U.

N SHAMES IRELAND OVER CHILDREN

Dec 13, 2016
Taking in refugees when we have our own thousands starving
and begging on the streets
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryjJHL9ABZE&feature=share

FF to try block Rent

Pressure Zones being
limited to Dublin and
Cork
Kevin Doyle and John Downing
PUBLISHED
13/12/2016

3
Minister for Housing, Planning, Community & Local Government
Simon Coveney TD during the announcement of the Government's
new Rental Strategy under Rebuilding Ireland: Action Plan for
Housing & Homelessness at the Government Press Centre,

Dublin. Photo: Gareth Chaney Collins

Fianna Fil will try to block the introduction

of Rent Pressure Zones in just Dublin and
Cork.
The key element of the Governments plan for the rental
sector announced today it is to restrict rent increases in
the two cities to 4pc per annum for the next three years.
However, sources said that a meeting of the Fianna Fil
frontbench tonight heard concerns that this may cause
unreasonable price hikes in commuter belt towns.
Fianna Fils housing spokesman Barry Cowen is to
contest the 4pc figure, arguing that this is too high.
The Government will not be able to pass the necessarily
legislation to introduce the changes before Christmas
without Fianna Fils acceptance.
Cowen said the party's had "intensive discussions" on the
matter.

3
3
Minister for Housing, Planning, Community & Local Government
Simon Coveney TD during the announcement of the Government's
new Rental Strategy under Rebuilding Ireland: Action Plan for
Housing & Homelessness at the Government Press Centre,
Dublin. Photo: Gareth Chaney Collins

"We are pleased that Fine Gael have abandoned their long
held view that there should be no interference in the rental
sector and that the market alone should decide on rental
levels," he said.
He said he also wanted "to acknowledge" that Fine Gael
have included recommendations made by Fianna Fil in
its recent submission on rent reviews.

"However, we have genuine concerns with elements of the

current model as outlined and with its limited
geographical scope," he said.
"We are anxious that other cities be added immediately
and will be asking that Galway, Limerick, Waterford and
large population centres surrounding Dublin and Cork city
are included from day one."
Mr Cowen added: "We are not satisfied that the proposed
4pc increase is appropriate and we also believe that tax
incentives for landlords should be part of the package.
"I am open to further discussions with Minister Coveney to
address these outstanding issues," he said.
The development will cause a major headache for Housing
Minister Simon Coveney who has already said he would
not be prepared to make fundamental changes to his
proposals.
Speaking at the launch of the plan Mr Coveney said he
would not be open to making significant changes as this
would require to get Cabinet approval.
Mr Coveney has prosed that Dublin and Cork be
designated Rent Pressure Zones and thereby restrict
annual rent increases to 4pc for the next three years.
Senior Fianna Fil sources told Independent that they
have concerns which need to be thrashed out, adding
that they expect to find a resolution.
The party must facilitate the passing of legislation through
the Dil this week if the new measures are to be
introduced before the Christmas break.
A source say they are by and large support of the plan
announced today but its clear that the 4pc isnt going to
fly.
When you accept these are pressure zones then you
shouldnt be saying its ok to have 4pc increases.
The party are likely to demand that Mr Coveney revise the
figure downward to 2pc, although they may settle on 3pc.
A second source said: We cant have a situation where the
current prices are seen as the base level and we have
upward only reviews.

Fianna Fil want to know what to do to resolve the price

inflation in the long-term.
The partys frontbench are set to meet to discuss the issue
further tonight before they decide a formal position.
Read More: All your questions on the new 'Rent Pressure
Zones' answered
Earlier Labour leader Brendan Howlin told the Dil that
the new proposals to control the rents spiral will not work.
Mr Howlin asked Taoiseach Enda Kenny if he accepted
that key housing campaign groups - Threshold, Focus
Ireland, the Simon Community, the Peter McVerry Trust
and the NEC did not believe in the Government
proposals.
Are they all wrong and only yourself and Fianna Fail are
right on this issue ? the Labour leader asked.
Mr Howlin said the Government was allowing rent
increases which were a multiple of any other index, eight
times the consumer price index. He said the Government
thought the only pressure zones were Dublin and Cork.
You know these rental pressures exist in Louth and
Meath, Kildare, Wicklow, Wexford and probably Mayo,
he added.
Mr Kenny said if Mr Howlin had taken time to study the
Government plans he would see that the Housing Agency,
in consultation with local council, would designate an area
for rent increases.
It is a focused, targeted strategy to deal with the question
of predictability and certainty for tenancies, he added.
Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams said statistics showed
average rents were now averaging 1,000 per month
around the country, and over 1,500 per month in Dublin
and he said the Government plans lacked ambition.
All your questions on the new 'Rent Pressure
Zones' answered
The standout measure is the establishment of Rent
Pressure Zones in Dublin and Cork which will restrict rent
hikes to 4pc per annum. Here are the key questions on the
plan:

What is a Rent Pressure Zone?

