TheCity

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  • School lunch standards under scrutiny amid parent and teacher concerns 

    School lunch standards under scrutiny amid parent and teacher concerns 

    Issues have been raised about the lack of standardisation across catering companies under the Government’s School Meals Scheme. 

    By Rebecca Reilly   

    Nutrition coach Sophie Morris has posted images on social media reflecting parents’ concerns about the quality of meals being served in some schools.

    In the post Sophie has said what she is “advocating for is improving the standard of the food that’s currently being served to our children.” 

    She also references the photos below saying that “this is what’s happening on the ground.” We reached out to Sophie, but she was unavailable for comment at this time.    

    A pilot for hot meals was introduced by the Department of Social Protection in 2019 to a select number of schools.  

    The scheme has been expanding since April 2025, with 3,149 schools awarded funding under the programme for the 2025/26 academic year. 

    There are approximately 100 schools with applications for funding pending, awaiting further information. The Department continues to receive applications as schools finalise their procurement process. 

    The budget for the scheme in 2026 is €286 million, with the aim of catering to all primary schools across Ireland on a phased basis. 

    The meals are provided by a number of suppliers such as The Lunch Bag, Freshtoday and Glanmore Foods.  

    TheCity.ie spoke to a number of parents about the scheme. They spoke to us on condition of anonymity. 

    “I personally believe it is a disappointing service. My children don’t like the meals, and I don’t believe they are nutritious. We have since opted out and send our kids to school with a packed lunch daily,” said one parent.   

    Another parent alleged that their 10-year-old child received undercooked chicken. “When I raised the issue at school, I was told to contact the supplier directly.”  

    According to the parent, the supplier told them that they could opt out of the meal again, apologised that their child did not enjoy it, and they hoped the following day’s meal would be better. 

    Speaking to TheCity.ie, one primary school teacher in Louth said: “Although the premise in theory is good, over a third of parents have stopped ordering lunch in my class. A handful of kids are now eating them.”  

    “I can only speak about what I see in my class, but meals are a far cry from the samples we received last year for staff to try and are not consistent week to week – the kids have commented on that.” 

    The teacher said they also questioned how nutritious the meals are.  

    “The ingredient list is extremely long. Some labels don’t show the percentage of meat content; some do. Some meals contain added preservatives, stabilisers, sulphites, raising agents, and more. Is there a way to reduce those extra ingredients that you wouldn’t typically put into a home-cooked meal?” 

    Waste has also become a growing concern in this teacher’s school. 

    “Parents don’t get to see how much or little their child is eating, as the food is placed into the insulated box it arrived in for the company to collect the next day to dispose of. It is a lot of waste – a waste of food and a waste of taxpayers’ money. Money that could surely be spent better.” 

    A spokesperson for the Minister for Social Protection Dara Calleary said: “The nutritional standards for school meals have been in place since its inception and were developed by a technical nutrition subgroup.”  

    This group included dieticians from the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute of Ireland, the HSE, Safefood, and the Food Safety Authority of Ireland. 

    “Nutritional standards are a priority,” they said.  

    “Last September, the Department seconded a CORU-registered dietitian from the Department of Health to strengthen oversight of the School Meals Programme and conduct a review of the nutritional guidelines and the compliance of the main suppliers with the current guidelines.”  

    Since September 2025, foods high in saturated fat, sugar and salt have been removed from school menus. 

    Although calls for higher quality food echo many parents’ sentiments, some say there are many positive results from the scheme.  

    “My son is really happy with the food,” Pamela Lee, a mother-of -two from Galway told TheCity.ie.  

    “I do think there could be more variety – but I do think I could change it up for my son also in terms of my ordering.”   

    “My son eats everything and has never complained to me about the meals yet,” said Paula Madden from Galway, whose son avails of the programme.  

    Sinéad Crowe, a nutritional therapist and intuitive eating counsellor, praised the scheme for encouraging independence among children, but said regulation needs to be reviewed. 

    “My kids go on to the app every week and see what new specials are out and they like going through what to order. I think that encourages some autonomy and agency and promote decision making skills around what they are going to eat themselves,” she said.  

    “The providers are all different, so it isn’t standardised. Companies are going to vary in terms of what they are offering. I think that would need to be addressed and looked at. The companies need to be more direct with what ingredients are in the food – we need complete transparency.” 

    Crowe, who co-founded the Intuitive Eating Hub, has also raised concerns about how we frame this conversation. 

    “We need to be careful about the exposure that our children might have to this conversation… it could negatively affect a child’s relationship with food. We can talk about balanced and optimised nutrition without coming from a place of fear or scaremongering.”   

    Fine Gael is currently running a public survey on the scheme to inform the next phase of improvements and rollouts.  

  • The issues surrounding Ireland’s low PhD stipends

    The issues surrounding Ireland’s low PhD stipends

    By Megan Frances Bell. 

