people drawn together by Gods love, who seek to live wholeheartedly as followers of Jesus for the transformation of the world. With 212 churches spread across the island of Ireland from North to South, and East to West. To find a church near you, visit <a href=\"https://irishmethodist.org/\" rel=\"\">https://irishmethodist.org</a>","type":"text"},{"_id":"DQGM5ZZ4OBFSZGJXLEVAN7DKAY","additional_properties":{},"content":"<b>Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin</b> The Methodist Church, Northumberland Avenue, Dun Laoghaire. Sunday Service 11am. Our services are available at www.dlmc.org","type":"text"},{"_id":"VULFYITVGRHR7CZVEPSJC5YKTM","additional_properties":{},"content":"RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIENDS","type":"header"},{"_id":"PTVAKVIPJNFPXPENGNU7HZ3DME","additional_properties":{},"content":"<b>Quaker Meetings in Ireland</b> Visitors are always welcome to join us for Meeting for Worship at any of our Meeting Houses around the country. You will be warmly welcomed and there will be an opportunity to ask any questions you might have. You will find a list of Meetings on our website: https://quakers-in-ireland.ie/map-of-quaker-meetings-worship-groups/","type":"text"},{"_id":"LKM7XVJV3VFKNEKO3UNLYXTMCY","additional_properties":{},"content":"","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[]},"description":{"basic":"Week beginning Saturday, March 8th, 2025"},"display_date":"2025-03-07T06:00:01Z","headlines":{"basic":"Church services","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"IN7OZZ6E2NGO5KX2KLF2SIQGJU","auth":{"1":"d4b9e121d137a9aeef92fc18438df403b5c177f6a3855de62a93ccfae6ccb05d"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/IN7OZZ6E2NGO5KX2KLF2SIQGJU.png"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/07/church-services/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social Affairs"}}}},{"_id":"S3YFGNDNTBGOPDBE465IELPITA","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":286,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/71f1f466-ebcb-4087-b2af-41a6ae048c6c/versions/1741292317/media/586d73dd3fb438ca87bb387a4e9562bf_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/06/state-paid-more-than-708m-to-citywest-hotel-operator-last-year/","content_elements":[{"_id":"524O2HMLRZHMLL3PI6SOZKJ7J4","additional_properties":{"_id":1741290429605},"content":"The State last year paid more than €70.8 million to the company which runs <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/dublin/\" target=\"_blank\">Dublin</a>’s <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/citywest-hotel/\" target=\"_blank\">Citywest Hotel</a> to accommodate asylum seekers and <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/ukraine-crisis/\" target=\"_blank\">Ukrainian</a> refugees, according to new Government figures.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TIDJIYNRAZC37DVNTJGN6VKRJY","additional_properties":{"_id":1741290429606},"content":"Cape Wrath Hotel Unlimited, a key property in the State’s international protection accommodation system, received €18.1 million to accommodate <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/international-protection-support-services/\" target=\"_blank\">international protection</a> applicants (IPAs) and Ukrainian beneficiaries of temporary protection (BOTPs) during the final three months of 2024. This brings to €70.86 million the total amount the company received for asylum seeker and refugee accommodation services last year, making it the highest recipient of these State payments in 2024.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CM2GBEURAFFDDKKLLBJRVUUK7A","additional_properties":{"_id":1741290429607},"content":"Cape Wrath runs the 764-bed Citywest Hotel and convention centre in Saggart, Co Dublin. In 2023, the company received €53.7 million in State payments through <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/department-of-children-equality-disability-integration-and-youth/\" target=\"_blank\">Department of Integration</a> purchase orders. The State is reportedly in discussions to buy the Citywest Hotel.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UXPCEHV3DZHVXKUZDMTSRBV7NA","additional_properties":{"_id":1741290429608},"content":"The latest Department of Integration quarterly purchase orders figures, covering all of 2024, reveal large hotel groups and companies were paid €1.9 billion in Government contracts last year to accommodate asylum seekers and Ukrainian refugees.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WGKWV3J5EBH7BHLQY3DVVDQSX4","additional_properties":{"_id":1741290429609},"content":"Some €2.1 billion was spent on asylum seeker and refugee accommodation in 2023. However, the total 2023 spending figure published on the department’s website comes to €1.79 billion as it does not include payments below €20,000 and reimbursements to local authorities providing accommodation.","type":"text"},{"_id":"E5IJUCFGXNDTPC4I2DVXKDZ4Z4","additional_properties":{"_id":1741290429610},"content":"This indicates the total spending for 2024 may, in fact, be higher than €1.9 billion.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DY3YMKB5TJBSLB5EBAQXTZD4GI","additional_properties":{"_id":1741290429611},"content":"There are 33,045 IPAs, including 9,329 children, living in 322 State-provided accommodation centres across the country, according to Government data. Another 3,512 asylum-seeking men are awaiting an offer of State accommodation.","type":"text"},{"_id":"Y7BQLX6UJFHN5BXUYARVEYTLDA","additional_properties":{"_id":1741290429612},"content":"An average of 33 asylum seekers are arriving into Ireland each day, nearly half the number who arrived daily six months ago when an average of 64 people arrived per day.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RFQ7NBECGNG7JOZ4W6FSS57TNE","additional_properties":{"_id":1741290429613},"content":"Purchase order figures show Igo Emergency Management Services, which is owned by the Igo Café Ltd company with an address in Dún Laoghaire, received €45.9 million for accommodation services, the second-highest payment last year.","type":"text"},{"_id":"EWLEJ5RAK5HWJOJZTWXOWDMT5Y","additional_properties":{"_id":"3V2H7IWD5BFEHI4V6UPTEGQVJ4"},"content":"State to buy Citywest Hotel to confront migrant crisis","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"NGQ5M6G3PBGEXJU62N2Q5UBCVI","additional_properties":{"_id":1741290429614},"content":"Mosney Holidays plc, which provides accommodation for between 500-600 international protection applicants and refugees supported by the Irish Refugee Protection Programme at a former holiday resort in <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/meath/\" target=\"_blank\">Co Meath</a>, received €38.8 million, the third-highest payment.","type":"text"},{"_id":"OPNMCY3MQ5BOLFWU4PJEK6O63Y","additional_properties":{"_id":1741290429615},"content":"Travelodge, the hotel brand run by <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/tifco-hotel-group/\" target=\"_blank\">Tifco Hotel Group</a> in Ireland, was paid €36 million, while Pumpkinspice Limited, which also runs Travelodge hotels, received an additional €5.95 million.","type":"text"},{"_id":"Y6MNI5WWQJAI3K3LVLC2EBOTNI","additional_properties":{"_id":1741290429616},"content":"Guestford Limited, which trades as the Red Cow Moran Hotel, was paid €35 million and <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/holiday-inn-worldwide/\" target=\"_blank\">Holiday Inn Dublin Airport</a> was paid €32.74 million.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4IWJT54EKZEPRODH5NEL2UXRQU","additional_properties":{"_id":1741290429617},"content":"A firm called Total Experience Limited, which provided accommodation services only for Ukrainians, was paid €30.7 million and Brimwood Limited received €24 million. Payments to Brimwood Limited, which is owned by former Monaghan GAA football manager <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/seamus-mcenaney/\" target=\"_blank\">Séamus McEnaney</a> and his daughters Sarah and Laura, have continued to rise since 2020 when the company was paid €15.7 million","type":"text"},{"_id":"LETNQSORPRBSBDW353M7QMQWR4","additional_properties":{"_id":1741290429618},"content":"More than 112,100 Ukrainians have sought temporary protection in Ireland since the war began, however, the latest CSO data indicates nearly 30 per cent of these have left the country.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BUC426EQJBA3FLL6R24MANLZEY","additional_properties":{"_id":1741290429619},"content":"Some 36,000 of Ukrainian BOTPs, or 41 per cent of all Ukrainian refugees, are living in privately pledged homes and properties, up from 27 per cent this time last year.","type":"text"},{"_id":"EC2NONJIGJH53DSQZTYEMRIWFI","additional_properties":{"_id":1741290429620},"content":"This housing is supported through the accommodation recognition payment – a tax-free payment of €800 for those providing accommodation to Ukrainians under the EU Temporary Protection Directive. While the Government is expected to extend the scheme beyond its expiration date on March 31st, a €200 reduction in the monthly payment is being considered.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Sorcha Pollak"}},"name":"Sorcha Pollak"}]},"description":{"basic":"Company running Dublin hotel received €18.1 million to accommodate asylum seekers and Ukrainian refugees during final three months of 2024"},"display_date":"2025-03-06T20:13:24.897Z","headlines":{"basic":"State paid more than €70.8m to Citywest hotel operator last year","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"7UZAEXIHKXYQNTLY6IO4YHTSPI","auth":{"1":"4854874e53c51f308836adc5224327047f226e3a4c150411be26bc5d09c1074e"},"focal_point":{"x":2031,"y":2566},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/7UZAEXIHKXYQNTLY6IO4YHTSPI.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/06/state-paid-more-than-708m-to-citywest-hotel-operator-last-year/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social Affairs"}}}},{"_id":"DHRG6P4JTRF3FALXL3ZPFDV5WA","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":220,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/b7b7c602-92de-426c-bc95-94b43a634151/versions/1741198659/media/97cb183b586f25a698050f0a1312da1d_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/05/come-all-ye-faithful-dublins-pro-cathedral-celebrates-ash-wednesday-the-start-of-lent/","content_elements":[{"_id":"O3FXGTMXDJHP3MXD4L7CKCJ3NI","additional_properties":{"_id":1741200408576},"content":"The lure of blessed ashes proves strong in <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/social-affairs/2024/06/03/dublin-archdiocese-drops-plans-to-locate-dublins-catholic-cathedral-on-citys-south-side/\" target=\"_blank\">Dublin’s Pro Cathedral </a>on Wednesday morning as about 300 people file in ahead of <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/life-style/2023/02/21/give-me-a-crash-course-in-lent/\" target=\"_blank\">10.30am Mass </a>that marks the beginning of <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/life-style/2023/02/21/give-me-a-crash-course-in-lent/\" target=\"_blank\">Lent</a>.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6S6YX3M3SBDTTKNQKHDYNVD23U","additional_properties":{"_id":1741200408577},"content":"Cathedral administrator Kieran McDermott raises an eyebrow when <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/\" target=\"_blank\">The Irish Times </a>suggests a good turnout for a midweek, midmorning Mass.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UDYSFIG4KBFQFE5IEHNPZD5NYQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1741200408578},"content":"“There was a time when we would have a queue out the door on Ash Wednesday. But I suppose we do have more people here today than we might on a normal Wednesday,” he concedes.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DREXCDLYHFCTJOXNEACZJ6KXZU","additional_properties":{"_id":1741200408579},"content":"He downplays any suggestion that those who had come into the church were there for any ostentatious purpose, adding he does not believe people have ashes on their forehead as a badge of Catholic honour.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GNN6LPBTHZBBHJYNKI4WFVMMCM","additional_properties":{"_id":1741200408580},"content":"“This is not about wearing your faith on your sleeve and it’s not about parading your Catholicism. In fact, it is quite the opposite – it is a very private thing,” he says.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NX7DJAWZJZGVPIL24XS37RYTWY","additional_properties":{},"type":"image"},{"_id":"ZKVIUH6NABDQFBONUJJNYKNFYY","additional_properties":{"_id":1741200408581},"type":"image"},{"_id":"KZK3V6MGMNDTTAR4K6FVXPFCV4","additional_properties":{"_id":1741200408582},"type":"image"},{"_id":"2ZO4ECSDCBGYPEBCXZ3U55KXNE","additional_properties":{"_id":1741200408583},"content":"As people aged from eight to 80, from countries worldwide, settle into the pews, some seem happier with the Lenten marking on their foreheads – traditionally a sign of repentance – than others.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2A2MGYFNL5CHLDIOMQ6G3LXPKY","additional_properties":{"_id":1741200408585},"content":"The happiest are also keen to wear their faith, if not on their sleeves as Fr McDermott says, then certainly on their heads.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LAX3SN7R4BGUFKIU3LA2KHQWHY","additional_properties":{"_id":1741200408586},"content":"They are the children from the Central Model School on Marlborough Street, across from the church, eager to compare crosses as they traipse giggling from the altar back to their seats.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JURI6C4KPNAZPPC7QBGMWPHHJY","additional_properties":{"_id":1741200408587},"content":"The priest and deacon administering the ashes have very different styles, with one making a clear and large sign of the cross on each forehead and the other content with a smudge.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2TJFHMPI5JFF3B3YWHG4LPBQ2E","additional_properties":{"_id":1741200408588},"content":"The children who end up with smudges look distinctly crestfallen when sitting beside those with big crosses. They are not, however, as crestfallen as the few latecomers who arrive in the church just as communion starts in the mistaken belief that the ashes would be among the last things to be dispensed on the day.","type":"text"},{"_id":"B5H5YE3TWJCQZHX4PQIRKVHK5Y","additional_properties":{"_id":1741200408589},"type":"image"},{"_id":"WG2N6AYUBRGMNB7G3E3AR745PU","additional_properties":{"_id":1741200408590},"type":"image"},{"_id":"VQA4NUQ4Q5CSTHHAH6XKIYPATE","additional_properties":{"_id":1741200408591},"content":"A couple leaves with foreheads bare and are further disgruntled when they realise the holy water font outside the church is dry.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZQHP2QQ5ZBDM3CP5AORXPCCDQ4","additional_properties":{"_id":1741200408592},"content":"Standing outside the church are two members of the Legion of Mary in full recruiting mode, delighted with the dry morning and how easy their job appears to be.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5T62QVFJHVGM5AVWMR2WGMMLSM","additional_properties":{"_id":1741200408593},"content":"The two men hand out miraculous medals as part of what one, Iain Bennett, describes as a new initiative for the legion.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GNO27UKDIBHDPPSZKDEN2ARR6Q","additional_properties":{"_id":1741200408594},"content":"“It is much easier for us this way,” he notes with a smile. “Sure aren’t they all marked men and women here? They’re very easy to identify.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"X7IYR5QV25FF5L77KYTM3B7LV4","additional_properties":{"_id":1741200408595},"type":"image"},{"_id":"NNYE4YLJPJECBD4V633PFNJ6KM","additional_properties":{"_id":1741200408597},"content":"While those coming out of the church have the thick black ashes glistening in spring sunshine, his has faded almost completely, having been applied in his local church at 8.30am.","type":"text"},{"_id":"QUNJXSBFAJGEBOPIOF34AULCFQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1741200408598},"content":"The ashes may have faded with time but his faith has deepened, he says. And after going “through a valley in my 20s and 30s” he returned to Catholicism in his 50s.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CZCUUE22NBGORMMBIXHJXGEZPI","additional_properties":{"_id":1741200408599},"content":"As he dispenses the medals, a woman, Marie, from Inchicore skips out of the church.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4ISBYHDQMNCI7ORNY3RSUT5Q6M","additional_properties":{"_id":1741200408600},"content":"“I had to come in,” she says. “Sure isn’t it the way we were all brought up,” she adds, before declining to give her full name as “my kids will kill me”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YQS7MNZMSZFUPO3I2ZAQPMXNSE","additional_properties":{"_id":1741200408601},"type":"image"},{"_id":"N4HH22UFD5EXXGYXTMG35WSBTA","additional_properties":{"_id":1741200408602},"content":"Bernadette Sexton from Clare has no problem sharing her full name and demonstrates the mark of her faith proudly on her forehead.","type":"text"},{"_id":"Q7AY4WOJ5FG5ZDEZ6LN7JWPGLI","additional_properties":{"_id":1741200408603},"content":"She never misses the ashes on this day and neither does her brother Chris, who is by her side.","type":"text"},{"_id":"EDDCXVYFRJGLJJ6UL4I5QCEUIU","additional_properties":{"_id":1741200408604},"content":"“I’d never miss this,” he says. “Sure without that, without our faith, what would we be but dust, just pieces of dust?”","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Conor Pope"}},"name":"Conor Pope"}]},"description":{"basic":"‘This is not about wearing your faith on your sleeve and it’s not about parading your Catholicism ... it is a very private thing’"},"display_date":"2025-03-06T08:09:14.692Z","headlines":{"basic":"Come all ye faithful: Dublin’s Pro Cathedral celebrates Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"DSZRA7Q2PFDH5MHM7I74P4HCSI","auth":{"1":"732552b08f4435e26fcf60480d3f0eb48b372f2feab9ffa0b0917b58dbb70540"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/DSZRA7Q2PFDH5MHM7I74P4HCSI.JPG"}},"subtype":"feature","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/05/come-all-ye-faithful-dublins-pro-cathedral-celebrates-ash-wednesday-the-start-of-lent/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social Affairs"}}}},{"_id":"5X2IXUBA7FEKHPG2JKEVM23XIE","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":271,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/33718624-e145-4518-a071-c5f586f8ed0e/versions/1741205997/media/8b312d3bdb79653f6634a59ca0262dfa_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/environment/2025/03/06/rising-electricity-and-gas-prices-prompt-government-officials-to-revisit-targeted-supports/","content_elements":[{"_id":"YTFEFUZ4INH57PGQO3NJCQERYU","additional_properties":{"_id":1741212567191},"content":"New supports will be needed for people as annual <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/your-money/2025/02/28/winter-electricity-bills-should-spur-homeowners-to-hunt-down-better-offers/\" target=\"_blank\">energy bills</a> remain 90 per cent higher for <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/business/2025/02/04/irelands-reliance-on-foreign-gas-continues-to-grow-significantly-data-shows/\" target=\"_blank\">gas</a> and more than 60 per cent higher for <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/energy-crisis/\" target=\"_blank\">electricity</a> compared with pre-energy crisis prices, Government officials have warned.","type":"text"},{"_id":"F4GBSXBRVBAQHHPMBLDORMWRJI","additional_properties":{"_id":1741212567192},"content":"People face increased costs in the coming years despite a likely fall in wholesale prices for electricity and gas, with many still wrestling with arrears, according to briefing documents from the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/department-of-energy/\" target=\"_blank\">Department of Climate and Energy</a>.","type":"text"},{"_id":"T6BGBY2H45C5XHMXJTWCYWJSVE","additional_properties":{"_id":1741212567193},"content":"The papers were released on Wednesday and are notable as officials predicted a need for targeted support as people will have to pay for the transition to sustainable energy. Increases in charges are set to be associated with security of supply renewable energy subsidies, grid maintenance and expansion, and “market imperfections”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"S3ZKLWUM5FBOJOICIL2LPOWMYY","additional_properties":{"_id":1741212567194},"content":"The documents, provided to <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/darragh-o-brien/\" target=\"_blank\">Minister for Energy Darragh O’Brien </a>in January, highlight a continuing high level of energy poverty as, officials said, estimated annual bills remain 61 per cent higher for electricity and 90 per cent higher for gas than they were before the steep rise in energy prices that began in December 2020.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NXPJCSM5A5EBTEZVRF5GO62P4M","additional_properties":{"_id":1741212567195},"content":"Prices advanced further when Russia invaded of Ukraine, and high prices have persisted. “Weighted market average for estimated annual bills are [at present] €1,779 for electric and €1,503 for gas,” officials noted.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PMJO67IIDVAQJNHX2FDUVX2SFI","additional_properties":{"_id":1741212567196},"content":"A total of €3.3 billion in credits to ease electricity bills –€1,450 per householder – was paid out, yet “approximately 230,000 electricity customers and 162,000 gas customers are in arrears”. This, the official said, represents 10 per cent and 24 per cent of the electricity and gas markets respectively.","type":"text"},{"_id":"IFCPSO53TJEJ3CA4FT2WDJ7SYM","additional_properties":{"_id":1741212567197},"content":"Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers said last month there would be no more energy credits. In a separate briefing document, his department said the credits should be avoided in future budgets despite concerns electricity prices will continue to rise over the next five years.","type":"text"},{"_id":"EDPP2QV7YVEY5DEKRE2IZBO5QQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1741212567198},"content":"Department of Energy officials said “targeted supports” will be required to provide for those least able to pay and to reduce the number of customers in arrears”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"STJPR3XU7BB65AYFOEXTJYK4N4","additional_properties":{"_id":1741212567199},"content":"“Electricity prices will remain elevated as consumers are funding the transition. Affordability and competitiveness must remain central to the transition,” they advised.","type":"text"},{"_id":"Y2YXBEEDBVHHHFXLZ4UKDMTCNM","additional_properties":{"_id":1741212567200},"content":"The Republic has the second highest electricity prices in Europe.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4C64MCINLRDQ3MTCWHXKWLHO7I","additional_properties":{"_id":1741212567201},"content":"The officials said a revised energy poverty campaign and measures encouraging a reduction in demand will be “essential” in supporting households and small and medium enterprises to lower their energy costs, the officials said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XQUQPYJHDBFSRMLOALOCDHYA7E","additional_properties":{"_id":1741212567202},"content":"On the Republic’s 2030 commitment to halve carbon emissions, the department said most recent assessments indicate “we are off-track in meeting this target”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"QUIPBFDDV5GLRIHFP4JHUBEYYI","additional_properties":{"_id":1741212567203},"content":"This means sectoral emissions ceilings applying to the 2026-2030 period will “need to be reset this year”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"R5BJRFLQ65CEDDLKWUFE64X2KQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1741212567204},"content":"This will place additional decarbonisation demands on key sectors such as transport, agriculture and energy production, said the department.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TK2RYNUCGZG3LNGD3ZZVAFM53E","additional_properties":{"_id":1741212567205},"content":"This will inform a recasting of legally binding targets and be incorporated into the Government’s 2026 climate plan, it said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"R3GVZBQKIRGJ3D2ZM37AIQWLLM","additional_properties":{"_id":1741212567206},"content":"On 2040 targets, a document to party leaders highlights the European Commission’s “non-binding recommendation” of a 90 per cent reduction in greenhouse gases (GHGs), which would place demanding additional requirements on all sectors in Ireland, if adopted.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XIJX3S3IFZCYNPBJT3RVHWRCWY","additional_properties":{"_id":1741212567207},"content":"The document does not outline the State’s position on this revised target, while additional commentary on the issue is redacted. This target was not included in the programme for government.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MLIE7CPMNNDYTKCOI4PPOF5LTM","additional_properties":{"_id":1741212567208},"content":"On agriculture, the country’s largest source of emissions, the department highlighted a “growing scientific consensus for adopting different approaches to classifying methane and all GHGs in international and national accounting of emissions”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BTCY6XGU5JBENP7H3SPUZ6VMXE","additional_properties":{"_id":1741212567209},"content":"While this may result in less onerous demands on Irish farmers to decarbonise, officials said any new position will “need to be developed carefully” in co-operation with relevant agencies and departments, particularly the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Agriculture and European Union.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Kevin O'Sullivan"}},"name":"Kevin O'Sullivan"}]},"description":{"basic":"Official source notes 10% and 24% of electricity and gas customers respectively in arrears "},"display_date":"2025-03-06T06:00:01Z","headlines":{"basic":"New supports needed as energy bills set to rise further, officials warn","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"SXWBURRGCFH5BN27PF4GSHYJDQ","auth":{"1":"f3cc7c5ceb769408aacd7c3ae4561ac81486e35992db6b6141a2fc93980688e8"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/SXWBURRGCFH5BN27PF4GSHYJDQ.JPG"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Environment"},{"name":"Climate Crisis"},{"name":"Ireland"},{"name":"Social 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title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/immigration/\">asylum seekers</a> that were inspected last year did not have effective governance systems in place, according to a report.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CAROMX3NEJHFXB46Y3BLDSBPPI","additional_properties":{},"content":"In addition, more than a third did not have policies or procedures to protect residents from harm while 35 per cent of staff across centres were not appropriately vetted by gardaí.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NUKL7AXOKFDV3LF4AGVWGOM5AE","additional_properties":{},"content":"The figures come under a major overview report from the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/hiqa/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/hiqa/\">Health Information and Quality Authority</a> (Hiqa) following a year’s worth of monitoring and inspection of <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/international-protection-accommodation-service/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/international-protection-accommodation-service/\">International Protection Accommodation Service</a> (IPAS) centres.","type":"text"},{"_id":"G4CK3PPPCVAPDGEA42YKFQ7T3E","additional_properties":{},"content":"IPAS centres, formerly known as direct provision centres, provide accommodation for people seeking international protection in Ireland.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PU7R5KHHIZC2PK44JA2YUBVL3E","additional_properties":{},"content":"Hiqa, which conducted 60 inspections across 51 centres during last year, found that many providers ensured they were providing a safe service that was of a good standard.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RL3HP2ON25DSJIVRB3FR47QNQA","additional_properties":{},"content":"However, the agency said there is “considerable room for improvement” in governance, risk management, safeguarding and protection.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6FCYXXW3BVFA7IOST4YEGFCRWI","additional_properties":{},"content":"As a result of a call for “urgent action” following its inspections, it said it is now assured that the identified staff members without vetting had now received it.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TLBUI6WOTJARTMXKKTSZASYVNM","additional_properties":{},"content":"Hiqa’s report also highlights overcrowding in the system, where limited access to housing in the community is reducing the availability of beds.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LDRDW7VNRJHFHOTPXDRUIN4JA4","additional_properties":{},"content":"The report outlines that 41 per cent of residents living in accommodation centres inspected by Hiqa had received refugee status or had valid permission to remain in Ireland but continued to live in accommodation centres because of a lack of alternatives.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JLCISZ6W4RBRTJIFTGWTZPZOS4","additional_properties":{},"content":"Hiqa met 867 adults and 302 children and young people over the course of the inspections last year.","type":"text"},{"_id":"SPQZCUEVQZDM7GTPA7AMIN6RPU","additional_properties":{},"content":"It found that 57 per cent of service providers inspected were found to be delivering safe, high-quality services in line with national standards.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RGMVJ4RWAJANVJRKJIKEUQZDBM","additional_properties":{},"content":"However, 56 per cent of inspected centres did not have effective governance and management arrangements in place and had poor, or no, reporting systems.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6H5K32BNYFE7POMUJMKJMPETRU","additional_properties":{},"content":"This meant these service providers were less likely to know how their staff were performing and did not have a good sense of risk.","type":"text"},{"_id":"SL6VMSJBVVG4RNJAP4KTAOTDTY","additional_properties":{},"content":"Just under 75 per cent of service providers had limited or no systems in place to identify or monitor risk in their centres.","type":"text"},{"_id":"36VKVIUH4VBRVPB26OM3B7V6J4","additional_properties":{},"content":"Meanwhile, 37 per cent of centres inspected by Hiqa did not have policies and procedures in place to protect residents from experiencing harm.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MXYIMFD53ZH6LD7IBWQREK3MIY","additional_properties":{},"content":"Bronagh Gibson, who leads Hiqa’s monitoring of the centres, said the current system of international protection accommodation is “not adequately resourced to meet demand”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GVX5FNAKS5DRDH2CR7HNHCW6VM","additional_properties":{},"content":"She said this has had “a notable impact on the quality” of accommodation and services provided to some people seeking protection in Ireland.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TANWELS3Z5DWRM65LC3HAML56Y","additional_properties":{},"content":"Ms Gibson added: “Many providers must place a greater focus on recognising and managing risks and putting effective safeguarding and protection procedures in place to ensure safe and person-centred services.” – PA","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"name":"Cillian Sherlock, PA"}]},"description":{"basic":"More than a third of staff across centres inspected last year were not appropriately Garda vetted, Hiqa says"},"display_date":"2025-03-05T13:44:43.1Z","headlines":{"basic":"Unvetted staff and overcrowding in asylum seeker accommodation, report finds","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"5469"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"K34PTMOM5ZBGRL2TTDA2FYGMXY","auth":{"1":"e2c0326dade070a1a3da1c086aad166eec480bc2a30516618793d352404b35fa"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/K34PTMOM5ZBGRL2TTDA2FYGMXY.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/05/unvetted-staff-and-overcrowding-in-asylum-seeker-accommodation-report-finds/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social Affairs"}}}},{"_id":"5ELQKJSBHNHYPKQTVA2LEHOR6M","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":165,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/034c1c25-5c19-454f-a3e8-e960b9fcfbc4/versions/1741119221/media/d4964f7ce3a770b55031c0e7568c42b9_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/04/refuge-provider-calls-for-single-999-style-call-line-for-women-fleeing-abuse/","content_elements":[{"_id":"BOBLB4NM65BFDM7GI5P3XEE3OM","additional_properties":{},"content":"A woman who was stabbed, burned and had hair pulled out in clumps; another in her 80s who left her husband on Christmas Day after 60 years of abuse; and a 22-year-old woman who was repeatedly raped by her husband after being brought to Ireland for forced marriage are among those who have sheltered in one refuge since Christmas.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7AUGKGU4TNHVJCIO7CZMEUZSAE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Siobhán Ferguson, head of services with <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/sonas-housing-association/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/sonas-housing-association/\">Sonas Housing</a>, also cited a mother who arrived at the refuge with her three children. They had had to leave their one-bedroom home because her 14-year-old daughter was being sexually abused by the landlord, she said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RK4CWFGLQ5DN3OGFGWQIFGWD3A","additional_properties":{},"content":"“Imagine, too, a teenager who has been sex-trafficked into this country who carries her teddy bear everywhere she goes, or a woman assaulted so badly in her own home that 26 of her bones were broken,” she said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GVX7B65ISJDWVL2QIDYJHMFOYU","additional_properties":{},"content":"Ms Ferguson was speaking at an event in Dublin on Tuesday hosted by the domestic violence charity, which is calling for a streamlining of the infrastructure of services for women and children enduring abuse.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZIE6BFETXJGXHJ4XMAMWHJRFTE","additional_properties":{},"content":"David Hall, Sonas Housing’s chief executive, said the profile of women fleeing abuse has became more complex but accessing services must become simpler.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UTG4TPDMT5GKXP4IPKS7AOAEYU","additional_properties":{},"content":"“If you are woman who wants to leave, there are too many entities to phone. They are all different organisations: some offering beds, some offering advocacy, some open day and night, some open only 9 to 5,” he said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"P2NFFQXXXFH2NBVAQGIGGHOMUE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Women wanting to leave their abusive partners should be able to call one phone number that puts them through to a central database where staff answering can access a resource showing the availability of refuge beds in real time, Mr Hall said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"VTTADHXXNNDG3AWSJU3TAQPHM4","additional_properties":{},"content":"This would be akin to the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive’s freephone number for homeless people in need of emergency accommodation, or dialling 999, to be triaged by someone who knows exactly what service is needed. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"Z5BKKHTNSNAAPEWWHNIQXFOPZE","additional_properties":{},"content":"","type":"text"},{"_id":"MIEBCDXAFBG4FBAZCJNK7APT5Y","additional_properties":{},"content":"A shocking number’: 1,600 domestic violence incidents reported to Garda in Christmas week","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"PGP2FGVJAJEQ7MI35KC5MMCA3M","additional_properties":{},"content":"Sonas is the largest provider of refuge beds nationally. It had to turn away 376 women and 750 children last year due to a lack of space. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"MCJZAABLYVBEXATAXG6FWS3OPM","additional_properties":{},"content":"The charity is repurposing facilities later this year, with new refuges to open in Dublin 4 and 22. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"MWFUFH3CA5CHHCNJXALSMQXZ34","additional_properties":{},"content":"“There is significant support at political level for domestic violence services and we are thankful for that,” Mr Hall said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"S32PKMS7RJFTZPTFDIGWK6DLDA","additional_properties":{},"content":"However, he said, the conversation should not simply cover bed numbers.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZZ67EHLIDJGS5FP3PWQSDCQOVQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"“We must shift the narrative so that policymakers and legislators recognise the need to make the system as user-friendly as possible for the women and children experiencing the trauma of domestic violence,” he said.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Kitty Holland"}},"name":"Kitty Holland"}]},"description":{"basic":"Sonas Housing turned away 376 women and 750 children last year due to a lack of space"},"display_date":"2025-03-04T20:08:35.947Z","headlines":{"basic":"Refuge provider calls for single 999-style phone line for women fleeing abuse","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"R7OHHHIQYFGG7JCJQAL3GA2W6U","auth":{"1":"487c19eac0e1748de20a555d57696bf784060c276352389712251e91ca828c89"},"focal_point":{"x":2543,"y":1878},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/R7OHHHIQYFGG7JCJQAL3GA2W6U.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Crime & Law"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/04/refuge-provider-calls-for-single-999-style-call-line-for-women-fleeing-abuse/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social Affairs"}}}},{"_id":"EZR3CJQ625HWBKCVADQTBORBMA","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":270,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/68667740-39ff-4133-9cc5-b305a0c7398f/versions/1741108186/media/84dcfb2c0f139bcd015d8fb3978d23ff_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/04/international-protection-system-records-death-of-14-asylum-seekers-last-year/","content_elements":[{"_id":"NXX6EUGR7VF4TMJJFQXQ67J2SU","additional_properties":{},"content":"A total of 14 men and women died while going through the international protection system last year, the highest number since records began. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"LD2KJR7ZWFGVJF4VCU4XDGYJ7Q","additional_properties":{},"content":"New statistics published biannually by the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/international-protection-accommodation-services-ipas/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/international-protection-accommodation-services-ipas/\">International Protection Accommodation Services</a> (IPAS) reveal 11 male and two woman asylum seekers died in 2024. The gender of the additional person who died was classified as “other/not known”. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"AMKDNSW6DBA2ZCLYLJR6QWN2SQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"The State received 18,561 asylum applications in 2024, exceeding the previous record, in 2023, by more than 5,000. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"AAACADW4QVBN5IQJPQ6A4O6AVU","additional_properties":{},"content":"Men represent just under 70 per cent of deaths in the asylum system since 2002.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7B6IMMS6OFEZNAGS3IYAVC44WY","additional_properties":{},"content":"Figures shows nine asylum seekers died in 2023, while 10 died in 2022. One man and two women going through the international protection system have died so far this year. One of these was 34-year-old Nigerian man Quham Babatunde, who was <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/crime-law/courts/2025/02/27/fifth-man-arrested-as-part-of-anne-street-south-stabbing-investigation-charged-over-attack/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/crime-law/courts/2025/02/27/fifth-man-arrested-as-part-of-anne-street-south-stabbing-investigation-charged-over-attack/\">fatally stabbed in Dublin</a> last February 15th. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"V7QHCUFN3FA5RIUD4LNCDHJ6WI","additional_properties":{},"content":"A total of 131 people, including 31 children aged 17 or younger, have died during the international protection process since 2002. Records show 23 children aged two years or under have died during this time. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"KSTUEWRJNRC7RFJBJOERL2B2VI","additional_properties":{},"content":"Nearly 60 per cent of deaths were among adults aged 26-55. Data from 1999-2002, when the State’s direct provision system first started, is not available.","type":"text"},{"_id":"HBT3ZISRUJFCNG6BN22OEM7IRY","additional_properties":{},"content":"Nearly a quarter of those who died since 2002 were Nigerian. People from Pakistan, Georgia, Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are also among the top five nationalities recorded as deceased. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"B5NGP7HU4FAAZHSBJCXZUAMCTQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"Bulelani Mfaco, a former spokesperson of the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/movement-of-asylum-seekers/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/movement-of-asylum-seekers/\">Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland</a> (Masi), recalled how a recent death he witnessed in an IPAS centre last year was “traumatic” and “frightening” for residents. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"HTOPWGV6XBHVLALC2OA44SE7EA","additional_properties":{},"content":"“A lot of people come to Ireland and end up in direct provision because they feared death in their own country. When someone dies close to you it brings back the reality of what they escaped from.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"AUU7HVYQCJG4RNKZGT7FESGWBY","additional_properties":{},"content":"Irish officials sometimes struggle to track down the family members of individuals who die after coming to Ireland alone, said Mr Mfaco. “A lot of them know no one here so nobody is in touch with their family. I remember during the pandemic I got a call from gardaí that they had just stopped a man from taking his own life and I was the only contact in his phone, I’d been providing support through Masi. Can you imagine that loneliness?”","type":"text"},{"_id":"PMW6P2TQPJGB3LQVEQT3GWDZCE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Files released to The Irish Times reveal a GP from the Safetynet Primary Care charity warned last year that a “higher than expected number of patients” living in a remote international protection centre, in “extreme isolation”, had become “suicidal”. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"U3X5LDDYAVGOBH5QQQJUI2PS4I","additional_properties":{},"content":"The State began publishing details of deaths within the asylum system in June 2021. It followed years of campaigning by refugee advocacy groups and a call by the UN’s Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination to provide transparency regarding deaths in direct provision centres. “If a person dies in the care of the State we want to see some accountability for that,” said Mr Mfaco.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WQC4B53FPBC3FO72ENKY3TQZLQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"While the Government does not reveal the cause of death of specific individuals, issues with the “circulatory system” have been recorded as the most common cause of death. Accidents, poisoning and violence was recorded for 11 per cent of deaths, while nearly 10 per cent were due to neoplasm – the growth of abnormal cells that can become cancerous. Cardiac failure, cancer, endocrine, nutrition, metabolic, respiratory system, nervous system, digestive system, infectious and parasitic diseases, drowning and sudden infant death syndrome are also listed as causes of death. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"7B7XBZVODNBRPBDCMFUYLZQZ44","additional_properties":{},"content":"Dublin has recorded the highest number of deaths among international protection applicants, followed by counties Cork, Meath and Galway. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"PYX64FK3JZHPJF2J3NOGOXTNFU","additional_properties":{},"content":"There are 33,045 asylum seekers, including 9,329 children, living in State-provided accommodation, according to the latest statistics. ","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Sorcha Pollak"}},"name":"Sorcha Pollak"}]},"description":{"basic":"Statistics show 11 men and two women died in the international protection system in 2024, while another individual’s gender was not recorded"},"display_date":"2025-03-04T17:04:38.468Z","headlines":{"basic":"International protection system records death of 14 asylum seekers last year","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"K34PTMOM5ZBGRL2TTDA2FYGMXY","auth":{"1":"e2c0326dade070a1a3da1c086aad166eec480bc2a30516618793d352404b35fa"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/K34PTMOM5ZBGRL2TTDA2FYGMXY.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/04/international-protection-system-records-death-of-14-asylum-seekers-last-year/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social Affairs"}}}},{"_id":"AICDTEC5UFEMZPBDUPHZQGRSVA","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":188,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/5469/podcasts/780f4cb4-94fe-4ece-bf05-4c8d94fbb746/versions/1741107403/media/4faefca3a9a7fc8026505f8a3caca51d_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/04/most-believe-social-factors-should-be-considered-in-public-procurement-processes-research-suggests/","content_elements":[{"_id":"GAYRMHG3MVF75K5JHB6OZVCAZU","additional_properties":{"_id":1741104737565},"content":"Two-thirds of Irish people believe more account should be taken of issues such as pay, the use of local workers and the environment when public bodies are tendering for contracts, says a survey.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XQRAHJQQT5GVZLN425ONK2WNSY","additional_properties":{"_id":1741104737567},"content":"Of more than 1,000 Irish people polled for the research, which was carried out by French firm Opinea, 66.7 per cent said they would like to see a range of social factors taken into account when contracts for public procurement were awarded.","type":"text"},{"_id":"J77QWOZLOVFFLBREK4OUE2DTLQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"This response was slightly above the 65 per cent average across the six <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/european-union/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/european-union/\">EU</a> member states in which polling was conducted.","type":"text"},{"_id":"73QYSI36IVHIXN2543WISJLJWI","additional_properties":{"_id":1741104737568},"content":"Just over 15 per cent said they thought the use of local workers should be the most important consideration, 4 per cent below the average, while 13.7 per cent said price should be the prime consideration.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BEES4PPCCJDWPC6B3365LIQLUA","additional_properties":{"_id":1741104737569},"content":"Spending by government and other public bodies on the purchase of goods and services covering everything from stationery and cleaning services to the construction of hospitals has been estimated be worth about €20bn a year. Unions have increasingly identified it as driving progress on employment rights and other social issues across the EU.","type":"text"},{"_id":"VTRHOA44TNA3VKMWPCRGDDHKWM","additional_properties":{"_id":1741104737570},"content":"At the moment, public bodies offering contracts for goods or services are obliged to choose the most economically advantageous tender. Guidelines suggest this will primarily be assessed on the basis of price and quality.","type":"text"},{"_id":"55CLI5FKRFFX7M76KTY64YS7EM","additional_properties":{"_id":1741104737571},"content":"There is, however, some scope to take environmental and other social factors into consideration and there are some provisions to encourage participation in the process by small and medium enterprises locally.","type":"text"},{"_id":"VOBOFV2FWFG33EFY4ANNBO5FIE","additional_properties":{"_id":1741104737572},"content":"The unions want considerably more weight to be attached to these factors and say their research suggests they enjoy substantial public support on the issue with the numbers increasing.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XOZ6RBFK2NELBASAJUGRP4TI5A","additional_properties":{},"content":"The polling was carried out for international trade union body Uni Europa, which holds its conference later this month in Belfast.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BJ2MKMZJAJG2JEDQSIKEJD56QU","additional_properties":{"_id":1741104737573},"content":"In Ireland, the research suggests, the percentage of people who believe contracts should be awarded on the basis of social factors as well as price is up from 41 per cent in 2011 to 67 per cent last December when the latest polling was carried out.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AVVGLCPRONFEBHO3MENCRVSJ4E","additional_properties":{"_id":1741104737574},"content":"When the results from France, Germany, Czechia, Spain and Poland are included, the overall average figure from the six countries has risen from 52 per cent to 65 per cent.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JYVZSLA6V5CL7L6SN5JLVN4BZE","additional_properties":{"_id":1741104737575},"content":"Wages and conditions provided to the workers employed by the contracting companies were identified as an important factor by almost half of respondents, while an entitlement to collective bargaining received 34 per cent support generally and 41 per cent in Ireland.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XTMPIQKMWBH3FBVN4F65PAATAY","additional_properties":{"_id":1741104737576},"content":"By comparison, 33 per cent across the six countries and 38 per cent in Ireland emphasised the particular importance of environmental considerations in the process.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4TL333EBDBCJBBAA6TPSSTZOP4","additional_properties":{"_id":1741104737577},"content":"“It is not acceptable for any government to spend €18bn of taxpayers' cash on goods and services in this State and attach no conditions on whether it is being spent on good employers and decent wages,” <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/siptu\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/siptu\">Siptu</a> services division officer Adrian Kane said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"KPAXAINWTJDJDCXKZ4K7QVGQFM","additional_properties":{"_id":1741104737578},"content":"“We believe that the public procurement budget must be used to raise living standards and that starts with companies that benefit from the public pursue recognising unions for collective bargaining. No exceptions.”","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Emmet Malone"}},"name":"Emmet Malone"}]},"description":{"basic":"Survey finds public in favour of awarding contracts on basis of pay, environmental impact and recognition of unions"},"display_date":"2025-03-04T16:51:32.014Z","headlines":{"basic":"Most believe social factors should be considered in public procurement processes, research suggests","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"5469"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"5FEMWOMVXZD3TAQ6KFGHYFIS6Q","auth":{"1":"cd8533af51ee78f10706009f4d1f8ede75024eefef462d0f467f33487c10effe"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/5FEMWOMVXZD3TAQ6KFGHYFIS6Q.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Business"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/04/most-believe-social-factors-should-be-considered-in-public-procurement-processes-research-suggests/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social Affairs"}}}},{"_id":"WHMHXDWWH5FJXKFQ4W2MWKDF2Y","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":144,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/ffa62d9f-f5cd-471c-a4b3-70f211fa1677/versions/1741081524/media/062a1b0ec228212a4fc3da2f2415e44a_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/health/2025/03/04/wrc-talks-aimed-at-resolving-s39-dispute-adjourned-until-friday/","content_elements":[{"_id":"ARKKJ5EI2JF6TBSTFCG32SLN4Q","additional_properties":{},"content":"Talks at the Workplace Relations Commission aimed at resolving a long running dispute involving thousands of healthcare workers employed by charities and voluntary organisations funded by the Government are to resume on Friday.","type":"text"},{"_id":"K4QCLPHBCZHZBOBRPKAJANBPXY","additional_properties":{},"content":"In a joint statement issued late on Monday evening by <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/siptu\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/siptu\">Siptu</a>, <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/forsa\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/forsa\">Fórsa</a> and the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (<a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/into\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/into\">INTO</a>), union negotiators said “some progress was made at the talks, however, there are a number of outstanding issues that remain to be resolved”. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"VRMXKHFIL5AJZLGZB3ZZIVSKZ4","additional_properties":{},"content":"Some 5,000 Siptu members working at more than 20 organisations operating across the country including Ability West, Cheshire Ireland and Rehab have voted to take industrial action if an agreement cannot be reached. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"J43UIBQESNHFBBKMH5CC2ZAVSU","additional_properties":{},"content":"The talks are the latest attempt to <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/health/2025/02/27/section-39-health-care-workers-vote-for-industrial-action-in-long-running-dispute/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/health/2025/02/27/section-39-health-care-workers-vote-for-industrial-action-in-long-running-dispute/\">resolve a dispute</a> that has been rumbling on for years. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"BYPCSBE4WJE3XOOIKRPAYBJJFE","additional_properties":{},"content":"ADHD gender gap: ‘Girls are constantly falling under the radar’","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"3ZWFXG6ZF5A6ZJXEH25CMLXRZI","additional_properties":{},"content":"Workers in the Section 39 sector, many of whom work as carers, administrators and healthcare professionals with some of the country’s best known charities and voluntary organisations, had their pay reduced along with public sector colleagues in the wake of the financial crash but did not benefit from subsequent measures intended to restore the money.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GD33OSSGERCKZCN5OJCCPIW4GI","additional_properties":{},"content":"In many cases their employers are funded by the Department of Health or HSE but the staff contend they do not enjoy the same pay or conditions as counterparts doing similar work but while directly employed by government agencies.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DFW73ZDUTFE5JBMGYBZZWIMHWA","additional_properties":{},"content":"In October 2023 a strike in the sector was avoided after last minute talks resulted in a deal that provided for pay increases and provided for a process intended to address the issue of the link to pay and conditions in the HSE and other government agencies.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AGPRWQUVQZHVXAPYIWIXPOMYHA","additional_properties":{},"content":"That issue has not been resolved, however, and while progress is understood to have been made on Monday with regard to projected pay increases, differences persisted between the two sides persist over who would be covered by any agreement. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"B2C5PUU2URG3BPWYEL5XCT4EQU","additional_properties":{},"content":"Aside from the core group of S39 healthcare workers, thousands more staff working in areas like homelessness, and family services are hoping any agreement reached would benefit them.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BOIVOIWTUNDV7E3R6SOSGHXDEY","additional_properties":{},"content":"One stumbling block encountered on Monday, however, is whether workers in organisations that tendered to provide services would be covered. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"KMYRUHI2UFCZVIEOCOF7VKUTQA","additional_properties":{},"content":"Employer groups fear some funding streams may also be excluded leaving them in a situation where pay increases and supported for some staff but not for others. ","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Emmet Malone"}},"name":"Emmet Malone"}]},"description":{"basic":"Unions say progress made on a number of issues but some obstacles to deal remain"},"display_date":"2025-03-04T07:43:53.11Z","headlines":{"basic":"WRC talks aimed at resolving S39 dispute adjourned until Friday","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"BXXSY3IN2YAHKO3W5IKIN2Z2PA","auth":{"1":"b9993d351ad6a9c97b33fdf5f406007e330b324f55abac1572deaf4e9830b8d4"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/BXXSY3IN2YAHKO3W5IKIN2Z2PA.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Health"},{"name":"Ireland"},{"name":"Social Affairs"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/health/2025/03/04/wrc-talks-aimed-at-resolving-s39-dispute-adjourned-until-friday/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/health","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Health"}}}},{"_id":"PHZKFY5KYVGUDAV6JYUMIKAKIY","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":252,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/e611f30c-9ac2-4098-b41f-74a609bb8baf/versions/1741034192/media/8c4d8bb5eef4bbd5d6f4d6814d29396c_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/04/abusers-using-data-protection-law-to-get-details-on-victims/","content_elements":[{"_id":"ZTILNCKA65BJDBJBEKNYS7OCYI","additional_properties":{"_id":1741012010172},"content":"Perpetrators of domestic and sexual violence are exploiting <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/data-privacy/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/data-privacy/\">data protection</a> legislation to find out where their victims are, a leading refuge provider has said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GVMJWMOYE5HXLLJ3R5VN6TXYU4","additional_properties":{},"content":"Sonas Housing made the claim while accusing <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/tusla/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/tusla/\">Tusla</a> of revealing that a mother and child fleeing abuse were sheltering in a Sonas refuge to their alleged abuser. Sonas has one refuge – in north Dublin.","type":"text"},{"_id":"FT766JXWCJB25JC6L734W42MOQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1741012010173},"content":"The mother and child have been moved to a safe house elsewhere in the charity’s network.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GV3XOPXMNBE4FP2ETRENKD7CNQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"David Hall, chief executive of Sonas, says he believes Tusla also provided the man with the name of the Sonas support worker who had notified Tusla of child protection concerns about the “very young” child, putting the staff member’s safety at risk.","type":"text"},{"_id":"T33FDGOAWVGH7NXIWTCUPBV6XA","additional_properties":{},"content":"In addition, he said, the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/data-protection-commission/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/data-protection-commission/\">Data Protection Commission</a> (DPC) – to which the man has appealed Sonas’s refusal to release information to him concerning his wife and child – is pressurising the body to provide it with a schedule of information the man wants.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XP7RIXYBDFE5RIDG5OIYPFA22Q","additional_properties":{"_id":1741012010176},"content":"Mr Hall said he will not release the information to either the man or the DPC.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LRWJSCEOX5GIRCTB3AYNWOAWXM","additional_properties":{"_id":1741012010177},"content":"In a highly critical statement on both the DPC and Tusla, he said: “The current environment for data [of women and children fleeing domestic violence] is unsafe at the moment.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"2PWASFWM45ESLLABRO2MX32NR4","additional_properties":{"_id":1741012010178},"content":"He said there were six other “live cases” where alleged abusers have applied for information that would confirm their partners and/or children were in housing provided by Sonas, the country’s biggest provider of domestic violence refuges.","type":"text"},{"_id":"X2JWJE3XDJDAXMMNPYFKAHGJ6Y","additional_properties":{"_id":1741012010179},"content":"“It is obscene in circumstances where there is an alleged abuser and where we are housing people in a safe space that anyone, including the Data Protection Commissioner, is seeking data from us to make a determination on whether to release it or not.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"GG5OS7P275FZLDC6SE37BEJPKY","additional_properties":{"_id":1741012010180},"content":"In a letter to Tusla last Friday, Mr Hall criticised the agency’s “unauthorised disclosure of ‘sensitive personal’ data to a third party”, accusing Tusla of a “serious violation of data protection regulations”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MLFNR6COBZEKDOW7HLOF2UGCRQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1741012010181},"content":"“Your actions have me very nervous and I’m carrying out a security review to ensure my team and clients are safe,” Mr Hall wrote.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RGHL2YH72ND27K5ZHCSRR4UUZA","additional_properties":{},"content":"The initial alleged data breach occurred when a Sonas support worker made four child protection notifications to Tusla about the child. Tusla was said to have notified the man of the allegations, and he made a “subject access request” to Tusla for files relating to him.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2IGK36ZIIRFXFJYO2WD4E4QDRU","additional_properties":{"_id":1741012010184},"content":"Details, including that his wife and child were in the Sonas refuge, were released to the man, according to Sonas. The man made a subject access request to Sonas, who refused. He appealed to the DPC.","type":"text"},{"_id":"C7LESRSA6VC2JF5R5HCUEEURX4","additional_properties":{"_id":1741012010185},"content":"In correspondence between the DPC and Sonas up to last week, seen by The Irish Times, Sonas invokes Article 15 (4) of the GDPR Act, grounding its refusal to release information to the commissioner on the provision that the right to “personal” data should not “adversely affect the rights or freedoms of others”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GX2XGQ6MNJDD3E4ACOL2WGMGII","additional_properties":{"_id":1741012010186},"content":"To “even entertain” releasing data to the commissioner, says Mr Hall, would confirm Sonas was sheltering the woman and child.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PJOQHBXKDZATVEVG7UC7A73LLA","additional_properties":{"_id":1741012010187},"content":"Mr Hall said he would go to prison rather than hand over information that would identify Sonas service users or staff. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"SCAURQPLDNGE3HPTCNOLWJGISE","additional_properties":{"_id":1741012010188},"content":"“This is similar to the legal lacuna that sees <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/crime-law/courts/2025/01/17/calls-for-law-to-be-changed-to-end-access-to-rape-victims-counselling-notes/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/crime-law/courts/2025/01/17/calls-for-law-to-be-changed-to-end-access-to-rape-victims-counselling-notes/\">rape survivor’s counselling notes being handed over to her attacker’s legal team</a>. There is a fundamental problem here both with the law and with how it is being applied.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"2YHWVDUMIFADBO6MAPWX2MIJ6A","additional_properties":{"_id":1741012010189},"content":"In a statement, Tusla said it did not comment on individual cases. “We are acutely aware of our responsibilities in relation to the very sensitive data we process. Where anyone does have a query or concern around data, we engage directly with the individual or organisation,” it said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"V5DFXE5IIRDTPBNS6MJG5HCO2Y","additional_properties":{"_id":1741012010190},"content":"A spokesman for the DPC would not comment on an individual and ongoing case.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6NHA7XM7JBGFXOV73B773NAP6U","additional_properties":{"_id":1741012010189},"content":"<a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/tusla-becomes-first-organisation-fined-for-gdpr-rule-breach-1.4255692\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/tusla-becomes-first-organisation-fined-for-gdpr-rule-breach-1.4255692\">In 2020 Tusla was fined €75,000 for three data breaches</a>, one of which was unintentionally providing a man accused of child sexual abuse with the address of the child and her mother’s telephone number.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BILCAB7XVNFJPBR3WHUMSR5UG4","additional_properties":{"_id":1741012010191},"content":"","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Kitty Holland"}},"name":"Kitty Holland"}]},"description":{"basic":"Charity accuses Tusla of giving sensitive information to alleged abuser, saying data rules are ‘unsafe’"},"display_date":"2025-03-04T06:00:00Z","headlines":{"basic":"Abusers using data protection law to get details on victims","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"R4HYDJDK7AOYXFXYL75ACMGLYQ","auth":{"1":"5ae507ed8c0ef03c81e4fb9fc873b31fb8058ccc0c338d324c1f7f946a8ee0f8"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/R4HYDJDK7AOYXFXYL75ACMGLYQ.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/04/abusers-using-data-protection-law-to-get-details-on-victims/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social Affairs"}}}},{"_id":"C6VPOV6GYVBMJMIJOWPGYBCWDQ","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":454,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/50878323-d809-4325-aaec-c279e691dd7a/versions/1741024902/media/26633293064edf1dce22f17bf093b8be_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/education/2025/03/04/executive-education-bursaries-give-ukrainians-in-ireland-new-tools-to-progress/","content_elements":[{"_id":"XPN4QZDC5ZFK5APACMUJDP7ZGI","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097072},"content":"Within a month of fleeing the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/ukraine-crisis/\" target=\"_blank\">war in Ukraine</a> to Ireland where she continued to work remotely as an export and marketing manager at a major pharmaceuticals manufacturer, Anna Repetska was told she needed to return to the company’s Kyiv offices or leave her job.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UYXEKP6WOFDJ5N6MWSKOTW4S6U","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097073},"content":"The ultimatum seemed harsh but “in the circumstances we are now, fair is not a word Ukrainians use,” she says. “It was the fact.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"V7ZFNXS66ZCOJIBH5WGBP36KTU","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097074},"content":"Since then, however, she has been lucky on almost every count. After arriving here in May 2022 she met a family in Newbridge who took her in and treated her like a daughter, got a job at United Drug Consumer, where she works as a brand manager and, more recently, has been able to study again.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DFV3YDJGGRAE7PDJJEUT562JCQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097075},"content":"That opportunity has been provided by a bursary in executive education programme aimed at Ukrainians and run by the business school at <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/trinity-college-dublin/\" target=\"_blank\">Trinity College Dublin</a>. She heard about the programme from friends online.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3C6YMVYMVRDLJMOWGX5MO3R65E","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097077},"content":"“I like to learn new things and it was nice just to be doing that again but it’s been beneficial too.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PVDESQV7FREVZGORZI7EYRYSJE","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097078},"content":"“We are not locals,” she says. “We have a different culture and mindset, different ways of speaking and doing things, so I wanted to dive deeper into the different styles of communication and leadership. I wanted to understand that better, to see how things work and get new tools to progress. It has helped a lot.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"6PZAKVJ2FFBYFP622VPUHO76HU","additional_properties":{"_id":"QHTMH3575ZHRPP4GCVRDO74RWM"},"content":"Review aims to bring supports for Ukrainian students in line with those for Irish nationals","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"EXYH2KH6RNE6VAYFEPCFO4AEPI","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097079},"content":"Repetska is one of about 65 Ukrainians to benefit from the programme over the course of the academic year and by the end of 2025 the school hopes to have brought 100 Ukrainians through courses intended to be short, practical and targeted to particular needs.","type":"text"},{"_id":"S2S6OQQGFZCDXGW5PQSBIXOFZA","additional_properties":{"_id":"3AXDPWQLSJD5RK2G24VJNRN3SY"},"type":"image"},{"_id":"HRDP7YBVSRDWHIH4JM5D7YYWV4","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097080},"content":"Anastasiia Levdikova had 17 years’ experience in business before leaving Odessa and now lives in Dundalk with her partner and their three children. She has continued to work since arriving soon after the war started while gaining her second master’s degree at <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/dcu/\" target=\"_blank\">DCU</a>, which also provided supports.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XSRIVB55XZALHHJSCMX4BF3ALQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097081},"content":"In August, she started a new business, L&D Works, helping companies here and abroad with talent analytics, recruitment and retention. She says her course, like Repetska’s, in leadership, has helped her better understand the people here.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ARRSPHF7B5GPXNLYCTE4E2UZ7M","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097082},"content":"“It has been important for me, it has helped me to have a different view on what we are developing and gave me a good idea of what people in Ireland are expecting,” she says.","type":"text"},{"_id":"63APP52HGRCFBI5YHOQH2PDDCU","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097083},"content":"Viktoria Horbonos and her partner Mykola Kuleshov have started a catering business, Lucy, and plan to open at a new location in the coming weeks close to Leonard’s Corner in Dublin 8. The course they did in finance for non-finance professionals has helped hugely, they say, in presenting business plans to banks.","type":"text"},{"_id":"67UWAY7S6VGCXHBFL3QJSXBIAM","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097084},"content":"“It was great to learn the terms and it has helped us when we speak to our accountant,” says Horbonos. “We wouldn’t have coped without it, it’s been an amazing experience.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"YRPMJ2WEEVAZXDDQ7CJN2DQDSQ","additional_properties":{"_id":"PULO5LUG3RFLDHN3JZY6SSCWUU"},"content":"Ukrainians in Ireland fear cut in ‘vital’ accommodation payment - Red Cross","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"KBLKPODUBRDKLIJMZGXYO5WXBY","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097085},"content":"Like a lot of Ukrainians in Ireland, Horbonos had initially struggled to find employment in Ireland despite being hugely well qualified at home. She has a PhD and worked in forensics in Kyiv before lecturing at a university in her native Vinnytsia, 250km southwest of the capital.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MXJ52QAPYZANRK2JVFUN7ORCLM","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097086},"content":"“I thought I could work in a kindergarten here but was told I would need to do a level-five qualification. Then I went for a job as a barista and the person interviewing me said I would be better to throw my two-page resume away and just keep a few lines about being good with my hands and people and being eager to work.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"EZZZFQLEB5CBRITB5PVGBPRPGI","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097087},"content":"After a succession of hospitality jobs she and Mykola started to think about opening up a business of their own, serving food from back home, but they were a little daunted by the practicalities.","type":"text"},{"_id":"H57OHWQHLRBX5HD4CW3IGCOH4Y","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097088},"content":"They heard about the Trinity course from a woman who worked in the college as she bought Ukrainian dumplings from them and they have big ambitions for the business.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UYL2EEI475EIDAWW7PBPKYEOIA","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097089},"content":"Kuleshov, however, says that even getting to study at a university such as Trinity initially seemed unbelievable. He had never previously got to study having gone to work from a young age after being brought up by his grandmother then helping her and his disabled uncle. “I cried when I heard we had been accepted,” he says.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PYIAVE2N4RACZO7YAU454ELNKY","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097090},"content":"Nina Mischenko, meanwhile, has also struggled to get work here despite experience as a journalist and communications director for a large real-estate company back home.","type":"text"},{"_id":"S567RZ4GWZCBTH72KBYLQP2M5A","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097091},"content":"“I was always told I was overqualified for the lower-ranking jobs but did not have the Irish or EU qualifications wanted for the executive roles. I did a course before this in Pearse College and am also studying at <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/tu-dublin/\" target=\"_blank\">TU Dublin</a> but the course here in AI has been so interesting, how we can use it in marketing, and I am hoping when people see I have studied at the best university in Dublin on LinkedIn it will help me.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"G3SM3D3OXVCH3MQBJOSO7UB2ME","additional_properties":{"_id":"NLSUA7UYQVFOZILGYJG5YUA7H4"},"content":"‘It feels like the system won’t accept me’: Ukrainian doctors struggle to find work in Ireland","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"U6N2LX3ROJHIZHLI3FSQM54GBY","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097092},"content":"All of the Ukrainians who spoke to The Irish Times about the course expressed gratitude, not just to Trinity for the opportunity it has given them but to Ireland and its people for the support they have received.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZTRXR5YWDNDCJPKZVGPWEAPWVA","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097093},"content":"Their back stories are varied but all remarkable, full of trauma, decisions of great consequence and resilience.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ONBX26Y3TJC4PISGANCC4Z37PU","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097094},"content":"“A woman I know who lived through the war in the Balkans told me there were people who left there to grow their families and career abroad and those who stayed and had to wait years for the war to end, then the country to rebuild. And she said to me: ‘If there is a war, think about what you really want in your life?’”","type":"text"},{"_id":"3MC54JYRLBHX5HADV7PR6V24BA","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097095},"content":"Two weeks later she knew the war had started when she heard an explosion in the middle of the night and immediately started making plans.","type":"text"},{"_id":"P77PH6BTI5G2ZDOM7WEG2BFNTM","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097096},"content":"All have shown a determination to move their lives forward while the war rumbles on. Michael Flynn, director of executive education at the university, says the Ukrainians accepted on to the courses, from the hundreds who applied, “are very aligned with the other people who look for these programmes. They want skills uplift or leadership development aligned with the jobs or aspirations they have.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"3TARQWCHH5EBVDVR52GGILCBTM","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097097},"content":"Each bursary, he says, is worth about €2,000 and by integrating the students with Irish and other nationalities based here, the Ukrainians also benefit from “plugging into the ecosystem” and the networking opportunities that brings.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZQOB3L6A3NGHTBF7DKJBZPPMOU","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097098},"content":"Having initiated the programme after the war started, the department is starting to extend it to other groups including international protection applicants and those working in the areas of homelessness and mental health or with vulnerable women – all areas, the department hopes, where a positive impact can be made.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TI3NXJ6VMBCHFD66YMCW6RSNCY","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097099},"content":"The Ukrainians have felt it already, they say, and want to put the skills they have been equipped with to good use.","type":"text"},{"_id":"VNOF6C5SR5EPNFTBBFLLALQ4M4","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097100},"content":"Some seem likely to settle in Ireland while others, such as Anastasiia Snytkova, a newly qualified lawyer from Mykolaiv, hopes the course in business and human rights might help her make Ukraine a better place some day.