These are areas where rents are high and rising quickly
which will now be subject to price caps. Legislation is
passing through the Dil and Seanad that will designate
Dublin and Cork city as RPZs before Christmas. As a result
annual rent increases in these cities will be restricted to
4pc per annum for the next three years.
Why just Dublin and Cork?
For an area to be designated as a RPZ the average rent
registered with the Residential Tenancies Board must be
above the national average and rising at a year-on-year
rate of 7pc for four out of the last six months. Dublin and
Cork city have been deemed as qualifying immediately but
the RTB will have to study the rest of the country.
Are all rental properties in Dublin and Cork
covered?
No. Properties that are new to the market (not leased at
any time in the previous two years) will be exempt as will
properties that have been substantially refurbished.
What happens after three years?
A RPZ status ends automatically after three years meaning
the rent review process will revert to normal.
There were calls to link rent increases to the rate
of inflation. Why didnt Simon Coveney take this
approach?
The minister said a blunt rent cap would disincentive
landlords entering the market and literally shut off supply
overnight. Noting that inflation for this year is negative,
Mr Coveney said: We want landlords to make a
reasonable return.
How does this affect the rent certainty measures
introduced last year?
The last Government introduced measures that restricted
rent reviews to every two years. This rule will still apply
outside of RPZs. They will cease to apply in Dublin and
Cork but not until rents fall due for review.
What supply measures are being proposed?
The minister has announced a series of measures aimed at

kick-starting supply. These include:

Examining the tax/fiscal treatment of accommodation
providers
Using publicly owned land for development
Promoting a build to rent model
Supporting credit availability for bringing vacant stock
into the private rental market.
Exploring the potential to bring into use, for rental
purposes, vacant properties where owners move to a
nursing home under the Fair Deal scheme.
http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/ff-to-try-blockrent-pressure-zones-being-limited-to-dublin-and-cork35289605.html

Rent strategy: 4% cap not strict

enough, say housing groups
Housing groups have asked why fresh rent restrictions
proposed by Housing Minister Simon Coveney are not
more stringent.
Wednesday, December 14, 2016
Juno McEnroe and Elaine Loughlin

Minister for Housing Simon Coveney TD speaks to the

media on the Government strategy entitled for the rental
sector. Picture: Sam Boal
However, Mr Coveney says if his proposed rent restrictions
to stop rates spiralling upwards in Cork and Dublin, were
any tougher they would have a devastating impact on
the sector.
Limiting rent hikes to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) or
inflation in general would trigger a mass exodus from
the sector and shut off supply overnight, said Mr
Coveney after the Government agreed on plans for rent
caps which will allow rates rise by a maximum 4% a year
for the next three years.
While many housing groups welcomed the restrictions,
there were questions about why more stringent caps are
not being employed. Tying rate increases to the CPI was
the subject of internal debate in the last Fine Gael-Labour
government, with the CPI model proposed by then Housing
Minister Alan Kelly being rejected. Instead, a two-year
freeze was introduced for rents, which the new
government fear has caused rents to shoot up over the
last year.

View image on Twitter

Follow

Fine Gael

We launched our strategy for the rental sector as part of

our Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness today.
More:
http://
rebuildingireland.ie/Strategy-for-t
he-Rental-Sector.pdf
Mr Coveney said an extra 60,000 tenants had come into
the private rental sector in 14 months, bringing the total
to over 700,000. Furthermore, some 12,000 landlords
have joined the sector.
He said a strict rent cap, as advocated by his predecessor,
would have had devastating consequences for supply in
the rental market. Outlining the changes, Mr Coveney
explained why the new restrictions were needed: What
weve done is much more nuanced, much more targeted.
It allows for increasing rents to be ahead of inflation, but
ensures that it is not runaway rents. Really, were kind of

K
K
K
K
K
K

putting a bridle on the horse that has been almost out of

control for the last two years.
The new measures will lead to steady, stable,
predictable, and potential rent rises, he said.
It is proposed that:
Rents in pressure zones of Dublin and Cork City can rise by
a maximum 4% a year for three years;
Measures will come into effect when tenants have rents
reviewed or when new tenancies begin;
New properties, vacant properties being refurbished, and
newly rented homes will be exempt;
The Residential Tenancies Board will accept plans for other
rent pressure zones from next March;
In other areas, rents can only be increased every two
years;
Both tenants and landlords will get stronger rights.

View image on Twitter

Follow

Fine Gael

In areas (Rent Pressure Zones) where rent is already high

or rising fast, rent increases will be capped at 4% per year

for the next 3 years.

3

5:59 PM - 13 Dec 2016

4 4 Retweets4 4 likes

Mr Coveney said the average monthly rent in Dublin is

now 1,500 and the rental market can no longer keep
going from boom to bust.
Speaking in the Dil, Labour leader Brendan Howlin
claimed everyone, apart from the Government and Fianna
Fil, now agreed that rent control was needed.
As the Taoiseach knows, rent regulation is the norm in
Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark,
and Sweden, he said.
However, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said the housing and
rental crisis is complex and not easy to resolve.
5:53 PM - 13 Dec 2016
http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/rent-strategy-4-cap-not-strictenough-say-housing-groups-435093.html

Minister Coveney's address

at the official opening of
Focus Irelands redeveloped
Stanhope Green housing
scheme
Published on Friday, 02 Sep 2016

