Tag Archives: Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne

THE HSE is coming under increasing pressure to provide more dental care after it emerged 3,148 Clare children are waiting for a routine dental appointment, writes Dan Danaher. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne has claimed the HSE is failing Clare children under the Health Act by not providing them with their statutory entitlement of routine dental screening in primary schools. The Sinn Féin Deputy urged the government to take urgent action against the “unacceptable” figures. “The HSE is not providing adequate dental screening to primary school children and is failing children under the Health Act. “In Clare, there are an estimated 3,148 children are waiting for a routine dental appointment. “Failure to provide this important healthcare runs the risk of seriously harming children’s health. These figures are totally unacceptable and reveal a growing crisis in children’s dental care.” Prior to Covid, reports from The Irish Dental Association (IDA) stated that an increasing number of children are only being offered examination and dental …

CONCERN has been expressed by a local Dáil deputy the new 96-bed block approved for University Hospital Limerick (UHL) will only deliver 48 additional new beds for public patients in the region, writes Dan Danaher. UHL is in the process of tendering for the development of a new four-story 96 single bed acute inpatient ward block extension at their main campus. Tenders are due to be returned by the end of the month. In addition to securing full planning permission, UL Hospitals’ Group chief executive officer, Colette Cowan stated it is anticipated the works contract will be awarded in the second quarter of this year, subject to HSE Board approval and funding availability. “It is envisaged that when the new 96-bed block opens, about half of the beds will be used to replace older bed stock on the UHL site,” she stated in response to a Dáil question tabled by Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne. “This stems from a long-identified need to …

A 40-year-old Lisdoonvarna wheelchair user has made a desperate last ditch appeal for emergency accommodation to avoid being forced to live on the streets this weekend, writes Dan Danaher. In and out of hospital over the last nine weeks, Brendan Clohessy booked into an Ennis hotel recently but is now running out of money to pay for this temporary accommodation. An intensely private person, Mr Clohessy stressed he has reluctantly taken the decision to highlight his plight publicly as a last resort, having exhausted all other available avenues. “On Saturday when my money runs out, I have a choice between returning to hospital or staying on the streets where I wouldn’t cope in a wheelchair.” In November 2018, Mr Clohessy had to move out of his accommodation and has effectively been without any permanent dwelling house since then. The qualified computer technician, who spent the first seven years of his youth in Cooraclare and most of the remainder of his …

ACUTE hospitals in the Mid-West are on the alert for a possible significant surge in Covid-19 cases during the Christmas period due to the increased transmission of the new Omicron variant, writes Dan Danaher. There were 109 new cases of Covid-19 in Clare on Sunday, December 19, 197 in Limerick and 51 in North Tipperary. This compared to 65 new cases in Clare on December 13, 149 in Limerick and 56 in Tipperary. Meanwhile, the 14-day incidence of Covid-19 in Clare has increased slightly from 1,120 per 100,000 on December 13 to 1,133 on December 19. It also went up marginally in Limerick from 913 to 1,024 but fell in Tipperary from 1,441 to 1,322 during the same period. There were 1,331 cases in Clare from November 30 to December 13, 1,780 in Limerick and 2,300 in Tipperary during the same period. The latest 14-day incidence rate from December 6 to December 19 reveal 1,347 new cases in Clare, 1,996 …

SINN Féin TD Violet Anne Wynne has raised, at national level, a number of questions over Clare County Council’s track record on providing accommodation for Travellers, writes Fiona McGarry. In a Dáil debate on a report by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Committee (IHREC), she said more must be done for those struggling to secure appropriate housing. “In Clare, based on information compiled by the council, members of the Traveller community accounted for a stark 52% of the homeless figures last year, although they comprise less than 1% of the overall population,” Deputy Wynne told the chamber. “They represent more than half of the total number of people affected by homelessness in Clare. The report flags that only 2% of those on the summary of social housing assessments for 2020, which catalogues the level of unmet need for social housing, are categorised as Travellers. “These numbers just do not add up. It is concerning because without proper disaggregated data, …

A CLARE woman’s experience of cancer screening services during the pandemic has been described in the Dail as “a living nightmare”. The woman, who was diagnosed with an aggressive form cancer after an 18-month wait for routine screening, had her case highlighted by Deputy Violet Anne Wynne during a series of statements on Breast Cancer Awareness Month. “She was not informed that screening had stopped,” Deputy Wynne said, referring to the pausing of BreastCheck services during the pandemic. “She has attended her mammogram every year. However, the service just stopped and she did not have access to a mammogram for 18 months. Worse still, she was not notified, there was no consultation or communication and no information was inputted on the website.” The Sinn Fein representative said that would have gone for private screening but “was left in the dark battling rising anxiety”. “She knew something was wrong and eventually, a ball of nerves, she went to her doctor,” Deputy …

GARDA Commissioner Drew Harris has apologised after confirming that a total of 22 emergency calls in Clare did not receive an appropriate response in the period of 2019-2020. The vast majority of these calls related to domestic disturbances. At the meeting of the Joint Policing Committee (JPC) this week, the Commissioner reiterated an apology he made nationally after the Policing Authority found that 600 emergency calls nationally were cancelled and not correctly dealt with by the force. The JPC heard that a follow-up procedure was put in place to address the matter and that a new call classification system is being developed. However, Deputy Violet Anne Wynne, who raised a question with the commissioner about the matter, was critical of the missed opportunity to respond appropriately to the brave decision made by those experiencing domestic abuse to seek help. In response to a question from the Sinn Fein TD, which was submitted formally before the meeting, Commissioner Harris outlined that …

Meetings with Oireachtas members highlight Clare farming issues ahead of Budget 2022, reports Dan Danaher CLARE farmers are being urged to lobby local Oireachtas members to tackle agricultural issues in the run up to the Budget. As part of a series of meetings with Oireachtas members, Clare IFA chairman, Tom Lane met Deputy Joe Carey, Deputy Violet Anne-Wynne, Deputy Cathal Crowe, Senator Timmy Dooley and Senator Martin Conway to discuss a number of key farming issues. While Oireachtas members were not in a position to give any firm commitments ahead of the Budget, they have pledged to raise IFA concerns with the relevant government ministers. Speaking to The Clare Champion, Mr Lane urged farmers to familiarise themselves with the IFA’s Pre-Budget Submission and CAP proposals, with a view to voicing concerns or making proposals for improvement in agricultural policies to their local Oireachtas member. He stressed farming is entering a critical period with a number of key issues to be …