    PhD candidates in Ireland are receiving lower stipends than most other European countries, creating inequalities in the current cost of living crisis. 

    The average PhD stipend in Ireland is €18,500. According to the PhD’s Collective Action Union (PCAU), which was set up on July 8th of this year, this figure is below both “minimum and living wage”. 

    This action comes in the wake of the announcement of the Innovate for Ireland scheme by the Government in July of this year. The press release published by the Department of Further and Higher Education, outlines that this scheme seeks to attract 400 PhD candidates to “research climate change and adaption; global health and pandemics; water poverty; digital society; and cyber security”. 

    This scheme will be open to Irish and international researchers with a stipend of €28,000 on offer; almost €10,000 more than the stipend offered to and received by most other PhD candidates in the country. 

    As of October 2022, over 900 researchers and supporters have signed an open letter from PCAU regarding “the new government valuation on PhD-level research as seen in their most recent PhD funding initiative”. The open letter calls for all stipends for PhD candidates in Ireland to be increased to €28,000 to address current inflation and the cost of living crisis. The open letter also requests a meeting between PCAU’s Acting President, Jeffery (Siothrun) Sardina and the Irish PhD funding agencies. 

    “The Central Statistics Office (CSO) reported an approximate 9.1% inflation of prices1 in the last year, which means that the current (average) stipend of €18.5k has the same purchasing power as a €17k stipend pre-inflation, when current first-year PhD researchers accepted their roles”.

    Open letter from the PhD’s Collective Action Union regarding PhD compensation.

    The 2023 budget included an increase of €500 in stipends for all PhDs funded through the Science Foundation Ireland and the Irish Research Council. This does not include researchers who are funded by external agencies or by universities who decide their own stipends. 

    Statistics from the department of Higher Education state that there are on average 9,350 PhD researchers in the country. According to the department this once off payment will benefit approximately 3,500 researchers, overall only 37.43% of all PhD candidates in the country. 

    TheCity.ie spoke with Waqar Ahmed regarding this new programme. Ahmed is the Vice President for Postgraduate Affairs at the Union of Students in Ireland (USI); Ahmed is also a PhD researcher in Dublin City University. 

    Currently, there are no regulations in place regarding PhD stipends and support. “Even though the Irish University Association (IUA) has pay scales for researchers and academic staff, PhDs don’t have pay scales or standards,” Ahmed said. 

    There are 13 EU states that consider PhD candidates as professionals. They often receive salaries over three times higher than what Irish candidates receive. 

    “On a €6000 annual salary, how is a full-time PhD researcher supposed to live?” asked Ahmed. “It is appalling that the average stipend in Ireland is around €13,000. There needs to be a concerted effort on the part of the entire higher education sector if things are going to get better”. 

    Not only do candidates in these states receive higher wages they also receive employee benefits, paternity benefits, and union representation. Additionally, Ireland’s low stipends “violate the European Charter of Researchers’ Rights,” according to Ahmed. 

    “In the case of non-EEA PhDs, they suffer from a complete lack of support in terms of their healthcare costs, residence permit costs, spouse working rights, housing costs, and naturalization costs”. 

    The current economic crisis and rising inflation costs have made this issue more important than it has ever been. The stipends were reduced in 2012 and the USI has been fighting for many years to raise the stipends to a living wage. 

    “It is extremely evident that many postgraduates aren’t receiving a fair wage for their teaching duties and that stipends are generally below the minimum wage at present,” said Ahmed. 

    USI is currently working on redrafting a new charter for postgraduate researchers’ rights. 

    Ahmed concluded: “We will continue pushing the government and institutions to overhaul the support system for postgraduate researchers. There is an excellent opportunity to make the right decision with the recent announcement of a national review of PhD supports that will be conducted. Our demands include employee status, minimum living income, recognition and payment of work, access to suitable work environment and resources, support for teaching and work, appropriate supervision, appeal and grievances procedures, provision of suitable accommodation, non-discrimination, rights for non-EEA researchers, and equality of opportunities”
     – Waqar Ahmed, Vice President for Postgraduate Affairs and the Union of Students in Ireland.

  • ‘If they want us in power, they’re going to have to do more than greenwashing us’ – Reactions to FF/FG’s letter to the Green Party

    ‘If they want us in power, they’re going to have to do more than greenwashing us’ – Reactions to FF/FG’s letter to the Green Party

    Eamon Ryan, leader of the Green Party (Photo: GreenParty.ie)

    The Green Party is set to hold a teleconference to evaluate their official response to Fianna Fail and Fine Gael’s letter, which answers the 17 questions posed by the Greens regarding policy promises. TheCity.ie’s Kate Brayden speaks to County Clare Green Party councillor Roisin Garvey and Futureproof Clare about the vital Shannon LNG concession, and the 7% emissions target urged by the United Nations.