Minister Coveney's address at the official opening

of Focus Irelands redeveloped Stanhope Green
housing scheme, 1 September 2016
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Stanhope Green
I am delighted to be here today to officially open Focus
Irelands redeveloped Stanhope Green housing scheme.
Stanhope Green is a former Convent which was used to
provide accommodation for homeless people in the city
over 20 years ago.
With the support of my Department and the Social
Housing Current Expenditure Programme, Focus have
been able to renovate these homes and bring them up to
modern standards and create homes that are light, bright
and comfortable places to live.
The project was one of the first of its kind to be funded in
this way and represents an innovative and collaborative
approach to social housing provision on the part of Focus,
as an approved housing body, the local authority and the
various supporting agencies including my own
Department.
The renovation works have taken a number of years as
many of the existing residents needed to be temporarily
accommodated elsewhere in order to allow the works to
be completed. However, the outcome is quality homes and
reflects the shift away from an institutional style of living
towards independent living within a vibrant community.
The completed project provides 51 long-term homes for
people who were formerly homeless, many of whom are
now elderly, and an additional 19 much-needed short-term
step-down units for people coming out of drug rehab or

prison
Focus Ireland
Focus Ireland is one of many homeless organisations
doing incredibly valuable work in challenging
circumstances. Focus Ireland was founded in 1985 by Sr.
Stan initially in response to the needs of a group of
homeless women.
Today Focus Ireland is one of the leading homeless
organisations working extensively to prevent people
becoming, remaining or returning to homelessness with an
annual budget of almost 22 million in 2015 and in the
region of 400 employees providing services to people in
Cork, Dublin, Kilkenny, Limerick, Sligo, Waterford and
Wexford.
While most of Focus Irelands annual budget comes
through State funding the very important role played by
fundraising must also be acknowledged; during 2015
7.36 million was raised through appeals, donations and
corporate sponsorship.
We are reliant on strong and effective collaboration
between central, local government and service providers
to tackle the current homelessness issue. Focus Ireland
is at the forefront when it comes to partnership
approaches to addressing homelessness, operating
collaboratively with a number of statutory and other nongovernmental agencies to implement initiatives. Examples
of this work include participation in the Dublin Homeless
Network and partnership work with local authorities and
health services around the country in the Regional
Homeless Forums. In addition, Focus Ireland has
furthered its objectives through partnerships with other
voluntary organisations, including the Simon Communities
of Ireland, Merchants Quay Ireland and The Peter McVerry
Trust. Focus Ireland is also a member of the Irish Council
for Social Housing; the Irish Charities Tax Reform Group
and FEANTSA (European network of organisations
working with homeless people).

The issue of housing and homelessness is the most

pressing social and economic issue presently facing our
country. Based on housing authorities reports, 4,177
adult individuals used State-funded emergency
accommodation nationally during a week in July 2016.
The July figures also identify 1,130 families in emergency
accommodation nationally with 2,348 associated
dependents.
The scale of homelessness is reflected in the demand for
Focus Irelands services. The organisations services
assisted over 12,500 people during 2015; this includes
approximately 6,500 customers who accessed the Coffee
Shop in Dublin City Centre but also those who accessed
Advice & Info centres in Cork, Limerick, Waterford,
Kilkenny and Sligo, and many other households that were
provided with accommodation, whether emergency or
long-term, and all those that were supported through the
Dublin-based Family Homeless Action Team or Tenancy
Support & Settlement Services across the country.
Focus Ireland also places an emphasis on a housing-led
model to tackle homelessness with the Housing-First
Intake team engaging with over 1,700 clients in 2015. I
also believe such approaches offer the best solution to
homelessness and I will be focussing on the strengthening
of such initiatives during my tenure as the minister
responsible for housing.
As Minister with responsibility for homelessness I am
committed to ensuring that there are sufficient emergency
beds available in our urban centres consistent with need.
Going beyond this by strengthening the Housing First
teams in the Dublin region and strengthening housing-led
approaches in other areas, the aim is to provide
permanent, stable and supported housing to long-term
homeless individuals and thus reduce the reliance on
emergency accommodation over time.
Vulture Funds
With regard to protecting homes from vulture funds,

Government brought in the Consumer Protection

(Regulation of Credit Servicing Firms) Act 2015 to fill a
consumer protection gap that existed where loans were
sold by the original lender to an unregulated firm. The
2015 Act ensures that borrowers, whose loans are sold to
third parties, maintain the same regulatory protections
they had prior to the sale, including under the various
statutory codes (such as the Consumer Protection Code,
Code of Conduct on Mortgage Arrears, Code of Conduct
for Business Lending to Small and Medium Enterprises
and the Minimum Competency Code) issued by the
Central Bank of Ireland. I am aware of media attention to
a letter that the Central Bank issued recently about its
position when the legislation was being passed but this
letter also says, and I quote, that the fact that credit
servicing firms now fall within the existing consumer
protection framework will clearly increase protection for
borrowers. The letter also specifically said that it was too
early to assess the overall effectiveness of the legislation.
The Central Bank as regulator of credit servicing firms is
expected to be vigilant in this area and raise any specific
instances where they have found consumers have not had
their protections upheld or that their positions have been
disadvantaged. I understand that no such instances have
as yet been brought to the attention of the Department of
Finance. It is also worth remembering that the sale of a
loan from one entity to another does not change the terms
of the contract or the borrower's rights and obligations
under the original contract.
However, if there are gaps in the legislation which need to
be addressed, this Government will examine them closely
with a view to ensuring that the rights of tenants and
borrowers are protected.
In this context, Pillar 4 of the Action Plan for Housing and
Homelessness Rebuilding Ireland commits to bringing
forward legislation to amend the Residential Tenancies
Acts to deal with circumstances where there are sales of

