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Motion to compel food businesses to affix car registrations to food bags likely to fall foul of GDPR A PROPOSAL to oblige Ennis takeaways put the car registration on bags of food ordered from them in a bid to tackle illegal dumping would appear to have had its chips. A meeting of the Ennis Municipal District has heard there is no legislative basis for the plan, proposed by Councillor Ann Norton, while concerns about GDPR were also highlighted. Councillor Norton had urged that the local authority to investigate the possibility of putting the registration of the car on the bag at takeaways and drive-thrus. “When it’s tossed out the window, it can be delivered back to its owners with a fine for littering. This could be a pilot project to deter people from littering,” she proposed. Responding to the motion, Cyril Feeney, senior engineer, stated, “I note the merits of introducing such a scheme but unfortunately I do not believe …

Eight issues outstanding at Meelick facility says HIQA which also visited in February, May and July EIGHT breaches of national health regulations were detected in a Meelick nursing home following an unannounced inspection last September, according to the findings of a new report. Inspectors from the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) found Ennis Road Care Facility (ERCF) was non-compliant with changes to information supplied for registration purposes, persons in charge, staffing, governance and management, statement of purpose, infection control, fire precautions and residents’ rights. The inspectors acknowledged the efforts made by the registered provider to strengthen the governance and management of the centre including the recruitment and appointment of a nurse management team and 33 new staff. This was an unannounced risk-based inspection undertaken to follow up on the “poor inspection findings” in February, May and July 2020, all of which had identified issues with the governance and management of the service. Following the last inspection in July 2020, …

Garda statistics show only 418 Covid breach penalties GARDA statistics in relation to Covid-19 fines indicate that Clare is the most compliant county in the Southern region. Over the course of 2021 to-date, 418 fines were issued in Clare out of a total of 6,041 in the region. These were imposed for breaches of regulations, including the holding of house parties and travelling without a reasonable excuse. The figure for Clare represents the lowest number of financial penalties issued in any of the divisions in the South. By comparison, there were 429 fines issued in Kerry up to the end of April; 525 in Tipperary; 544 in West Cork; 745 in North Cork; 1,270 in Limerick and 2,100 in Cork City. An analysis of fines issued in Clare in the month of April shows the average number was five per week. As the phased re-opening of society and the economy continues, Kilmurry McMahon native and Deputy Garda Commissioner, Anne Marie …

Plans to realise Shannon’s full potential as a cycling-friendly town being developed in partnership A PLAN for Shannon to potentially become the country’s most cycling friendly town is currently being developed, and Senator Róisín Garvey visited last week to help complete a cycling audit of the area. The Love Shannon Community Council, the Leisure Centre, the local cycling club, Shannon scouts and pupils from St Caimin’s were all involved in last week’s initiative. Niamh O’Callaghan of Love Shannon Community Council said efforts to improve local cycling facilities have been ongoing for a couple of months. “It all started from an Active Clare zoom call which Róisín Garvey organised with the Transport Minister a few months ago. Then myself and John Drysdale from the Scouts had a follow up Zoom with Róisín and then we started a cycling campaign, where we sent emails and posters to all the schools and to the Chamber and we asked them to circulate those to …

CLARE has had fewer than five new confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the past day, according to figures from the health authorities. The 14-day incidence rate in Clare is 39.6 per 100,000 of the population, the fourth lowest in the country. Nationally, there were no further deaths related to the virus and 381 confirmed new cases. Regionally, Limerick and Tipperary both had 13 confirmed new cases of Covid-19. Of the cases notified today, 192 are men, 188 are women, 77% are under 45 years of age and the median age is 31 years old. Some 188 of the confirmed cases were in Dublin, 39 in Donegal, 30 in Kildare, 13 in Limerick, 13 in Cork, 13 in Tipperary, 13 in Westmeath and the remaining 72 cases are spread across 15 other counties. As of 8am this Monday, 124 Covid-19 patients are hospitalised, of which 31 are in ICU. Some 15 additional hospitalisations occurred in the past 24 hours. As of …

THE developers of a windfarm in South East Clare have made updated information available in response to public queries over the potential impact on health and property prices. RWE Renewables Ireland Limited, which describes itself as one of the world’s leading renewable energy companies, said it is half-way through an eight-week pre-planning consultation process and keen to engage with the community living close to the 320-hectare site which is 6km south west of Killaloe and 1.5km north of Bridgetown. The German company also said that, to date, the exact locations of the eight proposed turbines in the Fahybeg Windfarm have not been pinned down and that studies to determine these are underway. “So far we have been contacted by residents by phone, text and by email and some residents have asked to meet with us in person,” said a letter issued by the company. We have managed to meet them in their gardens over the last couple of weeks, taking …

THE position of chair of Shannon Group is to be advertised once more, following February’s fiasco when a candidate was announced and then stepped down within hours. Aaron Forde had been announced as the appointee, before the emergence of several offensive tweets by the former head of agri business Aurivo emerged. There had been some uncertainty about what would happen next, but an email to Clare TD Joe Carey from Transport Minister Eamon Ryan’s office this week sought to clarify the situation. The email stated, “Minister Ryan and Minister of State Hildegarde Naughton have agreed to launch a new campaign with the Public Appointments Service (PAS) and the minister has requested that this process be concluded as expeditiously as possible. “Department officials are currently engaging with PAS on progressing this new campaign and the department expects to receive clarity from PAS regarding the proposed dates and timeline for this competition in the very near future,” the email stated. Deputy Carey …

RECENTLY planted trees at a Clare burial grounds have been vandalised. The trees were destroyed at Ballycannon burial grounds in Meelick with their tops cut off and leaving behind only short pieces of trunk. Clare Crime Prevention Officer Sergeant Triona Brooks is urging anybody who witnessed this destruction to contact their local garda station. She explained, “Last summer, at the request of concerned members of the local community, the burial grounds unit engaged a tree surgeon to carry out an appraisal of high and mature elm trees on the approach avenue to Ballycannon Burial ground in Meelick. “It was recommended to fell the elm trees as they posed a hazard to adjoining houses. This area was replanted using immature low growing Irish ash over a dozen of which were replanted by Clare County Council. “Last Thursday the Burial Grounds Unit of Clare County Council found that all these trees had been destroyed by cutting the tops off them leaving approximately …