Kenny apologises to abuse victim Louise O'Keeffe

Thursday 30 January 2014 15.25

Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore have apologised to abuse victim Louise O'Keeffe.

The apology comes after the European Court of Human Rights this week ruled that the State was liable for the sexual abuse she suffered while a national school pupil.

Mr Kenny apologised to Ms O'Keeffe for what had happened to her and for the horrendous experience that she had to go through.

He described Ms O'Keeffe as "an example of a woman of extraordinary commitment over a long number of years to following her case", which she had taken before the High Court, Supreme Court and the ECHR.

"Sadly, it's one that's indicative of a long litany of cases in Ireland," Mr Kenny said. "That's why in the past we've had to deal with an exceptional number of cases that scar our memory.

"And for that reason, I just think that while this judgment is exceptionally complex and will be studied by Government, I would like to say to Louise O'Keeffe that I apologise for what happened to her in the location she was in and the horrendous experience she had to go through."

Ms O'Keeffe has said she appreciates and accepts the Taoiseach's apology and she appreciates that he did it quickly.

She said she believed he was apologising on all accounts, both the abuse and the fact that it happened to her in a State-run national school.

"The Taoiseach has apologised. He has done so very graciously and for that I do accept the apology and appreciate that he did make it," she said.

Ms O'Keeffe said she did not look for an apology for herself, but for all of the victims of abuse in schools because there are many who have not come forward.

"I am simply one of hundreds and an apology is for everyone because I wasn't alone," she said.

She called on Mr Kenny to now work quickly to bring in legislation to protect school children.

Ms O'Keeffe said that had she received an apology 15 years ago, she would not have been forced to bring her case to the ECHR.

She said she did not understand why the State had fought her case.

"I was an eight-year-old child, abused, a complaint had been made. It wasn't acted on. If it had been acted on, well, I'd have had a safe childhood. Wrong was done. I think hands should have been held up," she said.

Speaking to RTÉ News, Ms O'Keeffe said she had no advance contact from the Taoiseach or his officials prior to the apology.

She said it was a matter for the Taoiseach himself whether he felt it necessary to make contact with her personally.

Her solicitor Ernest Cantillon thanked the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste for their apologies and said they were graciously accepted.

In a statement, Mr Cantillon said that Ms O'Keeffe had already expressed her disappointment that an apology was not issued at a far earlier stage.

He said she was disappointed at the time it had taken to resolve her case, but added that the apology was better late than never.

Louise O'Keeffe browbeaten by State - Mary Lou McDonald

In the Dáil, Sinn Féin deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald said that by any standards Ms O'Keeffe is a brave woman, who never lay down despite being bullied and browbeaten by the State.

Not alone should Ms O'Keeffe not have suffered abuse, she should not have been harangued, bullied and threatened by the State, she added.

Ms McDonald welcomed the Taoiseach's apology, but said those words of apology should have been uttered in the chamber of the Dáil.

She asked if the apology extends to 135 other adults who brought similar cases against the State and who received threatening letters saying that they would face legal costs if they pursued their cases.

Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore said Ms O'Keeffe should have had a carefree childhood and said her case is a reminder of the shocking scale of abuse.

He joined with the Taoiseach in apologising to her for what happened to her, adding that Cabinet will discuss the court judgment at next Tuesday's meeting.

He said the protection of children is a priority for the Government.

Speaking about the new Child and Family Agency and the forthcoming Children First legislation, he said that secrecy or ignorance is no longer accepted.

Ms O'Keeffe was nine years old when she was abused by teacher Leo Hickey at Dunderrow National School in Co Cork in 1973.

Decades later, Hickey was charged with 386 criminal offences involving 21 former Dunderrow pupils.

He was sentenced to three years in prison in 1998, after pleading guilty to 21 sample charges.

Ms O'Keeffe subsequently took legal action against the Department of Education, arguing that the State had failed to put in place appropriate protection measures to prevent and stop systematic sexual abuse at her school.

However, the High Court dismissed her claim that the State was liable.

The Supreme Court subsequently upheld that ruling, finding that while the State funded the education system, the management role of the Catholic Church was such that the State could not be held vicariously liable for the criminal acts of the teacher.

However, the ECHR found that the State was liable.

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Reilly seeks report on Portlaoise baby deaths

Thursday 30 January 2014 14.24

The Minister for Health has said he has asked the secretary general of the Department of Health to ask the chief medical officer to issue him with a report on the deaths of four babies at Midland Regional Hospital, Portlaoise.

The deaths at the hospital's maternity unit are the subject of an RTÉ Investigations Unit report due to be aired in a special Prime Time programme tonight.

James Reilly said that following the medical officer's report he will take whatever actions have to be taken to make sure there is not a repeat of the situation.

Mr Reilly said we need transparency and patient safety is at the core of his objectives.

One of the main priorities of the National Service Plan is to ensure that proper patient service is delivered across the board in the Health Service Executive, the minister added.

RTÉ investigated the deaths of a number of babies over a six-year period at the hospital.

Its investigation unit said the babies were alive at the onset of labour but died either during labour or within seven days of birth.

In the cases examined by RTÉ, there were no congenital abnormalities, meaning the babies did not have a physical condition where their ability to survive was diminished resulting in death. Therefore other factors led to their deaths.

A report into the death of one baby in 2008 found there were a number of failings in the care provided by the hospital to both the mother and baby.

These included a failure to recognise when the baby was in distress during labour and the inappropriate use of a drug used to increase the rate of contractions.

A number of recommendations were made in the report to improve patient safety.

However the investigations unit has learned that other babies subsequently died in very similar circumstances and that the review of these cases also found failings in the care provided.

The care failures in these cases showed strong similarities to the failures in the earlier case.

The programme finds the hospital and HSE had failed to implement the previous recommendations, which may have saved these babies lives.

The investigations unit also discovered that neither the hospital nor the HSE informed the bereaved families that an investigation had taken place in their case or that a report had been produced until years later.

One mother only learned of the investigation and report some five years after her baby died.

Fatal Failures - Prime Time, tonight at 9.35pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ News Now

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Ukraine president goes 'on sick leave'

Thursday 30 January 2014 14.23

Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has gone on sick leave with a respiratory ailment, his website has announced, with the issue of a new prime minister still undecided.

"The president of Ukraine has been officially registered as sick with an acute respiratory ailment and a high temperature," the web site said.

The 63-year-old has not had a history of ill health.

He has full control over the government and strong backing in parliament and analysts say he keeps his political cards close to his chest.

Mr Yanukovych's prime minister, Mykola Azarov, resigned on Tuesday in the midst of mass street unrest, and the president has yet to appoint a successor.

Serhiy Arbuzov, who was Mr Azarov's first deputy, has stepped in as interim prime minister.

It comes as Ukraine's parliament adopted a law granting amnesty to arrested anti-government protesters, but only if opposition demonstrators leave most of the government buildings they have occupied.

At a late parliament session, an amnesty bill that would free activists was passed with the ruling Regions Party but opposition MPs defiantly refused to vote.

President Yanukovych has granted several concessions to protesters who have packed the centre of Kiev for the last two months, but there was no end in sight to Ukraine's worst crisis since independence.

Earlier this week, Mr Azarov resigned and parliament scrapped tough anti-protest laws but the opposition wants nothing short of the president's departure.

Underlining the gravity of the crisis, Ukraine's first post-independence president Leonid Kravchuk yesterday warned that the country was "on the brink of civil war."

"It is a revolution. It is a dramatic situation in which we must act with the greatest responsibility," said Mr Kravchuk, who was president from 1991 to 1994.

Protesters, some from right-wing radical groups, remain camped out in much of the city centre of Kiev and have now erected wooden watchtowers at their barricades.

They are still occupying key municipal buildings including the Kiev city hall.

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said after meeting Mr Yanukovych that it was time for "real dialogue" to start and for "the violence and intimidation" to stop.

Three activists were shot dead in clashes between police and protesters in Kiev last week, but tensions have calmed somewhat since negotiations between the government and the opposition gained traction.

The crisis will influence the future strategic orientation of the nation of 46 million people sandwiched between Russia and the EU and whose economic potential remains unfulfilled.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, seen as the key international player in the crisis, told German Chancellor Angela Merkel that "any outside interference is unacceptable," the Kremlin said.

Ms Merkel for her part told Mr Putin to push for a "constructive dialogue" to defuse the crisis in Ukraine, her office said.

In a sign of Russia's economic influence over Ukraine, Mr Putin said Russia would wait until a new government is formed in Ukraine before it considers releasing a crucial $15bn bailout package for Kiev in full.

The opposition did not vote for the amnesty bill as they are unhappy that the law is conditional on protestors vacating buildings they are occupying in Kiev before it takes effect.

Svoboda (Freedom) party leader Oleg Tyagnybok said that parliament had essentially adopted a law about "hostages" as the dozens arrested during the crisis would now be held until buildings are freed.

"The authorities have now admitted they take hostages like terrorists do, so that they can then barter over them," he was quoted as saying by the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.

The UDAR (Punch) party leader and world boxing champion Vitali Klitschko warned: "Instead of lowering the temperature in society this is going to raise it."

Dozens of activists have been arrested since clashes broke out January 19, both in Kiev and in the provinces, where activists have stormed regional administration buildings.

Prime Minister Mykola Azarov and his entire government resigned on Tuesday after weeks of protests that began when Mr Yanukovych pulled out of a key EU deal in favour of closer ties with Moscow in November.