properties with tenants in situ. Often referred to as the

Tyrellstown Amendment the purpose of this amendment
is to prevent a future recurrence of situations where large
numbers of residents in a single development are served
with termination notices simultaneously. The proposed
amendment provides that where a landlord proposes to
sell 20 or more units within a single development, the sale
would be subject to the tenants remaining in situ, other
than in exceptional circumstances.
In relation to taxation of these funds, a number of
concerns have been raised recently about the possible
use of aggressive tax practices by some Section 110
companies to avoid paying tax on property transactions. I
understand that officials from the Department of Finance
and the Revenue Commissioners are currently examining
these issues. Should this examination uncover tax
avoidance schemes or abuse, then the Department will
propose steps which may be necessary to address this
and ultimately the Minister for Finance and Government
will consider those.
Rebuilding Ireland: An Action Plan for Housing and
Homelessness
We all know that the solution to ending homelessness is to
increase housing supply yet there has been an ongoing
shortage of social housing supply and the issue has been
compounded by a malfunctioning rental market.
The recent publication of Rebuilding Ireland: An Action
Plan for Housing and Homelessness is a major step
forward in providing good quality, well-designed housing
for all our citizens within the context of a just society. It is
testament to the priority that this Government, and I as
Housing and Planning Minister, have placed on the
provision of decent homes of all members of society.
This Action Plan is ultimately focused on delivering more
homes for the people who need them in integrated
communities. The Plan includes over 80 separate actions
structured under five main Pillars that will:

address homelessness;
accelerate social housing delivery;
build more homes for the wider housing market;
improve the rental sector;
and, utilise the housing we have.
With specific regard to tackling the homelessness issue,
measures in the Action Plan include the following:
1,500 rapid-build units will be provided, trebling previous
targets, to banish the spectre of families living in hotels in
2017;
the number of tenancies provided by Housing First teams
for rough sleepers in Dublin will be tripled and extended to
other urban area;
there will be enhanced supports for homeless families with
children;
a range of measures will be advanced by the HSE to meet
the needs of homeless people with mental health and
addiction issues.
While there have been significant increases in rates of
homelessness in recent times it is important to note that
much is being done to address homelessness and to
secure sustainable tenancies for homeless households.
For example, during the course of 2015, housing
authorities assisted in 2,313 sustainable exits from
homelessness i.e. into independent social housing or
supported private rented tenancies. Also, in particular for
the Dublin Region where homelessness is most acute,
825 individuals and households made the transition from
homelessness into sustainable tenancies in the first half of
2016.
For their part, using their own housing stock, Focus
Ireland created approximately 40 new tenancies during
2015 for households on the social housing waiting list,
including previously homeless households. Focus also
work with those moving out of homelessness and provided
supports, as required, to 161 families to move into their
own homes, whether in local authority, approved housing

body or private rented accommodation.

I also understand that Focus Ireland has almost 80 units in
the pipeline for delivery over the next few years under my
Departments Capital Assistance Scheme, these units
have a development value of approximately 10.5 million.
These units will provide much needed tenancies for
households in need of accommodation.
These units will be among some 47,000 units of social
housing that will be provided between now and 2021 with
a massive 5.35 billion of funding in place under the
Action Plan.
Given the current issues of high rents and the need for
security and stability, a major new strategy for the whole of
the rental sector will be brought forward before the end of
2016, striking an effective balance between, first and
foremost, the rights of tenants and creating a stable
environment for badly-needed investment. The recently
revised limits for Rent Supplement and the Housing
Assistance Payment schemes will also have an effect in
this regard.
The Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness also
provides for a new acquisitions programme which will
involve the Housing Agency using a rotating fund of 70m
to acquire vacant properties from banks and private equity
investment funds in areas with high levels of social
housing demand.
The Agency will always consult with local authorities to
ensure that suitable properties are only purchased in
areas where there is a demand for social housing.
Properties purchased by the Agency will be passed on not
only to local authorities directly, but also to approved
housing bodies to provide much needed homes for
households on local authority waiting list. approved
housing bodies and local authorities will purchase these
houses and apartments at cost from the Housing Agency
so that the fund can be replenished to purchase more
properties. For the initiative to be successful it will be

essential that local authorities and approved housing

bodies work closely with each other as well as with the
Housing Agency.
The State cannot do this all alone we will need all
stakeholders, especially organisation such as Focus
Ireland, to work towards our common goals.
Finally, I would like to thank all those who are advocates
for those homeless and for the staff and volunteers who
work tirelessly towards making a difference in the lives of
those who are most vulnerable in our communities.
Thank You.
http://www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/files/publications/files/strategy_for
_the_rental_sector_final.pdf

