Samaritans plans to close at least 100 branches across Ireland and Britain
has announced plans to close at least half of its 200 branches across Ireland and the UK, move volunteers into larger regional hubs and pilot remote call handling, in a shake-up that has left some volunteers dismayed.
The mental health charity told volunteers in a video last week it hoped 'within the next seven to 10 years, our branch network will have reduced by at least half' and that it would move to 'fewer but bigger regions'.
The charity's 22,000 listening volunteers answer calls and messages from people in mental health crisis at 201 branches across Ireland and the UK. It says its helplines receive a call every 10 seconds, while some branches also offer face-to-face services.
Julie Bentley, the charity's chief executive, told volunteers that much of its fundraising income was going into 'maintaining bricks and mortar, rather than being used to improve our services'.
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The charity wants a 'smaller number of larger brick branches' meaning 'larger shifts open with more volunteers on duty together'.
It also said it wanted to make sure its buildings and shifts were 'accessible to all' and hoped its 'volunteer numbers will have increased as we offer more flexibility', adding it had no plans to reduce the level of service it offered.
Some volunteers have expressed fears the charity is moving to a 'call centre-style' model that would remove the 'camaraderie' found in smaller branches. There were also concerns that volunteers, many of whom are over 50, would be unable to travel large distances to branches in large towns and cities.
They also raised concerns about the impact of a potential move towards remote volunteering, in which people would answer calls in their homes while in contact with another volunteer via video call. Some said they would feel uncomfortable taking distressing and sensitive calls at home.
One volunteer said: 'It does change the absolute basis of how we have worked and the understanding of our need to be in a safe place where we have support as callers. Would the ambulance service suddenly decide to have people take calls in their home?
'The current system has operated very successfully for 70 years. Now they're thinking of dismantling it, and in a way that I think has upset a lot of volunteers. A lot of us are anxious and worried.
'Almost every single volunteer that I have spoken to have said if they introduce call centres, we're out. As well as helping others, people volunteer for their own mental health, to go to a safe space and meet like-minded people.'
The charity said remote volunteering would allow people unable to travel to branches to give their time, particularly for night shifts that are more challenging to fill.
Samaritans said it would consult volunteers about its plans before the trustees made a final decision in September, and any proposed changes that are confirmed will take place over a number of years.
Volunteers said they wanted clarity on how much money the charity spends on branches, and how much it was projected to save by closing half down.
The Samaritans' annual accounts for 2023-24 show it has a fund of £7 million (€8 million) for fixed assets including branches, a property maintenance fund of £28,000 and a branch support fund of £287,000, while it received £24.6m in charitable income.
In its last set of financial accounts, the charity said its 'income was down for the third year running, while costs continue to rise', and it had been forced to stop or postpone projects owing to lack of funding.
In a statement, Ms Bentley said: 'Samaritans provides a life-saving service, day and night, 365 days a year, but the changing needs of our callers and volunteers means thinking differently about the way our services need to work.
'We are engaging with our volunteers on proposed improvements that will mean we are able to answer more calls, have more volunteers on duty and be there for more people in their darkest moments. Over 200 branches, varying in size from 10 to 300 volunteers, is not sustainable and hinders us providing the best possible service to people who need us.' − Guardian
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Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Irish Times
Fertility treatment and the workplace: ‘It's a hugely personal thing to have to say'
One thing Tammy Murphy did not have to worry about when she and her partner were undergoing assisted reproduction treatment was the need to keep it a secret from her employer. A naturally open person, she did not hesitate to tell her manager and colleagues. In return, she got all the flexibility and understanding she needed over the three rounds of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) that it took before her partner, Leanne Doyle, gave birth to their son, Theo, two years ago. On their first attempt, the embryos did not implant; after the second round, she had a miscarriage at 10 weeks. Murphy's employer, the recruitment company Flexsource, which is part of the CPL group, has since incorporated fertility treatment supports into its 'family building' policies. Five days' leave per year is available for the person physically undergoing the treatment and two days for the supporting partner. However, recently published research would suggest that employers making specific provisions are still in the minority in Ireland. This is despite one in six adults, according to the World Health Organisation, experiencing infertility, which is defined as a failure to conceive after at least 12 months of regular, unprotected sexual intercourse. READ MORE About 80 per cent of people who had undergone IVF said their workplace did not have a fertility policy, according to a Sims IVF survey. Almost all respondents (98 per cent) agreed that treatment had an impact on their emotional wellbeing at work, while 83 per cent said it affected their ability to fulfil their work responsibilities. At support meetings organised by the National Infertility Support and Information Group (NISIG), people often talk about the workplace as being one of the biggest challenges when they are undergoing