Tag Archives: taoiseach

AER Lingus staff being laid off at Shannon are set to have a virtual meeting with An Taoiseach Michéal Martin, this Thursday. In a statement this Wednesday, Clare TD Cathal Crowe said, “The meeting which I have organised to take place between An Taoiseach and Aer Lingus cabin crew based at Shannon Airport will now happen at 3:30pm this Thursday. Aer Lingus cabin crew will nominate four people to represent them at the meeting. “The meeting will be conducted via video call and TDs and Senators from the Mid-West will not attend. Protocol would require all or none us to be invited. “With no politicians in attendance, apart from An Taoiseach, the voices of Aer Lingus personnel will be in full focus.” Last week there was good news for Aer Lingus staff as the airline announced it would not be laying off its staff at Cork Airport temporarily, while upgrade works happen, and Deputy Crowe said Aer Lingus should reconsider …

CLARE TD Michael McNamara said that the Taoiseach was “telling fibs”, in the Dáil last week. A fractious exchange followed when Deputy McNamara claimed that Ireland is not implementing existing EU law. “In response to the crisis in the aviation sector generally, and Shannon Airport in particular, many of the Ministers, and indeed backbenchers, said that the digital green pass would be the panacea. I have the regulation introducing it. It came into effect on July 1. The State does not have six weeks to begin implementing it; it has six weeks to implement it completely. “Crucially, as of July 1, the State must issue certificates to people who have been vaccinated, who have recovered or who have been tested, not in the agreed format, but so that they can travel. Instead, the Ministers have increased the ban on non-essential foreign travel in contravention of that. Does the Government adhere to the rule of law and the belief in the …

BISHOP of Killaloe, Fintan Monahan, has asked parish priests and pastoral councils not to set dates for communions and confirmations in the Diocese “for the near future”. It follows confirmation, received by the organisation representing Catholic bishops, that the government’s forthcoming guidance documents will expressly advise against these ceremonies. Writing to parents, priests and schools on Wednesday, Bishop Monahan said that “in view of the letter received from the HSE last week, the strong recommendation of NPHET… and the clear advice from the Taoiseach’s Office, I believe it would be very unwise to celebrate the sacraments in the coming weeks”. The Bishop acknowledged that cancelling these important occasions will be “very inconvenient at such short notice” and he asked for “patience and understanding”, in the interests of public health and safety. The Bishop’s letter also said that: “Because of the vulnerability of the virus situation and the evolving nature of the whole process it would, in my view be best …

WEST Clare workers mustn’t be forced to carry an undue burden after Moneypoint Power Station lost a major contract and main source of income from October 2024, according to a local Dáil deputy. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne has urged the government to sit down the workers at Moneypoint, trade union representatives and local representatives to ensure that West Clare people are not forced to carry an undue burden as the state transitions to a sustainable energy environment. The latest blow for Moneypoint comes about 12 months after about 100 workers lost their jobs as part of a restructuring plan. In a statement issued to the Clare Champion, the ESB expressed its disappointment that the Moneypoint units did not prequalify for the T-4 auction for the period October 2024 to September 2025. This means that Moneypoint will have no capacity income, which is its primary source of income, from October 2024. “This presents further viability challenges to the Moneypoint station which has …

  FOR the first time in Ireland, every graduate of medicine will be offered an internship within the health system as part of the effort to battle the Covid-19 pandemic,the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar pledged today. Mr Varadkar made the pledge as he addressed the University College Cork Medicine graduates of 2020 – whose exams and graduation were brought forward to get more doctors into the field amid the pandemic. A total of 197 graduates were conferred in today’s ceremony – the first in UCC’s 175 year history to be conducted entirely online. “I know we’re living in very strange times as a pandemic affects the world,” Mr Varadkar said in a pre-recorded message. “You’re graduating early, and you’re doing so without being able to celebrate with your friends and your families as I know you’d like to. But there will be a time for that in the months ahead, when we develop new treatments, a new vaccine, a much better …

DEAR Leo, You’ve had a few very good years since we used to see you around here. The Taoiseach no less. Writing official letters to Kylie Minogue and going running with Trudeau! When you were Minister for Transport and came to Shannon, you were some man to get a rise out of people, Leo. Those that were there don’t forget a ridiculous suggestion that Knock was on the brink of overtaking Shannon and a rather wild claim that Aer Rianta International should be taken from the Clare airport because you said it had been established using profits from Dublin, that certainly shook ’em up, didn’t it? In Clare, some of us also remember the gleaming vision for Shannon set out at the end of 2012. In the pits of recession, a newly-launched plan for the airport predicted 2.3 million passengers within five years and 2.5 million by 2021. Outstanding! And there were going to be well over 3,000 new jobs …

AN Taoiseach Enda Kenny has launched Finite Lives Dying, Death and Bereavement: An Examination of State Services in Ireland, a report by Independent Senator Marie-Louise O’Donnell. The report is the first comprehensive analysis of end-of-life issues across all government departments outside health.  Commenting on the report, Senator O’Donnell said that death affects nearly 1,000 people every day between the estimated 80 people who die each day, and the 800 people directly affected by these deaths. Amongst the recommendations in the report is: The need for a whole-of-government strategy on end-of-life A national public consultation process. A socio-economic review of the costs of  death and bereavement An analysis of fuel and funeral poverty Regulation of the funeral services industry Further recommendations include the reinstatement of the Bereavement Grant and an audit to combat financial abuse of pensions of the elderly. In terms of communications, Senator O’Donnell has recommended that the State develops a dedicated website outlining all State services that are available to support …

The date for Census 2016 has been fixed for Sunday, April 24. The census data collected will be free to use and can be used for a wide range of purposes, including enabling the development of better public services. It feeds into the planning stages of most aspects of Irish life, such as schools, train lines and childcare facilities. The Census is also an important historical record, and Census 2016 will tell the story of our times to generations to come. Census 2016 has ben launched by An Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Pádraig Dalton, director general of the Central Statistics Office.