A review of education, social and political issues including Irish household charge, Mahon tribunal, Census 2011, abuse of elderly, and UK budget impact – Northern Ireland workers will be £600 worse off this year
UUP failed ‘to give leadership’
BBC – Veteran Ulster Unonist Lord Kilclooney delivers a devastating verdict on the party, saying it has “failed to show what it stands for”.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-17554171
First Minister on Irish unionism
BBC – Northern Ireland First Minister Peter Robinson is to travel to Dublin to deliver a lecture on Irish unionism.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-17541395
Single victims’ commissioner sought
Belfast Telegraph – A single victims’ commissioner is set to take over the duties of the three current holders of the position. The Executive has advertised in local newspapers for applications for the advocacy role for people bereaved or injured in the Troubles. The decision to reduce the number of commissioners comes as a new Victims Service gets up and running.
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/single-victims-commissioner-sought-16138102.html
Northern Ireland workers will be £600 worse off this year
Belfast Telegraph – Northern Ireland’s average wage earners are facing further financial misery over the next year as the cost of living continues to rise. Anyone earning the median wage of £24,000 will find themselves around £600 worse off when the hikes in fuel, food, energy and transport are taken into account, according to figures obtained by the Belfast Telegraph
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/northern-ireland-workers-will-be-600-worse-off-this-year-16138156.html
Call over heart services’ review
BBC – A children’s charity calls for more clarification about the terms of an external review into children’s congenital heart services in Northern Ireland.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-17559086
Call to get tough on OAP attackers
News Letter – Councils across Northern Ireland are being urged to pass a motion calling for custodial sentences for perpetrators of serious crimes against elderly people. On Monday night Down District Council unanimously passed the motion proposed by DUP councillor William Walker asking the justice minister to introduce tougher legislation to stop the sickening trend of attacks that continued last weekend with two elderly men targeted. Mr Walker said: “It has also been agreed that Down council will write to the other 25 councils asking them to pass this motion as well.
http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/local/call-to-get-tough-on-oap-attackers-1-3671964
IRISH CENSUS 2011
Surge in non-religious – but 84 per cent remain Roman Catholic
TheJournal.ie – The number of people who define themselves as being of no religion increased by 44 per cent since the 2006 census.
http://www.thejournal.ie/census-2011-surge-in-non-religious-but-84-per-cent-remain-catholic-400443-Mar2012/
7 sexy graphs and maps from Census 2011
TheJournal.ie – Yes, we said sexy. And we said it about statistics. Interesting graph on Romn Catholic returns.
http://www.thejournal.ie/7-sexy-graphs-and-maps-from-census-2011-400908-Mar2012/
Coming home: almost 20,000 Irish people returned before Census
TheJournal.ie -The majority of those came home from the UK, Australia and the US.
http://www.thejournal.ie/coming-home-almost-20000-irish-people-returned-before-census-400937-Mar2012/
Divorce, remarriage rates rise significantly
Irish Times – The number of divorced people in Ireland has increased by over 150 per cent in just 10 years reflecting both a higher incidence of marital breakdown and the greater number of couples availing of divorce following a mandatory period of separation.
According to data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO), the number of divorcees stood at 87,770 in 2011, up from 35,059 recorded in the 2002 population census, which was the first census conducted since the legalisation of divorce in Ireland in 1995.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2012/0329/breaking25.html
ABUSE
Older Irish abuse victims seeking help
Belfast Telegraph – Older people shamed into silence after suffering rape or sexual abuse when younger are coming forward for help. A total of 95 women and 28 men aged over 55 attended rape crisis centres across Ireland in 2010.More than half of the women revealed the sexual violence happened in their own homes, with almost 80% abused over several years as a child.
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/republic-of-ireland/older-abuse-victims-seeking-help-16137280.html
HOUSEHOLD CHARGE
Over 1m households yet to pay charge
Irish Times – 30th March – With one day to go ahead of the deadline at midnight tomorrow over a million households have still to pay the €100 household charge. As of close of business yesterday evening the number of households who had registered had risen to 535,000 with a further 10,000 having registered for waivers from the charge.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2012/0330/breaking8.html
http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/no-threat-of-jail-over-household-levy-says-hogan-188878.html
Household charge rebellion clouds Irish outlook
Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2012/mar/27/household-charge-rebellion-irish-outlook
SOCIETY
Surge in demand pushes soup kitchen to breaking point
Examiner – A voluntary soup kitchen which dates from the Famine is now serving about 900 free meals a week — almost five times more than it was before the recession hit. The explosion in demand at Cork Penny Dinners prompted the group to issue an urgent public appeal last night for temporary premises so it can begin a €400,000 revamp of its city centre property.
http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/surge-in-demand-pushes-soup-kitchen-to-breaking-point-188716.html
Column: Institutional racism? It’s regular – just look around you
TheJournal.ie – People associate racism with name-calling or physical assaults. But in Ireland it can be as subtle as a letter, writes Salome Mbugua.
http://www.thejournal.ie/readme/column-institutional-racism-it%e2%80%99s-regular-%e2%80%93-just-look-around-you/
MAHON
‘I thought it would last two months’ – the man whose ad led to Mahon
TheJournal.ie – Colm Mac Eochaidh, one of the two men whose offer of a £10,000 reward for information about planning corruption led to the Mahon Tribunal, reflects on the past 15 years.
http://www.thejournal.ie/readme/column-%e2%80%98i-thought-it-would-last-two-months%e2%80%99-%e2%80%93-the-man-whose-ad-led-to-mahon/
Barrister whose ad led to Mahon calls for an anti-corruption commission
TheJournal.ie – Colm Mac Eochaidh has said the information revealed by the Mahon Tribunal has been priceless but has offered an idea for how such costs might be avoided in future.
http://www.thejournal.ie/barrister-whose-ad-led-to-mahon-calls-for-an-anti-corruption-commission-398165-Mar2012/