All your questions on the

new 'Rent Pressure
Zones' answered
Kevin Doyle Twitter
EMAIL
PUBLISHED
13/12/2016

Housing Minister Simon Coveney. Photo: Tom Burke

Housing Minister Simon Coveney has

revealed his long-awaited plan to tackle the
rental crisis.
+

The standout measure is the establishment of Rent

Pressure Zones in Dublin and Cork which will restrict rent
hikes to 4pc per annum. Here are the key questions on the
plan:
What is a Rent Pressure Zone?
These are areas where rents are high and rising quickly
which will now be subject to price caps. Legislation is
passing through the Dil and Seanad that will designate
Dublin and Cork city as RPZs before Christmas. As a result
annual rent increases in these cities will be restricted to
4pc per annum for the next three years.
Why just Dublin and Cork?
For an area to be designated as a RPZ the average rent
registered with the Residential Tenancies Board must be
above the national average and rising at a year-on-year
rate of 7pc for four out of the last six months. Dublin and
Cork city have been deemed as qualifying immediately but

the RTB will have to study the rest of the country.

Are all rental properties in Dublin and Cork
covered?
No. Properties that are new to the market (not leased at
any time in the previous two years) will be exempt as will
properties that have been substantially refurbished.
What happens after three years?
A RPZ status ends automatically after three years meaning
the rent review process will revert to normal.
There were calls to link rent increases to the rate
of inflation. Why didnt Simon Coveney take this
approach?
The minister said a blunt rent cap would disincentive
landlords entering the market and literally shut off supply
overnight. Noting that inflation for this year is negative,
Mr Coveney said: We want landlords to make a
reasonable return.
How does this affect the rent certainty measures
introduced last year?
The last Government introduced measures that restricted
rent reviews to every two years. This rule will still apply
outside of RPZs. They will cease to apply in Dublin and
Cork but not until rents fall due for review.
What supply measures are being proposed?
The minister has announced a series of measures aimed at
kick-starting supply. These include:
Examining the tax/fiscal treatment of accommodation
providers
Using publicly owned land for development
Promoting a build to rent model
Supporting credit availability for bringing vacant stock
into the private rental market.
Exploring the potential to bring into use, for rental
purposes, vacant properties where owners move to a
nursing home under the Fair Deal scheme.
http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/all-your-questions-onthe-new-rent-pressure-zones-answered-35290739.html

Forget fake news, fake

debate is killing Irish
discourse
Lets get straight to the point here.
Last nights Claire Byrne Live on RTE was a journalistic
fiasco, a car crash of pub opinions presented as public service
broadcasting.
And my suspicion is that it was no accident.
It was proceeded by a film called The Crossing, which
highlighted the work being done by the Irish Navy in the
Mediterranean, where they have been rescuing migrants by
the boatload.
Indeed, some of those featured in the film were trotted out in
a sort of mawkish public thank-you parade that seemed
entirely out of place.
Some journeyman politician was then provided to give Official
Irelands take, and actor Liam Cunningham, who has spent
time in Syria, was also included.
To provide balance, the panel was completed by Ian
ODoherty, who has done what, exactly, other than be
sanctioned for racism by the Press Ombudsman when writing
about Roma?
This is Irish journalism in the 21st century, where balance is
giving equal weight to both sides, regardless of how inept, illinformed or under-represented they are.
Given the opportunity on the national broadcaster, ODoherty
proceeded to march through the Breitbart checklist of racist
tropes, ending up at one of his greatest hits fundamentalist
Islam.
Now Im not sure if the refreshments were removed in the
Green Room before the film was screened, but it seems that
Ian missed the fact that many of those fleeing across the Med
are from Eritrea a country fairly evenly split between
Christians and Muslims and from which people flee because of
the dictatorship of Isaias Afewerki, rather than any religious
conviction.
He moved from something which in this case was to do with
sub-Saharan Africa and the failed state of Libya, and shifted it
back to ISIS, without any explanation or nuance whatsoever.
Facts are, of course, useless to Ian, and he continued on

through the tropes at a breakneck pace.

Rape.
Cologne.
Sweden.
And so on and so on, deep down into the rabbit hole of racism
and self-importance currently jammed to bursting point by
conservative columnists shrieking for some air time.
At no point did Byrne make any effort to challenge any of the
erroneous assertions made by ODoherty.
From a public service broadcaster, this is the very definition of
unacceptable.
It is unacceptable to present people on a panel if all they have
to offer is bar-stool opinions, rather than expertise, lived
experience or at least some sort of insight into the subject
matter - say what one likes about Cunningham, but at least
he put his boots on the ground in Syria.
Being the Village Racist (a man so incapable of discussing
things in a civilised manner that Twitter suspended him
recently) or the talking head at the top of the researchers
telephone list should not be enough.
(Added to that was the sputtering representative of the newlyformed and avowedly racist National Party, who thankfully
could barely formulate a sentence before foaming at the
mouth and losing the plot, allowing the host to move on).
It is unacceptable not to challenge serious assertions that are
racist in nature and that denigrate entire swathes of people,
and to instead blithely allow them to be presented as fact or
(at best) informed opinion.
It is unacceptable for RTE and Claire Byrne Live not to take
their responsibilities, both in general journalism and public
service broadcasting, seriously.
In short, it is not enough for an interviewer or moderator to
know the questions they must also know the plausible
answers, and be able to distinguish when they are being
manipulated or lied to.
The reason tropes like the ones espoused by ODoherty are
given credence is because they are allowed to go
unchallenged; if a lie is repeated often enough, it becomes
true for those who wish it to be so.
Those who pay attention to such things will have noticed the
shift lately towards Breitbartian rhetoric virtue signalling,
SJW and the constant, all-encompassing Islamophobia.
The far right are coming out in Ireland, and in doing so they
are revealing that they have been in plain sight all along.

