This morning Pat Flynn sat in for Gavin Grace. Pat spoke to Tom Tiernan, Senior Engineer at Clare County Council, about storm Imogen. Gardai in Clare are warning motorists to drive with extreme caution this morning as storm Imogen sweeps through the country. The Quilty to Spanish Point and Liscannor roads are both blocked after strong winds forced boulders into the path of drivers. Crews from Clare County Council have been alerted and are working to clear the roads. Motorists are being urged to watch out for fallen trees and debris on the roads and anyone travelling is reminded to slow down and to allow extra time for your journey. A yellow weather alert remains in place for the county until noon with winds of up to 65km per hour with gusts of up to 100 km per hour.
The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has dismissed local concerns of a potential monopoly within the insurance sector. Clare Councillors had asked the commission to investigate whether companies had colluded with each other, saying that premiums had risen by over 20 per cent in the past year. The Commission says this complaint has been reviewed, but that there are no grounds for taking further action at this time. In a letter, the Commission outlines how there is no one dominant player in the market, and that the rise of prices alone is not grounds to establish that insurance firms engaged in anti-competitive collusion. Clare FM’s Derrick Lynch spoke to Cllr. Tom McNamara, who was one of the local authority members who raised the issue. The Kilmaley-based councillor explained what prompted his concerns. Pat spoke to Padraic McNicholas, MD Munster Group Insurance to talk about the issue.
Strike action at a number of hospitals has been averted after nurses accepted revised proposals to tackle emergency department overcrowding. The INMO voted 71 per cent in favour to 29 per cent against. The acceptance follows the rejection, of previous proposals which emergency department members said they had no confidence in. In a statement the INMO says it will now insist that the new agreement will be implemented on an ongoing basis. Health Minister Leo Varadkar has welcomed the vote, saying efforts to alleviate A&E overcrowding continues to be a concern. INMO General Secretary Liam Doran spoke to Pat this morning and he says the Workplace Relations Committee (WRC) will review the situation in a month’s time to ensure that targets are being met and timetables are being followed.
Today (Monday, February 8th), members of Clare County Council will be asked to consider a motion of opposition to the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). Feidhlim Harty, an Ennis-based Environmental Consultant and author of ‘Septic Tanks Option and Alternatives,’ joined Pat to explain what the TTIP is. The TTIP refers to talks that have been taking place over the last number of years between the EU and the US. The aim is to agree on a comprehensive trade and investment package covering a large part of the world’s nations (including Ireland) and their economic activity. The agreement is aimed at: reducing regulatory (rather than tariff) barriers to trade and investment; harmonising rules in relation to trade in goods and services; otherwise creating a common commercial environment. Those in favour of TTIP believe that free movement of productive and financial assets including labour and capital will help increase productivity, returns on investment and, ultimately, living standards for all or most inhabitants in those countries signed up to it. Outlining the government’s position, Jobs Minister Richard Bruton said, that in a climate of austerity, Ireland “must grab with both hands any opportunities for job creation”. He said then when major stimulus spending was not an option, “our focus must be on increased trade and exports. In particular, huge potential is offered by the EU US trade agreement currently in negotiation.” Those concerned about the impact of TTIP believe it could impact negatively on the following: employment rights and standards; where corporations could challenge collective bargaining rights as ‘barriers’ to trade and investment; environmental standards; de-regulation of the financial services sector; food production standards and agricultural competitiveness in Ireland.
A Quin-based businessman launches a tourism web portal. Terry O’Reilly, MD InviteIreland.com, spoke to Pat today about the website. InviteIreland.com is not a booking engine, but it allows accommodation providers to post their profiles to a highly optimised site. According to Mr O’Reilly, InviteIreland.com will be the one-stop facility for travellers who can find their accommodation and activities through the same site. For hoteliers and B&B owners, there’s a flat fee and no commission. Mr O’Reilly believes the service could help the creation of hundreds of jobs in the tourism sector.
Ennis RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institute) fundraising activist Joe Queally is to be presented with a national award by the lifeboat charity. The Fanore man has been nominated for a gold medal for his service to the RNLI, principally in a fundraising capacity. Joe spoke to Pat this morning about the honour of the award; however, he feels that other RNLI volunteers would be equally deserving recipients.
The East-Clare village of Broadford is to roll out a new community alert text system in the coming days, in association with Muintir na Tire. There have been numerous incidents of crime in Broadford in recent years, from burglaries to home-heating oil robberies; the local church was even targeted at one point. Many incidents have happened in daylight and locals believe they’re being targeted by gangs travelling from the major cities. PJ Mason from Broadford Action Committee spoke to Pat about the issue.
Clare FM’s Derrick Lynch spoke to Seamus Hayes from the Clare People about the week in sport.
Clare candidates vying for seats in the 32nd Dail have received an open letter from an alliance urging them not to forget the needs of older people. Nationally election hopefuls have to earn the votes of an estimated half a million older people on February 26th. And the ‘Earn our Vote’ campaign is challenging all election candidates to prove that they represent the needs of older people, by committing to implement three key policies, if elected. Their wish list includes: the appointment of a cabinet-level minister for older people to implement the ‘National Positive Ageing Strategy’; support for older people to remain health and engaged within their communities for longer, through interventions and investment in primary care and care in the community; and an increase in the State pension and a reversal of cuts to the Household Benefits Package. The alliance is comprised of Active Retirement Ireland, Age Action, Age and Opportunity, ALONE, Irish Senior Citizens Parliament, Active Ageing Partnership and Third Age Ireland. Kay Murphy from Midwest Region Active Retirement Ireland spoke to Pat on the phone today about the alliance.
Cancer survivor, Dr Kevin Haugh, was a guest on Morning Focus in 2013, shortly after writing his account of the fight against Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. Now clear of the disease, Kevin was back with us today ahead of the launch of a memoir of his childhood in the Loop Head Peninsula from the late 1950s to the mid 1970s. ‘A Place Called Home’ deals with many of the social norms of the era, and shows how religion and immigration had an impact on both Kevin’s life and the lives of those in the wider community. He also shares a treasury of memories and tales handed down to him by the older generation, along with some nuggets of local history, social life and work on the land. Kevin will be in store to sign copies of his book next Saturday, February 13th, at 2pm in O’Mahony’s of Limerick.
