Tag Archives: Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne

THE Mid-West Health Service Executive has confirmed a new Covid-19 testing centre will open on the outskirts of Ennis on November 16. This announcement comes in the wake of increasing concern about the number of people from West Clare who have been referred for Covid-19 testing in Limerick and North Tipperary in recent weeks due to capacity issues. A new Covid-19 testing centre will open in the Ballymaley Business Park, Gort Road, Ennis, on November 16. This will replace the existing test centre, which was provided at Clare GAA’s headquarters in Cusack Park. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne has expressed concern about official statistics confirming more than 600 planned Covid-19 tests were marked as no-shows across the Mid-West from October 19th to 25th. “I am deeply concerned about the continued trend of no-shows for Covid-19 tests across Clare, Limerick and Tipperary in recent days. “The HSE have said that up to late last week there has been around 600 missed appointments for …

FLOOD-hit residents in South-East Clare are “living in hell” and are “living in fear” of more flooding, a local Dáil deputy has claimed. The devastation caused to several households and farmlands in Springfield, Clonlara was highlighted in the Dáil this week by Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne when she presented a case for the establishment of one single body to manage the River Shannon. Commenting on the River Shannon Management Agency Bill, Deputy Wynne warned flooding is becoming too regular and must be tackled with timely action rather than “more kicking the can further down the road”. Last February, she recalled several households and farmlands were destroyed or severely impacted due to flooding in South-East Clare. “One man in Clonlara was quoted as saying “I am living in hell”. For him it has become a very common life event. While many people have commented on the ways we can tackle flooding along the River Shannon, I believe that one of the most …

“HORRIFIC and shocking” were the words used by Clare’s Green Party senator to describe a rise of almost one-third in the number of barring orders breached in this county over the last nine months. Senator Róisín Garvey expressed grave concerns about the figure, which was revealed to members of Clare’s Joint Policing Committee by Chief Superintendent Seán Colleran. The Garda chief outlined that there had been 52 breaches relating to barring orders and safety orders between January and September of last year. Over the same period in 2020, the figure increased by 16 to 68, a rise of 31%. The number of domestic disputes increased by 7% in the first nine months of this year. Reacting to the figures, the Inagh-based senator questioned what additional supports were in place to respond to the situation. “This is an really shocking figure,” she said. “If you have a barring order, you fear for your life. Breaches like this are horrific. What I …

MORE than 20 people shared their stories of living in homes which are cracking, crumbing and letting the elements in, at a meeting between members of Clare Pyrite/Mica Action Group and political representatives. In one case, a homeowner has had to put metal cladding over a gable wall to stop the rain getting in. Since the action group was set up at the start of last month, 31 people have contacted it to call for the extension of a grant scheme for those with defective concrete blocks. A number of their stories have been covered to-date by The Champion. At the outset of last Monday’s meeting, which was held on Zoom, group founder Dr Martina Cleary outlined details of a survey conducted with 24 members. Homeowners across the county have now come forward, from Fanore to Feakle and Kilrush to Meelick. The majority of the houses were built in 1989 and 1990, but homeowners with properties built between 1984 and …

MIXED views have been expressed by local deputies about the provision of a record €600 million for the government’s 2020/21 Winter Plan. The importance of providing an effective Winter Plan was illustrated on September 16 when 80 patients in University Hospital Limerick (UHL) were without a bed, which was the highest figure recorded in an Irish hospital since Covid-19 restrictions began. This resulted in at least eight vulnerable elderly patients being left on chairs in UHL. The INMO has called for urgent intervention from the Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly with the immediate appointment of an external crisis management team to oversee governance at the hospital Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne described the Winter Plan as a “wish list” lacking in detail, targets and timelines for staff recruitment and bed delivery. “It falls far short on the number of beds and staff required to safely deliver Covid-19, non-Covid-19, and catch up care in the coming months. “Our plan, which I launched in …

CLARE County Council has been urged to introduce traffic calming at a “very dangerous” crossroads near O’Brien’ s Bridge to avert a potential fatality. The call was made this week by O’Brien’s Bridge Community Group chairperson, Margaret O’Connor, who said it is essential this crossroads is made safe. The crossroads serves motorists travelling from Limerick to Killaloe and O’Brien’s Bridge to Bridgetown and Broadford. Ms O’Connor outlined this junction can be blind for any motorist exiting from O’Brien’ s Bridge, particularly if they are travelling to Bridgetown because they have to travel far out in the middle of the road with the risk of being hit by a car travelling at speed from the Killaloe or Limerick direction. She pointed out some motorists drive at high speed travelling from Killaloe to Limerick because they view it as a straight road. “From day one, I felt it was not safe. If you were a pedestrian or on a bike, you wouldn’t …

POLITICAL support is increasing for a number of Clare householders whose properties are beginning to crack and crumble as a result of defective material in the blockwork. Since it was formed at the start of last month, the Clare Pyrite Action Group has had more than 30 people come forward from all parts of the county to highlight the condition of their homes. After a virtual meeting with Deputy Cathal Crowe last week, the action group is to hold an open event on Monday in the hope of garnering the support of more Oireachtas members and county councillors. To-date, a number of parliamentary questions have been tabled on their behalf about the possibility of extending a remediation scheme for those affected by defective blockwork, but none has received a positive response. Last week, the Department of Housing approved a call to have Limerick city and county taken under the remit of a scheme for homes where pyrite is present in …

HEALTH Minister Stephen Donnelly has been urged to ensure primary care team are adequately staffed to clear the “worrying” backlog of Clare people waiting for eye appointments. Figures released to Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne have revealed the adverse impact of Covid-19 on vital health services such as eye appointments. The current waiting list for Ophthalmology services across the Mid-West at the end of August showed 374 Clare people were waiting for an appointment. This includes 73 people waiting up to three months, 15 people waiting from three to six months, 147 people waiting from six to nine months, 93 waiting from nine to 12 months and 46 waiting more than one year to get an eye appointment. It compares to 243 people in total in Limerick who hadn’t got an eye appointment and just one less in North Tipperary contributing to 859 people waiting for this health service through the region. The figures also show there were 27 people in Limerick …