First Deputy Prime Minister Sergiy Arbuzov, who is also close to Mr Yanukovych and is seen as a member of the president's "family" inner circle, has taken over as premier in a caretaker role until a replacement is named.

There is little sign that Mr Yanukovych will give in to the opposition demand that he step down.

The president is "firmly intent" on holding onto power, and will likely use force or illegal steps to counter popular protests, the US intelligence chief James Clapper said.

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Doctors begin process to wake Schumacher

Thursday 30 January 2014 14.25

Michael Schumacher is being slowly brought out of his month-long induced coma, according to his manager.

The former Formula One world champion has spent the past month in hospital following a skiing accident in the French resort of Meribel.

His manager confirmed today that steps are under way to bring Schumacher out of his coma following the accident on 29 December.

In a statement, his manager said his sedation is being reduced in order to allow the start of the waking-up process, which may take a long time.

After the accident, Schumacher was sedated and his body temperature cooled to around 35C to ease the risk of further damage to the brain.

Surgeons at Grenoble University Hospital say they decided on the coma after operating on bleeding and bruising in his brain.

They carried out a post-operative scan that revealed "widespread lesions" on both sides of the brain.

A second operation, to treat bleeding, took place on 30 December.

Four-time Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel said this week he was hoping for a "miracle and he can be the same guy he was before".

"We still don't know what shape he will be in when he wakes up, which is awful for his family and friends," Vettel told reporters in Jerez in southern Spain.

Schumacher, who turned 45 on 3 January, dominated Formula One.

He won the F1 title seven times, more than any other driver, and notched up 91 victories between 1994 and 2004.

He first retired aged 37 but was unable to resist the lure of the track.

In 2010, he came out of retirement but was unable to recover his previous performance and quit for good in 2012.

As an F1 racer, Schumacher was known for his daring overtaking manoeuvres, his at-times almost reckless abandon in the pursuit of victory and his mastery of tricky conditions presented by rain.

On the day of the skiing accident, Schumacher appears to have skied on a partially covered rock, lost his balance and fallen on another rock further down, according to the prosecutor in charge of the investigation.

The impact was so strong it smashed his helmet in two.

Investigators have ruled out faulty skis, inadequate signage or excessive speed as possible causes of the crash.

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HSE cuts hospital spending budget by €200m

Thursday 30 January 2014 14.56

Hospital groups will receive €200m less than their final spending last year, according to the Acute Hospitals Division Service Plan published today.

The HSE budget allocations this year will be €3.7bn.

Unlike the Regional Service Plans, which were published in previous years, the new Divisional Service Plan does not provide details of individual hospital allocations for 2014, compared with 2013.

It says the number of planned in-patient treatments and day case treatments will be reduced by three per cent, which will result in 24,660 fewer day case procedures and over 3,000 fewer inpatient treatments.

An extra 40 staff posts are provided for in hospitals.

The plan promises that this year no adult will wait more than eight months for a planned operation, or day case procedure, and no child more than 20 weeks for these procedures.

The HSE also plans to reduce by 10 per cent the number of patients whose acute care has ended but can not be discharged for various reasons.

Acute hospitals had an overrun last year of €177m, which will be carried into 2014.

Hospitals will also have to meet the €56m of cost containment measures introduced last year.

The 2014 Haddington Road saving planned for this year is €60m, plus a reconfiguration savings target of €7.5m.

Also €80m relating to the Haddington Road Agreement is being held centrally, pending the outcome of an assessment on the allocation of these savings across each HSE service division.

Hospitals have been told to focus on improved income collection, with possible financial penalties where improvements do not occur.

The plan provides for €140m less for the Medical Card Scheme and €30m less for Community Drug Schemes this year compared with 2013.

The 2014 funding is based on projected requirements rather than historic budgets.

St James's Hospital faces €5m cut

St James's Hospital in Dublin is facing a budget cut of around €5m in its Health Service Executive funding for 2014.

The hospital, one of the biggest voluntary hospitals in the country, has been allocated around €304m this year, compared with around €309m last year.

St James's is looking at possible cuts in elective procedures and other services to deal with the funding reduction.

It is also understood that Tallaght Hospital will have a budget reduction of about 2%.

There was major controversy last November, when the then CEOs of St James's, Tallaght, the Mater and Our Lady's Children's Hospital, Crumlin wrote to the HSE warning of the threat to patient safety due to budget cuts.

Overall €4.3bn is being allocated to acute hospitals this year, an increase of 0.4% on last year.

Minister 'happy' with outpatient waiting times

Meanwhile, Minister for Health James Reilly has said he is happy that the number of patients waiting for outpatient appointments for over a year has been reduced by 95% since last March.

There are now less than 5,000 people who have been waiting over 12 months for an appointment.

Mr Reilly said those who fail to turn up for appointments following a reminder will lose their place on the list.

Speaking on RTÉ's Today with Sean O'Rourke, he said he accepts that sometimes people fall through the cracks.

He invited those who feel they have to contact their GP and make themselves known to the system.

It is estimated that 28,000 people were eliminated from the waiting list because they had failed to turn up for appointments.

Mr Reilly said nobody should be left waiting longer than a year for an outpatient appointment.

The minister also said he is very concerned at the rising costs in health insurance.

He said there has been a poor audit of hospitals and doctors.

There are some procedures, he said, that used to take two hours but that now take 20 minutes and he wants to know why there has not been a reduction in costs.

In relation to the closure of Mount Carmel Hospital, Mr Reilly said a lot of consideration was given to the decision not to purchase the facility.

He said he took the advice of his department and the HSE.

Mr Reilly said he was concerned at the loss of jobs but that he has been told many of the medical staff have been subsumed by the HSE.

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Draft bill on 'radical reform' of family law

Thursday 30 January 2014 15.34

Minister for Justice and Equality Alan Shatter has published draft legislation containing what one expert has called the most radical reform of family and children's law in Ireland in almost a century.

The minister said the General Scheme of a Children and Family Relationships Bill would remove the current anomaly where single lesbian and gay individuals can adopt children, but civil partners cannot jointly adopt.

In a statement, Mr Shatter said the Bill, if it became law, would enable parents who are estranged or living apart, where possible, to maintain a meaningful relationship with their child.

The measure proposes to make it easier for grandparents and relatives to maintain contact with a child in the situation of relationship breakdown.

On guardianship, it would enable a step-parent caring for a child on a daily basis, for example, to sign a school note or to consent to emergency medical treatment.

It would also facilitate step-parents of children born outside marriage in acquiring parental rights and responsibilities following their marriage to a child's biological parent.

It would no longer be necessary, as currently happens, for a biological single parent to jointly adopt his or her own child following marriage, together with their marital partner, for this to occur.

However, the draft bill does not create any barrier to such adoptions being effected, the minister said.

Commenting on the bill, the Government's Special Rapporteur on Child Protection Geoffrey Shannon said it was the most radical reform of family and children's law here in almost a century.

 

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Callinan will not take legal action against PAC

Wednesday 29 January 2014 13.14

Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan has said he will not make any legal attempt to stop a garda giving evidence to the Public Accounts Committee tomorrow. 

In a statement, Mr Callinan said it would not be in the public interest to pursue legal proceedings against the committee, despite his reservations.

He said he had no doubt that the PAC will act strictly in accordance with the legal advice it has received in dealing with the penalty points controversy.

He added that he has every respect for the role of the committee.

He said the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission is the proper manner in which to address penalty points allegations.

Yesterday, the committee agreed to invite a serving garda whistleblower to appear before it in a private meeting tomorrow.

It is understood that members heard legal advice that the whistleblower cannot name names and will be restricted in what he can say and what he can be asked.

They also heard that there were legal concerns about the completeness of the information, but members were told that a hearing with the whistleblower was a political decision.

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Suspended sentence in child abduction case

Wednesday 29 January 2014 14.19

A man who abducted and falsely imprisoned an 11-year-old boy over two nights has been given a three-year suspended sentence.

Dr Thomas Pfeiffer, 51, a German academic who worked in Waterford, was found guilty last month by a jury at Waterford Circuit Criminal Court.

Judge Pauline Codd said Pfeiffer had engaged in a significant level of deceit, and that it had been very frightening for the boy over a two-day period with a sustained period of upset.

She sentenced the doctor of computer science to three years in jail for the child abduction charge but suspended the sentence for three years.

He received a one-year suspended sentence for two other charges relating to false imprisonment.

Pfeiffer was also ordered to have no further contact with children in educational or research programmes.

The court heard that the boy, who is now aged 16, came to Ireland from Berlin to improve his English.

Pfeiffer, from Coolfin, Portlaw, Co Waterford, picked up the 11-year-old at Dublin Airport in January 2009 and drove him to his home in Co Waterford.

He had lied by telling the boy's mother that her son was staying with another family over the weekend before he would be going to the original "host" family on the Monday.

The court heard the boy felt he had been imprisoned in the house for the two days, and even though there had been no physical or other abuse, the boy was deeply changed and had lost trust in people.

Pfeiffer had set up a company advertised as 'English – K12' in order to improve his English.  

Pfeiffer, also from Berlin, drove the boy from the airport in a booster seat.

In his house, he measured and weighed the boy. He made him do sit ups, push ups and jumping jacks and zipped him into a specially restricted sleeping bag both nights before he unzipped it both mornings. 

The boy's mother and aunt both told the court of their upset and anger to discover that the boy had spent the weekend at Pfeiffer's house.