And as with everything else it is important that debates

probe and test arguments properly, instead of being the
equivalent of putting two cats in a sack and letting them fight
it out.
Fake news is a huge threat in terms of democracy, but the
onus lies very much with the reader, viewer or listener to
discern what is true and what is not.
Fake debates are a different matter, and giving extremists the
platform to air their ill-informed views on vulnerable groups,
from immigrants to those on social welfare, without them
being robustly challenged is a failure of public service.

Your fish. Your future. Please share. Not the fish! The Post.
There is a documentary going the rounds at the moment made by
Risteard Domhnaill, the man who made The Pipe. Its called
Atlantic, was shown on RTE last week no matter how you manage,
get to see it. And if you're Irish, if you have any sense at all of right
and wrong, prepare to be a little bit incensed.
In 1973 we joined the EEC as it was then, the European Economic
Community.
Iceland didnt, Norway didnt.
Irelands fishing community at the time was small, fairly primitive by
the standards of the more organised fishing nations of the time, and
not very well organised, didnt have much (if any) political clout.
They were sold out, sacrificed by the then Irish government on the
altar of the great European project, but it was short-sighted a
decision as any of the many short-sighted decisions taken by
successive Irish governments when it came to protecting our own
natural resources.
You know the argument thats often thrown at us Eurosceptics But
look at what the EU has done for us, look how weve progressed;
sure without the EU wed still be living in the Stone Age of Ireland in
the 70s!
Well, where fishing is concerned, people like former Agriculture and
Marine Minister Simon Coveney (I'm sure we have a current Minister
but no-one has seen sight nor hair of him/her lately) turns that same
argument on its head, agrees with the EU that Irelands quota
should be stuck at the level our underfunded fleet was at back in
1973 What we have we hold! is Simons battle-cry, when what we
have is a just a fraction of what we SHOULD be holding.
Remember the mention of Iceland and Norway above?
According to Eurostat, the official stats-keeper of the EU, in 2015 the
total live catch of the EU 28 was 5,112,600 tonnes; of that, Ireland
got 234,800 tonnes thats 4.5% of the catch, while we have 25% of
the EU fishing grounds.
Meanwhile, according to the same table from Eurostat, that same
year, 2015, Norway landed 2,146,000 tonnes, Iceland landed

1,317,000 tonnes. The value of Norwegian fish exports in 2014 was

nearly 8bn; the value of Irelands fish exports, a tiny fraction of
that, just over half a billion euros.
Norway has a population of 5,271,958, Iceland a population of
331,778. And oh yes they burned their bondholders, jailed their
bankers and are no thriving. Really thriving, as opposed to the
pretend thriving in Ireland.
Remember also the mention above of the EU cheerleaders, their
arguments? Well another of their catch-cries is about all the EU
funding we got for infrastructure and agriculture etc; what they
dont mention, what no-one in the EU ever mentions, is the value of
the fish taken from Irish waters since 1973, estimated by Dr Karen
Devine of UCD in a report to the Oireachtas as over 200bn between
1973 and 2012.
Returning to Risteard Domhnaills beautifully crafted
documentary, Atlantic, Risteard goes beyond the arguments above,
highlights not just how Ireland was ravaged in 1973 and since, but
how the ocean itself is now being ravaged and savaged by the
massive factory-ships that are hoovering up all species in every
ocean. There was a vote today in the European Parliament on a file
titled North-East Atlantic: deep-sea stocks and fishing in
international waters.
In the minute I was given, this was my small contribution.
If we all make our own contribution, no matter how small, we will be
strong enough to put an end to this.

Over 9,000 children are to be

given medical cards

And pensioners will receive cheaper medicine.

6 hours ago 10,017

AROUND 9,000 CHILDREN will qualify for medical cards

after cabinet agreement on new legislation.
Health Minister Simon Harris tonight announced that
children in receipt of the domiciliary care allowance (DCA)
would automatically qualify for a medical card.
The DCA is a monthly payment for a child under 16 who
has a severe disability and who requires ongoing care and
attention, substantially over and above the care and
attention usually required by a child of the same age. The
allowance isnt means tested.
Harris said the measure will be introduced in early 2017.
The latest figures show that this initiative will benefit
approximately 9,000 very sick children who are not
currently eligible for a medical card. As a result 33,000
children will be eligible for a full Medical Card. It is my
intention to introduce this measure as early as possible in
2017.
The cabinet has also agreed to cut the prescription charge
for over 70s by 0.50 per item or 5 per month to 2 per
item and 20 maximum per month respectively from 1