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NZTGHNU2PZDU7FYFIAS6IOGAGI","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097101},"content":"She is, she says, incredibly grateful to the families who have hosted her here, to the first legal firm that employed her, Byrne Wallace, when “my English was not good and I’m sure they didn’t know what to do with me” as well as A&L Goodbody, where she now works as a legal review analyst. “But my parents are in Ukraine and a piece of my heart too,” she says.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4T2743KYENGL3IPIF3ZXFJLEYE","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097102},"content":"Asked what she will do, Repetska says there is no way of really knowing for now. “I had lots of plans before the war but war teaches you not to plan so much.”","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Emmet Malone"}},"name":"Emmet Malone"}]},"description":{"basic":"Programme run by Trinity Business School is to be extended to other groups including those working in the areas of homelessness and mental health"},"display_date":"2025-03-04T06:00:00Z","headlines":{"basic":"Executive education bursaries give Ukrainians in Ireland new tools to progress","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"4SFN3VKLU5DZHNW5RC2I56YET4","auth":{"1":"d641d4b4af1229c809cead6d8a27f649ebdbf23acfef2902cf2eb6d6cae89449"},"focal_point":{"x":2966,"y":1463},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/4SFN3VKLU5DZHNW5RC2I56YET4.JPG"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Education"},{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/education/2025/03/04/executive-education-bursaries-give-ukrainians-in-ireland-new-tools-to-progress/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/education","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Education"}}}},{"_id":"RK3XAWI5MNHIHBBOP2VVHMDY4Y","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":198,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/7057408a-22b3-4e5d-821b-2ca75d232192/versions/1741023872/media/ebbb9bbf6164525bc3b6916bd1f45351_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/03/samaritans-seek-volunteers-as-demand-for-service-continues-to-grow/","content_elements":[{"_id":"WUTEHXHENZHPPA5GDE677X6A4A","additional_properties":{},"content":"Vera (75) sits by the phone in the Samaritan’s centre in Dublin for three hours a week, listening to the problems of strangers.","type":"text"},{"_id":"QB33WGQ6TRB5VNM6F7JANJNSHQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"She has noticed over the 50 years she has volunteered that “you never know what you’re going to get when you pick up the phone”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GHNI3KQATZDPLHFO6CZYKG2I2I","additional_properties":{},"content":"Known as Vera3, because the charity doesn’t provide the surnames of its volunteers, she joined the organisation as a volunteer in 1974. Yet the role hasn’t changed all that much in that time.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZX5KIANBFNAGJAKLJ5PBCY7GCU","additional_properties":{},"content":"“You get everything under the sun. For some people, they just want to talk to people about anything. You see loneliness from all people. But a lot of the trends have stayed the same: mental health issues, relationship issues,” she said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JMLAXYXBSNBWTOQIAMYKQBAOMA","additional_properties":{},"content":"“But some of the issues have changed because society has changed, particularly in relation to the acceptance of various people, such as gay people.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZB4ZF36KMFAVBJWJ3ENDZ7M5EI","additional_properties":{},"content":"She was in her mid-20s when she decided she wanted to volunteer, first helping with the Simon Communities' soup run. During this time, it struck her how much people “love to chat”, leading her to join the Samaritans, which provides emotional support to anyone in distress.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RZOVCQ3J5BAUZMJMY5FNRM7CKY","additional_properties":{},"content":"“When I look back, that decision to join was probably one of the best of my life. I’ve got so much from it, you get a real understanding of how people are. I’m thrilled to still be here 50 years later and I’ll continue to do it as long as I can get myself out to the centre.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"CV5XWSJ4XNG3FOCQM6EP4F5Q6A","additional_properties":{},"type":"image"},{"_id":"64ACGMFB7FC3XDLQY35ME4XXXI","additional_properties":{},"content":"","type":"text"},{"_id":"MPRNPGZNLJAL7OERSMF6VJA5RQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"Vera was speaking as the charity launched a new training scheme, offering daytime training slots, rather than just evenings and Saturdays, in an attempt to attract retired people or those on shift work.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WGB5CDAF55FZNFL25HNBD7UYQU","additional_properties":{},"content":"The need for an increased volume of volunteers comes as demand of the service continues to grow. The Dublin branch opened up 55 years ago in 1970, at which point it received over 1,000 contacts. Last year, there were nearly 89,000 calls and emails answered by the organisation, up from the 83,000 the previous year. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"HBAIKF2TTBGG7PSFVVRGMU2DP4","additional_properties":{},"content":"Volunteers commit to three hours per week and one “night duty” every two months. The organisation said it needs to increase volunteer numbers to continue offering people free listening and emotional support nationwide.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZD3TQVDASNG2PPFHOTCCAAUUO4","additional_properties":{},"content":"<a href=\"https://www.samaritans.org/ireland/branches/dublin/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://www.samaritans.org/ireland/branches/dublin/\">Dublin Samaritans </a>has 300 volunteers who provide 24/7 support, 365 days a year.","type":"text"},{"_id":"32MUZH7MBND35LSQKAN32LALWQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"Mary McMahon, volunteer director at Dublin Samaritans, said there are volunteers from all walks of life and of all ages.","type":"text"},{"_id":"KTASLARHXZCIZBR5LOZDP3XRSA","additional_properties":{},"type":"image"},{"_id":"YIOG7MLSQZCDNNVDKL3NTYRD7U","additional_properties":{},"content":"","type":"text"},{"_id":"N3MMJZKFWNGFRHKSNMIUY7QM5Y","additional_properties":{},"content":"“The four main areas the calls are about tends to be mental health difficulties, loneliness and isolation, relationships and family issues,” added Ms McMahon.","type":"text"},{"_id":"EX5ZXFBXNVGCNODHHFOROH7J3E","additional_properties":{},"content":"“As a volunteer, you’re there when people really need you. It’s a huge privilege to be on the other side of the phone in someone’s time of need.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"474M2L2RAZBYRI4EUZOMYQQGJ4","additional_properties":{},"content":"Samaritans can be contacted 24 hours a day, seven days a week, on the freephone helpline number 116 123 or email <a href=\"mailto:jo@samaritans.ie\" rel=\"\">jo@samaritans.ie</a>.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4N3L7Z6BDZEQ7FN6FV22VVEOWU","additional_properties":{},"content":"","type":"text"},{"_id":"GCTPD373OZBM3H7ABG25RKQXDY","additional_properties":{},"content":"","type":"text"},{"_id":"5BN5PMDOH5AHRAKDEI5XPRYHOM","additional_properties":{},"content":"","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Shauna Bowers"}},"name":"Shauna Bowers"}]},"description":{"basic":"‘It’s a huge privilege to be on the other side of the phone in someone’s time of need’ "},"display_date":"2025-03-03T19:00:01Z","headlines":{"basic":"Samaritans seek volunteers as demand for service continues to grow","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"4JUSDRMQJRBUNKNCIYVJXC2Q7E","auth":{"1":"06ee124a985c147bd08ae95b71b5df8da076abf78389f351e704d5f4ee911ef6"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/4JUSDRMQJRBUNKNCIYVJXC2Q7E.JPG"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Health"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/03/samaritans-seek-volunteers-as-demand-for-service-continues-to-grow/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social Affairs"}}}},{"_id":"S225MH6ZLFARFCPNQXZBQ6PY7Q","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":536,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/347daeb4-30bc-4324-af14-67cdd4f45097/versions/1740667147/media/2d3aa6341f1b4977beb6423e55a39389_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/politics/2025/03/01/companies-paid-millions-to-run-emergency-housing-for-children-in-care/","content_elements":[{"_id":"GB6KJXJWRVAMZOKWDLB66R2GAM","additional_properties":{},"content":"Private companies continue to be paid millions of euros to house vulnerable children in State care in unregulated emergency accommodation, new figures from <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/tusla/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/tusla/\">Tusla</a>, the child and family agency, show. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"K4BNSYVC2VCO5AVF2WPWJKFEFY","additional_properties":{},"content":"Fifteen companies shared €56 million in payments from Tusla last year to run unregulated accommodation, known as special emergency arrangements. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"VZBFDHLCXZAKNIXYOSFUPSC56I","additional_properties":{},"content":"Children are often put into rented apartments or houses, bed and breakfasts and hotel rooms, supervised by staff from private companies. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"7RMUHL4GQVG3PGSUUWTA2CNSJI","additional_properties":{},"content":"The lack of space in regulated group homes for children in care and a shortage of foster carers means Tusla has increasingly relied on this emergency accommodation. There were 158 children in State care living in these emergency arrangements at the start of February. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"MO4UHXG3TZCRLP2LLODPR4XYRQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"One company, Baig & Mirza Health Services, was paid €16.5 million by Tusla last year. The company is owned by two men, Muhammad Usman Baig (40) and Farhan Mirza (41), who are both based in Dublin. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"SJ7MV6Z6P5DE5EX7YKWXKBSC7M","additional_properties":{},"content":"Company accounts show the firm made a profit of €3 million in 2023, on the back of nearly €13 million it received from Tusla to run emergency accommodation. A separate property company owned by the pair was paid €600,000 by Tusla last year. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"3TOJW24TIJFTBAF3LBMCDQTHWA","additional_properties":{},"content":"The second highest paid provider of emergency accommodation was Comet Care Ltd, who were paid €7.5 million by Tusla last year. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"WEDECN7TQZHN7IE5NCQOKS22CM","additional_properties":{},"content":"One of its owners and directors, Louis O’Moore (43), from Malahide, Dublin, has worked in the residential care sector for several years. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"RY3FDB7RCBDE7PBZXWPRGGXHBI","additional_properties":{},"content":"Mr O’Moore is listed as head of operations at Daffodil Care, a company contracted by Tusla to run regulated group homes for children in care. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"ESB5ATTNTFHWPAGEETYUMXGFG4","additional_properties":{},"content":"He also sits on the board of Social Care Ireland, an industry group for the social care sector. Records show Comet Care Ltd was set up in 2021. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"UWWCHU4YNZC3RJ5RLZYCNO3MSM","additional_properties":{},"content":"Another company running emergency accommodation, Tender Touch Services, was paid €5.9 million by Tusla last year. The firm is run by Sylverline Chikwe (46), from Newbridge, Co Kildare. It reported a profit of €1 million in 2023. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"B2KCKTIOGNHTHH6LTOPNSQQNWI","additional_properties":{},"content":"The figures detailing the payments made by Tusla were released to The Irish Times, following a request made under the Freedom of Information Act. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"3QEGGSC6VRC75P6INMPU6IXU24","additional_properties":{},"content":"Several of the companies are franchise operations under the Kare Plus group umbrella, who are mainly involved in providing home care and nursing services. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"E4S7MIVLSRHUXIXLE5DLMQTV54","additional_properties":{},"content":"Jonah Ramasia (41), a doctor, is the managing director of Kare Plus South Cork. His company, Superior Health Ltd, was paid €4.9 million by Tusla last year, to run special emergency arrangements. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"LRCCO7QNE5C75LOLY6LZBUV7MY","additional_properties":{},"content":"Dr Ramasia runs the business with Gloria Ramasia (33), who is an accountant. The pair list a home address in Co Limerick on company accounts. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"LAD5QWXMSJEF5J5JO4UP37453Q","additional_properties":{},"content":"The fifth highest paid company, Victoria Healthcare Organisation, received €4.2 million in payments from Tusla last year. Samson Aba (49), who lives in Skibbereen, Cork, owns the company. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"QCI5IMOB6FAF5DUKXLG4SGZGFE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Rev John Ardis, a Church of Ireland priest in Skibbereen, is also listed as a director. When contacted, Rev Ardis said he had no day-to-day involvement in the company beyond his role as a director. The company’s website states it provides home care and respite care and also sells wheelchairs online. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"BJAQTCSNX5FO3NNGZSNFNFIFQU","additional_properties":{},"content":"Whisbay Ltd, operating as Kare Plus Dublin city north, was paid €3.7 million to manage emergency accommodation for young people in State care. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"D57WTZHWY5EJ3AS56N3HSL7R4E","additional_properties":{},"content":"The company’s directors are David Toal (52) and Brian Toal (45), who both have addresses in Castleknock, Dublin. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"SW3MDFCBOFBKZMD2KNDKYT6ERM","additional_properties":{},"content":"David Toal is listed as the managing director of the company, having previously worked as a banker in KBC Bank for 10 years. The firm made €1.3 million in profit in 2023, with the two directors sharing €300,000 in fees and remuneration. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"LNYTIXQ5NZH45NSANWPZZPTS5A","additional_properties":{},"content":"One company run by an evangelical pastor, Good People Homecare Ltd, received €1.9 million in payments from Tusla last year, down from the €5.3 million it received in 2023. The company primarily provides agency staff to oversee emergency accommodation. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"MZ5VUL4VXZGDFMAMQ6GYRHQNKM","additional_properties":{},"content":"Good People is run by Gerard Chimbganda (50), an evangelical pastor from Zimbabwe, who is a senior figure in Praise Tabernacle AFM, an international Pentecostal church in north inner-city Dublin. The company had €4.3 million in assets in 2023, according to filed accounts. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"LV7QC7F3XJALBM6PJM7J337GWQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"Mr Chimbganda said the company maintained a “strict separation between religious practices and the care we provide to children”, which was “secular, inclusive and attuned to the diverse backgrounds and needs of the children we serve”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ERK5J7RQZRHBBHA4TJYTU7NVFE","additional_properties":{},"content":"“While we hold this separation in our operational practices, it’s important to acknowledge that our services are motivated by a profound principle of love, guided by the teachings of Jesus Christ,” he said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"F23C6DYGWU6V4O3M4P3YXPJK5E","additional_properties":{},"type":"image"},{"_id":"NSEBZU3IXNDJXLWLSRGF3K2Q2U","additional_properties":{},"content":"The company was also paid €570,000 to run accommodation for Ukrainian refugees in the first three quarters of last year, according to <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/department-of-children-equality-disability-integration-and-youth/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/department-of-children-equality-disability-integration-and-youth/\">Department of Integration</a> records. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZHHUGSOU5VAPRNZHZKPEOSF24Y","additional_properties":{},"content":"Adeniyi Ademola (37), a nurse, is the managing director and owner of Clarion Healthcare, which received €3.7 million from Tusla to run emergency accommodation last year. Financial accounts filed recently show the company made a profit of €700,000.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WKEFSC7EGRHERODVE5GEWEJ4RA","additional_properties":{},"content":"Concerns were previously raised by Tusla social workers about young people in accommodation run by Clarion smoking “joints”. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"LUGUGJN5SBD4FF6USXVNZHEBC4","additional_properties":{},"content":"<a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/social-affairs/2024/03/25/documents-reveal-stark-concerns-with-accommodation-for-children-in-care/\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/social-affairs/2024/03/25/documents-reveal-stark-concerns-with-accommodation-for-children-in-care/\">Internal emails in late 2022 alleged staff were aware of this but did not do anything to stop the behaviour</a>. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"FLRYHLUELFBABGOGGQ5UTT6MQI","additional_properties":{},"content":"Further emails from Tusla to the company around the same time criticised the fact Clarion had failed to address “obvious health and safety hazards” at one property. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"OGJOGHB4WJEZPOFHRK2Q74RC5A","additional_properties":{},"content":"Reign Healthcare, a company run by Tafadzwa Vambe (47) and Tariro Taruvinga (43), from Portarlington, Co Laois, was paid €1.7 million in 2024. The figures are a sharp drop on the €5.4 million the company was paid by Tusla in 2023.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ONRB4VZWRFBF7AVSFZX4HYE3WE","additional_properties":{},"content":"A complaint was previously made about Reign Healthcare allegedly accommodating two girls in care in a house that was “unfit for purpose”. The complaint was made to Tusla in late 2022 by another organisation working in the care sector. It claimed the emergency placement did not appear to be appropriately staffed, with care workers having “poor English and communication skills”. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"YZ2VQASAZVDWBIGB7WJQRPRTSM","additional_properties":{},"content":"In a statement, Mr Vambe said Reign Healthcare had at one point run a dozen emergency placements. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZGZ4AMTWTZBCPBAWMQCAP27AYM","additional_properties":{},"content":"“However, since 2023, Tusla has ceased allocating young persons to our care without providing any clear reasoning, despite our repeated attempts to engage with them for clarification,” he said. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"HAWLFRY7NZC4VFZ7QPFN2E22ZE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Late last year the company “successfully registered two houses” with Tusla, but children had not yet been placed into the accommodation, he said. “As we stand now, we are ready to take on any young person in need of care” he said. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"WURL6N6W75HI5DKI7B2SSK56YQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"The majority of children placed in unregulated accommodation are young asylum seekers who arrived in the Republic without guardians. Of the 158 young people accommodated in special emergency arrangements by Tusla at the start of February, some 117 were underage asylum seekers. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"GUQ2GGTVRFA7HHEWAM4N463FVA","additional_properties":{},"content":"“To manage the increase in demand for placements for separated children seeking international protection, Tusla has increased its placement capacity and established new accommodation centres for unaccompanied minors,” a Tusla spokesman said. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"PSKKDCIIIVFALOIVKYJZKQYQUA","additional_properties":{},"content":"The agency had successfully reduced the number of other children in the care system living in emergency accommodation, down from a high point of 72 in March 2023 to 41 this February, he said. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"JSLE2TTQL5GAZBXLSQ5KVTZ4DU","additional_properties":{},"content":"Efforts were made to move young people out of special emergency arrangements into regulated care settings, such as group homes or foster care “as soon as possible”, the spokesman said. ","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"premium"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Jack Power"}},"name":"Jack Power"}]},"description":{"basic":"Evangelical pastor, former banker and healthcare workers among figures behind firms running emergency accommodation for children in State care "},"display_date":"2025-03-01T06:00:00Z","headlines":{"basic":"Companies being paid millions to run emergency housing for children in care ","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"LXTVWFS5AVHHLPCBUDIXK6SIKM","auth":{"1":"7746ca3afe18eb583ef66f998ce0be0f37032a043f77da269bd8e34327dc20fe"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/LXTVWFS5AVHHLPCBUDIXK6SIKM.jpg"}},"subtype":"feature","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Politics"},{"name":"Ireland"},{"name":"Social Affairs"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/politics/2025/03/01/companies-paid-millions-to-run-emergency-housing-for-children-in-care/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/politics","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Politics"}}}},{"_id":"WZ36BMBBBBFBZICAXMX2OBD52U","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":128,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/80071b27-6852-4e8c-92d3-5746de85d08c/versions/1740772661/media/d382c4501fbef65aee201bf4a3b4e4c3_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/education/2025/02/28/pay-rises-of-over-1000-for-civil-and-public-servants-to-kick-in-from-today/","content_elements":[{"_id":"RALMZZ7BTZHEVAS7PWGE6QAT2A","additional_properties":{},"content":"More than 300,000 civil and public servants will receive pay increases of more than €1,000 per annum from Saturday as the latest instalment of last year’s public sector pay deal comes into effect.","type":"text"},{"_id":"26TDEZVAENDLFMRVW4K24M2HUQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"The increases will be worth at least 2 per cent of annual pay to employees right across the public sector including almost 170,000 employees of the HSE as well as gardaí and teachers.","type":"text"},{"_id":"44ULKHFUIZBDRAWYH52QGNIPPE","additional_properties":{},"content":"It is the second most significant increase provided for under the terms of the deal negotiated between government and union representatives at the start of last year. A further increase of 1 per cent is due to be paid in August, with most staff likely then to receive an additional 1 per cent under local bargaining provisions the following month.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WFBN43S2UJF3PE77BUA3ZGYHAQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"Overall, the deal is worth at least 9.25 per cent to staff across the entire civil and public service and up to 17.3 per cent to the lowest-paid employees covered.","type":"text"},{"_id":"Z4HJQXRHGBB6LIJEPCORO6I5MM","additional_properties":{},"content":"On this occasion anyone earning less than €50,000 per annum will receive the minimum €1,000 increase, equivalent to about €85 per month before tax. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"UIEXZULH2FAKPAOXXYSQSC3WIY","additional_properties":{},"content":"Public service pay deal: What does it mean for you? And when will the pay increases kick in?","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"DUH4BK2ZZRG5XDYTJ6NKMMAUA4","additional_properties":{},"content":"The country’s most senior civil servants, many consultant doctors and judges in the higher courts will receive increases worth about €100 per week before tax.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2RMR5A6ZC5GC7DQTZGIVFNVC5Q","additional_properties":{},"content":"Most premium and overtime rates as well as many allowances will also increase where they are linked to basic pay rates, and thousands of pensioners will benefit from similar percentage increases.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZXBR6DI4ORBKNKOPRMQE7ILVVA","additional_properties":{},"content":"Various Government departments issued circulars on Friday setting out the new rates for staff, with the Department of Education saying a primary school teacher will now start on €44,435 and a post-primary school teacher on €45,829 while a special needs assistant (SNA) will earn just over €30,000.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CHR53SFGIBFU7KMKFD7JI4KDC4","additional_properties":{},"content":"The final increases provided for under the terms of the agreement are scheduled to come into effect in June 2026 and talks on a new deal are expected to get under way before the end of this year. ","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Emmet Malone"}},"name":"Emmet Malone"}]},"description":{"basic":"Increases are part of public sector pay deal hammered out between government and unions last year"},"display_date":"2025-02-28T19:54:42.846Z","headlines":{"basic":"Pay rises of over €1,000 for civil and public servants to kick in from Saturday","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"LWBXMJLLM5CB7CAP467UUNOSFI","auth":{"1":"20371f025bf6e093dcec2cb5ec738195812dde86b90b3a8cf37f635dfc87ebb2"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/LWBXMJLLM5CB7CAP467UUNOSFI.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Education"},{"name":"Health"},{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/education/2025/02/28/pay-rises-of-over-1000-for-civil-and-public-servants-to-kick-in-from-today/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/education","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Education"}}}},{"_id":"XBAZKKZQAZCWPD7CAZILGRW3XY","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":226,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/b67d2040-57e1-4391-b480-6de35d4a7621/versions/1740749847/media/04e6182f435b51254a2c073a863791e8_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/02/28/baby-names-jack-and-sophie-the-most-popular-in-2024/","content_elements":[{"_id":"F6CWKWKWJNFCVG2GI7SRNYPDZ4","additional_properties":{"_id":1740749888588},"content":"Jack has once again emerged as the most popular name for boys born in Ireland, while Sophie’s the choice for more girls than any other, according to official data for 2024 published this morning.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZLEQJFANLZBBZOET3NBICUUQHU","additional_properties":{"_id":1740749888589},"content":"For the eighth year in a row, Jack finishes top of the heap for boys, according to the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/central-statistics-office\" target=\"_blank\">Central Statistics Office</a> (CSO), with Noah, Rían, Cillian and James rounding out the top five.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AZ5NM2RK7VBQ7MY2Z2PXL6ZQRU","additional_properties":{"_id":1740749888590},"content":"It means Jack has held the number one position every year since 2007, with the exception of 2016, when James was the most popular choice of name.","type":"text"},{"_id":"OKNY3O6AT5DI5G4VB4R274HEZI","additional_properties":{"_id":1740749888591},"content":"For the first time since 2010, Sophie took the top spot in the girls' names league from Grace, which dropped to third while Éabha was in second with Emily and Fiadh in fourth and fifth respectively.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5DGGZJGI35HO7GUVRFAGXW4TRY","additional_properties":{"_id":1740749888592},"content":"With Jack ever present at the top of the list for baby boys, there is more variety when it comes to the top spot for girls, with Sophie and Grace preceded by Emily in 2022.","type":"text"},{"_id":"SDJRFIG6TZBHRNY3XAVHKZRXA4","additional_properties":{"_id":1740749888593},"content":"Grace, Emily and Sophie have been permanent fixtures in the top five names for baby girls every year since 2016, with Éabha entering the top five for the first time in 2021 and ranking in second place in 2024.","type":"text"},{"_id":"COOWGGY74JCDNOPLNZMEUYDAMQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1740749888594},"content":"The biggest climb in names for boys saw Rowan, Caleb and Iarlaith entering the top 100 most popular boys’ names for 2024. Caleb rose fastest up the rankings, going from 142nd place in 2023 to 91st in 2024.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MKMAK4AFHBH57LIPK7SXUKHBKI","additional_properties":{"_id":1740749888595},"content":"Looking at new entrants for girls, four new entrants appeared – Hallie, Rhea, Caragh and Aurora – with Rhea being the fastest rising girls' name in 2024 moving up 37 places to 93rd in the table.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7AGTAYUDFBA7JOSCVSHEHH66ZA","additional_properties":{"_id":1740749888596},"content":"There were 9,582 distinct newborn names registered in 2024, while Murphy was the most common surname for babies born in 2024.","type":"text"},{"_id":"L7ZOAGCI5RBGZPRXRQHRS7N2X4","content":"<iframe title=\"Irish Babies' Names 2024\n\" aria-label=\"Table\" id=\"datawrapper-chart-ZVdet\" src=\"https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/ZVdet/3/\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;\" height=\"503\" data-external=\"1\"></iframe><script type=\"text/javascript\">!function(){\"use strict\";window.addEventListener(\"message\",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll(\"iframe\");for(var t in a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"][t]+\"px\";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}();\n<\/script>","type":"raw_html"},{"_id":"SOSPOQTVLBBBXDUITCY5AAKKAQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1740749888598},"content":"Jack was the top or joint top boys’ name in 11 locations around the country including Kildare, Kilkenny and Clare. While Páidí was ranked 22nd nationally in 2024 with a total of 201 births registered, it was the most favoured name for boys born in Sligo and Monaghan.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WHPZGHGZGZGBPDSMXYHH5UHNFU","additional_properties":{"_id":1740749888599},"content":"Sophie was the top or joint top girls’ name in seven areas such as Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Wexford and Limerick City.","type":"text"},{"_id":"OWJ257JHBZDKNDM7YCI2Z7KUGA","additional_properties":{"_id":1740749888600},"content":"Fiadh was also the top or joint top choice in seven other areas including Longford, Kerry and Donegal, while Clara, ranked 65th nationally, was most popular in Galway City.","type":"text"},{"_id":"K73HLP5HHFD7LBKAR65MK5LSFQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1740749888601},"content":"The most popular names for boys and girls born to parents from the EU27 were David and Sofia, while Jack and Éabha were the most popular names for baby boys and girls whose parents' nationalities were both Irish.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZR64XM2ZKNEIZO273EJL4UX2YY","additional_properties":{"_id":1740749888602},"type":"image"},{"_id":"DS3HQ3LI7VCR5DFRNU254YU6IA","additional_properties":{"_id":1740749888603},"content":"Muhammad was the most popular boys' name for parents of nationalities outside the EU, excluding the UK and Ireland, while it was Hazel for girls.","type":"text"},{"_id":"Y54A4MFX6JFHDNR6RMO75URV3U","additional_properties":{"_id":1740749888604},"content":"While John was the most popular boys' name in 1974, it occupied the 29th position in 2024.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PBGCHRQN4NH2FDBZEF4NDL4FME","additional_properties":{"_id":1740749888605},"content":"For girls, Mary was the most popular name 50 years ago, whereas in 2024 it ranked joint 105th spot alongside Laura and Zoey.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JO5OR56PLVCI3NX7HGXDPDM5KE","additional_properties":{"_id":1740749888606},"content":"This was only the third time in 50 years that the name Mary did not feature in the top 100 most popular names in Ireland with 46 babies given the name of Mary in 2024.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NBHQQVSUXRAYVOHKNRSBJQVVKY","additional_properties":{"_id":1740749888607},"content":"James is the only name that appears in the top 10 boys’ names in both 1974 and 2024, ranking sixth place in 1974, and fifth place in 2024.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Conor Pope"}},"name":"Conor Pope"}]},"description":{"basic":"Biggest climbers in boys’ names are Rowan, Caleb and Iarlaith, according to CSO figures"},"display_date":"2025-02-28T13:36:53.77Z","headlines":{"basic":"Baby names: Jack and Sophie the most popular in Ireland in 2024","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"PJ76ISYQZBBARCNKQPDJ2LDFHY","auth":{"1":"a972b18b2717b488d998b63b082235b0bad4cb1aafd31d55791d3c6f91a70bea"},"focal_point":{"x":2983,"y":1357},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/PJ76ISYQZBBARCNKQPDJ2LDFHY.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/02/28/baby-names-jack-and-sophie-the-most-popular-in-2024/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social Affairs"}}}},{"_id":"JVUE7A2AZZGCXAIHWC27LLWG4A","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":227,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/dcebed83-f069-4220-bee0-74fc2ec9c3cd/versions/1740689826/media/83fa3d6317f1c0c4a6efc3da8677be30_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/02/28/spiritans-accused-of-two-tier-approach-to-redress-for-sex-abuse-cases/","content_elements":[{"_id":"Z4BVHT24NJFBLPBFJXNXNRDSKY","additional_properties":{},"content":"A group representing survivors of child sexual abuse at <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/spiritans/\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/spiritans/\">Spiritan</a> schools has called on the congregation to implement a redress scheme no later than June 1st this year.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3Q7SCCUXRFABRCR3TWAW4JLPYM","additional_properties":{},"content":"Restore Together said that, while it welcomes <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2025/02/25/spiritans-have-paid-88-million-in-settlements-to-125-abuse-survivors-since-1998/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2025/02/25/spiritans-have-paid-88-million-in-settlements-to-125-abuse-survivors-since-1998/\">reports that the Spiritans have been making legal settlements</a> with survivors who had taken court action, it did not believe any survivor should have to issue legal proceedings to obtain justice.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YJCCCBKBFVC2XFTV2NVCG23Q5Q","additional_properties":{},"content":"“Child welfare and trauma experts agree that having to bring legal proceedings to seek justice adds to the suffering of victims/survivors, many of whom are very vulnerable,” it said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XSCKPTJN25HSFAKM6N4TKIPGOM","additional_properties":{},"content":"As <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2025/02/25/spiritans-have-paid-88-million-in-settlements-to-125-abuse-survivors-since-1998/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2025/02/25/spiritans-have-paid-88-million-in-settlements-to-125-abuse-survivors-since-1998/\">reported in The Irish Times</a> on Wednesday, the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/spiritans/\" rel=\"\">Spiritans</a> have paid €8.8 million in settlements to 125 abuse survivors who initiated court proceedings against the congregation. The figure does not include legal costs.","type":"text"},{"_id":"EXR6CMZFQZBS7IZBWE67B5YKQE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Of that figure, €3.4 million was paid in settlements to 52 survivors of 58 who have come forward since RTÉ broadcast its <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/tv-radio/2022/11/08/gut-wrenching-essential-radio-blackrock-college-sexual-abuse-accounts-are-tough-to-listen-to/\" rel=\"\">Blackrock Boys radio documentary</a> in November 2022. Between 1998 and prior to that broadcast in November 2022, the congregation paid €5.4 million in settlements to 73 survivors. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"NXRZC26UERFNZLBZEFMN4E73BI","additional_properties":{},"content":"To date Restore Together has supported over 300 survivors of sexual abuse at Spiritan schools and has been working with the congregation “to bring healing to those who suffered as children and continue to suffer as adults through a professionally guided and administered programme of restorative justice.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZFZ7WSEWP5H6LFBC5OO56KFMAY","additional_properties":{},"content":"In a statement on Friday, it accused the Spiritans of operating a two-tier system when it came to redress.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CDFVZFQ62NCQZERU7HTJSDWEBM","additional_properties":{},"content":"It was “not acceptable” that the congregation was “treating victims/ survivors who issue legal proceedings against them with greater urgency than the many who wish, in good faith and for good reason, to obtain financial recognition for the harm done to them through a redress scheme that the order has agreed to in principle,” it said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XJBODSG5BJF6HCSZ3D3RKYFLZ4","additional_properties":{},"content":"It also added that “financial awards under the redress scheme should be at the same value that a court would award to a successful claimant”. The Spiritans in Ireland had “very significant assets which it has valued at €160 million in its accounts. This is multiple times the amount that would be needed to fully implement a redress scheme,” Restore Together said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4O3K4E45QRDYRL4QFJQDGOUWOE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Spiritan schools concerned are <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/blackrock-college/\" rel=\"\">Blackrock College</a> and Willow Park; <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/st-marys-college/\" rel=\"\">St Mary’s College</a>, Rathmines; <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/st-michael-s-college/\" rel=\"\">St Michael’s College</a>, Ballsbridge; <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/templeogue-college/\" rel=\"\">Templeogue College</a>, in Dublin, and <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/rockwell-college/\" rel=\"\">Rockwell College</a> in Co Tipperary.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6SNHA2YZKZENXFMKUOM5IFGHMM","additional_properties":{},"content":"The congregation had agreed to a redress scheme “in principle, as one of five pillars of its restorative justice programme” and that there have been detailed discussions “with the Spiritans and their lawyers about its structure, nature and implementation,” Restore Together said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GZDG44YXTZBA5BN765Q37I42EU","additional_properties":{},"content":"It had “repeatedly emphasised” to the Spiritans “the urgency of providing redress to victims to help with their healing. Every week that goes by without a redress scheme being in place prolongs the suffering, and in some cases despair, of victims/survivors who have come forward in good faith having carried their burden for decades through their lives.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"L7QOMDMGG5GBXKOZH5YYRBDIKE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Ongoing delay “repeats and continues the sense of betrayal and abandonment first felt by victims/survivors as innocent children” while “many victims/survivors are now in the later stage of life and should not have to wait any longer for proper recognition by the Spiritans of their failure to protect the children in their care or wait for the justice to which they are entitled,” it said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7SGBRG44HBCLPNUWIOVSMQSII4","additional_properties":{},"content":"The Spiritans own “principles and Christian teachings” required them “to show true repentance and to fully atone for what they as a congregation did to these vulnerable children,” it said.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Patsy McGarry"}},"name":"Patsy McGarry"}]},"description":{"basic":"Survivors' group calls for common scheme to be established by June 1st to avoid need for legal route"},"display_date":"2025-02-28T07:00:00Z","headlines":{"basic":"Spiritans accused of two-tier approach to redress for sex abuse cases","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"B5J5AX4GGMMNS5W6YCIOQE7KUI","auth":{"1":"59157664f983c28803743159fcabea467c53e058c179ec123d0dad21a0f46f35"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/B5J5AX4GGMMNS5W6YCIOQE7KUI.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/02/28/spiritans-accused-of-two-tier-approach-to-redress-for-sex-abuse-cases/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social Affairs"}}}},{"_id":"U4ILAEPL2BHIDGXYODLZNRNRJU","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":240,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/6f3c1c56-9673-46dc-9816-89f7ca663db9/versions/1740676434/media/282ea93566173c156820b04f7ff367ca_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/02/28/being-homeless-you-have-no-sense-of-security-we-all-know-from-the-get-go-we-are-just-a-number-in-their-system/","content_elements":[{"_id":"JFIVIEGQ7VAZ5LDNF5FUVGBZ5U","additional_properties":{},"content":"A young <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/homeless-crisis/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/homeless-crisis/\">homeless</a> woman, who left State care six months ago, feels “scared” because the priority status on her <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/housing-crisis/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/housing-crisis/\">housing</a> application has been put “on hold” by <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/dublin-city-council/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/dublin-city-council/\">Dublin City Council</a>. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"EWK3JBDNPFDEJOW2AUMLUANRU4","additional_properties":{},"content":"“Sophie” (20), who is using a pseudonym to protect the identity of younger siblings still in care, is one of 42 care-leavers in the capital whose right to be prioritised on the housing list has been paused while the council conducts a “review of the administrative process for managing care-leaver priority applications”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"US3DKON6BNBUPHCKYTVSV46MB4","additional_properties":{},"content":"The council says a dearth of suitable one-bed dwellings and an increase in care-leavers applying for social housing, as well as concerns council social workers are duplicating the work of <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/tusla/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/tusla/\">Tusla</a> social workers in processing care-leavers’ housing applications, has forced the current review. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"DVSLKPKBMFHDXEBNLFOPBKUUPQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"In care since the age of 13, Sophie describes a traumatic childhood. She was with a foster family for two years before residential care placements.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WF6QZQP3MBAJNF5PJE4U2YABKQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"Sophie transitioned from a residential care placement to aftercare when she reached 18. In aftercare she was accommodated in B&Bs and other forms of accommodation, all supervised by aftercare workers.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6S7YKIYLDVA4NHIIWY42YSI5I4","additional_properties":{},"content":"While in aftercare she says “you were told you will be housed, to work with them and you will be a priority for housing because you are in care. You are given the impression you will be able to start your life”. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"6SXWY236ERE7TK6AVNA7JZHKCE","additional_properties":{},"content":"She is on the housing list and has been since age 18. She has also been looking for private-rented housing with the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP). She has had many viewings but believes she is “judged” negatively by prospective landlords as a care-leaver. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"3IW7CSE5F5HIHACA4VC3PJWTFA","additional_properties":{},"content":"Last September she could not face a move to a fourth supervised aftercare placement and felt “pressurised” into leaving, she says. She is now “sofa-surfing” and has slept rough. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"XHUHA6RUZBFYHKZMQYMAZE5J4Y","additional_properties":{},"content":"Following contact with <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/sinn-fein/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/sinn-fein/\">Sinn Féin</a> councillor <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/daithi-doolan/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/daithi-doolan/\">Daithí Doolan</a>, and his enquiries, she discovered her priority on the housing list had been paused. “I am desperate right now just to get my priority back,” she says. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"XLYZEJEKJVHYTG3BB7FVLEVWJM","additional_properties":{},"content":"Mr Doolan was “shocked” at the move and the fact it was implemented without councillors being informed first. “Behind each application for care-leaver priority is a young person who very often has been let down time and time again. It is hugely important that this matter is sorted out urgently.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"FNSB6MUS7JHDZBZUD7QVHDCWAI","additional_properties":{},"content":" ","type":"text"},{"_id":"M3ZPA66JD5CBXHLU7DSWXKLNZA","additional_properties":{},"content":"In a statement to Mr Doolan, the council said: “The allocations section is flagging a clear risk that we will no longer be prioritising the applicants who already are, or are at serious risk of becoming, homeless after leaving State care”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"IUSBLWDE2FGPFI7CXR6Y5WVNI4","additional_properties":{},"content":"A council spokesman told The Irish Times the outcome of its review of the administration of care-leaver priority applications will be reported to the council’s housing committee in March. The 42 care-leavers’ applications “will be promptly processed” after that. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"XR73KWUDHNEP3AMLZN55PDAWIU","additional_properties":{},"content":"Sophie says she is “scared”. She has completed her Leaving Certificate, plans to study youth work and work with children in care, but cannot focus at the moment.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ME64JLHV65EHZMTJOKCT5OMG6I","additional_properties":{},"content":"“Being homeless, you have no sense of security. We all know, from the get go, we are just a number in their system”. She has a relative in prison who, she says, “has a four-digit number ... I want to be more than just that.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"5EEKJFL6G5G7HK7FYUR2SM4SRM","additional_properties":{},"content":"“I have done everything I was asked. I have told them everything, I went to every housing meeting, I went to viewings every week. I have had trauma since I was born, been in homes, been tossed around and I am still lost in the system. A blind eye was turned to so much physical and emotional abuse and it feels like it’s still happening,” she adds.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UHH3OSL5WJGB5OV3JU4U45BWGQ","additional_properties":{},"content":" ","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Kitty Holland"}},"name":"Kitty Holland"}]},"description":{"basic":"For social housing applications, Dublin City Council has paused the priority status for people leaving care. At least one young woman has been left in a troubling limbo"},"display_date":"2025-02-28T06:00:01Z","headlines":{"basic":"Young homeless woman who left State care six months ago feels ‘scared’ amid council housing change","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"AEK3QHIA25AAXHDZ5GYIAJAOYI","auth":{"1":"bfa2ec57db30219e29835419328e8dc1a76083e54fe1c88119b092c588a08481"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/AEK3QHIA25AAXHDZ5GYIAJAOYI.JPG"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/02/28/being-homeless-you-have-no-sense-of-security-we-all-know-from-the-get-go-we-are-just-a-number-in-their-system/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social Affairs"}}}},{"_id":"AX2FQQQC4BETDJT335KZH5MEK4","additional_properties":{},"canonical_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/02/28/church-services/","content_elements":[{"_id":"CWJ3ZEHXJVAC5DYVXVKR2ZVP5I","additional_properties":{},"content":"CATHEDRALS","type":"header"},{"_id":"2ZG7OFTLLJB6JD5HPO2YRA5YRI","additional_properties":{},"content":"<b>National Cathedral of Saint Patrick, Dublin</b> THE SUNDAY BEFORE LENT - 09.15 EUCHARIST said in the Lady Chapel. 11.15 CHORAL EUCHARIST- sung by the Cathedral Choir - Ives: Missa Brevis, Lauridsen: O nata lux, Desmond: O sacrum convivium, Preacher: The Ven D.A. Pierpoint M.A. Canon Treasurer. 15.15 CHORAL EVENSONG - sung by the Cathedral Choir - Responses: Sumsion, Stanford Bb, Psalm: 12, Stanford: For lo I raise up.. Preacher: The Ven D.A. Pierpoint M.A. Canon Treasurer. SUNG MATINS at 09.00 Monday to Friday. EUCHARIST at 11.05 on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. CHORAL EVENSONG at 17.30 Monday to Friday. For further information visit www.stpatrickscathedral.ie","type":"text"},{"_id":"2OQP5KD3ONDU3LLBZ2ZXRTGEXE","additional_properties":{},"content":"CHURCH OF IRELAND","type":"header"},{"_id":"TPE5U6YSURG5RC2AIKRAZTKIEI","additional_properties":{},"content":"<b>Christ Church Bray</b> Revd Dr Leonard Madden: 8.30am Holy Communion; 11am Sunday Service . Live stream: http://www.churchservices.tv/christchurchbray For more details of services visit www.christchurchbray.ie","type":"text"},{"_id":"2RHZJFTJORHTHDJTLK4INH4QYA","additional_properties":{},"content":"<b>St Audoen Cornmarket</b> 9.30 Bellringing, 10.00 Eucharist (every Sunday), the Sunday before Lent. During works (ongoing) no music, access through the main entrance. Cars may be parked between Francis Street and Christ Church.","type":"text"},{"_id":"IBUJM3L5ZVCHLJCR4IKPX2KQWE","additional_properties":{},"content":"<b>St Catherine St James Donore Avenue</b> 11.30 Eucharist, the Sunday before Lent. Organist, Olesia Borsuk. Cars may be parked in the Churchyard.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6Y6IEPEI5RHOZOR3WU6TKM4I6M","additional_properties":{},"content":"<b>Zion Parish Church</b> Sunday 2nd March - The Sunday before Lent. 9am Holy Communion 1. 10.30am Holy Communion. All welcome.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AGAHCATGJVFDFGP63GC2OMETFM","additional_properties":{},"content":"PRESBYTERIAN","type":"header"},{"_id":"XRJ4BPG5ANFUBFYI2WVA6RMXSU","additional_properties":{},"content":"<b>About The Presbyterian Church in Ireland</b> The Presbyterian form of the Christian faith is best described as Reformed; with its strong emphasis on the Sovereignty of God, the Kingship of Christ, and the authority of the Bible. For more information, and for a full list of congregations around the whole island of Ireland, visit: <a href=\"http://www.presbyterianireland.org/\" rel=\"\">www.presbyterianireland.org</a>","type":"text"},{"_id":"CHFWBHBJZ5DB3FVZTHLONLZ7OM","additional_properties":{},"content":"METHODIST","type":"text"},{"_id":"KBRKS36A2FCDZDTOGJZ6U7P7ZI","additional_properties":{},"content":"<b>About the Methodist Church in Ireland</b> - The Methodist Church in Ireland is a community of people drawn together by Gods love, who seek to live wholeheartedly as followers of Jesus for the transformation of the world. With 212 churches spread across the island of Ireland from North to South, and East to West. To find a church near you, visit <a href=\"https://irishmethodist.org/\" rel=\"\">https://irishmethodist.org</a>","type":"text"},{"_id":"PGIMK6DJL5DIPFY4MHOTM2JZBE","additional_properties":{},"content":"<b>Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin</b> The Methodist Church, Northumberland Avenue, Dún Laoghaire. Sunday Service 11am. Our services are available at www.dlmc.org","type":"text"},{"_id":"CXIDSGVPGVDCZIUY2UIDFLLA3U","additional_properties":{},"content":"RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIENDS","type":"header"},{"_id":"22CULCQHEFGPHHALI7VR6XOSHU","additional_properties":{},"content":"<b>Quaker Meetings in Ireland</b> Quakers in Ireland invite you to join us for Meeting for Worship at any of our Meeting Houses around the country. Visitors will be warmly welcomed and there will be an opportunity to ask any questions you might have. You will find a list of Meetings on our website: https://quakers-in-ireland.ie/map-of-quaker-meetings-worship-groups/","type":"text"},{"_id":"RP4DPRJ475BKNNWNN5VUH4FBYA","additional_properties":{},"content":"","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[]},"description":{"basic":"Week beginning Saturday, March 1st, 2025"},"display_date":"2025-02-28T06:00:01Z","headlines":{"basic":"Church services","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"IN7OZZ6E2NGO5KX2KLF2SIQGJU","auth":{"1":"d4b9e121d137a9aeef92fc18438df403b5c177f6a3855de62a93ccfae6ccb05d"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/IN7OZZ6E2NGO5KX2KLF2SIQGJU.png"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/02/28/church-services/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social Affairs"}}}},{"_id":"CYILTL2ZYJEZHGL7GL6E3J7SZM","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":357,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/aaab5204-67c2-430e-b1e0-b00d636fc405/versions/1740667905/media/d58741fe877b11b675782b49c6425644_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/health/2025/02/28/eating-disorders-i-wouldnt-speak-to-my-worst-enemy-the-way-i-talked-to-myself/","content_elements":[{"_id":"LY6SB32TBRBMTHKDBZ5RI6XVPI","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672320466},"content":"Mirin Pearce, from Cork, had “pretty obvious” signs of bulimia for six or seven years. But she didn’t realise for some time that she needed help.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MEYT3XWFBFABZNZRZ3N7GXTFEE","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672320467},"content":"“I was struggling a lot with my mental health at the time, and I guess [bulimia] was a symptom of my other struggles,” says the 33-year-old.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TWQ2VZZJQ5CKDMIT445H6DR44M","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672320468},"content":"“The eating disorder voice can be really mean and nasty – and it really was for me – I wouldn’t speak to my worst enemy the way I talked to myself. I really hated my body and it was a cycle of hating, telling myself I shouldn’t eat, losing control, bingeing, then purging, and repeating it all over again.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"BLH5T75PB5GPLHK5NQADTZQIJU","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672320469},"content":"Pearce, who is training to be a psychotherapist, says things came to a head when she had a day of “going backwards and forwards between the bathroom and kitchen, bingeing and purging and totally out of control”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RCOLKI3LWRD25LEYCKAOI57BXQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672320470},"content":"At this point she knew she needed help. Although it wasn’t easy, she would encourage anyone going through the same thing to look for support as soon as possible.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5XB4V4OAYVGNJHFW7ZXMXWU37Q","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672320471},"content":"“Recovery was a slippery slope,” she says. “The initial act of even allowing myself to eat without bingeing was really incredibly hard, and even after that, there were slip-ups for a few years before I fully recovered.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LOXLRBR3DRHTPKL4CVHTNNL4NI","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672320472},"content":"“Mindfulness was one of the first things that really helped. My parents encouraged me to go to therapy, and there were a couple of therapists that weren’t a great fit, but eventually I found someone I was able to talk to. I also got into art, which was very therapeutic alongside a very mindful form of yoga which helped me to really reconnect with my body in a new way.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"SJPC527HLBC4ZGYN47IIIZ6RKQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672320473},"content":"This week is Eating Disorders Awareness Week, when experts aim to shine a light on a range of disorders that, it is estimated, will affect almost 188,900 people across the country during their lifetime.","type":"text"},{"_id":"URMSG5CFTBFVPCUDYZSKHKGX4I","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672320474},"type":"image"},{"_id":"7WTHDX7JYNA7JJESER7JEHULBA","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672320475},"content":"To coincide with the campaign, Minister of State for Mental Health Mary Butler has announced the locations for two additional eating disorder teams, being funded under Budget 2025. These comprise a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) eating disorder team in HSE Midwest, and an adult eating disorder team across HSE Dublin and Midlands, and HSE Dublin and North East.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NKT2AFA3T5ALLAH4QC6ZP3YQIA","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672320476},"content":"“Eating disorder teams have greatly enhanced screening and early recognition of eating disorders in Ireland, and are providing swifter access to specialist services,” says Butler.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NO6HBZ4EGZFDPAGJ5QTTLWCMBA","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672320477},"content":"This will come as welcome news to many as, according to figures from the National Clinical Programme for Eating Disorders, about 1,760 new cases occur in Ireland each year in people aged 10-49. In November 2024, the annual report on the Activities of Irish Psychiatric Units and Hospitals 2023 stated that for the first time, eating disorders accounted for the highest proportion of all under-18 admissions, along with depressive disorders.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RSRL3NEMRZFJRBP4LOLTVSDXWI","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672320478},"content":"Emer McLysaght: Five years ago I entered a psychiatric hospital with an eating disorder","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"QY4Z5Q2GFBBPJBXT66F3XI7PS4","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672320479},"content":"Barry Murphy, research and policy officer with Bodywhys, says eating disorders affect people in different ways but everyone should know help is available.","type":"text"},{"_id":"F3YMF3KJ2BBYTGVYYQZK5NDLGE","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672320480},"content":"“Our service users talk of a sense of relief to be able to share their experience of an eating disorder,” he says.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4X6WBYBN5BHITC2AA2P7IES6QI","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672320481},"content":"“We welcome all stories, and the emphasis has always been on providing a safe space where everyone feels heard and understood. Our theme allows us to expand on that core belief and by doing so, it further develops a space – where no matter what your diagnosis or lack of it, whether you feel a sense of hope or not, whether you are experiencing relapse or attempting recovery or living with Severe and Enduring Eating Disorder, you are a person struggling with an eating disorder, a carer, a clinician, or a volunteer, your voice is heard.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"XWCSCTAFTFCPDGFWMURF57A2WA","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672320482},"content":"Anorexia is the most common eating disorder in Ireland, but there are many different types, which often overlap with other issues, which could include pregnancy, menopause, polycystic ovary syndrome, trauma, obesity and food insecurity. It is important to be aware of the signs, says Murphy.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AB3GRZ6JMFBQ3PX2Y7FS7RISNI","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672320483},"content":"“The signs may be noticeable in change in eating patterns, weight, fainting, muscle weakness, eliminating food groups, skipping meals, loss of periods, damage to a person’s heart, their teeth, difficulties concentrating, stomach problems, bloodshot eyes, osteoporosis, trips to the bathroom that seem unusual, food rituals, distress about social eating, or having difficulties with flexibility (around meals).","type":"text"},{"_id":"KYFN4A4BFFBW7MIKMIJKEEZ44Q","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672320484},"content":"“If a parent or loved one notices red flags, they need to think about how to communicate.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BKSGONRF2JGNJIYDU5SBRGIIEA","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672320485},"content":"“Reading up in advance, being clear about what you want to convey – not focusing on behaviours or being confrontational – is a good first step. And, keep your expectations relatively low around initial conversations, as things won’t change overnight.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LHBS3GBRF5C25HVSW7LYB6RYVM","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672320486},"content":"“Also, availing of support services and psychoeducation for yourself as a family member, such as the Bodywhys family support package, is a way of supporting yourself,” he says highlighting resources at <a href=\"https://www.bodywhys.ie/\">bodywhys.ie</a>.","type":"text"},{"_id":"SU6PQL6VKBBYRIEWH77CZVBJEA","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672320487},"content":"Eating disorders now main reason behind children’s admission for psychiatric care","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"WOP5BXNPTNGKVCCYHWNWNWENBY","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672320488},"content":"Pearce says: “I think that a lot of eating disorders are a way of trying to gain control, but in the end they’re totally in control of you.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UETTPBLN6NGMRFZYQKBWA4XOMM","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672320489},"content":"“The biggest piece of advice I can give now, is that you can recover, even if it seems totally impossible – life is so much better when you stop obsessing about food and your body. Also it’s important to know that you’re not alone. There are so many people in the world who struggle with food and body image, and there are also people out there who want to help, so just reach out.”","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"premium"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Arlene Harris"}},"name":"Arlene Harris"}]},"description":{"basic":"Bulimia, anorexia and other such disorders affect almost 190,000 people in Ireland, but help is available"},"display_date":"2025-02-28T06:00:00Z","headlines":{"basic":"Eating disorders: ‘I wouldn’t speak to my worst enemy the way I talked to myself’","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"ISKMBGAZI5FEHBZAA6SUR5F4VM","auth":{"1":"42f3a662d4c952c315e9902ba5fcd9380a28e9fa5e41b2a605f974708a13593f"},"focal_point":{"x":1172,"y":1772},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/ISKMBGAZI5FEHBZAA6SUR5F4VM.jpg"}},"subtype":"feature","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Health"},{"name":"Ireland"},{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Your Wellness"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/health/2025/02/28/eating-disorders-i-wouldnt-speak-to-my-worst-enemy-the-way-i-talked-to-myself/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/health","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Health"}}}},{"_id":"ZNUE3SJMXVB3THYC3XCSAJBUTU","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":256,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/c91a2c8c-d942-4316-9384-43cff183da49/versions/1740673410/media/cafac557754b6736e78916c8144fba10_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/health/2025/02/27/section-39-health-care-workers-vote-for-industrial-action-in-long-running-dispute/","content_elements":[{"_id":"CWO3HYYGJ5CRJLSB5I5UYI2UIE","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672509632},"content":"Thousands of health workers at charities and voluntary organisations providing key services and supports to older people and those with disabilities have voted for industrial action as part of a long-running dispute over pay and conditions in the sector.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GMS6WM3U4JERNP4EOEOSNFHE3M","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672509633},"content":"Trade union <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/siptu/\" target=\"_blank\">Siptu</a>, which balloted about 5,000 members at more than 20 organisations operating across the country including Ability West, Cheshire Ireland and Rehab, said on Thursday 97 per cent of its members who voted did so in favour of taking action. There was a 70 per cent turnout. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"2T26IDG2LJHJVN5GRF4CYCYODY","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672509634},"content":"No decision on what action might be taken will be made until after talks between government departments and unions, which also include <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/forsa/\" target=\"_blank\">Fórsa</a> and the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/irish-nurses-and-midwives-organisation/\" target=\"_blank\">Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation</a>, at the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/workplace-relations-commission/\" target=\"_blank\">Workplace Relations Commission</a> on Monday.","type":"text"},{"_id":"76U5DFUDCNGDXCZBNHMQ3F5NC4","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672509635},"content":"“The reality is that this issue goes back almost 15 years to when the government side took the decision to impose the public service pay cuts on people working for these organisations despite the fact that they aren’t public servants,” said John King, Siptu deputy general secretary.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UFWOSQNW6RHB7I6R7QXDJCMPDQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672509636},"content":"“Then, when pay restoration happened for the public service in 2017, the government didn’t apply it to the Section 39 agencies.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"Z6WJRJBBQVENRDOJDRDFTO24SQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672509637},"content":"The staff involved are employed by Section 39 organisations, a reference to the segment of legislation providing for the contracting out of the health services involved to charities and voluntary organisations. Thousands more staff working for organisations operating in homessless and family services will also be impacted by any agreement.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5WRCLD2RPVHQDFUWM2P6TQBYSA","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672509638},"content":"“In October 2023 we got an agreement for pay increases and, critically, a commitment to deal, once and for all, with the restoration of the link that previously existed between these workers and people in many cases doing the same work in the public service but unfortunately that didn’t happen.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"24L4Q3KFGJACZDQRIMLZKNZPDE","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672509639},"content":"Officials from the government department involved had told unions before Christmas they did not have the political mandate required to complete a deal but, Mr King said, “if that continues to be their line, then we’re heading for a strike”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LSTHPZMD7BHO3FAPI5H35YFZSI","additional_properties":{"_id":"HFKW2UANG5GQRFS2ASXWVTR4ZI"},"content":"‘I could be beside someone doing the same work for more money.’ The plight of section 39 workers","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"76JCYR54OREW5AAPOACXQGKTQA","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672509640},"content":"The staff taking industrial action would include large numbers of healthcare assistants providing vital supports to vulnerable adults and children, whether in centres or individual homes, as well as specialised healthcare professionals and administrative staff.","type":"text"},{"_id":"L5QYQHTGNRHOXCNYOGIPJZ3QLA","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672509641},"content":"Siptu has up to 15,000 members working in the sector, “doing really important work”, he said. About a third of those members were balloted on this occasion but the dispute extends far beyond this number.","type":"text"},{"_id":"VM2YS2CLIZFHRFHHRZV55WAV64","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672509642},"content":"","type":"text"},{"_id":"XEFAUR2P7FFIPC4TAXZN6JCFTE","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672509643},"content":"A strike scheduled to take place in October 2023 was averted by the deal that included pay increases and provisions for a process intended to resolve wider issues.","type":"text"},{"_id":"N4SOYDH4RJHHDKBISD4FYEGXCI","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672509644},"content":"The problems involved were highlighted during the general election campaign when then taoiseach Simon Harris encountered Charlotte Fallon, a staff member at St Joseph’s Foundation in Cork, during a campaign event and she accused the government of ignoring the disability sector and its workers.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ODRYVQPEMBBW3CPZEJV2KBNTG4","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672509645},"content":"Mr Harris denied the accusation but a video clip of the encounter went viral and he said a resolution to the dispute would be found but talks since then have again failed to produce an agreement","type":"text"},{"_id":"2YIW4ZKGPVHSHBDB6UCWPF3MOY","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672509646},"content":"Employer organisations in the sectors involved, some of them employing large numbers of staff, will be watching the process closely. Many have said any deal needs to address related issues such as the funding of social insurance payments and pension contributions.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LKWIVNHTUZEYTNUMM26KFHYVSY","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672509647},"content":"The full list of organisations where staff have voted to take action is: Ability West, Aiséirí, Bray Home Care Service, CareGivers Ireland, Caredoc, Cheshire Ireland, CoAction Cork, Cobh Community Hospital, Disability Federation of Ireland, Kerry Parents and Friends Association, Northside Homecare Services, Praxis Care – Cork, Rehab Group, St Joseph’s Foundation, St Lukes Home Cork, SouthDoc, St Cronan’s Association, St Joseph’s Day Care Centre, Social Action Group Rathmore, Trinity Community Care, Western Care Association and Waterford Intellectual Disability Association.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Emmet Malone"}},"name":"Emmet Malone"}]},"description":{"basic":"Thousands of workers at more than 20 organisations vote to take next step over pay and conditions"},"display_date":"2025-02-27T13:11:02.408Z","headlines":{"basic":"Thousands of healthcare workers vote for industrial action in long-running dispute","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"FQEM2RXOPZVGMFJD5PP3XOV4RM","auth":{"1":"c60f15730f56c0220e87d056da368e42a4ea73c4d0e2e2667978adc4c83db6f0"},"focal_point":{"x":925,"y":125},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/FQEM2RXOPZVGMFJD5PP3XOV4RM.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Health"},{"name":"Ireland"},{"name":"Social Affairs"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/health/2025/02/27/section-39-health-care-workers-vote-for-industrial-action-in-long-running-dispute/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/health","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Health"}}}},{"_id":"ENLG5OVRAVCXVDAGE5GOL62AOA","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":239,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/56630136-0c0f-4a44-8d95-fe30d0a61f1c/versions/1740607387/media/97822d79b36db3e925e3bca26f17a564_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/02/26/horses-being-left-to-rot-and-die-in-city-estates-limerick-td-tells-dail/","content_elements":[{"_id":"JGH3YM4RXJDVDFHJRHWJ3MTGOI","additional_properties":{"_id":1740605746799},"content":"Horses are being “left to rot and die in city estates” because it is easier to buy another for €20 or €30 than to care for them, the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/dail-eireann/\" target=\"_blank\">Dáil</a> has been told.","type":"text"},{"_id":"B2CPFR26XNGATLIGIPBRPONDP4","additional_properties":{"_id":1740605746800},"content":"<a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/sinn-fein/\" target=\"_blank\">Sinn Féin</a> <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/limerick/\" target=\"_blank\">Limerick</a> TD <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/maurice-quinlivan/\" target=\"_blank\">Maurice Quinlivan</a> spoke of seeing more than 50 horses on public land and in the gardens of vacant council-owned properties within a 90-minute period as he highlighted the worsening crisis of abandoned and mistreated horses.","type":"text"},{"_id":"SHTT7LWEYZHTVM262YUGMURI6M","additional_properties":{"_id":1740605746801},"content":"","type":"text"},{"_id":"3X4KOPEDUNEWLHR4ICW6LIWSSU","additional_properties":{"_id":1740605746802},"content":"“We are now approaching foaling season and this will only get worse. In some cases the authorities have been met with threats of violence when attempting to seize abused animals,” Mr Quinlivan said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XRD53CUAONGNJFMEQ4FZLQYEEE","additional_properties":{"_id":1740605746803},"content":"“This is not fair or proportionate, but it is what happens when the law is not applied year after year, and the result of the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/department-of-agriculture/\" target=\"_blank\">Department [of Agriculture]</a> not doing its job properly.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"U53IZ2FCPRBFVN5BECJSL53PYM","additional_properties":{"_id":1740605746804},"content":"Mr Quinlivan called for better enforcement of animal welfare laws and more support for animal welfare groups.","type":"text"},{"_id":"U3FWWTBARVHZHBSH2B55ZQGVCY","additional_properties":{},"content":"Instead of going to the vet, owners abandon the horses because it is cheaper to buy a new horse, available for €20 or €30, Mr Quinlivan said, adding that authorities are failing to enforce the law on microchipping horses.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NG4E5CRYSVEWHFBXK2I4ORH42Q","additional_properties":{"_id":1740605746806},"content":"<a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/fianna-fail/\" target=\"_blank\">Fianna Fáil</a> TD <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/padraig-osullivan/\" target=\"_blank\">Pádraig O’Sullivan</a> also highlighted the issue in Glanmire, <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/cork/\" target=\"_blank\">Co Cork</a>, where an equine carcass was left to rot for several days.","type":"text"},{"_id":"733TBZDLIVGKRAD6VWN4BZXBMY","additional_properties":{"_id":1740605746807},"content":"“We have reams after reams of animal welfare legislation but no enforcement,” Mr O’Sullivan said. He called for the implementation of legislation he drafted for the appointment of an equine officer to every local authority.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7NQRM2CYYZBB5K3VAKAQ3WTKRA","additional_properties":{"_id":1740605746808},"content":"That would provide a “dedicated person who can deal with it and none of this faffing around and trying to shovel responsibility on to other agencies”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MMK7AJYTXFH5BAKSKWPBXW3XAE","additional_properties":{"_id":1740605746809},"content":"Taoiseach <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/micheal-martin/\" target=\"_blank\">Micheál Martin</a> said his proposal “makes absolute sense” and he would raise it with the Minister for Agriculture and local authorities because “the agencies need to get stronger and be more effective”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TLSVVXTBMJGGXNA6A2COT5KOWM","additional_properties":{"_id":1740605746810},"content":"Mr Quinlivan said that “since Christmas, a number of horses have been abandoned and left to die and rot in city estates”. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"7WYRACUZBBHITCM7DQ2RMNDQPI","additional_properties":{},"content":"“This has a terrible impact. It is a heartbreaking sight for anyone, especially children, to see outside their own front door,” he said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TYZFHOBUBVCTFG7LAUN7K345LM","additional_properties":{"_id":1740605746811},"content":"Other horses are often left in a distressed or abandoned state, Mr Quinlivan said, pointing out that at least 1,431 wandering or stray horses have been collected in Limerick city since 2015. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"C6Q2AE2RX5EKFEDGTRI3NWVBXU","additional_properties":{},"content":"“Unfortunately, most seized before 2019 ended up being euthanised. Horses collected since then have been rehomed by horse welfare charities, putting huge pressure on them,” Mr Quinlivan told the Dáil.