    In a letter published this week inviting the Greens into further governmental talks, FF and FG wrote that they “welcome the desire of the Green Party to be involved in recovering, rebuilding and renewing Ireland in the aftermath of the COVID-19 Emergency” and respect the “strong policy platform” outlined by the Greens, led by Eamon Ryan.

    Crucially, the two parties stopped short of promising a 7% emissions reduction target by 2030 – despite the fact that the EU have said the minimum reduction needed is 8% to remain outside of the 1.5C temperature increase. The target is based on the 2019 “Emissions Gap” Report from the UN Environment Programme.

    https://twitter.com/aoifegracemoore/status/1255412957007286274

    Ireland releases about 60 million tonnes of greenhouse gases each year, roughly broken down into 40 million tonnes from energy (electricity, heat and transport) and 20 million tonnes from agriculture. The country’s current annual reduction is just 3%, with The Climate Change Performance Index ranking Ireland 48th out of 56 countries for our negligent policies.

    In the document, it was written that FF and FG “would like to understand and tease out with you through talks, the specific actions that would have to be taken to achieve” the 7% reduction. 

    “We all need to understand the impact it would have on employment, poverty, agricultural practice, public transport, regional development and on the different sections of society.

    “Considerable work will have to be done to outline where and when further carbon reductions could or should come from given that we will have to significantly reboot and revive the economy,” they wrote. 

    Chair of the State’s Climate Advisory Council, Professor John FitzGerald recently commented that achieving a 7 per cent reduction in annual emissions would be extremely difficult but said: “If you do the groundwork…you could get to it in the second half of the decade.”

    The Greens emphasised the need for a just transition in their 17 point plan, which advocated for a Universal Basic Income, retrofitted public housing, affordable public transport and a significantly improved healthcare system, among others. Major changes in agriculture, public transport and energy would provide the means for the reduction in emissions.

    Despite the estimated €30 billion cost of the Covid-19 pandemic, the chair of the National Advisory Council on Climate Change has affirmed that Ireland needs to prioritise investment in climate action going forward. New research undertaken by University College Cork’s MaREI Centre for Energy, Climate and Marine states that the party’s 7% emissions reduction goal would require “transformative changes” and huge costs, but is a feasible challenge.

    ‘Is the new Green Party emissions reduction target feasible and what would it mean for the energy system?’, written by Hannah Daly, James Glynn & Brian Ó Gallachóir, asserts that the changes could bring significant health, wellbeing, economic and employment benefits to society.

    The Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael leaders committed to enacting climate legislation within 100 days of forming a government, but this legislation could fail to be implemented. The Greens are seeking concrete answers for their detailed questions on exactly how their policies would be enacted should they enter into Government with FF and FG.

    “If they want the Greens in power, they’re going to have to do a lot more than greenwashing us – there’s going to have to be proper commitment,” said Roisín Garvey, Green Party councillor in County Clare. 

    “We’re not tied to five years: Fine Fael and Fianna Fail really need us, because they know that if there’s an election now, they’d be crucified. Now is time to try and get policies we want, not just the promises that we want,” Garvey added.

    County Clare Green Party Councillor Roisín Garvey (Photo: GreenParty.ie)

    “I think Fianna Fail and Fine Gael know that, and they also know that there’s going to be huge fines from Europe if we don’t meet our targets. So I think now is a very good time for us to be in negotiations. We have a much better chance now than when we went in with Fianna Fail in 2008, when there were only six TDs. The climate crisis wasn’t being taken seriously by anybody. 

    “The fact that we have 12 TDs now since the General Election shows that it is an issue – that’s an unprecedented amount. However, FF and FG are just agreeing things in principle to get us into negotiations. But Eamon Ryan’s been around the block before, he’s not naive about it. Those 12 TDs have been in politics for a long time: they’re definitely going to be committed to getting proper timelines.”

    It’s important to note that in 2007, six Green TDs entered Government as the junior party in coalition with Fianna Fail. The party were later decimated four years later, suffering a wipeout in the General Election and losing all six of its seats. The party returned to the Dail in 2016, receiving just over one percent of the vote in local election.

    Today’s Green Party are heavily split over whether to prop up a FF/FG Government, which younger voters categorically don’t want. Younger members and outliers believe that the radical change needed simply cannot happen with FF and FG. The dramatic 2020 General Election, which saw Sinn Féin emerge with 33% of the overall vote, proved that real change is desired following years of homelessness, housing and rent crises and a deeply worrying healthcare system. The Greens are now between a rock and a hard place, facing strife for entering a FF/FG coalition and political backlash if they refuse to. What they choose now could decide the future of the party by turning their youth vote away (possibly to Sinn Féin) – but the climate is on a timer. Could they pass climate action policies with two parties who are notorious for their abysmal apathy on climate justice.

