As a result of the TB outbreak 220 pupils and staff in Crab Lane National School had to be screened and at the last estimate 25 of these were positive and are on medication. It is now essential that the HSE and the Minister for Health confirm that the BCG vaccine will urgently be provided to the children who were screened and found to be TB free.

The two weeks have been very difficult time for the children, their parents and their extended families. Parents are understandably worried about their children’s health. Providing a vaccination to the children would go along way to easing their parent’s fears.

The local HSE staff carried out the difficult task of screening those at risk with speed and efficiency. The onus is now on the HSE management and the Minister for Health to match this speed and efficiency and authorise the immediate provision of the BCG vaccine to the children involved.

Many children in Cork have no protection against TB because babies born in Cork were not offered the BCG vaccination. Unlike other parts of the country the provision of the BCG vaccination to babies born in Cork hospitals was suspended for over thirty years and was only reintroduced in 2008 following TB outbreaks in two Cork crèches which resulted in 15 children and 2 adults being infected and hundreds of children requiring screening.

Ireland needs to develop an entirely new system of bankruptcy laws more in line with our European neighbours if we are to foster a new entrepreneurial generation. Under current laws businesses that didn’t act recklessly but are closing down due to the recession are treated like criminals if they are declared bankrupt. Even worse is the fact these same people are excluded from an economically productive role in society for 12 years. These ineffective and punitive laws are discouraging many people from getting involved in their own business venture in the first place for fear they face a future of over-indebtedness.

The Government should be introducing reforms in this area as a matter of urgency as a survey this week highlighted how 38,000 businesses are at high risk of failure.

Instead the proposed reforms contained in the Civil Law (Misc Provisions) Bill 2010 are piecemeal and barely scratch the surface of current problems.

Six years is still far too long a period of bankruptcy for entrepreneurs who were not reckless or didn’t engage in any fraudulent activity. We should be looking at the Northern Ireland system which allows greater flexibility for lengths of bankruptcy depending on the circumstances of each case. This system would encourage greater entrepreneurial activity but also ensure a penalty and deterrent remains for those involved in financial mismanagement or fraud.

Other major reforms related to issues such as the cost of accessing bankruptcy via the High Court, introducing legally binding agreements on repayments as an alternative to declaring bankruptcy, and other non-judicial debt settlement systems should be included in a sweeping reform of bankruptcy laws.

CORK Harbour’s open day this Saturday, September 4, will be a great opportunity for the people of Cork to see all the wonderful amenities along the coastline.

The Strategy for Cork Harbour which was completed in May 2008 highlighted the need for those involved in the development and use of the harbour area to develop a greater appreciation for the value of the amenity and to further promote its use. The open day is a culmination of hard work by a number of interested persons and will be a great family day for everyone.

The open day this year has a variety of events, many free of charge, in every part of the harbour including the opening of Blackrock Castle to the public, crab fishing competition in Cobh, tours of Spike Island, the final championship rowing regatta in Crosshaven and the Word Rescue Challenge in Cork Port to mention but a few.

The open day was run this time last year and was a great success. A group of individuals was formed a number of years ago to organise an event that would contribute to raising awareness of Cork Harbour and showcase the range of uses and activities on offer within the harbour. The day will be a great excuse to showcase the wonderful amenities we have here in Cork for everyone of every age and I really hope people go out and support the event.

Further information about the day and a full list of events can be got at www.corkharbour.ie or by emailing harbourevents@corkharbour.ie

This is a deeply worrying time for parents and staff at Ballintemple National School. And it is a very stressful period for all the children.

The local community also has understandable concerns. All these groups need the full support of the health services at this difficult time.

A national review of all TB services is more urgent than ever. This review should examine the process of administering the BCG vaccine to infants.

The BCG vaccine is highly effective in preventing infection, yet it was discontinued in Cork almost 30 years ago, only to be re-introduced again in 2008 following an outbreak in two Cork crèches.

The HSE’s head of health protection, Dr Kevin Kelleher this week called for the national TB screening programme to be expanded. A similar recommendation was made in a report earlier this year, but has still not been acted upon.