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WJJVGRDTW5CHDII2IZDAZZ7KMU","additional_properties":{"_id":1740605746812},"content":"But he said “if the horses were wandering around Montenotte in Cork, Foxrock in Dublin or the North Circular Road in my city, Limerick, I suspect there would have been a different response”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"O4DRC66DIJF7ZNKIFDGMQGXGYM","additional_properties":{"_id":1740605746813},"content":"Minister of State for Agriculture <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/michael-healy-rae/\" target=\"_blank\">Michael Healy-Rae</a> told him that “what is going on is a disgrace”. The Department of Agriculture “takes the matter of animal welfare most seriously and responds to any reports of alleged animal cruelty or legislative noncompliance”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JUUWVT2O2ZFSJNLWQV5VTFIGTU","additional_properties":{"_id":1740605746814},"content":"Mr Healy-Rae said that since 2015 the department has spent more than €2 million on urban horse projects. Last year, €6 million in funding went to 101 animal welfare charities and more than €3.4 million of that figure was awarded to horse welfare charities, he said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"Y3PSOVXSA5HGDEJISQGELFLYCM","additional_properties":{"_id":1740605746815},"content":"Mr Healy-Rae said “enough funding is going through”, and the charitable organisations are doing their work. “But at the end of the day it is very hard to legislate for other people’s behaviour,” he said. “This whole acceptance by certain people that they can do whatever they like because it is only an animal is what we have to get away from.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"VPK2P6GLWZELHEG4RL3ZQQOQ6E","additional_properties":{"_id":"NAJABP7Y4ZBR7NAYPAG3E3MNWE"},"embed":{"config":{},"id":"acast_podcast-12487","url":"/"},"subtype":"acast_podcast","type":"custom_embed"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Marie O'Halloran"}},"name":"Marie O'Halloran"}]},"description":{"basic":"Micheál Martin says ‘agencies need to get stronger and be more effective’ on animal welfare"},"display_date":"2025-02-26T21:57:58.933Z","headlines":{"basic":"Horses being left to ‘rot and die in city estates’, Limerick TD tells Dáil","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"SZJCEF5FIZOHFLGU3GLIVBKZLU","auth":{"1":"a45e9079fd5163b7cc9f4b20f5b96ecdc64b36b392998dc30a54189e1f6b711c"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/SZJCEF5FIZOHFLGU3GLIVBKZLU.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Ireland"},{"name":"Oireachtas"},{"name":"Politics"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/02/26/horses-being-left-to-rot-and-die-in-city-estates-limerick-td-tells-dail/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social 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href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/business/work/2024/04/03/indian-restaurant-worker-secures-143000-award-over-breaches-and-harassment/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/business/work/2024/04/03/indian-restaurant-worker-secures-143000-award-over-breaches-and-harassment/\">was awarded a total of €143,268</a> for a long list labour law breaches after working at the Bombay House restaurant in Skerries, Co Dublin for more than a year at what was calculated to be an hourly rate of €4.46 per hour.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2ENJPGTYWVDCDL2ANTIQKGLPSA","additional_properties":{},"content":"The WRC was told her family had paid €17,000 in cash to Bhappa Singh, a director of the company, Bombay Bhappa, which operated the restaurant to cover the cost of securing an employment permit.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DUWXBVTQ3BH73O4K3EDDJCDZ3Y","additional_properties":{},"content":"Ms Kaur, who left a job in Malaysia to take up the job, was promised a “life changing experience for her and her children,” but was instead sexually harassed, the WRC heard, by a number of co-workers in shared accommodation and paid far less than anticipated, about €200 per week.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6RT2X26LXRECXFQYMMVPBYTL3I","additional_properties":{},"content":"In a <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/business/work/2024/04/03/indian-restaurant-worker-secures-143000-award-over-breaches-and-harassment/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/business/work/2024/04/03/indian-restaurant-worker-secures-143000-award-over-breaches-and-harassment/\">widely reported decision</a> last April, the WRC, where Ms Kaur, an Indian national, was represented by the Migrants Rights Centre of Ireland (MRCI), awarded her €60,000 under the Employment Equality Act, €30,000 for unfair dismissal, €35,000 in compensation and €7,248 under National Minimum Wage legislation with the balance coming under a number of other headings.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2N3XPRNFRVCIRN66SWCF2T7HZ4","additional_properties":{},"content":"The adjudication officer described Ms Kaur’s ordeal as “a distressing catalogue of discrimination, harassment and sexual harassment which she suffered on [an] almost daily basis for the entirety of her employment”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6GD34RH3ZZFHHN5WXYKNGU25GM","additional_properties":{},"content":"The money was not paid by the business in months after the case concluded, however, and on Tuesday Declan Clancy of Status Corporate Advisory was appointed as liquidator to Bombay Bhappa Ltd at a meeting of the company’s creditors called for the purpose.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RWFXOPMNLZCY7DWAZ674AJR7FA","additional_properties":{},"content":"Mr Clancy said he did not expect there to be significant funds to meet address the company’s debts and the amount owed to Ms Kaur would be referred to the State’s Insolvency Payment Scheme. This is a fund administered by the Department of Social Protection – in conjunction with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment – and intended to cover payments like holiday pay, wage arrears and minimum notice due to workers where an employer has gone out of business.","type":"text"},{"_id":"D4XZWQGZUNH7ZBROIHFJKEJDOQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"The scheme also covers unpaid WRC awards and Mr Clancy said he would co-operate with the MRCI in its efforts to lodge a claim on Ms Kaur’s behalf.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZUVB5U35SNGFJBLUV7XVIVUPAU","additional_properties":{},"content":"There are certain caps on categories of payment, primarily with regard to back pay, but Mr Clancy said that while he had not into the detail of the award, he expected that Ms Kaur would receive the majority or all of her award from the scheme in the coming months.","type":"text"},{"_id":"OKRJ3775HNGKZBFZILCGWYGU2A","additional_properties":{},"content":"MRCI’s Bill Abom said the organisation was “happy that Sharanjeet may soon receive some redress for the ordeal she has been through. She’s been very brave coming forward in a very difficult and risky situation. We hope her actions will encourage other workers in similar situations of exploitation to come forward and seek justice”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"75MXGJDPHFEBNEOYIGOD3KXJLQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"He added: “There needs to be more severe penalties against unscrupulous employers who treat workers in this way otherwise there is no deterrent and they will continue to exploit with impunity.”","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Emmet Malone"}},"name":"Emmet Malone"}]},"description":{"basic":"Woman was awarded €143,268 for a long list labour law breaches at Bombay House restaurant in Skerries, Co Dublin"},"display_date":"2025-02-26T09:15:00Z","headlines":{"basic":"WRC award against restaurant in liquidation set to be paid by State","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"MIN645TP4AC7L4Y556SFJGOOQU","auth":{"1":"4a8fe0cf2784eab9fc827d171c9b15fb91edaf5cc0a0d5d5c565120671313425"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/MIN645TP4AC7L4Y556SFJGOOQU.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Business"},{"name":"Work"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/02/26/wrc-award-against-restaurant-in-liquidation-set-to-be-paid-by-state/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social Affairs"}}}},{"_id":"N7VYPNKAB5GKDJNGFLW5WGLOTE","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":215,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/3b1ae458-ab93-4802-b1b8-fb6920cc971b/versions/1740515985/media/2b301ef8826dd2e84363d1c2bb3ea00c_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/02/25/work-was-biggest-factor-in-peoples-risk-taking-during-covid-19-pandemic-esri-report-finds/","content_elements":[{"_id":"MUCNYKPDYFAI5JJ2747K22DMVM","additional_properties":{},"content":"The requirement to continue working through the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/health/covid-19/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/health/covid-19/\">Covid-19</a> pandemic was the single greatest factor in the level of risk taken by people during the tightest restrictions, according to new research.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CNBL7ZW5QZCL5LES44AVBAGRPA","additional_properties":{},"content":"However, when work was taken out of the equation, older adults took more risks than younger ones on average, the study from the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/economic-social-research-institute-esri/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/economic-social-research-institute-esri/\">Economic and Social Research Institute</a> (ESRI) found. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"WUO56WXGQRGLVHCL2U6SKO3TGM","additional_properties":{},"content":"The report also found those with higher levels of income or education were more likely to take risks when it came to socialising, the research suggests. There was little between the genders, though, and no clear pattern based on location.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JZDIQMAF5JAMXN3HASPGZVCOIY","additional_properties":{},"content":"The paper is based on regular research carried out by Red C and Ipsos B&A during an 18-month period from January 2021.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4ER7NRRDJNDAXOH2E4R3QLCHNM","additional_properties":{},"content":"Those surveyed were asked about their attitudes to the restrictions associated with the pandemic and to review their behaviour over particular days in terms of level of risk they engaged in with regard to visiting other homes, meeting people or going to public places.","type":"text"},{"_id":"C4XSJXXHDNCTVEFWARZWEPCYDI","additional_properties":{},"content":"The report found levels of adherence to the regulations were generally high, and highest among those who worried most about Covid-19 or its potential impact on family or friends. The extent an individual believed the restrictions would be beneficial tended to be a greater motivation than a fear of punishment for breaches.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4A2HML62XJD2LJSPHIJNU224O4","additional_properties":{},"content":"A sense the restrictions were logical and easy to understand was also a factor and though there appears to have been some fatigue, the report suggests, behaviour only changed substantially as the rules were eased.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MQTPB2LE7NEHRIJDNH3VUFZY3Q","additional_properties":{},"content":"“These perceptions were, on average, positive and strongly correlated with confidence in the government. Perceptions of how much others were complying with restrictions mattered too,” the report said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"V6S3OUUIKRADNM5HWM7FZTCOIQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"The authors, Prof Peter Lunn along with senior researchers Shane Timmins and Deirdre Robertson, found that while a requirement to continue attending work over the period of the pandemic involved was the most significant single factor in an individual’s inclination to socialise, age played a more surprising role.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3DQKCPNFERDJXGUMTJ7PK7V6FA","additional_properties":{},"content":"“The models show that, of all the background characteristics tested, being a worker was most strongly linked to greater social activity,” it is said. “There is essentially no influence of age on risk scores at the beginning of the period, when Level 5 restrictions were in place. However, from approximately the middle of 2021 onwards, the coefficients suggest that older adults tended to be more socially active than younger ones, with those over 60 being the most active. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"MO4WSXFICZBDXPMGIHIVDWQ6WA","additional_properties":{},"content":"“This pattern, while perhaps initially surprising, is not inexplicable. Older people were the first to be vaccinated and the fortnightly social activity measure data reported at the time suggest that many people waited for their vaccination before returning to activities.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"PBGOIKZHZFD6JKV2TLOSNZLXXI","additional_properties":{},"content":"People with higher levels of education and income were also more socially active, the authors find. “It might be a reasonable contention that during ‘normal times’ people in higher socio-economic groups will visit more locations outside the home, simply because many locations are associated with spending income,” the report said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WOCMDMRBDFENVCM7BLYHB5DPF4","additional_properties":{},"content":"The research is an indication of the importance of persuading the population that rules, which straightforward and easily policed, are evidence based and will produce positive results during times of emergency, the authors say.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Emmet Malone"}},"name":"Emmet Malone"}]},"description":{"basic":"People aged over 60 were most socially active"},"display_date":"2025-02-25T20:34:16.958Z","headlines":{"basic":"Work was biggest factor in people’s risk-taking during Covid-19 pandemic, ESRI report finds ","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"KHDFAGPJRJN3VGU3ALWVBTGDTA","auth":{"1":"40fcd2259ce2fa2f429e250bfc54a8d5ba415ac67606a6dc02e10266f502302a"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/KHDFAGPJRJN3VGU3ALWVBTGDTA.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/02/25/work-was-biggest-factor-in-peoples-risk-taking-during-covid-19-pandemic-esri-report-finds/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social Affairs"}}}},{"_id":"HM4T2ENFZJFF7JXCHIODJEL5DA","additional_properties":{},"canonical_url":"/politics/2025/02/25/most-hosts-of-ukrainians-say-800-payment-per-month-is-crucial-to-their-ability-to-continue-hosting/","content_elements":[{"_id":"JFIVIEGQ7VAZ5LDNF5FUVGBZ5U","additional_properties":{},"content":"The majority of hosts accommodating Ukrainians displaced by war have said the €800 payment per month is crucial to their ability to continue hosting, a new survey from the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/irish-red-cross/\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/irish-red-cross/\">Irish Red Cross</a> says. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"CBLGXV25GRGO7FHSAXS37W5ZJM","additional_properties":{},"content":"More than half of respondents cited the Accommodation Recognition Payment (ARP) as a key factor in terms of their motivation for hosting. The Irish Red Cross has recommended extending the payment for 12 months, and exploring it as a possible accommodation solution for other displaced groups. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"PAAFUZ3QYJF67GVEZH4VT3LTQM","additional_properties":{},"content":"The ARP is a tax-free payment of €800 for those providing accommodation to Ukrainians who arrive in the Republic under the EU Temporary Protection Directive. The scheme is due to expire on March 31st.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2MCISWJV5FBV5KDZTBCS6E3SPA","additional_properties":{},"content":"The Government is expected to extend the scheme with consideration being given to a €200 reduction in the monthly rate. A decision is expected to be announced by the Government over the coming days, with meetings taking place between the Department of Integration and Department of Justice.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ANAUJ6I7BZCGNLVR4KQXBLKFII","additional_properties":{},"content":"The Irish Red Cross unveiled the findings of its Ukraine Pledged Accommodation Host survey at Leinster House on Tuesday, which involved over 1,600 people or about 12 per cent of the host population. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"PKWYU4A3HFFFHB6JJB42ENMGUE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Most respondents host between one and three Ukrainians, and have been doing so for more than a year. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"R2M35X6O3NGJHPMX6IACTGJYGQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"Two-thirds of those surveyed who wish to extend their pledges said they are open to hosting people from other countries, while 86 per cent said the ARP was crucial to their ability to continue hosting. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"VPJ52R7NRJEP7CDGUC6PMDEJTA","additional_properties":{},"content":"More than half of respondents said their motivation was based on solidarity with displaced Ukrainians, while 18 per cent were encouraged to host because someone they knew was doing it or had asked them to. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"F5NCO6EF75EXZFWMMN234XBFZQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"The majority (91 per cent) of hosts reported a positive hosting experience, while 70 per cent feel their guests have successfully become part of the local community. However, more than half said the language barrier was a challenge, while 42 per cent struggle with long-term planning and financial costs. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"UP2Y6MTS7ZDK3PSNLVEU5WMPO4","additional_properties":{},"content":"According to the latest figures from the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/department-of-social-protection/\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/department-of-social-protection/\">Department of Social Protection</a>, close to 19,000 hosts across Ireland have accommodated displaced people from Ukraine.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UPLRA42LW5GVPL77N5QPI367NU","additional_properties":{},"content":"The Irish Red Cross has also recommended promoting the use of license agreements to formalise and better regulate hosting arrangements. It has also called for developing a structured exit strategy for transitioning out of the ARP programme and the Temporary Protection Directive. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"2R2R4FAQF5D7JNIMSBZJWTJBUE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Deirdre Garvey, secretary general of the Irish Red Cross, said the organisation was calling on policymakers and stakeholders to “prioritise continued funding and structured support mechanisms” to ensure a stable future for both hosts and guests. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"UHHD7VZS6JDABDCPXAH4PIB7BU","additional_properties":{},"content":"“Hosting is more than shelter; it’s about integration,” Ms Garvey said. “Hosts are guides, mentors, and bridges into Irish society. They help with language, local networks and creating a true sense of belonging.” ","type":"text"},{"_id":"F2BJ5XQC3FB7RCKN7V5V7CHCDY","additional_properties":{},"content":"","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Sarah Burns"}},"name":"Sarah Burns"}]},"description":{"basic":"Government expected to extend Accommodation Recognition Payment, with consideration being given to €200 reduction in rate"},"display_date":"2025-02-25T20:01:21.936Z","headlines":{"basic":"Most hosts of Ukrainians say €800 payment per month is crucial to their ability to continue hosting","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"SC27EEYJIESFBTNAZAM52RL5VE","auth":{"1":"325bba49c06eaac8d7ff5e48dc4c3e8fbd971fe195e86f17809a85b0e15b913d"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/SC27EEYJIESFBTNAZAM52RL5VE.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Politics"},{"name":"Ireland"},{"name":"Social Affairs"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/politics/2025/02/25/most-hosts-of-ukrainians-say-800-payment-per-month-is-crucial-to-their-ability-to-continue-hosting/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/politics","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Politics"}}}},{"_id":"H6N2T5IYV5BX7JEQBW5ZPQDKU4","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":254,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/7eef634f-f5a3-4ba4-96a8-69a95ddeef9f/versions/1740488391/media/6771df4de2f641db52bbdc7f343dfadb_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/02/25/mount-street-community-group-threatens-legal-action-over-asylum-housing-proposal/","content_elements":[{"_id":"CZMIOSTRKBB6RLYZ453IIVYVSY","additional_properties":{},"content":"A group representing businesses and residents around <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/dublin/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/dublin/\">Dublin</a>’s Mount Street has threatened to take legal action if an application to develop an accommodation centre for <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/immigration/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/immigration/\">asylum seekers</a> in the area proceeds.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UOB7I2Q7RFDCVLXBSIWA757BKI","additional_properties":{},"content":"In an email sent to local TDs and councillors on Sunday, members of the Mount Street community network, which was established in March 2024, said they would “resist” the application to turn the former headquarters of the Irish League of Credit Unions (ILCU) into housing for <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/ipas/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/ipas/\">international protection applicants</a>, and would use “legal action” if necessary. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"DQJHZKOFBRC3NCSTZUQJKGRMAU","additional_properties":{},"content":"“We have been living with tents and metal barriers in our neighbourhood for over 18 months,” said the email, seen by The Irish Times. “Now an application is put forward to house 700 people in addition to having the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/international-protection-office/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/international-protection-office/\">International Protection Office</a> (IPO) on the same street.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6KV7FUVPAFDJ3NYQLZIJRMD6HQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"“We have played our part in this crisis of the Government’s own making, we will no longer allow our area to bear the burden of this mismanagement.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"ILVPU2DUFNCI3EWPDGVOKJTD2E","additional_properties":{},"content":"A firm called Lower Mount Street Accommodation Services Limited has reportedly applied for permission to convert the ILCU office block into International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) housing, according to a Business Post report. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"2LMLQ6YBT5BKNOOVKVQMHNOA3M","additional_properties":{},"content":"The former headquarters at 33-41 Lower Mount Street was put up for sale, with potential for refurbishment or redevelopment, in June 2023 with a guiding price of €9.5 million. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"SXDKUIIXLBH7XNZBXX2KOJF34E","additional_properties":{},"content":"The Lower Mount Street Accommodation Services limited company was established in August 2024, according to company filings.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZDO2OI53FBDKZOX7AU3PAOERUU","additional_properties":{},"content":"A Department of Integration spokeswoman confirmed it had received an offer for accommodation at the ILCU site but that no decision had been made “as it is in the early stages”. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"4LVCC3R6JZGXLPHW647HJKGIBM","additional_properties":{},"content":"“The department will be carrying out a detailed appraisal of the offer in due course and doesn’t have any further information to share at this stage,” she said. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"WVNBHNBBSVH6XMMGN24PHNWD4E","additional_properties":{},"content":"In May 2024, the tents of more than 200 asylum seekers were dismantled and removed from Mount Street as part of a multi-agency operation to clear the area of IPAs who had set up camp while awaiting a decision on their asylum claim. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"WEKNP5EHKVBCBFYISKNEHLFMN4","additional_properties":{},"content":"The International Protection Office, where asylum claims are made and processed, is located on Mount Street Lower. Barricades were erected where tents previously stood and nearly ten months on, the steel fencing remains in place.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TAZPJWOTRJCG5MZPZ524BBJRCU","additional_properties":{},"content":"Ruth Hamilton, a local restaurant owner and member of the Mount Street network that contacted TDs and councillors on Sunday, said the community had “reached the end of its tether”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DKD6DLPRWJFLHKOYYHOSP6NFXE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Residents and business owners learned of the proposal to redevelop the ILCU site “like everyone else, through reading the paper”, said Ms Hamilton.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZEWPYHZ5TJE5ZOU2LW3JGB64UI","additional_properties":{},"content":"“We’ve done everything as a community and businesses in the area to reach out for correspondence and there’s been no answers from them [Government representatives].” ","type":"text"},{"_id":"5DUKPQO7QVAHJGX2Y5BWU52ITU","additional_properties":{},"content":"“What we want to find is whether this building is suitable to accommodate over 700 people and are services available for that volume of people? What are the wraparound services?”","type":"text"},{"_id":"6BT2WJ3CQZE53HRY7WINOZ7B2I","additional_properties":{},"content":"Asked whether using a city centre premises to house asylum seekers made more sense than housing people in rural areas given the amenities available in a large city, Ms Hamilton said the community deserved better engagement from Government and the International Protection Office. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"DFYWNK6B35APZMEUPJXTXYYJRQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"“This has been ongoing for over two years with a total lack of communication. We feel like we’re forgotten about and that we have no other option but to take legal action. We don’t want to do that, but it may be the only thing to do because we’ve been backed into a corner.” ","type":"text"},{"_id":"VEKQUVORMNDVZLN33RGAMIY3EY","additional_properties":{},"content":"Business for her own restaurant has also been “horrific” since the fencing was erected, she added. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"BB6LDXVACNGNXDP66RTM7XAMXI","additional_properties":{},"content":"The Department of Integration spokeswoman said community engagement usually takes place at a later stage when a property is approved for use given “many offers do not progress through the application process”. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZVHMQFSNOZCBFHDKBOWRD32OEU","additional_properties":{},"content":"The IPAS community engagement team are currently responding to local queries about this property, she added.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Sorcha Pollak"}},"name":"Sorcha Pollak"}]},"description":{"basic":"Department confirms offer was made for accommodation centre at Dublin property but says no decision made"},"display_date":"2025-02-25T12:58:50.015Z","headlines":{"basic":"Mount Street community group threatens legal action over asylum housing 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target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/travellers/\">Traveller communities</a>.","type":"text"},{"_id":"C423W5QLJFCRDAU3AUQUDMKTDU","additional_properties":{},"content":"","type":"text"},{"_id":"ROLCBFRHTNGHLI22H5TFMUO4YA","additional_properties":{},"content":"In a submission to the Government recommending a wide range of measures, Dr Michael O’Flaherty said this consensus view included Government officials and that the discrimination involved permeated “all aspects” of the lives of those impacted.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LE5GMZFR3NACLOE6RTOHCIRY54","additional_properties":{},"content":"His recommendations include the repeal of some existing pieces of legislation, the establishment of new legal protections and the provision of additional supports.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AMFADBFHAZHY3MTZLX5J7K5KY4","additional_properties":{},"content":"Dr O’Flaherty, a human rights lawyer originally from Galway, is the fifth Commissioner for Human Rights at the Council of Europe, the oldest political body in Europe that aims to uphold human rights, democracy and the rule of law.","type":"text"},{"_id":"OKBQV4XOUBCW7F7SQX3YQOPYPM","additional_properties":{},"content":"In a memorandum to the Government published on Tuesday, he has recommended actions across areas including justice, housing, education and health after community representatives identified policy failures or issues of discrimination in all to him.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4472DEXR3NERFDZELDUNAPKZ34","additional_properties":{},"content":"Among the recommendations made are the provision of more culturally appropriate accommodation for members of the Roma and Traveller communities.","type":"text"},{"_id":"Z7EFP2JU6RCSLNA4ZMJG2CIRYU","additional_properties":{},"content":"He also suggests access to legal aid for civil cases involving complaints of discrimination and the recruitment of more Roma and Traveller community members to teaching to help address bullying and racism in schools.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CP3U7MHD4ND3HKBZBGOYYAAHLM","additional_properties":{},"content":"In terms of the criminal justice system, the memorandum highlights research that found Travellers are hugely over-represented among the prison population with members of the community feeling “over-policed” but “under protected” by a system constructed “by settled people for settled people” in which they feel discriminated against by members of the Garda Siochána and the judiciary.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WN7OX7ND5RA53IOWRFHRPO3MUE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Individual Traveller women reported being hesitant to report episodes of domestic violence after being told by individual gardaí that such episodes were normal in their community and did not merit action.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YXNTQYV5T5DFZMGZPNBVBW5W2Q","additional_properties":{},"content":"Dr O’Flaherty acknowledges, however, there are many contributory factors in relation to the Travelling community being over-represented in the prison system including poverty and exclusion. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"OZWTCIDI4FH65LJRE2JBFXKGEY","additional_properties":{},"content":"His memorandum comes after he spent several days during October meeting representatives of the Traveller and Roma communities. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"6V4D2JDIIBGPRJGVNQRS22KDIU","additional_properties":{},"content":"He also met academics, officials from public bodies and government officials including ministers and senior civil servants. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"YZBSNTNIU5B6VBJK6SIEYCNFLE","additional_properties":{},"content":"During the period he visited halting sites in Dublin and Limerick where, he says, he witnessed “very basic and overcrowded conditions, with an insufficient number and quality of sanitary facilities”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GK24S72WSREDPA6UES63FDRQZA","additional_properties":{},"content":"He reported that Travellers believe they are being failed by the social housing system and struggling in a “hostile” private rental market.","type":"text"},{"_id":"POSLS4AKD5EY7C32QX74DI63EA","additional_properties":{},"content":"The commissioner acknowledged progress and ongoing work by Government and other agencies. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"NQ7EXYEZBFBDFIMRRBFZ3UYLTA","additional_properties":{},"content":"However, he said members of the Roma and Traveller communities continue to face huge challenges and negative outcomes in areas such as health, including mental health, with life expectancy more than 10 years higher for the general population than for Travellers who are seven times more likely to die by suicide.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZY2GKB5PVRFWJHEGZEO3NMFF7I","additional_properties":{},"content":"In response, the Government says it will give “careful attention” to the report, the issues highlighted and the recommendations made but identifies a long list of measures already taken or that are in progress or planned to address specific concerns of the Roma and Traveller communities or wider instances of racism, inequality or discrimination.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PX2WSDZIB5FQLC3TTKCWELIUMU","additional_properties":{},"content":"On housing, it said allocated capital funding for Traveller-specific accommodation is €23 million this year, an increase of 59 per cent since 2020 while wider public spending on the sector is also substantially up.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LVWG2KDUHFE7ZMDSKEV5JYRDMY","additional_properties":{},"content":"It said moves to change the law to allow the Workplace Relations Commission rather than the District Court to deal with complaints in relation to discrimination in pubs and other licensed premises was started by the last government.","type":"text"},{"_id":"FLIAKGI7IVD3DHE2IFR7LJX3LE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Significant work is ongoing, it said, in relation to the issues raised around justice, education and health with progress already made on a number of fronts. 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","type":"text"},{"_id":"OERPPALTG5H27GGL33AE2GL3CE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Progress on various commitments was graded from A, meaning it made a “real difference to children’s lives,” to F, meaning steps were taken that “undermine children’s wellbeing”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"72TNXNR6OZBNXJXOYKAI7SM5PA","additional_properties":{},"content":"It handed down a fourth consecutive E grade for youth mental health services, saying although the number of children admitted to adult psychiatric units reduced significantly to five in 2024, there was an “unacceptable spike” in the number of children on waiting lists (3,830).","type":"text"},{"_id":"GFUPDOM6SFGYTF3LQ6HV7FNY2M","additional_properties":{},"content":"The last coalition received a D- for failing to address the rise in child and family homelessness, the CRA said, noting that a “staggering” and record-breaking 4,510 children are now homeless.","type":"text"},{"_id":"W4KB7URTJRDZ7CE2DJVSOOZDK4","additional_properties":{},"content":"While there are “no signs of housing supply keeping pace with demand”, it commended an improvement in the number of families prevented from entering homeless services.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4PHVPRD3QJFZPA5MY7GIZ6EB44","additional_properties":{},"content":"The last government’s commitment to end direct provision, meanwhile, reflects the “sharpest decline in performance overall”, receiving an E grade, down from the previously awarded C+.","type":"text"},{"_id":"FEHC65TSRRG3PFDY2SV6UM7ZRQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"Although the increase in the number of those seeking international protection presented an “insurmountable challenge,” the CRA criticised the Government’s continued use of emergency accommodation, in which almost 7,000 children lived last year.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7NOXTFQDJFGA3F7GNGDWAJU5BM","additional_properties":{},"content":"It said the accommodation, which is not subject to health watchdog Hiqa inspections, “does not comply with the Government’s own National Standards that are designed to protect children’s rights”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3OQLLVZNGNC6DG2DGHVT7J2ZNE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Meanwhile, it said conditions in permanent Ipas centres deteriorated, with inspections revealing overcrowding, pests and child safeguarding gaps.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4PIBTCIMVBGQLFQMOETHMX5E3M","additional_properties":{},"content":"Such safeguarding gaps resulted in “serious child protection cases,” including one in which the location of four children was unknown for 15 days while their parent was hospitalised, it said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JTHKMVED3FH4XOUEUUKE2UY4VU","additional_properties":{},"content":"The CRA noted success in some areas such as early childhood education and care, food poverty and the expansion of the free schoolbooks scheme, for which it received an A+ for delivering “beyond its own commitment”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LXFQC23GWNF7LBK3ORPNVVNVDM","additional_properties":{},"content":"While it received a B- grade for online safety, this was a drop from the A grade previously awarded.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WJ2AVYDO3VCF3IKW24OYFXD6GA","additional_properties":{},"content":"Despite “monumental progress made in previous years”, it criticised the online safety code as “disappointingly weak” saying it gives online platforms “far too much scope and discretion to design their own rules, leaving vulnerable children exposed to harmful and illegal content.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"CV4BPAPYOVBOLH5AODBSXASXDY","additional_properties":{},"content":"CRA chief executive Tanya Ward said while the last government “surpassed expectations” in areas such as the free schoolbooks expansion, children living in direct provision have been “inexplicably” left behind.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3FHN74RGGVF2JGRPZKY5LYSQ7I","additional_properties":{},"content":"“This is one of the areas where the government really did fail,” she said, particularly the failure to introduce the international protection child payment which would provide “some relief”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WIXTTZZRKFE4DAY4UHWBYYD6EI","additional_properties":{},"content":"The failure to produce enough accommodation, particularly social housing, has resulted in a “record number of children in the homeless population”, she said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5P2N25NQSZGVDGCXJYCUJQXCPM","additional_properties":{},"content":"Child homelessness, which can affect school performance and cause developmental delays, potentially has “lifelong consequences”, she added.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WQCO2QEF3BGS3IA4D6MDMXTDWA","additional_properties":{},"content":"Traveller children, who feature highly in the homeless population, “have been failed possibly most of all when it comes to housing”, said Ms Ward. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"KMNKBHZIV5HMJNBKYX6LDFI324","additional_properties":{},"content":"She said a lack of progress on some commitments made by the last coalition is “simply not good enough”, adding that children on the fringes of society have been “further marginalised by the lack of government ambition.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BDKCNH33PNHHVPJZAKHPLTXAVQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"“As many of the same political leaders return to their seat for the next five years, there are no more excuses. Actions will speak louder than words,” she said.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Jack White"}},"name":"Jack White"}]},"description":{"basic":"Children’s Rights Alliance issues gloomy scorecard for previous government despite several improving areas "},"display_date":"2025-02-25T00:01:00Z","headlines":{"basic":"Children’s rights: Lack of progress on commitments made by last coalition ‘not good enough’ ","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"RIW7UQBWAJXQ27QVJQFOEBBLF4","auth":{"1":"22c1c59d45c0a29375db78620d80348fb096018311a18964b816f978bdb43284"},"focal_point":{"x":1725,"y":887},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/RIW7UQBWAJXQ27QVJQFOEBBLF4.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social 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said the UK’s poor economic outlook and the “harsh” realities of post-Brexit travel and work restrictions had led to a sharp rise in workers and pensioners seeking “backdoor access” to the EU.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XMYXEUO6FJHTLGLECAFQAIASUM","additional_properties":{},"content":"“The questionable political landscape in Britain is not only causing, but accelerating the search by some to look for a Plan B,” said Reza Nezam, partner at RNL Solicitors, a law firm that advises people on FBR applications.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ULURTTY7MJGSBITZN7BZAAU5MA","additional_properties":{},"content":"“We expect that the numbers are going to continue to rise as the UK economy continues to be unattractive for the younger generation and those approaching retirement see that there is the prospect of super taxes,” he added.","type":"text"},{"_id":"KZUJOGCXVNBKJCMJNXU57AKNSA","additional_properties":{},"content":"Lawyers suggested the surge may be linked to European countries, where people from the UK chose to purchase holiday or retirement homes, tightening access to non-EU buyers.","type":"text"},{"_id":"P2WU3JPHZJHZNHNFUDDONAN4YI","additional_properties":{},"content":"In January, the Spanish government announced plans to introduce a 100 per cent “super tax” on property investors from outside the EU in a bid to increase housing affordability.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JI4USTTRI5CAZNB2Q7S76UTHG4","additional_properties":{},"content":"This follows a decision last year to scrap its “golden visa” scheme, a residency route for wealthy non-EU investors, <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/politics/2025/01/02/golden-visa-shutdown-followed-justice-warning-about-potentially-unlawful-practices/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/politics/2025/01/02/golden-visa-shutdown-followed-justice-warning-about-potentially-unlawful-practices/\">following in the footsteps</a> of Portugal and Ireland.","type":"text"},{"_id":"SZM6OTTWTJCARP72MSO6Z7FDAI","additional_properties":{},"content":"Golden visa shutdown came after officials warned of potentially ‘unlawful’ and ‘unethical’ practices","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"LGI647OJDVFXXCDZ6FGSMUC2B4","additional_properties":{},"content":"Applications to the FBR from the UK grew for the third consecutive year after falling sharply in 2020 when Britain officially exited the EU and Covid-19 travel restrictions came into effect.","type":"text"},{"_id":"22A5CVFBQVC7XMHDTIYILZTUJM","additional_properties":{},"content":"Úna O’Brien, senior associate at Sinnott Solicitors, said the rise in applications reflected the inconvenience of post-Brexit travel restrictions and the “cumbersome” application process that sometimes took years to complete.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZIZXJEU2KZHGRHJIZHTOZWRATI","additional_properties":{},"content":"“It was only really from 2022 that the reality of Brexit took effect and British citizens started to experience harsh [realities of] travel as holders of non-EU passports,” she added. “For some it is a case of wanting an Irish passport simply to avoid the non-EU queues at airports.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"HOQQYXKU2ZG3BOSVBUSEZFHWPY","additional_properties":{},"content":"There are far fewer applications through the naturalisation citizenship route, which relies on being resident in Ireland for a number of years. Only 646 of applications from UK citizens were made in the first eight months of 2024, up to which data is available, accounting for 7 per cent of the total number made through this channel.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JAIU5V42VJEMPEW6NZG4W2NB3Y","additional_properties":{},"content":"Meanwhile, more than half of the 42,808 FBR applications last year came from Britain, a sharp increase from 12 per cent of the 5,750 applications in 2013.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AJN5SNTKSZEKDCR6T2SGMDVOGE","additional_properties":{},"content":"The UK has been the main driver of this seven-fold rise in applications for Irish citizenship through the FBR channel over the past decade, but demand from North America has also surged recently, with figures rising from 8,900 in 2023 to 13,055 in 2024.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7AGLZW6LPBFVPNKIM7GBAJPHFA","additional_properties":{},"content":"Okeremute Okeregha, director for the Immigration Advice Service in Ireland, said the surge was driven by political events, with “dramatic spikes” in US searches for Irish citizenship straight after the election and inauguration.","type":"text"},{"_id":"FKRVUE6YRNHJPFLAFTVSDMJKAE","additional_properties":{},"content":"“Americans are exploring citizenship links in Ireland as they grow increasingly uncertain of how life will look in the US under president Trump,” she said. “More people are considering having an option in case they need to leave the US quickly and settle elsewhere.” – Copyright The Financial Times","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[]},"description":{"basic":"‘Harsh’ realities of travel and work restrictions are pushing British citizens to seek backdoor EU access, say lawyers"},"display_date":"2025-02-24T21:38:52.726Z","headlines":{"basic":"Irish passport applications from UK hit post-Brexit peak","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"WGL4KQZ2DZDB7DVHAVVY2A5YGA","auth":{"1":"c2ae82f1b80fdd3055082ae05ce710f8fafeb15c8399c8c4ece673dcf47e13ed"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/WGL4KQZ2DZDB7DVHAVVY2A5YGA.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Ireland"},{"name":"Social Affairs"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/2025/02/24/irish-passport-applications-from-uk-hit-post-brexit-peak/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Ireland"}}}},{"_id":"DDHOAXCI5VBXVIGOGD2C7XZ6TU","additional_properties":{},"canonical_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/02/24/he-stirred-things-up-bishop-willie-walsh-remembered-at-funeral-as-radical-advocate-for-the-poor/","content_elements":[{"_id":"VUXURTVXXJGUHLDKVKLZL6HYKI","additional_properties":{},"content":"The late Bishop Emeritus of Killaloe Dr Willie Walsh was a radical and effective crusader who was not afraid of “challenging the system”, his funeral Mass heard.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5YMSLG5ZVBCHZPZVZVQDCKV2ZA","additional_properties":{},"content":"At a packed Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral in Ennis on Monday, the current Bishop of Killaloe Fintan Monahan told mourners that “Willie was a radical in the true sense of the word”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"QD7DPZRNGFFWTETBQMNUJPI34E","additional_properties":{},"content":"He said: “He challenged unquestioned beliefs, the accepted mores of society and in doing so stripped them back to their origin, measuring them up against what he believed was the core of the Gospel, Cineáltas Chríost, the gentleness of Christ.","type":"text"},{"_id":"F2TP7SSNCNGPHMUJ6FD45ZVJMU","additional_properties":{},"content":"“Being frequently outspoken, he stirred things up. This sometimes ruffled feathers, was occasionally misunderstood, upset a few and others saw it as an effort to overturn hard earned orthodoxy.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"VISVY5OAUFAPHMASNJ2JTLRVJI","additional_properties":{},"content":"","type":"text"},{"_id":"NX7RLRDBGJE2JMDDH2OKUZYGHM","additional_properties":{},"type":"image"},{"_id":"N5ZEUBGV2FBN7P7ET6VW75JGRY","additional_properties":{},"content":"Bishop Monahan said said he “was a profound and effective crusader” in an understated, yet very effective way and won people over “to genuine Christian values through kindness, understanding, listening, generosity, care for the poor, the marginalised, people struggling and suffering in life”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TQTYOV7KQFH5VEYLRUMDGILY3Y","additional_properties":{},"content":"He said that “Bishop Willie did this through his unstinting work with the Travelling community, his pastoral outreach to survivors of abuse, the sick, the vulnerable, so many who availed of his spiritual outreach as a true pastor of Jesus Christ”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7JR4DVKEJRC67FZVAGGL2OMFNE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Former bishop of Killaloe Willie Walsh was ahead of his time in Catholic Church","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"JWZUGZ4FBNHYPNI53VVWU3EUN4","additional_properties":{},"content":"Recognised by <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2025/02/20/former-bishop-of-killaloe-willie-walsh-was-ahead-of-his-time-in-catholic-church/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2025/02/20/former-bishop-of-killaloe-willie-walsh-was-ahead-of-his-time-in-catholic-church/\">survivors’ campaign group</a> One in Four as having taken a lead in addressing clerical sex abuse scandals, Dr Walsh was at odds with the church leadership on several issues. He publicly disagreed with its ban on artificial means of contraception, felt the celibacy rule for priests should not be mandatory, favoured women priests, and was always publicly supportive of gay people despite traditional church teaching.","type":"text"},{"_id":"QBXEEQ3QSJBKJPLKLITPFACRIE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Dr Walsh died suddenly at his Ennis home last Wednesday evening just weeks after celebrating his 90th birthday. He served as Bishop of Killaloe from 1994 to 2010.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2NWTFZSUUBGL5MS2LPJMIQVCEI","additional_properties":{},"content":"Dr Walsh was the last surviving member of his immediate family and was predeceased by his parents Ellen and William, brothers Joe, Eddie and John and his sisters Maura and Catherine.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LJRVAB3VJNABLDEIKXTEAJ5PSA","additional_properties":{},"type":"image"},{"_id":"WRIIORRZ7VAMXF5L4LLEP3T3UI","additional_properties":{},"content":"At the end of theMass, his niece Miriam Burke expressed thanks to those who had mourned his loss with the family.","type":"text"},{"_id":"Z5BK5F6G3ZGCTBSWAJSHBUAD4Q","additional_properties":{},"content":" ","type":"text"},{"_id":"VNYLG7TGGVDUXNALLXPHSVLZDY","additional_properties":{},"content":"“Whilst we loved Uncle Willie as a member of our family, we were always aware that we shared him with another family – the family of Killaloe diocese and the extended family nationwide”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UATGWRBBABEZZAAKSX46SJW6KQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"She said: “It is very clear to us that your sense of loss mirrors our own. Willie would not have wanted us to dwell on our loss but rather to celebrate his life and a life that was lived with purpose, joy, generosity and above all humility. We have much to celebrate and much to learn from the example of his life.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"WTP2IVBICVCB3E4HRO3DMJHQZM","additional_properties":{},"content":"Members of the public turned out in large numbers on Monday and Sunday afternoon at the cathedral to pay their respects to the Roscrea native who first came to Ennis in 1947 where he entered St Flannan’s College as a boarding student.","type":"text"},{"_id":"FVTYE63VLJFYTHTDZVLWSSNXTM","additional_properties":{},"content":"Dr Walsh – who celebrated being a priest 66 years this month – was to remain in Ennis for the rest of his life apart from periods spent in Maynooth, Rome and Galway on his studies.","type":"text"},{"_id":"QJJ6ON5WD5HPPH5TQXWDUX5VSA","additional_properties":{},"content":"","type":"text"},{"_id":"RI4ALS7ADBHRFNGZZSC2LPFO5Q","additional_properties":{},"content":"","type":"text"},{"_id":"WJAVZUQFNNBYHLDEVP75VKRS5U","additional_properties":{},"content":" ","type":"text"},{"_id":"AY2M6R2SFNF5VP73N5W7KMJHKI","additional_properties":{},"content":"Burial took place on the grounds of St Peter and Paul Cathedral close to the plot of the late Bishop of Killaloe, Dr Michael Harty whom Dr Walsh succeeded as Bishop in 1994.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Gordon Deegan"}},"name":"Gordon Deegan"}]},"description":{"basic":"Former Bishop of Killaloe ‘was a profound and effective crusader’ for marginalised groups"},"display_date":"2025-02-24T15:48:18.929Z","headlines":{"basic":"‘He stirred things up’: Bishop Willie Walsh remembered at funeral as radical advocate for the 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This non means-tested payment to parents or guardians of children with a significant disability is worth €360 a month. The cost is up 149 per cent since 2015 to more than €300 million a year.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BQ2TMEAMEREMNG534LAFJAQ524","additional_properties":{"_id":1740331576666},"content":"With “much of the increase” in the payment accounted for by increasing diagnoses of neurodiversity issues among children, these are “of concern”, says the briefing note, because data indicates “more than 50 per cent of children in respect of whom DCA is paid transition on to a disability payment on reaching age 16″.","type":"text"},{"_id":"IRTAMSOVL5DIXMYX34GK3X5RZM","additional_properties":{"_id":1740331576667},"content":"“Dependency on a disability payment is negatively correlated with employment take-up and positively correlated with poverty and social exclusion.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"3MKONH7PKREBXMFKYPZ35IIYMQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1740331576668},"content":"A Green Paper on disability payments reform, published last year and intended to address the “big concern” that people with disabilities have some of the highest poverty rates of all cohorts and unemployment rates of more than 50 per cent – while facing higher costs associated with being disabled – was withdrawn last year “in light of negative reaction from disability groups”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4SH43K3EGBDGJEXN2LJEW2RPOE","additional_properties":{"_id":"Y6KZHHXAFVHSVLLI2ODNGAASMQ"},"content":"Programme for government aims for ‘step change’ in disability services","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"GNUAWODJO5DS3PWADBKC5QBORM","additional_properties":{"_id":1740331576669},"content":"It proposed merging existing disability payments into a single three-tiered payment, with tiers based on the person’s capacity to work. Those least able to work, in the top two tiers, would receive higher payments with those most able to work supported to take up employment while retaining their current payment.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DVJX4B5ONZHZ7CNR3ULG43CCCI","additional_properties":{"_id":1740331576670},"content":"Respondents opposed both tiering payments based on disability and also the requirement that people with ‘moderate’ disabilities engage with employment supports.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YSYJZDSWBBHLHPWRQP4QDRVLVE","additional_properties":{"_id":1740331576671},"content":"In April the Green Paper consultation process ceased.","type":"text"},{"_id":"J35TUDYZN5APDNG6XR5C6XOKBQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1740331576672},"content":"Submissions were analysed and while they “generally agreed with the need for reform, to address the elevated risk of poverty and low employment rates among people with disabilities in Ireland ... there was no consensus ... on what this reform should look like”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"H5OI7DFITZHOXM2YKPFHKAZBSA","additional_properties":{"_id":1740331576673},"content":"The briefing note states: “A national disability strategy is being co-ordinated by the Department of Children and Disability. The draft strategy has five pillars, with this department ... co‐chair to the employment pillar along with the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment”.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Kitty Holland"}},"name":"Kitty Holland"}]},"description":{"basic":"Expenditure on disability income supports up from €3.5 billion in 2010 to €6 billion in 2025"},"display_date":"2025-02-24T06:00:00Z","headlines":{"basic":"Spiralling numbers being diagnosed with disabilities will have ‘significant impact’ on social welfare spend","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"DOTG3NY6NENSFLVTKZ2LKQS7ME","auth":{"1":"0d5a2d42cdc935dde57fc24a4394c7e19775828ea454391f9f6a507fb1afc2f0"},"focal_point":{"x":197,"y":82},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/DOTG3NY6NENSFLVTKZ2LKQS7ME.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/02/24/spiralling-numbers-being-diagnosed-with-disabilities-will-have-significant-impact-on-social-welfare-spend/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social Affairs"}}}},{"_id":"LD35IDP3RBBLTPDW77OMSSIXJM","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":225,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/743bd5d8-3696-4dc9-af04-0ced332c883d/versions/1740229353/media/2bea004cd73d30494d3faa7f11512f75_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/02/22/abolishing-means-testing-of-carers-allowance-could-cost-3-billion-a-year/","content_elements":[{"_id":"LQ4Q4GMTY5ERHNK5EEAIGPCRYQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1740229614459},"content":"The cost of abolishing means testing of the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/carer-s-allowance/\">carer’s allowance</a> could amount to €3 billion per year, the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/department-of-social-protection/\">Department of Social Protection</a> has estimated.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TCYFUHKOAFCBLH4OVETQKSOZ4Y","additional_properties":{"_id":1740229614460},"content":"The programme for government pledges to abolish the means testing of the allowance within the lifetime of this Government, something long-called for by advocacy groups.","type":"text"},{"_id":"HCEDPNBAIJEHNOYFRPWGMFNLEY","additional_properties":{"_id":1740229614461},"content":"Several estimates have now been provided to Minister for Social Protection <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/dara-calleary/\">Dara Calleary</a> in a briefing prepared on his appointment as Minister.","type":"text"},{"_id":"D7IT3XWK3NGKBBHIGEWMJT26OQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1740229614462},"content":"At a minimum, the cost of removing the means test would be at least €360 million as the 26,200 recipients of the domiciliary care allowance would automatically qualify, according to department officials.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6L5E3UEBUBAJTD2COXSVFD64ZM","additional_properties":{"_id":1740229614463},"content":"“Allowing for normal inflow and the extension of a full rate of payment to people currently receiving a partial payment, the cost is likely to be no less than €700 million per annum for a full year at anticipated payment rates and volumes for 2025,” the briefing reads.","type":"text"},{"_id":"L6QYJSU4JFFHTGLMUPT7XL322E","additional_properties":{"_id":1740229614464},"content":"However, once a “potential increased inflow” is accounted for, the department estimates the additional cost of abolishing the means test could extend to €3 billion per year. This inflow uses Census data for the total number of carers across the country, and takes into account additional carer support grant costs, noting the programme for government commitment to increase this from €2,000.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7C66Z2ZF5VE7REDTLJYTZ3LJSE","additional_properties":{"_id":1740229614465},"content":"Some 99,000 individuals are receiving carer’s allowance, the estimated cost of which is noted in the briefing as €1.24 billion for 2025.","type":"text"},{"_id":"HWI72IQK3BHRRIKWALOYKAN2MM","additional_properties":{"_id":1740229614466},"content":"Separately, the briefing notes that the department holds a “significant stock” of social welfare overpayments, the outstanding balance of which was €558 million as of October 2024.","type":"text"},{"_id":"VMD5KFZOA5FO3BZLSMH6WQT4YA","additional_properties":{"_id":1740229614467},"content":"Some 201,866 individuals have received overpayments, 67 per cent of whom (134,970) incorrectly received €266 million in total and are logged as “not repaying”, according to the briefing.","type":"text"},{"_id":"63Q7VDVSNBF7HJMW3E233YALVU","additional_properties":{"_id":1740229614468},"content":"Similarly, approximately €29 million in overpayments made to those who received pandemic unemployment payments is yet to be recouped.","type":"text"},{"_id":"FKLKRFHZMJC6ZA4VHP5EQWN4KQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1740229614469},"content":"Some 880,000 people received at least one payment under the scheme. In total, 30 million payments were issued at an overall spend of €10 billion.","type":"text"},{"_id":"P4II5WK4ZFFXNLZ2U2GY3UY3LI","additional_properties":{"_id":1740229614470},"content":"Following a cross-check of payments with Revenue records, the department found 65,000 cases where there was an overlap between receipt of the payment and employment.","type":"text"},{"_id":"W3LHWYES6JEL5K5LZPPEU5HQT4","additional_properties":{"_id":1740229614471},"content":"Some 22,750 individuals who received overpayments amounting to €34 million have been contacted to date, and about €5.2 million of this has since been collected.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4IOCL4LZANCGDHGLLALN47EEUI","additional_properties":{"_id":1740229614472},"content":"The briefing notes that plans are in place to “follow up” with those who have yet to put in place a repayment plan.","type":"text"},{"_id":"Y2ZPRRQLERGJTOCBTYBXA5VUQM","additional_properties":{"_id":1740229614473},"content":"Meanwhile, almost 8,000 international protection applicants have had payments stopped since the department began income testing of daily expenses allowance in June 2024.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YTWZXEBDQBHBNP5N3ICPM6OAII","additional_properties":{"_id":1740229614474},"content":"Currently, international protection applicants living in State-provided accommodation receive €38.80 per week, while the rate is €29.80 per child. The rates have remained unchanged since 2019.","type":"text"},{"_id":"HRIXFOYXPVDLZC7QB727R5RBCY","additional_properties":{"_id":1740229614475},"content":"A higher weekly rate of €113.80 is paid to those who are awaiting State-provided accommodation.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MZFZVKMKQ5GUJHBAZPVLQLBXMU","additional_properties":{"_id":1740229614476},"content":"Payments made until the end of October to almost 14,500 adults and 6,400 children until last year amounted to €46.5m.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Jack White"}},"name":"Jack White"}]},"description":{"basic":"Social welfare overpayments of €558 million also noted in briefing note for new Minister for Social Protection"},"display_date":"2025-02-22T12:54:43.175Z","headlines":{"basic":"Abolishing means testing of carer’s allowance could cost €3bn a year","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"XI5ECZAJ3BG45GHIXBJNZ7VXRA","auth":{"1":"b5f49a592cc8d4f48932aeb632bbeecd899b0ddefcf7651474a257dcc7412814"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/XI5ECZAJ3BG45GHIXBJNZ7VXRA.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Politics"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/02/22/abolishing-means-testing-of-carers-allowance-could-cost-3-billion-a-year/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social Affairs"}}}},{"_id":"5VXL3L5PYVGGXACPWPJXZSY3KE","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":910,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/6755f7ec-8769-46e5-8440-7669c5e224d7/versions/1740048865/media/f0d3baac1979602dc2b545a68910f448_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/life-style/people/2025/02/22/dr-lydia-foy-i-never-got-an-apology-actually-it-would-be-nice-to-get-one/","content_elements":[{"_id":"SXNRPT3MK5DIFA3YXZ7OI4SEKA","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280090},"content":"Dr Lydia Foy lives in a small terraced house just outside Athy, Co <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/kildare/\" target=\"_blank\">Kildare</a>. It was derelict when she bought it more than 25 years ago, when she was in the midst of a long battle for the right to change the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/gender-equality/\" target=\"_blank\">gender</a> on her birth certificate. There are lots of files and books and documents in the house, but she really brought me here to show me her <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/art/\" target=\"_blank\">art</a>.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DGX4FAD74JCDRCEJ3MXBBZGQKY","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280091},"content":"Foy, who is 77, is a prolifically creative person. She once grew a record-breakingly large foxglove in her garden. “That was just a figary I had at the time,” she says and laughs. “If I had my way, I’d have pheasants around the place and more protection for the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/nature/\" target=\"_blank\">badgers and foxes</a> and everything. Without the birds and the bees there’s no us.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"4M5CRMETYRHHJIDOX6T5MOE5TU","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280092},"content":"She plays music – fiddle, mandolin, harmonica. She picks up the latter at one point and expertly plays a few bars of The Last of the Summer Wine. While having her photo taken, she sings an old Bing Crosby song called I’m Drifting Back to Dreamland. She’s very good company.","type":"text"},{"_id":"X5M7TKZ45BEG7LJIP5WIEAWASY","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280093},"content":"And she paints. The walls of her hall and stairway and kitchen are lined with her paintings. There are beautifully rendered reproductions of art by <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/paul-henry/\" target=\"_blank\">Paul Henry</a>, Vermeer, Gainsborough and DaVinci. There’s a painting of <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/audrey-hepburn/\" target=\"_blank\">Audrey Hepburn</a> and one of the famous National Geographic cover featuring the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghan_Girl#:~:text=Afghan%20Girl%20is%20a%201984,1985%20cover%20of%20National%20Geographic.\" target=\"_blank\">Afghan refugee Sharbat Gula</a>. In the kitchen there’s a large “selfie” she painted of herself with her little dog Bambi. Bambi herself runs around our feet as we talk, wearing a pink jacket to keep out the cold. “The poor lady is old now,” says Foy<i>.</i>","type":"text"},{"_id":"WUZB7J77MZGTPJSIZC2IWE7444","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280094},"content":"There are also photographs of her with friends and family from across the years – at the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/pride/\" target=\"_blank\">Pride</a> parade when she was the grand marshal in 2010, at the Dublin marathon and standing alongside people such as President <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/michael-d-higgins/\" target=\"_blank\">Michael D Higgins</a> and <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/tv-radio/2024/03/31/am-i-marked-by-it-yes-joan-burton-recalls-her-life-in-a-mother-and-baby-home/\" target=\"_blank\">Joan Burton</a>. There’s a framed cover of trans pioneer Caroline Cossey’s My Story, a book that had a huge effect on her when she was figuring out her trans identity. There are little collages here and there of winged women. She has always had vivid dreams that involve time travel and flying. The winged woman, she explains, is herself.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NNBBJA2WOFBDXLENIC5FNED2ZE","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280095},"content":"From the archive: Compensation paid to Lydia Foy over gender recognition failures","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"BYRKWCXE2REGHE3WKIQRUURCMA","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280096},"content":"And Foy has written books, though none are published. She thinks she needs a mentor to help with that. She shows me a hardback self-made copy of a book she wrote all about rhubarb. She spent years working on a lyrical play called Plagio, about an old theological concept involving the possession of a person’s soul. Joan of Arc, she tells me, was accused of “plagio”. She started working on this when she was in college in UCD many decades ago. She was sitting beside the Dodder river and the opening lines came to her.","type":"text"},{"_id":"Q4IF7LMAVNAAFOBANVYG23IZN4","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280097},"content":"Creativity, she says, “that’s what keeps me sane”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"QBT4DV4FURDYHNGXGE3NG2QOOI","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280098},"content":"In Foy’s local pub, the Auld Shebeen, Foy orders a glass of wine with her salmon dinner. “I told him he might get more information out of me if I had a glass of wine,” she explains to The Irish Times photographer.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GXF536DDJVESFI65KBHWWJ3ZII","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280099},"type":"image"},{"_id":"HVRQMWIGFJE2VCXLBQRN6R4OTA","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280100},"content":"She’s wearing a wine-coloured jacket with a glittering poodle brooch on the lapel. She’s a bit nervous about the interview, she says. “I was hoping that this would be more about me as a person rather than all the baloney with the courts.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"LKRXKHCF6VGGVO4HHLRDVDZNKA","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280101},"content":"She has a blue folder with her and takes out a photo of herself as a very young child. “I was a leanbh ban,” she says. “A fair child. At that stage I could just be me because there was no gender at that stage. My ma showed me a photograph of an old uncle and said, ‘You’ll be like that now, when you get old’ and it gave me nightmares, because I knew that wasn’t me.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"3GAFPAZXVJB7PCBUETP6DFT65A","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280102},"content":"Later she says: “I was born ... ‘hybridised’. That’s a word I love. It’s respected in nature, but not in humans, unfortunately. I would have said I was ‘hybridised’.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"GQGKBJYWPRCNXLJHEZSFUOQSYU","subtype":"pullquote","type":"quote"},{"_id":"5EY5M5DH2RD6RK5VF75ALCUZZQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280104},"content":"Her first communion had a huge impact on her. “There was an obvious [gender] divide,” she says. “I was up in the church, and I was sort of sitting a few rows back and I remember feeling I had nowhere to go. I actually had tears.” She sighs. “It was a tough society so you had to toughen up and conform. Which I tried to do.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"T5YQWOJAKNFQPC27JX2SSDAVXQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280105},"content":"It was a difficult time to be different in Ireland. She developed a rich imaginative inner life. “I was into escapism. I could fly. I could levitate ... You create a secret world.” She still does this. She tells me in great detail about a recent trip she took to a market in China. Does she mean she dreamt it? She laughs. “You tell me. What is reality? I was bashed to bits in school, very rough and nasty. I was walloped. I was called feather brain, scatter brain ... You have to have an escape of some kind.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"ULKPD3NBPRBJDCAZ4NFCBZI2GY","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280106},"content":"In UCD she studied dentistry but went to theological discussion groups and wrote and joined the choir and the music society. “Dentistry was for those who were thinking of money and big cars and all the rest. That wasn’t my dream of life at all.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"CVOENFAKXBABPHUWOBFK4M5G6U","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280107},"content":"She couldn’t come out as a trans woman. It just wasn’t possible at the time, she says. “You’re not born with the book, so you’re trying to look for explanations the whole time. When you look it up you see sort of nasty stuff about it.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"EZJQDGHFGFHPNJL2NGVWHVB3DY","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280108},"content":"Like what? “Usually they said, ‘See under ‘sexual deviancy’. People liked to ridicule it. That was the stage we were at.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"APY2KQO4UJD2ZDERKHYYOWMNFU","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280109},"content":"As far as everyone was concerned, she was conforming. She became a dentist. She married and had children. “I went on until I collapsed in a heap.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"76E7FSGDP5GULNDIJDIQWQWSB4","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280110},"content":"Her first issue, in the late 1980s, was a serious physical problem with the blood supply in her right leg. She required surgery. While in hospital she asked for a psychiatrist but couldn’t get one. “They said it’s only the surgery and you’ll be all right.” She was struggling. “I was in very bad shape ... I tried to carry on, and I ended up not being able to eat and I collapsed and was taken again into hospital.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"YLWW6MGQFFBDBIBFTSMAAVMS2U","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280111},"content":"Eventually people listened to her and she found specialists in Dublin and the UK who understood trans issues. She began her transition but that’s when her legal problems began. Her marriage broke down and she ended up in the family courts. Her gender identity became a core issue. She was denied access to her children.","type":"text"},{"_id":"Q7V5E6PAIBBODJQSM4N6747YCE","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280112},"content":"“I was being told by my family and everybody I knew, dress, act and behave like a man or you’ll have access to nothing. That was it. I was ridiculed by the press. None of the medical profession would stand by me. And the church said I was going to turn Ireland into a psychiatric institution ... I was treated like the worst form of life by the family courts ... I was told to cover my face or go out the back door. And I said, ‘I’m not a bloody criminal’. But then if I didn’t do that, of course, I was a selfish bitch. You couldn’t win.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"DTG7YFQTVZBEZEE5NDX5IMAUQY","subtype":"pullquote","type":"quote"},{"_id":"JCBGJVVXSBCNPBOHOSTHFRZCHU","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280114},"content":"<a href=\"https://www.flac.ie/help/advice/\" target=\"_blank\">Flac</a> (the free legal advice centre) indicated it might be able to help and asked her to list 10 things she wanted assistance with. The only one they thought they could help with was number 10 on the list: fighting to legally change her birth cert to reflect her gender.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JBCL445FW5AZHF7FR2BCJ2K37Y","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280115},"content":"What was higher up on her list? “Fair treatment, a right to a fair hearing, a right to reply, a right to an accurate representation of what happened in court.” With the case to amend her birth cert, she says, “I was clutching at straws ... My job was gone. I was very unwell. I didn’t even get sickness [benefit]. I had run out of all options.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZIALCVDJC5BNVKGO3C7OUG3BMU","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280116},"content":"With the help of barrister Bill Shipsey, she took the first case in 1997. It was before organisations such as <a href=\"https://teni.ie/\" target=\"_blank\">TENI</a> [Transgender Equality Network Ireland] or <a href=\"https://www.belongto.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Belong To</a>; Foy was out on her own. She shows me a leaflet she printed herself in 2000. It includes a charcoal self-portrait she made when she was particularly unwell and the term “Congenital gender disablement”. “It’s a very unusual leaflet because I was on my own with terminology.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"V3ANJ6T26BGGPIKPE3KP7KMVL4","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280117},"content":"She says there were numerous people in Flac who helped her hugely including Shipsey and solicitor Michael Farrell.<b> </b>“They all listened and for once in my life some of the pressure was off because I could actually tell them what was true.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"43SW3HEVSBJQHI2IJMDOHLDOZQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280119},"type":"image"},{"_id":"NEV242OB4BDGBIJJMWYTYV4RI4","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280120},"content":"Did she get much support from other people over the years? “A lot would have sympathised but wouldn’t have been brave enough publicly,” she says. “Some people threw stones at me. Some if they said ‘hello’, they thought they were brave. And you’d hear them behind your back, ‘Isn’t it a sad case’.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UMHZJ5YKGZARLMGW7G5FO4CQYA","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280121},"content":"“There were exceptions. There always are. A few of the older people. People were trying to get them to rabble rouse and they said, ‘Well that’s not the person I knew’ and they stood by me. And the stories were very exaggerated and very nasty. Go back and look at some of the papers.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"AKQQ56YHBJFRJBUQLTRTFDU2JM","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280122},"content":"The first case failed though the judge was sympathetic to her plight. There were three cases in total and it was a long, complicated legal process. She struggled financially over the years. Her dentistry job was gone. She did back-to-work courses. She did a computer course, a psychology course and a business course. She joined local groups.