    Shannon LNG: concrete concession or vague promise?

    Stating that both parties are “committed to a pathway to phase out all fossil fuel exploration licenses”, FG and FF also claim to be open to introducing a moratorium on exploration licences for offshore gas exploration. Referring to the controversial Shannon LNG project, which would import dangerous fracked gas from Pennsylvania, the letter states:

    “Both of our parties accept that as we move towards carbon neutrality, it does not make sense to build new large-scale fossil fuel infrastructure such as liquid natural gas import terminals.”

    FF and FG mention that economic activity must be stimulated in the areas which were expecting local development plans, and exploring how strategic investment in the Shannon estuary and port infrastructure could support renewable energy.

    William Hederman of Futureproof Clare, speaking to TheCity.ie, mentioned that zero room for loopholes must be allowed by the Green Party if they want to ensure that no LNG terminals or fracked gas imports will go ahead in future:

    “A crucial first step is for the new government to tell the European Commission that Ireland wants Shannon LNG taken off the EU’s projects of common interest (PCI) list.

    “For Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil to accept that it does not make sense to build LNG import terminals is a huge milestone. It is the result of years of grassroots campaigning, particularly in Kerry, and also here in Clare, that has grown into an international coalition against Shannon LNG,” Hederman continued.

    “However, the language used by Leo Varadkar and Micheál Martin is vague and looks like they are trying to leave wriggle room. We must keep pressure on them to translate this statement into a firm commitment. Building new infrastructure such as this would lock Ireland and the EU into fossil fuels for decades, when we need to be rapidly transitioning to renewables in order to avoid catastrophic climate breakdown.”

    Fianna Fail and Fine Gael wrote that they “would need to have a shared understanding of what is meant by new fossil fuel infrastructure, what type scale does this relate to, and whether this proposed ban would apply to
    State infrastructure or to private sector infrastructure as well.”

    Stating that they would need a “clear understanding” of the State’s powers in this area and the limitations of European law, as well as international treaties, but removing Shannon LNG from the EU’s Projects of Common Interest list is very much possible.

    Extinction Rebellion poster during the 2020 General Election (Photo: Instagram)

    Speaking on the list, Roisín Garvey chastised the two parties on their unwillingness to face the realistic possibilities of climate action policies.

    “Fianna Fail and Fine Gael act like we can’t do that – but sure we all know that’s not true. They shouldn’t play us as fools. FF/FG need us more than ever, because we can bring back jobs, we can save people money in how they run their houses through retrofitting, we can put money into transport instead of cars; this is now a really good time for them to hear us out.

    “We’ve seen it happen in other countries. There have been hugely successful policies in Denmark and Scandinavia and Germany – lots of places have figured out their education, their housing, their transport: we don’t have to come out with these ideas all by ourselves. They’ve been around for years, that’s why the Greens exist, because we’ve all seen it done.”

    The 12 Green Party TDs and two Green Senators will hold a second teleconference meeting this week to evaluate their response to the joint Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael letter inviting the party into formal talks.

  • ‘The new Government must respect their rights’ – Calls for a permanent place in the Seanad for members of the Traveller community

    ‘The new Government must respect their rights’ – Calls for a permanent place in the Seanad for members of the Traveller community

    Photo: Oireachtas.ie

    As the main political parties in Ireland scramble to form a coalition, members of the Traveller community are urging the new government not to forget Traveller rights and to follow through on a long-awaited promise to reserve seats in the Seanad for members of the Traveller community.

    By Kim O’Leary

    As a new Government starts to take shape in Ireland following the 2020 General Election, fresh calls have been made for a place in the Seanad to be reserved for members of the Traveller community.

    A new Seanad report released in January 2020 recommended a quota system to be installed in both Houses of the Oireachtas to ensure Traveller participation in politics, the report says. 

    The report of the Seanad Committee, which is made up of 10 senators from across the political spectrum, examined Travellers’ experience of life in Ireland following recognition of their ethnic minority status three years ago. A total of 34 recommendations were made.

    These include: 
    ● Reserving a seat in the Seanad for Travellers (Taoiseach’s nominee) and introducing Traveller quota system across the Oireachtas, in local democracy, in other decision-making for and within the civil and public service.
    ● Setting targets for Traveller women in mainstream gender quotas, party political gender quotas and State agencies’ quotas.
    ● Introducing a paid internship scheme for Travellers in the civil and public service.
    ● Protecting and increasing resources for independent national and local Traveller organisations in respect of their work to support Traveller participation and towards broader social inclusion.

    The Irish Traveller Movement, Pavee Point, the National Traveller Women’s Forum, Mincéir Whiden and the Traveller Counselling Service gave unanimous support to the report at the launch and called on the next government to prioritise the recommendations.