In a victim impact statement, the boy told the court his trust in other people was now gone.

The court heard Pfeiffer has one previous conviction, for a driving offence.

He is single and came to Ireland ten years ago to work on research projects with the Waterford Institute of Technology. 

The institute said Pfeiffer was only ever employed by the Telecommunications Software & Systems Group as a researcher, on defined research projects and has not been in their employment since 2011.

John Kelly, senior counsel for Pfeiffer, said today his client admitted he was wrong in that he was puffing up his own organisation.

But said he had no ulterior motive and that he has been assaulted twice in Cork prison and that it was his first offence.

Judge Codd said there had been quite a significant level of deceit.

She said it was an unusual and bizarre case and that it was very frightening for the boy who had felt very scared.

She added that Pfeiffer had not cooperated with gardaí and had chosen to fight the case.

As he walked from court, Pfeiffer had nothing to say when asked why he did it and what did he have to say to his victim.

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Court asked to dismiss cases by Smyth victims

Wednesday 29 January 2014 14.29

A Catholic Bishop has asked the High Court to dismiss cases being taken against him by three victims of paedophile priest Brendan Smyth.

Bishop of Kilmore Leo O'Reilly is being sued, as successor to the previous bishop, Francis McKiernan.

The victims allege the then Bishop of Kilmore Francis McKiernan and the now Cardinal Seán Brady did not take steps to prevent Smyth from abusing children in the 1970s and the 1980s. 

They allege that they were negligent because they did not report complaints made about Smyth in interviews conducted with two young boys in 1975. 

One of the boys identified one of those taking the case as a victim of the priest during these interviews.

However no action was taken to prevent further abuse and the boys were sworn to secrecy.

However, lawyers for Bishop O'Reilly say the man named in the interviews cannot continue this action as he received a settlement from Smyth's order, the Norbertines, in 1998. 

They say he accepted the settlement of £25,000 sterling, as a full settlement of all claims in relation to Smyth.

They say he sued Cardinal Cahal Daly in the original proceedings in Northern Ireland, as primate of All Ireland and representative of the bishops.

Lawyer Rossa Fanning said the bishop did not wish to minimise the suffering of the victims.

He said this was a legal issue and if the court allowed this case to be taken after a settlement had been agreed, it would have implications for all such settlements.  

He said the diocese had very limited resources and there were many other cases facing the diocese.

Lawyers for the victims, say the fact that one of the boys interviewed in 1975 had disclosed that the man involved in this case was also being abused by Smyth, was "actively concealed" in the court proceedings in the 1990s.

Neither his parents nor the civil authorities were informed and the boys interviewed were sworn to secrecy. 

The lawyers say if they had known that information they would not have settled the case for such an amount. 

They also said the earlier settlement was a partial settlement.

High Court President Justice Nicholas Kearns said he would have to decide on this preliminary issue.  

He said he would have to decide if the parties who were sued in 1996 were the same as the parties now being sued. 

And he said he would have to decide if the cause of action was the same in both cases.

The case will continue with legal submissions and argument. 

The judge said he did not expect to be in a position to hear evidence from anyone today or tomorrow.  He said this issue may require a written judgment from him.

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79% of over-50s obese or overweight - study

Wednesday 29 January 2014 14.33

More than a third of over-50s in Ireland are obese, a major new report on ageing has revealed.

A further 44% are overweight, while problem drinking and reliance on multiple medications is also on the rise among older people.

Despite the obvious health risks, the over-50s generally report high levels of satisfaction with quality of life and their incomes have remained stable.

The findings are revealed in the latest report by the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (Tilda), a national survey of more than 8,000 people aged 50 and over.

The study was led by researchers in Trinity College Dublin.

Participants were interviewed between April 2012 and January 2013, during, as researchers note, a period of considerable social and economic change in Ireland.

Minister for Health James Reilly said the latest report flags up serious concerns about the health of the over-50s.

"I am encouraged by some of the findings in this report, particularly those that show that, in general, the over-50s enjoy a good quality of life and report their health as excellent or very good," he said.

"However, I am also struck by some worrying trends, particularly the levels of non-communicable diseases and their co-morbidities.

"The finding that 35% of the over-50s are obese with a further 44% overweight is another serious cause for concern."

Obesity is strongly associated with heart disease and diabetes.

The report also found about one third of the over-50s report low levels of physical activity, with more women than men reporting low exercise.

More than half of those aged 75 and over have arthritis.

Smoking among over-50s is down from just over 18% to 16.5% since participants were last interviewed in 2009 and 2010.

Problem drinking has risen for both men and women - from 17% to 22% in men and from 8% to 11% in women.

Those taking five or more medications has increased from 21% to 26%.

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NI abuse inquiry told of beatings and 'sadism'

Wednesday 29 January 2014 15.06

A priest told a former resident of a church-run children's home in Northern Ireland that he was the product of an evil and satanic relationship, an inquiry has heard.

The son of an unmarried mother said he became a zombie, introverted and fearing the next beating, lying soaked in urine at night in an attempt to dissuade any sexual abusers from "dropping the hand".

He was a resident at St Joseph's in Termonbacca, Derry, run by the Sisters of Nazareth order of nuns, in the 1950s and complained about his treatment to a priest after leaving the home.

The response was: "You must never speak about this, you must understand... you and the other orphans are b*****ds. You are the product of an evil and satanic relationship. You never had a chance."

The witness said: "That was the day I left the Catholic Church."

The treatment of children in church-run residential homes is a key concern of the investigation being held in Banbridge, Co Down.

It is chaired by retired judge Sir Anthony Hart and is considering cases in 13 residential institutions between 1922 and 1995.

The witness said: "The truth is setting me free today more than this Commission knows. I have come here to tell the truth and as I am reaching out, I am reaching out in healing and trying to forgive but at this moment I cannot.

"I have waited 65 years to say this.

"When I was reared by the Sisters of the Congregation of Nazareth it was equivalent to being reared by the Taliban, such was their sadism, their lack of empathy, their fundamentalism, their lack of dignity to the little helpless boy."

He ran away and was recovered time after time.

One nun smirked and said: "Welcome back, your majesty," the witness said.

"Then the beatings would start."

Public hearings are due to finish in June 2015, with the inquiry team to report to Stormont's power-sharing Executive by the start of 2016.

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Cabinet to discuss Louise O'Keeffe case next week

Wednesday 29 January 2014 15.07

Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore has said the Cabinet will discuss the European Court of Human Rights judgment in the Louise O'Keeffe case at its meeting next week. 

The court ruled yesterday that the State had failed to meet its obligation to protect Ms O'Keeffe.

She was nine years old when she was abused by teacher Leo Hickey at Dunderrow National School in Co Cork in 1973.

Decades later, Hickey was charged with 386 criminal offences involving 21 former Dunderrow pupils.

He was sentenced to three years in prison in 1998, after pleading guilty to 21 sample charges.

Ms O'Keeffe subsequently took legal action against the Department of Education, arguing that the State had failed to put in place appropriate protection measures to prevent and stop systematic sexual abuse at her school.

However, the High Court dismissed her claim that the State was liable.

The Supreme Court subsequently upheld that ruling, finding that while the State funded the education system, the management role of the Catholic Church was such that the State could not be held vicariously liable for the criminal acts of the teacher.

However, the ECHR found that the state was liable.

Speaking this afternoon, Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton said Ms O'Keefe had conducted herself with extraordinary dignity and courage.

She said that she was glad that Ms O'Keefe has had the outcome that she has had.

Ms Burton said Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn was currently studying the judgment in detail.

She said she wanted to wait to hear what Mr Quinn and Taoiseach Enda Kenny have to say about the judgment before commenting further.

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Minister defends inspections of widows' pensions

Sunday 26 January 2014 15.14

Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton has defended random inspections to check if widows have re-married or are cohabiting.

Speaking on RTÉ's The Week in Politics the minister said the Comptroller and Auditor General has requested this.

She said that the Department of Social Protection is moving to "targeted inspections" when issues of entitlement arise.

Referring to a case raised in Dáil this week by a widow whose pension was mistakenly stopped, the minister said: "I regret any upset to the lady involved, it's a randomised survey simply to check that the person is still in the country.

"That person is who they say they are, and I have absolutely no doubt of the bona fides of the case brought up."

Fianna Fáil's Timmy Dooley said he knew of a case where a woman found herself answering to "one of the department's henchmen.

He said that she had to explain the fact that her brother was in fact her brother, who had moved in with her for a period of time to recoup from an illness."

He said the department is using a "heavy hand" and needs to "deal more sensitively in a manner that can achieve results and weed out the fraud without impacting the frailty and vulnerabilities of a particular sector."

Minister Burton rejected the reference to "henchmen" and said inspection staff at the department were put under "serious threat by criminals."

She said: "at times they are taking their life in their hands to make sure that people who are not entitled to social welfare payments do not get them."

Independent TD Catherine Murphy, said the inspections "seem more systematic than random" and urged the minister to deploy her staff to maximum effect, in areas where they are likely to get the greatest return.

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Minister raises concern over PAC hearings

Sunday 26 January 2014 12.48

The Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources has raised concern over the recent activities of the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee.

Management at the Central Remedial Clinic and Irish Water, as well as Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan are among those who have been questioned in several high-profile meetings of the committee since Christmas.

Speaking on RTÉ Radio, Pat Rabbitte said the PAC was, in some instances, duplicating the work of other Oireachtas committees.