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BGIOGDYAD5GWVOH2HQFVHIFLUA","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280123},"content":"Did she find acceptance there? “A superficial sort of acceptance,” she says. “There were exceptional people here and there. A lot of people would come along for some of the course, but then it went on so long you wouldn’t expect them to stay with you indefinitely. Friends sort of came and went, but that was understandable. They had their own lives.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"NBEZEQBZXFFI7EPBV5TFO2ORSE","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280124},"content":"In 2007, after her case was referred by the High Court, a judge found that by not providing Foy with a mechanism to change her birth cert the State contravened the European Convention on Human Rights. The State challenged this initially but withdrew its appeal in 2010 and set up an interdepartmental committee on the legal recognition of transgender people. After Foy took a third court case in 2013, legislation was finally introduced that allowed her to change her gender on her birth certificate. <a href=\"https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/birth-family-relationships/legal-recognition-of-preferred-gender/\" target=\"_blank\">The Gender Recognition Act</a> that allows trans people legally change their gender was introduced in 2015.","type":"text"},{"_id":"HU3X3GHQBNG5HFCVSU77OJPGNM","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280125},"content":"‘My country finally recognised me for who I really am’","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"N4ZNRLJLBNFCNFLO5YJLUZJ7K4","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280126},"content":"Left to her own devices, Foy would never have become an activist, she says. “I never understood people blowing whistles and marching and making a big racket. I couldn’t really understand that until I found out the hard way that it was necessary sometimes. I thought I was the worst person in the world to do it. I had family complications. I was older. A younger person wouldn’t have had the same trouble.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"I33IUNXSZBCIFA3KYXFTT3U7MM","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280127},"content":"She remembers something. “They told me not to have a nervous laugh in court. I’m the sort of person who’d think of something stupid [at the wrong time]. It was part of the escapism.” Ultimately, she didn’t have a choice, she says. “If you corner an animal they’re going to fight back sooner or later.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"UW2Q5B4YKJIIVP5QBSUPMB2YUU","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280128},"type":"image"},{"_id":"JZJTNLDYMNDJTGMDUR7ZZNLRIM","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280129},"content":"Would she have advice for other people battling for their rights? “I learned one big lesson early on,” she says. “Even if I couldn’t afford a coffee, I had to be able to afford a photocopy. Keep the original documents because they were so arrogant they made mistakes. It’s not always a good idea to delegate your side of the story. Sometimes you don’t get the right of reply. Try to empower yourself. Make sure you’re as literate as whoever is taking you down. And one of the very, very hard lessons is stay away from people who are not nice to you.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"4QOMRMBFSFEELPA62B2WYUXHBE","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280130},"content":"Out on the street a number of people greet her warmly. The day after we meet, she’s attending a local event organised for older people. She mentions specific friends and relatives she has good relationships with. In recent years she has been embraced by a new generation of LGBTQ+ advocates. Last year a video portrait of her created by Amanda Dunsmore <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/art/2024/11/27/portrait-of-lydia-foy-by-amanda-dunsmore-wins-national-gallerys-aib-portrait-prize/\" target=\"_blank\">won the AIB Portrait Prize</a>.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MNWSGVJ355DI3FIUPC5XXESYPY","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280131},"content":"What’s her life like these days? “Arra I’m fine,” she says. “I have enough to survive on. I carry on. I have a dog and do my bits of art and gardening ... The house is full of bits of art, legal documents and God knows what ... I have asked some of the gang to try to pass on something to museums or something.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"LJ7CC7XVGFH2JIJWLDQ47WSDWE","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280132},"content":"Lydia Foy becomes first transgender person to receive EU award","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"XADX22B3OFE3RKML5TRC2CGGCI","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280133},"content":"Did anyone ever apologise for how they treated her in the past? “People don’t apologise. It’s not the done thing in Ireland. We’re not much good at saying sorry.” She also worries about what’s happening to trans rights in America, she says. “I feel the work isn’t done.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"FQ6P47EDUFBH3EK6QFH422PVVY","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280134},"content":"Does she feel vindicated by how trans rights have improved in Ireland? “It must be like the people in the Magdalene laundry who were treated like less than dirt, blamed for being pregnant and told they had to pretty much atone for the rest of their lives because of an illegitimate baby. I felt like one of those women who had finally got an apology.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"E7ELFWGWLFA23DTNF7EWJFJXT4","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280135},"content":"She thinks about this for a moment. “I never got an apology actually. It would be nice to get one.”","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"premium"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Patrick Freyne"}},"name":"Patrick Freyne"}]},"description":{"basic":"The trans activist who fought the State for years for the right to change her gender on her birth cert would prefer to ‘talk about me as a person rather than all the baloney with the courts’"},"display_date":"2025-02-22T06:05:00Z","headlines":{"basic":"Dr Lydia Foy: ‘I never got an apology actually. 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However, it is also possible that it could be a first step in further tapering of the payment.","type":"text"},{"_id":"O7234XPK55AMZI6Y5NUQ3JAOMQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1740161411036},"content":"The ARP has been subject to criticism from <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/sinn-fein/\" target=\"_blank\">Sinn Féin</a>, which has labelled it as “unfair” and called on the Government to end the payment when the current scheme expires on March 31st.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NAQAYK67R5D6HEIT575H247GP4","additional_properties":{"_id":1740161411037},"content":"The party has argued that the payment is distorting the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/renting/\" target=\"_blank\">rental</a> sector – a view that is shared in some quarters within the Government – although sources with knowledge of the scheme’s operation also argued that any disruption to the rental market is marginal and confined to only some rural areas where market rents are lower.","type":"text"},{"_id":"FTABEWFV5JDBRDAVGM7QP5RPNQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1740161411038},"content":"Elsewhere, Minister for Justice <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/jim-ocallaghan/\" target=\"_blank\">Jim O’Callaghan</a> has asked his officials to carry out a review of the use of provisions currently available to the State under which it can exclude an individual from being granted refugee status.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RBTUNDDRPNB3HAL6KGETKW32WU","additional_properties":{"_id":1740161411039},"content":"In a statement confirming the review, a spokesman for the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/department-of-justice/\" target=\"_blank\">Department of Justice</a> said: “These laws, that are on the statute book now, need to be applied rigorously to ensure our people have confidence in our <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/immigration/\" target=\"_blank\">immigration</a> system.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"2RARUWS5VVEXVJPG75Q522FUXQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1740161411040},"content":"He said that section 10 of the International Protection Act contains provisions that allow for the exclusion of someone from being granted refugee status who has committed a serious non-political crime outside the State prior to their arrival.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3FOBZMI5IBEPDA32GCS2PLGQYA","additional_properties":{"_id":1740161411041},"content":"The Act also allows for the exclusion of someone who has the rights and obligations, or equivalent rights and obligations, to a person of the nationality of a country where they have taken up residence.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3A5WWB2B7JCQHKCN4KCGMPNVXE","additional_properties":{"_id":"TWUUZHK6JVAFVG3YCRXJ5NSLCI"},"content":"‘Too many’ unentitled asylum applicants, says Minister, signalling cut in supports","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"E6B4JMIKW5EYFCMBQFJECTPECI","additional_properties":{"_id":1740161411042},"content":"The review will also examine section 12 of the Act which excludes an individual from being eligible for subsidiary protection where there are serious reasons for considering that they have committed a serious crime either within the State or prior to their arrival.","type":"text"},{"_id":"J5MCWXVVNVFTLBHV7XPCIJQKOM","additional_properties":{"_id":1740161411043},"content":"Mr O’Callaghan has already said <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/politics/2025/02/13/minister-for-justice-jim-ocallaghan-signals-tougher-line-on-immigration-and-increased-deportations/\" target=\"_blank\">deportations of failed asylum seekers are to increase</a>, with specially chartered flights due to begin this year. He also said that there would be more deportation orders issued this year. “No country can adopt a relaxed or casual attitude to its borders and migration. It’s a security issue as well as being a rights issue,” Mr O’Callaghan said last week.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Jack Horgan-Jones"}},"name":"Jack Horgan-Jones"}]},"description":{"basic":"Minister seeks review of provisions for excluding people convicted of non-political crimes from being granted refugee status"},"display_date":"2025-02-22T06:00:00Z","headlines":{"basic":"Payment for accommodating Ukraine refugees set to be cut","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"XGNQOZBV6BFINKMRZOB6JDBSSI","auth":{"1":"1a446f5d4099f49ad7ced66b501fde4778ba53b4558f98cb594b800e25317b78"},"focal_point":{"x":2228,"y":1086},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/XGNQOZBV6BFINKMRZOB6JDBSSI.JPG"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Politics"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/02/22/payment-for-accommodating-ukraine-refugees-set-to-be-cut/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social Affairs"}}}}],"count":10000,"_id":"ba00529097550ad266617d1f45eab85696c849adb217ecdc423de53f3f6a78a0"},"expires":1742232473550,"lastModified":1742232173078},"{\"feedOffset\":0,\"feedSize\":50,\"includeSections\":\"/ireland/social-affairs\"}":{"data":{"content_elements":[{"_id":"SPR24HVGFFDY7AYMWGKXEY75UI","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":309,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/d13b66d8-e59b-4206-b5e2-e9b8c62d9708/versions/1742145559/media/1ab1e9376f00382d7937a6a49c6bdc14_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/17/living-in-deprivation-i-felt-so-ashamed-that-i-couldnt-provide-properly-for-my-children/","content_elements":[{"_id":"SEUDFATAT5DEPOII5Q5HCIZVHU","additional_properties":{},"content":"“I’d be the first person to tell other people there’s no shame in going and asking for help,” says Naomi Connolly, a mother of three, on the struggle to make ends meet. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"AULWLZFYQRA35FU2XLSQ5TOJ6I","additional_properties":{},"content":"“But when it came to me, personally, having to ask for that help, it was really tough, absolutely awful. I felt so ashamed that I couldn’t provide properly for my children.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"7WDYS37PTNBQPFC3EHFGUU7ZWE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Connolly (45), who lives in west <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/dublin/\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/dublin/\">Dublin</a>, and her ex-husband legally separated in 2018 and though she worked for a period afterwards, she lost her job in 2020. This, she suggests, was in part because of the amount of time she needed to take off because of her children, two of whom have autism.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DRNPEBJ6MVEIXBWJKY5C5SRDSM","additional_properties":{},"content":"“When I got an appointment for one of them, I had to take it. There was no choice but it got to the stage where my boss said to me: ‘Would you not be better off on social welfare?’ I said, ‘No, I want to work,’ but I’d be the first to admit, because I’m a carer for their needs, I’m not a reliable employee.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"3RQ7ANWHGND2LJ2OU5UR6Q5U7Y","additional_properties":{},"content":"The years since, she says, have been “challenging”. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"76CK7MIVAZDAJBTY746S6LEK54","additional_properties":{},"content":"Figures published last week by Central Statistics Office <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/11/cost-of-living-prices-cso-households-debt/\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/11/cost-of-living-prices-cso-households-debt/\">highlight that almost half of lone parents</a> with children aged under 18 live in deprivation. Almost a third went into debt last year to meet day-to-day needs. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"NDREV5U7WVHDLE6ZTNKUHP4APA","additional_properties":{},"content":"This comes as no surprise to Connolly. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"NAMVXLVZH5DUVLPKMJZCPRW64I","additional_properties":{},"content":"In her case, there are a few loan repayments to come out of the roughly €500 a week she usually gets in lone parent and carer allowances. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZDABW4OZ2RCD3LVLGPL54EPRDA","additional_properties":{},"content":"Previously an accounts administrator, she has gone back to college to study social care while doing the occasional relief work shift at a refuge when family commitments allow. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"BDBUNAJ275GLPKU27FXIUFV7A4","additional_properties":{},"content":"Unpaid work placements connected with her course, meanwhile, can impact her income if they take up too many hours in the week, she says, meaning a portion of her carer’s allowance sometimes stops.","type":"text"},{"_id":"A63HC2EA4ZDTFMSCIOGPINA75U","additional_properties":{},"content":"It is all a balancing act and with her youngest not always attending school, it has been hard to make it into college in Blanchardstown. The financial pressures are more constant, though.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4XNIBZBZYNGCDLICGKF53VQ75M","additional_properties":{},"type":"image"},{"_id":"W7YCUW5BI5BCVELA5KNIJZ5HNM","additional_properties":{},"content":"“I actually feel like one of the lucky ones because my ex-husband pays the mortgage and so I don’t have to worry about that, although the house will be sold when my youngest is 18, in seven years’ time, and I won’t be able to buy him out unless something drastically changes,” she says.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BRK546TGLNHIHN6XG7UTFIHWZA","additional_properties":{},"content":"“I have to tell my children ‘no’ a lot of the time. ‘Can I get this?’ And I’m like, ‘no’, because it’s not in the budget. It’s quite difficult. And Christmas, if the children are with me, is a massive struggle. Thankfully, they don’t ask for a lot. And the credit union is my best friend. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"U4QEZHCJNZGTTGBC2N3CBNJYIY","additional_properties":{},"content":"“But there was a trip to Spain in my eldest’s school a little while back and she didn’t even put her name forward. She’s conscious of how tight money is from an early age. I would have found it from somewhere. It’s heartbreaking.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"SKNCG4N6VBHU5ELSOA22M47B6A","additional_properties":{},"content":"In addition to the constant juggling, minor mishaps,such as the recent problem with her car that cost €200 to fix, represent big setbacks. Connolly also has had to pay for private appointments for her youngest two children because of waiting times. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"EBQT473DXNBTBLDBDT6Q5RYE5Q","additional_properties":{},"content":"The increased provision of school meals has helped, she says, but there have been various occasions when she has had to fall back on her local food bank to feed everyone.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6EAGEL6LWNEPBPZ4WO7I6MXWCI","additional_properties":{},"content":"“When I first contacted them, I was really struggling. Thankfully in the last few months I haven’t been. I’ve been really trying to carefully manage, setting a very strict budget that I try and keep to.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"KSV5DJ3R5BHNNAIGFESL4ET2FY","additional_properties":{},"content":"Connolly says things like the one-off social protection and fuel payments have really helped, but she wishes these were spread out over the year so she could budget for it.","type":"text"},{"_id":"P52I2VM3AVFGBGXO4ZU4TK2JRU","additional_properties":{},"content":"“Getting back to work is the dream,” she says. She should finish her degree this year but is not certain how things will work out because of childcare challenges.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3YLLNI72UJAVXLNFBYJNG6I6TM","additional_properties":{},"content":"Carly Bailey, policy manager at One Family, says the difficulties faced by lone parents can vary. The sort of financial issues Connolly faces account for a substantial proportion of the calls the organisation’s helpline receives.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GJXRCDZMH5EBLMX52WIJUPKIGM","additional_properties":{},"content":"Income inequality and child deprivation is fuelling disengagement from civic society","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"3YLLNI72UJAVXLNFBYJNG6I6TM","additional_properties":{},"content":"Short-term pressures on lone parents to get back into the workforce can lead to longer-term problems, she says, as many take on low-paid roles that leave one in five to endure in-work poverty.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6ZOBII4SOFF2REQ3MR2DUDGNWA","additional_properties":{},"content":"The organisation would like to see more parents being supported to return to education, as Connolly has done, and build secure futures for them and their families.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5GFO3DALYRDFNMQ7A5HHNCLLPM","additional_properties":{},"content":"In the meantime, Bailey suggests, these parents, predominantly women, badly need the Government to address structural issues such as housing and healthcare provision.","type":"text"},{"_id":"QYECRF6EHFAM7PCB5Y3XGVNVIU","additional_properties":{},"content":"“Going back to education is about the long term,” she says, adding that this can be hard to think about “when you’re scraping every day just to make ends meet.”","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Emmet Malone"}},"name":"Emmet Malone"}]},"description":{"basic":"Latest CSO figures show almost half of lone parents with children aged under 18 struggle to make ends meet"},"display_date":"2025-03-17T06:00:00Z","headlines":{"basic":"Living in deprivation: ‘I felt so ashamed that I couldn’t provide properly for my children’","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"UWR2MSVJEJGGDHJ6NZTVYDP56I","auth":{"1":"502c6b3d3ab4bbbb1e98c610299abd5e514067fc2444bde3095fcf577fd7a672"},"focal_point":{"x":2240,"y":1279},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/UWR2MSVJEJGGDHJ6NZTVYDP56I.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/17/living-in-deprivation-i-felt-so-ashamed-that-i-couldnt-provide-properly-for-my-children/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social Affairs"}}}},{"_id":"CVP5EZTXXVEUHA4344KYP5VLK4","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":488,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/3de5f488-89fa-4259-8938-9668a760e18c/versions/1742139769/media/528b36bccd99f50f3d5514dab7e1da13_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/2025/03/16/fewer-st-patricks-day-fairytales-in-new-york-for-todays-undocumented-irish/","content_elements":[{"_id":"SYOL4M6YIRB3NMLNGEKKDQ36OM","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111274},"content":"During the dismal years of the early 1980s, New York’s Third Avenue was choked with Irish bars and newly arrived emigrants from Ireland. Today, a dozen or so of the pubs, including Malone’s, or Molly’s Shebeen, remain.","type":"text"},{"_id":"34IO7Y5JJBCOJHXTQNBTFSTH44","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111275},"content":"The casualties in the pub trade were caused by many challenges: rising costs, changing social tastes and the Covid-19 pandemic. But also, notably, by the absence of a new generation of Irish emigrants to replenish the ranks as those who arrived in the 1980s grew older.","type":"text"},{"_id":"HPDKWCXXBBECXG2KWRUCTNUYHE","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111276},"content":"Today, most who then happily filled those bars and stayed on in the US are middle-aged parents, living in New York suburbs, such as New Jersey or Connecticut, and are no longer, or only rarely, part of the nightlife scene.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JZQKWJ2K3TTB3VP3FQ5VW4CNKE","additional_properties":{"_id":1742208969839},"type":"image"},{"_id":"E4SOQ77J7ZF2PIYY53SLRILHXA","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111277},"content":"Elsewhere in Manhattan on Friday evening, McDaids of Seventh Avenue was modestly busy, just three days before up to 2 million spectators will, according to the New York Times, gather to view the Fifth Avenue St Patrick’s Day parade.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ABH4O6V4OVEHDAWOV47L2ZLSUY","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111278},"content":"“Very quiet tonight,” said the waitress. “It might be busy tomorrow because the half marathon passes here. Monday? I am not sure about Monday. How many will come into town? I don’t know.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"EOW732DDBBAH3PKU3UASQGCKQ4","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111279},"content":"US president Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown comes up regularly, though a veil of omerta covers related arrests of Irish people that have already happened, as lobbying goes on quietly to ease their plight.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WBGMJEKOR5GGVCDJNLINAO5ZZM","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111280},"content":"Nobody wants to talk publicly about them, partly because of fear of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), but also a belief that other nationalities will be hit harder, and first.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AZUCYIGVDJCW7MLKMZGSHLM3WY","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111281},"content":"However, the “undocumented” Irish – rarely, if ever, described as “illegals” – are not as high-profile today as they were in the 1980s and later. Many went home, or finally got their US papers.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6TLO4QKLWRRCQE4GLVDM6WGVRY","additional_properties":{"_id":1742208969845},"type":"image"},{"_id":"F73N2X5BZBBQPNSLB77KALFS5E","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111282},"content":"Ironically, some are now in the US for so long that their children – all US citizens by birth – can apply to have them stay once they pass the age of 21 under so-called family-based applications.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XDU7GZPUJZBCLMQIUHGZGJJ3OY","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111283},"content":"“The ones who are the most nervous right now are the ones with children who are 15, or 16. Still in school, but not old enough to apply,” said one person experienced in dealing with Irish immigration files.","type":"text"},{"_id":"SILXTP24GJE2ZKXKGBD6HPA7N4","additional_properties":{"_id":1742208969848},"content":"The applications are in a way, an inverted throwback, since Irish emigrants, after visa rules tightened in 1965, gained entry via sponsorship from earlier arrivals. “The 1980s/1990s generation were the first to come with no-one,” one observer said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LIKHUFDABFCZNLCUOBIN624Q3E","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111285},"content":"Now, some undocumented are facing unexpected problems, including realising that dealing with inheritances is dramatically more difficult, and expensive, without a green card, while pension issues arise, too.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MJPYGS7CBBGX5E62J4N4UCSK2M","additional_properties":{},"content":"If anything, the conversation amongst many Irish-Americans, it seems, is more often about applying for an Irish passport themselves - especially for those who have daughters, concerned by the actions taken by Republicans on abortion to date, and the fear of what is to come.","type":"text"},{"_id":"HSD35UXK3BBE3DTZKCWSYLV7V4","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111286},"content":"The changing immigration picture reflects US-Irish relations. While visiting New York last week, Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill was one of many senior Irish Ministers keen to point out it is a two-way rather than a one-sided relationship.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2QLODXKS5ZDZTF4GTZYJCOQLDE","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111287},"content":"“In 2019, Ireland was the ninth-largest foreign investor in the US. In 2025, Ireland is the sixth – the sixth – largest investor in the USA, third in the EU and first per capita,” she said to applause.","type":"text"},{"_id":"225NG5LJQNF63BTJMIBBDBGVFY","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111288},"content":"Speaking in Ireland House in the MetLife building on New York’s Park Avenue, the home of Irish diplomacy in the US, the Minister noted that 200,000 American workers “woke up this morning across 50 states and went to work in Irish companies”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"VK3OGN5V3BBFDGK25GMHWIKLGI","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111289},"content":"John Foley is an example of the Irish who came in the 1980s and 1990s, and stayed. From “between Glenbeigh and Killorglin” in Co Kerry, he arrived in the 1990s, “married Trish from Tyrone”, had three children and “built a great life, thank God”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"A52L6EXGTJFGXE6MQ3QROP3BJA","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111290},"content":"Foley had earlier attended the St Patrick’s Day parade in his hometown of Bridgeport, Connecticut, which brought pipe bands, step dancers and thousands of spectators on to the streets.","type":"text"},{"_id":"J76TXHXOW5EZFMHHMXK5YQJC6M","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111291},"content":"He accepts that the visibility of the Irish in New York has changed over recent decades.","type":"text"},{"_id":"SFDGD7TH3ZBTRLYF4I4M5SXAMA","additional_properties":{"_id":1742208969856},"content":"“It is less than it used to be. But, cities change and we’ve got to change with them. But it is striking, nonetheless,” he adds. “We don’t have a voting bloc in the way that we used to have in years past. People in the community are diverse in their opinions from the far left to the far right.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"OWGAITNFPBGRFABPO4ORK72564","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111293},"content":"The unifying factor for most is an interest in – or a sentimental attachment to – Ireland, plus their own identity as Irish-Americans.","type":"text"},{"_id":"25EBJLU7PJB7RJOVM2AWHYCAXE","additional_properties":{"_id":1742208969858},"content":"“Thank God we have that, because otherwise we would have nothing in common, we wouldn’t talk at all,” Foley says.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PCYF5ZP4HZH7JML4QH4A6T4UJE","additional_properties":{"_id":1742208969859},"type":"image"},{"_id":"FQ75CV5JT5A3LPCF56FVLWHUU4","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111294},"content":"The community is divided strongly over Trump, more so than people in Ireland realise. The traditional image of the Irish in the US as strong Democratic Party supporters still has a half-life of sorts.","type":"text"},{"_id":"OY2HOA4XJNFQPNYKZQCJ53MFY4","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111295},"content":"Foley, a senior executive in a large property management company, is a Democrat, and strongly so. The run-up to November’s presidential election was an eye-opener, with so many in his social circle supporting Trump.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4DCWXEXY4RF7PCAIP4AKCBNMQ4","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111296},"content":"“I had not realised that we were so politically polarised. You look at somebody when they tell you that they voted for Trump, and it’s almost a surprise because you have this perception of what a Trump supporter would be,” he says.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DLZFVOCUY5GV5J4YLM6F63X25E","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111297},"content":"“And they are not it. They’re decent people. For many Irish Americans, this isn’t really about Trump – it’s about how they see the country changing. They come from generations who arrived with nothing, worked hard, and helped build what America is today.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AL4Y7J6LMVCJTNWMB3OVVJHYMU","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111298},"content":"“They weren’t given handouts, and they don’t see themselves as victims. Their values are rooted in a work ethic, self-reliance and opportunity, not identity politics.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"ODNKVYJKFJHNVCW2JOC3WGOCC4","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111299},"content":"However, he believes Republicans “have set a trap, framing every issue as a fight over America’s core identity”, while the Democratic Party is failing because it has not got an economic vision and is “too intent on fighting cultural battles”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4SB66WM7FNEQFAFCNVCWMIYQSQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111300},"content":"“Irish-American voters don’t want to be dragged into a culture war – they just want a government that prioritises economic opportunity and security,” says Foley, who lists his points of disagreement with Trump.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AYAHPO6Y5BCVRAB7UIQXOYUPFY","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111301},"content":"Many had “a lot of reasons” to support Trump. “These people are not stereotypical, I think I have to open my eyes to, or open my viewpoint to try and understand them, and their reasons for voting for Trump.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"BH267GM2QVA3DFGJSAS7FHPAY4","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111302},"content":"If New York is not as Irish-dominated as before, the Irish identity – or, more importantly, the Irish-American identity – remains strong in places such as Fairfield, Connecticut, near Bridgeport.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XCOF3V6QDVGRJG6ZZQ2CNAS5MU","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111303},"content":"There, the local GAA club, founded in 1948, has 6,000 members. It has moved twice in its lifetime, having outgrown its previous accommodation. The club says it offers “a home away from home” to “gather and enjoy each other’s company”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2N6D7VFY4VB7ZOMO5PP2T2VJ4A","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111304},"content":"“It’s very active, and people, all the volunteers work hard, with Irish dancing, Irish language classes,” Foley says. “There’s a tremendous amount of work being done to preserve Irish culture.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ES6SKHCEVRGSVMP5YRWF5K4GYA","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111305},"content":"“The connections with Irish culture are strong. There’s still quite a few Irish there, too, but it’s mostly Irish-American now,” he adds, noting the popularity of Irish language classes delivered by native-born Irish speakers.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UUJXVJQIAFH5FDKULDMERAPLRQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111306},"content":"“They’ll speak Irish to me. They’re not too bad at all. I only learned school Irish, but they were absolutely fine, 100 per cent. They love it if they’re given any opportunity at all to talk about Ireland and talk about their connection.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"TXNRJ4EOEZBJ5CKLLXZIQHDXA4","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111307},"content":"The social capital flowing from these connections runs deep, even as the direct link with Ireland dims as the years and generations pass, left unreplenished by the lack of a new generation of emigrants.","type":"text"},{"_id":"HIVWXG2KYBFIDF524SNCCW5ZBU","additional_properties":{"_id":1742102111308},"content":"On Monday, Foley spoke with a new business contact of Irish heritage.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NREVZOI7XJFDXPLRDCUBJNPJVE","additional_properties":{"_id":1742208969875},"content":"“‘Are you Irish?’ he said. I said, ‘Yeah, absolutely.’ We chatted for over an hour before we got to the job. We talked for two minutes about the job. That connection is priceless.”","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Mark Hennessy"}},"name":"Mark Hennessy"}]},"description":{"basic":"A new generation of emigrants never arrived to replenish the ranks who came in droves in the 1980s, but the connection is still precious"},"display_date":"2025-03-16T19:00:53Z","headlines":{"basic":"Fewer St Patrick’s Day fairytales in New York for today’s ‘undocumented’ Irish ","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"F7N6EJNLHZGPVAMFPHFZYTP4JY","auth":{"1":"2e76ac798f95a83c1b277029bc97756e2bdfffc7806d0dec351266f947c35d3b"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/F7N6EJNLHZGPVAMFPHFZYTP4JY.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Ireland"},{"name":"World"},{"name":"US"},{"name":"Social Affairs"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/2025/03/16/fewer-st-patricks-day-fairytales-in-new-york-for-todays-undocumented-irish/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Ireland"}}}},{"_id":"f25ff8bc-0f4b-49a9-8825-13157aebdb6a","additional_properties":{},"canonical_url":"/video/video/2025/03/16/president-michael-d-higgins-delivers-final-st-patricks-day-message/","credits":{},"description":{"basic":"President Michael D. Higgins has released his 2025 St Patrick’s Day Message, his final St Patrick’s Day Message as he ends his term in office in November."},"display_date":"2025-03-16T14:52:16Z","embed_html":"<div class=\"powa\" id=\"powa-f25ff8bc-0f4b-49a9-8825-13157aebdb6a\" data-org=\"irishtimes\" data-env=\"prod\" data-uuid=\"f25ff8bc-0f4b-49a9-8825-13157aebdb6a\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.562\" data-api=\"prod\"><script src=\"//irishtimes.video-player.arcpublishing.com/prod/powaBoot.js?org=irishtimes\"><\/script></div>","headlines":{"basic":"President Michael D. Higgins delivers final St Patrick’s Day Message"},"promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"636edf892d8ed2a6d857de6f5b8f2f8863d6417472ab2edd29ca7aa0a3aec7f1"},"type":"image","url":"https://d2j5ip5u6h2g6o.cloudfront.net/03-16-2025/t_8e0670182fe94d86a6fcf5b3b06c209e_name_Higgins.jpg"}},"subtype":"irish-times-video","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Video"},{"name":"Ireland"},{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Politics"}]},"type":"video","website_url":"/video/video/2025/03/16/president-michael-d-higgins-delivers-final-st-patricks-day-message/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/video","name":"Video"}}}},{"_id":"ef0f9d9c-4b44-44cf-a2aa-fc19930c179b","additional_properties":{},"canonical_url":"/video/video/2025/03/15/over-two-thousand-people-celebrate-holi-festival-of-colour-in-west-dublin/","credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Bryan O'Brien"}},"name":"Bryan O'Brien"}]},"description":{"basic":"Members of Dublin's Hindu community and others of all religions have celebrated the Holi festival of colour, in Adamstown, west Dublin. Video: Bryan O'Brien"},"display_date":"2025-03-15T16:01:21Z","embed_html":"<div class=\"powa\" id=\"powa-ef0f9d9c-4b44-44cf-a2aa-fc19930c179b\" data-org=\"irishtimes\" data-env=\"prod\" data-uuid=\"ef0f9d9c-4b44-44cf-a2aa-fc19930c179b\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.562\" data-api=\"prod\"><script src=\"//irishtimes.video-player.arcpublishing.com/prod/powaBoot.js?org=irishtimes\"><\/script></div>","headlines":{"basic":"Over two thousand people celebrate Holi festival of colour in West Dublin"},"promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"a5ffaac3c1a0187f5fa22c06681ea9c8b88d3fdfd9bbae3bd7ee2127bc3fdd65"},"type":"image","url":"https://d2j5ip5u6h2g6o.cloudfront.net/03-15-2025/t_faf6a2a878ef4799b241d739f95c0672_name_BOB_6872.JPG"}},"subtype":"irish-times-video","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Video"},{"name":"Culture"},{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Dublin"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"video","website_url":"/video/video/2025/03/15/over-two-thousand-people-celebrate-holi-festival-of-colour-in-west-dublin/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/video","name":"Video"}}}},{"_id":"RCXTBOMKHVAFFDAZCMPEESNV4U","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":605,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/3e186d14-5362-499a-af76-24887692d746/versions/1741702739/media/235a2f94f08e1dba82e2148ddb52a8de_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/life-style/people/2025/03/15/asylum-seekers-in-dublins-east-wall-just-ordinary-decent-people-that-wanted-a-better-life-for-themselves/","content_elements":[{"_id":"RYZ545EYCZDFNIJCEV7QOLIEKQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1741629563366},"content":"Sithembiso Ndlovu stepped outside the Gateway Integration Centre on <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/dublin/\" target=\"_blank\">Dublin’s</a> East Wall Road for the first time on the morning of December 23rd, 2022. The offices in the surrounding area had closed for <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/christmas/\" target=\"_blank\">Christmas</a> and the streets felt quiet. However, Ndlovu was nervous. She’d seen the videos of protesters outside the building she now called home and knew some in the local community did not want her there.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5KKHWSA3SJFRZD2EZWVWPYVLHQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1741629563367},"content":"“We walked in twos and threes to the shop that day,” says Ndlovu. Originally from Zimbabwe, Ndlovu had arrived in Ireland three weeks previously seeking international protection.","type":"text"},{"_id":"52656JV4HBAPXLDGLAM4FLIQQU","additional_properties":{"_id":1741629563368},"content":"“I felt threatened. I felt scared and lost. In the shops, you could see people looking at you, talking about you. It felt painful.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"BPCP3XTY6JCK5POXN55IU3OCBA","additional_properties":{"_id":1741629563369},"content":"Ndlovu was among the first group of women to arrive at the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/international-protection-office/\" target=\"_blank\">international protection</a> accommodation centre in East Wall, a few weeks after it first opened to 100 male residents on November 18th, 2022.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MXCDRK75CJCBXBFGNP46VLT574","additional_properties":{"_id":1741629563370},"content":"In the days following the men’s arrival, scores of people <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/dublin/2022/11/20/east-wall-residents-protest-against-new-refugee-accommodation/\" target=\"_self\">gathered outside the centre calling for residents to be sent elsewhere</a>. A video posted on Facebook on November 19th, 2022, shows crowds chanting “get them out” and “we don’t want them in our community”. Another video from the same day shows a couple of women shouting “you won’t be here for long, we’re gonna get youse out”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DSMFSYANZJESJPYSAUUKH7YTAY","additional_properties":{"_id":1741629563371},"content":"Word of the protests spread quickly, with anti-<a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/immigration/\" target=\"_self\">immigration</a> and far-right activists flocking to the area to make videos and speeches about the “replacement” of the Irish people. Participants from other parts of the city joined, even when some of the original protesters stepped back. In December, protesters brought Dublin’s rush-hour traffic to standstill when participants marched through the north inner city.","type":"text"},{"_id":"J5QU4NLRLJBPJP2GKKQCXZNWTU","additional_properties":{"_id":1741629563372},"content":"By the time families started to arrive at the centre in early January 2023, the larger-scale protests had ended. However, about a dozen individuals continued to gather outside the Gateway centre every Wednesday evening, playing loud music and chanting anti-immigrant slogans, while young children watched from inside the glass building.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6EYCGBJR6JDAZG6HDFZVX66TLE","additional_properties":{"_id":1741629563373},"content":"“I remember the kids crying seeing those men say we had to leave, that they would burn this place,” says Ndlovu. “We didn’t know what to do. I understand people’s frustration, they think we’re coming to take over their country and get everything for free. But I wish I could get them to listen to our stories and be in our shoes for a day. What pushed us from our own countries? Maybe then they’d understand.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"CE4JQCXU7VDFJFCZOISVCTJGTA","additional_properties":{"_id":"CPIXVNIQPBDNJJ4FRNYS7XZRY4"},"type":"image"},{"_id":"MZISKWDFNNCWFIB4DPMIXG3LYE","additional_properties":{"_id":1741629563374},"content":"Nearly 2½ years on from these protests, Ndlovu smiles when asked how she feels living in East Wall today. “The difference now is huge, I don’t even know how to begin telling you how huge it is.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"5FLP2CB6IVESVINP4TLH2HSVK4","additional_properties":{"_id":1741629563375},"content":"Ndlovu is referring in part to community acceptance but also to renovations at the former Gateway office block where she lives. The centre is now home to about 450 families, couples and single men and women from across the globe. The canteen area is bustling with activity the afternoon of The Irish Times visits. Across the corridor, a couple of women sort donations in what has become known as “The Shop” – a well-organised and brightly lit room lined with shelves of second-hand clothing and shoes. Down the corridor, a teenage boy focuses on his homework in the quiet study room, next door a young man picks up a letter from the designated postal room, while a toddler and his mother play in the nearby multicoloured children’s room.","type":"text"},{"_id":"E4RSPITSGFC23OE3JOSELJNEWE","additional_properties":{"_id":1741629563376},"content":"Judith Nwagazue, who arrived in the centre in early 2024, often brings her two-year-old daughter Elena and eight-month-old son Adriel to the playroom and takes part in the centre’s weekly toddler group. A single mother, Nwagazue admits caring for her children in the centre is “demanding and challenging”, particularly when she must carry them with her every time she walks down the hall to use the bathroom.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CH2WA4MIOZG77HSXP3Y4NDGXLM","additional_properties":{"_id":1741629563377},"content":"“But I am grateful to have a roof over my head and the management are great. They try really hard for us, especially the mothers with babies.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"ASO4TW4FNBGJXOH24KM66OR3NA","additional_properties":{"_id":1741629563378},"content":"Like Ndlovu, she says she understands the local community’s concerns about new arrivals. “I don’t blame them, they’re just trying to be protective of their country. But on the other hand, I wish they could understand the reasons we came here.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"WYTGUH5ZCNEAFHYHIW4LUUJMZY","additional_properties":{"_id":1741629563379},"content":"The Gateway centre is a far cry from the images of rooms packed with bunk beds which many have come to associate with <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/direct-provision/\" target=\"_self\">direct provision</a>.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5BDPFP7HDBFWFO77OMGFTOITAI","additional_properties":{"_id":1741629563380},"content":"“We felt like direct provision had become very hidden in Ireland, you were never able to walk into a centre,” says Gateway director Sinéad Fennelly. “We didn’t want to be ashamed of this place.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"7Q27VVNNOBHDJLFMZW3VBWUMAA","additional_properties":{"_id":1741629563381},"content":"Fennelly and her team, who took over the centre’s management in April 2023, have focused on removing the “office feel” of the place. “Even down to signage was important. I’ve seen in other centres the tone of signs is very rules-based and that causes tension. People had an image of the centre in their minds, they presumed it was a horror show inside. When we started welcoming people inside they were shocked.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"GTWZI3TERZB2XBCOOHTJARQP2M","additional_properties":{"_id":"52FGZZI7H5B45FEY5ALCV3PD6Y"},"type":"image"},{"_id":"PJWPUVGEPNGIXOV7GGX5UISIAM","additional_properties":{"_id":1741629563382},"content":"When they first took over, staff focused on creating “a home” for asylum seekers, while “weathering the storm” of the protests, says centre manager Declan McKenna. “It was all fear-based,” he says, reflecting on the Wednesday-evening protests, which lasted for months. “It’s fear of the worst-case scenario and the vast majority of the time that scenario doesn’t occur.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"74KMLY3QIREJ5PLHLBSNQ7QKOE","additional_properties":{"_id":1741629563383},"content":"The centre’s core focus is “transparency and honesty”, McKenna says. “We don’t just sit in an office – we talk to the residents, we learn about their lives. We don’t even consider this direct provision, it’s a dedicated space for people to live as humanely as possible on their journey looking for international protection.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"P4QL53GJDNFFTFWDAAOOMDSKWQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1741629563384},"content":"Keen to form links with the local community, Fennelly set up a fund to help local clubs and sports groups link up with children in the centre. “We have a budget for outings and social events for the residents so we decided to put a community fund formally in place. We wanted to forge a permanent relationship with these clubs that are taking the children in.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"VDOEFXXKBBEAPI5JI5XEBJBWT4","additional_properties":{"_id":1741703595701},"content":"Alan Gannon, a brother of <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/social-democrats/\" target=\"_self\">Social Democrats</a> TD <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/gary-gannon/\" target=\"_self\">Gary Gannon</a>, is community engagement officer at the centre.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YROC2ZAA4VHWBFVI2DGX2VUFEE","additional_properties":{"_id":1741629563385},"content":"The operators of international protection accommodation centres have a “responsibility” to invest in their properties and create a positive atmosphere, says Fennelly. “It shouldn’t be secret. If you can’t open your doors you need to ask yourself why?”","type":"text"},{"_id":"XWVD3LTDNBDTHPCR6YFRHXEU7Q","additional_properties":{"_id":1741703595696},"content":"International protection system records death of 14 asylum seekers last year","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"5C7VM2JZ7NEUBLQWJQEVAG55TQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1741703595699},"content":"International Protection accommodation bill tops €1 billion for first time","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"WE2ZXNTUEVEFLH7IIYXI7PA5XA","additional_properties":{"_id":1741629563386},"content":"Fennelly acknowledges a “small minority” of East Wall residents remain unhappy about the centre but says the majority now welcome residents. However, some of these people are “afraid to vocally come out and support us”, she adds. The Irish Times attempted to speak with a community member who took part in the 2022 protests but now supports the centre. After a number of rejections, local resident Derek, who preferred not to give his surname, agreed to talk.","type":"text"},{"_id":"URWFMTKO5BFEZHUUGP4L62A5WE","additional_properties":{"_id":1741629563387},"content":"He says he joined the protests because he believed claims that his wife and daughter would be in danger walking the streets of East Wall.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZSYNPUL3EBEKHPHSXMGOD2F7M4","additional_properties":{"_id":1741629563388},"content":"“But, in the months after that, I see how much work the people within the complex have done and how they’re integrating the men, women and children into the community,” he told The Irish Times over WhatsApp. These new arrivals, and their children who have joined local sports clubs, have been a “massive benefit” to the area, he says.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CWD7GJA4ZVFNFBRTD2SCER6UPM","additional_properties":{"_id":1741629563389},"content":"“It opened people’s eyes to what we what we thought was coming in, and what actually did come in, with just ordinary, decent people that wanted a better life for themselves. All in all, I have changed my thought on all these centres. They’re a great idea.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"QYFL42MS6VDC5PIDFNFIYFHZ4Y","additional_properties":{"_id":"VDHALVFFQJCNDB25LFQDVT3BPA"},"type":"image"},{"_id":"7SMRRTJ6TVHQHLQQMOTBAHMBXY","additional_properties":{"_id":1741629563390},"content":"Roxanna Nic Liam, who was working in a local East Wall cafe when the rumours started circulating that a centre was opening, was one of the first local residents to join the East Wall Here For All advocacy group. She says the community felt divided for about six months. “You’d be scared to bring it up, I worried about saying I volunteered there. But most people have moved on with their lives. The hassle has died down, it’s quiet now. We’re not as needed, which is a good thing.","type":"text"},{"_id":"V3CNKMRPJFFFFMLKIK4MBJYUSQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1741629563391},"content":"“I know a lot of people who took part in those protests and went on to help the kids and be very involved. I think when the kids started going to school, that was a turning point. Kids are a great way of bringing people together, they see people at the school gates, it becomes more humanised.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"NN7RP74RHZDEPF5C6BXH7IUF6Y","additional_properties":{"_id":1741703595707},"content":"‘Too many people’ not entitled to International Protection applying in Ireland, Minister for Justice says","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"YPAUQS4VONAD5F2GAQNHLHNWHE","additional_properties":{"_id":1741629563392},"content":"Rebecca Kehoe, who has run Cross Cultural Conversations language classes for Gateway residents since 2023, says the initial “shameful, disturbing protests” outside the centre are a thing of the past but believes there’s still underlying discontent among some in the community. She recalls the discomfort she felt bringing an African resident for breakfast in a local cafe six months ago. “There were people looking at us, not the staff but the clientele. I felt distinctly uncomfortable and I’m sure he felt it too.","type":"text"},{"_id":"HJ2XJ7N6VBB7LGW4LEXTZSFIDI","additional_properties":{"_id":1741629563393},"content":"“The centre is established now and most protesters got tired, they had better things to do with their time. But I don’t know if that’s acceptance or that animosity is still there and hidden. It’s calm for now, thankfully.”","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Sorcha Pollak"}},"name":"Sorcha Pollak"}]},"description":{"basic":"Fear was widespread when an international protection centre opened here in 2022; now tensions seems lower and ties are growing between residents of the centre and the wider community "},"display_date":"2025-03-15T06:10:00Z","headlines":{"basic":"Asylum seekers in Dublin’s East Wall: ‘Just ordinary, decent people that wanted a better life for themselves’","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"46VQ4D5PLJCUBHF2XLFYPRDTKY","auth":{"1":"8bd397cff8874e87c3613d46314abfa6443834598239fadb8e3d450cf9503550"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/46VQ4D5PLJCUBHF2XLFYPRDTKY.jpg"}},"subtype":"feature","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"People"},{"name":"Dublin"},{"name":"Ireland"},{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Life & Style"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/life-style/people/2025/03/15/asylum-seekers-in-dublins-east-wall-just-ordinary-decent-people-that-wanted-a-better-life-for-themselves/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/life-style/people","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"People"}}}},{"_id":"ZHLTJC3ORNAKZJBHNOW6XFJZAA","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":235,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/f0462d42-2174-4703-93de-647ba38d8bf2/versions/1741979953/media/1ff5c48cec1017a7abcebab10436272c_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/14/disused-banks-pubs-and-equestrian-centres-could-be-used-to-house-asylum-seekers/","content_elements":[{"_id":"V22UFQFNGFELXKH2MUV5ULRULQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"Banks, nightclubs and equestrian centres are among the properties that could be used to house international protection (IP) applicants, according to internal Government documents.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BG5ER7OCPFBCPI6I4TZRJPLXAI","additional_properties":{},"content":"The <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/department-of-children-equality-disability-integration-and-youth/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/department-of-children-equality-disability-integration-and-youth/\">Department of Integration</a> wants to extend temporary legislation which loosens the rules around which types of properties can be used as asylum seeker accommodation.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XZ3TMUXP5NCORHKWCFLEX5P7EM","additional_properties":{},"content":"In briefing documents seen by The Irish Times that were prepared by the department in advance of Government formation talks in December, officials said statutory instruments should be expanded so that additional property types could be used for IP accommodation.","type":"text"},{"_id":"KJ7GT7FSMJEN5PKDH3GNROTH7A","additional_properties":{},"content":"Officials said the “one area” of “consistent success from a legal perspective” was “the use of a planning exemption that allows certain classes of properties to be temporarily used” in this manner.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7SCBN4ZZXRDC5CNQSXV27YTANI","additional_properties":{},"content":"The briefing document notes that properties such as hotels and <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/defence-forces/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/defence-forces/\">Defence Forces</a> barracks are more commonly used for this purpose. However, officials said many other kinds of properties are “rarely if ever used”, such as schools, colleges or gymnasiums.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TZTHQLNH6RFS7HLL2P7CRE6MLM","additional_properties":{},"content":"Officials added that other property types should be added to the list of buildings covered by statutory instruments. The briefing document states that equestrian centres, banks or other financial institutions, public houses, nightclubs, restaurants and retail properties should be considered.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2OMUFD3NFFCTZKJMBXORCCRMZE","additional_properties":{},"content":"These types of properties “are being offered as a solution for IP accommodation and currently being rejected”. Officials also want commercial buildings which have been vacant for a number of years, and are not on the exemption list, to be repurposed as accommodation centres.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YF6JVDOTPBGONNTPLZZ74C7FCM","additional_properties":{},"content":"In the briefing document, officials called for the temporary legislation which allows a variety of properties to be used to house asylum seekers to be extended beyond its current deadline of December 2028 until December 2032. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"VNHZIQ5NF5ELLL67DDME72YJJA","additional_properties":{},"content":"“This deadline, within the context of the current pressures, is not sufficient.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"ATJT4FZALFBMFKLLADSOY3YO6M","additional_properties":{},"content":"International Protection accommodation bill tops €1 billion for first time","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"MGHNRAFGBNDFXKLMRMOBYU5A5Q","additional_properties":{},"content":"Officials said that capital purchases and the use of emergency powers to build modular units will “dominate Reception Centre delivery in 2025 and 2026″.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4RLCIIDKFBB7LJINWAMZ5GVIQ4","additional_properties":{},"content":"Building new IP accommodation centres would likely take at least three years due to the time it takes to secure planning permission and engage with communities before construction begins, officials noted.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PSSDAI2FMBCJRL2YZTKNPLBGTY","additional_properties":{},"content":"“Realistically a site identified in 2025 will take at least three years to receive planning and commence construction, with delivery in 2028/2029.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"XGTLU2S7YFCIZHZGZUCJNQ6EHI","additional_properties":{},"content":"<a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/social-affairs/2025/01/27/ireland-saw-record-number-of-asylum-applicants-in-2024/#:~:text=A%20total%20of%2018%2C651%20people,made%20applications%20for%20international%20protection.\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/social-affairs/2025/01/27/ireland-saw-record-number-of-asylum-applicants-in-2024/#:~:text=A%20total%20of%2018%2C651%20people,made%20applications%20for%20international%20protection.\">More than 18,000 asylum seekers came here in 2024</a>, with another 15,000 expected this year, according to the files. Based on this projection, it is expected that IP accommodation will cost around €1.4 billion in 2025. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"QVINMYLSRVF6ZOTNVHKYELNCKA","additional_properties":{},"content":"The documents also show that the Government hopes to “stabilise” the number of people seeking asylum in Ireland by 2028. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"G2C3H36ZBRHF7G6LIGUFDWMH2E","additional_properties":{},"content":"“On foot of successful implementation of the Migration Pact and speedy processing of applications, it will hopefully be necessary to steadily reduce the overall capacity and number of properties in the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/international-protection-accommodation-services-ipas/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/international-protection-accommodation-services-ipas/\">IPAS</a> portfolio.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"5ZUMTDOZ2BGRNGEXE6TNFWFQEE","additional_properties":{},"content":"The EU <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/podcasts/in-the-news/what-is-the-eu-migration-pact/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/podcasts/in-the-news/what-is-the-eu-migration-pact/\">migrant and asylum pact</a> aims to have faster processing of asylum applications, enhanced screening and security checks, and quicker returns of unsuccessful asylum applicants.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ITUTEMQYXRENPEVMFEL5V2XW5M","additional_properties":{},"content":"As reported by The Irish Times on Friday, the Government has stopped opening new IP accommodation centres in certain parts of the country due to “<a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/14/no-new-asylum-seeker-centres-in-certain-areas-due-to-local-feedbackand-criminality/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/14/no-new-asylum-seeker-centres-in-certain-areas-due-to-local-feedbackand-criminality/\">local and political feedback</a>”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BGRQA7SB6FAQVLASYVXSJYH2YY","additional_properties":{},"content":"In terms of tackling misinformation related to accommodation centres, officials said it is “essential” to provide clear and accurate information to the public about “this topical and sensitive area”.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Órla Ryan"}]},"description":{"basic":"Department of Integration wants to loosen rules about which types of property can be used for this purpose"},"display_date":"2025-03-14T19:14:10.216Z","headlines":{"basic":"Disused banks, pubs and equestrian centres could be used to house asylum seekers","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"4HRBQDV3Z5CFHCJ6NAVHCTWKS4","auth":{"1":"43c529d1ecde5c3d82ed0ce7817fa4025748fbc8fc6a6ba730477dfb0949a1d8"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/4HRBQDV3Z5CFHCJ6NAVHCTWKS4.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Politics"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/14/disused-banks-pubs-and-equestrian-centres-could-be-used-to-house-asylum-seekers/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social Affairs"}}}},{"_id":"2O6J5KIZXNBYPFFVBBP5W33LW4","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":263,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/9199af4a-3679-4a1a-8e47-47b3fd77ecca/versions/1741893427/media/6f46e50061a39d6904e771398ad1225a_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/14/no-new-asylum-seeker-centres-in-certain-areas-due-to-local-feedbackand-criminality/","content_elements":[{"_id":"ABAGDSGERVHC3HFEBGCHAO3WXU","additional_properties":{},"content":"The Government has stopped opening new <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/migrant-crisis/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/migrant-crisis/\">asylum seeker</a> accommodation centres in certain parts of the country, including north inner-city <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/dublin/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/dublin/\">Dublin</a>, due to “local and political feedback”, according to internal Government documents seen by The Irish Times. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"UL4MPPKHQZBQNHVGQPMYP7BPEA","additional_properties":{},"content":"Under the policy, <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/international-protection-accommodation-services-ipas/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/international-protection-accommodation-services-ipas/\">the International Protection Accommodation Service</a> (IPAS), an agency of the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/department-of-children-equality-disability-integration-and-youth/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/department-of-children-equality-disability-integration-and-youth/\">Department of Integration</a>, stopped accepting several types of “properties and locations”, in 2024. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"4DUC6DLOEZFMLHGXNWWIEB7CGY","additional_properties":{},"content":"As well as properties in north inner-city Dublin, these include hotels that are the “last hotel in town” and properties in several counties including Kerry, Clare, Mayo and Donegal that had previously been used for housing Ukrainian refugees.","type":"text"},{"_id":"S2LI4ZE7XRGK5AQL5VR6QJUQJA","additional_properties":{},"content":"In other cases, hotels formerly used to accommodate Ukrainians became available for IPAS use but a decision was made to allow them to revert to tourism.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZD6MCRWAJBGWJPRVN4PEXXVLYE","additional_properties":{},"content":"“Many properties” were not used as IPAS centres due to these policies, according to the briefing documents that were prepared by the Department of Integration in advance of Government formation talks in December 2024.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DYB2U5NGW5DUXOTAKICBUNTBOI","additional_properties":{},"content":"The comments were made to illustrate the extreme difficulty in securing enough accommodation for the record number of asylum seekers who arrived last year.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DV2TUELT4NCWPGQVC5BIYXYE24","additional_properties":{},"content":"More than 18,000 asylum seekers came to Ireland in 2024, with another 15,000 expected in 2025, it said. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"SMEL6I6RSNGKLNJWPDRV7YT6PM","additional_properties":{},"content":"Less than half of new international protection applicants are men and one in four are children, it stated. IPAS currently houses 33,000 international protection applicants, a 400 per cent increase on 2021. It has been unable to provide accommodation to 3,000 single male applicants.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TBGEU2SBVND3HHTM3ALLZG64IQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"One of the major issues encountered by departmental officials is “violent protest and criminality”, the documents state.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BECR7QM3BRARBOXDS6BIK2FYBM","additional_properties":{},"content":"Ukrainian refugees told to leave accommodation due to refurbishment works","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"CPXSS7QT65CLDPSWTRVUVG6KTY","additional_properties":{},"content":"“Fairly uniquely in the Civil Service, the work of the division is subject to significant instances of protest, instances of arson and other violence or criminality, and targeting by anti-immigration or far-right activists,” it stated.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ALXRS5PBJJCLJPAMUCYZKSN674","additional_properties":{},"content":"It said there were 33 arson attacks recorded against planned, actual or rumoured IPAS accommodation, between August 2023 and August 2024, significantly more than previously publicly reported.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XWFJOQ5F6FBXFMAN3DG2UPHAYM","additional_properties":{},"content":"These attacks have resulted in properties being damaged beyond use. They have also had a “knock-on effect” in making providers reluctant to offer properties due to fears of violence or arson.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7STII23PLNBPPC6S3PMPGN7IAY","additional_properties":{},"content":"Officials said there was a “marked drop” in the number of private properties offered for international protection accommodation in 2024.","type":"text"},{"_id":"43CNT4VTTZCYTIRNH6BQP7UGAE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Resistance to new IPAS centres comes in the form of “legal, local and criminal challenges”, the department said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"47AHM2ROJJACNJIL767L2VJ2LQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"This resistance is driven by “diverse factors, ranging from far-right, anti-immigration criminality, to sincerely held concerns about local public service capacity”. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"TAZ2BYCJ5BCA3HEUDGE4BDLYCI","additional_properties":{},"content":"The document also cites a range of court challenges to new accommodation centres, in places such as Thornton Hall, Crooksling, Athlone and elsewhere. These challenges are “bringing our capacity to deliver on Government strategy into question”, officials said. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"Z36MUUW7WBHIXMEPOKC7OET3UE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Another major challenge is the lack of accommodation for people whose asylum claims have been accepted. As of November 2024, 5,360 successful asylum seekers were still in IPAS centres as they were unable to get housing in the private market.","type":"text"},{"_id":"IR64NPGXSFD7LLM3U5KIIAGB7E","additional_properties":{},"content":"This accounts for 17 per cent of all IPAS residents, a figure that is double and sometimes quadruple the figure in other EU countries.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XULZWPYX5NCVJJ3U6SBN244ZLA","additional_properties":{},"content":"The briefing also notes Ireland issues a far lower number of deportation orders than other EU countries. Ireland signed 2,400 deportation orders in 2024, when 18,000 people applied for international protection.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AZQXDOIL35D2FPVCGUBGOK6PEQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"To reach EU norms, it would have to sign 12,000 orders a year, officials said. “A shift of this nature would free up significant space in IPAS centres.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"Y6HWINOVO5CPNKHFTOA36GTMKE","additional_properties":{},"content":"In a statement, a spokesperson for the department said that the State has “worked under significant pressure over the last few years to find accommodation” for asylum seekers.","type":"text"},{"_id":"HBZOL6BHTFADJIY5ZCU7SUEAPM","additional_properties":{},"content":"It added that IPAS carries out “an appraisal” when considering offers of accommodation.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ITZLKJE73ZESZDSQVZEPESPZXI","additional_properties":{},"content":"“A range of issues are considered by that appraisal which may lead to a refusal. These might include ineligibility for planning exemptions or other building and fire regulations managed by the Local Authority. They might also include concerns about services, transport and other logistical issues,” the statement said. ","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"premium"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Conor Gallagher"}},"name":"Conor Gallagher"}]},"description":{"basic":"Number of arson attacks recorded far higher than previously reported "},"display_date":"2025-03-14T06:00:01Z","headlines":{"basic":"State stops opening new asylum seeker centres in certain areas due to ‘local feedback’ and ‘violent protest’","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"4FGYIJWLBTMNJ74AOOWWM33C7Q","auth":{"1":"2c61e9fe5b767bffd3c67e9cb51e3522fa3d4c743aac70b3bd5f5ff739031fd1"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/4FGYIJWLBTMNJ74AOOWWM33C7Q.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/14/no-new-asylum-seeker-centres-in-certain-areas-due-to-local-feedbackand-criminality/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social Affairs"}}}},{"_id":"NO74JHIIZRG2FNUETVS34DCDAM","additional_properties":{},"canonical_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/14/church-services/","content_elements":[{"_id":"BAL3BOUK3FBP7FALSR5JZMP7BI","additional_properties":{},"content":"CATHEDRALS","type":"header"},{"_id":"SEA4SYZICFGNJNAEZIWEDURUXQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"<b>National Cathedral of Saint Patrick, Dublin</b> THE SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT - 09.15 EUCHARIST said in the Lady Chapel. 11.15 CHORAL EUCHARIST- sung by the Lay Vicars Choral - Josquin: Missa Pange Lingua, Psalm: 27, Sheppard: Libera nos, salva nos, Preacher: The Revd P.R. Campion, B.A., B.Th., M.A., M.Phil. Canon Precentor. 15.15 CHORAL EVENSONG - sung by the Cathedral Choir- Responses: Leigh, Blair in B minor, Psalm: 84, Sumsion: Praise to the Lord of our Salvation, Rheinberger: Finale (Sonata no. 7). SAINT PATRICKS DAY- 9.15 EUCHARIST said in Irish in the Lady Chapel. 11.15 CHORAL EUCHARIST sung by the Cathedral Choir. Preacher: The Very Revd W.W. Morton B.Th., M.A., Ph.D., M.Mus., D.Litt., Dean and Ordinary. 18.00 DUBLIN COUNCIL OF CHURCHES SERVICE. SUNG MATINS at 09.00 Tuesday to Friday. EUCHARIST at 11.05 on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. CHORAL EVENSONG at 17.30 Tuesday to Friday. For further information visit www.stpatrickscathedral.ie","type":"text"},{"_id":"V2VXT7BK2ZDB7FDMCD35GI36PM","additional_properties":{},"content":"CHURCH OF IRELAND","type":"header"},{"_id":"AGUVYFNY6FHETB3NPHPLWWTMPY","additional_properties":{},"content":"<b>Ardamine Group of Parishes, Co Wexford</b> Services Sunday 16th March LENT 2 Monamolin 9 am Holy Communion Ardamine 10.15 am Holy Communion Kilnamanagh 11.45 am Morning Prayer","type":"text"},{"_id":"EZ7CAJUVHBC5RABUJ4JNILHXII","additional_properties":{},"content":"<b>St Audoen Cornmarket</b> 9.30 Bellringing, 10.00 Eucharist (every Sunday), with hymns and Anglican chant, the Second Sunday in Lent. Access through the main entrance. Cars may be parked between Francis Street and Christ Church.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RAN3DR47DBA3RFMNDUUJ6TCPLM","additional_properties":{},"content":"<b>St Catherine St James Donore Avenue</b> 11.30 Service of the Word, St Patrick, Apostle of Ireland. Organist, Olesia Borsuk. Cars may be parked in the Churchyard.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NDF5E3VZL5BW3MWSIABWJ3UMWM","additional_properties":{},"content":"<b>Zion Parish Church</b> Sunday 16th March - The Second Sunday in Lent. 9am Holy Communion 1. 10.30am Holy Communion. All welcome.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GXS2QHOJQBGVXPUE73TN63ZGNI","additional_properties":{},"content":"PRESBYTERIAN","type":"header"},{"_id":"AT2HJ3FMC5BGTKTODD4CEE46AE","additional_properties":{},"content":"<b>About The Presbyterian Church in Ireland</b> The Presbyterian form of the Christian faith is best described as Reformed; with its strong emphasis on the Sovereignty of God, the Kingship of Christ, and the authority of the Bible. For more information, and for a full list of congregations around the whole island of Ireland, visit: <a href=\"http://www.presbyterianireland.org/\" rel=\"\">www.presbyterianireland.org</a>","type":"text"},{"_id":"X75B2JRTHZEOFOTUWO434Y5V5E","additional_properties":{},"content":"METHODIST","type":"header"},{"_id":"ERYNUIPVDRDVPFITEMV55V5WMY","additional_properties":{},"content":"<b>About the Methodist Church in Ireland</b> - The Methodist Church in Ireland is a community of people drawn together by Gods love, who seek to live wholeheartedly as followers of Jesus for the transformation of the world. With 212 churches spread across the island of Ireland from North to South, and East to West. To find a church near you visit <a href=\"https://irishmethodist.org/\" rel=\"\">https://irishmethodist.org</a>","type":"text"},{"_id":"TS2SXGH3WVAATLKMVC54P53WKQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"<b>Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin</b> The Methodist Church, Northumberland Avenue, Dún Laoghaire. Sunday Service 11am. Our services are available at www.dlmc.org ","type":"text"},{"_id":"MOH6UU4NOVARXOSUUVTOIQOXII","additional_properties":{},"content":"RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIENDS","type":"header"},{"_id":"DREN3GDJURASHOOZIYM324SG5U","additional_properties":{},"content":"<b>Quaker Meetings in Ireland</b> Visitors are always welcome to join us for Meeting for Worship at any of our Meeting Houses around the country. You will be warmly welcomed and there will be an opportunity to ask any questions you might have. You will find a list of Meetings on our website: https://quakers-in-ireland.ie/map-of-quaker-meetings-worship-groups/","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZHDU3D42BRDWNM2BGKZE4LBPAU","additional_properties":{},"content":" ","type":"text"},{"_id":"ETERSHUN2FDV5HW357FRYJDIAQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"","type":"text"},{"_id":"RUKMCLNG7NFFXETUOHJ65DZP5Q","additional_properties":{},"content":"","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[]},"description":{"basic":"Week beginning Saturday, March 15th, 2025"},"display_date":"2025-03-14T06:00:01Z","headlines":{"basic":"Church services","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"IN7OZZ6E2NGO5KX2KLF2SIQGJU","auth":{"1":"d4b9e121d137a9aeef92fc18438df403b5c177f6a3855de62a93ccfae6ccb05d"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/IN7OZZ6E2NGO5KX2KLF2SIQGJU.png"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/14/church-services/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social Affairs"}}}},{"_id":"EGIJ2ITZMZDE5CQIMHMP2YC64M","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":139,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/9aaad7ce-13b7-4a76-af03-1298c9541d91/versions/1741878030/media/5968fb173088c0f6238dc19605580e8f_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/13/households-of-people-with-disabilities-hit-by-extra-costs-and-lower-income/","content_elements":[{"_id":"DBIGYN4AGJHF3BSTK3WSIXDE5Y","additional_properties":{},"content":"","type":"text"},{"_id":"MM453LXBGFGKBMMAYQ7HLYT3S4","additional_properties":{},"content":"Households in which there are people living with <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/disability/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/disability/\">disabilities</a> are being forced to spend the majority of their disposable income on measures to mitigate the disability. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"5NCAGAQRM5GYPH34TQZ5NYP324","additional_properties":{},"content":"As a result, they are more likely than other household types to be at risk of poverty.