    Brendan Joyce of the Irish Traveller Movement told TheCity.ie that last month’s report is the first report of its kind and has brought the issues in terms of Traveller equality “right into the government building”.

    In particular, Joyce highlighted the lack of Traveller participation in political life in Ireland, and the levels of inequality still experienced by Travellers today.

    Testimonials by members of the Traveller community were given as part of the report – there were 34 recommendations in total made in the report that were partly informed by the testimonials.

    Some of those recommendations refer to the lack of political representation for Travellers:

    “Since the formation of the State, there hasn’t been a Traveller [politician] within the Seanad or Dáil Éireann. Hopefully now that a new government is on its way in after the General Election this might change,” said Joyce.

    The newly released report calls for a seat to be reserved in the Seanad for a Traveller representative on a permanent basis, which would be important to the 40,000 Travellers who live in Ireland.

    Joyce noted that for Traveller inclusion in Irish politics to really work, there is also the need for training in anti-racism and anti-Traveller prejudice to be carried out across all government agencies, something which all parties should sign up for.

    He also noted the current discussion around the pension age in Ireland, saying that while this is going on, half of Irish Travellers won’t live until the age of 38 according to the 2010 Traveller Health Plan. “A new Traveller health action plan should be published as a matter of urgency by this new government, the last action plan in 2010 really needs to be updated
    because we’re in a very different time now socially and economically,” Joyce said.

    Meanwhile, Kildare Travellers are calling for the new government to do more to include Travellers both locally and nationally.

    Speaking to TheCity.ie, Sylvia Walsh, a settled traveller living in Newbridge, said that inclusion for all should be the new government’s priority.

    Seanad Éireann. Photo: Eolas

    “I think the Travellers are very misunderstood in Ireland, we’re got Kildare Pavee Point trying its best to support us in everything from family planning to mental health, but we’re still not seen in society,” Sylvia said.

    “A representation in the Seanad would do wonders for us, to be seen on a very public platform with other members of the government, the government must respect travellers’ rights.”

    “This past year has been tough on us especially after cuts to primary care centres in Newbridge, so a bit of representation in the Seanad for our chosen representatives would be great so that our concerns over issues such as mental health and education are heard and respected,” Walsh continued. “This new government coming in, whether it’s Sinn Fein or Fianna Fail or whoever, they need to step up and hear us out.”

    Read the full Seanad Public Consultation Committee Report on Travellers Towards a More Equitable Ireland here.

  • Electric vehicles – are they as good for the environment as we think?

    Electric vehicles – are they as good for the environment as we think?

    By Pádraic Daly

    Alternative fuel vehicles accounted for 10% of all new cars registered in 2019, according to statistics released by the Central Statistics Office.

    Between January and October 2019, 110,900 new private cars were registered. Of that, there were 3,119 electric vehicles (EVs) and 10,742 hybrid cars registered.

    Compared with the same period last year, there has been a 3.6% increase in new alternative fuel cars being registered on Irish roads.

    The Irish Government published their Climate Action Plan in July of this year, detailing their vision for a future without traditionally fuelled vehicles, which currently make up just over one quarter of all emissions. The Government hopes to have 840,000 private EVs on Irish roads by 2030.

    Sarah Doherty, from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport’s Climate Change Unit spoke to TheCity.ie about the Climate Action Plan’s expectations: “This is a very challenging target; however, as technology improves and becomes cheaper, and if we continue to incentivise and invest in EVs and the associated recharging network, we are ambitious that we can make real progress towards getting the electric vehicles we need on the road by 2030.”

    Compared to conventionally powered cars, the price of a new electric car can be anything from 15% to 50% higher. Currently, the Government offer a grant scheme to incentivise consumers to choose alternative fuel vehicles over traditionally fuelled ones. Currently, consumers can avail of up to €5,000 off their purchase, as well as €600 for the installation of a home-charging system.

    The notion that electric vehicles are a better alternative to other options has been widely disputed. An Post recently took a number of EVs into their fleet, branding them as “zero emissions”. This isn’t strictly accurate, as EVs do not remove emissions from the equation, but rather have zero “tailpipe” emissions, which means they do not have an exhaust and do not emit gases the same way traditionally fuelled cars do.

    Ms Doherty stated: “It must be remembered that emissions are generated to produce the electricity used to fuel these vehicles.”

    Despite a climate action plan in place, the Government does not predict we will lose dependence on fossil-fuelled vehicles anytime soon. “There will be approximately 2.45 million fossil-fuelled vehicles in 2030, of which, 1.75 million would be fossil fuelled private cars,” Sarah Doherty added, which suggests a mere 20% of vehicles will be EVs by 2030.

  • “Education is life-changing, it gives us opportunities”

    “Education is life-changing, it gives us opportunities”

    By: Ana Novais

    Travellers’ unique status as an ethnic group within Irish Society was recognised by the Irish Government in 2017.