The minister cited the questioning of Irish Water officials by the PAC and the Environment Committee on consecutive days as an example.

On a future banking inquiry, Mr Rabbitte said it was "perfectly feasible" to expect politicians to conduct the inquiry, even if they have expressed a view on the country's financial collapse.

However, he added that those who have made personal allegations or expressed personal convictions about those who will come under scrutiny in such an inquiry, should disqualify themselves from taking part. 

"If they have made intemperate, or vituperative, personal allegations or expressed their convictions about personalities, then I think they would be better to disqualify themselves from the inquiry," he said.

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'Serious flaws' in garda supervision - Brady

Sunday 26 January 2014 14.47

A former garda watchdog has said the garda whistleblower controversy highlights "very serious flaws" in the legislation governing supervision of gardaí.

Conor Brady also called for one of the whistleblowers, Sergeant Maurice McCabe to be listened to "very seriously".

Speaking to RTÉ's This Week programme, Mr Brady said "The structure (of supervision) is wrong, I don't think the political will is there to enforce structures as they were envisaged at the time."

Mr Brady, who served on the Garda Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) between 2005 and 2011 was critical of how the Confidential Recipient system deals with the concerns of whistleblowers.

"The whistleblowing legislation is flawed because the first thing the Confidential Recipient has to do is go to the Garda Commissioner and say I have a complaint from a named garda. There is no confidentiality or protection of the individual."

The exemption of the Garda Commissioner from GSOC supervision is also a matter of concern, according to Mr Brady.

"The other flaw that I see in the 2005 Act, and I think this should be looked at very seriously, is that the Garda Commissioner is beyond its remit."

"We were told at the time that the Garda Ombudsman would have broadly the same power as the Police Ombudsman in Northern Ireland, but the Police Ombudsman in Northern Ireland has authority over the Chief Constable, the Garda Ombudsman does not have authority over the Garda Commissioner," Mr Brady said.

He also called for GSOC investigators to be allowed direct access to the Garda PULSE database.

Ombudsman staff currently rely on seconded garda superintendents.

"Anybody in GSOC who wants to check a complaint about a guard... Was he on duty at the time? Was he away on holidays? That can be checked very easily on PULSE, but GSOC can't do that because they are not allowed to. So they have to wait for the superintendent to come in."

"A very simple administrative act could remedy that," he said.

Referring to Sergeant Maurice McCabe, the whistleblower who is still a serving garda, the former GSOC member said: "I can say that in my estimation Maurice is a fine guard, a fine officer, a man of integrity and I certainly would be influenced, to say the least by what he would have to say.

"I would listen to him very seriously," he added.

Fianna Fáil wants expansion of GSOC powers

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin said the Government should consider expanding the powers of the garda watchdog in light of the ongoing penalty points saga.

Mr Martin said that GSOC could be empowered to deal with aspects of the concerns raised by two garda whistleblowers, who have alleged that tens of thousands of penalty points were wrongly cancelled by other members of the force.

A potential stand-off between Garda Commissioner Martin Callanan and the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee emerged last week over plans by the PAC to call one or both whistleblowers before the committee to give evidence.

"Who guards the guards is as old as the society itself. It would seem to me. We should look at expanding the role of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission, with a view to ensuring that whistelblowers within the gardaí get due regard and consideration," he said.

Mr Martin said the question of whether the State lost out on revenue due to the termination of thousands of penalty points by members of the force was a "legitimate angle" for the Public Accounts Committee.

However, he said that there were also other issues in relation to the claims of improper conduct within the force, which have been made by the two whistleblowers.

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Coast Guard advises caution during high winds

Sunday 26 January 2014 15.19

The Coast Guard is advising people to exercise extreme caution in coastal areas after Met Éireann issued a severe weather warning.

An Orange alert wind warning is in place for Counties Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Sligo, Clare, Kerry and Limerick.

Forecasters are predicting wind gusts of up to 130kph.

Gusts of 90kph to 100kph can be expected elsewhere.

Met Éireann has said that winds of up to 85kph have been recorded in places overnight.  

Declan Geoghegan from the Coast Guard said conditions along coasts will be extremely dangerous.

"In view of the weather forecast with very high winds, high seas and swells, we are advising people to remain away from exposed areas such as coasts, cliffs, piers, promenades and harbour walls."

"People have recently been taking photographs quite close to the shoreline, that is extremely dangerous," he added.

ESB repair crews have re-connected over 1,000 homes and business which have been without power due to adverse weather conditions.

ESB Networks said around 800 of its customers are still without electricity in parts of Galway, Mayo, Limerick and Tipperary.

It says it hopes to restore supply to those affected by early afternoon. 

Have you been affected by the weather conditions? Contact newsonline@rte.ie or via Twitter @rtenews

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Protests continue in Ukraine despite concessions

Sunday 26 January 2014 15.20

Mass anti-government demonstrations have continued in Ukraine, overnight, despite an offer of concessions from President Viktor Yanukovych.

Protestors attempted to storm a large conference hall in the capital Kiev in which riot police were stationed.

Ukrainian opposition leader Arseniy Yatsenyuk said demonstrations would continue despite Mr Yanukovych's offer to appoint him as prime minister.

Mr Yatsenyuk said the offer showed the government was trying to evade responsibility for its actions.

He said the opposition was generally ready to accept leadership, but several key demands must be met, including new elections.

The protests began in November after Ukraine decided not to sign an accord on increased co-operation with the European Union.

Hundreds gathered at the Ukrainian embassy in Dublin today calling for President Yanukovych to step down. 

Their calls echo those of thousands of demonstrators in Kiev, who say they are fighting widespread government corruption and abuse of power. 

Ukraine Ambassador to Ireland Sergii Riva rejected the protestors' claims that the president needs to resign for peace to be restored. 

Mr Riva said more dialogue is needed. 

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Dublin recycling plant fire under control

Sunday 26 January 2014 15.32

The incident commander in charge of the fire at the Oxigen waste recycling plant in Ballymount, Dublin has said the fire is now contained. 

District Officer Brendan Mc Nicholls said they are working with gardaí to put a traffic management plan in place for businesses in the industrial estate tomorrow. 

Oxigen Environmental has said it hopes to relocate as many employees as possible.

Fire services have said it may be a further 24 hours before a forensic examination can be carried out to determine the cause of the fire at the Merrywell Industrial Estate.

A spokesperson for Oxigen said the company has "no indication whatsoever" of what started the blaze in the early hours of yesterday morning.

A building which housed waste processing systems has been completely destroyed.

The company's administrative offices and the majority of its fleet has been unaffected.

Oxigen said around 60 staff who work in the processing building will be affected and it is hoping to relocate as many as possible to other facilities in nearby locations.

In total around 120 people are employed at the Oxigen plant.

"Every effort will be made to relocate as many employees as possible," said spokesperson Martin Harrell.

The company said it hopes to be in a position to update staff within the next 48 hours and is actively looking at redeployment measures.

Oxigen is looking at 25 other sites in ten counties, including facilities that are local to the site that was affected.

Mr Harrell said some jobs may be at risk as the possibility of a full redeployment would be very difficult.

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Mount Carmel told to repay deposits to mothers

Saturday 25 January 2014 13.25

The liquidators of Mount Carmel Hospital have been instructed by the National Asset Management Agency to repay deposits to expectant mothers.

However, only deposits paid to the hospital can be repaid by the liquidators. Deposits paid to consultants are a matter for individual consultants.

Repayment will be decided on a case-by-case, depending on how much service has been received. However, any balance will be given back.

The liquidators have also been instructed to pay all staff in full, until the end of January.

Unions representing workers at the hospital have been told that the liquidators will need 48-72 hours to get to grips with the facility.

Staff are expected to be called to a meeting again early next week where they will be given further information about when redundancies will begin.

The first are expected as early as next Friday.

Staff will be paid statutory redundancy.

Unions have said the employment landscape for health workers is worrying, with the HSE operating a targeted voluntary redundancy scheme and the private sector struggling.

From today there will be no further elective surgery at the hospital, but the commitment to obstetric patients will remain over the next week to two weeks. 

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Protestors light fire at Ukrainian Govt building

Saturday 25 January 2014 07.34

Anti-government protesters in the Ukrainian capital Kiev have started a large fire just a few hundreds metres away from the main government building.

Masked men and a few women, many wearing helmets and protective clothing hurled Molotov cocktails and tyres into a burning flame in front of a barricade that was enforced the night before.

The sound of drums and metal bars could be heard over the square and neighbouring streets for hours.

Kiev residents brought hundreds of old car tyres to feed the fire and used human chains to pass them along.

Many of the protesters have spent days in the city center, which is partly controlled by the opposition.

In the past couple of days, protesters have built new barricades using snow and metal bars.

Riot police did not not try to storm the makeshift fortifications, but used sound bombs and water from fire engines to douse the fire.

President Viktor Yanukovich has called for an emergency session of the parliament to end the country's political crisis and violent unrest, in a sign he might be ready to soften his hardline stance.

He has promised to reshuffle the country's government but did not say if Prime Minister Mykola Azarov will keep his post. Dismissal of the government is one of the main conditions made by the opposition.

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Opposing sides in Syria hold face-to-face meeting

Saturday 25 January 2014 13.26

Syrian government and opposition delegations have held their first face-to-face meeting at the United Nations in Geneva in the presence of the international mediator, Lakhdar Brahimi.

During the half hour encounter the delegations did not talk directly but channeled their comments through Mr Brahimi.