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LGDBF4NNOZA6ZNZFKSDTDZHV4I","additional_properties":{},"content":"That is according to a report, <a href=\"https://www.esri.ie/publications/adjusting-estimates-of-poverty-for-the-cost-of-disability#:~:text=These%20two%20methods%20allow%20us,with%20the%20severity%20of%20disability.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://www.esri.ie/publications/adjusting-estimates-of-poverty-for-the-cost-of-disability#:~:text=These%20two%20methods%20allow%20us,with%20the%20severity%20of%20disability.\">Adjusting Estimates of Poverty for the Cost of Disability</a>, published by the Economic and Social Research Institute (<a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/esri/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/esri/\">ESRI</a>) and the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (<a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/irish-human-rights-and-equality-commission/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/irish-human-rights-and-equality-commission/\">IHREC</a>) on Thursday. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"XD5FZDOTFZE75D2K4KKCWL26ZU","additional_properties":{},"content":"It shows that households affected by disability have higher consumption needs, including healthcare and transportation, than other households, a factor which compounds their risk of deprivation.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RWCWKJ5YRNCFXN2FNB6P4GNW7M","additional_properties":{},"content":"Because of this, households with a disabled member require, on average, 52-59 per cent extra disposable income to achieve the same standard of living as a similar household with no disabled members. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"KQ3T2V4GZVA3ZPSZ36G2ZKXP7E","additional_properties":{},"content":"For households with a member who has severe disabilities, the cost can be as high as 93 per cent of their disposable income, the report found. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"TDAE6JKGFRABFGSXLPUE2DBCVE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Disabled individuals and households also experience a double penalty to their living standards as their labour income is lower and consumption needs are higher, the report found. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"NBA7STLUGVHK5OTHYYS2PFFSVA","additional_properties":{},"content":"Report co-author Agathe Simon of the ESRI said “income poverty rates are substantially higher among disabled people due in part to their lower employment rates. The consumption needs of disabled households are also higher, on average, leading to a double penalty in living standards.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"COQ4N637G5CABA6PQMJUNS4TWQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"Spiralling numbers being diagnosed with disabilities will have ‘significant impact’ on social welfare spend","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"JTUJNM5MNNAF3EF3NEPO2MWF3E","additional_properties":{},"content":"Fellow co-author Theano Kakoulidou said “one way to address the higher rates of income poverty among disabled people is by removing barriers to work” that they and their family members face. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"X45742CPXZH5FJHYA2WDJTBGXY","additional_properties":{},"content":"“Income poverty could also be reduced by directly increasing targeted welfare payments or introducing a ‘cost of disability’ payment,” he said. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"TTATRQLQ6NECZBCDFUJZM2WOHM","additional_properties":{},"content":"Liam Herrick, chief commissioner of IHREC,said it was “unacceptable that the majority of disabled people live in conditions of poverty in Ireland”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"HCXXPD47WNBLBLJJZCJ4QE5JPI","additional_properties":{},"content":"“The State is obliged to actively support and resource disabled people to live independently, including through the provision of person-centred financial supports,” he said.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Tim O'Brien"}},"name":"Tim O'Brien"}]},"description":{"basic":"Up to 93% of household disposable income goes towards mitigating severe disability, report finds"},"display_date":"2025-03-13T14:55:21.488Z","headlines":{"basic":"Households of people with disabilities hit by extra costs and lower income","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"CJD2J4UZHJBCNF4HUCFRLTRVGE","auth":{"1":"b1511bd891730dd54470ca73854f48d6284f14d149549751f1374699c7799736"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/CJD2J4UZHJBCNF4HUCFRLTRVGE.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/13/households-of-people-with-disabilities-hit-by-extra-costs-and-lower-income/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social Affairs"}}}},{"_id":"NQQ3UCCXWBH4NNJXHZN5ECOVSM","additional_properties":{},"canonical_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/13/one-in-two-homeless-people-using-depaul-services-experience-mental-health-difficulties-says-report/","content_elements":[{"_id":"NTM6V3UYEZBS3ELNPPHMGSW3YY","additional_properties":{},"content":"","type":"text"},{"_id":"SHW4SJIGTBHJHN7CGSB6CB2MIA","additional_properties":{},"content":"","type":"text"},{"_id":"CQCBFKK75ZAV3M7XMIDRUYC6IU","additional_properties":{},"content":"Half of the residents of <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/depaul/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/depaul/\">Depaul</a> <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/homeless-crisis/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/homeless-crisis/\">homelessness </a>services struggle with thoughts of depression, anxiety and suicide, according to a new report.","type":"text"},{"_id":"FELILNUAYBEEXBQ6PUICWQI6XM","additional_properties":{},"content":"Although one in five people in Ireland experience mental health difficulties, that figure rises to one person out of every two homeless people receiving help from Depaul’s services, according to a new report from the housing charity and mental health advocacy group Mental Health Reform. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"GHPE2MHFVVGFRPLZ2TMUJFM57Q","additional_properties":{},"content":"Depaul is a cross-Border charity supporting people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. It offers support and guidance through 40 specialised accommodation centres and outreach services. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"BEUYRIFJ5FAW7GZQ3UMEO7GTPA","additional_properties":{},"content":"Mental Health Reform is a coalition of 86 member organisations working for progressive reform of mental health services and supports. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"B3JXK77YZVGCTHZ24EKRR5LRXQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"The report, Breaking the Cycle, jointly published by both bodies on Thursday, says at least one in two residents in Depaul services struggle with thoughts of depression, anxiety, and suicide – a factor that the report authors call “a crisis hidden in plain sight”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"V43UJEQBENBOFD4MXSOVIF6MLQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"The report’s findings are based on Depaul’s administrative data of 4,504 individuals and self-reported experiences, but the organisation said “given the barriers to self-reporting and the limitations of data collection, the actual figure is likely even higher”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"EEW4C4FAKFBOBO4UAN2F6IXZMY","additional_properties":{},"content":"Within Depaul’s services, 36.9 per cent of residents reported enduring mental health difficulties requiring intervention, nearly twice the national rate. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"XPU3LTBHZJBFLIGUTJQWPD3YMA","additional_properties":{},"content":"However, the charity said the real picture could be nearly twice the national rate and more than likely massively underestimated, as Government homelessness data excludes many people living in precarious situations, such as those couch-surfing or living in direct provision.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LO6VT7OBFJBYHCUWCVRZN3GVGU","additional_properties":{},"content":"Key findings of the report include that 16 per cent of Depaul residents have been hospitalised for mental health issues, rising to 38 per cent among those who self-report mental health difficulties.","type":"text"},{"_id":"A2CL6JEOWND3TFZMOSNDKYCKDQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"Only 4 per cent of Depaul residents have access to a psychiatric nurse, and just 9.4 per cent can see a counsellor. Some 88 per cent of service providers cite staff shortages and long waiting lists as major barriers to accessing care.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JRRT3KLO7JA6LJCXE6DBL4I6UU","additional_properties":{},"content":"David Carroll, chief executive of Depaul, said services need to be restructured to help people move forward successfully from homelessness. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"R3EV3XU7RJFGHCK7ZHKQKDUFM4","additional_properties":{},"content":"Mr Carroll told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland that although the majority of people Depaul help suffer from mental health challenges, including depression and anxiety, many also have complex underlying issues, such as addiction, and resources need to be pumped into the system to assist them.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZHJGRBXQ25HMXPS7AZCQEDLBGY","additional_properties":{},"content":"Mr Carroll described the mental health system as a “major, major challenge. We need specific access to consult psychiatry. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"T7Q7I5RO5JH7PDDW6I4MNTVTBU","additional_properties":{},"content":"“We need more community psychiatry nurses and we need to support our existing staff to be equipped in the best possible way to deal with what they’re facing on a day-to-day basis as well.”","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Tim O'Brien"}},"name":"Tim O'Brien"},{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Vivienne Clarke"}},"name":"Vivienne Clarke"}]},"description":{"basic":"Residents are struggling with thoughts of depression, anxiety and suicide, according to Mental Health Reform group "},"display_date":"2025-03-13T10:08:42.765Z","headlines":{"basic":"One in two homeless people using Depaul services experience mental health difficulties, says report","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"6A256NT4VXTT5JBWNA7LREEAUI","auth":{"1":"07442ea531c805869b213b639305b10bc2a3630f5ae7ce8cb4585d759f6dee2d"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/6A256NT4VXTT5JBWNA7LREEAUI.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/13/one-in-two-homeless-people-using-depaul-services-experience-mental-health-difficulties-says-report/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social Affairs"}}}},{"_id":"35TFMAN2KFGLFCO7WHRAQPS7HA","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":228,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/56c1273b-5ce0-4ebc-9894-4c4c2975887a/versions/1741800115/media/9fdb3fc952515bcc0faa347d30635a49_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/world/uk/2025/03/12/labour-mp-introduces-bill-to-end-penalty-on-compensation-from-irish-mother-and-baby-homes/","content_elements":[{"_id":"JFIVIEGQ7VAZ5LDNF5FUVGBZ5U","additional_properties":{"_id":1741868125520},"content":"","type":"text"},{"_id":"TRLESDPQNFAB7BS32O7OMPE3PQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1741868125521},"content":"MPs in the House of Commons have been urged to back a change to British law which currently financially penalises British-resident Irish women and their children if they accept compensation for abuse they suffered in <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/mother-baby-homes/\">mother and baby homes</a> in the Republic.","type":"text"},{"_id":"KMJJPIMFMNCZFNJ2WYQE25P5X4","additional_properties":{"_id":1741868125522},"content":"Liam Conlon, a London-based Labour MP with Irish roots, has introduced legislation in Westminster to prevent victims’ means-tested state benefits from being cut in Britain if they take the Irish payouts.","type":"text"},{"_id":"FTYR2SKPD5AZXBERCWJOIJOL6M","additional_properties":{"_id":1741868125523},"content":"The penalty has “deterred” many from seeking compensation, he said, noting that only 5 per cent of the 13,000 eligible women in Britain have applied. Applicants from Northern Ireland do not face the same block.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3NZ4YV2E3VCLRDIZ7EEPFF36FI","additional_properties":{"_id":1741868125524},"content":"Mr Conlon told MPs on Wednesday that many victims had moved to Britain to escape the pain of what had happened to them in institutions. He said they fled Ireland as a “direct result” of their experiences, which included having their babies taken and forced unpaid work.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5PW5BQHS2BGAZOLVX5NRM5BGFU","additional_properties":{"_id":1741868125525},"content":"“Some also thought that disappearing was the only way to protect their families’ reputations,” said Mr Conlon, chairman of the Labour Party Irish society. His mother, <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/sue-gray/\">Sue Gray</a>, the daughter of Irish immigrants, is also a former chief of staff to prime minister <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/keir-starmer/\">Keir Starmer</a>.","type":"text"},{"_id":"HBXP57FN7JAG3NCMO4UZHYUZFQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1741868125526},"content":"“We must change the law,” Mr Conlon told MPs, as he proposed that the Irish payouts should get a “capital disregard” when assessing for British benefits. There is precedent for such a move, including for compensation for survivors of the 7/7 bombings in London in 2005 and Windrush immigrants.","type":"text"},{"_id":"IIJULAYADBGWLOOKVPVD2JV23A","additional_properties":{"_id":1741868125527},"content":"His proposal is being called Philomena’s Law, after Limerick-born campaigner <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/philomena-lee/\">Philomena Lee</a>. She spent 50 years searching for her son, who was forcibly taken from her at a mother and baby home in Tipperary and adopted in the United States. She was later played by Oscar-winning actress <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/judi-dench/\">Judi Dench</a> in a 2013 Hollywood adaptation of her story, Philomena, which also starred <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/steve-coogan/\">Steve Coogan</a>.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DOF2Q6RQQ7ECWOWNQDAHOQ4WDM","additional_properties":{"_id":1741868125528},"type":"image"},{"_id":"W57UVPA4M5DXVAD3Y4BX3D5WFU","additional_properties":{"_id":1741868125529},"content":"Ms Lee later moved to England to work as a nurse. Seventy years on, her daughter Jane and grandson Joshua acknowledged Mr Conlon from the gallery above the Commons chamber as he rose to his feet to introduce his bill, which received vocal support from MPs on all sides of the house.","type":"text"},{"_id":"E33LF7DFXVD7BIANDUALAPWHJY","additional_properties":{"_id":1741868125530},"content":"It was formally backed by Labour MPs including Irish-born parliamentarians Deirdre Costigan, originally from Walkinstown and now MP for Ealing Southall in London, and Damien Egan, born in Cork and now MP for Bristol North East.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ACPOP56Y3BDK5F7NN4LWEN4IJQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1741868125531},"content":"Case of three siblings abandoned as babies in London suburb confounds police","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"JCBON4EMURBZTJ6PKQ7VYCET5A","additional_properties":{"_id":1741868125532},"content":"It is also backed by the SDLP, whose leader, Claire Hanna, and former leader Colum Eastwood sat behind Mr Conlon as he delivered his speech.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DGGD4AWXEFGG7JOU23FHXUD7HI","additional_properties":{"_id":1741868125533},"content":"The bill is also supported by Irish groups in the UK, such as the umbrella group Irish in Britain, as well as the London Irish Centre in Camden and the Irish Cultural Centre in Hammersmith.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CUHCSDD2CZBXLNOZ4OW7BNNUVQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1741868125534},"content":"Rosa Gilbert, Irish in Britain’s policy manager, said the financial penalty caused “significant distress to survivors”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3CK2GRSOEBCJDDYQCCMOXHGJ2A","additional_properties":{"_id":1741868125535},"content":"Speaking after addressing parliament, Mr Conlon said he knew of an Irish woman in London who accepted a €10,000 payout from the Irish Government, only to find that her housing benefit would be cut. He said he wanted to combat the “stigma and shame” some women felt and is organising an event in parliament for survivors later this month with Irish in Britain.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3363VQPVERC6VE7BNIRIW6X3UM","additional_properties":{"_id":1741868125536},"content":"There was recently a flurry of ads on the London Underground promoting the Irish compensation scheme. Mr Conlon said he would also speak to the Irish Government about potentially relaxing a six-month time limit for applicants in Britain to accept payouts.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Mark Paul"}},"name":"Mark Paul"}]},"description":{"basic":"Grandson of Irish immigrants wants to combat the ‘stigma and shame’ some survivors feel "},"display_date":"2025-03-12T17:21:47.094Z","headlines":{"basic":"‘Philomena’s Law’: Labour MP introduces Bill to end penalty on compensation from Irish mother and baby homes","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"UQ57CSWCNZAZHPMCPVIG2GFC5A","auth":{"1":"fb5ef91620511f945d36a7538041ed264a5660c7c2ab3b65923bb9e04469f9d2"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/UQ57CSWCNZAZHPMCPVIG2GFC5A.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"UK"},{"name":"Ireland"},{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"World"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/world/uk/2025/03/12/labour-mp-introduces-bill-to-end-penalty-on-compensation-from-irish-mother-and-baby-homes/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/world/uk","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"UK"}}}},{"_id":"FAZR4PU64FDH3EK7SJ6QUVM7IQ","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":210,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/66405f4a-e0c0-4ec3-b94b-1d7a67d65599/versions/1741718422/media/c121a84e94303eb3c25029549b4a7cb7_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/11/annual-bill-of-140m-for-deal-intended-to-resolve-long-running-health-workers-dispute/","content_elements":[{"_id":"MGAB6LTSOBGZ7EERFOAPYFHPTU","additional_properties":{},"content":"Proposals intended to resolve the long-running dispute involving health and social care workers employed by charities and voluntary organisations will cost €140 million annually, the Government has said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"Q3YSK74FGVD2XGFXUQFJOAMLNQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"There is likely to be some disappointment among some union members the deal does not match the targeted measures for less well paid workers contained in the public sector pay agreement.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JVHMU72BSZBOLLCVX77M6SOYQ4","additional_properties":{},"content":"The 9.25 per cent total pay increases envisaged over two years is broadly in line with that public pay deal, however, and the commitment to a link with future such deals will be welcomed given the delays experienced with negotiations over the past couple of years.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CFJYRZ72KNEAXPJHI3KZKGIJEQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"The issue is that the public sector agreement provided for some minimum increases for staff earning below €50,000 – at least €1,000 at the start of this month, or 2 per cent, whichever was higher – a structuring that meant the overall deal was worth more than 17 per cent to the very lowest paid workers.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PRMLQDJQQZHBLFV323VFSGML7Y","additional_properties":{},"content":"The proposals tabled after protracted talks on Monday evening do not include such clauses, however, despite union concerns regarding the prevalence of low pay in some of the organisations involved.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GVZM25CP3JHGHMFHZA5LMVUR3E","additional_properties":{},"content":"“Those clauses were something we wanted to replicate,” said one union source on Tuesday. “But the other side they didn’t know what the cost would be and couldn’t open the Government up to funding something that couldn’t be quantified. It was difficult to refute that.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"FXBGFNZUTNAIXMBSHNPOUABYI4","additional_properties":{},"content":"The issue highlights the slightly chaotic nature of the way a system of outsourcing by the Government of various health and social services has evolved over the years with neither side at Monday’s talks quite sure how many people are working for the bodies being funded by the various government departments and agencies or how much they earn.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ARXFMCYZIFHLDKA3U7MBSLJMK4","additional_properties":{},"content":"Asking a third party to try to assemble that information is part of the proposed agreement with eight months allowed for the process, although the timeframe might yet prove optimistic.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3EOJMJYXAVHU3IILGM72K3XAPU","additional_properties":{},"content":"The unions also failed to get the Government negotiators to budge on their refusal to apply the increases to workers where the services being provided have been the subject of a tendering process. It was said this would have the potential to contravene competition or procurement rules. The Workplace Relations Commission document sent to the two sides on Tuesday says that pay for these staff “can only be dealt with through the existing procurement processes”. It is not clear how that will work. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"SV4ZY45W4NCBFBNS75B4ASGSAE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Nevertheless, there are clear positives in the proposals, with basic pay rates set to increase by almost 10 per cent over the next 18 months and staff in line, if they approve the deal, for modest lump sums to cover a 2 per cent initial increase backdated to the start of October, commitments to much smoother implementation of the funding required by employer organisations to pay increases and an acknowledgment that backing will also need to be provided to cope with greater non-payroll cost, including auto-enrolment.","type":"text"},{"_id":"U6LANO6JUBBM5OZHPLSRUI6JCY","additional_properties":{},"content":"If accepted, the deal would not restore the link to grades in the public sector some workers lost over the years but Minister for Children Norma Foley described it as “historic” and the unions involved are set to recommend it to members.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WEHYQJRZWVCALKB2KFEEX3UWEE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Employers, meanwhile, have welcomed the proposals with one source saying on Monday “the agreement should have a real impact on recruitment and retention and also provides a mechanism for addressing remaining discrepancies, some historical anomalies and other issues such as costs.” ","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Emmet Malone"}},"name":"Emmet Malone"}]},"description":{"basic":"Disappointment among union members that agreement fails to match public sector pact on low pay"},"display_date":"2025-03-11T18:35:14.375Z","headlines":{"basic":"Annual bill of €140m for deal intended to resolve long-running health workers’ dispute ","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"ECDSSF5FMRCMBD23JY2LS2JVPQ","auth":{"1":"e013e1c3c6f52ba75e109cb21216d33a53ba2097ca6b5ae3d9cb03964e14e2b7"},"focal_point":{"x":1552,"y":617},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/ECDSSF5FMRCMBD23JY2LS2JVPQ.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Ireland"},{"name":"Health"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/11/annual-bill-of-140m-for-deal-intended-to-resolve-long-running-health-workers-dispute/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social Affairs"}}}},{"_id":"PUQHUCSCDZF6HMAPBJAYIAJ54Q","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":181,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/54a47bfb-5da6-4b3e-91df-a19e4b5099be/versions/1741701669/media/1582f7d81f387a60969fa88ecbb89ab4_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/11/cost-of-living-prices-cso-households-debt/","content_elements":[{"_id":"J6LSORAVPFC2JMP6JGSXIOPMNA","additional_properties":{"_id":1741698491640},"content":"Almost one third of households comprised of one adult and children under 18 went into debt to meet ordinary <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/cost-of-living/\" target=\"_blank\">living expenses</a> last year, the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/central-statistics-office/\" target=\"_blank\">Central Statistics Office (CSO)</a> has said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"SK2PUMCJQBCC3KPRJEJEP2TAIA","additional_properties":{"_id":1741698491641},"content":"One fifth of these households reported struggling to make ends meet and 54 per cent found the basic cost of <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/housing-crisis\" target=\"_blank\">housing</a> to be a “heavy burden”, according to the CSO’s annual Income and Living Conditions survey.","type":"text"},{"_id":"L3REKG3N5RAL7PSLTJ2RQELPGY","additional_properties":{"_id":1741698491642},"content":"Overall, the research found the number of people living in enforced deprivation, measured by their ability to afford a specified range of items, last year fell to 15.7 per cent from 17.3 per cent in 2023. However, the rate of deprivation among single adult households with children increased by almost five percentage points to 46.3 per cent.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TCYEUEUQYNFXVBBGSJRSEM32H4","additional_properties":{"_id":1741698491643},"content":"Deprivation among those with health problems (38.5 per cent) and the unemployed (37.8 per cent) also remained substantially higher. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"QDQ64SWSHRD5VIGUPWKFDS4N7Q","additional_properties":{},"content":"Carly Bailey, policy manager at One Family, formerly Cherish said the data should serve as a “wake-up call” to the new Government. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"5236LZ5M7NCOZEONJMZGRTUIKY","additional_properties":{},"content":"“Unlike other groups, one-parent families have an increased deprivation rate, up a staggering 11 per cent compared to last year. Worryingly, this tells us that almost half of all one-parent families are living in enforced deprivation, a rate that is almost three times greater than it is for two-parent families (16.2 per cent),” she said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BO7FGXMLCZCAJNN2XXP4LOOXMA","additional_properties":{},"content":"The findings come as “no surprise” to the One Family organisation, as it “fully reflects the growing numbers of families that have contacted us concerned about how to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table”, she said. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"3WZSZNBIQBBB7ADWDXLGZ2BBC4","additional_properties":{},"content":"The organisation has called on Minister of State for Social Protection, Dara Calleary, to meet with its representatives to discuss what measures might be taken to address the issues highlighted for one-parent families.","type":"text"},{"_id":"URTJBBMY3ZGZVBY6L7R6O5HK7Y","additional_properties":{"_id":1741698491644},"content":"The CSO findings further indicate the differences between how people in rented accommodation and owner-occupiers say they are coping financially.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LGEOBR5BJFHWPFZFJ6Z55T3YJQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1741698491645},"content":"Across the entire population, 29.5 per cent of households reported the cost of housing itself to be a heavy burden, down slightly on the previous two years.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PLDDZGW5ANDCHEGL6A56LVHXI4","additional_properties":{"_id":1741698491646},"content":"But this stood at 41.4 per cent among people in rented accommodation.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YGBHE3OMJNCY7GBTXMCZOBHPBA","content":"<iframe title=\"Unable afford to get-together with family or friends for a drink or meal once a month\" aria-label=\"Grouped Columns\" id=\"datawrapper-chart-eZD6d\" src=\"https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/eZD6d/2/\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;\" height=\"515\" data-external=\"1\"></iframe><script type=\"text/javascript\">!function(){\"use strict\";window.addEventListener(\"message\",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll(\"iframe\");for(var t in a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"][t]+\"px\";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}();\n<\/script>","type":"raw_html"},{"_id":"HEAVQEMVCVCSNPJ45UDZHOIUG4","additional_properties":{"_id":"MZZ6LNRXEJGFFDZQWZSFDEOWKQ"},"content":"Grocery prices in Irish supermarkets on the way up again, new figures show","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"W2QZFXMXAZBA5PABPTNBAJ7BDA","additional_properties":{"_id":1741698491647},"content":"One in 10 households in the rental sector said they had failed to make at least two rent payments on time last year, up from 9.2 per cent the previous year. Some 10.7 per cent of renters said they struggled with day to day living costs, compared to 3.2 per cent of owner occupiers.","type":"text"},{"_id":"I6FHVIJEVZARPBY4IASEIWWOZI","additional_properties":{"_id":1741698491648},"content":"Just over 8 per cent of households generally found themselves in arrears with utility bills at some point last year, slightly up on 2023 before but down on 2022.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ONBIS5QYGFFILGRXHZ7MBFPBZM","additional_properties":{"_id":1741698491649},"content":"The figure was about twice as high when renters alone were considered and about four times higher in households comprised of one adult and children.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PUFD3HO5CBDBJIN3WPR7RUNJUU","additional_properties":{"_id":1741698491650},"content":"The pattern was similar when debt related to loans and hire purchase agreement was considered.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2MPFQWEUMJC5FARXHJVSEXGFJ4","additional_properties":{"_id":1741698491651},"content":"As fuel costs reduced, however, so too did the total number of people saying they could not afford to adequately heat their homes, falling from 7.2 per cent in 2023 to 4.9 per cent last year. Some 8.2 per cent said they were forced to go without heating at some point over the course of the year.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BV6XNCL5ABEAVOUUTL4UPI2UCI","additional_properties":{"_id":1741698491652},"content":"There were broadly similar reductions in the numbers who reported being unable to afford new clothes, down from 8.1 per cent to 6.2 per cent, meet socially with friends during the previous two weeks, down from 11.8 per cent to 10.1 per cent.","type":"text"},{"_id":"IYAKDPSCBBE5JFUWWZU7OXZANQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1741698491653},"content":"Some 22.9 per cent of respondents said they could not afford at least one week of a holiday away from home in the previous year, down from 23.8 per cent in 2023.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Emmet Malone"}},"name":"Emmet Malone"}]},"description":{"basic":"CSO says 54 per cent found basic cost of housing to be a ‘heavy burden’"},"display_date":"2025-03-11T13:55:51.512Z","headlines":{"basic":"Third of households with single adult and children went into debt to meet ordinary living costs last year","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"WK4HHBMPFNGBPFQ7HGTEF6HSQI","auth":{"1":"5d3ca4ed298f2a72069d1ba701977e9f0c89fd5ff0fd9d338d7c383f698c5020"},"focal_point":{"x":2855,"y":2685},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/WK4HHBMPFNGBPFQ7HGTEF6HSQI.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/11/cost-of-living-prices-cso-households-debt/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social Affairs"}}}},{"_id":"GN36QK4V6VHLLLOCG6SX72SEQQ","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":395,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/5469/podcasts/c7d97533-b1a7-4ea3-a6ab-8ad2ce627cc3/versions/1741083883/media/435f635c46814d8946e4fe501431f1e7_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/education/2025/03/11/theyre-walking-taller-disabled-adults-learning-tech-skills-from-transition-year-students/","content_elements":[{"_id":"WBZZIXZBFFEY5INCVNDWXSRVVQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"Until recently, Jessica Gill, a transition-year student in St Paul’s Secondary School in Greenhills, Dublin, had never known anyone with an intellectual disability.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NMUTFWACNZHAZI4QF7N6LNRNY4","additional_properties":{},"content":"Now, after meeting up with Julie Malone, an adult with an intellectual disability, one day a week over five weeks, she feels “more open to talking to and helping people with intellectual disabilities”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"KR7BMOYJX5CD7IUAGYEYA2MVOU","additional_properties":{},"content":"Gill is one of a group of students from St Paul’s who were buddied with an adult with an intellectual disability as part of a Creative TY Connections programme in Dublin city centre","type":"text"},{"_id":"7JNOZOQU65BT3JZUI6LUOHRQ5Q","additional_properties":{},"content":"“I learned how to use WhatsApp and FaceTime and how to take selfies,” says Malone, who met us in St Paul’s during a catch-up after the programme had ended.","type":"text"},{"_id":"IXFBTUII3VFMRD6P46VXYCWXDA","additional_properties":{},"content":"Cathy Nichol from Tallaght was another adult participant in the programme. “I learned how to use my phone to text friends and family,” she says. “I got to meet different people. It was great fun.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"VDZIUQA76FDNZIKKXCVUM4VN6I","additional_properties":{},"type":"image"},{"_id":"LO3NEWLFLVD7DON44BJQN6N4DU","additional_properties":{},"content":"Ella Connaughton, who was Nichol’s buddy, says “I was nervous at first as I didn’t know what to expect but it taught me a lot of about understanding people more and that we are all kind of different in different ways”. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZUY5AN3JEJCORPMKMAQIM3Q3HY","additional_properties":{},"content":"Selina Prah was another transition year buddy from St Paul’s. “I broadened my understanding of IT and how I could teach people with different abilities,” she says. “I didn’t know that I could have such patience and care to explain things in detail.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"4YD34Z6A4RDNXDOC7L6W33JIX4","additional_properties":{},"content":"By participating in the programme, Prah says she recognised her personal leadership skills. “I felt I was able to help people instead of people helping me.” ","type":"text"},{"_id":"IEV5OQR3ZNAJZM5MSL33BAJ4LE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Isha Nair, another transition-year buddy from St Paul’s says she has an uncle with a mild intellectual disability and that it upsets her to see him treated indifferently. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"6OU75T7LBFGURFX7AMCKV5EOHQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"“People can become capable if you teach them how,” she says. “The world is becoming more technologically advanced and it’s better that everyone can use different modes of technology.” ","type":"text"},{"_id":"KVAXRBS5IFEIZDURDTILFUQ7Q4","additional_properties":{},"content":"Linda Smyth is a support staff worker from Stewarts Care in Palmerstown, a daytime hub for adults with disabilities. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"RVJ3M42QQNGKRB7YAAFULJKNAU","additional_properties":{},"content":"“I’ve seen people walk taller, beam with pride to be treated on an equal footing,” she says. “These transition-year students could be the employers of the future and it’s good for them to see that ability comes in all shapes and sizes; that everyone has worth and that our differences can unite us.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XA3ZXKF2INDHNMCVF5XISY3CAI","additional_properties":{},"content":"Miriam Spollen developed the Creative TY Connections programme as part of her vision for inclusive community-based creative learning opportunities for adults with disabilities.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BD7ASCBTS5CBROUTJJHGXG4I2A","additional_properties":{},"type":"image"},{"_id":"TBVWEKWJVVB7BNIN7QXIBF5DKM","additional_properties":{},"content":"“This programme counters the isolation and disconnection adults with disabilities face when they leave secondary school,” says Spollen.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AB45H2U2YRD7ZCJ6K22IQZIK6A","additional_properties":{},"content":"She says the HSE New Directions policy, which was introduced in 2012, changed the way disability services were run, bringing much more focus on adults with disabilities partaking in mainstream community activities.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4AEO2BNJ6RG2LK4QN4ZTAPATCQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"“They were encouraged to access programmes in community education programmes at libraries or in education training board centres that they used to do on-site in disability day services.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PXNCR5GCFRGJPAJAPA2AGB5ZDM","additional_properties":{},"content":"“But many of these programmes are not accessible to the level they are at,” says Spollen. “There is no structure in community education programmes which support people with intellectual disability.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"JETZVB4AHFFUPOIP57DUZIGYMA","additional_properties":{},"content":"This realisation spurred her to design programmes for community settings that would be inclusive for adults with disabilities, offering them the one-to-one support they need.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WHDYLWVW6ZGCXPQHSMLWBKQGW4","additional_properties":{},"content":"The Creative TY Connections programme started in two schools in 2022. Two years later, Spollen was running eight programmes across four Dublin schools – Loreto Beaufort in Rathfarnham, St Paul’s Secondary School in Greenhills, the King’s Hospital School in Palmerstown and Templeogue College. Students from these schools were paired up with adults attending day centres in disability service organisations. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"U62TLPG5QNDFBMTBVJQJ5VTVQU","subtype":"pullquote","type":"quote"},{"_id":"ZSGRJ77O2FDKTGNHOA4SBWNFQY","additional_properties":{},"content":"Ann Moriarty, who leads the groups in the IT skills module of Creative TY Connections, says the community training programmes not only offer opportunities for continuous learning but that they build self-esteem, confidence and improve emotional wellbeing among the participants. “Our training programmes are designed to encourage independent contributors to society,” she says. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"HMYUO3XP4BCBFICYTWL2K5JRVM","additional_properties":{},"content":"There are four modules, which focus on: everyday IT, money management, sustainability and upskilling for employment. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"BMMQHXYJ6NAQLL6JRUY7T7RC7Q","additional_properties":{},"content":"The long-term aim for Spollen is to develop an inclusive community arts centre in Rathgar, where the Connections Arts Centre already leases space. There she hopes to expand on the inclusive supported arts and lifestyle classes already running so that artists with disabilities can reach their creative potential. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"AC5KDMJNKZF6ZFVOALNTXALH5E","additional_properties":{},"content":"“I struggled with <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/dyslexia/\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/dyslexia/\">dyslexia</a> and undiagnosed <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/adhd\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/adhd\">ADHD</a> in secondary school myself and I was very lucky to go to art college where I could learn through creativity,” she says. She studied textiles and fashion at the National College of Art and Design in Dublin. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"Q6BAIFP4CZHPJDEXNFKWVEB2ZE","additional_properties":{},"content":"“Our mission is to assist people with disabilities to overcome barriers, encountered every day, that lead to them being devalued and excluded from their communities.” ","type":"text"},{"_id":"4VZZDUYG6BFUFD5SWJLTBPYUGY","additional_properties":{},"content":"Spollen also hopes to scale up the transition-year programme by offering support to disability service providers, community educators and schools. Funding for her not-for-profit social enterprise comes from paid-for accessibility training and consultancy services as well as grants and corporate partnerships.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NZV2AWKXDBDOTJNV7J6SLVSBDM","additional_properties":{},"content":"“The programme for government commits to supporting adults with disabilities by expanding lifelong learning opportunities and fostering inclusion and equality, and this programme delivers on these promises, she says. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"QJH4M33Y6VBHVEHZ3GDPJRAXKU","additional_properties":{},"content":"More specifically, she believes the programme builds confidence and a sense of belonging. “It supports the development of practical skills and challenges misconceptions by fostering appreciation and respect for others,” she says. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"H67NRAXVQNCFDCXLDCPAW57XDE","additional_properties":{},"content":"She also believes that the buddy system – where each transition-year student is paired with an adult with a disability – empowers all participants giving the students a sense that they can make a difference.","type":"text"},{"_id":"M6V7RBDFJNHXHP6ULKFLZGX7RU","additional_properties":{},"content":"Darragh Patton, transition-year co-ordinator at St Paul’s Secondary School in Greenhills, Dublin, says the new programme is very community-focused. “Students are encouraged to get out into the community to do various things, and this programme helped the girls see people with disabilities in their communities in a whole other way.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"DGCNWCJSDJHTLKQI2ZL6LESRTA","additional_properties":{},"content":"Patton says participation in the programme also helped break down barriers within the school between students in the school’s autism units and in other classrooms.","type":"text"},{"_id":"I67NQZIUK5CFPDAR6WEHDBLDUA","additional_properties":{},"content":"“We have our autism units in the middle of the school, next to the cafeteria, not hidden down at the end of a corridor. So, the girls who did the Creative TY Connections programme became more relaxed about helping out with projects in the autism unit,” he says.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AZC344IVCBCORIAUGUGNGKPEFM","additional_properties":{},"content":"","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Sylvia Thompson"}},"name":"Sylvia Thompson"}]},"description":{"basic":"An innovative transition year programme is empowering disabled adults and boosting students’ leadership skills"},"display_date":"2025-03-11T06:58:00Z","headlines":{"basic":"‘They’re walking taller’: disabled adults learning tech skills from transition year students","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"5469"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"EYFFIAKFE5A4ZOJ4GR6ANUIA3U","auth":{"1":"bdf7a6a1c0215896c8c451c3380aebf7cce05c86b21c10afe592401f33f4da1f"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/EYFFIAKFE5A4ZOJ4GR6ANUIA3U.JPG"}},"subtype":"feature","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Education"},{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/education/2025/03/11/theyre-walking-taller-disabled-adults-learning-tech-skills-from-transition-year-students/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/education","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Education"}}}},{"_id":"USAF6YGXZVECPMJ4QFXEV2EZGQ","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":182,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/0b102305-c9af-48fa-9ce1-219a16e2be8b/versions/1741645479/media/21ffb9e92043195f3bec6d4e3dad9233_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/health/2025/03/10/pay-deal-worth-925-over-two-years-agreed-for-voluntary-health-workers-after-long-running-dispute/","content_elements":[{"_id":"A7PXIMRNUNC45NPNYFXFWTD3NE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Unions representing thousands of health workers employed by charities and voluntary organisations agreed a deal on Monday evening with government representatives intended to end the long-running dispute over pay and conditions in the sector.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DFZVKUBIM5A4BHNRVMLOUI3VXI","additional_properties":{},"content":"Care workers, administrators and therapists, many employed by organisations such as the Irish Wheelchair Association, Rehab and Enable Ireland, had been seeking increased pay and the restoration of a link to colleagues doing similar or the same work in the HSE and wider public sector.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CUFFN2RIQJGBBEKCJE43RK3GUE","additional_properties":{},"content":"On Monday evening, after another long day of talks, the two sides reached an agreement that provides for pay increases of 9.25 per cent over two years, starting in October last year, and on a future link to public sector increases.","type":"text"},{"_id":"D357LMDU7BDWPCWX23ETKM3534","additional_properties":{},"content":"A separate deal is said to have been reached in relation to the funding of staff, other than doctors themselves, at out of hours doctors’ services, a key sticking point last week.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZLJRE3M34NCTFA4PFNCVCVG3EY","additional_properties":{},"content":"After the talks Liam Berney of the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/irish-congress-of-trade-unions-ictu/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/irish-congress-of-trade-unions-ictu/\">Irish Congress of Trade Unions (Ictu)</a> said “a set of proposals have emerged from the talks process and the unions will be consulting with our members on them over the next couple of weeks”. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"C2OL4AB3XRCMDCHE2P2WEGAGDI","additional_properties":{},"content":"Asked if the union side was happy with what was agreed, he said the members would have the final say on that.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ORIGIR33GBFQLPOCZ7Y6EHBS5Y","additional_properties":{},"content":"The deal will cover tens of thousands of staff working in the care sector and disability support sectors at charities and voluntary organisations contracted to provide services on behalf of the State under Section 39 of the 2002 Health Act.","type":"text"},{"_id":"SINEZAJHI5HYJC4TJIKWKXZYSU","additional_properties":{},"content":"What were the issues disability worker Charlotte Fallon was trying to raise with Simon Harris?","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"WLTXQRQH7VAPLFDVS5KYRELZ3E","additional_properties":{},"content":"It is intended to head off the prospect of industrial action by workers at about 20 such organisations <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/health/2025/02/27/section-39-health-care-workers-vote-for-industrial-action-in-long-running-dispute/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/health/2025/02/27/section-39-health-care-workers-vote-for-industrial-action-in-long-running-dispute/\">where employees voted overwhelmingly in favour of action last month</a>.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3ZR6NEZTTRFH3J5BKK5T7M7ZIA","additional_properties":{},"content":"Those staff are members of Siptu, but Fórsa and the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation also have significant numbers of members involved.","type":"text"},{"_id":"QHYZ7RP44ZB2DHI6IPFHWJW6OE","additional_properties":{},"content":"The deal will also apply to staff at organisations contracted by Tusla and the Department of Housing in areas such as family and homelessness, variously known as s10, and s56 workers, but not initially in some others funded by the departments of Justice or Education or by Pobal. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"5NCVWK4AKRHSHB7TACJHVT7HNA","additional_properties":{},"content":"There is said to be an agreement to have a third-party conduct a survey to ascertain how the deal might be applied. One union source saying on Monday there was considerable uncertainly on both sides about the numbers of workers potentially involved and how pay and other increases would work given the multiplicity of funders in some instances.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RGCGJ27XPRBIZINSFLTGH4MZO4","additional_properties":{},"content":"One official from an employer organisation welcomed the reaching of an agreement, but said they hoped it would be followed by a wider look at funding of the sector, pointing out that about 20 per cent of costs on average lie in areas other that staffing.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NJXMLXW23RDKJIAC5CXK5XGCBM","additional_properties":{},"content":"“This is good news, though, and we are confident there is the goodwill required on the Government side to go on and address the other challenges the organisations employing the staff providing these vital services face,” they said.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Emmet Malone"}},"name":"Emmet Malone"}]},"description":{"basic":"Section 39 issues took centre stage in general election campaign due to Simon Harris encounter with disability worker Charlotte Fallon"},"display_date":"2025-03-10T22:19:15.257Z","headlines":{"basic":"Pay deal worth 9.25% over two years agreed for voluntary health workers after long-running dispute","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"FQEM2RXOPZVGMFJD5PP3XOV4RM","auth":{"1":"c60f15730f56c0220e87d056da368e42a4ea73c4d0e2e2667978adc4c83db6f0"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/FQEM2RXOPZVGMFJD5PP3XOV4RM.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Health"},{"name":"Ireland"},{"name":"Social Affairs"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/health/2025/03/10/pay-deal-worth-925-over-two-years-agreed-for-voluntary-health-workers-after-long-running-dispute/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/health","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Health"}}}},{"_id":"2GXSJL73SVEOBO6L4K3RBRELOQ","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":254,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/d1702942-9bfe-4994-89a8-4a13895eed3e/versions/1741443371/media/5ea8ab6673c48f1519b5173ac6210d3f_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/08/getting-a-space-for-a-baby-is-so-difficult-looming-ranelagh-creche-closure-leaves-families-scrambling-for-childcare/","content_elements":[{"_id":"N2VZRN5BMJEVJJBCJU7PAPCXY4","additional_properties":{"_id":1741449403190},"content":"Dozens of families have been left scrambling for new <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/childcare/\" target=\"_blank\">childcare</a> providers after being told last week that the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/ranelagh/\" target=\"_blank\">Ranelagh</a> branch of the Nest Creche and Montessori is to close in the summer.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LGPHRLB47ZDCBM34K2MDMIQG2Q","additional_properties":{"_id":1741449403191},"content":"About 50 children, ranging in age up to six years, attend the facility which provides preschool, as well as full- and part-time care, but parents say it has a waiting list of up to two years said to include the names of 200 children whose parents had expected to use the service in the future.","type":"text"},{"_id":"FWRCVO3KPJGRFALRGPGU2G47HE","additional_properties":{"_id":1741449403192},"content":"On Tuesday, however, manager Colm Bowers wrote to parents to say the building in which the creche is located is to be redeveloped for residential use and so the facility will close on August 29th.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GUJH6B22ZBEDFCP552N7U4H5DA","additional_properties":{"_id":1741449403193},"content":"Mr Bowers said the operators do not expect to find an alternative facility but parents have approached local politicians with a view to exploring whether another suitable building might be found, while many families have already embarked on a scramble to find new places for their children.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4DEN4GEMLBAXNHZADSIPTF4JAI","additional_properties":{"_id":1741449403194},"content":"Mother of two Sorcha Hanratty said last week’s announcement came as a shock, not least because the creche and its staff are very well regarded by the families whose children attend. She said she appreciates the situation may be beyond the control of the company behind it, which runs four other facilities around Dublin, but that even with six months’ notice many families, especially those with the youngest children, are going to struggle to find new places.","type":"text"},{"_id":"X2JOKA4FTZDIBJ6L2QSQMSEJ3A","additional_properties":{"_id":1741449403195},"content":"“I’m probably in a more fortunate position in that one of our boys is going to school in September while the other is getting to Montessori age, that little bit older, where there seem to be a few more places around.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MPSOAKGRABFA7DOZU6JRLAS6SU","additional_properties":{"_id":1741449403196},"content":"Childcare: ‘I never knew how tough it was to be a working mother in this country’","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"II7IIDIMXREY7N662IX7PRLKHQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1741449403197},"content":"“A friend of mine has a one-year-old, though, and she is really struggling. Trying to get a space for a baby is so difficult.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"TLMKQCK5IZCENHS3FVJ3DXHV3I","additional_properties":{"_id":1741449403198},"content":"Arie Fisher said he has received a string of “straight nos” from other providers to inquiries regarding a place for his two-year-old daughter since being told the Nest would close. Both his older children went there in recent years and, like the other parents who spoke to The Irish Times, he was very happy with it. Now, finding an alternative for his youngest is proving to be a real challenge.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PJNPMYZ3F5ALTCCPUS66E6KWZE","additional_properties":{},"content":"“I’ve contacted just about every childcare facility in the area and beyond but most won’t even accept applications on to the waiting list because they say they are so long, there would be no point.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4EQM2E3XGNDN3GN2YUQXYPXYYI","additional_properties":{"_id":1741449403200},"content":"“A few say I can put her name down but they have no availability for the next couple, but that’s the most positive thing I have been told so far.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"ASPCU7JI6ZFRHJT2IJYJNFPVH4","additional_properties":{"_id":1741449403201},"content":"Another parent impacted, Brian Savage, said the owners have been approached but he is unaware of any engagement. He said he hopes other premises can be found but is sceptical because of the regulatory requirements in the sector and likely rental rates in the area.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LKTZDHF3AFAZJOJPVYH6GS7S3M","additional_properties":{"_id":1741449403202},"content":"About 90 creches closed across Ireland last year, roughly the same as opened, the first time since the current system of annual monitoring began in 2017 that the numbers did not decline. Despite the overall numbers having stabilised, however, each closure results in a scramble for alternative sources, often in areas where there is already an acute shortage.","type":"text"},{"_id":"EVMSWJYWGZE4LJPY4RKCU5QWLY","additional_properties":{"_id":1741449403203},"content":"Why so many creches have been closing and what can be done about it","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"OEBXGV6Y3JATXC4HKHW2VJOZ2A","additional_properties":{"_id":1741449403204},"content":"Local councillor Dermot Lacey said he hopes a meeting for parents in Ranelagh can be arranged for this week but admits he is not optimistic regarding the prospects of finding a solution.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6FPBREHZBNCU3B45U4RUWHSQAU","additional_properties":{"_id":1741449403205},"content":"“We will see if we can find a place, but it’s difficult and I don’t think the situation is helped by the strict regulations put in place by the department and Tusla. It’s not that I want low standards but I do think it is time we had a discussion about the standards being set and whether they can be met, particularly by community creches, which we should be encouraging.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"QUNRG2XRBFHZFCHXK26MMQ7FGQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1741449403206},"content":"Ms Hanratty said she accepts that more housing is required and so buildings will be repurposed or redeveloped, but “there is all the talk about the need for people to be working but then there aren’t the amenities required for people to actually work and, yes, we need more homes for people but those people need amenities like this”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"Q3Y2QYVZHNDNZBDV56BJOYSXKI","additional_properties":{"_id":1741449403207},"content":"“It needs to be better thought out. Allowing amenities like this to be lost doesn’t make sense to me.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"YEYB4L5RX5GFDL6IA6FDYKHFAA","additional_properties":{"_id":1741449403208},"content":"The management of the Nest did not respond to attempts to contact them.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Emmet Malone"}},"name":"Emmet Malone"}]},"description":{"basic":"Nest Creche and Montessori in Ranelagh, attended by 50 children and with 200 on its waiting list, to be redeveloped for residential use"},"display_date":"2025-03-08T14:11:02.864Z","headlines":{"basic":"‘Getting a space for a baby is so difficult’: Looming Ranelagh creche closure leaves families scrambling for childcare","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"LCYT6N77LFFQLCQTKIX4SQTJ2Y","auth":{"1":"0fbb0d36450f1f0c23f1b64c4e2a9d321535b3deef171b89bc0b6752e8371443"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/LCYT6N77LFFQLCQTKIX4SQTJ2Y.JPG"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/08/getting-a-space-for-a-baby-is-so-difficult-looming-ranelagh-creche-closure-leaves-families-scrambling-for-childcare/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social Affairs"}}}},{"_id":"ARDBZUKO6ZG7BMR5IBZ7U6BQSI","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":219,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/c32d5eef-ab35-4944-93e1-42e73c909bd3/versions/1741385874/media/ce46aad0599f687442c5da49d63b4e0b_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/07/concern-wordlwide-lays-off-almost-400-staff-citing-aid-funding-cuts/","content_elements":[{"_id":"FZ3BFO5L6VARRDTNFRNLWROCS4","additional_properties":{},"content":"Almost 400 staff working with Concern Worldwide have lost their jobs in a move the humanitarian organisation linked to “aid funding cuts”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WMHTO6EQBRESDGNPVMFMSDLOZ4","additional_properties":{},"content":"The number of job losses is expected to rise due to the severity of the funding cuts the charity has experienced, a spokesman said. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"R7OKYDQYW5A6VNRAQZHCXLWT4I","additional_properties":{},"content":"He added that positions were also at risk in the organisation’s head office in Dublin, but the numbers were still to be determined due to the “fluidity of the situation”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LSA4WU3WKJGHBJLWEBQPU7DCSU","additional_properties":{},"content":"Concern was formally founded in March 1968 at the Dublin home of Kay and John O’Loughlin-Kennedy. In 1967, Fr Raymond Kennedy, John’s brother, returned from Nigeria to Ireland with news about the ongoing crisis in Biafra. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZOD3NGDTURHKZE734GYO3QSUUU","additional_properties":{},"content":"To raise awareness and funds, the trio held a conference in a Dublin hotel. The donations raised allowed them to send the first of what Concern called “mercy flights”. A short time later, Africa Concern was officially founded.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CEZLP24KOFALXMEQQJE4CMHPLM","additional_properties":{},"content":"Concern Worldwide said it was being “forced” to make cuts that would hit staff across 13 of the 26 countries in which it operates. They have impacted staff in places such as Afghanistan, Lebanon, Syria/Iraq, Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Haiti, Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, and Burkina Faso. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"T7RGOLAGNNFCTOJPNIZS2EBINY","additional_properties":{},"content":"Many of these countries are experiencing protracted conflicts, forcing a large proportion of their citizens to rely on humanitarian aid for their basic needs. The charity says it helps 25 million vulnerable people each year in some of the world’s hardest to reach and fragile places.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2GTFJS6RV5DPDEUWWWRXRAA3R4","additional_properties":{},"content":"The Trump administration announced last month it was cancelling nearly 10,000 foreign aid grants and contracts worth almost $60 billion, ending about 90 per cent of the US Agency for International Development (USAid) global work.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JPB4ZUV265AYJKN3XRLNBDVZKY","additional_properties":{},"content":"Other aid donors like Britain have also announced cuts as countries face growing pressure to boost defence spending.","type":"text"},{"_id":"KXL5II3P65FMJHM7OVR4NZ25FI","additional_properties":{},"content":"The <a href=\"http://irishtimes.com/tags/united-nations\" rel=\"\" title=\"http://irishtimes.com/tags/united-nations\">United Nations</a> this week released $110 million from an emergency fund to help neglected crises around the world, including Sudan, in response to the cuts. It said that funding levels, which were dwindling long before US president’s move, are projected to drop to a record low this year.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7A3HEZUJGBGFHOIQLAYKOHJSOY","additional_properties":{},"content":"The Concern spokesman said these “aid cuts will have a direct impact on the ability of organisations such as Concern to continue to reach those who desperately need our support”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DS4APINIGRCONF7UJRM2XTZ42I","additional_properties":{},"content":"Dominic Crowley, Concern chief executive, said the charity had to let go of staff working in what he described as “incredibly difficult and insecure environments, who have made monumental sacrifices to support and serve their communities”. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"OLKUPZXM5BFO7GCLJO2K2XQLXY","additional_properties":{},"content":"He said these employees “now find themselves unemployed due to aid cuts”. Mr Crowley said “the greatest impact will be on the communities” they work with, which included “some of the poorest and most vulnerable people on the planet”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AROAMWF24RBO3KOEDTN6HN52CQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"He said Concern’s first priority continues to be sustaining its country programmes, but “this cannot be done without adequate funding”. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"HK2NHM4ZWBBJVDDOX5RK5CMRIY","additional_properties":{},"content":"Mr Crowley added: “We have sought to keep staff informed throughout the process, and to maintain the right level of staffing to maintain effective programming. This is obviously difficult in a context of budget cuts. We are seeking to minimise our global teams’ stress and anxiety in this context of deep uncertainty.”","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Sarah Slater"}]},"description":{"basic":"Positions at risk in organisation’s Dublin head office but numbers unclear due to ‘fluidity of the situation’"},"display_date":"2025-03-07T22:11:50.225Z","headlines":{"basic":"Concern Worldwide lays off almost 400 staff citing ‘aid funding cuts’","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"75FN6GJPZMTZ2L3LDJ3WGQZGEQ","auth":{"1":"ff24ceea281664ca6bffab222c37ec5bebe04006acc16d8e505e77648a215bf5"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/75FN6GJPZMTZ2L3LDJ3WGQZGEQ.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/07/concern-wordlwide-lays-off-almost-400-staff-citing-aid-funding-cuts/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social Affairs"}}}},{"_id":"O6IJ7BYUGZF2ZAUMRIQYMM5JN4","additional_properties":{},"canonical_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/07/church-services/","content_elements":[{"_id":"7DRFFYZAWBDVNAF272A5C3WJ3I","additional_properties":{},"content":"CATHEDRALS","type":"header"},{"_id":"3UWNMXPCP5FABO4WZPJQCCX7X4","additional_properties":{},"content":"<b>National Cathedral of Saint Patrick, Dublin</b> THE FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT - 09.15 EUCHARIST said in the Lady Chapel. 11.15 CHORAL MATINS- sung by the Cathedral Choir - Responses: Leighton, Psalm: 46 vv 1-7, Bairstow: The Lamentations of Jeremiah, Dyson in D, Preacher: The Most Revd M.G.St A. Jackson, M.A., Ph.D., D.Phil. Prebendary of Cualaun and Visitor. . 15.15 CHORAL EVENSONG - sung by the Cathedral Choir - Responses: Leighton Psalm: 47, Leighton: The Second Service, Bruckner: Christus factus est Preacher: The Most Revd M.G.St A. Jackson, M.A., Ph.D., D.Phil. Prebendary of Cualaun and Visitor. SUNG MATINS at 09.00 Monday to Friday. EUCHARIST at 11.05 on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. CHORAL EVENSONG at 17.30 Monday to Friday. For further information visit: www.stpatrickscathedral.ie","type":"text"},{"_id":"5PG6MUKTVVGUPKP2EAUSHYSTJY","additional_properties":{},"content":"CHURCH OF IRELAND","type":"header"},{"_id":"JQAI3KDEJJCOVI5CI6SCLGKP4Y","additional_properties":{},"content":"<b>Christ Church, Bray</b> Revd Dr Leonard Madden: 8.30am Holy Communion; 11am Sunday Service . Live stream: http://www.churchservices.tv/christchurchbray For more details of services visit www.christchurchbray.ie","type":"text"},{"_id":"3NIFNJDHWVGJHE2XILFG7BL3TU","additional_properties":{},"content":"<b>St Audoen Cornmarket</b> 9.30 Bellringing, 10.00 Eucharist (every Sunday), with hymns and Anglican chant, the First Sunday in Lent. Access through the main entrance. Cars may be parked between Francis Street and Christ Church.","type":"text"},{"_id":"T6Q4UWHUYFEJ7JFDJWUCMNUS6M","additional_properties":{},"content":"<b>St Catherine St James, Donore Avenue</b> 11.30 Service of the Word, the First Sunday in Lent. Organist, Olesia Borsuk. Cars may be parked in the Churchyard.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CGEOQRWNYVGBLMXSHDVY6QCW5E","additional_properties":{},"content":"<b>Zion Parish Church</b> Sunday 9th March - The First Sunday in Lent. 9am Holy Communion 1. 10.30am Morning Prayer. All welcome.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UIJWRUNYJNAUHMWH3L25J4KFO4","additional_properties":{},"content":"PRESBYTERIAN","type":"header"},{"_id":"N4YD3X3KUJFXJJ3XDQBDT7CCA4","additional_properties":{},"content":"<b>About The Presbyterian Church in Ireland</b> The Presbyterian form of the Christian faith is best described as Reformed; with its strong emphasis on the Sovereignty of God, the Kingship of Christ, and the authority of the Bible. For more information, and for a full list of congregations around the whole island of Ireland, visit: <a href=\"http://www.presbyterianireland.org/\" rel=\"\">www.presbyterianireland.org</a>","type":"text"},{"_id":"HNNPVE3VBNABTDSVVE25A67LFE","additional_properties":{},"content":"METHODIST","type":"header"},{"_id":"GRVFBTOYNZAVFCZVUJVPZTFYQA","additional_properties":{},"content":"<b>About the Methodist Church in Ireland</b> - The Methodist Church in Ireland is a community of people drawn together by Gods love, who seek to live wholeheartedly as followers of Jesus for the transformation of the world. With 212 churches spread across the island of Ireland from North to South, and East to West. To find a church near you, visit <a href=\"https://irishmethodist.org/\" rel=\"\">https://irishmethodist.org</a>","type":"text"},{"_id":"DQGM5ZZ4OBFSZGJXLEVAN7DKAY","additional_properties":{},"content":"<b>Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin</b> The Methodist Church, Northumberland Avenue, Dun Laoghaire. Sunday Service 11am. Our services are available at www.dlmc.org","type":"text"},{"_id":"VULFYITVGRHR7CZVEPSJC5YKTM","additional_properties":{},"content":"RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIENDS","type":"header"},{"_id":"PTVAKVIPJNFPXPENGNU7HZ3DME","additional_properties":{},"content":"<b>Quaker Meetings in Ireland</b> Visitors are always welcome to join us for Meeting for Worship at any of our Meeting Houses around the country. You will be warmly welcomed and there will be an opportunity to ask any questions you might have. You will find a list of Meetings on our website: https://quakers-in-ireland.ie/map-of-quaker-meetings-worship-groups/","type":"text"},{"_id":"LKM7XVJV3VFKNEKO3UNLYXTMCY","additional_properties":{},"content":"","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[]},"description":{"basic":"Week beginning Saturday, March 8th, 2025"},"display_date":"2025-03-07T06:00:01Z","headlines":{"basic":"Church services","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"IN7OZZ6E2NGO5KX2KLF2SIQGJU","auth":{"1":"d4b9e121d137a9aeef92fc18438df403b5c177f6a3855de62a93ccfae6ccb05d"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/IN7OZZ6E2NGO5KX2KLF2SIQGJU.png"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/07/church-services/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social Affairs"}}}},{"_id":"S3YFGNDNTBGOPDBE465IELPITA","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":286,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/71f1f466-ebcb-4087-b2af-41a6ae048c6c/versions/1741292317/media/586d73dd3fb438ca87bb387a4e9562bf_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/06/state-paid-more-than-708m-to-citywest-hotel-operator-last-year/","content_elements":[{"_id":"524O2HMLRZHMLL3PI6SOZKJ7J4","additional_properties":{"_id":1741290429605},"content":"The State last year paid more than €70.8 million to the company which runs <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/dublin/\" target=\"_blank\">Dublin</a>’s <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/citywest-hotel/\" target=\"_blank\">Citywest Hotel</a> to accommodate asylum seekers and <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/ukraine-crisis/\" target=\"_blank\">Ukrainian</a> refugees, according to new Government figures.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TIDJIYNRAZC37DVNTJGN6VKRJY","additional_properties":{"_id":1741290429606},"content":"Cape Wrath Hotel Unlimited, a key property in the State’s international protection accommodation system, received €18.1 million to accommodate <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/international-protection-support-services/\" target=\"_blank\">international protection</a> applicants (IPAs) and Ukrainian beneficiaries of temporary protection (BOTPs) during the final three months of 2024. This brings to €70.86 million the total amount the company received for asylum seeker and refugee accommodation services last year, making it the highest recipient of these State payments in 2024.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CM2GBEURAFFDDKKLLBJRVUUK7A","additional_properties":{"_id":1741290429607},"content":"Cape Wrath runs the 764-bed Citywest Hotel and convention centre in Saggart, Co Dublin. In 2023, the company received €53.7 million in State payments through <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/department-of-children-equality-disability-integration-and-youth/\" target=\"_blank\">Department of Integration</a> purchase orders. The State is reportedly in discussions to buy the Citywest Hotel.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UXPCEHV3DZHVXKUZDMTSRBV7NA","additional_properties":{"_id":1741290429608},"content":"The latest Department of Integration quarterly purchase orders figures, covering all of 2024, reveal large hotel groups and companies were paid €1.9 billion in Government contracts last year to accommodate asylum seekers and Ukrainian refugees.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WGKWV3J5EBH7BHLQY3DVVDQSX4","additional_properties":{"_id":1741290429609},"content":"Some €2.1 billion was spent on asylum seeker and refugee accommodation in 2023. However, the total 2023 spending figure published on the department’s website comes to €1.79 billion as it does not include payments below €20,000 and reimbursements to local authorities providing accommodation.","type":"text"},{"_id":"E5IJUCFGXNDTPC4I2DVXKDZ4Z4","additional_properties":{"_id":1741290429610},"content":"This indicates the total spending for 2024 may, in fact, be higher than €1.9 billion.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DY3YMKB5TJBSLB5EBAQXTZD4GI","additional_properties":{"_id":1741290429611},"content":"There are 33,045 IPAs, including 9,329 children, living in 322 State-provided accommodation centres across the country, according to Government data. Another 3,512 asylum-seeking men are awaiting an offer of State accommodation.","type":"text"},{"_id":"Y7BQLX6UJFHN5BXUYARVEYTLDA","additional_properties":{"_id":1741290429612},"content":"An average of 33 asylum seekers are arriving into Ireland each day, nearly half the number who arrived daily six months ago when an average of 64 people arrived per day.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RFQ7NBECGNG7JOZ4W6FSS57TNE","additional_properties":{"_id":1741290429613},"content":"Purchase order figures show Igo Emergency Management Services, which is owned by the Igo Café Ltd company with an address in Dún Laoghaire, received €45.9 million for accommodation services, the second-highest payment last year.","type":"text"},{"_id":"EWLEJ5RAK5HWJOJZTWXOWDMT5Y","additional_properties":{"_id":"3V2H7IWD5BFEHI4V6UPTEGQVJ4"},"content":"State to buy Citywest Hotel to confront migrant crisis","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"NGQ5M6G3PBGEXJU62N2Q5UBCVI","additional_properties":{"_id":1741290429614},"content":"Mosney Holidays plc, which provides accommodation for between 500-600 international protection applicants and refugees supported by the Irish Refugee Protection Programme at a former holiday resort in <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/meath/\" target=\"_blank\">Co Meath</a>, received €38.8 million, the third-highest payment.","type":"text"},{"_id":"OPNMCY3MQ5BOLFWU4PJEK6O63Y","additional_properties":{"_id":1741290429615},"content":"Travelodge, the hotel brand run by <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/tifco-hotel-group/\" target=\"_blank\">Tifco Hotel Group</a> in Ireland, was paid €36 million, while Pumpkinspice Limited, which also runs Travelodge hotels, received an additional €5.95 million.","type":"text"},{"_id":"Y6MNI5WWQJAI3K3LVLC2EBOTNI","additional_properties":{"_id":1741290429616},"content":"Guestford Limited, which trades as the Red Cow Moran Hotel, was paid €35 million and <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/holiday-inn-worldwide/\" target=\"_blank\">Holiday Inn Dublin Airport</a> was paid €32.74 million.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4IWJT54EKZEPRODH5NEL2UXRQU","additional_properties":{"_id":1741290429617},"content":"A firm called Total Experience Limited, which provided accommodation services only for Ukrainians, was paid €30.7 million and Brimwood Limited received €24 million. Payments to Brimwood Limited, which is owned by former Monaghan GAA football manager <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/seamus-mcenaney/\" target=\"_blank\">Séamus McEnaney</a> and his daughters Sarah and Laura, have continued to rise since 2020 when the company was paid €15.7 million","type":"text"},{"_id":"LETNQSORPRBSBDW353M7QMQWR4","additional_properties":{"_id":1741290429618},"content":"More than 112,100 Ukrainians have sought temporary protection in Ireland since the war began, however, the latest CSO data indicates nearly 30 per cent of these have left the country.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BUC426EQJBA3FLL6R24MANLZEY","additional_properties":{"_id":1741290429619},"content":"Some 36,000 of Ukrainian BOTPs, or 41 per cent of all Ukrainian refugees, are living in privately pledged homes and properties, up from 27 per cent this time last year.","type":"text"},{"_id":"EC2NONJIGJH53DSQZTYEMRIWFI","additional_properties":{"_id":1741290429620},"content":"This housing is supported through the accommodation recognition payment – a tax-free payment of €800 for those providing accommodation to Ukrainians under the EU Temporary Protection Directive. While the Government is expected to extend the scheme beyond its expiration date on March 31st, a €200 reduction in the monthly payment is being considered.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Sorcha Pollak"}},"name":"Sorcha Pollak"}]},"description":{"basic":"Company running Dublin hotel received €18.1 million to accommodate asylum seekers and Ukrainian refugees during final three months of 2024"},"display_date":"2025-03-06T20:13:24.897Z","headlines":{"basic":"State paid more than €70.8m to Citywest hotel operator last year","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"7UZAEXIHKXYQNTLY6IO4YHTSPI","auth":{"1":"4854874e53c51f308836adc5224327047f226e3a4c150411be26bc5d09c1074e"},"focal_point":{"x":2031,"y":2566},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/7UZAEXIHKXYQNTLY6IO4YHTSPI.