    In 2018, the Traveller History and Culture Bill, was passed by the Seanad, encouraging schools to teach Traveller History and Culture and include it in the curriculum.

    Senator Colette Kelleher, Chair of the Joint Oireachtas Committee, was one of the people involved in the process of getting this Bill through the Seanad.

    Speaking to TheCity.ie, she recounted one of the individuals who gave a testament about why this is an important element of Irish history.

    “Young historian and traveller, Patrick McDonagh, during a briefing for this bill told us how nomadic groups have lived in Ireland for centuries. They are part of Ireland, part of its history and part of its culture, but travellers already know this. It is the wider population that need to be taught the importance and richness of traveller history and culture”.

     Patrick McDonagh
    Credit: Ana Novais

    Travellers have a deep and rich culture. They have a long musical history, a language, a deep love of animals and a strong tradition of metal and tin smithing.

    Persistent discrimination is still, sadly, the reality for Irish travellers.

    According to the higher education seminary report issued by Maynooth University, Irish Travellers are a distinct ethnic group.

    Patrick McDonagh is an Irish traveller from Omagh Co. Tyrone, a neighbourhood in Northern Ireland. He is currently undertaking a PhD in Trinity College.

    “I did a history and economics degree, and I’m currently doing a PhD in medieval history, essentially about late medieval imperialism in Britain and Ireland.

    “I would never have the opportunity of studying medieval history if I hadn’t gone through the education system and even the way I see the world is quite shaped by what I read and by what I study,” he added.

    According to the 2017 Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) report: “A Social Portrait of Irish Travellers and the educational disadvantage experienced by Travellers means that specific additional supports will be required in order for them to participate in mainstream education on equal terms with their settled peers.”

    Christy Moorehouse (Daish Manager) and Paddy Moorehouse (Community employment placement) at Bray Bray Travellers Community Development Group.
    Photo Credit: Ana Novais

    Jim O’Brien, manager of Bray Travellers Community Development group said: “Our education at the minute is not really positive, but we are starting to make changes.”

    “Education is now just as important for our community as it is for any community because what else is it for them when they become an adult or late in their teens if they don’t have certificates in their back pockets what hope have we got?” he added.

    According to the Irish Census 2016, the level of education among travellers remained well below that of the general population, showed in Figure 2.1.

    Only 13.3% of traveller females were educated to upper secondary compared with 69.1% of the general population.

    Source: Central Statistics Office (CSO)

    O’Brien said: “change comes from everyone, anyone who stays fixed to one spot falls behind, change won’t destroy the community.”

    Jim describes his experience in education through mainstream school as bleak or non-existent. He recalls that he could never understand why in a class of 30 plus students, he was put behind the teacher instead of in front of the teacher, all the time.

    “From a traveller perspective a good change for the traveller community would be a better focus and appreciation of education but change also has to come from the other side, and one of the issues is racism.”

    “If we have children coming back from school saying someone called me a gipsy or a knacker, we are going to be less keen to send them to school. Sometimes children don’t feel welcomed, they feel like an outsider,” he continued.

    According to the National Traveller Survey funded by The Community Foundation for Ireland, 4 out of 10 travellers have experienced bullying in school while, many have been put on reduced hour timetables. There is also an 80% drop out rate before the Leaving Cert.

    Senator Colette Kelleher finished up by saying: “I have recently begun saying pushed out rather than drop out, as it more accurately reflects the situation. Schools should be open places for all, and everyone has a right to an education.”

  • Rosslare Europort costing Government €3.5 million

    Rosslare Europort costing Government €3.5 million

    By Pádraic Daly

    Construction of a new border inspection post at Rosslare Europort has cost the Irish Government over €3.5 million since construction began earlier this year.

    The total spend on the construction was €3,541,914 as of the end of October, according to figures obtained by TheCity.ie under the Freedom of information Act.

    The development, being carried out by the Office of Public Works (OPW), consists of facilities allowing the Department of Agriculture, Department of Health, and the Revenue to conduct checks on goods entering and leaving the country post-Brexit.

    Work commenced in March on a 16-hectare site near to the port, which was purchased by the Government for €1.6 million.

    The site will have inspection areas for goods and livestock coming into the country from the UK, as well as facilities for drivers and parking areas for trucks.

    “It is worth upwards of €11 million to the Irish economy”

    Rosslare Europort is the second largest port in the country, and sees 120,000 trucks pass through it every year. It is worth upwards of €11 million to the Irish economy.

    Interim facilities are due to be completed by January 2020, with more permanent facilities due to be in place by the end of 2020. In the event of a no-deal Brexit, the OPW is certain construction at Rosslare will be able to cope with the custom checks required.