The brief session was designed to set the rules for negotiations which should start this afternoon. 

The talks in Geneva are aimed at ending almost three years of conflict.

In a measure of the task ahead, diplomatic sources said the first two days of talks will involve discussing a deal to allow aid into a single city, Homs, where people are starving.

Speaking this morning a Syrian government minister reiterated its rejection of a proposal to form a transitional ruling body as part of a political solution.

"We have complete reservations regarding it," Information Minister Omran Zoabi told reporters.

"Syria is a state with institutions," Mr Zoabi said.

"A transitional governing body happens where the state is in disintegration, or has no institutions." 

The peace conference almost collapsed yesterday, the day face-to-face talks were meant to start, and was only put back on track after Lakhdar Brahimi persuaded the two sides to focus on smaller issues on which there might be agreement. 

"We do expect some bumps on the road," Mr Brahimi told a news conference after separate meetings with the two delegations.

With international divisions over how to end the conflict putting an overall political solution out of reach for now, the two sides will focus on small, confidence-building steps with no certainty negotiations will even last the week.     

"Both parties will be here...they will not leave on Saturday or Sunday," Mr Brahimi said.  

Humanitarian access for Homs, where rebels are surrounded in central districts by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, could be agreed quickly.        

"The practical aspects have been worked on. Things are ready and if the government doesn't put a block on it then it could happen quickly," a diplomatic source said.  

But deep mutual mistrust and the absence from Geneva of powerful Islamist opposition groups and Mr Assad's ally Iran make any substantial progress very difficult.

The opposition said early on Friday it would not meet the government side unless it first agreed to publicly endorse a 2012 statement by world powers calling for a transitional government in Syria.     

The government rejected the demand and said its negotiators would leave Geneva unless serious talks began within a day.  

After talking to both sides, Mr Brahimi indicated yesterday afternoon the argument, which centres on whether Mr Assad would have to step down, had been put to one side.

"We have agreed that we shall meet in the same room," Mr Brahimi said. The negotiations would be based on the 2012 statement, known as Geneva 1, which he acknowledged was subject to differing interpretations.   

"We wanted these delegations nominated months ago to prepare things better," he said.

Diplomats are playing down any hopes of progress.      

"Expectations are so low we'll see how things develop day by day," a Western diplomat said.  

Mr Brahimi has already indicated that his aim is to start by seeking practical steps, such as local ceasefires, prisoner releases and access for international aid deliveries, before embarking on the tougher political negotiations.

"I think an immediate political solution is unrealistic, unfortunately," French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told France 24 television.  

Syria's civil war has already killed at least 130,000people, driven more than a third of the country's 22 million people from their homes and made half dependent on aid, including hundreds of thousands cut off by fighting.

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Efforts under way to contain major Dublin fire

Saturday 25 January 2014 14.39

Dublin Fire Brigade is continuing to tackle a major blaze at a recycling plant in the west of the city. The fire began shortly after 3am at the Oxigen facility on the Ballymount Road.

Up to fourteen units of the fire services have been involved in efforts to bring the blaze under control. 

A number of small explosions were heard overnight as the fire spread at the Merrywell Industrial Estate.

A spokesperson for Oxigen said none of its staff were injured as a result of the blaze. Around 120 people are employed at the site.

The Oxigen premises was completely destroyed along with three refuse trucks, however the majority of the company's fleet was moved to safety.

The company said it will be business as usual for customers on Monday morning.

A spokesperson for the Dublin Fire Brigade said it will be tackling the "intensive fire" for the rest of the day.

Bales of cardboard, wood and plastic are still burning and large plumes of smoke are continuing to billow across parts of the city.

Scene inspectors from the Environmental Protection Agency are on site and monitoring the situation.

Gardaí and the EPA are warning members of the public to keep windows and doors closed due to the toxic nature of the burning material and strong winds.

AA Roadwatch is advising motorists to drive with extra care but said the blaze is not affecting nearby M50 traffic.

Separately three units of Dublin Fire Brigade have attended the scene of a blaze at the Robinhood Road in Dublin 22.

The fire broke out at around 3.38am damaging a number of trucks.

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Crowd of 1,000 attends Reform Alliance conference

Saturday 25 January 2014 15.28

A crowd of 1,000 people are attending the Reform Alliance's national conference in Dublin today.

The alliance is made up of five former Fine Gael TDs and two Senators.

The group says it wants to find ways to improve both the political system and the economy.

It is calling today's event at Dublin's RDS a national conversation about the country's future.

Many will be watching to see if the talking could ultimately lead to the creation of a new political party.

They have insisted again today that this event at the RDS is not about establishing a new political party.

Dublin Bay North TD Terence Flanagan said it was a "listening exercise" and nothing more.

The Reform Alliance meeting is discussing the economy this afternoon.

Peter Mathews, TD, said all candidates running in the European Parliament elections should sign a pact promising to lobby for a €53bnn debt write down for the country.

Economist David McWilliams has told the gathering that there is no reason why the economy can not provide people with a decent standard of living.

The gathering first heard from broadcaster Tom McGuirk who said political patronage has to end.

Broadcaster Olivia O'Leary said it was worrying that there were so few women in the audience.

She said the gathering was the result of politicians expelled from Fine Gael over their opposition to abortion legislation.

While not agreeing with the stand they took, she said she would defend their right to take it.

There have been a range of views expressed by the crowd. 

Some have called for a new political party while others advocated for a new electoral system.

The Reform Alliance's best known TD, Lucinda Creighton has said repeatedly that today's meeting is not about a new party.

Instead the alliance said it wants to reform politics, the economy and the health sector.

Debate over health reforms

There was much criticism of the health system in Ireland during the second part of the day's discussion.

Former president of the University of Limerick Dr Ed Walsh said that it was not a lack of resources that was causing difficulties in the health service.

He said that a restructuring of the system was needed.

Co-founder of the Blackrock Clinic Dr Jim Sheehan proposed that the new national children's hospital be built on a greenfield site in Blanchardstown.

He wants it built in Blanchardstown rather than at St James's Hospital as is currently planned.

Dr Sheehan received the biggest applause of the day following these remarks.

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Man's body found in Co Clare

Saturday 25 January 2014 15.34

An investigation is being carried out following the discovery of a man's body in Co Clare.

The man was found lying face down on the ground outside the community centre at Ballynacallly.

The man was aged in his 60s and is from the local area.

It is understood he was last seen socialising in a village pub last night.

The body has been taken to University Hospital in Limerick where Assistant State Pathologist Margaret Bolster will carry out a post-mortem examination.

Gardaí are appealing to anyone who was in Ballynacally between midnight and 9.45am on Saturday 25 January to contact them at Kilrush Garda Station on 065 9080550.

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Three dead, 30 missing in Quebec fire

Thursday 23 January 2014 13.44

A fire at a residence for elderly people in Quebec in Canada has killed three people, with 30 more missing.

The fire at the residence, which housed around 50 elderly people, broke out shortly after midnight local time.

The residence is located in the small town of L'Isle Verte on the Saint Lawrence River.

"30 people are missing. We regret to announce three deaths," Quebec police said in a statement. A further nine people were taken to hospital.
              
Public broadcaster RDI showed photos of the residence enveloped in flames.

The temperature in the area early this morning was -22C and RDI said high winds had fanned the fire.
              
Police said the residence contained 52 units.
              
Last July, 47 people died when a train carrying crude oil derailed and exploded in the middle of the Quebec town of Lac-Megantic.

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Guerin killer Meehan wins right to appeal

Thursday 23 January 2014 13.42

Brian Meehan, the only person in prison for the murder of journalist Veronica Guerin, can pursue a bid to have his case declared a miscarriage of justice.

The State had attempted to have Meehan's case struck out, but the Court of Criminal Appeal rejected the State's application.

It ruled Meehan's application should go to a full hearing to determine if there had been a miscarriage of justice.

Meehan, 48, from Crumlin in Dublin is serving a life sentence in Portlaoise Prison for Ms Guerin's murder in June 1996.  

The Director of Public Prosecutions applied to have his application struck out on the grounds there were no new facts to justify allowing it to proceed and that it was an abuse of process.

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UN envoy to meet sides in Syrian crisis

Thursday 23 January 2014 14.22

A UN envoy was to meet delegations from Syria's government and its opposition in Switzerland, trying to salvage peace talks after an acrimonious start to the Geneva II conference.

The first day of the talks yesterday was dominated by fierce rhetoric from President Bashar al-Assad's government and the opposition.

Brought together for the first time in almost three years of war, each accused the other of atrocities and showed no sign of compromise.

Despite the bitterness, officials still hope they can salvage the process by starting with more modest, practical measures to ease the plight of millions of people on the ground, especially in areas cut off from international aid.

The main negotiations, expected to last up to a week, are not due to begin until tomorrow

UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi was due to meet the two Syrian delegations separately today in Montreux, a Lake Geneva resort.

The talks will then move to Geneva, where Mr Brahimi will shuttle back and forth between the two delegations. 

"We have had some fairly clear indications that the parties are willing to discuss issues of access to needy people, the liberation of prisoners and local ceasefires," Mr Brahimi said.

More than 130,000 people are believed to have been killed, nearly a third of Syria's 22.4 million people have been driven from their homes and half are in need of international aid, including hundreds of thousands in areas cut off by fighting.

Yesterday's opening ceremony saw global powers vigorously defend their sides, with Western countries, Arab states and Turkey all joining the opposition in demanding a transitional government that would exclude Mr Assad.