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/06/state-paid-more-than-708m-to-citywest-hotel-operator-last-year/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social Affairs"}}}},{"_id":"DHRG6P4JTRF3FALXL3ZPFDV5WA","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":220,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/b7b7c602-92de-426c-bc95-94b43a634151/versions/1741198659/media/97cb183b586f25a698050f0a1312da1d_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/05/come-all-ye-faithful-dublins-pro-cathedral-celebrates-ash-wednesday-the-start-of-lent/","content_elements":[{"_id":"O3FXGTMXDJHP3MXD4L7CKCJ3NI","additional_properties":{"_id":1741200408576},"content":"The lure of blessed ashes proves strong in <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/social-affairs/2024/06/03/dublin-archdiocese-drops-plans-to-locate-dublins-catholic-cathedral-on-citys-south-side/\" target=\"_blank\">Dublin’s Pro Cathedral </a>on Wednesday morning as about 300 people file in ahead of <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/life-style/2023/02/21/give-me-a-crash-course-in-lent/\" target=\"_blank\">10.30am Mass </a>that marks the beginning of <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/life-style/2023/02/21/give-me-a-crash-course-in-lent/\" target=\"_blank\">Lent</a>.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6S6YX3M3SBDTTKNQKHDYNVD23U","additional_properties":{"_id":1741200408577},"content":"Cathedral administrator Kieran McDermott raises an eyebrow when <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/\" target=\"_blank\">The Irish Times </a>suggests a good turnout for a midweek, midmorning Mass.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UDYSFIG4KBFQFE5IEHNPZD5NYQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1741200408578},"content":"“There was a time when we would have a queue out the door on Ash Wednesday. But I suppose we do have more people here today than we might on a normal Wednesday,” he concedes.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DREXCDLYHFCTJOXNEACZJ6KXZU","additional_properties":{"_id":1741200408579},"content":"He downplays any suggestion that those who had come into the church were there for any ostentatious purpose, adding he does not believe people have ashes on their forehead as a badge of Catholic honour.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GNN6LPBTHZBBHJYNKI4WFVMMCM","additional_properties":{"_id":1741200408580},"content":"“This is not about wearing your faith on your sleeve and it’s not about parading your Catholicism. In fact, it is quite the opposite – it is a very private thing,” he says.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NX7DJAWZJZGVPIL24XS37RYTWY","additional_properties":{},"type":"image"},{"_id":"ZKVIUH6NABDQFBONUJJNYKNFYY","additional_properties":{"_id":1741200408581},"type":"image"},{"_id":"KZK3V6MGMNDTTAR4K6FVXPFCV4","additional_properties":{"_id":1741200408582},"type":"image"},{"_id":"2ZO4ECSDCBGYPEBCXZ3U55KXNE","additional_properties":{"_id":1741200408583},"content":"As people aged from eight to 80, from countries worldwide, settle into the pews, some seem happier with the Lenten marking on their foreheads – traditionally a sign of repentance – than others.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2A2MGYFNL5CHLDIOMQ6G3LXPKY","additional_properties":{"_id":1741200408585},"content":"The happiest are also keen to wear their faith, if not on their sleeves as Fr McDermott says, then certainly on their heads.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LAX3SN7R4BGUFKIU3LA2KHQWHY","additional_properties":{"_id":1741200408586},"content":"They are the children from the Central Model School on Marlborough Street, across from the church, eager to compare crosses as they traipse giggling from the altar back to their seats.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JURI6C4KPNAZPPC7QBGMWPHHJY","additional_properties":{"_id":1741200408587},"content":"The priest and deacon administering the ashes have very different styles, with one making a clear and large sign of the cross on each forehead and the other content with a smudge.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2TJFHMPI5JFF3B3YWHG4LPBQ2E","additional_properties":{"_id":1741200408588},"content":"The children who end up with smudges look distinctly crestfallen when sitting beside those with big crosses. They are not, however, as crestfallen as the few latecomers who arrive in the church just as communion starts in the mistaken belief that the ashes would be among the last things to be dispensed on the day.","type":"text"},{"_id":"B5H5YE3TWJCQZHX4PQIRKVHK5Y","additional_properties":{"_id":1741200408589},"type":"image"},{"_id":"WG2N6AYUBRGMNB7G3E3AR745PU","additional_properties":{"_id":1741200408590},"type":"image"},{"_id":"VQA4NUQ4Q5CSTHHAH6XKIYPATE","additional_properties":{"_id":1741200408591},"content":"A couple leaves with foreheads bare and are further disgruntled when they realise the holy water font outside the church is dry.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZQHP2QQ5ZBDM3CP5AORXPCCDQ4","additional_properties":{"_id":1741200408592},"content":"Standing outside the church are two members of the Legion of Mary in full recruiting mode, delighted with the dry morning and how easy their job appears to be.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5T62QVFJHVGM5AVWMR2WGMMLSM","additional_properties":{"_id":1741200408593},"content":"The two men hand out miraculous medals as part of what one, Iain Bennett, describes as a new initiative for the legion.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GNO27UKDIBHDPPSZKDEN2ARR6Q","additional_properties":{"_id":1741200408594},"content":"“It is much easier for us this way,” he notes with a smile. “Sure aren’t they all marked men and women here? They’re very easy to identify.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"X7IYR5QV25FF5L77KYTM3B7LV4","additional_properties":{"_id":1741200408595},"type":"image"},{"_id":"NNYE4YLJPJECBD4V633PFNJ6KM","additional_properties":{"_id":1741200408597},"content":"While those coming out of the church have the thick black ashes glistening in spring sunshine, his has faded almost completely, having been applied in his local church at 8.30am.","type":"text"},{"_id":"QUNJXSBFAJGEBOPIOF34AULCFQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1741200408598},"content":"The ashes may have faded with time but his faith has deepened, he says. And after going “through a valley in my 20s and 30s” he returned to Catholicism in his 50s.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CZCUUE22NBGORMMBIXHJXGEZPI","additional_properties":{"_id":1741200408599},"content":"As he dispenses the medals, a woman, Marie, from Inchicore skips out of the church.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4ISBYHDQMNCI7ORNY3RSUT5Q6M","additional_properties":{"_id":1741200408600},"content":"“I had to come in,” she says. “Sure isn’t it the way we were all brought up,” she adds, before declining to give her full name as “my kids will kill me”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YQS7MNZMSZFUPO3I2ZAQPMXNSE","additional_properties":{"_id":1741200408601},"type":"image"},{"_id":"N4HH22UFD5EXXGYXTMG35WSBTA","additional_properties":{"_id":1741200408602},"content":"Bernadette Sexton from Clare has no problem sharing her full name and demonstrates the mark of her faith proudly on her forehead.","type":"text"},{"_id":"Q7AY4WOJ5FG5ZDEZ6LN7JWPGLI","additional_properties":{"_id":1741200408603},"content":"She never misses the ashes on this day and neither does her brother Chris, who is by her side.","type":"text"},{"_id":"EDDCXVYFRJGLJJ6UL4I5QCEUIU","additional_properties":{"_id":1741200408604},"content":"“I’d never miss this,” he says. “Sure without that, without our faith, what would we be but dust, just pieces of dust?”","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Conor Pope"}},"name":"Conor Pope"}]},"description":{"basic":"‘This is not about wearing your faith on your sleeve and it’s not about parading your Catholicism ... it is a very private thing’"},"display_date":"2025-03-06T08:09:14.692Z","headlines":{"basic":"Come all ye faithful: Dublin’s Pro Cathedral celebrates Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"DSZRA7Q2PFDH5MHM7I74P4HCSI","auth":{"1":"732552b08f4435e26fcf60480d3f0eb48b372f2feab9ffa0b0917b58dbb70540"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/DSZRA7Q2PFDH5MHM7I74P4HCSI.JPG"}},"subtype":"feature","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/05/come-all-ye-faithful-dublins-pro-cathedral-celebrates-ash-wednesday-the-start-of-lent/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social Affairs"}}}},{"_id":"5X2IXUBA7FEKHPG2JKEVM23XIE","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":271,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/33718624-e145-4518-a071-c5f586f8ed0e/versions/1741205997/media/8b312d3bdb79653f6634a59ca0262dfa_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/environment/2025/03/06/rising-electricity-and-gas-prices-prompt-government-officials-to-revisit-targeted-supports/","content_elements":[{"_id":"YTFEFUZ4INH57PGQO3NJCQERYU","additional_properties":{"_id":1741212567191},"content":"New supports will be needed for people as annual <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/your-money/2025/02/28/winter-electricity-bills-should-spur-homeowners-to-hunt-down-better-offers/\" target=\"_blank\">energy bills</a> remain 90 per cent higher for <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/business/2025/02/04/irelands-reliance-on-foreign-gas-continues-to-grow-significantly-data-shows/\" target=\"_blank\">gas</a> and more than 60 per cent higher for <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/energy-crisis/\" target=\"_blank\">electricity</a> compared with pre-energy crisis prices, Government officials have warned.","type":"text"},{"_id":"F4GBSXBRVBAQHHPMBLDORMWRJI","additional_properties":{"_id":1741212567192},"content":"People face increased costs in the coming years despite a likely fall in wholesale prices for electricity and gas, with many still wrestling with arrears, according to briefing documents from the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/department-of-energy/\" target=\"_blank\">Department of Climate and Energy</a>.","type":"text"},{"_id":"T6BGBY2H45C5XHMXJTWCYWJSVE","additional_properties":{"_id":1741212567193},"content":"The papers were released on Wednesday and are notable as officials predicted a need for targeted support as people will have to pay for the transition to sustainable energy. Increases in charges are set to be associated with security of supply renewable energy subsidies, grid maintenance and expansion, and “market imperfections”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"S3ZKLWUM5FBOJOICIL2LPOWMYY","additional_properties":{"_id":1741212567194},"content":"The documents, provided to <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/darragh-o-brien/\" target=\"_blank\">Minister for Energy Darragh O’Brien </a>in January, highlight a continuing high level of energy poverty as, officials said, estimated annual bills remain 61 per cent higher for electricity and 90 per cent higher for gas than they were before the steep rise in energy prices that began in December 2020.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NXPJCSM5A5EBTEZVRF5GO62P4M","additional_properties":{"_id":1741212567195},"content":"Prices advanced further when Russia invaded of Ukraine, and high prices have persisted. “Weighted market average for estimated annual bills are [at present] €1,779 for electric and €1,503 for gas,” officials noted.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PMJO67IIDVAQJNHX2FDUVX2SFI","additional_properties":{"_id":1741212567196},"content":"A total of €3.3 billion in credits to ease electricity bills –€1,450 per householder – was paid out, yet “approximately 230,000 electricity customers and 162,000 gas customers are in arrears”. This, the official said, represents 10 per cent and 24 per cent of the electricity and gas markets respectively.","type":"text"},{"_id":"IFCPSO53TJEJ3CA4FT2WDJ7SYM","additional_properties":{"_id":1741212567197},"content":"Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers said last month there would be no more energy credits. In a separate briefing document, his department said the credits should be avoided in future budgets despite concerns electricity prices will continue to rise over the next five years.","type":"text"},{"_id":"EDPP2QV7YVEY5DEKRE2IZBO5QQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1741212567198},"content":"Department of Energy officials said “targeted supports” will be required to provide for those least able to pay and to reduce the number of customers in arrears”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"STJPR3XU7BB65AYFOEXTJYK4N4","additional_properties":{"_id":1741212567199},"content":"“Electricity prices will remain elevated as consumers are funding the transition. Affordability and competitiveness must remain central to the transition,” they advised.","type":"text"},{"_id":"Y2YXBEEDBVHHHFXLZ4UKDMTCNM","additional_properties":{"_id":1741212567200},"content":"The Republic has the second highest electricity prices in Europe.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4C64MCINLRDQ3MTCWHXKWLHO7I","additional_properties":{"_id":1741212567201},"content":"The officials said a revised energy poverty campaign and measures encouraging a reduction in demand will be “essential” in supporting households and small and medium enterprises to lower their energy costs, the officials said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XQUQPYJHDBFSRMLOALOCDHYA7E","additional_properties":{"_id":1741212567202},"content":"On the Republic’s 2030 commitment to halve carbon emissions, the department said most recent assessments indicate “we are off-track in meeting this target”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"QUIPBFDDV5GLRIHFP4JHUBEYYI","additional_properties":{"_id":1741212567203},"content":"This means sectoral emissions ceilings applying to the 2026-2030 period will “need to be reset this year”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"R5BJRFLQ65CEDDLKWUFE64X2KQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1741212567204},"content":"This will place additional decarbonisation demands on key sectors such as transport, agriculture and energy production, said the department.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TK2RYNUCGZG3LNGD3ZZVAFM53E","additional_properties":{"_id":1741212567205},"content":"This will inform a recasting of legally binding targets and be incorporated into the Government’s 2026 climate plan, it said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"R3GVZBQKIRGJ3D2ZM37AIQWLLM","additional_properties":{"_id":1741212567206},"content":"On 2040 targets, a document to party leaders highlights the European Commission’s “non-binding recommendation” of a 90 per cent reduction in greenhouse gases (GHGs), which would place demanding additional requirements on all sectors in Ireland, if adopted.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XIJX3S3IFZCYNPBJT3RVHWRCWY","additional_properties":{"_id":1741212567207},"content":"The document does not outline the State’s position on this revised target, while additional commentary on the issue is redacted. This target was not included in the programme for government.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MLIE7CPMNNDYTKCOI4PPOF5LTM","additional_properties":{"_id":1741212567208},"content":"On agriculture, the country’s largest source of emissions, the department highlighted a “growing scientific consensus for adopting different approaches to classifying methane and all GHGs in international and national accounting of emissions”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BTCY6XGU5JBENP7H3SPUZ6VMXE","additional_properties":{"_id":1741212567209},"content":"While this may result in less onerous demands on Irish farmers to decarbonise, officials said any new position will “need to be developed carefully” in co-operation with relevant agencies and departments, particularly the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Agriculture and European Union.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Kevin O'Sullivan"}},"name":"Kevin O'Sullivan"}]},"description":{"basic":"Official source notes 10% and 24% of electricity and gas customers respectively in arrears "},"display_date":"2025-03-06T06:00:01Z","headlines":{"basic":"New supports needed as energy bills set to rise further, officials warn","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"SXWBURRGCFH5BN27PF4GSHYJDQ","auth":{"1":"f3cc7c5ceb769408aacd7c3ae4561ac81486e35992db6b6141a2fc93980688e8"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/SXWBURRGCFH5BN27PF4GSHYJDQ.JPG"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Environment"},{"name":"Climate Crisis"},{"name":"Ireland"},{"name":"Social 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title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/immigration/\">asylum seekers</a> that were inspected last year did not have effective governance systems in place, according to a report.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CAROMX3NEJHFXB46Y3BLDSBPPI","additional_properties":{},"content":"In addition, more than a third did not have policies or procedures to protect residents from harm while 35 per cent of staff across centres were not appropriately vetted by gardaí.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NUKL7AXOKFDV3LF4AGVWGOM5AE","additional_properties":{},"content":"The figures come under a major overview report from the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/hiqa/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/hiqa/\">Health Information and Quality Authority</a> (Hiqa) following a year’s worth of monitoring and inspection of <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/international-protection-accommodation-service/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/international-protection-accommodation-service/\">International Protection Accommodation Service</a> (IPAS) centres.","type":"text"},{"_id":"G4CK3PPPCVAPDGEA42YKFQ7T3E","additional_properties":{},"content":"IPAS centres, formerly known as direct provision centres, provide accommodation for people seeking international protection in Ireland.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PU7R5KHHIZC2PK44JA2YUBVL3E","additional_properties":{},"content":"Hiqa, which conducted 60 inspections across 51 centres during last year, found that many providers ensured they were providing a safe service that was of a good standard.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RL3HP2ON25DSJIVRB3FR47QNQA","additional_properties":{},"content":"However, the agency said there is “considerable room for improvement” in governance, risk management, safeguarding and protection.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6FCYXXW3BVFA7IOST4YEGFCRWI","additional_properties":{},"content":"As a result of a call for “urgent action” following its inspections, it said it is now assured that the identified staff members without vetting had now received it.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TLBUI6WOTJARTMXKKTSZASYVNM","additional_properties":{},"content":"Hiqa’s report also highlights overcrowding in the system, where limited access to housing in the community is reducing the availability of beds.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LDRDW7VNRJHFHOTPXDRUIN4JA4","additional_properties":{},"content":"The report outlines that 41 per cent of residents living in accommodation centres inspected by Hiqa had received refugee status or had valid permission to remain in Ireland but continued to live in accommodation centres because of a lack of alternatives.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JLCISZ6W4RBRTJIFTGWTZPZOS4","additional_properties":{},"content":"Hiqa met 867 adults and 302 children and young people over the course of the inspections last year.","type":"text"},{"_id":"SPQZCUEVQZDM7GTPA7AMIN6RPU","additional_properties":{},"content":"It found that 57 per cent of service providers inspected were found to be delivering safe, high-quality services in line with national standards.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RGMVJ4RWAJANVJRKJIKEUQZDBM","additional_properties":{},"content":"However, 56 per cent of inspected centres did not have effective governance and management arrangements in place and had poor, or no, reporting systems.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6H5K32BNYFE7POMUJMKJMPETRU","additional_properties":{},"content":"This meant these service providers were less likely to know how their staff were performing and did not have a good sense of risk.","type":"text"},{"_id":"SL6VMSJBVVG4RNJAP4KTAOTDTY","additional_properties":{},"content":"Just under 75 per cent of service providers had limited or no systems in place to identify or monitor risk in their centres.","type":"text"},{"_id":"36VKVIUH4VBRVPB26OM3B7V6J4","additional_properties":{},"content":"Meanwhile, 37 per cent of centres inspected by Hiqa did not have policies and procedures in place to protect residents from experiencing harm.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MXYIMFD53ZH6LD7IBWQREK3MIY","additional_properties":{},"content":"Bronagh Gibson, who leads Hiqa’s monitoring of the centres, said the current system of international protection accommodation is “not adequately resourced to meet demand”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GVX5FNAKS5DRDH2CR7HNHCW6VM","additional_properties":{},"content":"She said this has had “a notable impact on the quality” of accommodation and services provided to some people seeking protection in Ireland.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TANWELS3Z5DWRM65LC3HAML56Y","additional_properties":{},"content":"Ms Gibson added: “Many providers must place a greater focus on recognising and managing risks and putting effective safeguarding and protection procedures in place to ensure safe and person-centred services.” – PA","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"name":"Cillian Sherlock, PA"}]},"description":{"basic":"More than a third of staff across centres inspected last year were not appropriately Garda vetted, Hiqa says"},"display_date":"2025-03-05T13:44:43.1Z","headlines":{"basic":"Unvetted staff and overcrowding in asylum seeker accommodation, report finds","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"5469"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"K34PTMOM5ZBGRL2TTDA2FYGMXY","auth":{"1":"e2c0326dade070a1a3da1c086aad166eec480bc2a30516618793d352404b35fa"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/K34PTMOM5ZBGRL2TTDA2FYGMXY.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/05/unvetted-staff-and-overcrowding-in-asylum-seeker-accommodation-report-finds/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social Affairs"}}}},{"_id":"5ELQKJSBHNHYPKQTVA2LEHOR6M","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":165,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/034c1c25-5c19-454f-a3e8-e960b9fcfbc4/versions/1741119221/media/d4964f7ce3a770b55031c0e7568c42b9_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/04/refuge-provider-calls-for-single-999-style-call-line-for-women-fleeing-abuse/","content_elements":[{"_id":"BOBLB4NM65BFDM7GI5P3XEE3OM","additional_properties":{},"content":"A woman who was stabbed, burned and had hair pulled out in clumps; another in her 80s who left her husband on Christmas Day after 60 years of abuse; and a 22-year-old woman who was repeatedly raped by her husband after being brought to Ireland for forced marriage are among those who have sheltered in one refuge since Christmas.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7AUGKGU4TNHVJCIO7CZMEUZSAE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Siobhán Ferguson, head of services with <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/sonas-housing-association/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/sonas-housing-association/\">Sonas Housing</a>, also cited a mother who arrived at the refuge with her three children. They had had to leave their one-bedroom home because her 14-year-old daughter was being sexually abused by the landlord, she said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RK4CWFGLQ5DN3OGFGWQIFGWD3A","additional_properties":{},"content":"“Imagine, too, a teenager who has been sex-trafficked into this country who carries her teddy bear everywhere she goes, or a woman assaulted so badly in her own home that 26 of her bones were broken,” she said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GVX7B65ISJDWVL2QIDYJHMFOYU","additional_properties":{},"content":"Ms Ferguson was speaking at an event in Dublin on Tuesday hosted by the domestic violence charity, which is calling for a streamlining of the infrastructure of services for women and children enduring abuse.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZIE6BFETXJGXHJ4XMAMWHJRFTE","additional_properties":{},"content":"David Hall, Sonas Housing’s chief executive, said the profile of women fleeing abuse has became more complex but accessing services must become simpler.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UTG4TPDMT5GKXP4IPKS7AOAEYU","additional_properties":{},"content":"“If you are woman who wants to leave, there are too many entities to phone. They are all different organisations: some offering beds, some offering advocacy, some open day and night, some open only 9 to 5,” he said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"P2NFFQXXXFH2NBVAQGIGGHOMUE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Women wanting to leave their abusive partners should be able to call one phone number that puts them through to a central database where staff answering can access a resource showing the availability of refuge beds in real time, Mr Hall said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"VTTADHXXNNDG3AWSJU3TAQPHM4","additional_properties":{},"content":"This would be akin to the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive’s freephone number for homeless people in need of emergency accommodation, or dialling 999, to be triaged by someone who knows exactly what service is needed. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"Z5BKKHTNSNAAPEWWHNIQXFOPZE","additional_properties":{},"content":"","type":"text"},{"_id":"MIEBCDXAFBG4FBAZCJNK7APT5Y","additional_properties":{},"content":"A shocking number’: 1,600 domestic violence incidents reported to Garda in Christmas week","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"PGP2FGVJAJEQ7MI35KC5MMCA3M","additional_properties":{},"content":"Sonas is the largest provider of refuge beds nationally. It had to turn away 376 women and 750 children last year due to a lack of space. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"MCJZAABLYVBEXATAXG6FWS3OPM","additional_properties":{},"content":"The charity is repurposing facilities later this year, with new refuges to open in Dublin 4 and 22. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"MWFUFH3CA5CHHCNJXALSMQXZ34","additional_properties":{},"content":"“There is significant support at political level for domestic violence services and we are thankful for that,” Mr Hall said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"S32PKMS7RJFTZPTFDIGWK6DLDA","additional_properties":{},"content":"However, he said, the conversation should not simply cover bed numbers.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZZ67EHLIDJGS5FP3PWQSDCQOVQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"“We must shift the narrative so that policymakers and legislators recognise the need to make the system as user-friendly as possible for the women and children experiencing the trauma of domestic violence,” he said.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Kitty Holland"}},"name":"Kitty Holland"}]},"description":{"basic":"Sonas Housing turned away 376 women and 750 children last year due to a lack of space"},"display_date":"2025-03-04T20:08:35.947Z","headlines":{"basic":"Refuge provider calls for single 999-style phone line for women fleeing abuse","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"R7OHHHIQYFGG7JCJQAL3GA2W6U","auth":{"1":"487c19eac0e1748de20a555d57696bf784060c276352389712251e91ca828c89"},"focal_point":{"x":2543,"y":1878},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/R7OHHHIQYFGG7JCJQAL3GA2W6U.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Crime & Law"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/04/refuge-provider-calls-for-single-999-style-call-line-for-women-fleeing-abuse/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social Affairs"}}}},{"_id":"EZR3CJQ625HWBKCVADQTBORBMA","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":270,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/68667740-39ff-4133-9cc5-b305a0c7398f/versions/1741108186/media/84dcfb2c0f139bcd015d8fb3978d23ff_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/04/international-protection-system-records-death-of-14-asylum-seekers-last-year/","content_elements":[{"_id":"NXX6EUGR7VF4TMJJFQXQ67J2SU","additional_properties":{},"content":"A total of 14 men and women died while going through the international protection system last year, the highest number since records began. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"LD2KJR7ZWFGVJF4VCU4XDGYJ7Q","additional_properties":{},"content":"New statistics published biannually by the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/international-protection-accommodation-services-ipas/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/international-protection-accommodation-services-ipas/\">International Protection Accommodation Services</a> (IPAS) reveal 11 male and two woman asylum seekers died in 2024. The gender of the additional person who died was classified as “other/not known”. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"AMKDNSW6DBA2ZCLYLJR6QWN2SQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"The State received 18,561 asylum applications in 2024, exceeding the previous record, in 2023, by more than 5,000. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"AAACADW4QVBN5IQJPQ6A4O6AVU","additional_properties":{},"content":"Men represent just under 70 per cent of deaths in the asylum system since 2002.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7B6IMMS6OFEZNAGS3IYAVC44WY","additional_properties":{},"content":"Figures shows nine asylum seekers died in 2023, while 10 died in 2022. One man and two women going through the international protection system have died so far this year. One of these was 34-year-old Nigerian man Quham Babatunde, who was <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/crime-law/courts/2025/02/27/fifth-man-arrested-as-part-of-anne-street-south-stabbing-investigation-charged-over-attack/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/crime-law/courts/2025/02/27/fifth-man-arrested-as-part-of-anne-street-south-stabbing-investigation-charged-over-attack/\">fatally stabbed in Dublin</a> last February 15th. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"V7QHCUFN3FA5RIUD4LNCDHJ6WI","additional_properties":{},"content":"A total of 131 people, including 31 children aged 17 or younger, have died during the international protection process since 2002. Records show 23 children aged two years or under have died during this time. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"KSTUEWRJNRC7RFJBJOERL2B2VI","additional_properties":{},"content":"Nearly 60 per cent of deaths were among adults aged 26-55. Data from 1999-2002, when the State’s direct provision system first started, is not available.","type":"text"},{"_id":"HBT3ZISRUJFCNG6BN22OEM7IRY","additional_properties":{},"content":"Nearly a quarter of those who died since 2002 were Nigerian. People from Pakistan, Georgia, Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are also among the top five nationalities recorded as deceased. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"B5NGP7HU4FAAZHSBJCXZUAMCTQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"Bulelani Mfaco, a former spokesperson of the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/movement-of-asylum-seekers/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/movement-of-asylum-seekers/\">Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland</a> (Masi), recalled how a recent death he witnessed in an IPAS centre last year was “traumatic” and “frightening” for residents. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"HTOPWGV6XBHVLALC2OA44SE7EA","additional_properties":{},"content":"“A lot of people come to Ireland and end up in direct provision because they feared death in their own country. When someone dies close to you it brings back the reality of what they escaped from.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"AUU7HVYQCJG4RNKZGT7FESGWBY","additional_properties":{},"content":"Irish officials sometimes struggle to track down the family members of individuals who die after coming to Ireland alone, said Mr Mfaco. “A lot of them know no one here so nobody is in touch with their family. I remember during the pandemic I got a call from gardaí that they had just stopped a man from taking his own life and I was the only contact in his phone, I’d been providing support through Masi. Can you imagine that loneliness?”","type":"text"},{"_id":"PMW6P2TQPJGB3LQVEQT3GWDZCE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Files released to The Irish Times reveal a GP from the Safetynet Primary Care charity warned last year that a “higher than expected number of patients” living in a remote international protection centre, in “extreme isolation”, had become “suicidal”. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"U3X5LDDYAVGOBH5QQQJUI2PS4I","additional_properties":{},"content":"The State began publishing details of deaths within the asylum system in June 2021. It followed years of campaigning by refugee advocacy groups and a call by the UN’s Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination to provide transparency regarding deaths in direct provision centres. “If a person dies in the care of the State we want to see some accountability for that,” said Mr Mfaco.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WQC4B53FPBC3FO72ENKY3TQZLQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"While the Government does not reveal the cause of death of specific individuals, issues with the “circulatory system” have been recorded as the most common cause of death. Accidents, poisoning and violence was recorded for 11 per cent of deaths, while nearly 10 per cent were due to neoplasm – the growth of abnormal cells that can become cancerous. Cardiac failure, cancer, endocrine, nutrition, metabolic, respiratory system, nervous system, digestive system, infectious and parasitic diseases, drowning and sudden infant death syndrome are also listed as causes of death. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"7B7XBZVODNBRPBDCMFUYLZQZ44","additional_properties":{},"content":"Dublin has recorded the highest number of deaths among international protection applicants, followed by counties Cork, Meath and Galway. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"PYX64FK3JZHPJF2J3NOGOXTNFU","additional_properties":{},"content":"There are 33,045 asylum seekers, including 9,329 children, living in State-provided accommodation, according to the latest statistics. ","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Sorcha Pollak"}},"name":"Sorcha Pollak"}]},"description":{"basic":"Statistics show 11 men and two women died in the international protection system in 2024, while another individual’s gender was not recorded"},"display_date":"2025-03-04T17:04:38.468Z","headlines":{"basic":"International protection system records death of 14 asylum seekers last year","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"K34PTMOM5ZBGRL2TTDA2FYGMXY","auth":{"1":"e2c0326dade070a1a3da1c086aad166eec480bc2a30516618793d352404b35fa"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/K34PTMOM5ZBGRL2TTDA2FYGMXY.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/04/international-protection-system-records-death-of-14-asylum-seekers-last-year/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social Affairs"}}}},{"_id":"AICDTEC5UFEMZPBDUPHZQGRSVA","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":188,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/5469/podcasts/780f4cb4-94fe-4ece-bf05-4c8d94fbb746/versions/1741107403/media/4faefca3a9a7fc8026505f8a3caca51d_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/04/most-believe-social-factors-should-be-considered-in-public-procurement-processes-research-suggests/","content_elements":[{"_id":"GAYRMHG3MVF75K5JHB6OZVCAZU","additional_properties":{"_id":1741104737565},"content":"Two-thirds of Irish people believe more account should be taken of issues such as pay, the use of local workers and the environment when public bodies are tendering for contracts, says a survey.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XQRAHJQQT5GVZLN425ONK2WNSY","additional_properties":{"_id":1741104737567},"content":"Of more than 1,000 Irish people polled for the research, which was carried out by French firm Opinea, 66.7 per cent said they would like to see a range of social factors taken into account when contracts for public procurement were awarded.","type":"text"},{"_id":"J77QWOZLOVFFLBREK4OUE2DTLQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"This response was slightly above the 65 per cent average across the six <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/european-union/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/european-union/\">EU</a> member states in which polling was conducted.","type":"text"},{"_id":"73QYSI36IVHIXN2543WISJLJWI","additional_properties":{"_id":1741104737568},"content":"Just over 15 per cent said they thought the use of local workers should be the most important consideration, 4 per cent below the average, while 13.7 per cent said price should be the prime consideration.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BEES4PPCCJDWPC6B3365LIQLUA","additional_properties":{"_id":1741104737569},"content":"Spending by government and other public bodies on the purchase of goods and services covering everything from stationery and cleaning services to the construction of hospitals has been estimated be worth about €20bn a year. Unions have increasingly identified it as driving progress on employment rights and other social issues across the EU.","type":"text"},{"_id":"VTRHOA44TNA3VKMWPCRGDDHKWM","additional_properties":{"_id":1741104737570},"content":"At the moment, public bodies offering contracts for goods or services are obliged to choose the most economically advantageous tender. Guidelines suggest this will primarily be assessed on the basis of price and quality.","type":"text"},{"_id":"55CLI5FKRFFX7M76KTY64YS7EM","additional_properties":{"_id":1741104737571},"content":"There is, however, some scope to take environmental and other social factors into consideration and there are some provisions to encourage participation in the process by small and medium enterprises locally.","type":"text"},{"_id":"VOBOFV2FWFG33EFY4ANNBO5FIE","additional_properties":{"_id":1741104737572},"content":"The unions want considerably more weight to be attached to these factors and say their research suggests they enjoy substantial public support on the issue with the numbers increasing.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XOZ6RBFK2NELBASAJUGRP4TI5A","additional_properties":{},"content":"The polling was carried out for international trade union body Uni Europa, which holds its conference later this month in Belfast.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BJ2MKMZJAJG2JEDQSIKEJD56QU","additional_properties":{"_id":1741104737573},"content":"In Ireland, the research suggests, the percentage of people who believe contracts should be awarded on the basis of social factors as well as price is up from 41 per cent in 2011 to 67 per cent last December when the latest polling was carried out.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AVVGLCPRONFEBHO3MENCRVSJ4E","additional_properties":{"_id":1741104737574},"content":"When the results from France, Germany, Czechia, Spain and Poland are included, the overall average figure from the six countries has risen from 52 per cent to 65 per cent.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JYVZSLA6V5CL7L6SN5JLVN4BZE","additional_properties":{"_id":1741104737575},"content":"Wages and conditions provided to the workers employed by the contracting companies were identified as an important factor by almost half of respondents, while an entitlement to collective bargaining received 34 per cent support generally and 41 per cent in Ireland.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XTMPIQKMWBH3FBVN4F65PAATAY","additional_properties":{"_id":1741104737576},"content":"By comparison, 33 per cent across the six countries and 38 per cent in Ireland emphasised the particular importance of environmental considerations in the process.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4TL333EBDBCJBBAA6TPSSTZOP4","additional_properties":{"_id":1741104737577},"content":"“It is not acceptable for any government to spend €18bn of taxpayers' cash on goods and services in this State and attach no conditions on whether it is being spent on good employers and decent wages,” <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/siptu\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/siptu\">Siptu</a> services division officer Adrian Kane said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"KPAXAINWTJDJDCXKZ4K7QVGQFM","additional_properties":{"_id":1741104737578},"content":"“We believe that the public procurement budget must be used to raise living standards and that starts with companies that benefit from the public pursue recognising unions for collective bargaining. No exceptions.”","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Emmet Malone"}},"name":"Emmet Malone"}]},"description":{"basic":"Survey finds public in favour of awarding contracts on basis of pay, environmental impact and recognition of unions"},"display_date":"2025-03-04T16:51:32.014Z","headlines":{"basic":"Most believe social factors should be considered in public procurement processes, research suggests","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"5469"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"5FEMWOMVXZD3TAQ6KFGHYFIS6Q","auth":{"1":"cd8533af51ee78f10706009f4d1f8ede75024eefef462d0f467f33487c10effe"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/5FEMWOMVXZD3TAQ6KFGHYFIS6Q.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Business"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/04/most-believe-social-factors-should-be-considered-in-public-procurement-processes-research-suggests/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social Affairs"}}}},{"_id":"WHMHXDWWH5FJXKFQ4W2MWKDF2Y","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":144,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/ffa62d9f-f5cd-471c-a4b3-70f211fa1677/versions/1741081524/media/062a1b0ec228212a4fc3da2f2415e44a_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/health/2025/03/04/wrc-talks-aimed-at-resolving-s39-dispute-adjourned-until-friday/","content_elements":[{"_id":"ARKKJ5EI2JF6TBSTFCG32SLN4Q","additional_properties":{},"content":"Talks at the Workplace Relations Commission aimed at resolving a long running dispute involving thousands of healthcare workers employed by charities and voluntary organisations funded by the Government are to resume on Friday.","type":"text"},{"_id":"K4QCLPHBCZHZBOBRPKAJANBPXY","additional_properties":{},"content":"In a joint statement issued late on Monday evening by <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/siptu\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/siptu\">Siptu</a>, <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/forsa\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/forsa\">Fórsa</a> and the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (<a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/into\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/into\">INTO</a>), union negotiators said “some progress was made at the talks, however, there are a number of outstanding issues that remain to be resolved”. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"VRMXKHFIL5AJZLGZB3ZZIVSKZ4","additional_properties":{},"content":"Some 5,000 Siptu members working at more than 20 organisations operating across the country including Ability West, Cheshire Ireland and Rehab have voted to take industrial action if an agreement cannot be reached. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"J43UIBQESNHFBBKMH5CC2ZAVSU","additional_properties":{},"content":"The talks are the latest attempt to <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/health/2025/02/27/section-39-health-care-workers-vote-for-industrial-action-in-long-running-dispute/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/health/2025/02/27/section-39-health-care-workers-vote-for-industrial-action-in-long-running-dispute/\">resolve a dispute</a> that has been rumbling on for years. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"BYPCSBE4WJE3XOOIKRPAYBJJFE","additional_properties":{},"content":"ADHD gender gap: ‘Girls are constantly falling under the radar’","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"3ZWFXG6ZF5A6ZJXEH25CMLXRZI","additional_properties":{},"content":"Workers in the Section 39 sector, many of whom work as carers, administrators and healthcare professionals with some of the country’s best known charities and voluntary organisations, had their pay reduced along with public sector colleagues in the wake of the financial crash but did not benefit from subsequent measures intended to restore the money.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GD33OSSGERCKZCN5OJCCPIW4GI","additional_properties":{},"content":"In many cases their employers are funded by the Department of Health or HSE but the staff contend they do not enjoy the same pay or conditions as counterparts doing similar work but while directly employed by government agencies.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DFW73ZDUTFE5JBMGYBZZWIMHWA","additional_properties":{},"content":"In October 2023 a strike in the sector was avoided after last minute talks resulted in a deal that provided for pay increases and provided for a process intended to address the issue of the link to pay and conditions in the HSE and other government agencies.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AGPRWQUVQZHVXAPYIWIXPOMYHA","additional_properties":{},"content":"That issue has not been resolved, however, and while progress is understood to have been made on Monday with regard to projected pay increases, differences persisted between the two sides persist over who would be covered by any agreement. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"B2C5PUU2URG3BPWYEL5XCT4EQU","additional_properties":{},"content":"Aside from the core group of S39 healthcare workers, thousands more staff working in areas like homelessness, and family services are hoping any agreement reached would benefit them.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BOIVOIWTUNDV7E3R6SOSGHXDEY","additional_properties":{},"content":"One stumbling block encountered on Monday, however, is whether workers in organisations that tendered to provide services would be covered. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"KMYRUHI2UFCZVIEOCOF7VKUTQA","additional_properties":{},"content":"Employer groups fear some funding streams may also be excluded leaving them in a situation where pay increases and supported for some staff but not for others. ","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Emmet Malone"}},"name":"Emmet Malone"}]},"description":{"basic":"Unions say progress made on a number of issues but some obstacles to deal remain"},"display_date":"2025-03-04T07:43:53.11Z","headlines":{"basic":"WRC talks aimed at resolving S39 dispute adjourned until Friday","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"BXXSY3IN2YAHKO3W5IKIN2Z2PA","auth":{"1":"b9993d351ad6a9c97b33fdf5f406007e330b324f55abac1572deaf4e9830b8d4"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/BXXSY3IN2YAHKO3W5IKIN2Z2PA.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Health"},{"name":"Ireland"},{"name":"Social Affairs"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/health/2025/03/04/wrc-talks-aimed-at-resolving-s39-dispute-adjourned-until-friday/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/health","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Health"}}}},{"_id":"PHZKFY5KYVGUDAV6JYUMIKAKIY","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":252,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/e611f30c-9ac2-4098-b41f-74a609bb8baf/versions/1741034192/media/8c4d8bb5eef4bbd5d6f4d6814d29396c_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/04/abusers-using-data-protection-law-to-get-details-on-victims/","content_elements":[{"_id":"ZTILNCKA65BJDBJBEKNYS7OCYI","additional_properties":{"_id":1741012010172},"content":"Perpetrators of domestic and sexual violence are exploiting <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/data-privacy/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/data-privacy/\">data protection</a> legislation to find out where their victims are, a leading refuge provider has said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GVMJWMOYE5HXLLJ3R5VN6TXYU4","additional_properties":{},"content":"Sonas Housing made the claim while accusing <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/tusla/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/tusla/\">Tusla</a> of revealing that a mother and child fleeing abuse were sheltering in a Sonas refuge to their alleged abuser. Sonas has one refuge – in north Dublin.","type":"text"},{"_id":"FT766JXWCJB25JC6L734W42MOQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1741012010173},"content":"The mother and child have been moved to a safe house elsewhere in the charity’s network.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GV3XOPXMNBE4FP2ETRENKD7CNQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"David Hall, chief executive of Sonas, says he believes Tusla also provided the man with the name of the Sonas support worker who had notified Tusla of child protection concerns about the “very young” child, putting the staff member’s safety at risk.","type":"text"},{"_id":"T33FDGOAWVGH7NXIWTCUPBV6XA","additional_properties":{},"content":"In addition, he said, the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/data-protection-commission/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/data-protection-commission/\">Data Protection Commission</a> (DPC) – to which the man has appealed Sonas’s refusal to release information to him concerning his wife and child – is pressurising the body to provide it with a schedule of information the man wants.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XP7RIXYBDFE5RIDG5OIYPFA22Q","additional_properties":{"_id":1741012010176},"content":"Mr Hall said he will not release the information to either the man or the DPC.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LRWJSCEOX5GIRCTB3AYNWOAWXM","additional_properties":{"_id":1741012010177},"content":"In a highly critical statement on both the DPC and Tusla, he said: “The current environment for data [of women and children fleeing domestic violence] is unsafe at the moment.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"2PWASFWM45ESLLABRO2MX32NR4","additional_properties":{"_id":1741012010178},"content":"He said there were six other “live cases” where alleged abusers have applied for information that would confirm their partners and/or children were in housing provided by Sonas, the country’s biggest provider of domestic violence refuges.","type":"text"},{"_id":"X2JWJE3XDJDAXMMNPYFKAHGJ6Y","additional_properties":{"_id":1741012010179},"content":"“It is obscene in circumstances where there is an alleged abuser and where we are housing people in a safe space that anyone, including the Data Protection Commissioner, is seeking data from us to make a determination on whether to release it or not.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"GG5OS7P275FZLDC6SE37BEJPKY","additional_properties":{"_id":1741012010180},"content":"In a letter to Tusla last Friday, Mr Hall criticised the agency’s “unauthorised disclosure of ‘sensitive personal’ data to a third party”, accusing Tusla of a “serious violation of data protection regulations”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MLFNR6COBZEKDOW7HLOF2UGCRQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1741012010181},"content":"“Your actions have me very nervous and I’m carrying out a security review to ensure my team and clients are safe,” Mr Hall wrote.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RGHL2YH72ND27K5ZHCSRR4UUZA","additional_properties":{},"content":"The initial alleged data breach occurred when a Sonas support worker made four child protection notifications to Tusla about the child. Tusla was said to have notified the man of the allegations, and he made a “subject access request” to Tusla for files relating to him.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2IGK36ZIIRFXFJYO2WD4E4QDRU","additional_properties":{"_id":1741012010184},"content":"Details, including that his wife and child were in the Sonas refuge, were released to the man, according to Sonas. The man made a subject access request to Sonas, who refused. He appealed to the DPC.","type":"text"},{"_id":"C7LESRSA6VC2JF5R5HCUEEURX4","additional_properties":{"_id":1741012010185},"content":"In correspondence between the DPC and Sonas up to last week, seen by The Irish Times, Sonas invokes Article 15 (4) of the GDPR Act, grounding its refusal to release information to the commissioner on the provision that the right to “personal” data should not “adversely affect the rights or freedoms of others”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GX2XGQ6MNJDD3E4ACOL2WGMGII","additional_properties":{"_id":1741012010186},"content":"To “even entertain” releasing data to the commissioner, says Mr Hall, would confirm Sonas was sheltering the woman and child.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PJOQHBXKDZATVEVG7UC7A73LLA","additional_properties":{"_id":1741012010187},"content":"Mr Hall said he would go to prison rather than hand over information that would identify Sonas service users or staff. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"SCAURQPLDNGE3HPTCNOLWJGISE","additional_properties":{"_id":1741012010188},"content":"“This is similar to the legal lacuna that sees <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/crime-law/courts/2025/01/17/calls-for-law-to-be-changed-to-end-access-to-rape-victims-counselling-notes/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/crime-law/courts/2025/01/17/calls-for-law-to-be-changed-to-end-access-to-rape-victims-counselling-notes/\">rape survivor’s counselling notes being handed over to her attacker’s legal team</a>. There is a fundamental problem here both with the law and with how it is being applied.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"2YHWVDUMIFADBO6MAPWX2MIJ6A","additional_properties":{"_id":1741012010189},"content":"In a statement, Tusla said it did not comment on individual cases. “We are acutely aware of our responsibilities in relation to the very sensitive data we process. Where anyone does have a query or concern around data, we engage directly with the individual or organisation,” it said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"V5DFXE5IIRDTPBNS6MJG5HCO2Y","additional_properties":{"_id":1741012010190},"content":"A spokesman for the DPC would not comment on an individual and ongoing case.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6NHA7XM7JBGFXOV73B773NAP6U","additional_properties":{"_id":1741012010189},"content":"<a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/tusla-becomes-first-organisation-fined-for-gdpr-rule-breach-1.4255692\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/tusla-becomes-first-organisation-fined-for-gdpr-rule-breach-1.4255692\">In 2020 Tusla was fined €75,000 for three data breaches</a>, one of which was unintentionally providing a man accused of child sexual abuse with the address of the child and her mother’s telephone number.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BILCAB7XVNFJPBR3WHUMSR5UG4","additional_properties":{"_id":1741012010191},"content":"","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Kitty Holland"}},"name":"Kitty Holland"}]},"description":{"basic":"Charity accuses Tusla of giving sensitive information to alleged abuser, saying data rules are ‘unsafe’"},"display_date":"2025-03-04T06:00:00Z","headlines":{"basic":"Abusers using data protection law to get details on victims","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"R4HYDJDK7AOYXFXYL75ACMGLYQ","auth":{"1":"5ae507ed8c0ef03c81e4fb9fc873b31fb8058ccc0c338d324c1f7f946a8ee0f8"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/R4HYDJDK7AOYXFXYL75ACMGLYQ.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/04/abusers-using-data-protection-law-to-get-details-on-victims/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social Affairs"}}}},{"_id":"C6VPOV6GYVBMJMIJOWPGYBCWDQ","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":454,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/50878323-d809-4325-aaec-c279e691dd7a/versions/1741024902/media/26633293064edf1dce22f17bf093b8be_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/education/2025/03/04/executive-education-bursaries-give-ukrainians-in-ireland-new-tools-to-progress/","content_elements":[{"_id":"XPN4QZDC5ZFK5APACMUJDP7ZGI","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097072},"content":"Within a month of fleeing the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/ukraine-crisis/\" target=\"_blank\">war in Ukraine</a> to Ireland where she continued to work remotely as an export and marketing manager at a major pharmaceuticals manufacturer, Anna Repetska was told she needed to return to the company’s Kyiv offices or leave her job.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UYXEKP6WOFDJ5N6MWSKOTW4S6U","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097073},"content":"The ultimatum seemed harsh but “in the circumstances we are now, fair is not a word Ukrainians use,” she says. “It was the fact.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"V7ZFNXS66ZCOJIBH5WGBP36KTU","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097074},"content":"Since then, however, she has been lucky on almost every count. After arriving here in May 2022 she met a family in Newbridge who took her in and treated her like a daughter, got a job at United Drug Consumer, where she works as a brand manager and, more recently, has been able to study again.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DFV3YDJGGRAE7PDJJEUT562JCQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097075},"content":"That opportunity has been provided by a bursary in executive education programme aimed at Ukrainians and run by the business school at <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/trinity-college-dublin/\" target=\"_blank\">Trinity College Dublin</a>. She heard about the programme from friends online.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3C6YMVYMVRDLJMOWGX5MO3R65E","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097077},"content":"“I like to learn new things and it was nice just to be doing that again but it’s been beneficial too.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PVDESQV7FREVZGORZI7EYRYSJE","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097078},"content":"“We are not locals,” she says. “We have a different culture and mindset, different ways of speaking and doing things, so I wanted to dive deeper into the different styles of communication and leadership. I wanted to understand that better, to see how things work and get new tools to progress. It has helped a lot.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"6PZAKVJ2FFBYFP622VPUHO76HU","additional_properties":{"_id":"QHTMH3575ZHRPP4GCVRDO74RWM"},"content":"Review aims to bring supports for Ukrainian students in line with those for Irish nationals","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"EXYH2KH6RNE6VAYFEPCFO4AEPI","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097079},"content":"Repetska is one of about 65 Ukrainians to benefit from the programme over the course of the academic year and by the end of 2025 the school hopes to have brought 100 Ukrainians through courses intended to be short, practical and targeted to particular needs.","type":"text"},{"_id":"S2S6OQQGFZCDXGW5PQSBIXOFZA","additional_properties":{"_id":"3AXDPWQLSJD5RK2G24VJNRN3SY"},"type":"image"},{"_id":"HRDP7YBVSRDWHIH4JM5D7YYWV4","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097080},"content":"Anastasiia Levdikova had 17 years’ experience in business before leaving Odessa and now lives in Dundalk with her partner and their three children. She has continued to work since arriving soon after the war started while gaining her second master’s degree at <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/dcu/\" target=\"_blank\">DCU</a>, which also provided supports.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XSRIVB55XZALHHJSCMX4BF3ALQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097081},"content":"In August, she started a new business, L&D Works, helping companies here and abroad with talent analytics, recruitment and retention. She says her course, like Repetska’s, in leadership, has helped her better understand the people here.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ARRSPHF7B5GPXNLYCTE4E2UZ7M","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097082},"content":"“It has been important for me, it has helped me to have a different view on what we are developing and gave me a good idea of what people in Ireland are expecting,” she says.","type":"text"},{"_id":"63APP52HGRCFBI5YHOQH2PDDCU","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097083},"content":"Viktoria Horbonos and her partner Mykola Kuleshov have started a catering business, Lucy, and plan to open at a new location in the coming weeks close to Leonard’s Corner in Dublin 8. The course they did in finance for non-finance professionals has helped hugely, they say, in presenting business plans to banks.","type":"text"},{"_id":"67UWAY7S6VGCXHBFL3QJSXBIAM","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097084},"content":"“It was great to learn the terms and it has helped us when we speak to our accountant,” says Horbonos. “We wouldn’t have coped without it, it’s been an amazing experience.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"YRPMJ2WEEVAZXDDQ7CJN2DQDSQ","additional_properties":{"_id":"PULO5LUG3RFLDHN3JZY6SSCWUU"},"content":"Ukrainians in Ireland fear cut in ‘vital’ accommodation payment - Red Cross","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"KBLKPODUBRDKLIJMZGXYO5WXBY","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097085},"content":"Like a lot of Ukrainians in Ireland, Horbonos had initially struggled to find employment in Ireland despite being hugely well qualified at home. She has a PhD and worked in forensics in Kyiv before lecturing at a university in her native Vinnytsia, 250km southwest of the capital.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MXJ52QAPYZANRK2JVFUN7ORCLM","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097086},"content":"“I thought I could work in a kindergarten here but was told I would need to do a level-five qualification. Then I went for a job as a barista and the person interviewing me said I would be better to throw my two-page resume away and just keep a few lines about being good with my hands and people and being eager to work.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"EZZZFQLEB5CBRITB5PVGBPRPGI","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097087},"content":"After a succession of hospitality jobs she and Mykola started to think about opening up a business of their own, serving food from back home, but they were a little daunted by the practicalities.","type":"text"},{"_id":"H57OHWQHLRBX5HD4CW3IGCOH4Y","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097088},"content":"They heard about the Trinity course from a woman who worked in the college as she bought Ukrainian dumplings from them and they have big ambitions for the business.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UYL2EEI475EIDAWW7PBPKYEOIA","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097089},"content":"Kuleshov, however, says that even getting to study at a university such as Trinity initially seemed unbelievable. He had never previously got to study having gone to work from a young age after being brought up by his grandmother then helping her and his disabled uncle. “I cried when I heard we had been accepted,” he says.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PYIAVE2N4RACZO7YAU454ELNKY","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097090},"content":"Nina Mischenko, meanwhile, has also struggled to get work here despite experience as a journalist and communications director for a large real-estate company back home.","type":"text"},{"_id":"S567RZ4GWZCBTH72KBYLQP2M5A","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097091},"content":"“I was always told I was overqualified for the lower-ranking jobs but did not have the Irish or EU qualifications wanted for the executive roles. I did a course before this in Pearse College and am also studying at <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/tu-dublin/\" target=\"_blank\">TU Dublin</a> but the course here in AI has been so interesting, how we can use it in marketing, and I am hoping when people see I have studied at the best university in Dublin on LinkedIn it will help me.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"G3SM3D3OXVCH3MQBJOSO7UB2ME","additional_properties":{"_id":"NLSUA7UYQVFOZILGYJG5YUA7H4"},"content":"‘It feels like the system won’t accept me’: Ukrainian doctors struggle to find work in Ireland","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"U6N2LX3ROJHIZHLI3FSQM54GBY","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097092},"content":"All of the Ukrainians who spoke to The Irish Times about the course expressed gratitude, not just to Trinity for the opportunity it has given them but to Ireland and its people for the support they have received.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZTRXR5YWDNDCJPKZVGPWEAPWVA","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097093},"content":"Their back stories are varied but all remarkable, full of trauma, decisions of great consequence and resilience.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ONBX26Y3TJC4PISGANCC4Z37PU","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097094},"content":"“A woman I know who lived through the war in the Balkans told me there were people who left there to grow their families and career abroad and those who stayed and had to wait years for the war to end, then the country to rebuild. And she said to me: ‘If there is a war, think about what you really want in your life?’”","type":"text"},{"_id":"3MC54JYRLBHX5HADV7PR6V24BA","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097095},"content":"Two weeks later she knew the war had started when she heard an explosion in the middle of the night and immediately started making plans.","type":"text"},{"_id":"P77PH6BTI5G2ZDOM7WEG2BFNTM","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097096},"content":"All have shown a determination to move their lives forward while the war rumbles on. Michael Flynn, director of executive education at the university, says the Ukrainians accepted on to the courses, from the hundreds who applied, “are very aligned with the other people who look for these programmes. They want skills uplift or leadership development aligned with the jobs or aspirations they have.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"3TARQWCHH5EBVDVR52GGILCBTM","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097097},"content":"Each bursary, he says, is worth about €2,000 and by integrating the students with Irish and other nationalities based here, the Ukrainians also benefit from “plugging into the ecosystem” and the networking opportunities that brings.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZQOB3L6A3NGHTBF7DKJBZPPMOU","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097098},"content":"Having initiated the programme after the war started, the department is starting to extend it to other groups including international protection applicants and those working in the areas of homelessness and mental health or with vulnerable women – all areas, the department hopes, where a positive impact can be made.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TI3NXJ6VMBCHFD66YMCW6RSNCY","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097099},"content":"The Ukrainians have felt it already, they say, and want to put the skills they have been equipped with to good use.","type":"text"},{"_id":"VNOF6C5SR5EPNFTBBFLLALQ4M4","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097100},"content":"Some seem likely to settle in Ireland while others, such as Anastasiia Snytkova, a newly qualified lawyer from Mykolaiv, hopes the course in business and human rights might help her make Ukraine a better place some day.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NZTGHNU2PZDU7FYFIAS6IOGAGI","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097101},"content":"She is, she says, incredibly grateful to the families who have hosted her here, to the first legal firm that employed her, Byrne Wallace, when “my English was not good and I’m sure they didn’t know what to do with me” as well as A&L Goodbody, where she now works as a legal review analyst. “But my parents are in Ukraine and a piece of my heart too,” she says.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4T2743KYENGL3IPIF3ZXFJLEYE","additional_properties":{"_id":1741021097102},"content":"Asked what she will do, Repetska says there is no way of really knowing for now. “I had lots of plans before the war but war teaches you not to plan so much.”","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Emmet Malone"}},"name":"Emmet Malone"}]},"description":{"basic":"Programme run by Trinity Business School is to be extended to other groups including those working in the areas of homelessness and mental health"},"display_date":"2025-03-04T06:00:00Z","headlines":{"basic":"Executive education bursaries give Ukrainians in Ireland new tools to progress","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"4SFN3VKLU5DZHNW5RC2I56YET4","auth":{"1":"d641d4b4af1229c809cead6d8a27f649ebdbf23acfef2902cf2eb6d6cae89449"},"focal_point":{"x":2966,"y":1463},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/4SFN3VKLU5DZHNW5RC2I56YET4.JPG"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Education"},{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/education/2025/03/04/executive-education-bursaries-give-ukrainians-in-ireland-new-tools-to-progress/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/education","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Education"}}}},{"_id":"RK3XAWI5MNHIHBBOP2VVHMDY4Y","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":198,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/7057408a-22b3-4e5d-821b-2ca75d232192/versions/1741023872/media/ebbb9bbf6164525bc3b6916bd1f45351_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/03/samaritans-seek-volunteers-as-demand-for-service-continues-to-grow/","content_elements":[{"_id":"WUTEHXHENZHPPA5GDE677X6A4A","additional_properties":{},"content":"Vera (75) sits by the phone in the Samaritan’s centre in Dublin for three hours a week, listening to the problems of strangers.","type":"text"},{"_id":"QB33WGQ6TRB5VNM6F7JANJNSHQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"She has noticed over the 50 years she has volunteered that “you never know what you’re going to get when you pick up the phone”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GHNI3KQATZDPLHFO6CZYKG2I2I","additional_properties":{},"content":"Known as Vera3, because the charity doesn’t provide the surnames of its volunteers, she joined the organisation as a volunteer in 1974. Yet the role hasn’t changed all that much in that time.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZX5KIANBFNAGJAKLJ5PBCY7GCU","additional_properties":{},"content":"“You get everything under the sun. For some people, they just want to talk to people about anything. You see loneliness from all people. But a lot of the trends have stayed the same: mental health issues, relationship issues,” she said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JMLAXYXBSNBWTOQIAMYKQBAOMA","additional_properties":{},"content":"“But some of the issues have changed because society has changed, particularly in relation to the acceptance of various people, such as gay people.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZB4ZF36KMFAVBJWJ3ENDZ7M5EI","additional_properties":{},"content":"She was in her mid-20s when she decided she wanted to volunteer, first helping with the Simon Communities' soup run. During this time, it struck her how much people “love to chat”, leading her to join the Samaritans, which provides emotional support to anyone in distress.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RZOVCQ3J5BAUZMJMY5FNRM7CKY","additional_properties":{},"content":"“When I look back, that decision to join was probably one of the best of my life. I’ve got so much from it, you get a real understanding of how people are. I’m thrilled to still be here 50 years later and I’ll continue to do it as long as I can get myself out to the centre.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"CV5XWSJ4XNG3FOCQM6EP4F5Q6A","additional_properties":{},"type":"image"},{"_id":"64ACGMFB7FC3XDLQY35ME4XXXI","additional_properties":{},"content":"","type":"text"},{"_id":"MPRNPGZNLJAL7OERSMF6VJA5RQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"Vera was speaking as the charity launched a new training scheme, offering daytime training slots, rather than just evenings and Saturdays, in an attempt to attract retired people or those on shift work.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WGB5CDAF55FZNFL25HNBD7UYQU","additional_properties":{},"content":"The need for an increased volume of volunteers comes as demand of the service continues to grow. The Dublin branch opened up 55 years ago in 1970, at which point it received over 1,000 contacts. Last year, there were nearly 89,000 calls and emails answered by the organisation, up from the 83,000 the previous year. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"HBAIKF2TTBGG7PSFVVRGMU2DP4","additional_properties":{},"content":"Volunteers commit to three hours per week and one “night duty” every two months. The organisation said it needs to increase volunteer numbers to continue offering people free listening and emotional support nationwide.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZD3TQVDASNG2PPFHOTCCAAUUO4","additional_properties":{},"content":"<a href=\"https://www.samaritans.org/ireland/branches/dublin/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://www.samaritans.org/ireland/branches/dublin/\">Dublin Samaritans </a>has 300 volunteers who provide 24/7 support, 365 days a year.","type":"text"},{"_id":"32MUZH7MBND35LSQKAN32LALWQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"Mary McMahon, volunteer director at Dublin Samaritans, said there are volunteers from all walks of life and of all ages.","type":"text"},{"_id":"KTASLARHXZCIZBR5LOZDP3XRSA","additional_properties":{},"type":"image"},{"_id":"YIOG7MLSQZCDNNVDKL3NTYRD7U","additional_properties":{},"content":"","type":"text"},{"_id":"N3MMJZKFWNGFRHKSNMIUY7QM5Y","additional_properties":{},"content":"“The four main areas the calls are about tends to be mental health difficulties, loneliness and isolation, relationships and family issues,” added Ms McMahon.","type":"text"},{"_id":"EX5ZXFBXNVGCNODHHFOROH7J3E","additional_properties":{},"content":"“As a volunteer, you’re there when people really need you. It’s a huge privilege to be on the other side of the phone in someone’s time of need.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"474M2L2RAZBYRI4EUZOMYQQGJ4","additional_properties":{},"content":"Samaritans can be contacted 24 hours a day, seven days a week, on the freephone helpline number 116 123 or email <a href=\"mailto:jo@samaritans.ie\" rel=\"\">jo@samaritans.ie</a>.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4N3L7Z6BDZEQ7FN6FV22VVEOWU","additional_properties":{},"content":"","type":"text"},{"_id":"GCTPD373OZBM3H7ABG25RKQXDY","additional_properties":{},"content":"","type":"text"},{"_id":"5BN5PMDOH5AHRAKDEI5XPRYHOM","additional_properties":{},"content":"","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Shauna Bowers"}},"name":"Shauna Bowers"}]},"description":{"basic":"‘It’s a huge privilege to be on the other side of the phone in someone’s time of need’ "},"display_date":"2025-03-03T19:00:01Z","headlines":{"basic":"Samaritans seek volunteers as demand for service continues to grow","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"4JUSDRMQJRBUNKNCIYVJXC2Q7E","auth":{"1":"06ee124a985c147bd08ae95b71b5df8da076abf78389f351e704d5f4ee911ef6"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/4JUSDRMQJRBUNKNCIYVJXC2Q7E.JPG"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Health"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/03/03/samaritans-seek-volunteers-as-demand-for-service-continues-to-grow/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social Affairs"}}}},{"_id":"S225MH6ZLFARFCPNQXZBQ6PY7Q","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":536,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/347daeb4-30bc-4324-af14-67cdd4f45097/versions/1740667147/media/2d3aa6341f1b4977beb6423e55a39389_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/politics/2025/03/01/companies-paid-millions-to-run-emergency-housing-for-children-in-care/","content_elements":[{"_id":"GB6KJXJWRVAMZOKWDLB66R2GAM","additional_properties":{},"content":"Private companies continue to be paid millions of euros to house vulnerable children in State care in unregulated emergency accommodation, new figures from <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/tusla/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/tusla/\">Tusla</a>, the child and family agency, show. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"K4BNSYVC2VCO5AVF2WPWJKFEFY","additional_properties":{},"content":"Fifteen companies shared €56 million in payments from Tusla last year to run unregulated accommodation, known as special emergency arrangements. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"VZBFDHLCXZAKNIXYOSFUPSC56I","additional_properties":{},"content":"Children are often put into rented apartments or houses, bed and breakfasts and hotel rooms, supervised by staff from private companies. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"7RMUHL4GQVG3PGSUUWTA2CNSJI","additional_properties":{},"content":"The lack of space in regulated group homes for children in care and a shortage of foster carers means Tusla has increasingly relied on this emergency accommodation. There were 158 children in State care living in these emergency arrangements at the start of February. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"MO4UHXG3TZCRLP2LLODPR4XYRQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"One company, Baig & Mirza Health Services, was paid €16.5 million by Tusla last year. The company is owned by two men, Muhammad Usman Baig (40) and Farhan Mirza (41), who are both based in Dublin. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"SJ7MV6Z6P5DE5EX7YKWXKBSC7M","additional_properties":{},"content":"Company accounts show the firm made a profit of €3 million in 2023, on the back of nearly €13 million it received from Tusla to run emergency accommodation. A separate property company owned by the pair was paid €600,000 by Tusla last year. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"3TOJW24TIJFTBAF3LBMCDQTHWA","additional_properties":{},"content":"The second highest paid provider of emergency accommodation was Comet Care Ltd, who were paid €7.5 million by Tusla last year. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"WEDECN7TQZHN7IE5NCQOKS22CM","additional_properties":{},"content":"One of its owners and directors, Louis O’Moore (43), from Malahide, Dublin, has worked in the residential care sector for several years. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"RY3FDB7RCBDE7PBZXWPRGGXHBI","additional_properties":{},"content":"Mr O’Moore is listed as head of operations at Daffodil Care, a company contracted by Tusla to run regulated group homes for children in care. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"ESB5ATTNTFHWPAGEETYUMXGFG4","additional_properties":{},"content":"He also sits on the board of Social Care Ireland, an industry group for the social care sector. Records show Comet Care Ltd was set up in 2021. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"UWWCHU4YNZC3RJ5RLZYCNO3MSM","additional_properties":{},"content":"Another company running emergency accommodation, Tender Touch Services, was paid €5.9 million by Tusla last year. The firm is run by Sylverline Chikwe (46), from Newbridge, Co Kildare. It reported a profit of €1 million in 2023. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"B2KCKTIOGNHTHH6LTOPNSQQNWI","additional_properties":{},"content":"The figures detailing the payments made by Tusla were released to The Irish Times, following a request made under the Freedom of Information Act. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"3QEGGSC6VRC75P6INMPU6IXU24","additional_properties":{},"content":"Several of the companies are franchise operations under the Kare Plus group umbrella, who are mainly involved in providing home care and nursing services. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"E4S7MIVLSRHUXIXLE5DLMQTV54","additional_properties":{},"content":"Jonah Ramasia (41), a doctor, is the managing director of Kare Plus South Cork. His company, Superior Health Ltd, was paid €4.9 million by Tusla last year, to run special emergency arrangements. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"LRCCO7QNE5C75LOLY6LZBUV7MY","additional_properties":{},"content":"Dr Ramasia runs the business with Gloria Ramasia (33), who is an accountant. The pair list a home address in Co Limerick on company accounts. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"LAD5QWXMSJEF5J5JO4UP37453Q","additional_properties":{},"content":"The fifth highest paid company, Victoria Healthcare Organisation, received €4.2 million in payments from Tusla last year. Samson Aba (49), who lives in Skibbereen, Cork, owns the company. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"QCI5IMOB6FAF5DUKXLG4SGZGFE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Rev John Ardis, a Church of Ireland priest in Skibbereen, is also listed as a director. When contacted, Rev Ardis said he had no day-to-day involvement in the company beyond his role as a director. The company’s website states it provides home care and respite care and also sells wheelchairs online. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"BJAQTCSNX5FO3NNGZSNFNFIFQU","additional_properties":{},"content":"Whisbay Ltd, operating as Kare Plus Dublin city north, was paid €3.7 million to manage emergency accommodation for young people in State care. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"D57WTZHWY5EJ3AS56N3HSL7R4E","additional_properties":{},"content":"The company’s directors are David Toal (52) and Brian Toal (45), who both have addresses in Castleknock, Dublin. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"SW3MDFCBOFBKZMD2KNDKYT6ERM","additional_properties":{},"content":"David Toal is listed as the managing director of the company, having previously worked as a banker in KBC Bank for 10 years. The firm made €1.3 million in profit in 2023, with the two directors sharing €300,000 in fees and remuneration. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"LNYTIXQ5NZH45NSANWPZZPTS5A","additional_properties":{},"content":"One company run by an evangelical pastor, Good People Homecare Ltd, received €1.9 million in payments from Tusla last year, down from the €5.3 million it received in 2023. The company primarily provides agency staff to oversee emergency accommodation. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"MZ5VUL4VXZGDFMAMQ6GYRHQNKM","additional_properties":{},"content":"Good People is run by Gerard Chimbganda (50), an evangelical pastor from Zimbabwe, who is a senior figure in Praise Tabernacle AFM, an international Pentecostal church in north inner-city Dublin. The company had €4.3 million in assets in 2023, according to filed accounts. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"LV7QC7F3XJALBM6PJM7J337GWQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"Mr Chimbganda said the company maintained a “strict separation between religious practices and the care we provide to children”, which was “secular, inclusive and attuned to the diverse backgrounds and needs of the children we serve”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ERK5J7RQZRHBBHA4TJYTU7NVFE","additional_properties":{},"content":"“While we hold this separation in our operational practices, it’s important to acknowledge that our services are motivated by a profound principle of love, guided by the teachings of Jesus Christ,” he said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"F23C6DYGWU6V4O3M4P3YXPJK5E","additional_properties":{},"type":"image"},{"_id":"NSEBZU3IXNDJXLWLSRGF3K2Q2U","additional_properties":{},"content":"The company was also paid €570,000 to run accommodation for Ukrainian refugees in the first three quarters of last year, according to <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/department-of-children-equality-disability-integration-and-youth/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/department-of-children-equality-disability-integration-and-youth/\">Department of Integration</a> records. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZHHUGSOU5VAPRNZHZKPEOSF24Y","additional_properties":{},"content":"Adeniyi Ademola (37), a nurse, is the managing director and owner of Clarion Healthcare, which received €3.7 million from Tusla to run emergency accommodation last year. Financial accounts filed recently show the company made a profit of €700,000.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WKEFSC7EGRHERODVE5GEWEJ4RA","additional_properties":{},"content":"Concerns were previously raised by Tusla social workers about young people in accommodation run by Clarion smoking “joints”. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"LUGUGJN5SBD4FF6USXVNZHEBC4","additional_properties":{},"content":"<a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/social-affairs/2024/03/25/documents-reveal-stark-concerns-with-accommodation-for-children-in-care/\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/social-affairs/2024/03/25/documents-reveal-stark-concerns-with-accommodation-for-children-in-care/\">Internal emails in late 2022 alleged staff were aware of this but did not do anything to stop the behaviour</a>. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"FLRYHLUELFBABGOGGQ5UTT6MQI","additional_properties":{},"content":"Further emails from Tusla to the company around the same time criticised the fact Clarion had failed to address “obvious health and safety hazards” at one property. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"OGJOGHB4WJEZPOFHRK2Q74RC5A","additional_properties":{},"content":"Reign Healthcare, a company run by Tafadzwa Vambe (47) and Tariro Taruvinga (43), from Portarlington, Co Laois, was paid €1.7 million in 2024. The figures are a sharp drop on the €5.4 million the company was paid by Tusla in 2023.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ONRB4VZWRFBF7AVSFZX4HYE3WE","additional_properties":{},"content":"A complaint was previously made about Reign Healthcare allegedly accommodating two girls in care in a house that was “unfit for purpose”. The complaint was made to Tusla in late 2022 by another organisation working in the care sector. It claimed the emergency placement did not appear to be appropriately staffed, with care workers having “poor English and communication skills”. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"YZ2VQASAZVDWBIGB7WJQRPRTSM","additional_properties":{},"content":"In a statement, Mr Vambe said Reign Healthcare had at one point run a dozen emergency placements. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZGZ4AMTWTZBCPBAWMQCAP27AYM","additional_properties":{},"content":"“However, since 2023, Tusla has ceased allocating young persons to our care without providing any clear reasoning, despite our repeated attempts to engage with them for clarification,” he said. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"HAWLFRY7NZC4VFZ7QPFN2E22ZE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Late last year the company “successfully registered two houses” with Tusla, but children had not yet been placed into the accommodation, he said. “As we stand now, we are ready to take on any young person in need of care” he said. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"WURL6N6W75HI5DKI7B2SSK56YQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"The majority of children placed in unregulated accommodation are young asylum seekers who arrived in the Republic without guardians. Of the 158 young people accommodated in special emergency arrangements by Tusla at the start of February, some 117 were underage asylum seekers. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"GUQ2GGTVRFA7HHEWAM4N463FVA","additional_properties":{},"content":"“To manage the increase in demand for placements for separated children seeking international protection, Tusla has increased its placement capacity and established new accommodation centres for unaccompanied minors,” a Tusla spokesman said. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"PSKKDCIIIVFALOIVKYJZKQYQUA","additional_properties":{},"content":"The agency had successfully reduced the number of other children in the care system living in emergency accommodation, down from a high point of 72 in March 2023 to 41 this February, he said. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"JSLE2TTQL5GAZBXLSQ5KVTZ4DU","additional_properties":{},"content":"Efforts were made to move young people out of special emergency arrangements into regulated care settings, such as group homes or foster care “as soon as possible”, the spokesman said. ","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"premium"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Jack Power"}},"name":"Jack Power"}]},"description":{"basic":"Evangelical pastor, former banker and healthcare workers among figures behind firms running emergency accommodation for children in State care "},"display_date":"2025-03-01T06:00:00Z","headlines":{"basic":"Companies being paid millions to run emergency housing for children in care ","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"LXTVWFS5AVHHLPCBUDIXK6SIKM","auth":{"1":"7746ca3afe18eb583ef66f998ce0be0f37032a043f77da269bd8e34327dc20fe"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/LXTVWFS5AVHHLPCBUDIXK6SIKM.jpg"}},"subtype":"feature","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Politics"},{"name":"Ireland"},{"name":"Social Affairs"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/politics/2025/03/01/companies-paid-millions-to-run-emergency-housing-for-children-in-care/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/politics","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Politics"}}}},{"_id":"WZ36BMBBBBFBZICAXMX2OBD52U","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":128,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/80071b27-6852-4e8c-92d3-5746de85d08c/versions/1740772661/media/d382c4501fbef65aee201bf4a3b4e4c3_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/education/2025/02/28/pay-rises-of-over-1000-for-civil-and-public-servants-to-kick-in-from-today/","content_elements":[{"_id":"RALMZZ7BTZHEVAS7PWGE6QAT2A","additional_properties":{},"content":"More than 300,000 civil and public servants will receive pay increases of more than €1,000 per annum from Saturday as the latest instalment of last year’s public sector pay deal comes into effect.","type":"text"},{"_id":"26TDEZVAENDLFMRVW4K24M2HUQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"The increases will be worth at least 2 per cent of annual pay to employees right across the public sector including almost 170,000 employees of the HSE as well as gardaí and teachers.","type":"text"},{"_id":"44ULKHFUIZBDRAWYH52QGNIPPE","additional_properties":{},"content":"It is the second most significant increase provided for under the terms of the deal negotiated between government and union representatives at the start of last year. A further increase of 1 per cent is due to be paid in August, with most staff likely then to receive an additional 1 per cent under local bargaining provisions the following month.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WFBN43S2UJF3PE77BUA3ZGYHAQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"Overall, the deal is worth at least 9.25 per cent to staff across the entire civil and public service and up to 17.3 per cent to the lowest-paid employees covered.","type":"text"},{"_id":"Z4HJQXRHGBB6LIJEPCORO6I5MM","additional_properties":{},"content":"On this occasion anyone earning less than €50,000 per annum will receive the minimum €1,000 increase, equivalent to about €85 per month before tax. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"UIEXZULH2FAKPAOXXYSQSC3WIY","additional_properties":{},"content":"Public service pay deal: What does it mean for you? And when will the pay increases kick in?","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"DUH4BK2ZZRG5XDYTJ6NKMMAUA4","additional_properties":{},"content":"The country’s most senior civil servants, many consultant doctors and judges in the higher courts will receive increases worth about €100 per week before tax.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2RMR5A6ZC5GC7DQTZGIVFNVC5Q","additional_properties":{},"content":"Most premium and overtime rates as well as many allowances will also increase where they are linked to basic pay rates, and thousands of pensioners will benefit from similar percentage increases.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZXBR6DI4ORBKNKOPRMQE7ILVVA","additional_properties":{},"content":"Various Government departments issued circulars on Friday setting out the new rates for staff, with the Department of Education saying a primary school teacher will now start on €44,435 and a post-primary school teacher on €45,829 while a special needs assistant (SNA) will earn just over €30,000.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CHR53SFGIBFU7KMKFD7JI4KDC4","additional_properties":{},"content":"The final increases provided for under the terms of the agreement are scheduled to come into effect in June 2026 and talks on a new deal are expected to get under way before the end of this year. ","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Emmet Malone"}},"name":"Emmet Malone"}]},"description":{"basic":"Increases are part of public sector pay deal hammered out between government and unions last year"},"display_date":"2025-02-28T19:54:42.846Z","headlines":{"basic":"Pay rises of over €1,000 for civil and public servants to kick in from Saturday","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"LWBXMJLLM5CB7CAP467UUNOSFI","auth":{"1":"20371f025bf6e093dcec2cb5ec738195812dde86b90b3a8cf37f635dfc87ebb2"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/LWBXMJLLM5CB7CAP467UUNOSFI.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Education"},{"name":"Health"},{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/education/2025/02/28/pay-rises-of-over-1000-for-civil-and-public-servants-to-kick-in-from-today/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/education","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Education"}}}},{"_id":"XBAZKKZQAZCWPD7CAZILGRW3XY","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":226,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/b67d2040-57e1-4391-b480-6de35d4a7621/versions/1740749847/media/04e6182f435b51254a2c073a863791e8_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/02/28/baby-names-jack-and-sophie-the-most-popular-in-2024/","content_elements":[{"_id":"F6CWKWKWJNFCVG2GI7SRNYPDZ4","additional_properties":{"_id":1740749888588},"content":"Jack has once again emerged as the most popular name for boys born in Ireland, while Sophie’s the choice for more girls than any other, according to official data for 2024 published this morning.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZLEQJFANLZBBZOET3NBICUUQHU","additional_properties":{"_id":1740749888589},"content":"For the eighth year in a row, Jack finishes top of the heap for boys, according to the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/central-statistics-office\" target=\"_blank\">Central Statistics Office</a> (CSO), with Noah, Rían, Cillian and James rounding out the top five.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AZ5NM2RK7VBQ7MY2Z2PXL6ZQRU","additional_properties":{"_id":1740749888590},"content":"It means Jack has held the number one position every year since 2007, with the exception of 2016, when James was the most popular choice of name.","type":"text"},{"_id":"OKNY3O6AT5DI5G4VB4R274HEZI","additional_properties":{"_id":1740749888591},"content":"For the first time since 2010, Sophie took the top spot in the girls' names league from Grace, which dropped to third while Éabha was in second with Emily and Fiadh in fourth and fifth respectively.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5DGGZJGI35HO7GUVRFAGXW4TRY","additional_properties":{"_id":1740749888592},"content":"With Jack ever present at the top of the list for baby boys, there is more variety when it comes to the top spot for girls, with Sophie and Grace preceded by Emily in 2022.","type":"text"},{"_id":"SDJRFIG6TZBHRNY3XAVHKZRXA4","additional_properties":{"_id":1740749888593},"content":"Grace, Emily and Sophie have been permanent fixtures in the top five names for baby girls every year since 2016, with Éabha entering the top five for the first time in 2021 and ranking in second place in 2024.","type":"text"},{"_id":"COOWGGY74JCDNOPLNZMEUYDAMQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1740749888594},"content":"The biggest climb in names for boys saw Rowan, Caleb and Iarlaith entering the top 100 most popular boys’ names for 2024. Caleb rose fastest up the rankings, going from 142nd place in 2023 to 91st in 2024.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MKMAK4AFHBH57LIPK7SXUKHBKI","additional_properties":{"_id":1740749888595},"content":"Looking at new entrants for girls, four new entrants appeared – Hallie, Rhea, Caragh and Aurora – with Rhea being the fastest rising girls' name in 2024 moving up 37 places to 93rd in the table.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7AGTAYUDFBA7JOSCVSHEHH66ZA","additional_properties":{"_id":1740749888596},"content":"There were 9,582 distinct newborn names registered in 2024, while Murphy was the most common surname for babies born in 2024.","type":"text"},{"_id":"L7ZOAGCI5RBGZPRXRQHRS7N2X4","content":"<iframe title=\"Irish Babies' Names 2024\n\" aria-label=\"Table\" id=\"datawrapper-chart-ZVdet\" src=\"https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/ZVdet/3/\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;\" height=\"503\" data-external=\"1\"></iframe><script type=\"text/javascript\">!function(){\"use strict\";window.addEventListener(\"message\",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll(\"iframe\");for(var t in a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"][t]+\"px\";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}();\n<\/script>","type":"raw_html"},{"_id":"SOSPOQTVLBBBXDUITCY5AAKKAQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1740749888598},"content":"Jack was the top or joint top boys’ name in 11 locations around the country including Kildare, Kilkenny and Clare. While Páidí was ranked 22nd nationally in 2024 with a total of 201 births registered, it was the most favoured name for boys born in Sligo and Monaghan.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WHPZGHGZGZGBPDSMXYHH5UHNFU","additional_properties":{"_id":1740749888599},"content":"Sophie was the top or joint top girls’ name in seven areas such as Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Wexford and Limerick City.","type":"text"},{"_id":"OWJ257JHBZDKNDM7YCI2Z7KUGA","additional_properties":{"_id":1740749888600},"content":"Fiadh was also the top or joint top choice in seven other areas including Longford, Kerry and Donegal, while Clara, ranked 65th nationally, was most popular in Galway City.","type":"text"},{"_id":"K73HLP5HHFD7LBKAR65MK5LSFQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1740749888601},"content":"The most popular names for boys and girls born to parents from the EU27 were David and Sofia, while Jack and Éabha were the most popular names for baby boys and girls whose parents' nationalities were both Irish.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZR64XM2ZKNEIZO273EJL4UX2YY","additional_properties":{"_id":1740749888602},"type":"image"},{"_id":"DS3HQ3LI7VCR5DFRNU254YU6IA","additional_properties":{"_id":1740749888603},"content":"Muhammad was the most popular boys' name for parents of nationalities outside the EU, excluding the UK and Ireland, while it was Hazel for girls.","type":"text"},{"_id":"Y54A4MFX6JFHDNR6RMO75URV3U","additional_properties":{"_id":1740749888604},"content":"While John was the most popular boys' name in 1974, it occupied the 29th position in 2024.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PBGCHRQN4NH2FDBZEF4NDL4FME","additional_properties":{"_id":1740749888605},"content":"For girls, Mary was the most popular name 50 years ago, whereas in 2024 it ranked joint 105th spot alongside Laura and Zoey.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JO5OR56PLVCI3NX7HGXDPDM5KE","additional_properties":{"_id":1740749888606},"content":"This was only the third time in 50 years that the name Mary did not feature in the top 100 most popular names in Ireland with 46 babies given the name of Mary in 2024.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NBHQQVSUXRAYVOHKNRSBJQVVKY","additional_properties":{"_id":1740749888607},"content":"James is the only name that appears in the top 10 boys’ names in both 1974 and 2024, ranking sixth place in 1974, and fifth place in 2024.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Conor Pope"}},"name":"Conor Pope"}]},"description":{"basic":"Biggest climbers in boys’ names are Rowan, Caleb and Iarlaith, according to CSO figures"},"display_date":"2025-02-28T13:36:53.77Z","headlines":{"basic":"Baby names: Jack and Sophie the most popular in Ireland in 2024","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"PJ76ISYQZBBARCNKQPDJ2LDFHY","auth":{"1":"a972b18b2717b488d998b63b082235b0bad4cb1aafd31d55791d3c6f91a70bea"},"focal_point":{"x":2983,"y":1357},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/PJ76ISYQZBBARCNKQPDJ2LDFHY.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/02/28/baby-names-jack-and-sophie-the-most-popular-in-2024/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social Affairs"}}}},{"_id":"JVUE7A2AZZGCXAIHWC27LLWG4A","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":227,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/dcebed83-f069-4220-bee0-74fc2ec9c3cd/versions/1740689826/media/83fa3d6317f1c0c4a6efc3da8677be30_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/02/28/spiritans-accused-of-two-tier-approach-to-redress-for-sex-abuse-cases/","content_elements":[{"_id":"Z4BVHT24NJFBLPBFJXNXNRDSKY","additional_properties":{},"content":"A group representing survivors of child sexual abuse at <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/spiritans/\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/spiritans/\">Spiritan</a> schools has called on the congregation to implement a redress scheme no later than June 1st this year.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3Q7SCCUXRFABRCR3TWAW4JLPYM","additional_properties":{},"content":"Restore Together said that, while it welcomes <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2025/02/25/spiritans-have-paid-88-million-in-settlements-to-125-abuse-survivors-since-1998/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2025/02/25/spiritans-have-paid-88-million-in-settlements-to-125-abuse-survivors-since-1998/\">reports that the Spiritans have been making legal settlements</a> with survivors who had taken court action, it did not believe any survivor should have to issue legal proceedings to obtain justice.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YJCCCBKBFVC2XFTV2NVCG23Q5Q","additional_properties":{},"content":"“Child welfare and trauma experts agree that having to bring legal proceedings to seek justice adds to the suffering of victims/survivors, many of whom are very vulnerable,” it said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XSCKPTJN25HSFAKM6N4TKIPGOM","additional_properties":{},"content":"As <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2025/02/25/spiritans-have-paid-88-million-in-settlements-to-125-abuse-survivors-since-1998/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2025/02/25/spiritans-have-paid-88-million-in-settlements-to-125-abuse-survivors-since-1998/\">reported in The Irish Times</a> on Wednesday, the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/spiritans/\" rel=\"\">Spiritans</a> have paid €8.8 million in settlements to 125 abuse survivors who initiated court proceedings against the congregation. The figure does not include legal costs.","type":"text"},{"_id":"EXR6CMZFQZBS7IZBWE67B5YKQE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Of that figure, €3.4 million was paid in settlements to 52 survivors of 58 who have come forward since RTÉ broadcast its <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/tv-radio/2022/11/08/gut-wrenching-essential-radio-blackrock-college-sexual-abuse-accounts-are-tough-to-listen-to/\" rel=\"\">Blackrock Boys radio documentary</a> in November 2022. Between 1998 and prior to that broadcast in November 2022, the congregation paid €5.4 million in settlements to 73 survivors. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"NXRZC26UERFNZLBZEFMN4E73BI","additional_properties":{},"content":"To date Restore Together has supported over 300 survivors of sexual abuse at Spiritan schools and has been working with the congregation “to bring healing to those who suffered as children and continue to suffer as adults through a professionally guided and administered programme of restorative justice.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZFZ7WSEWP5H6LFBC5OO56KFMAY","additional_properties":{},"content":"In a statement on Friday, it accused the Spiritans of operating a two-tier system when it came to redress.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CDFVZFQ62NCQZERU7HTJSDWEBM","additional_properties":{},"content":"It was “not acceptable” that the congregation was “treating victims/ survivors who issue legal proceedings against them with greater urgency than the many who wish, in good faith and for good reason, to obtain financial recognition for the harm done to them through a redress scheme that the order has agreed to in principle,” it said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XJBODSG5BJF6HCSZ3D3RKYFLZ4","additional_properties":{},"content":"It also added that “financial awards under the redress scheme should be at the same value that a court would award to a successful claimant”. The Spiritans in Ireland had “very significant assets which it has valued at €160 million in its accounts. This is multiple times the amount that would be needed to fully implement a redress scheme,” Restore Together said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4O3K4E45QRDYRL4QFJQDGOUWOE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Spiritan schools concerned are <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/blackrock-college/\" rel=\"\">Blackrock College</a> and Willow Park; <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/st-marys-college/\" rel=\"\">St Mary’s College</a>, Rathmines; <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/st-michael-s-college/\" rel=\"\">St Michael’s College</a>, Ballsbridge; <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/templeogue-college/\" rel=\"\">Templeogue College</a>, in Dublin, and <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/rockwell-college/\" rel=\"\">Rockwell College</a> in Co Tipperary.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6SNHA2YZKZENXFMKUOM5IFGHMM","additional_properties":{},"content":"The congregation had agreed to a redress scheme “in principle, as one of five pillars of its restorative justice programme” and that there have been detailed discussions “with the Spiritans and their lawyers about its structure, nature and implementation,” Restore Together said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GZDG44YXTZBA5BN765Q37I42EU","additional_properties":{},"content":"It had “repeatedly emphasised” to the Spiritans “the urgency of providing redress to victims to help with their healing. Every week that goes by without a redress scheme being in place prolongs the suffering, and in some cases despair, of victims/survivors who have come forward in good faith having carried their burden for decades through their lives.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"L7QOMDMGG5GBXKOZH5YYRBDIKE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Ongoing delay “repeats and continues the sense of betrayal and abandonment first felt by victims/survivors as innocent children” while “many victims/survivors are now in the later stage of life and should not have to wait any longer for proper recognition by the Spiritans of their failure to protect the children in their care or wait for the justice to which they are entitled,” it said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7SGBRG44HBCLPNUWIOVSMQSII4","additional_properties":{},"content":"The Spiritans own “principles and Christian teachings” required them “to show true repentance and to fully atone for what they as a congregation did to these vulnerable children,” it said.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Patsy McGarry"}},"name":"Patsy McGarry"}]},"description":{"basic":"Survivors' group calls for common scheme to be established by June 1st to avoid need for legal route"},"display_date":"2025-02-28T07:00:00Z","headlines":{"basic":"Spiritans accused of two-tier approach to redress for sex abuse cases","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"B5J5AX4GGMMNS5W6YCIOQE7KUI","auth":{"1":"59157664f983c28803743159fcabea467c53e058c179ec123d0dad21a0f46f35"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/B5J5AX4GGMMNS5W6YCIOQE7KUI.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/02/28/spiritans-accused-of-two-tier-approach-to-redress-for-sex-abuse-cases/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social Affairs"}}}},{"_id":"U4ILAEPL2BHIDGXYODLZNRNRJU","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":240,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/6f3c1c56-9673-46dc-9816-89f7ca663db9/versions/1740676434/media/282ea93566173c156820b04f7ff367ca_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/02/28/being-homeless-you-have-no-sense-of-security-we-all-know-from-the-get-go-we-are-just-a-number-in-their-system/","content_elements":[{"_id":"JFIVIEGQ7VAZ5LDNF5FUVGBZ5U","additional_properties":{},"content":"A young <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/homeless-crisis/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/homeless-crisis/\">homeless</a> woman, who left State care six months ago, feels “scared” because the priority status on her <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/housing-crisis/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/housing-crisis/\">housing</a> application has been put “on hold” by <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/dublin-city-council/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/dublin-city-council/\">Dublin City Council</a>. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"EWK3JBDNPFDEJOW2AUMLUANRU4","additional_properties":{},"content":"“Sophie” (20), who is using a pseudonym to protect the identity of younger siblings still in care, is one of 42 care-leavers in the capital whose right to be prioritised on the housing list has been paused while the council conducts a “review of the administrative process for managing care-leaver priority applications”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"US3DKON6BNBUPHCKYTVSV46MB4","additional_properties":{},"content":"The council says a dearth of suitable one-bed dwellings and an increase in care-leavers applying for social housing, as well as concerns council social workers are duplicating the work of <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/tusla/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/tusla/\">Tusla</a> social workers in processing care-leavers’ housing applications, has forced the current review. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"DVSLKPKBMFHDXEBNLFOPBKUUPQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"In care since the age of 13, Sophie describes a traumatic childhood. She was with a foster family for two years before residential care placements.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WF6QZQP3MBAJNF5PJE4U2YABKQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"Sophie transitioned from a residential care placement to aftercare when she reached 18. In aftercare she was accommodated in B&Bs and other forms of accommodation, all supervised by aftercare workers.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6S7YKIYLDVA4NHIIWY42YSI5I4","additional_properties":{},"content":"While in aftercare she says “you were told you will be housed, to work with them and you will be a priority for housing because you are in care. You are given the impression you will be able to start your life”. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"6SXWY236ERE7TK6AVNA7JZHKCE","additional_properties":{},"content":"She is on the housing list and has been since age 18. She has also been looking for private-rented housing with the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP). She has had many viewings but believes she is “judged” negatively by prospective landlords as a care-leaver. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"3IW7CSE5F5HIHACA4VC3PJWTFA","additional_properties":{},"content":"Last September she could not face a move to a fourth supervised aftercare placement and felt “pressurised” into leaving, she says. She is now “sofa-surfing” and has slept rough. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"XHUHA6RUZBFYHKZMQYMAZE5J4Y","additional_properties":{},"content":"Following contact with <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/sinn-fein/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/sinn-fein/\">Sinn Féin</a> councillor <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/daithi-doolan/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/daithi-doolan/\">Daithí Doolan</a>, and his enquiries, she discovered her priority on the housing list had been paused. “I am desperate right now just to get my priority back,” she says. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"XLYZEJEKJVHYTG3BB7FVLEVWJM","additional_properties":{},"content":"Mr Doolan was “shocked” at the move and the fact it was implemented without councillors being informed first. “Behind each application for care-leaver priority is a young person who very often has been let down time and time again. It is hugely important that this matter is sorted out urgently.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"FNSB6MUS7JHDZBZUD7QVHDCWAI","additional_properties":{},"content":" ","type":"text"},{"_id":"M3ZPA66JD5CBXHLU7DSWXKLNZA","additional_properties":{},"content":"In a statement to Mr Doolan, the council said: “The allocations section is flagging a clear risk that we will no longer be prioritising the applicants who already are, or are at serious risk of becoming, homeless after leaving State care”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"IUSBLWDE2FGPFI7CXR6Y5WVNI4","additional_properties":{},"content":"A council spokesman told The Irish Times the outcome of its review of the administration of care-leaver priority applications will be reported to the council’s housing committee in March. The 42 care-leavers’ applications “will be promptly processed” after that. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"XR73KWUDHNEP3AMLZN55PDAWIU","additional_properties":{},"content":"Sophie says she is “scared”. She has completed her Leaving Certificate, plans to study youth work and work with children in care, but cannot focus at the moment.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ME64JLHV65EHZMTJOKCT5OMG6I","additional_properties":{},"content":"“Being homeless, you have no sense of security. We all know, from the get go, we are just a number in their system”. She has a relative in prison who, she says, “has a four-digit number ... I want to be more than just that.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"5EEKJFL6G5G7HK7FYUR2SM4SRM","additional_properties":{},"content":"“I have done everything I was asked. I have told them everything, I went to every housing meeting, I went to viewings every week. I have had trauma since I was born, been in homes, been tossed around and I am still lost in the system. A blind eye was turned to so much physical and emotional abuse and it feels like it’s still happening,” she adds.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UHH3OSL5WJGB5OV3JU4U45BWGQ","additional_properties":{},"content":" ","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Kitty Holland"}},"name":"Kitty Holland"}]},"description":{"basic":"For social housing applications, Dublin City Council has paused the priority status for people leaving care. At least one young woman has been left in a troubling limbo"},"display_date":"2025-02-28T06:00:01Z","headlines":{"basic":"Young homeless woman who left State care six months ago feels ‘scared’ amid council housing change","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"AEK3QHIA25AAXHDZ5GYIAJAOYI","auth":{"1":"bfa2ec57db30219e29835419328e8dc1a76083e54fe1c88119b092c588a08481"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/AEK3QHIA25AAXHDZ5GYIAJAOYI.JPG"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/02/28/being-homeless-you-have-no-sense-of-security-we-all-know-from-the-get-go-we-are-just-a-number-in-their-system/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social Affairs"}}}},{"_id":"AX2FQQQC4BETDJT335KZH5MEK4","additional_properties":{},"canonical_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/02/28/church-services/","content_elements":[{"_id":"CWJ3ZEHXJVAC5DYVXVKR2ZVP5I","additional_properties":{},"content":"CATHEDRALS","type":"header"},{"_id":"2ZG7OFTLLJB6JD5HPO2YRA5YRI","additional_properties":{},"content":"<b>National Cathedral of Saint Patrick, Dublin</b> THE SUNDAY BEFORE LENT - 09.15 EUCHARIST said in the Lady Chapel. 11.15 CHORAL EUCHARIST- sung by the Cathedral Choir - Ives: Missa Brevis, Lauridsen: O nata lux, Desmond: O sacrum convivium, Preacher: The Ven D.A. Pierpoint M.A. Canon Treasurer. 15.15 CHORAL EVENSONG - sung by the Cathedral Choir - Responses: Sumsion, Stanford Bb, Psalm: 12, Stanford: For lo I raise up.. Preacher: The Ven D.A. Pierpoint M.A. Canon Treasurer. SUNG MATINS at 09.00 Monday to Friday. EUCHARIST at 11.05 on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. CHORAL EVENSONG at 17.30 Monday to Friday. For further information visit www.stpatrickscathedral.ie","type":"text"},{"_id":"2OQP5KD3ONDU3LLBZ2ZXRTGEXE","additional_properties":{},"content":"CHURCH OF IRELAND","type":"header"},{"_id":"TPE5U6YSURG5RC2AIKRAZTKIEI","additional_properties":{},"content":"<b>Christ Church Bray</b> Revd Dr Leonard Madden: 8.30am Holy Communion; 11am Sunday Service . Live stream: http://www.churchservices.tv/christchurchbray For more details of services visit www.christchurchbray.ie","type":"text"},{"_id":"2RHZJFTJORHTHDJTLK4INH4QYA","additional_properties":{},"content":"<b>St Audoen Cornmarket</b> 9.30 Bellringing, 10.00 Eucharist (every Sunday), the Sunday before Lent. During works (ongoing) no music, access through the main entrance. Cars may be parked between Francis Street and Christ Church.","type":"text"},{"_id":"IBUJM3L5ZVCHLJCR4IKPX2KQWE","additional_properties":{},"content":"<b>St Catherine St James Donore Avenue</b> 11.30 Eucharist, the Sunday before Lent. Organist, Olesia Borsuk. Cars may be parked in the Churchyard.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6Y6IEPEI5RHOZOR3WU6TKM4I6M","additional_properties":{},"content":"<b>Zion Parish Church</b> Sunday 2nd March - The Sunday before Lent. 9am Holy Communion 1. 10.30am Holy Communion. All welcome.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AGAHCATGJVFDFGP63GC2OMETFM","additional_properties":{},"content":"PRESBYTERIAN","type":"header"},{"_id":"XRJ4BPG5ANFUBFYI2WVA6RMXSU","additional_properties":{},"content":"<b>About The Presbyterian Church in Ireland</b> The Presbyterian form of the Christian faith is best described as Reformed; with its strong emphasis on the Sovereignty of God, the Kingship of Christ, and the authority of the Bible. For more information, and for a full list of congregations around the whole island of Ireland, visit: <a href=\"http://www.presbyterianireland.org/\" rel=\"\">www.presbyterianireland.org</a>","type":"text"},{"_id":"CHFWBHBJZ5DB3FVZTHLONLZ7OM","additional_properties":{},"content":"METHODIST","type":"text"},{"_id":"KBRKS36A2FCDZDTOGJZ6U7P7ZI","additional_properties":{},"content":"<b>About the Methodist Church in Ireland</b> - The Methodist Church in Ireland is a community of people drawn together by Gods love, who seek to live wholeheartedly as followers of Jesus for the transformation of the world. With 212 churches spread across the island of Ireland from North to South, and East to West. To find a church near you, visit <a href=\"https://irishmethodist.org/\" rel=\"\">https://irishmethodist.org</a>","type":"text"},{"_id":"PGIMK6DJL5DIPFY4MHOTM2JZBE","additional_properties":{},"content":"<b>Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin</b> The Methodist Church, Northumberland Avenue, Dún Laoghaire. Sunday Service 11am. Our services are available at www.dlmc.org","type":"text"},{"_id":"CXIDSGVPGVDCZIUY2UIDFLLA3U","additional_properties":{},"content":"RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIENDS","type":"header"},{"_id":"22CULCQHEFGPHHALI7VR6XOSHU","additional_properties":{},"content":"<b>Quaker Meetings in Ireland</b> Quakers in Ireland invite you to join us for Meeting for Worship at any of our Meeting Houses around the country. Visitors will be warmly welcomed and there will be an opportunity to ask any questions you might have. You will find a list of Meetings on our website: https://quakers-in-ireland.ie/map-of-quaker-meetings-worship-groups/","type":"text"},{"_id":"RP4DPRJ475BKNNWNN5VUH4FBYA","additional_properties":{},"content":"","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[]},"description":{"basic":"Week beginning Saturday, March 1st, 2025"},"display_date":"2025-02-28T06:00:01Z","headlines":{"basic":"Church services","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"IN7OZZ6E2NGO5KX2KLF2SIQGJU","auth":{"1":"d4b9e121d137a9aeef92fc18438df403b5c177f6a3855de62a93ccfae6ccb05d"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/IN7OZZ6E2NGO5KX2KLF2SIQGJU.png"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/02/28/church-services/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social Affairs"}}}},{"_id":"CYILTL2ZYJEZHGL7GL6E3J7SZM","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":357,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/aaab5204-67c2-430e-b1e0-b00d636fc405/versions/1740667905/media/d58741fe877b11b675782b49c6425644_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/health/2025/02/28/eating-disorders-i-wouldnt-speak-to-my-worst-enemy-the-way-i-talked-to-myself/","content_elements":[{"_id":"LY6SB32TBRBMTHKDBZ5RI6XVPI","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672320466},"content":"Mirin Pearce, from Cork, had “pretty obvious” signs of bulimia for six or seven years. But she didn’t realise for some time that she needed help.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MEYT3XWFBFABZNZRZ3N7GXTFEE","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672320467},"content":"“I was struggling a lot with my mental health at the time, and I guess [bulimia] was a symptom of my other struggles,” says the 33-year-old.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TWQ2VZZJQ5CKDMIT445H6DR44M","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672320468},"content":"“The eating disorder voice can be really mean and nasty – and it really was for me – I wouldn’t speak to my worst enemy the way I talked to myself. I really hated my body and it was a cycle of hating, telling myself I shouldn’t eat, losing control, bingeing, then purging, and repeating it all over again.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"BLH5T75PB5GPLHK5NQADTZQIJU","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672320469},"content":"Pearce, who is training to be a psychotherapist, says things came to a head when she had a day of “going backwards and forwards between the bathroom and kitchen, bingeing and purging and totally out of control”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RCOLKI3LWRD25LEYCKAOI57BXQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672320470},"content":"At this point she knew she needed help. Although it wasn’t easy, she would encourage anyone going through the same thing to look for support as soon as possible.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5XB4V4OAYVGNJHFW7ZXMXWU37Q","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672320471},"content":"“Recovery was a slippery slope,” she says. “The initial act of even allowing myself to eat without bingeing was really incredibly hard, and even after that, there were slip-ups for a few years before I fully recovered.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LOXLRBR3DRHTPKL4CVHTNNL4NI","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672320472},"content":"“Mindfulness was one of the first things that really helped. My parents encouraged me to go to therapy, and there were a couple of therapists that weren’t a great fit, but eventually I found someone I was able to talk to. I also got into art, which was very therapeutic alongside a very mindful form of yoga which helped me to really reconnect with my body in a new way.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"SJPC527HLBC4ZGYN47IIIZ6RKQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672320473},"content":"This week is Eating Disorders Awareness Week, when experts aim to shine a light on a range of disorders that, it is estimated, will affect almost 188,900 people across the country during their lifetime.","type":"text"},{"_id":"URMSG5CFTBFVPCUDYZSKHKGX4I","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672320474},"type":"image"},{"_id":"7WTHDX7JYNA7JJESER7JEHULBA","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672320475},"content":"To coincide with the campaign, Minister of State for Mental Health Mary Butler has announced the locations for two additional eating disorder teams, being funded under Budget 2025. These comprise a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) eating disorder team in HSE Midwest, and an adult eating disorder team across HSE Dublin and Midlands, and HSE Dublin and North East.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NKT2AFA3T5ALLAH4QC6ZP3YQIA","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672320476},"content":"“Eating disorder teams have greatly enhanced screening and early recognition of eating disorders in Ireland, and are providing swifter access to specialist services,” says Butler.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NO6HBZ4EGZFDPAGJ5QTTLWCMBA","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672320477},"content":"This will come as welcome news to many as, according to figures from the National Clinical Programme for Eating Disorders, about 1,760 new cases occur in Ireland each year in people aged 10-49. In November 2024, the annual report on the Activities of Irish Psychiatric Units and Hospitals 2023 stated that for the first time, eating disorders accounted for the highest proportion of all under-18 admissions, along with depressive disorders.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RSRL3NEMRZFJRBP4LOLTVSDXWI","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672320478},"content":"Emer McLysaght: Five years ago I entered a psychiatric hospital with an eating disorder","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"QY4Z5Q2GFBBPJBXT66F3XI7PS4","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672320479},"content":"Barry Murphy, research and policy officer with Bodywhys, says eating disorders affect people in different ways but everyone should know help is available.","type":"text"},{"_id":"F3YMF3KJ2BBYTGVYYQZK5NDLGE","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672320480},"content":"“Our service users talk of a sense of relief to be able to share their experience of an eating disorder,” he says.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4X6WBYBN5BHITC2AA2P7IES6QI","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672320481},"content":"“We welcome all stories, and the emphasis has always been on providing a safe space where everyone feels heard and understood. Our theme allows us to expand on that core belief and by doing so, it further develops a space – where no matter what your diagnosis or lack of it, whether you feel a sense of hope or not, whether you are experiencing relapse or attempting recovery or living with Severe and Enduring Eating Disorder, you are a person struggling with an eating disorder, a carer, a clinician, or a volunteer, your voice is heard.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"XWCSCTAFTFCPDGFWMURF57A2WA","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672320482},"content":"Anorexia is the most common eating disorder in Ireland, but there are many different types, which often overlap with other issues, which could include pregnancy, menopause, polycystic ovary syndrome, trauma, obesity and food insecurity. It is important to be aware of the signs, says Murphy.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AB3GRZ6JMFBQ3PX2Y7FS7RISNI","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672320483},"content":"“The signs may be noticeable in change in eating patterns, weight, fainting, muscle weakness, eliminating food groups, skipping meals, loss of periods, damage to a person’s heart, their teeth, difficulties concentrating, stomach problems, bloodshot eyes, osteoporosis, trips to the bathroom that seem unusual, food rituals, distress about social eating, or having difficulties with flexibility (around meals).","type":"text"},{"_id":"KYFN4A4BFFBW7MIKMIJKEEZ44Q","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672320484},"content":"“If a parent or loved one notices red flags, they need to think about how to communicate.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BKSGONRF2JGNJIYDU5SBRGIIEA","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672320485},"content":"“Reading up in advance, being clear about what you want to convey – not focusing on behaviours or being confrontational – is a good first step. And, keep your expectations relatively low around initial conversations, as things won’t change overnight.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LHBS3GBRF5C25HVSW7LYB6RYVM","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672320486},"content":"“Also, availing of support services and psychoeducation for yourself as a family member, such as the Bodywhys family support package, is a way of supporting yourself,” he says highlighting resources at <a href=\"https://www.bodywhys.ie/\">bodywhys.ie</a>.","type":"text"},{"_id":"SU6PQL6VKBBYRIEWH77CZVBJEA","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672320487},"content":"Eating disorders now main reason behind children’s admission for psychiatric care","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"WOP5BXNPTNGKVCCYHWNWNWENBY","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672320488},"content":"Pearce says: “I think that a lot of eating disorders are a way of trying to gain control, but in the end they’re totally in control of you.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UETTPBLN6NGMRFZYQKBWA4XOMM","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672320489},"content":"“The biggest piece of advice I can give now, is that you can recover, even if it seems totally impossible – life is so much better when you stop obsessing about food and your body. Also it’s important to know that you’re not alone. There are so many people in the world who struggle with food and body image, and there are also people out there who want to help, so just reach out.”","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"premium"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Arlene Harris"}},"name":"Arlene Harris"}]},"description":{"basic":"Bulimia, anorexia and other such disorders affect almost 190,000 people in Ireland, but help is available"},"display_date":"2025-02-28T06:00:00Z","headlines":{"basic":"Eating disorders: ‘I wouldn’t speak to my worst enemy the way I talked to myself’","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"ISKMBGAZI5FEHBZAA6SUR5F4VM","auth":{"1":"42f3a662d4c952c315e9902ba5fcd9380a28e9fa5e41b2a605f974708a13593f"},"focal_point":{"x":1172,"y":1772},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/ISKMBGAZI5FEHBZAA6SUR5F4VM.jpg"}},"subtype":"feature","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Health"},{"name":"Ireland"},{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Your Wellness"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/health/2025/02/28/eating-disorders-i-wouldnt-speak-to-my-worst-enemy-the-way-i-talked-to-myself/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/health","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Health"}}}},{"_id":"ZNUE3SJMXVB3THYC3XCSAJBUTU","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":256,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/c91a2c8c-d942-4316-9384-43cff183da49/versions/1740673410/media/cafac557754b6736e78916c8144fba10_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/health/2025/02/27/section-39-health-care-workers-vote-for-industrial-action-in-long-running-dispute/","content_elements":[{"_id":"CWO3HYYGJ5CRJLSB5I5UYI2UIE","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672509632},"content":"Thousands of health workers at charities and voluntary organisations providing key services and supports to older people and those with disabilities have voted for industrial action as part of a long-running dispute over pay and conditions in the sector.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GMS6WM3U4JERNP4EOEOSNFHE3M","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672509633},"content":"Trade union <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/siptu/\" target=\"_blank\">Siptu</a>, which balloted about 5,000 members at more than 20 organisations operating across the country including Ability West, Cheshire Ireland and Rehab, said on Thursday 97 per cent of its members who voted did so in favour of taking action. There was a 70 per cent turnout. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"2T26IDG2LJHJVN5GRF4CYCYODY","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672509634},"content":"No decision on what action might be taken will be made until after talks between government departments and unions, which also include <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/forsa/\" target=\"_blank\">Fórsa</a> and the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/irish-nurses-and-midwives-organisation/\" target=\"_blank\">Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation</a>, at the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/workplace-relations-commission/\" target=\"_blank\">Workplace Relations Commission</a> on Monday.","type":"text"},{"_id":"76U5DFUDCNGDXCZBNHMQ3F5NC4","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672509635},"content":"“The reality is that this issue goes back almost 15 years to when the government side took the decision to impose the public service pay cuts on people working for these organisations despite the fact that they aren’t public servants,” said John King, Siptu deputy general secretary.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UFWOSQNW6RHB7I6R7QXDJCMPDQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672509636},"content":"“Then, when pay restoration happened for the public service in 2017, the government didn’t apply it to the Section 39 agencies.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"Z6WJRJBBQVENRDOJDRDFTO24SQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672509637},"content":"The staff involved are employed by Section 39 organisations, a reference to the segment of legislation providing for the contracting out of the health services involved to charities and voluntary organisations. Thousands more staff working for organisations operating in homessless and family services will also be impacted by any agreement.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5WRCLD2RPVHQDFUWM2P6TQBYSA","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672509638},"content":"“In October 2023 we got an agreement for pay increases and, critically, a commitment to deal, once and for all, with the restoration of the link that previously existed between these workers and people in many cases doing the same work in the public service but unfortunately that didn’t happen.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"24L4Q3KFGJACZDQRIMLZKNZPDE","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672509639},"content":"Officials from the government department involved had told unions before Christmas they did not have the political mandate required to complete a deal but, Mr King said, “if that continues to be their line, then we’re heading for a strike”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LSTHPZMD7BHO3FAPI5H35YFZSI","additional_properties":{"_id":"HFKW2UANG5GQRFS2ASXWVTR4ZI"},"content":"‘I could be beside someone doing the same work for more money.’ The plight of section 39 workers","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"76JCYR54OREW5AAPOACXQGKTQA","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672509640},"content":"The staff taking industrial action would include large numbers of healthcare assistants providing vital supports to vulnerable adults and children, whether in centres or individual homes, as well as specialised healthcare professionals and administrative staff.","type":"text"},{"_id":"L5QYQHTGNRHOXCNYOGIPJZ3QLA","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672509641},"content":"Siptu has up to 15,000 members working in the sector, “doing really important work”, he said. About a third of those members were balloted on this occasion but the dispute extends far beyond this number.","type":"text"},{"_id":"VM2YS2CLIZFHRFHHRZV55WAV64","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672509642},"content":"","type":"text"},{"_id":"XEFAUR2P7FFIPC4TAXZN6JCFTE","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672509643},"content":"A strike scheduled to take place in October 2023 was averted by the deal that included pay increases and provisions for a process intended to resolve wider issues.","type":"text"},{"_id":"N4SOYDH4RJHHDKBISD4FYEGXCI","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672509644},"content":"The problems involved were highlighted during the general election campaign when then taoiseach Simon Harris encountered Charlotte Fallon, a staff member at St Joseph’s Foundation in Cork, during a campaign event and she accused the government of ignoring the disability sector and its workers.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ODRYVQPEMBBW3CPZEJV2KBNTG4","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672509645},"content":"Mr Harris denied the accusation but a video clip of the encounter went viral and he said a resolution to the dispute would be found but talks since then have again failed to produce an agreement","type":"text"},{"_id":"2YIW4ZKGPVHSHBDB6UCWPF3MOY","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672509646},"content":"Employer organisations in the sectors involved, some of them employing large numbers of staff, will be watching the process closely. Many have said any deal needs to address related issues such as the funding of social insurance payments and pension contributions.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LKWIVNHTUZEYTNUMM26KFHYVSY","additional_properties":{"_id":1740672509647},"content":"The full list of organisations where staff have voted to take action is: Ability West, Aiséirí, Bray Home Care Service, CareGivers Ireland, Caredoc, Cheshire Ireland, CoAction Cork, Cobh Community Hospital, Disability Federation of Ireland, Kerry Parents and Friends Association, Northside Homecare Services, Praxis Care – Cork, Rehab Group, St Joseph’s Foundation, St Lukes Home Cork, SouthDoc, St Cronan’s Association, St Joseph’s Day Care Centre, Social Action Group Rathmore, Trinity Community Care, Western Care Association and Waterford Intellectual Disability Association.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Emmet Malone"}},"name":"Emmet Malone"}]},"description":{"basic":"Thousands of workers at more than 20 organisations vote to take next step over pay and conditions"},"display_date":"2025-02-27T13:11:02.408Z","headlines":{"basic":"Thousands of healthcare workers vote for industrial action in long-running dispute","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"FQEM2RXOPZVGMFJD5PP3XOV4RM","auth":{"1":"c60f15730f56c0220e87d056da368e42a4ea73c4d0e2e2667978adc4c83db6f0"},"focal_point":{"x":925,"y":125},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/FQEM2RXOPZVGMFJD5PP3XOV4RM.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Health"},{"name":"Ireland"},{"name":"Social Affairs"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/health/2025/02/27/section-39-health-care-workers-vote-for-industrial-action-in-long-running-dispute/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/health","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Health"}}}},{"_id":"ENLG5OVRAVCXVDAGE5GOL62AOA","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":239,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/56630136-0c0f-4a44-8d95-fe30d0a61f1c/versions/1740607387/media/97822d79b36db3e925e3bca26f17a564_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/02/26/horses-being-left-to-rot-and-die-in-city-estates-limerick-td-tells-dail/","content_elements":[{"_id":"JGH3YM4RXJDVDFHJRHWJ3MTGOI","additional_properties":{"_id":1740605746799},"content":"Horses are being “left to rot and die in city estates” because it is easier to buy another for €20 or €30 than to care for them, the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/dail-eireann/\" target=\"_blank\">Dáil</a> has been told.","type":"text"},{"_id":"B2CPFR26XNGATLIGIPBRPONDP4","additional_properties":{"_id":1740605746800},"content":"<a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/sinn-fein/\" target=\"_blank\">Sinn Féin</a> <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/limerick/\" target=\"_blank\">Limerick</a> TD <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/maurice-quinlivan/\" target=\"_blank\">Maurice Quinlivan</a> spoke of seeing more than 50 horses on public land and in the gardens of vacant council-owned properties within a 90-minute period as he highlighted the worsening crisis of abandoned and mistreated horses.","type":"text"},{"_id":"SHTT7LWEYZHTVM262YUGMURI6M","additional_properties":{"_id":1740605746801},"content":"","type":"text"},{"_id":"3X4KOPEDUNEWLHR4ICW6LIWSSU","additional_properties":{"_id":1740605746802},"content":"“We are now approaching foaling season and this will only get worse. In some cases the authorities have been met with threats of violence when attempting to seize abused animals,” Mr Quinlivan said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XRD53CUAONGNJFMEQ4FZLQYEEE","additional_properties":{"_id":1740605746803},"content":"“This is not fair or proportionate, but it is what happens when the law is not applied year after year, and the result of the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/department-of-agriculture/\" target=\"_blank\">Department [of Agriculture]</a> not doing its job properly.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"U53IZ2FCPRBFVN5BECJSL53PYM","additional_properties":{"_id":1740605746804},"content":"Mr Quinlivan called for better enforcement of animal welfare laws and more support for animal welfare groups.","type":"text"},{"_id":"U3FWWTBARVHZHBSH2B55ZQGVCY","additional_properties":{},"content":"Instead of going to the vet, owners abandon the horses because it is cheaper to buy a new horse, available for €20 or €30, Mr Quinlivan said, adding that authorities are failing to enforce the law on microchipping horses.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NG4E5CRYSVEWHFBXK2I4ORH42Q","additional_properties":{"_id":1740605746806},"content":"<a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/fianna-fail/\" target=\"_blank\">Fianna Fáil</a> TD <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/padraig-osullivan/\" target=\"_blank\">Pádraig O’Sullivan</a> also highlighted the issue in Glanmire, <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/cork/\" target=\"_blank\">Co Cork</a>, where an equine carcass was left to rot for several days.","type":"text"},{"_id":"733TBZDLIVGKRAD6VWN4BZXBMY","additional_properties":{"_id":1740605746807},"content":"“We have reams after reams of animal welfare legislation but no enforcement,” Mr O’Sullivan said. He called for the implementation of legislation he drafted for the appointment of an equine officer to every local authority.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7NQRM2CYYZBB5K3VAKAQ3WTKRA","additional_properties":{"_id":1740605746808},"content":"That would provide a “dedicated person who can deal with it and none of this faffing around and trying to shovel responsibility on to other agencies”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MMK7AJYTXFH5BAKSKWPBXW3XAE","additional_properties":{"_id":1740605746809},"content":"Taoiseach <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/micheal-martin/\" target=\"_blank\">Micheál Martin</a> said his proposal “makes absolute sense” and he would raise it with the Minister for Agriculture and local authorities because “the agencies need to get stronger and be more effective”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TLSVVXTBMJGGXNA6A2COT5KOWM","additional_properties":{"_id":1740605746810},"content":"Mr Quinlivan said that “since Christmas, a number of horses have been abandoned and left to die and rot in city estates”. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"7WYRACUZBBHITCM7DQ2RMNDQPI","additional_properties":{},"content":"“This has a terrible impact. It is a heartbreaking sight for anyone, especially children, to see outside their own front door,” he said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TYZFHOBUBVCTFG7LAUN7K345LM","additional_properties":{"_id":1740605746811},"content":"Other horses are often left in a distressed or abandoned state, Mr Quinlivan said, pointing out that at least 1,431 wandering or stray horses have been collected in Limerick city since 2015. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"C6Q2AE2RX5EKFEDGTRI3NWVBXU","additional_properties":{},"content":"“Unfortunately, most seized before 2019 ended up being euthanised. Horses collected since then have been rehomed by horse welfare charities, putting huge pressure on them,” Mr Quinlivan told the Dáil.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WJJVGRDTW5CHDII2IZDAZZ7KMU","additional_properties":{"_id":1740605746812},"content":"But he said “if the horses were wandering around Montenotte in Cork, Foxrock in Dublin or the North Circular Road in my city, Limerick, I suspect there would have been a different response”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"O4DRC66DIJF7ZNKIFDGMQGXGYM","additional_properties":{"_id":1740605746813},"content":"Minister of State for Agriculture <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/michael-healy-rae/\" target=\"_blank\">Michael Healy-Rae</a> told him that “what is going on is a disgrace”. The Department of Agriculture “takes the matter of animal welfare most seriously and responds to any reports of alleged animal cruelty or legislative noncompliance”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JUUWVT2O2ZFSJNLWQV5VTFIGTU","additional_properties":{"_id":1740605746814},"content":"Mr Healy-Rae said that since 2015 the department has spent more than €2 million on urban horse projects. Last year, €6 million in funding went to 101 animal welfare charities and more than €3.4 million of that figure was awarded to horse welfare charities, he said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"Y3PSOVXSA5HGDEJISQGELFLYCM","additional_properties":{"_id":1740605746815},"content":"Mr Healy-Rae said “enough funding is going through”, and the charitable organisations are doing their work. “But at the end of the day it is very hard to legislate for other people’s behaviour,” he said. “This whole acceptance by certain people that they can do whatever they like because it is only an animal is what we have to get away from.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"VPK2P6GLWZELHEG4RL3ZQQOQ6E","additional_properties":{"_id":"NAJABP7Y4ZBR7NAYPAG3E3MNWE"},"embed":{"config":{},"id":"acast_podcast-12487","url":"/"},"subtype":"acast_podcast","type":"custom_embed"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Marie O'Halloran"}},"name":"Marie O'Halloran"}]},"description":{"basic":"Micheál Martin says ‘agencies need to get stronger and be more effective’ on animal welfare"},"display_date":"2025-02-26T21:57:58.933Z","headlines":{"basic":"Horses being left to ‘rot and die in city estates’, Limerick TD tells Dáil","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"SZJCEF5FIZOHFLGU3GLIVBKZLU","auth":{"1":"a45e9079fd5163b7cc9f4b20f5b96ecdc64b36b392998dc30a54189e1f6b711c"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/SZJCEF5FIZOHFLGU3GLIVBKZLU.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Ireland"},{"name":"Oireachtas"},{"name":"Politics"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/02/26/horses-being-left-to-rot-and-die-in-city-estates-limerick-td-tells-dail/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social Affairs"}}}},{"_id":"GFH4IJJ3LFBVXNV4JD2BC2IIZA","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":214,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/8d24efc3-fe28-4868-9da9-cd2cb8492857/versions/1740522347/media/ef0283b5b99a7fd09ee5b142c6a65bb3_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/02/26/wrc-award-against-restaurant-in-liquidation-set-to-be-paid-by-state/","content_elements":[{"_id":"SPNK3YZ2RNB3VH7J7YNCJO5HRY","additional_properties":{},"content":"An award of more than €140,000 made by the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) to a chef who was underpaid and mistreated by a Dublin restaurant is expected to receive most, or all, of the money from the State after the businesses was put into liquidation on Tuesday.","type":"text"},{"_id":"H6PZTDW4MFHRVB77BAUYIPDMBU","additional_properties":{},"content":"Sharanjeet Kaur <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/business/work/2024/04/03/indian-restaurant-worker-secures-143000-award-over-breaches-and-harassment/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/business/work/2024/04/03/indian-restaurant-worker-secures-143000-award-over-breaches-and-harassment/\">was awarded a total of €143,268</a> for a long list labour law breaches after working at the Bombay House restaurant in Skerries, Co Dublin for more than a year at what was calculated to be an hourly rate of €4.46 per hour.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2ENJPGTYWVDCDL2ANTIQKGLPSA","additional_properties":{},"content":"The WRC was told her family had paid €17,000 in cash to Bhappa Singh, a director of the company, Bombay Bhappa, which operated the restaurant to cover the cost of securing an employment permit.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DUWXBVTQ3BH73O4K3EDDJCDZ3Y","additional_properties":{},"content":"Ms Kaur, who left a job in Malaysia to take up the job, was promised a “life changing experience for her and her children,” but was instead sexually harassed, the WRC heard, by a number of co-workers in shared accommodation and paid far less than anticipated, about €200 per week.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6RT2X26LXRECXFQYMMVPBYTL3I","additional_properties":{},"content":"In a <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/business/work/2024/04/03/indian-restaurant-worker-secures-143000-award-over-breaches-and-harassment/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/business/work/2024/04/03/indian-restaurant-worker-secures-143000-award-over-breaches-and-harassment/\">widely reported decision</a> last April, the WRC, where Ms Kaur, an Indian national, was represented by the Migrants Rights Centre of Ireland (MRCI), awarded her €60,000 under the Employment Equality Act, €30,000 for unfair dismissal, €35,000 in compensation and €7,248 under National Minimum Wage legislation with the balance coming under a number of other headings.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2N3XPRNFRVCIRN66SWCF2T7HZ4","additional_properties":{},"content":"The adjudication officer described Ms Kaur’s ordeal as “a distressing catalogue of discrimination, harassment and sexual harassment which she suffered on [an] almost daily basis for the entirety of her employment”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6GD34RH3ZZFHHN5WXYKNGU25GM","additional_properties":{},"content":"The money was not paid by the business in months after the case concluded, however, and on Tuesday Declan Clancy of Status Corporate Advisory was appointed as liquidator to Bombay Bhappa Ltd at a meeting of the company’s creditors called for the purpose.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RWFXOPMNLZCY7DWAZ674AJR7FA","additional_properties":{},"content":"Mr Clancy said he did not expect there to be significant funds to meet address the company’s debts and the amount owed to Ms Kaur would be referred to the State’s Insolvency Payment Scheme. This is a fund administered by the Department of Social Protection – in conjunction with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment – and intended to cover payments like holiday pay, wage arrears and minimum notice due to workers where an employer has gone out of business.","type":"text"},{"_id":"D4XZWQGZUNH7ZBROIHFJKEJDOQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"The scheme also covers unpaid WRC awards and Mr Clancy said he would co-operate with the MRCI in its efforts to lodge a claim on Ms Kaur’s behalf.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZUVB5U35SNGFJBLUV7XVIVUPAU","additional_properties":{},"content":"There are certain caps on categories of payment, primarily with regard to back pay, but Mr Clancy said that while he had not into the detail of the award, he expected that Ms Kaur would receive the majority or all of her award from the scheme in the coming months.","type":"text"},{"_id":"OKRJ3775HNGKZBFZILCGWYGU2A","additional_properties":{},"content":"MRCI’s Bill Abom said the organisation was “happy that Sharanjeet may soon receive some redress for the ordeal she has been through. She’s been very brave coming forward in a very difficult and risky situation. We hope her actions will encourage other workers in similar situations of exploitation to come forward and seek justice”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"75MXGJDPHFEBNEOYIGOD3KXJLQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"He added: “There needs to be more severe penalties against unscrupulous employers who treat workers in this way otherwise there is no deterrent and they will continue to exploit with impunity.”","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Emmet Malone"}},"name":"Emmet Malone"}]},"description":{"basic":"Woman was awarded €143,268 for a long list labour law breaches at Bombay House restaurant in Skerries, Co Dublin"},"display_date":"2025-02-26T09:15:00Z","headlines":{"basic":"WRC award against restaurant in liquidation set to be paid by State","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"MIN645TP4AC7L4Y556SFJGOOQU","auth":{"1":"4a8fe0cf2784eab9fc827d171c9b15fb91edaf5cc0a0d5d5c565120671313425"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/MIN645TP4AC7L4Y556SFJGOOQU.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Business"},{"name":"Work"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/02/26/wrc-award-against-restaurant-in-liquidation-set-to-be-paid-by-state/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social Affairs"}}}},{"_id":"N7VYPNKAB5GKDJNGFLW5WGLOTE","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":215,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/3b1ae458-ab93-4802-b1b8-fb6920cc971b/versions/1740515985/media/2b301ef8826dd2e84363d1c2bb3ea00c_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/02/25/work-was-biggest-factor-in-peoples-risk-taking-during-covid-19-pandemic-esri-report-finds/","content_elements":[{"_id":"MUCNYKPDYFAI5JJ2747K22DMVM","additional_properties":{},"content":"The requirement to continue working through the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/health/covid-19/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/health/covid-19/\">Covid-19</a> pandemic was the single greatest factor in the level of risk taken by people during the tightest restrictions, according to new research.