    A spokesperson for the OPW stated: “Interim infrastructure was put in place in Rosslare to deal with the possibility of a no-deal Brexit in March. This has been enhanced incrementally since then. The final phase of the development of this interim infrastructure is under way and will be completed by early January 2020.

    “Brexit is not a completely negative story for every port in Ireland”

    “The OPW are satisfied that the temporary facilities provided in Rosslare will be sufficient to allow import controls to be conducted in a timely and efficient manner thereby facilitating legitimate trade to the greatest extent possible.”

    Speaking in the Oireachtas last Thursday, Minister for Transport Shane Ross said: “Brexit is not a completely negative story for every port in Ireland. I gather that Rosslare Port is looking for potential opportunities arising from Brexit.”

    The new opportunities Minister Ross referred to include a plan to spend €25 million on upgrading the facilities at the port.

    Minister Ross explained that the port is also investing in infrastructure to deal with increased levels of traffic after Brexit: “Some €1.8 million will be spent every year for the next five years on general renewal and maintenance.

    “€1.5 million will be invested in information technology and creating a smart and automated port which will include vehicle recognition systems, trailer tracking systems, compound management and check-in and check-out systems.”

    A further €12.5 million is due to be spent upgrading the port to cater for larger ships.

  • Get Ireland working again

    Get Ireland working again

    By Robert Geoghegan

    Is it time we give Fine Gael, and the rest of the government, a break and actually let them get on with running the country?

    There needs to be a recognition that Fine Gael didn’t create the financial crisis that crippled the country in 2008, they inherited it in 2011 and Got Ireland Working… to paraphrase their 2011 manifesto.

    Ireland got working and slowly, its economy was lifted out of recession due to austerity measures: the introduction of the Universal Social Charge (USC), the rollback on goods and services and the attempt to introduce “water charges”. Consequently, voters were not entirely happy with Fine Gael and the “water charges,” which became a point of contention in 2014.

    Enough was enough.

    Even though the implementation of charges were rolled back, we saw that in the 2016 election the message was sent loud, perhaps not clear, that people wanted change, voting in a rainbow coalition made up of independents and the confidence and supplydeal with Fianna Fail. Leaving the fractious left to whimper and fight amongst themselves in the corner of their own choosing.

    Distrust lingered and was felt by the sting of rising rents, hospital queues and a homeless crisis that has only exacerbated since the collapse of the country’s economy.

    It almost seems like Ireland is bursting at the seams as the population grows. There always seems to be a push back on anything the government wants to implement: from Bus Connect, to National Broadband, to the children’s hospital.

    “As the population grows, so does the need to commute to work. Workers commuting has risen by 11%, with those who commute by car up by 8% and those using public transport up 21%”

    Of course, it is understandable that people have reservations when the Government trys to implement anything, people saw the damage that can be inflicted when those pulling the purse strings are not fiscally prudent.

    Malthusian theory of growth

    Malthusian’s theory dealt with exponential growth and its effect on food supply. In a more contemporary setting, it could be applied to population growth and commuting. The population of Ireland rose by 64,500 in the past year, with 4.92 million people now living in the country according to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO). With an estimated 1.4 million people now living in Dublin – accounting for 28.4% of the total population – Ireland’s population is forecast to increase by almost one million people to 5.75 million by 2040.

    And therein lies a problem.

    As the population grows, so does the need to commute to work. Workers commuting has risen by 11%, with those who commute by car up by 8% and those using public transport up 21%, according to the CSO. With that increase there needs to be a recognition that something radical needs to be done about Ireland’s infrastructure.

    Throughout 2015, Ireland’s road network saw a steady rise in general traffic volumes which saw a return of severe traffic congestion at peak times. Ireland has a radial motorway network extending out of Dublin that is on a par with those in Europe. Investment in roads has been targeted at upgrading roads where there is the highest demand and this has resulted in Ireland’s motorways being able to meet demand, apart from the M50, which is currently carrying 29% more traffic since its upgrade in 2010.

    Does change begin with Bus Connect?

    In 2018, the CEO of the National Transport Authority (NTA), Anne Graham, said that the city will slowly “grind to a halt”. Ms Graham was talking about the need for a radical NTA move to shorten bus times and to introduce Bus Connects. This would be done by a compulsory purchase order of gardens, the removal of parking spots, and the removal of trees, a fair point of contention for the implementation of new bus corridors.

    If you stand at a bus stop on College Green long enough, you begin to see that the current system is not working. Buses are at a standstill, which in turn causes traffic and delays in services.

    Those who say there needs to be a Dutch-style implementation of public transport, to make sure it is pedestrian and cyclist friendly, need to look at the current infrastructure and recognise that such a system is currently infeasible in Ireland. The argument for a cyclist-friendly city is moot, when there is a point of contention with the necessity to widen roads.