Russia, his main global supporter, said the focus of talks should be on fighting "terrorism", a word the Syrian government applies to all of its armed opponents.

In the most dramatic moment of the conference, Mr Assad's foreign minister accused opposition fighters of raping dead women, killing foetuses and eating human organs, drawing a rebuke from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for using inflammatory language.

Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem also dismissed any suggestion that Mr Assad might leave power, saying no international forum had the right to question the president's legitimacy.

Western and Arab states declared Mr Assad must go. 

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Ukrainian leader requests parliamentary session

Thursday 23 January 2014 14.21

Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has requested an extraordinary session of parliament, saying the crisis needed "quick resolution", his office said.

Speaker Volodymyr Rybak said the parliament needed to discuss key demands of the opposition including the "resignation of the government" and controversial anti-protest laws adopted last week.

Earlier, opposition leader Vitali Klitschko urged protesters to observe an eight-hour truce in clashes with security forces ahead of talks with President Yanukovych.

He told protesters to "keep the barricades in place but (be) calm until the talks finish".

Mr Klitschko and other opposition leaders met the president this morning for a second round of talks.

Mr Klitschko's comments came after he crossed the lines to hold talks with riot police.

He told the protesters on the frontline that the security forces had vowed not to use stun grenades during the truce.

The protesters shouted that they favoured the truce, the Interfax news agency reported.

The opposition has said the president must agree to three key demands - the holding of snap presidential elections, the resignation of the government and the annulment of anti-protest laws passed last week - for a compromise to be reached.

"The chances are not great, but they exist," Mr Klitschko added.

Last night, Mr Klitschko said protesters will go "on the attack" if President Yanukovych does not offer concessions.

He said Mr Yanukovych could resolve the situation without bloodshed by calling early elections.

Protesters and police are locked in a tense standoff at the site of deadly clashes that activists said left five dead.

The demonstrators had overnight further fortified their barricades with sandbags filled with snow.

Their frontline was marked by burning tyres which were still on fire in blazes that the police had been unable to extinguish despite the use of water cannon.

Read a timeline of events

Meanwhile, Russia said it will not intervene in the anti-government protests in Ukraine and believes its leadership will find a way out.

President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "We consider we do not have the right to intervene in any way in the internal affairs of our brother Ukraine.

"That's unacceptable and Russia has not done this and will not do it."

Mr Putin has yet to comment personally on the latest violent clashes in Kiev in which five activists have been killed, four of them reportedly with gunshots, and police deployed tear gas, stun grenades and rubber bullets.

The protests broke out in November after President Yanukovych rejected a deal for closer integration with the European Union under pressure from Russia.

Mr Peskov said that the Kremlin viewed events in Ukraine "with huge attention, with anxiety and sometimes with pain," but was confident President Yanukovych would resolve the situation.

Mr Peskov complained that "foreign ambassadors who work in Kiev are talking about what the Ukrainian authorities should do, from where it should withdraw its internal troops, from where it should withdraw police and so on".

"From outside they are telling them what to do. For us, this is an absolutely inconceivable situation. Of course we cannot approve this and instead it makes us feel outraged," he added.

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Woman from NI murdered in Sydney

Thursday 23 January 2014 14.22

A 39-year-old woman from Northern Ireland has been murdered in Australia.

Comrie Cullen, who was married with three young children, was found stabbed to death yesterday in a car park at Taren Point in Sydney.

A man who suffered stab wounds was found close to the scene.

Police in New South Wales said he had been arrested and was under police guard in hospital.

In a statement, the PSNI said they were liaising with Mrs Cullen's family in Northern Ireland, following reports in Australia.

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Callinan to take legal advice over garda evidence

Thursday 23 January 2014 14.34

Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan has said he will be taking legal advice over the proposed appearances of two garda whistleblowers at the Public Accounts Committee next week.

Speaking at the PAC is not the proper forum for gardaí to make serious or criminal accusations against colleagues.

He said using that platform to discuss such matters would have an adverse effect on discipline within the force. 

Commissioner Callinan defended the force's handling of the penalty points controversy and said that nobody has provided any evidence of corruption and malpractice.

He also strongly criticised the fact that two garda whistleblowers are due to give evidence to an Oireachtas committee next week.

The identity of the serving garda whistleblower was revealed at the committee today; Garda Sergeant Maurice McCabe is understood to be serving in the midlands.

The identity of the retired garda whistleblower, John Wilson, had been known for some time.

Commissioner Callinan said he should have the opportunity to deal with this situation in advance of these people coming in.

These individuals had limited access to information and may be misguided, he said.

He also said that he had not seen the information that was provided to the committee.

The commissioner said this was not about circling the wagons, but that it was about the fundamental principal of the control and discipline of An Garda Síochána.

He said these issues should be dealt with by him at other forums and that perhaps the Director of Public Prosecutions should be involved.

The commissioner also said it is extraordinary that there are just two individuals making these allegations.

Speaking about whistleblowers, he asked what these individuals are doing in their particular places of work when they have a duty to protect the communities in which they work.

It is obvious, he said, that countless hours must have been spent on the computers searching and printing material.

It is patently wrong, he added, for members to start going into a system looking for difficulties or perceived wrongdoing.

10,000 fixed charge notices terminated annually 

In his opening address, the commissioner said that the penalty points system was not a revenue generation measure and that just over 10,000 fixed charge notices are terminated every year.

This equates to two cancellations per week per garda district, which can have up to six stations in it, or 2.6% of the 1.46 million issued, he said.

The commissioner also said that even when a penalty notice is issued, it is not mandatory that a prosecution or a payment should follow.

The use of discretionary powers has served the Garda Síochána well since the foundation of the State, he said.

It is an intrinsic feature of good policing which continues to help maintain the positive garda relationship with the citizens, he added.

Commissioner Callinan also told the committee that the gardaí have introduced a number of measures that have strengthened procedures around the cancellation of penalty point notices, as well as greater oversight and auditing of the system.

He said that two internal audits in November/December of last year have showed 100% of these cancellations were carried out within policy.

The commissioner said that no thread of evidence has been found to date and nobody has provided any evidence of corruption and malpractice.

PAC member Derek Nolan asked if it was corruption if a garda cancelled penalty points for a family member.

The commissioner said he does not expect any member of the gardaí to do favours for their friends.

He said he expects that everybody making those decisions makes them for the right reason and he would expect all of his officers to act fairly.

The PAC is investigating complaints from two garda whistleblowers about what they claim is a practice in the force of routinely cancelling penalty point notices.

In recent days the committee has been presented with fresh material understood to come from Sinn Féin TD Pádraig Mac Lochlainn.

At a private meeting last night, the committee decided to invite one of the whistleblowers to appear either in public or in private session to be questioned about the allegations.

PAC chairperson John McGuinness said he has met with one of the whistleblowers in relation to the penalty points controversy.

Mr McGuinness said he is satisfied as to the whistleblower's bona fides and said he has a story to tell.

He said the man alleges the penalty point issue is a much more widespread problem than has been documented.

Mr McGuinness also said he was concerned about his position as a serving garda and is experiencing serious difficulties in his job.

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Taoiseach surprised by Rehab scratch card profits

Wednesday 22 January 2014 15.04

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has said that he was surprised to learn that Rehab made profits of less than €9,500 on scratch cards sales.

Speaking at the opening of an air finance conference in Dublin this morning, Mr Kenny said he did not want to go into further detail as court proceedings are under way in the case.

However, he said he is hopeful a new charities regulator will bring about transparency.

He added that the introduction of a regulator will bring about greater public trust.

Mr Kenny said the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee has made it clear that all charities will be analysed and will be called before the committee.

He said they will be treated in the same fashion - "fully answerable, fully transparent".

In response, Rehab said charitable lotteries return detailed information to Government every year.

"It is quite disingenuous for any person in Government to express surprise or shock at the performance of any charity lottery," it said.

Rehab contends the compensation scheme for charity lotteries was established following the establishment of the National Lottery and the imposition of a cap on the prize fund of private lotteries.

It said profits of charity lotteries have been significantly affected because of "unfair competition" from the National Lottery. 

Earlier, it called on Minister for Justice Alan Shatter to withdraw remarks made in the Dáil yesterday regarding the funds received by Rehab Lotteries.

Mr Shatter said he was winding down the lottery scheme as he no longer believed it was "fit for purpose".

In a statement, Rehab said it was surprised Mr Shatter made comments on matters which it considers to be sub judice, and asked him to withdraw the remarks and apologise.

An audit of funds received by Rehab Lotteries shows that scratch card sales of almost €4 million yielded a profit of just over €9,400.

The audit was carried out by the Department of Justice.

Rehab says Shatter acted 'improperly'

Rehab said the minister was acting improperly in commenting on two cases before the court and said the information he provided was misleading.

In his speech to the Dáil yesterday, Mr Shatter said that there were two cases before the High Court in relation to the Charitable Lotteries Scheme.

He said he did "not wish to say anything that will create any difficulty for the Judges of the High Court in determining these matters".

However, the minister added the matters were, in the context of the court proceedings, already in the public domain and were directly related to "the question of the transparent use of donated funds by charities". 

Meanwhile, Sinn Féin's justice spokesperson Pádraig Mac Lochlainn has called on Rehab to explain the profits made from the sale of its charity lottery scratch cards.

Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, he said the audit showed that in 2010 for every €4 in sales, just one cent was returned to the charity.