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CNBL7ZW5QZCL5LES44AVBAGRPA","additional_properties":{},"content":"However, when work was taken out of the equation, older adults took more risks than younger ones on average, the study from the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/economic-social-research-institute-esri/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/economic-social-research-institute-esri/\">Economic and Social Research Institute</a> (ESRI) found. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"WUO56WXGQRGLVHCL2U6SKO3TGM","additional_properties":{},"content":"The report also found those with higher levels of income or education were more likely to take risks when it came to socialising, the research suggests. There was little between the genders, though, and no clear pattern based on location.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JZDIQMAF5JAMXN3HASPGZVCOIY","additional_properties":{},"content":"The paper is based on regular research carried out by Red C and Ipsos B&A during an 18-month period from January 2021.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4ER7NRRDJNDAXOH2E4R3QLCHNM","additional_properties":{},"content":"Those surveyed were asked about their attitudes to the restrictions associated with the pandemic and to review their behaviour over particular days in terms of level of risk they engaged in with regard to visiting other homes, meeting people or going to public places.","type":"text"},{"_id":"C4XSJXXHDNCTVEFWARZWEPCYDI","additional_properties":{},"content":"The report found levels of adherence to the regulations were generally high, and highest among those who worried most about Covid-19 or its potential impact on family or friends. The extent an individual believed the restrictions would be beneficial tended to be a greater motivation than a fear of punishment for breaches.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4A2HML62XJD2LJSPHIJNU224O4","additional_properties":{},"content":"A sense the restrictions were logical and easy to understand was also a factor and though there appears to have been some fatigue, the report suggests, behaviour only changed substantially as the rules were eased.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MQTPB2LE7NEHRIJDNH3VUFZY3Q","additional_properties":{},"content":"“These perceptions were, on average, positive and strongly correlated with confidence in the government. Perceptions of how much others were complying with restrictions mattered too,” the report said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"V6S3OUUIKRADNM5HWM7FZTCOIQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"The authors, Prof Peter Lunn along with senior researchers Shane Timmins and Deirdre Robertson, found that while a requirement to continue attending work over the period of the pandemic involved was the most significant single factor in an individual’s inclination to socialise, age played a more surprising role.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3DQKCPNFERDJXGUMTJ7PK7V6FA","additional_properties":{},"content":"“The models show that, of all the background characteristics tested, being a worker was most strongly linked to greater social activity,” it is said. “There is essentially no influence of age on risk scores at the beginning of the period, when Level 5 restrictions were in place. However, from approximately the middle of 2021 onwards, the coefficients suggest that older adults tended to be more socially active than younger ones, with those over 60 being the most active. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"MO4WSXFICZBDXPMGIHIVDWQ6WA","additional_properties":{},"content":"“This pattern, while perhaps initially surprising, is not inexplicable. Older people were the first to be vaccinated and the fortnightly social activity measure data reported at the time suggest that many people waited for their vaccination before returning to activities.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"PBGOIKZHZFD6JKV2TLOSNZLXXI","additional_properties":{},"content":"People with higher levels of education and income were also more socially active, the authors find. “It might be a reasonable contention that during ‘normal times’ people in higher socio-economic groups will visit more locations outside the home, simply because many locations are associated with spending income,” the report said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WOCMDMRBDFENVCM7BLYHB5DPF4","additional_properties":{},"content":"The research is an indication of the importance of persuading the population that rules, which straightforward and easily policed, are evidence based and will produce positive results during times of emergency, the authors say.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Emmet Malone"}},"name":"Emmet Malone"}]},"description":{"basic":"People aged over 60 were most socially active"},"display_date":"2025-02-25T20:34:16.958Z","headlines":{"basic":"Work was biggest factor in people’s risk-taking during Covid-19 pandemic, ESRI report finds ","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"KHDFAGPJRJN3VGU3ALWVBTGDTA","auth":{"1":"40fcd2259ce2fa2f429e250bfc54a8d5ba415ac67606a6dc02e10266f502302a"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/KHDFAGPJRJN3VGU3ALWVBTGDTA.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/02/25/work-was-biggest-factor-in-peoples-risk-taking-during-covid-19-pandemic-esri-report-finds/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social Affairs"}}}},{"_id":"HM4T2ENFZJFF7JXCHIODJEL5DA","additional_properties":{},"canonical_url":"/politics/2025/02/25/most-hosts-of-ukrainians-say-800-payment-per-month-is-crucial-to-their-ability-to-continue-hosting/","content_elements":[{"_id":"JFIVIEGQ7VAZ5LDNF5FUVGBZ5U","additional_properties":{},"content":"The majority of hosts accommodating Ukrainians displaced by war have said the €800 payment per month is crucial to their ability to continue hosting, a new survey from the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/irish-red-cross/\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/irish-red-cross/\">Irish Red Cross</a> says. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"CBLGXV25GRGO7FHSAXS37W5ZJM","additional_properties":{},"content":"More than half of respondents cited the Accommodation Recognition Payment (ARP) as a key factor in terms of their motivation for hosting. The Irish Red Cross has recommended extending the payment for 12 months, and exploring it as a possible accommodation solution for other displaced groups. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"PAAFUZ3QYJF67GVEZH4VT3LTQM","additional_properties":{},"content":"The ARP is a tax-free payment of €800 for those providing accommodation to Ukrainians who arrive in the Republic under the EU Temporary Protection Directive. The scheme is due to expire on March 31st.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2MCISWJV5FBV5KDZTBCS6E3SPA","additional_properties":{},"content":"The Government is expected to extend the scheme with consideration being given to a €200 reduction in the monthly rate. A decision is expected to be announced by the Government over the coming days, with meetings taking place between the Department of Integration and Department of Justice.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ANAUJ6I7BZCGNLVR4KQXBLKFII","additional_properties":{},"content":"The Irish Red Cross unveiled the findings of its Ukraine Pledged Accommodation Host survey at Leinster House on Tuesday, which involved over 1,600 people or about 12 per cent of the host population. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"PKWYU4A3HFFFHB6JJB42ENMGUE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Most respondents host between one and three Ukrainians, and have been doing so for more than a year. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"R2M35X6O3NGJHPMX6IACTGJYGQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"Two-thirds of those surveyed who wish to extend their pledges said they are open to hosting people from other countries, while 86 per cent said the ARP was crucial to their ability to continue hosting. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"VPJ52R7NRJEP7CDGUC6PMDEJTA","additional_properties":{},"content":"More than half of respondents said their motivation was based on solidarity with displaced Ukrainians, while 18 per cent were encouraged to host because someone they knew was doing it or had asked them to. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"F5NCO6EF75EXZFWMMN234XBFZQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"The majority (91 per cent) of hosts reported a positive hosting experience, while 70 per cent feel their guests have successfully become part of the local community. However, more than half said the language barrier was a challenge, while 42 per cent struggle with long-term planning and financial costs. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"UP2Y6MTS7ZDK3PSNLVEU5WMPO4","additional_properties":{},"content":"According to the latest figures from the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/department-of-social-protection/\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/department-of-social-protection/\">Department of Social Protection</a>, close to 19,000 hosts across Ireland have accommodated displaced people from Ukraine.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UPLRA42LW5GVPL77N5QPI367NU","additional_properties":{},"content":"The Irish Red Cross has also recommended promoting the use of license agreements to formalise and better regulate hosting arrangements. It has also called for developing a structured exit strategy for transitioning out of the ARP programme and the Temporary Protection Directive. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"2R2R4FAQF5D7JNIMSBZJWTJBUE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Deirdre Garvey, secretary general of the Irish Red Cross, said the organisation was calling on policymakers and stakeholders to “prioritise continued funding and structured support mechanisms” to ensure a stable future for both hosts and guests. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"UHHD7VZS6JDABDCPXAH4PIB7BU","additional_properties":{},"content":"“Hosting is more than shelter; it’s about integration,” Ms Garvey said. “Hosts are guides, mentors, and bridges into Irish society. They help with language, local networks and creating a true sense of belonging.” ","type":"text"},{"_id":"F2BJ5XQC3FB7RCKN7V5V7CHCDY","additional_properties":{},"content":"","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Sarah Burns"}},"name":"Sarah Burns"}]},"description":{"basic":"Government expected to extend Accommodation Recognition Payment, with consideration being given to €200 reduction in rate"},"display_date":"2025-02-25T20:01:21.936Z","headlines":{"basic":"Most hosts of Ukrainians say €800 payment per month is crucial to their ability to continue hosting","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"SC27EEYJIESFBTNAZAM52RL5VE","auth":{"1":"325bba49c06eaac8d7ff5e48dc4c3e8fbd971fe195e86f17809a85b0e15b913d"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/SC27EEYJIESFBTNAZAM52RL5VE.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Politics"},{"name":"Ireland"},{"name":"Social Affairs"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/politics/2025/02/25/most-hosts-of-ukrainians-say-800-payment-per-month-is-crucial-to-their-ability-to-continue-hosting/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/politics","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Politics"}}}},{"_id":"H6N2T5IYV5BX7JEQBW5ZPQDKU4","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":254,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/7eef634f-f5a3-4ba4-96a8-69a95ddeef9f/versions/1740488391/media/6771df4de2f641db52bbdc7f343dfadb_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/02/25/mount-street-community-group-threatens-legal-action-over-asylum-housing-proposal/","content_elements":[{"_id":"CZMIOSTRKBB6RLYZ453IIVYVSY","additional_properties":{},"content":"A group representing businesses and residents around <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/dublin/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/dublin/\">Dublin</a>’s Mount Street has threatened to take legal action if an application to develop an accommodation centre for <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/immigration/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/immigration/\">asylum seekers</a> in the area proceeds.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UOB7I2Q7RFDCVLXBSIWA757BKI","additional_properties":{},"content":"In an email sent to local TDs and councillors on Sunday, members of the Mount Street community network, which was established in March 2024, said they would “resist” the application to turn the former headquarters of the Irish League of Credit Unions (ILCU) into housing for <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/ipas/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/ipas/\">international protection applicants</a>, and would use “legal action” if necessary. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"DQJHZKOFBRC3NCSTZUQJKGRMAU","additional_properties":{},"content":"“We have been living with tents and metal barriers in our neighbourhood for over 18 months,” said the email, seen by The Irish Times. “Now an application is put forward to house 700 people in addition to having the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/international-protection-office/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/international-protection-office/\">International Protection Office</a> (IPO) on the same street.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6KV7FUVPAFDJ3NYQLZIJRMD6HQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"“We have played our part in this crisis of the Government’s own making, we will no longer allow our area to bear the burden of this mismanagement.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"ILVPU2DUFNCI3EWPDGVOKJTD2E","additional_properties":{},"content":"A firm called Lower Mount Street Accommodation Services Limited has reportedly applied for permission to convert the ILCU office block into International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) housing, according to a Business Post report. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"2LMLQ6YBT5BKNOOVKVQMHNOA3M","additional_properties":{},"content":"The former headquarters at 33-41 Lower Mount Street was put up for sale, with potential for refurbishment or redevelopment, in June 2023 with a guiding price of €9.5 million. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"SXDKUIIXLBH7XNZBXX2KOJF34E","additional_properties":{},"content":"The Lower Mount Street Accommodation Services limited company was established in August 2024, according to company filings.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZDO2OI53FBDKZOX7AU3PAOERUU","additional_properties":{},"content":"A Department of Integration spokeswoman confirmed it had received an offer for accommodation at the ILCU site but that no decision had been made “as it is in the early stages”. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"4LVCC3R6JZGXLPHW647HJKGIBM","additional_properties":{},"content":"“The department will be carrying out a detailed appraisal of the offer in due course and doesn’t have any further information to share at this stage,” she said. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"WVNBHNBBSVH6XMMGN24PHNWD4E","additional_properties":{},"content":"In May 2024, the tents of more than 200 asylum seekers were dismantled and removed from Mount Street as part of a multi-agency operation to clear the area of IPAs who had set up camp while awaiting a decision on their asylum claim. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"WEKNP5EHKVBCBFYISKNEHLFMN4","additional_properties":{},"content":"The International Protection Office, where asylum claims are made and processed, is located on Mount Street Lower. Barricades were erected where tents previously stood and nearly ten months on, the steel fencing remains in place.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TAZPJWOTRJCG5MZPZ524BBJRCU","additional_properties":{},"content":"Ruth Hamilton, a local restaurant owner and member of the Mount Street network that contacted TDs and councillors on Sunday, said the community had “reached the end of its tether”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DKD6DLPRWJFLHKOYYHOSP6NFXE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Residents and business owners learned of the proposal to redevelop the ILCU site “like everyone else, through reading the paper”, said Ms Hamilton.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZEWPYHZ5TJE5ZOU2LW3JGB64UI","additional_properties":{},"content":"“We’ve done everything as a community and businesses in the area to reach out for correspondence and there’s been no answers from them [Government representatives].” ","type":"text"},{"_id":"5DUKPQO7QVAHJGX2Y5BWU52ITU","additional_properties":{},"content":"“What we want to find is whether this building is suitable to accommodate over 700 people and are services available for that volume of people? What are the wraparound services?”","type":"text"},{"_id":"6BT2WJ3CQZE53HRY7WINOZ7B2I","additional_properties":{},"content":"Asked whether using a city centre premises to house asylum seekers made more sense than housing people in rural areas given the amenities available in a large city, Ms Hamilton said the community deserved better engagement from Government and the International Protection Office. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"DFYWNK6B35APZMEUPJXTXYYJRQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"“This has been ongoing for over two years with a total lack of communication. We feel like we’re forgotten about and that we have no other option but to take legal action. We don’t want to do that, but it may be the only thing to do because we’ve been backed into a corner.” ","type":"text"},{"_id":"VEKQUVORMNDVZLN33RGAMIY3EY","additional_properties":{},"content":"Business for her own restaurant has also been “horrific” since the fencing was erected, she added. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"BB6LDXVACNGNXDP66RTM7XAMXI","additional_properties":{},"content":"The Department of Integration spokeswoman said community engagement usually takes place at a later stage when a property is approved for use given “many offers do not progress through the application process”. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZVHMQFSNOZCBFHDKBOWRD32OEU","additional_properties":{},"content":"The IPAS community engagement team are currently responding to local queries about this property, she added.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Sorcha Pollak"}},"name":"Sorcha Pollak"}]},"description":{"basic":"Department confirms offer was made for accommodation centre at Dublin property but says no decision made"},"display_date":"2025-02-25T12:58:50.015Z","headlines":{"basic":"Mount Street community group threatens legal action over asylum housing 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target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/travellers/\">Traveller communities</a>.","type":"text"},{"_id":"C423W5QLJFCRDAU3AUQUDMKTDU","additional_properties":{},"content":"","type":"text"},{"_id":"ROLCBFRHTNGHLI22H5TFMUO4YA","additional_properties":{},"content":"In a submission to the Government recommending a wide range of measures, Dr Michael O’Flaherty said this consensus view included Government officials and that the discrimination involved permeated “all aspects” of the lives of those impacted.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LE5GMZFR3NACLOE6RTOHCIRY54","additional_properties":{},"content":"His recommendations include the repeal of some existing pieces of legislation, the establishment of new legal protections and the provision of additional supports.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AMFADBFHAZHY3MTZLX5J7K5KY4","additional_properties":{},"content":"Dr O’Flaherty, a human rights lawyer originally from Galway, is the fifth Commissioner for Human Rights at the Council of Europe, the oldest political body in Europe that aims to uphold human rights, democracy and the rule of law.","type":"text"},{"_id":"OKBQV4XOUBCW7F7SQX3YQOPYPM","additional_properties":{},"content":"In a memorandum to the Government published on Tuesday, he has recommended actions across areas including justice, housing, education and health after community representatives identified policy failures or issues of discrimination in all to him.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4472DEXR3NERFDZELDUNAPKZ34","additional_properties":{},"content":"Among the recommendations made are the provision of more culturally appropriate accommodation for members of the Roma and Traveller communities.","type":"text"},{"_id":"Z7EFP2JU6RCSLNA4ZMJG2CIRYU","additional_properties":{},"content":"He also suggests access to legal aid for civil cases involving complaints of discrimination and the recruitment of more Roma and Traveller community members to teaching to help address bullying and racism in schools.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CP3U7MHD4ND3HKBZBGOYYAAHLM","additional_properties":{},"content":"In terms of the criminal justice system, the memorandum highlights research that found Travellers are hugely over-represented among the prison population with members of the community feeling “over-policed” but “under protected” by a system constructed “by settled people for settled people” in which they feel discriminated against by members of the Garda Siochána and the judiciary.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WN7OX7ND5RA53IOWRFHRPO3MUE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Individual Traveller women reported being hesitant to report episodes of domestic violence after being told by individual gardaí that such episodes were normal in their community and did not merit action.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YXNTQYV5T5DFZMGZPNBVBW5W2Q","additional_properties":{},"content":"Dr O’Flaherty acknowledges, however, there are many contributory factors in relation to the Travelling community being over-represented in the prison system including poverty and exclusion. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"OZWTCIDI4FH65LJRE2JBFXKGEY","additional_properties":{},"content":"His memorandum comes after he spent several days during October meeting representatives of the Traveller and Roma communities. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"6V4D2JDIIBGPRJGVNQRS22KDIU","additional_properties":{},"content":"He also met academics, officials from public bodies and government officials including ministers and senior civil servants. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"YZBSNTNIU5B6VBJK6SIEYCNFLE","additional_properties":{},"content":"During the period he visited halting sites in Dublin and Limerick where, he says, he witnessed “very basic and overcrowded conditions, with an insufficient number and quality of sanitary facilities”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GK24S72WSREDPA6UES63FDRQZA","additional_properties":{},"content":"He reported that Travellers believe they are being failed by the social housing system and struggling in a “hostile” private rental market.","type":"text"},{"_id":"POSLS4AKD5EY7C32QX74DI63EA","additional_properties":{},"content":"The commissioner acknowledged progress and ongoing work by Government and other agencies. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"NQ7EXYEZBFBDFIMRRBFZ3UYLTA","additional_properties":{},"content":"However, he said members of the Roma and Traveller communities continue to face huge challenges and negative outcomes in areas such as health, including mental health, with life expectancy more than 10 years higher for the general population than for Travellers who are seven times more likely to die by suicide.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZY2GKB5PVRFWJHEGZEO3NMFF7I","additional_properties":{},"content":"In response, the Government says it will give “careful attention” to the report, the issues highlighted and the recommendations made but identifies a long list of measures already taken or that are in progress or planned to address specific concerns of the Roma and Traveller communities or wider instances of racism, inequality or discrimination.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PX2WSDZIB5FQLC3TTKCWELIUMU","additional_properties":{},"content":"On housing, it said allocated capital funding for Traveller-specific accommodation is €23 million this year, an increase of 59 per cent since 2020 while wider public spending on the sector is also substantially up.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LVWG2KDUHFE7ZMDSKEV5JYRDMY","additional_properties":{},"content":"It said moves to change the law to allow the Workplace Relations Commission rather than the District Court to deal with complaints in relation to discrimination in pubs and other licensed premises was started by the last government.","type":"text"},{"_id":"FLIAKGI7IVD3DHE2IFR7LJX3LE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Significant work is ongoing, it said, in relation to the issues raised around justice, education and health with progress already made on a number of fronts. ","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Emmet Malone"}},"name":"Emmet Malone"}]},"description":{"basic":"Commissioner says he was ‘struck by consensus’ that ‘structural’ racism hinders access to basic rights "},"display_date":"2025-02-25T09:03:51.947Z","headlines":{"basic":"Racism seen as permeating all aspects of Roma and Traveller lives in Ireland, European report finds","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"IPTHZRKUNNCABI3AY6IJBHEIOE","auth":{"1":"f67db9b2471ff5b622bf8445c016958392594bf80009b73185af87706941eab2"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/IPTHZRKUNNCABI3AY6IJBHEIOE.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/02/25/racism-permeates-all-aspects-of-roma-and-traveller-lives-in-ireland-is-consensus-view-european-report-finds/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social Affairs"}}}},{"_id":"XD7TIQU67FECVBGE2BCQGQSYAU","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":265,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/5fe9b038-3939-4503-adee-7c084a86a7e3/versions/1740435221/media/770089e434aaf003b80c04ed70400efd_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/02/25/childrens-rights-lack-of-progress-on-commitments-made-by-last-coalition-not-good-enough/","content_elements":[{"_id":"JAWI4BBQEVEGZI275FDMVXDQA4","additional_properties":{},"content":"The last government failed to address child homelessness and “unacceptable” waiting lists for mental health services, while children living in direct provision have been “inexplicably left behind,” according to the Children’s Rights Alliance (CRA).","type":"text"},{"_id":"YEC3AVUN6NGP5OEMT4RGPESTBE","additional_properties":{},"content":"The umbrella group of more than 150 organisations campaigning for children’s rights released its annual report card on Tuesday, grading commitments made in the programme for government agreed by Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"OERPPALTG5H27GGL33AE2GL3CE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Progress on various commitments was graded from A, meaning it made a “real difference to children’s lives,” to F, meaning steps were taken that “undermine children’s wellbeing”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"72TNXNR6OZBNXJXOYKAI7SM5PA","additional_properties":{},"content":"It handed down a fourth consecutive E grade for youth mental health services, saying although the number of children admitted to adult psychiatric units reduced significantly to five in 2024, there was an “unacceptable spike” in the number of children on waiting lists (3,830).","type":"text"},{"_id":"GFUPDOM6SFGYTF3LQ6HV7FNY2M","additional_properties":{},"content":"The last coalition received a D- for failing to address the rise in child and family homelessness, the CRA said, noting that a “staggering” and record-breaking 4,510 children are now homeless.","type":"text"},{"_id":"W4KB7URTJRDZ7CE2DJVSOOZDK4","additional_properties":{},"content":"While there are “no signs of housing supply keeping pace with demand”, it commended an improvement in the number of families prevented from entering homeless services.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4PHVPRD3QJFZPA5MY7GIZ6EB44","additional_properties":{},"content":"The last government’s commitment to end direct provision, meanwhile, reflects the “sharpest decline in performance overall”, receiving an E grade, down from the previously awarded C+.","type":"text"},{"_id":"FEHC65TSRRG3PFDY2SV6UM7ZRQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"Although the increase in the number of those seeking international protection presented an “insurmountable challenge,” the CRA criticised the Government’s continued use of emergency accommodation, in which almost 7,000 children lived last year.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7NOXTFQDJFGA3F7GNGDWAJU5BM","additional_properties":{},"content":"It said the accommodation, which is not subject to health watchdog Hiqa inspections, “does not comply with the Government’s own National Standards that are designed to protect children’s rights”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3OQLLVZNGNC6DG2DGHVT7J2ZNE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Meanwhile, it said conditions in permanent Ipas centres deteriorated, with inspections revealing overcrowding, pests and child safeguarding gaps.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4PIBTCIMVBGQLFQMOETHMX5E3M","additional_properties":{},"content":"Such safeguarding gaps resulted in “serious child protection cases,” including one in which the location of four children was unknown for 15 days while their parent was hospitalised, it said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JTHKMVED3FH4XOUEUUKE2UY4VU","additional_properties":{},"content":"The CRA noted success in some areas such as early childhood education and care, food poverty and the expansion of the free schoolbooks scheme, for which it received an A+ for delivering “beyond its own commitment”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LXFQC23GWNF7LBK3ORPNVVNVDM","additional_properties":{},"content":"While it received a B- grade for online safety, this was a drop from the A grade previously awarded.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WJ2AVYDO3VCF3IKW24OYFXD6GA","additional_properties":{},"content":"Despite “monumental progress made in previous years”, it criticised the online safety code as “disappointingly weak” saying it gives online platforms “far too much scope and discretion to design their own rules, leaving vulnerable children exposed to harmful and illegal content.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"CV4BPAPYOVBOLH5AODBSXASXDY","additional_properties":{},"content":"CRA chief executive Tanya Ward said while the last government “surpassed expectations” in areas such as the free schoolbooks expansion, children living in direct provision have been “inexplicably” left behind.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3FHN74RGGVF2JGRPZKY5LYSQ7I","additional_properties":{},"content":"“This is one of the areas where the government really did fail,” she said, particularly the failure to introduce the international protection child payment which would provide “some relief”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WIXTTZZRKFE4DAY4UHWBYYD6EI","additional_properties":{},"content":"The failure to produce enough accommodation, particularly social housing, has resulted in a “record number of children in the homeless population”, she said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5P2N25NQSZGVDGCXJYCUJQXCPM","additional_properties":{},"content":"Child homelessness, which can affect school performance and cause developmental delays, potentially has “lifelong consequences”, she added.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WQCO2QEF3BGS3IA4D6MDMXTDWA","additional_properties":{},"content":"Traveller children, who feature highly in the homeless population, “have been failed possibly most of all when it comes to housing”, said Ms Ward. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"KMNKBHZIV5HMJNBKYX6LDFI324","additional_properties":{},"content":"She said a lack of progress on some commitments made by the last coalition is “simply not good enough”, adding that children on the fringes of society have been “further marginalised by the lack of government ambition.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BDKCNH33PNHHVPJZAKHPLTXAVQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"“As many of the same political leaders return to their seat for the next five years, there are no more excuses. 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said the UK’s poor economic outlook and the “harsh” realities of post-Brexit travel and work restrictions had led to a sharp rise in workers and pensioners seeking “backdoor access” to the EU.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XMYXEUO6FJHTLGLECAFQAIASUM","additional_properties":{},"content":"“The questionable political landscape in Britain is not only causing, but accelerating the search by some to look for a Plan B,” said Reza Nezam, partner at RNL Solicitors, a law firm that advises people on FBR applications.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ULURTTY7MJGSBITZN7BZAAU5MA","additional_properties":{},"content":"“We expect that the numbers are going to continue to rise as the UK economy continues to be unattractive for the younger generation and those approaching retirement see that there is the prospect of super taxes,” he added.","type":"text"},{"_id":"KZUJOGCXVNBKJCMJNXU57AKNSA","additional_properties":{},"content":"Lawyers suggested the surge may be linked to European countries, where people from the UK 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Ireland.","type":"text"},{"_id":"SZM6OTTWTJCARP72MSO6Z7FDAI","additional_properties":{},"content":"Golden visa shutdown came after officials warned of potentially ‘unlawful’ and ‘unethical’ practices","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"LGI647OJDVFXXCDZ6FGSMUC2B4","additional_properties":{},"content":"Applications to the FBR from the UK grew for the third consecutive year after falling sharply in 2020 when Britain officially exited the EU and Covid-19 travel restrictions came into effect.","type":"text"},{"_id":"22A5CVFBQVC7XMHDTIYILZTUJM","additional_properties":{},"content":"Úna O’Brien, senior associate at Sinnott Solicitors, said the rise in applications reflected the inconvenience of post-Brexit travel restrictions and the “cumbersome” application process that sometimes took years to complete.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZIZXJEU2KZHGRHJIZHTOZWRATI","additional_properties":{},"content":"“It was only really from 2022 that the reality of Brexit took effect and British citizens started to 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This sometimes ruffled feathers, was occasionally misunderstood, upset a few and others saw it as an effort to overturn hard earned orthodoxy.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"VISVY5OAUFAPHMASNJ2JTLRVJI","additional_properties":{},"content":"","type":"text"},{"_id":"NX7RLRDBGJE2JMDDH2OKUZYGHM","additional_properties":{},"type":"image"},{"_id":"N5ZEUBGV2FBN7P7ET6VW75JGRY","additional_properties":{},"content":"Bishop Monahan said said he “was a profound and effective crusader” in an understated, yet very effective way and won people over “to genuine Christian values through kindness, understanding, listening, generosity, care for the poor, the marginalised, people struggling and suffering in life”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TQTYOV7KQFH5VEYLRUMDGILY3Y","additional_properties":{},"content":"He said that “Bishop Willie did this through his unstinting work with the Travelling community, his pastoral outreach to survivors of abuse, the sick, the vulnerable, so many who availed of his spiritual outreach as a true pastor of Jesus Christ”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7JR4DVKEJRC67FZVAGGL2OMFNE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Former bishop of Killaloe Willie Walsh was ahead of his time in Catholic Church","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"JWZUGZ4FBNHYPNI53VVWU3EUN4","additional_properties":{},"content":"Recognised by <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2025/02/20/former-bishop-of-killaloe-willie-walsh-was-ahead-of-his-time-in-catholic-church/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2025/02/20/former-bishop-of-killaloe-willie-walsh-was-ahead-of-his-time-in-catholic-church/\">survivors’ campaign group</a> One in Four as having taken a lead in addressing clerical sex abuse scandals, Dr Walsh was at odds with the church leadership on several issues. He publicly disagreed with its ban on artificial means of contraception, felt the celibacy rule for priests should not be mandatory, favoured women priests, and was always publicly supportive of gay people despite traditional church teaching.","type":"text"},{"_id":"QBXEEQ3QSJBKJPLKLITPFACRIE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Dr Walsh died suddenly at his Ennis home last Wednesday evening just weeks after celebrating his 90th birthday. He served as Bishop of Killaloe from 1994 to 2010.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2NWTFZSUUBGL5MS2LPJMIQVCEI","additional_properties":{},"content":"Dr Walsh was the last surviving member of his immediate family and was predeceased by his parents Ellen and William, brothers Joe, Eddie and John and his sisters Maura and Catherine.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LJRVAB3VJNABLDEIKXTEAJ5PSA","additional_properties":{},"type":"image"},{"_id":"WRIIORRZ7VAMXF5L4LLEP3T3UI","additional_properties":{},"content":"At the end of theMass, his niece Miriam Burke expressed thanks to those who had mourned his loss with the family.","type":"text"},{"_id":"Z5BK5F6G3ZGCTBSWAJSHBUAD4Q","additional_properties":{},"content":" ","type":"text"},{"_id":"VNYLG7TGGVDUXNALLXPHSVLZDY","additional_properties":{},"content":"“Whilst we loved Uncle Willie as a member of our family, we were always aware that we shared him with another family – the family of Killaloe diocese and the extended family nationwide”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UATGWRBBABEZZAAKSX46SJW6KQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"She said: “It is very clear to us that your sense of loss mirrors our own. Willie would not have wanted us to dwell on our loss but rather to celebrate his life and a life that was lived with purpose, joy, generosity and above all humility. We have much to celebrate and much to learn from the example of his life.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"WTP2IVBICVCB3E4HRO3DMJHQZM","additional_properties":{},"content":"Members of the public turned out in large numbers on Monday and Sunday afternoon at the cathedral to pay their respects to the Roscrea native who first came to Ennis in 1947 where he entered St Flannan’s College as a boarding student.","type":"text"},{"_id":"FVTYE63VLJFYTHTDZVLWSSNXTM","additional_properties":{},"content":"Dr Walsh – who celebrated being a priest 66 years this month – was to remain in Ennis for the rest of his life apart from periods spent in Maynooth, Rome and Galway on his studies.","type":"text"},{"_id":"QJJ6ON5WD5HPPH5TQXWDUX5VSA","additional_properties":{},"content":"","type":"text"},{"_id":"RI4ALS7ADBHRFNGZZSC2LPFO5Q","additional_properties":{},"content":"","type":"text"},{"_id":"WJAVZUQFNNBYHLDEVP75VKRS5U","additional_properties":{},"content":" ","type":"text"},{"_id":"AY2M6R2SFNF5VP73N5W7KMJHKI","additional_properties":{},"content":"Burial took place on the grounds of St Peter and Paul Cathedral close to the plot of the late Bishop of Killaloe, Dr Michael Harty whom Dr Walsh succeeded as Bishop in 1994.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Gordon Deegan"}},"name":"Gordon Deegan"}]},"description":{"basic":"Former Bishop of Killaloe ‘was a profound and effective crusader’ for marginalised groups"},"display_date":"2025-02-24T15:48:18.929Z","headlines":{"basic":"‘He stirred things up’: Bishop Willie Walsh remembered at funeral as radical advocate for the 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states.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YWC4SWQSW5HCXNVIJ5S2OWEC7Q","additional_properties":{"_id":1740331576659},"content":"The briefing note, prepared for incoming minister <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/dara-calleary/\" target=\"_blank\">Dara Calleary</a>, says a 71 per cent increase in expenditure on <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/disability-allowance/\" target=\"_blank\">disability income supports</a> from €3.5 billion in 2010 to €6 billion in 2025 has been driven by increasing diagnoses of “generalised anxiety and neurodiversity issues” including <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/autism/\" target=\"_blank\">autism</a>, dyspraxia and <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/adhd/\" target=\"_blank\">ADHD</a>.","type":"text"},{"_id":"VHRRN4NENNDURAFEUUMCZTEP54","additional_properties":{"_id":1740331576660},"content":"These now account for the “largest share of new claims” for the disability allowance, while the “broad nature of disabilities covered” by the domiciliary care allowance scheme means claims volumes “are increasing year on year”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"URXXIXNQWRCU5H2Q5PD3MRSWDU","additional_properties":{"_id":1740331576661},"content":"“Between 2018 and 2024, the number of recipients on disability allowance has increased by 19 per cent, and expenditure has increased by approximately 45 per cent,” says the note.","type":"text"},{"_id":"VXIE3V5YVRD6LAVT43NGT76U6U","additional_properties":{"_id":1740331576662},"content":"A total of 167,000 disabled adults receive the weekly disability allowance of €244, at a cost of €2.4 billion a year.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GAVTYK25KBB7NMBJ34IF52UNUE","additional_properties":{"_id":1740331576663},"content":"Other disability payments include the invalidity pension to 56,000 recipients (€817 million); partial capacity benefit to 3,000 people (€24 million); blind pension to 921 people (€12.5 million), and the occupational injuries benefit to 14,000 people (€80 million).","type":"text"},{"_id":"STTUAX4EINFBTF6EY5CABVJJ6Y","additional_properties":{"_id":"IKQUDNYJYFBNNE4YUSIUC6PVIA"},"content":"Some disability bodies warn cash crisis may force them to delay payments to Revenue Commissioners","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"OHPJ2LBMQZASDHDUTN6S4BFQXE","additional_properties":{"_id":1740331576664},"content":"Numbers of people receiving carers’ payments, including the carers’ allowance and benefit, are up 20 per cent since 2019 to more than 160,000 people, with expenditure up 46 per cent, to almost €2 billion a year.","type":"text"},{"_id":"O4BIZXGAZ5DJHJZLALDQKF22LU","additional_properties":{"_id":1740331576665},"content":"Numbers receiving the domiciliary care allowance (DCA) have increased by 97 per cent in the past 10 years and by more than 36 per cent in the past five years – from 29,000 in 2015 to 57,364 at present. This non means-tested payment to parents or guardians of children with a significant disability is worth €360 a month. The cost is up 149 per cent since 2015 to more than €300 million a year.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BQ2TMEAMEREMNG534LAFJAQ524","additional_properties":{"_id":1740331576666},"content":"With “much of the increase” in the payment accounted for by increasing diagnoses of neurodiversity issues among children, these are “of concern”, says the briefing note, because data indicates “more than 50 per cent of children in respect of whom DCA is paid transition on to a disability payment on reaching age 16″.","type":"text"},{"_id":"IRTAMSOVL5DIXMYX34GK3X5RZM","additional_properties":{"_id":1740331576667},"content":"“Dependency on a disability payment is negatively correlated with employment take-up and positively correlated with poverty and social exclusion.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"3MKONH7PKREBXMFKYPZ35IIYMQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1740331576668},"content":"A Green Paper on disability payments reform, published last year and intended to address the “big concern” that people with disabilities have some of the highest poverty rates of all cohorts and unemployment rates of more than 50 per cent – while facing higher costs associated with being disabled – was withdrawn last year “in light of negative reaction from disability groups”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4SH43K3EGBDGJEXN2LJEW2RPOE","additional_properties":{"_id":"Y6KZHHXAFVHSVLLI2ODNGAASMQ"},"content":"Programme for government aims for ‘step change’ in disability services","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"GNUAWODJO5DS3PWADBKC5QBORM","additional_properties":{"_id":1740331576669},"content":"It proposed merging existing disability payments into a single three-tiered payment, with tiers based on the person’s capacity to work. Those least able to work, in the top two tiers, would receive higher payments with those most able to work supported to take up employment while retaining their current payment.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DVJX4B5ONZHZ7CNR3ULG43CCCI","additional_properties":{"_id":1740331576670},"content":"Respondents opposed both tiering payments based on disability and also the requirement that people with ‘moderate’ disabilities engage with employment supports.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YSYJZDSWBBHLHPWRQP4QDRVLVE","additional_properties":{"_id":1740331576671},"content":"In April the Green Paper consultation process ceased.","type":"text"},{"_id":"J35TUDYZN5APDNG6XR5C6XOKBQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1740331576672},"content":"Submissions were analysed and while they “generally agreed with the need for reform, to address the elevated risk of poverty and low employment rates among people with disabilities in Ireland ... there was no consensus ... on what this reform should look like”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"H5OI7DFITZHOXM2YKPFHKAZBSA","additional_properties":{"_id":1740331576673},"content":"The briefing note states: “A national disability strategy is being co-ordinated by the Department of Children and Disability. The draft strategy has five pillars, with this department ... co‐chair to the employment pillar along with the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment”.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Kitty Holland"}},"name":"Kitty Holland"}]},"description":{"basic":"Expenditure on disability income supports up from €3.5 billion in 2010 to €6 billion in 2025"},"display_date":"2025-02-24T06:00:00Z","headlines":{"basic":"Spiralling numbers being diagnosed with disabilities will have ‘significant impact’ on social welfare spend","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"DOTG3NY6NENSFLVTKZ2LKQS7ME","auth":{"1":"0d5a2d42cdc935dde57fc24a4394c7e19775828ea454391f9f6a507fb1afc2f0"},"focal_point":{"x":197,"y":82},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/DOTG3NY6NENSFLVTKZ2LKQS7ME.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/02/24/spiralling-numbers-being-diagnosed-with-disabilities-will-have-significant-impact-on-social-welfare-spend/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social Affairs"}}}},{"_id":"LD35IDP3RBBLTPDW77OMSSIXJM","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":225,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/743bd5d8-3696-4dc9-af04-0ced332c883d/versions/1740229353/media/2bea004cd73d30494d3faa7f11512f75_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/02/22/abolishing-means-testing-of-carers-allowance-could-cost-3-billion-a-year/","content_elements":[{"_id":"LQ4Q4GMTY5ERHNK5EEAIGPCRYQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1740229614459},"content":"The cost of abolishing means testing of the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/carer-s-allowance/\">carer’s allowance</a> could amount to €3 billion per year, the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/department-of-social-protection/\">Department of Social Protection</a> has estimated.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TCYFUHKOAFCBLH4OVETQKSOZ4Y","additional_properties":{"_id":1740229614460},"content":"The programme for government pledges to abolish the means testing of the allowance within the lifetime of this Government, something long-called for by advocacy groups.","type":"text"},{"_id":"HCEDPNBAIJEHNOYFRPWGMFNLEY","additional_properties":{"_id":1740229614461},"content":"Several estimates have now been provided to Minister for Social Protection <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/dara-calleary/\">Dara Calleary</a> in a briefing prepared on his appointment as Minister.","type":"text"},{"_id":"D7IT3XWK3NGKBBHIGEWMJT26OQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1740229614462},"content":"At a minimum, the cost of removing the means test would be at least €360 million as the 26,200 recipients of the domiciliary care allowance would automatically qualify, according to department officials.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6L5E3UEBUBAJTD2COXSVFD64ZM","additional_properties":{"_id":1740229614463},"content":"“Allowing for normal inflow and the extension of a full rate of payment to people currently receiving a partial payment, the cost is likely to be no less than €700 million per annum for a full year at anticipated payment rates and volumes for 2025,” the briefing reads.","type":"text"},{"_id":"L6QYJSU4JFFHTGLMUPT7XL322E","additional_properties":{"_id":1740229614464},"content":"However, once a “potential increased inflow” is accounted for, the department estimates the additional cost of abolishing the means test could extend to €3 billion per year. This inflow uses Census data for the total number of carers across the country, and takes into account additional carer support grant costs, noting the programme for government commitment to increase this from €2,000.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7C66Z2ZF5VE7REDTLJYTZ3LJSE","additional_properties":{"_id":1740229614465},"content":"Some 99,000 individuals are receiving carer’s allowance, the estimated cost of which is noted in the briefing as €1.24 billion for 2025.","type":"text"},{"_id":"HWI72IQK3BHRRIKWALOYKAN2MM","additional_properties":{"_id":1740229614466},"content":"Separately, the briefing notes that the department holds a “significant stock” of social welfare overpayments, the outstanding balance of which was €558 million as of October 2024.","type":"text"},{"_id":"VMD5KFZOA5FO3BZLSMH6WQT4YA","additional_properties":{"_id":1740229614467},"content":"Some 201,866 individuals have received overpayments, 67 per cent of whom (134,970) incorrectly received €266 million in total and are logged as “not repaying”, according to the briefing.","type":"text"},{"_id":"63Q7VDVSNBF7HJMW3E233YALVU","additional_properties":{"_id":1740229614468},"content":"Similarly, approximately €29 million in overpayments made to those who received pandemic unemployment payments is yet to be recouped.","type":"text"},{"_id":"FKLKRFHZMJC6ZA4VHP5EQWN4KQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1740229614469},"content":"Some 880,000 people received at least one payment under the scheme. In total, 30 million payments were issued at an overall spend of €10 billion.","type":"text"},{"_id":"P4II5WK4ZFFXNLZ2U2GY3UY3LI","additional_properties":{"_id":1740229614470},"content":"Following a cross-check of payments with Revenue records, the department found 65,000 cases where there was an overlap between receipt of the payment and employment.","type":"text"},{"_id":"W3LHWYES6JEL5K5LZPPEU5HQT4","additional_properties":{"_id":1740229614471},"content":"Some 22,750 individuals who received overpayments amounting to €34 million have been contacted to date, and about €5.2 million of this has since been collected.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4IOCL4LZANCGDHGLLALN47EEUI","additional_properties":{"_id":1740229614472},"content":"The briefing notes that plans are in place to “follow up” with those who have yet to put in place a repayment plan.","type":"text"},{"_id":"Y2ZPRRQLERGJTOCBTYBXA5VUQM","additional_properties":{"_id":1740229614473},"content":"Meanwhile, almost 8,000 international protection applicants have had payments stopped since the department began income testing of daily expenses allowance in June 2024.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YTWZXEBDQBHBNP5N3ICPM6OAII","additional_properties":{"_id":1740229614474},"content":"Currently, international protection applicants living in State-provided accommodation receive €38.80 per week, while the rate is €29.80 per child. The rates have remained unchanged since 2019.","type":"text"},{"_id":"HRIXFOYXPVDLZC7QB727R5RBCY","additional_properties":{"_id":1740229614475},"content":"A higher weekly rate of €113.80 is paid to those who are awaiting State-provided accommodation.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MZFZVKMKQ5GUJHBAZPVLQLBXMU","additional_properties":{"_id":1740229614476},"content":"Payments made until the end of October to almost 14,500 adults and 6,400 children until last year amounted to €46.5m.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Jack White"}},"name":"Jack White"}]},"description":{"basic":"Social welfare overpayments of €558 million also noted in briefing note for new Minister for Social Protection"},"display_date":"2025-02-22T12:54:43.175Z","headlines":{"basic":"Abolishing means testing of carer’s allowance could cost €3bn a year","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"XI5ECZAJ3BG45GHIXBJNZ7VXRA","auth":{"1":"b5f49a592cc8d4f48932aeb632bbeecd899b0ddefcf7651474a257dcc7412814"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/XI5ECZAJ3BG45GHIXBJNZ7VXRA.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Social Affairs"},{"name":"Politics"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/social-affairs/2025/02/22/abolishing-means-testing-of-carers-allowance-could-cost-3-billion-a-year/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/social-affairs","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Social Affairs"}}}},{"_id":"5VXL3L5PYVGGXACPWPJXZSY3KE","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":910,"audio_url":"https://beyondwords-cdn-b7fyckdeejejb6dj.a03.azurefd.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/6755f7ec-8769-46e5-8440-7669c5e224d7/versions/1740048865/media/f0d3baac1979602dc2b545a68910f448_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/life-style/people/2025/02/22/dr-lydia-foy-i-never-got-an-apology-actually-it-would-be-nice-to-get-one/","content_elements":[{"_id":"SXNRPT3MK5DIFA3YXZ7OI4SEKA","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280090},"content":"Dr Lydia Foy lives in a small terraced house just outside Athy, Co <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/kildare/\" target=\"_blank\">Kildare</a>. It was derelict when she bought it more than 25 years ago, when she was in the midst of a long battle for the right to change the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/gender-equality/\" target=\"_blank\">gender</a> on her birth certificate. There are lots of files and books and documents in the house, but she really brought me here to show me her <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/art/\" target=\"_blank\">art</a>.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DGX4FAD74JCDRCEJ3MXBBZGQKY","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280091},"content":"Foy, who is 77, is a prolifically creative person. She once grew a record-breakingly large foxglove in her garden. “That was just a figary I had at the time,” she says and laughs. “If I had my way, I’d have pheasants around the place and more protection for the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/nature/\" target=\"_blank\">badgers and foxes</a> and everything. Without the birds and the bees there’s no us.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"4M5CRMETYRHHJIDOX6T5MOE5TU","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280092},"content":"She plays music – fiddle, mandolin, harmonica. She picks up the latter at one point and expertly plays a few bars of The Last of the Summer Wine. While having her photo taken, she sings an old Bing Crosby song called I’m Drifting Back to Dreamland. She’s very good company.","type":"text"},{"_id":"X5M7TKZ45BEG7LJIP5WIEAWASY","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280093},"content":"And she paints. The walls of her hall and stairway and kitchen are lined with her paintings. There are beautifully rendered reproductions of art by <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/paul-henry/\" target=\"_blank\">Paul Henry</a>, Vermeer, Gainsborough and DaVinci. There’s a painting of <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/audrey-hepburn/\" target=\"_blank\">Audrey Hepburn</a> and one of the famous National Geographic cover featuring the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghan_Girl#:~:text=Afghan%20Girl%20is%20a%201984,1985%20cover%20of%20National%20Geographic.\" target=\"_blank\">Afghan refugee Sharbat Gula</a>. In the kitchen there’s a large “selfie” she painted of herself with her little dog Bambi. Bambi herself runs around our feet as we talk, wearing a pink jacket to keep out the cold. “The poor lady is old now,” says Foy<i>.</i>","type":"text"},{"_id":"WUZB7J77MZGTPJSIZC2IWE7444","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280094},"content":"There are also photographs of her with friends and family from across the years – at the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/pride/\" target=\"_blank\">Pride</a> parade when she was the grand marshal in 2010, at the Dublin marathon and standing alongside people such as President <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/michael-d-higgins/\" target=\"_blank\">Michael D Higgins</a> and <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/tv-radio/2024/03/31/am-i-marked-by-it-yes-joan-burton-recalls-her-life-in-a-mother-and-baby-home/\" target=\"_blank\">Joan Burton</a>. There’s a framed cover of trans pioneer Caroline Cossey’s My Story, a book that had a huge effect on her when she was figuring out her trans identity. There are little collages here and there of winged women. She has always had vivid dreams that involve time travel and flying. The winged woman, she explains, is herself.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NNBBJA2WOFBDXLENIC5FNED2ZE","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280095},"content":"From the archive: Compensation paid to Lydia Foy over gender recognition failures","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"BYRKWCXE2REGHE3WKIQRUURCMA","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280096},"content":"And Foy has written books, though none are published. She thinks she needs a mentor to help with that. She shows me a hardback self-made copy of a book she wrote all about rhubarb. She spent years working on a lyrical play called Plagio, about an old theological concept involving the possession of a person’s soul. Joan of Arc, she tells me, was accused of “plagio”. She started working on this when she was in college in UCD many decades ago. She was sitting beside the Dodder river and the opening lines came to her.","type":"text"},{"_id":"Q4IF7LMAVNAAFOBANVYG23IZN4","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280097},"content":"Creativity, she says, “that’s what keeps me sane”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"QBT4DV4FURDYHNGXGE3NG2QOOI","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280098},"content":"In Foy’s local pub, the Auld Shebeen, Foy orders a glass of wine with her salmon dinner. “I told him he might get more information out of me if I had a glass of wine,” she explains to The Irish Times photographer.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GXF536DDJVESFI65KBHWWJ3ZII","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280099},"type":"image"},{"_id":"HVRQMWIGFJE2VCXLBQRN6R4OTA","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280100},"content":"She’s wearing a wine-coloured jacket with a glittering poodle brooch on the lapel. She’s a bit nervous about the interview, she says. “I was hoping that this would be more about me as a person rather than all the baloney with the courts.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"LKRXKHCF6VGGVO4HHLRDVDZNKA","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280101},"content":"She has a blue folder with her and takes out a photo of herself as a very young child. “I was a leanbh ban,” she says. “A fair child. At that stage I could just be me because there was no gender at that stage. My ma showed me a photograph of an old uncle and said, ‘You’ll be like that now, when you get old’ and it gave me nightmares, because I knew that wasn’t me.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"3GAFPAZXVJB7PCBUETP6DFT65A","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280102},"content":"Later she says: “I was born ... ‘hybridised’. That’s a word I love. It’s respected in nature, but not in humans, unfortunately. I would have said I was ‘hybridised’.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"GQGKBJYWPRCNXLJHEZSFUOQSYU","subtype":"pullquote","type":"quote"},{"_id":"5EY5M5DH2RD6RK5VF75ALCUZZQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280104},"content":"Her first communion had a huge impact on her. “There was an obvious [gender] divide,” she says. “I was up in the church, and I was sort of sitting a few rows back and I remember feeling I had nowhere to go. I actually had tears.” She sighs. “It was a tough society so you had to toughen up and conform. Which I tried to do.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"T5YQWOJAKNFQPC27JX2SSDAVXQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280105},"content":"It was a difficult time to be different in Ireland. She developed a rich imaginative inner life. “I was into escapism. I could fly. I could levitate ... You create a secret world.” She still does this. She tells me in great detail about a recent trip she took to a market in China. Does she mean she dreamt it? She laughs. “You tell me. What is reality? I was bashed to bits in school, very rough and nasty. I was walloped. I was called feather brain, scatter brain ... You have to have an escape of some kind.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"ULKPD3NBPRBJDCAZ4NFCBZI2GY","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280106},"content":"In UCD she studied dentistry but went to theological discussion groups and wrote and joined the choir and the music society. “Dentistry was for those who were thinking of money and big cars and all the rest. That wasn’t my dream of life at all.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"CVOENFAKXBABPHUWOBFK4M5G6U","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280107},"content":"She couldn’t come out as a trans woman. It just wasn’t possible at the time, she says. “You’re not born with the book, so you’re trying to look for explanations the whole time. When you look it up you see sort of nasty stuff about it.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"EZJQDGHFGFHPNJL2NGVWHVB3DY","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280108},"content":"Like what? “Usually they said, ‘See under ‘sexual deviancy’. People liked to ridicule it. That was the stage we were at.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"APY2KQO4UJD2ZDERKHYYOWMNFU","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280109},"content":"As far as everyone was concerned, she was conforming. She became a dentist. She married and had children. “I went on until I collapsed in a heap.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"76E7FSGDP5GULNDIJDIQWQWSB4","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280110},"content":"Her first issue, in the late 1980s, was a serious physical problem with the blood supply in her right leg. She required surgery. While in hospital she asked for a psychiatrist but couldn’t get one. “They said it’s only the surgery and you’ll be all right.” She was struggling. “I was in very bad shape ... I tried to carry on, and I ended up not being able to eat and I collapsed and was taken again into hospital.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"YLWW6MGQFFBDBIBFTSMAAVMS2U","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280111},"content":"Eventually people listened to her and she found specialists in Dublin and the UK who understood trans issues. She began her transition but that’s when her legal problems began. Her marriage broke down and she ended up in the family courts. Her gender identity became a core issue. She was denied access to her children.","type":"text"},{"_id":"Q7V5E6PAIBBODJQSM4N6747YCE","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280112},"content":"“I was being told by my family and everybody I knew, dress, act and behave like a man or you’ll have access to nothing. That was it. I was ridiculed by the press. None of the medical profession would stand by me. And the church said I was going to turn Ireland into a psychiatric institution ... I was treated like the worst form of life by the family courts ... I was told to cover my face or go out the back door. And I said, ‘I’m not a bloody criminal’. But then if I didn’t do that, of course, I was a selfish bitch. You couldn’t win.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"DTG7YFQTVZBEZEE5NDX5IMAUQY","subtype":"pullquote","type":"quote"},{"_id":"JCBGJVVXSBCNPBOHOSTHFRZCHU","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280114},"content":"<a href=\"https://www.flac.ie/help/advice/\" target=\"_blank\">Flac</a> (the free legal advice centre) indicated it might be able to help and asked her to list 10 things she wanted assistance with. The only one they thought they could help with was number 10 on the list: fighting to legally change her birth cert to reflect her gender.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JBCL445FW5AZHF7FR2BCJ2K37Y","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280115},"content":"What was higher up on her list? “Fair treatment, a right to a fair hearing, a right to reply, a right to an accurate representation of what happened in court.” With the case to amend her birth cert, she says, “I was clutching at straws ... My job was gone. I was very unwell. I didn’t even get sickness [benefit]. I had run out of all options.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZIALCVDJC5BNVKGO3C7OUG3BMU","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280116},"content":"With the help of barrister Bill Shipsey, she took the first case in 1997. It was before organisations such as <a href=\"https://teni.ie/\" target=\"_blank\">TENI</a> [Transgender Equality Network Ireland] or <a href=\"https://www.belongto.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Belong To</a>; Foy was out on her own. She shows me a leaflet she printed herself in 2000. It includes a charcoal self-portrait she made when she was particularly unwell and the term “Congenital gender disablement”. “It’s a very unusual leaflet because I was on my own with terminology.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"V3ANJ6T26BGGPIKPE3KP7KMVL4","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280117},"content":"She says there were numerous people in Flac who helped her hugely including Shipsey and solicitor Michael Farrell.<b> </b>“They all listened and for once in my life some of the pressure was off because I could actually tell them what was true.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"43SW3HEVSBJQHI2IJMDOHLDOZQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280119},"type":"image"},{"_id":"NEV242OB4BDGBIJJMWYTYV4RI4","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280120},"content":"Did she get much support from other people over the years? “A lot would have sympathised but wouldn’t have been brave enough publicly,” she says. “Some people threw stones at me. Some if they said ‘hello’, they thought they were brave. And you’d hear them behind your back, ‘Isn’t it a sad case’.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UMHZJ5YKGZARLMGW7G5FO4CQYA","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280121},"content":"“There were exceptions. There always are. A few of the older people. People were trying to get them to rabble rouse and they said, ‘Well that’s not the person I knew’ and they stood by me. And the stories were very exaggerated and very nasty. Go back and look at some of the papers.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"AKQQ56YHBJFRJBUQLTRTFDU2JM","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280122},"content":"The first case failed though the judge was sympathetic to her plight. There were three cases in total and it was a long, complicated legal process. She struggled financially over the years. Her dentistry job was gone. She did back-to-work courses. She did a computer course, a psychology course and a business course. She joined local groups.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BGIOGDYAD5GWVOH2HQFVHIFLUA","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280123},"content":"Did she find acceptance there? “A superficial sort of acceptance,” she says. “There were exceptional people here and there. A lot of people would come along for some of the course, but then it went on so long you wouldn’t expect them to stay with you indefinitely. Friends sort of came and went, but that was understandable. They had their own lives.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"NBEZEQBZXFFI7EPBV5TFO2ORSE","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280124},"content":"In 2007, after her case was referred by the High Court, a judge found that by not providing Foy with a mechanism to change her birth cert the State contravened the European Convention on Human Rights. The State challenged this initially but withdrew its appeal in 2010 and set up an interdepartmental committee on the legal recognition of transgender people. After Foy took a third court case in 2013, legislation was finally introduced that allowed her to change her gender on her birth certificate. <a href=\"https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/birth-family-relationships/legal-recognition-of-preferred-gender/\" target=\"_blank\">The Gender Recognition Act</a> that allows trans people legally change their gender was introduced in 2015.","type":"text"},{"_id":"HU3X3GHQBNG5HFCVSU77OJPGNM","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280125},"content":"‘My country finally recognised me for who I really am’","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"N4ZNRLJLBNFCNFLO5YJLUZJ7K4","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280126},"content":"Left to her own devices, Foy would never have become an activist, she says. “I never understood people blowing whistles and marching and making a big racket. I couldn’t really understand that until I found out the hard way that it was necessary sometimes. I thought I was the worst person in the world to do it. I had family complications. I was older. A younger person wouldn’t have had the same trouble.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"I33IUNXSZBCIFA3KYXFTT3U7MM","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280127},"content":"She remembers something. “They told me not to have a nervous laugh in court. I’m the sort of person who’d think of something stupid [at the wrong time]. It was part of the escapism.” Ultimately, she didn’t have a choice, she says. “If you corner an animal they’re going to fight back sooner or later.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"UW2Q5B4YKJIIVP5QBSUPMB2YUU","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280128},"type":"image"},{"_id":"JZJTNLDYMNDJTGMDUR7ZZNLRIM","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280129},"content":"Would she have advice for other people battling for their rights? “I learned one big lesson early on,” she says. “Even if I couldn’t afford a coffee, I had to be able to afford a photocopy. Keep the original documents because they were so arrogant they made mistakes. It’s not always a good idea to delegate your side of the story. Sometimes you don’t get the right of reply. Try to empower yourself. Make sure you’re as literate as whoever is taking you down. And one of the very, very hard lessons is stay away from people who are not nice to you.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"4QOMRMBFSFEELPA62B2WYUXHBE","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280130},"content":"Out on the street a number of people greet her warmly. The day after we meet, she’s attending a local event organised for older people. She mentions specific friends and relatives she has good relationships with. In recent years she has been embraced by a new generation of LGBTQ+ advocates. Last year a video portrait of her created by Amanda Dunsmore <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/art/2024/11/27/portrait-of-lydia-foy-by-amanda-dunsmore-wins-national-gallerys-aib-portrait-prize/\" target=\"_blank\">won the AIB Portrait Prize</a>.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MNWSGVJ355DI3FIUPC5XXESYPY","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280131},"content":"What’s her life like these days? “Arra I’m fine,” she says. “I have enough to survive on. I carry on. I have a dog and do my bits of art and gardening ... The house is full of bits of art, legal documents and God knows what ... I have asked some of the gang to try to pass on something to museums or something.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"LJ7CC7XVGFH2JIJWLDQ47WSDWE","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280132},"content":"Lydia Foy becomes first transgender person to receive EU award","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"XADX22B3OFE3RKML5TRC2CGGCI","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280133},"content":"Did anyone ever apologise for how they treated her in the past? “People don’t apologise. It’s not the done thing in Ireland. We’re not much good at saying sorry.” She also worries about what’s happening to trans rights in America, she says. “I feel the work isn’t done.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"FQ6P47EDUFBH3EK6QFH422PVVY","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280134},"content":"Does she feel vindicated by how trans rights have improved in Ireland? “It must be like the people in the Magdalene laundry who were treated like less than dirt, blamed for being pregnant and told they had to pretty much atone for the rest of their lives because of an illegitimate baby. I felt like one of those women who had finally got an apology.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"E7ELFWGWLFA23DTNF7EWJFJXT4","additional_properties":{"_id":1740069280135},"content":"She thinks about this for a moment. “I never got an apology actually. 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However, it is also possible that it could be a first step in further tapering of the payment.","type":"text"},{"_id":"O7234XPK55AMZI6Y5NUQ3JAOMQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1740161411036},"content":"The ARP has been subject to criticism from <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/sinn-fein/\" target=\"_blank\">Sinn Féin</a>, which has labelled it as “unfair” and called on the Government to end the payment when the current scheme expires on March 31st.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NAQAYK67R5D6HEIT575H247GP4","additional_properties":{"_id":1740161411037},"content":"The party has argued that the payment is distorting the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/renting/\" target=\"_blank\">rental</a> sector – a view that is shared in some quarters within the Government – although sources with knowledge of the scheme’s operation also argued that any disruption to the rental market is marginal and confined to only some rural areas where market rents are lower.","type":"text"},{"_id":"FTABEWFV5JDBRDAVGM7QP5RPNQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1740161411038},"content":"Elsewhere, Minister for Justice <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/jim-ocallaghan/\" target=\"_blank\">Jim O’Callaghan</a> has asked his officials to carry out a review of the use of provisions currently available to the State under which it can exclude an individual from being granted refugee status.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RBTUNDDRPNB3HAL6KGETKW32WU","additional_properties":{"_id":1740161411039},"content":"In a statement confirming the review, a spokesman for the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/department-of-justice/\" target=\"_blank\">Department of Justice</a> said: “These laws, that are on the statute book now, need to be applied rigorously to ensure our people have confidence in our <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/immigration/\" target=\"_blank\">immigration</a> system.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"2RARUWS5VVEXVJPG75Q522FUXQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1740161411040},"content":"He said that section 10 of the International Protection Act contains provisions that allow for the exclusion of someone from being granted refugee status who has committed a serious non-political crime outside the State prior to their arrival.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3FOBZMI5IBEPDA32GCS2PLGQYA","additional_properties":{"_id":1740161411041},"content":"The Act also allows for the exclusion of someone who has the rights and obligations, or equivalent rights and obligations, to a person of the nationality of a country where they have taken up residence.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3A5WWB2B7JCQHKCN4KCGMPNVXE","additional_properties":{"_id":"TWUUZHK6JVAFVG3YCRXJ5NSLCI"},"content":"‘Too many’ unentitled asylum applicants, says Minister, signalling cut in supports","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"E6B4JMIKW5EYFCMBQFJECTPECI","additional_properties":{"_id":1740161411042},"content":"The review will also examine section 12 of the Act which excludes an individual from being eligible for subsidiary protection where there are serious reasons for considering that they have committed a serious crime either within the State or prior to their arrival.","type":"text"},{"_id":"J5MCWXVVNVFTLBHV7XPCIJQKOM","additional_properties":{"_id":1740161411043},"content":"Mr O’Callaghan has already said <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/politics/2025/02/13/minister-for-justice-jim-ocallaghan-signals-tougher-line-on-immigration-and-increased-deportations/\" target=\"_blank\">deportations of failed asylum seekers are to increase</a>, with specially chartered flights due to begin this year. 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