Cork has seen an above-average level of TB cases. This is a major concern which can only be addressed through concerted action. While TB can never be entirely eradicated, the HSE and the Government should ensure that necessary services are introduced to protect the population, especially children.

As a young woman with a lot to offer in terms of her legal background, her political experience at local and national level and her commitment to serving her constituents, Olwyn embodied the type of person we need to encourage into the Dáil. Her decision not to stand for re-election I am sure it was a difficult one for her and her family and it brings to the fore the challenges facing women in politics.

Olwyn and myself are two of only 78 women ever elected to the Dáil since the first election of female candidates in 1918. The last general election saw 22 female TDs elected to the Dáil out of 166, just 13.25%.

 Women politicians bring a different focus and a different set of priorities to their work and Irish politics could benefit from this. We need more women in Irish politics at all levels, at the Cabinet table, in the Dáil Chamber and in our Local Authority meeting rooms.”

Her departure should kick start a real debate on how to address the current gender imbalance in Irish politics. This debate should start within political parties to decide if they want to address the imbalance and how they are going to go about.

Local TD Deirdre Clune, and the Party’s Deputy Leader & Health Spokesman James Reilly TD, said Health Minister Mary Harney should take immediate action.
 
Deputy Clune said: ‘TB is a very serious illness which wracked Ireland in the 1950s, and which has never gone away’.
 
Minister Harney should immediately set up a review of TB services, including the process for administering the BCG vaccination for infants. Given that TB can be prevented by vaccination, this incident shows that a full review of TB vaccination is now essential.
 
I particularly want to know why the BCG vaccination programme was discontinued in the Cork area, only to be reintroduced two years ago, even though it was still available throughout the rest of Ireland.
 
Deputy Reilly said: ‘If manpower is an issue in the BCG vaccination programme, then consideration should be given to making single dose vials available to general practitioners who could easily administer the vaccination. It’s clear that a review of the entire process is needed urgently’.
 
Deputy Clune added: ‘I would also like assurances that the HSE will provide full support to the parents of the 200-plus children in the affected primary school’.

Over the last number of weeks I have met a number of people while out canvassing who were living alone or no longer in the prime of their health and found it difficult to do odd jobs in their homes. Many people were interested in Age Action Ireland’s Care & Repair Scheme and it’s wonderful news to hear that Age Action Ireland has appointed a Development Officer in Cork to expand and promote the scheme.

Age Action Ireland’s Care & Repair Scheme is the type of community orientated project that exists to give help and support to those people in our communities that often feel forgotten. The new officer will help build upon the strong volunteer base that already exists in Cork.

The Care & Repair Scheme offers a number of services to older people in our community including:
1. The Repair Service uses a pool of volunteers and handypersons to carry out small repairs and to complete minor home tasks for older people. The service is free of charge; the client only pays for the cost of materials used.
2. The Care Service is a home visiting or befriending service using volunteers to provide social contact to older people who are at risk of isolation.
3. The Trades Referral Service is an option whereby a register of reliable and honest tradespersons is maintained. If the required job is beyond the scope of Care and Repair, we will endeavour to supply the names of trustworthy tradespeople from our register.
4. The QuoteCheck Service is a service whereby an experienced volunteer visits the older person’s home, assesses a large job and gives an informed opinion about quotations received from professional tradespersons. QuoteCheck gives people peace of mind and the assurance that the prices being quoted is not a “rip off”.
5. The Daily Contact Service is a daily phone call to the client at a pre-arranged time by a volunteer to make sure that the person is in good spirits and not in need of urgent support.
6. Volunteers are of all ages and both genders. Some offer specialist skills while others are interested in DIY generally. All volunteers are vetted and carry official Care and Repair identification cards. We are particularly interested in attracting retired persons as volunteers.

Age Action Ireland’s Care & Repair Programme in Cork can be contacted at 1890 369369 or via email on ageactioncork@ageaction.ie

Construction of a new 20 bed inpatient unit and school facility on the grounds of the Sacred Heart Convent at Bessboro, Blackrock, Cork is nearing completion according to a recent letter to Deputy Deirdre Clune. The new facility will add to existing child & adolescent regional inpatient services located in St Stephen’s Hospital in Glanmire, Co Cork.