"Whenever somebody buys a ticket from anybody you presume the vast majority of that profit is going to those who need it.

"You don't presume it's going to others. Rehab may have a very good explanation for it but we need to hear it and we need to hear it as soon as possible", he said.

Rehab and CRC operate shared lotteries

Rehab and the Central Remedial Clinic operate shared lotteries which generate receipts of around €3.8m a year.

The profits are split evenly between the two organisations and the beneficiaries are the CRC, Rehab and the Mater Hospital.

The vehicle for the lotteries is a registered charity, The Care Trust Limited, which was set up in 1974. Its last filed accounts were approved in March 2013 by directors Paul Kiely, then of the CRC, and Liam Hogan for Rehab.

The trust runs draws for cash prizes and cars.

The Government has a weekly €20,000 prize fund cap on charity lotteries, an issue which was the subject of a High Court case last year involving Rehab and the State, with judgment pending.

The last audited accounts for The Care Trust Limited are for the end of December 2012 and show that lottery receipts have fallen in recent years.

In 2011, the receipts from draws amounted to over €4.2m.

Other directors of The Care Trust Limited still listed at the Companies Registration Office are former CRC chairmen James Nugent and Hamilton Goulding.

PAC will get to bottom of Rehab issue - Fleming

A member of the Public Accounts Committee has said it will get to the bottom of the Rehab lottery controversy.

Fianna Fáil's Sean Fleming said that on the face of it the percentage margin made by the Rehab lottery is a ridiculous situation and the charity should explain its cost structure.

Speaking on RTÉ's News at One, Mr Fleming called for all details to be made fully available to the PAC.

He said Rehab is a charity that received millions of euro of taxpayers' money and the Health Service Executive should have been monitoring it.

However, he said the decision to close the charitable lottery fund is an inevitable consequence of the decision to privatise the national lottery.

Mr Fleming said this decision would impact negatively on a number of charities, but those charities that meet certain standards should continue to receive contributions.

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Appeals may be reheard following judge's illness

Wednesday 22 January 2014 14.10

A number of cases before the Court of Criminal Appeal may have to be reheard because a High Court judge has fallen seriously ill.

Chief Justice Susan Denham this morning told the Court of Criminal Appeal that Mr Justice Michael Hanna is seriously ill and will probably require a lengthy period of convalescence following his illness.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with Mr Justice Hanna and his family at this time," Chief Justice Denham said.

The Chief Justice said that Justice Hanna was a member of the Court of Criminal Appeal in a number of cases where judgment has been reserved and no final decision determined.

In these circumstances, she said the most appropriate resolution was to reconstitute the relevant courts of appeal and rehear the appeals.

She said she and the President of the High Court, Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns, would schedule these rehearings as soon as possible.

Chief Justice Denham said that extra sittings of the Court of Criminal Appeal will be arranged, and as all the papers were available to the court, it was anticipated that the decisions could be arrived at promptly.

Cases that may have to be reheard include that of former priest and serial child abuser Tony Walsh.

The 59-year-old, formerly of North Circular Road, Dublin, is appealing against separate sentences of 16 years and 15 months imposed on him for the rape and sexual abuse of young boys in the 1970s and 1980s.

In November last year, the Court of Criminal Appeal found that the six-month custodial sentence imposed on businessman Anthony Lyons from Griffith Avenue in Dublin for a violent sexual assault was "unduly lenient", but reserved the reasons for its judgment and later reserved its decision on what sentence should be imposed in its place.

Caroline Biggs SC, for the Director of Public Prosecutions, told Chief Justice Denham that although there was deemed to be an error in principle in the case, the State was awaiting the reasons for that decision as well as an indication of what the appropriate penalty should be.

She said she could not assist the court as to whether or not a full hearing will be required.

Chief Justice Denham said the presiding judge in the case wanted to hear the matter as soon as possible. She asked that counsel determine a suitable date and relay a view on how the case may proceed to the court registrar.

Other cases affected include that of a 52-year-old man appealing against a life sentence imposed on him in December 2011 for raping four of his daughters.

The case brought by 32-year-old Dublin criminal Brian Rattigan, who is seeking leave to appeal to the Supreme Court, may also have to be reheard. 

Rattigan is serving a life sentence in Portlaoise prison having been found guilty by a jury in December 2009 of stabbing 21-year-old Declan Gavin to death outside an Abrakebabra fast-food restaurant in Crumlin on 25 August 2001.

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Kerry insists Assad must step down in Syria

Wednesday 22 January 2014 14.03

US Secretary of State John Kerry has told the Geneva 2 conference in Switzerland there was "no way" Syrian President Bashar al-Assad can be part of a transitional government.

Representatives of Mr Assad's government and of those opposed to his regime are attending the event.

Mr Kerry told delegates that the Syrian president cannot retain legitimacy to govern.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said internal opposition in Syria should be part of national dialogue and that Iran should be part of international dialogue.

Earlier, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the Syrian parties "can make a new beginning".

He told representatives of Syria's opposing sides and of those of around 40 nations that this "conference is your opportunity to show unity".

Calling the challenges ahead great but not insurmountable, he called for immediate access for aid to areas under siege.

United Nations mediator Lakhdar Brahimi said he hoped that detailed discussions, which begin in Geneva on Friday, will lead to a settlement.

A day of formal speeches under UN auspices at a hotel on Lake Geneva has raised no great expectations, particularly among Islamist rebels on Syria's frontlines.

Underlining the seemingly intractable positions, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem said yesterday that Mr Assad's position was non-negotiable.

"The subject of the president and the regime is a red line for us and the Syrian people and will not be touched," he was quoted as saying in Syrian media.

He told delegates today that Syria will do what it takes to defend itself in ways that it deems appropriate.

He also called on the international community to stop pouring arms into Syria and supporting terrorism and urged the lifting of sanctions.

Mr Moualem also warned that the conflict "will not stop in Syria", but will affect all neighbouring countries.

Mr Lavrov, co-sponsor of the conference with Mr Kerry, repeated Moscow's opposition to "outside players" meddling in Syria's affairs but he also said Iran - Mr Assad's main foreign backer -should have a say.
              
Mr Kerry, in his brief speech to the floor, said negotiations would be "tough and complicated" but insisted there was "no way" Mr Assad could stay on with a transitional government.
              
"One man can no longer hold an entire nation or region hostage," Mr Kerry said, while also adding there would be no room in government for "terrorists" among the rebel forces.

A flap over a now withdrawn last-minute invitation to Iran also highlighted tensions between the West and Russia and the sectarian rift in the Middle East between Sunni Arabs who support the rebels and the Shia rulers in Tehran.

Iranian president Hassan Rouhani said the talks are unlikely to be successful.

"Because of the lack of influential players in the meeting, I doubt about the Geneva 2 meeting's success in fighting against terrorism ... and its ability to resolve the Syria crisis," Mr Rouhani said.
              
"The Geneva 2 meeting has already failed without it even being started."

The release on the eve of the talks of thousands of photographs apparently showing prisoners tortured and killed by the Syrian  government reinforced opposition demands that Mr Assad must quit and face a war crimes trial.

The president, who succeeded his father 14 years ago, insists he can win re-election and wants to talk about fighting "terrorism".

Mr Assad has been protected by Russia, his main arms supplier, which dislikes Western attempts to overthrow incumbent leaders.

But Washington and Moscow share alarm at the spread of the  violence that has already killed more than 130,000 Syrians. 

Presidents Vladimir Putin and Barack Obama had a "businesslike" conversation on the issue by phone yesterday.

UN diplomats believe the talks could initially bring at least some relief for Syrian civilians, by improving aid flows, as well as setting up prisoner exchanges.

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EU threatens action over Ukraine protests

Wednesday 22 January 2014 14.05

The European Union threatened to take action against Ukraine over its handling of anti-government protests after three people died during violent clashes in Kiev.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said the EU was shocked by the deaths, deplored the use of force and called on all sides to immediately halt violence.

"If there is a systematic violation of human rights, including shooting at peaceful demonstrators or serious attacks to the basic freedoms ... then we have to rethink our relationship with Ukraine and possibly (there will be) some consequences," he said.

Mr Barroso added that it was too soon to say what the consequences might be.

During overnight violence in Kiev, two people died from gunshot wounds while a third was said to have fallen from the top of the Dynamo soccer stadium, the general prosecutor's office said.

The anti-government protests erupted last November after President Viktor Yanukovych shunned a trade pact with the EU at the last moment and instead turned to Russia for financial aid.

Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt and his Lithuanian counterpart Linas Linkevicius said on Monday that further violence could lead to EU sanctions against Ukraine, although no official discussions have been held so far.

The US embassy in Kiev said it had revoked the visas of several unidentified Ukrainians in response to action taken against protesters in November and December and said further measures could be taken.

Earlier, Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said "terrorists" were threatening the lives of ordinary citizens in the capital and the "criminal" actions of protesters will be punished.

Demonstrators threw petrol bombs and police responded with rubber bullets and stun grenades.

The latest clashes broke out when police, using tear gas, tried to dismantle a protest camp but were repelled by demonstrators hurling home-made petrol bombs, witnesses said.

Mr Yanukovych has agreed to meet the three main opposition leaders for talks on the crisis.

Poland's foreign ministry summoned the Ukrainian ambassador in Warsaw to voice its concern about the crackdown on anti-government protests in Kiev.
              