March 2017.
This will see some 330,000 pensioners receive cheaper
medicines.
The latest figures show that this initiative will benefit
approximately 9,000 very sick children who are not
currently eligible for a medical card. As a result 33,000
children will be eligible for a full Medical Card. It is my
intention to introduce this measure as early as possible in
2017.
http://www.thejournal.ie/medical-cards-7-3138068-Dec2016/?
utm_source=facebook_short

Taoiseach admits using

personal email address for
government business
December 14, 16

TAOISEACH ENDA KENNY has told the Dil that he uses

a personal email account for official business.
However, Kenny said that he does not transmit corporate
business on the email address, which he has had for
some time.
Kenny was asked by Fianna Fil leader Micheal Martin
whether his Department has a policy on the use of

unofficial email accounts.

He said that the Department has detailed lCT policies
relating to the use of e-mail and the Internet which are
provided to all staff but Martin pressed him on the use of
personal emails.
I endeavour to ascertain from the Taoiseach whether he is
satisfied that our system is fit for purpose in the context of
the challenges democratic Governments now face
regarding the security of their IT systems, in particular in
respect of e-mail accounts and so on.
There is the official route of encryption of official
documents and so on but also the separate matter of the
use of unofficial e-mails.
Sinn Fins Gerry Adams and Labours Brendan Howlin
also voiced their concerns in the wake of news that
Russian hackers had sought to influence the US election
by hacking the Democratic and Republican parties.
Kenny responded that he was advised that the situation is
secure but that a personal address was used.
I have a private e-mail account that pre-dates my time as
Taoiseach and which I use for personal correspondence or
for party political correspondence that would not be
appropriate to transmit on an official e-mail account from
the Department.
The Department has an official account for my
constituency office for receipt of matters relevant to the
Cabinet or the agenda in that sense. Sometimes I receive
correspondence through that official e-mail address.
I also use a secure corporate e-mail account to enable
officials to send me priority e-mails when I am out of the
office. I can access this e-mail account on my mobile
telephone or iPad. No corporate data, other than e-mail
and calendar data, is accessible from these devices. All
corporate data on the devices is encrypted. Both devices
are protected through specialised mobile device
management products.
Obviously, I generally use the corporate e-mail for official

purposes. In the past, there have been occasions when I

have used that personal e-mail because of operational
reasons. However, information does not go there from the
secured encrypted e-mails. Government agenda or
business comes to me via encrypted e-mail addresses.
I have seen what happens internationally. Irrespective of
the firewalls put in place, I have a healthy scepticism of the
ability of people to be able to breach them.
Last month, it was revealed that the Garda Commissioner
Noirn OSullivan had used a private gmail account to
discuss garda business.

Enda Kenny forced to defend his

use of personal email for official
business

Philip Ryan Twitter

EMAIL
PUBLISHED
13/12/2016

1
Taoiseach Enda Kenny Photo: Steve Humphreys

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has been forced to

defend the use of a personal email account

for official Government business.
Mr Kenny admitted he uses a private email for some
aspects of his work but insisted he does not receive
sensitive Government information to this address.
Speaking in the Dil, the Taoiseach outlined a number of
different email addresses he uses for official business.
Responding to questions from Fianna Fail leader Micheal
Martin, Mr Kenny admitted he holds a private email
address which he uses for personal and party political
correspondence.
However, the Taoiseach also revealed that "for operational
reasons" he has used this email address for official
business.
But insisted sensitive information from Government
Buildings was not sent to this email.
He said he also has an official email address for receiving
correspondence from his constituency office which are in
turn sent to other Government departments or ministers.
Mr Kenny said the Department of the Taoiseach uses a
number of secure corporate email addresses which allow
his officials to respond to public queries or arrange his
attendance at events.
He has a further email address which allows him to receive
official correspondence when he is not in the Taoiseachs
Office. These emails can be accessed on his mobile phone
and iPad.
He said the official emails can only be accessed in
Government Buildings or remotely on authorised mobile
devices.
Mr Kenny said only email and calendar data can be
accessed from these devices. If these devices are lost or
stolen the data on the mobile electronics can be wiped
clear.
However, the Taoiseach added: Im advised the situation
is secure but when you read what happens with Wikileaks

or whatever, is there anything that is secure that is put in

electronically?
http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/enda-kenny-forced-todefend-his-use-of-personal-email-for-official-business35290885.html

Former Fine Gael

TD found guilty of
assault with a
broken pint glass
December 14, 16

 Provided by Irish Independent Former Fine Gael TD Sean Conlan

Picture:Arthur Carron

Former Dil deputy Sen Conlan (42), who

resigned from Fine Gael prior to the General
Election, appeared before Monaghan District Court
today.
The court heard the charges relate to an incident in
a pub in Ballybay on August 23 last year.
Conlan, of Main Street, Ballybay, Co Monaghan,
was charged under section 11 of the Firearms and
offensive Weapons Act with the production of a
broken pint-glass and also with assault causing
harm to Enda Duffy of Annahia, Ballybay.
The case opened before Judge Conal Gibbons with
an application by counsel for Conlan Patrick