Welcoming the news, Deputy Clune has said that the facility will contribute greatly to the essential services needed for teenagers and children in the region, however, she hopes it will also provide dedicated services for those suffering with eating disorders.

“Nationwide 7,000 families experience the horror of watching their son, daughter, brother or sister slowly deteriorating in front of their eyes. Some 500 of these families will pay the ultimate price for the lack of support services. To date there have been no dedicated beds outside of Dublin and it is welcomed news that the new unit in Bessboro will help cater for these young people.”

“The average age for the onset of anorexia is 14 while for bulimia it is 17, however children as young as 9 years old have reportedly been affected by this disorder. Early intervention and treatment is recognised as the most successful method of dealing with eating disorders thus the absence of any service to manage and respond to cases of child or adolescent eating disorders means that early diagnoses and treatment is non-existent.”

“The new unit was first mentioned in 2006 after the government’s Vision For Change report was published and it will be a wonderful asset to young people and to the region. I heard anecdotal reports that the unit was no longer going ahead but after asking the Minister for Health and Children for an update, I am delighted to confirm they have said the project ‘will be completed within the third quarter of 2010’.”

The letter went on to state: “20 additional staff will be appointed to the new unit and these identified Multi Disciplinary Posts are already part of the recruitment process locally and nationally”.

The new unit will provide specialist inpatient mental health services in terms of assessment, care and treatment for children and adolescents, up to the age of 18 years, who present with severe emotional and behavioural disorders where there is a likelihood of mental illness. 

These results in maths, science and business are disappointing, and in some cases there has been a clear deterioration. Take-up in honours maths is down, the failure rate is up and the general outcome for science subjects is not what a Smart Economy demands.

The Taoiseach and Minister for Education should read the recommendations of the Innovation Task Force: ‘an education system that fosters independent thinking, creativity and innovation is vital to the Smart Economy…we need to raise competence and attainment in maths and sciences at second level to feed into third and fourth level’.

These results do not deliver on those ambitions. There are plenty of opportunities to achieve a Smart Economy, but the silence from the Government is alarming.

We need action now by introducing bonus points for maths, and the authorities must immediately start working with teachers to develop competence in science and maths.

Young people are not getting any clear message from the Government about the importance of science and maths. The time for reports and consultation is over – we need immediate action. Our education system has served us well in the past but it is not fit for a country that wants ‘to position itself as an International Innovation Hub’, as the Taoiseach himself stated.

One guaranteed result of the 2010 Leaving Cert will be the resumption of the now annual debate on the future of maths and the need for the introduction of bonus points for higher level maths at Leaving Cert.

This is usually a very one-sided debate with expert groups, like the National Competitiveness Council and the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs, and enterprise and professional bodies like Engineer’s Ireland, calling for reform and the introduction of bonus points. On the other side, the Government turns a deaf ear to the debate and a blind eye to the problem.

One change since last year’s debate has been the publication of the Government’s Innovation Taskforce Report. This report not only listed the introduction of bonus points for maths at Leaving Cert level as a key recommendation, to promote the take-up of maths. But it also called for immediate action to have bonus points in place for the Leaving Cert in 2012. The Government has failed to take action.

The Innovation Taskforce has recognised that any introduction of bonus points for maths will have a two year delay. The Taskforce called for Government action to be taken within three months of the Report’s publication, so that students starting fifth year in 2010 could make an informed decision on maths for their Leaving Cert in 2012.

The Government’s decision to ignore the Taskforce’s demand for immediate action means that bonus points cannot now be introduced until the 2013 Leaving Cert at the earliest.

Fianna Fáil and the Greens are suffering from the paralysis of analysis. The Taoiseach and his Ministers refuse to take decisions, and continuously postpone action regardless of the negative consequences.

A new approach is needed to encourage more students to take up higher level maths for the Leaving Cert and then choose science and technology courses at third level. While initiatives like Project Maths are welcome, more radical and innovative action needs to be taken if the often promised Smart Economy is ever to become a reality. Providing bonus points for higher level maths would be a radical and innovative step.