Katarzyna Pelczynska-Nalecz, secretary of state at the ministry, told the ambassador that Poland felt "deep concern" about new laws in Ukraine restricting protests, and said the flare-up of violence this week might be linked to the new restrictions.

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Local and European elections to be held on 23 May

Wednesday 22 January 2014 14.08

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government Phil Hogan has confirmed that the local and European elections will be held in May.

Speaking in the Dáil, he said: "I am glad to confirm to the House that the Government agreed yesterday at Cabinet that 23 May will be the date for the local and European elections."

Voting will take place between 7am and 10pm.

The number of Irish MEPs will be reduced from 12 to 11 following changes to constituencies.

The North-West and East constituencies are to be abolished, while a new four-seat constituency called Midlands-North-West will be created.

It will comprise all the area of the current North-West constituency, with the exception of Co Clare which is being moved to the South constituency, as well as the north Leinster part of the East constituency.

The South constituency will be increased in size by the addition of counties Carlow, Clare, Kilkenny, Wexford and Wicklow and the number of seats will be increased from three for four.

There are no changes to the Dublin constituency.

The Local Government Bill is expected to come into effect prior to the election date.

Under the bill, the number of councillors is to be reduced by more than 40%, resulting in 80 town councils being scrapped, with the number of councillors being reduced from 1,627 to 949.

Every person aged 18 years or over is entitled to vote in the local elections however, only Irish and European citizens may vote in European elections.

There are 3.25 million Local Government and European electors on the current register. 

A new register of electors will come into force on 15 February.

Minister Hogan encouraged people who missed inclusion on this register to apply for the supplementary register of electors at the earliest opportunity.

Application forms will need to be received by the registration authority not later than 26 April 2014.

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EU states to face single carbon emissions target

Wednesday 22 January 2014 14.38

The European Union set out new climate and energy goals for 2030, proposing less stringent targets than in the past.

The move is a reflection of tougher economic circumstances and a desire to limit rising energy costs.

The European Commission said EU member states should face a single binding target to cut their carbon emissions by 40% compared with 1990 levels.

That represents a doubling of ambition compared with an existing 2020 target to reduce emissions by a fifth.

However, it is below what some scientists and environmentalists say is needed to prevent the worst effects of climate change.

Current national targets designed to raise the share of renewable energy to 20% would not be renewed after 2020.

Instead, the Commission is recommending a modest EU-wide goal of 27% renewables without hard and fast national targets.

That would allow Britain and others to meet their emissions targets for example by building more nuclear power plants, which are carbon-free but not renewable.

"What we are presenting today is both ambitious and affordable," Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said.

Government subsidies designed to promote renewables have been blamed for pushing up energy costs.

Current national targets had not proved the most cost effective option and ditching them would give governments more flexibility over how to meet main emission cutting goal, Mr Barroso said.

The policy outline is not expected to be followed by formal legislative proposals until early next year, and would still require lengthy debate by EU governments and the EuropeanParliament to become law.

The one firm legislative proposal included in today's announcement was a scheme to prop up Europe's faltering carbon emissions trading market, with the aim of removing carbon permits from circulation to support prices.

Under the proposal, the Commission would set aside up to 12% of carbon permits from 2021, as long as certain conditions are met.  

Independent MEP Marian Harkin described the new policy as a "gamechanger" for Ireland.

Speaking on RTÉ's News at One, she said the Government's industrialised wind proposals and pylon proposals were driven largely by export potential.

However, she said the UK would now have much more flexibility in how it would meet its emissions reductions, and would not need to import a lot of our wind-power.

Ms Harkin said the cost of renewable energy was also a big issue for the Commission.

Ms Harkin said renewables would continue to be an important contributor to our energy mix, but we needed to look at size and scale, cost and benefits.

She said Ireland needed to plan for a changed landscape, as we did not want another bubble.

Energy Minister Pat Rabitte rejected Ms Harkin's suggestions.

He said the energy transmission network is being built in order to meet Ireland's domestic needs and targets and has nothing to do with export.

He said the project to export Ireland's energy will fall or rise based on intergovernmental agreements.

The Minister criticised what he described as the muddle-headed conflation and confusion that is going on in the public debate.

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State to pay most of Marie Fleming's legal costs

Tuesday 21 January 2014 14.04

The State has agreed to orders that it will pay most of the substantial legal costs of the unsuccessful challenge by Marie Fleming to Ireland's laws on assisted suicide.

The 59-year-old from Wicklow died last month after losing her landmark right-to-die case.

The Supreme Court agreed to an application by Ms Fleming's lawyers not to formally draw up the costs order until her estate has been constituted.

The court agreed to affirm an order made by the High Court awarding Ms Fleming costs against the State of the High Court hearing. 

It also awarded Ms Fleming half of the costs of her Supreme Court appeal.

Ms Fleming was in the final stages of Multiple Sclerosis when she began her court action seeking to be assisted in having a peaceful and dignified death at a time of her choice without the risk of prosecution for anyone who helped her.

Last April, the seven-judge Supreme Court ruled the right to life under the Constitution "does not import a right to die" in what it described as this "very tragic case".

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LGBT parents worried about legal recognition

Tuesday 21 January 2014 14.23

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) parents have particularly bad experiences of adoption and fostering services in Ireland, according to a survey published today.

However, they rate health and education services much more positively.

Minister for Justice Alan Shatter is among a group of speakers addressing a conference in Dublin today organised by campaign group Marriage Equality.

A survey commissioned by LGBT Diversity has found that the primary concern for LGBT parents was the potential for interference with the custody rights of a non-biological parent.

The survey of 153 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender parents found that the vast majority experienced acceptance from family, friends and workmates.

However, nearly half also experienced discrimination and negative attitudes in their parenting roles over the last five years.

Some of the greatest difficulties arose for lesbians in accessing Assisted Human Reproduction services and for all LGBT parents in accessing adoption and fostering services.

But overall, experience with health and education services was more positive than negative.

Co-author of LGBT Parents in Ireland Paula Fagan said: "A very positive finding from this study was that for the majority of LGBT parents their immediate family members including their children, were overwhelming accepting and supportive of their LGBT identity.

"However, it was the lack of legal rights and recognition of their family which was of greatest concern for them in their daily lives."

The vast majority of respondents feared the potential for interference with the custody and legal rights of a non-biological parent, if something happened to the legal parent.

A further major worry was the possible implication of the lack of the ability of the non-legal parent to consent to medical treatment in the event of a medical emergency with a child.

Recommendations from the LGBT Parents in Ireland report include the need for the extension of civil marriage rights to same sex couples to enable LGBT parents to claim legal rights to parenting roles.

The Special Rapporteur on Child Protection Geoffrey Shanon has said that the law "needs to keep pace with changing family forms but also needs to ensure that we respect our heritage and our values".

Speaking on RTÉ's News At One, Mr Shannon, said EU research found that of "93,000 persons who are lesbian gay or bisexual across 28 EU member states ... the startling statistic there is that 28,854 of those persons had children or were legal guardians in respect of a child."

The Government has committed to holding a referendum on gay marriage by the middle of next year.

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Overcrowding concerns in emergency departments

Tuesday 21 January 2014 14.53

Overcrowding in hospital emergency departments is "unequivocally dangerous for patients", according to emergency medicine specialists.

The significant concerns are contained in a letter from the Irish Emergency Medicine Trainees' Association, signed by 24 of its members, to the HIQA health watchdog, and copied to the Health Service Executive.

Association president Dr Aileen McCabe says in the letter, seen by RTÉ News, that as senior frontline doctors operating in emergency departments, they are concerned that trolley numbers remain very high.

She said that over the past two weeks, trolley numbers have exceeded 300 a day.

Dr McCabe said: "that the overcrowding has to stop as the current situation is dangerous for patients and stressful for doctors."

She said: "patients with infections are presenting at hospitals and are posing a serious risk to patients whose immune systems are compromised because there is nowhere to separate them." 

The association also claims that the May 2012 HIQA Tallaght Hospital report recommendations on overcrowding are being ignored by senior hospital management.

Dr McCabe says that more than a year after the HIQA report, severe overcrowding remains and patient safety and quality of care is being compromised.

The letter also says that significant improvements resulted at Tallaght Hospital due to HIQA's regulatory focus.

It says that a zero tolerance policy worked and hospital management were genuinely fearful of regulatory inspection and oversight.

The IEMTA has asked HIQA to publicly refocus on conditions for patients in emergency departments around the country and to conduct more inspections.

It warns that otherwise there will be further inquiries into care.

Dr McCabe said there is substantial medical evidence that overcrowding leads to higher mortality and poorer patient outcomes.

"The appalling conditions that our patients endure in EDs should not go unchallenged. In any human rights issue such as this there are inevitably bystanders and up-standers. We ask you to stand with us and stand up for our patients", the letter concludes.

The letter has also been sent to Dr Philip Crowley, the head of the HSE's Quality and Patient Safety Directorate.

HIQA said it would have serious concerns if the recommendations from its Tallaght investigation have not been implemented in full.

The authority said it is considering the letter and will be in contact with the HSE seeking assurances on the issues raised by the association.

Meanwhile, 394 patients are on trolleys in emergency departments or on wards around the country today, according to figures from the Irish Nurses and Midwives' Organisation.

Of these, 308 are in emergency departments and 86 are on wards.

The worst-affected hospitals are University Hospital Galway with 44 patients on trolleys, 37 patients on trolleys at Connolly Hospital Blanchardstown and 33 at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital Drogheda.

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