Gageby S.C., which was granted by the judge,

requiring all witnesses to remain outside the
courtroom while the evidence of each witness was
being heard.
Garda Niall Brady presented three books of
photographs taken in the bar where the alleged
assault took place as well as pictures of an arm
injury which the alleged victim claimed he sustained
when struck by Conlan with a broken glass.
Enda Duffy told the court that after visiting a GAA
social centre and another pub in Ballybay on the
date in question he went to Conlans pub where his
brother and some other friends were drinking.
He said there was some banter in the bar with
references made about the Arts Minister, Heather
Humphreys - another Fine Gael Dail deputy based
in Cavan/Monaghan similar to Deputy Conlan.
The court heard that after a short time Conlan
repeatedly asked Mr Duffy his name, but he refused
to give it. Conlan then put his face against Mr
Duffy's touching the witnesss nose twice.
He claimed Conlan then smashed a pint glass on
the counter and struck him with the broken glass on
the arm.
He said he was later treated by as doctor. He also
told the court he received no other injury although

he agreed in cross-examination that he had

claimed, in an earlier statement to gardai, that he
suffered concussion. He admitted he had made a
mistake in using that term.
Peadar McNally, manager of the bar, said he
managed to get Conlan out of the premises after
the incident, while others were held back.
After the case closed prosecution, counsel for Mr
Conlan, Mr Patrick Gageby S.C. told Judge Gibbons
it was not proposed to call any evidence on behalf
of the accused, who was pleading not guilty.
Judge Gibbons then said he was convicting Conlan
on both charges. He accepted however the case
arose from circumstances in which alcohol was a
factor involving both parties in the pub.
Mr Conlan previously served as a Fine Gael deputy
but left the party after criticising party leader, An
Taoiseach Enda Kenny, over his failure to engage
with landowners in a campaign to prevent pylons
and overhead cables on their farms in a crossborder electricity link-up proposed by EirGrid.
Conlan stood as an Independent in the Election, but
failed to retain his seat.
http://www.msn.com/en-ie/news/national/former-fine-gael-td-foundguilty-of-assault-with-a-broken-pint-glass/ar-AAlwh9D?ocid=ob-fbenie-60

This week I have an article in the Northside People which

explains how Austerity economics in transport, affects all
communities, there is no escaping a traffic jam no matter
where you live.
We also have a public meeting on the Car Tax Insurance
Scam.

RESPONSE ON BEHALF OF THE BEREAVED FAMILIES AND SURVIVORS

OF
THE DUBLIN AND MONAGHAN BOMBINGS TO EAMONN DELANEYS
ARTICLE
IN TODAYS IRISH INDEPENDENT
December 14, 16
Justice for the Forgotten/ Pat Finucane Centre utterly rejects the
offensive remarks of Eamon Delaney in todays Irish Independent
regarding responsibility for the Dublin and Monaghan bombings. He
is playing fast and loose with the feelings of the bereaved families
and survivors who have been seeking the truth for 42 years. Using
victims in this way is a new low for the Independent and is
reminiscent of British propaganda about responsibility for some
loyalist attacks during the conflict. The article is one of the most illconsidered and intemperate examples of whataboutery we have
seen.Mr. Delaney claims that Sinn Fin and the IRA were partly
responsible for the Dublin and Monaghan bombings and uses a

quote which he alleges was made by the then Taoiseach, Liam

Cosgrave, on the very day of the bombings. He quotes Cosgrave as
stating: The IRA led by example, with its relentless bombings in the
North and in Britain. In fact, Cosgrave did not use those words on
the day of the bombings when he addressed the nation on TV. The
Dublin and Monaghan bombings were carried out by the Glenanne
gang, which included members of the RUC, UDR and UVF. A number
of the UVF members were agents of British Intelligence and RUC
Special Branch. The greatest atrocity of the conflict, combined with
the Ulster Workers Council strike, was a deliberate attempt to
sabotage the power-sharing Executive at Stormont and, above all, to
prevent the Council of Ireland from being implemented. It had little
to do with the IRA campaign. The strike and the bombings had the
desired result, which left the Irish Government afraid to raise its
head above the parapet for a long time afterwards.The UVF, at the
time it planted the bombs and slaughtered 34 civilians on the
streets of Dublin and Monaghan, was in the process of being
legalised by the British Government and, despite the huge loss of
life, the process continued and the UVF became a legal organisation
on 23 May 1974, six days after the bombings.Mr. Delaneys attempt
to re-write history does a huge disservice to the families and
survivors by trying to deflect attention away from where the
responsibility actually lies and, as he will be well aware, the British
Government has ignored three Dil motions passed unanimously in
2008, 2011 and 2016, urging the disclosure of documents it has
continued to withhold since the early years of this century. It is a
pity that the Independent does not use its good offices to challenge
the British Government on its failure to comply with these motions
of the Irish Parliament.It is worth recalling that Col. Derek Wilford,
who commanded the 1st Battalion, Parachute Regiment, on Bloody
Sunday, tried to blame the IRA for the British Armys massacre of 14
civilians. Mr. Delaneys remarks make the implementation of the
Stormont House Agreement, without further foot-dragging on the
part of the British Government, all the more urgent.