    “People must accept that there is a need for new infrastructure to be put in place”

    Speaking to Labour Party Councillor Marie Sherlock on the Cairn development in Glasnevin, one area that has garnered an outcry about the possibility of trees being felled, Cllr. Sherlock spoke about what she describes as a: “city wide issue of not putting in traffic plans when it comes to any of the major construction projects.”

    If Bus Connects works, this could lead to a change in cycling throughout Dublin City, and hopefully it will lead to an upgrade to meet the demands of the growing population on Irish Rail too.

    Cllr. Sherlock said, in regards to Bus Connect, that they [Bus Connect] will go ahead with: “one of their proposed original proposals… keep the trees but close the road to cars for a period of time…allowing pedestrians and cars to get out of the city faster.”

    At Dublin Airport, there was a push back against another runway with people not recognising that new runways will help to increase tourist numbers coming into Ireland, something that is good for the economy of Ireland. An argument perhaps, of the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few?

    People must accept that there is a need for new infrastructure to be put in place. Infrastructure, right now, seems like it does more harm than good. However, in the long run there will come a time when the airport needs a new runway, the roads need to be widened, faster internet connection is required and hospitals need to be built. So why not now?

    Infrastructure is the cornerstone of modern society and this dependence will continue to increase in the coming decades.

    What seems like the greatest harm now might reduce the greatest harm later.

  • Discretionary medical cards for the terminally ill

    Discretionary medical cards for the terminally ill

    By Niamh Baldwin

    TD Seán Crowe has called on Minister of Health Simon Harris to “scrap his review into issuing discretionary medical cards to terminally ill citizens and introduce the scheme immediately”.

    According to the Budget 2020, the HSE will review and extend arrangements for the provision of discretionary medical cards for those with a terminal illness. This review is expected to be completed by Christmas. However, TD Crowe has raised concern that this is not soon enough.

    “They shouldn’t have to be spending their limited time lobbying politicians for change”

    He said: “Terminally ill citizens and their families don’t have the time to wait for the outcome of his review. Worrying about paying medical bills should not be dominating and overshadowing the last days of their life on this earth.

    “They shouldn’t have to be spending their limited time lobbying politicians for change. They have received the most devastating news and the least the State can do is to give them a medical card throughout their illness.

    He continued: “We are talking about a small but an important number of our citizens. I am calling on Minister Simon Harris to do the right thing for them by scrapping his review and agree to issue medical cards to everyone who has a terminal illness.”

  • Government promises to meet social housing needs – How do they measure up?

    Government promises to meet social housing needs – How do they measure up?

    By Megan Gorman

    The government announced the plans for the spending on social housing as part of the budget 2020. It has been said that they plan to spend €1.2 billion on social housing as part of the new Budget. Announcing the budget, Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe unveiled capital funding to support the delivery of over 11,000 new social homes in 2020. With the promise of new social housing being built, I looked into how much exactly has been spent on social housing in 2019.

    After sending an FOI request to the Government for housing, I was given the Social Housing Construction Status Report. It demonstarted positive progess in social housing. The latest Construction Status Report shows that:

    • There are 6,439 social homes are currently onsite nationwide.
    • There were 143 additional schemes on site across the country at the end of the second quarter (Q2) than at the end of quarter one in 2019.
    • The number of schemes on site at the end of Q2 2019 (1,559) is nearly 50% higher than at the end of Q2 2018 (1,067).
    • The number of homes expected to yield from these schemes is up more than 8% from 20,324 to 22,139.

    The number of new dwelling completions in Q2 2019 was the highest in Dublin at 1,546 followed closely by the Mid-East with 1,233. Together, 56% of all new dwelling completions in Q2 2019 were in Dublin or the Mid-East.

    In a press release the housing Minister Eoghan Murphy said that “7,000 homes would be built next year, with a further 800 acquired and 2,631 leased in the long-term.”

    However even with the numbers showing that houses are being built, it’s still easy to see that the houses aren’t affordable. Figures from the Department of Housing show that more than 10,000 people have been homeless in Ireland for the past seven months.  

    In August 2018, official figures counted 9,527 people as homeless; this increased to 10,275 in August 2019. The reason for these numbers to be so high is due to the fact that although houses are being bulit they are not affordable and more money is being pumped into subsidised private sector tenancies than affordable social housing.

    The figures I received in respone to my FOI confirm that the government will spend more on social housing rental subsidy schemes next year than it will give directly to Local Authorities to build and buy real social houses. The capital budget of €1.2 billion is being spilt between social housing and rental subsidy schemes. €700 million will go directly to scoial affordable housing and an estimated 7,000 social houses will be built in 2020.

    However a current spend of €800 million is going into long term leasing and landlords are expected to receive more than the €700 million being spent on social housing. The figures do show houses are being built but there is not enough capital spending and there needs to be more short term support.