fertility treatment, says NISIG spokeswoman Caitríona Fitzpatrick. Fertility treatment involves multiple appointments, sometimes at short notice. In the absence of flexibility or dedicated time off, 'people use annual leave or sick leave and it's really neither of those things', she says. They can feel quite unwell after some of the appointments, particularly egg retrieval. Emotionally they might not feel connected to the workplace at that time, she points out. Yet employees often struggle in silence, maybe because they perceive it to be a taboo topic, or they fear that declaring they are trying to start a family may harm their career progression. But keeping it secret not only adds to the stress but also runs the risk that altered behaviour in the workplace may be wrongly interpreted, again to their detriment. NISIG believes that workplace awareness of fertility issues and a policy to support those having treatment is good for employees and employers alike. It welcomes a new guide for Irish companies produced by Sims IVF, entitled Navigating Fertility Treatment in the Workplace. It's just a hugely personal thing to have to say. It's not a conversation you want to be having until you're ready, and you're in a place where you can do it — NISIG spokeswoman Caitríona Fitzpatrick Sims IVF is one of the approved providers in the HSE IVF funding scheme that was launched in September 2023. Currently, heterosexual couples who meet the required criteria are entitled to one free cycle of IVF – or ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection, ie sperm is injected directly into an egg), or up to three rounds of IUI (intrauterine insemination) treatment. At the end of June, eligibility for this scheme was extended to couples experiencing 'secondary infertility' , ie having difficulty conceiving a second child. However, there is no statutory entitlement to time off work during what is known to be both a physically and psychologically demanding and complex process. 'It is absolutely perverse,' Labour TD Ged Nash told the Dáil in January 2024, 'that we have correctly decided funded IVF is a public good, yet access could be restricted to those who can work flexibly, unless a statutory right to leave to access it is introduced.' He was speaking on a Labour Party Bill that seeks to give workers the right to leave for fertility treatment as well as early pregnancy loss. It is hardly surprising that the impetus for the Bill came from a workplace predominated by women and where flexibility and short-notice leave is particularly challenging – primary schools. Representations from the Irish National Teachers' Organisation prompted the current Labour leader Ivana Bacik , then a senator, to introduce the Organisation of Working Time (Reproductive Health Related Leave) Bill 2021. Last month, the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, Norma Foley, when asked by Laois TD William Aird if she would support the implementation of that Bill, simply referred to ongoing research on relevant issues, adding: 'Family leave provisions are kept under review to ensure that they are appropriate to the needs of working parents.' Since the start of the HSE's assisted human reproduction treatments (AHR) scheme , there has been an average of 500 referrals per month to the six public regional fertility hubs. Many of these patients can be managed successfully at the hubs via a range of surgical and/or medical interventions and do not require further advanced tertiary treatment such as IVF. In 2024, the hubs made a total of 1,470 referrals to one of the eight HSE-authorised AHR providers. This year, 911 referrals had been made up to July 7th, according to the HSE. Tammy Murphy and Leanne Doyle with their two-year-old son Theo. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill A review of the first 12 months of the scheme (September 2023 to August 2024), found 262 clinical pregnancies were reported by the HSE's fertility hubs. A further 79 couples were discharged with a clinical pregnancy from one of the private AHR providers contracted by the HSE. [ Eight healthy babies born in UK after IVF using DNA from three people Opens in new window ] 'It is important to note that relatively few couples had been discharged from a private provider by the end of August 2024, with most of the referred couples still undergoing investigation or treatment,' an HSE spokeswoman adds. 'While it is too soon to have meaningful data, the initial results from the service are in line with expectations.' Although there is undoubtedly much more openness around assisted reproduction, people still experience stigma, says Fitzpatrick. 'A lot of it is a self-stigma, in that they've kind of judged themselves. All that feeds into an emotional toll,' she says. People are much more likely to talk about it after they have been successful. 'If it's unsuccessful, or you're going through it, is where people keep it very quiet because I suppose they don't want to build up any kind of expectations and they're still only getting their heads around how to explain what they're doing.' They may also worry that the mere mention of fertility treatment might have an employer's mind jumping forward to the need for maternity leave, as hypothetical as it might be at that stage. At a time when a couple or individual may be investing thousands of euro in private fertility treatment, she says, the fear that they may be passed over for promotion or, say, leadership on a project, 'just compounds all this emotional stress'. NISIG spokeswoman Caitríona Fitzpatrick 'It's just a hugely personal thing to have to say. It's not a conversation you want to be having until you're ready, and you're in a place where you can do it.' Availing of a workplace policy would require a privacy trade-off, with disclosure at some level, but a clearly flagged and supportive path when doing this would help. Fitzpatrick says people would not need to indicate exactly where they were in the process. There are also challenges for employers in addressing these matters, including accommodating a need for time off at short notice, depending on the nature of the work. 'I think knowledge is power,' says Fitzpatrick. 'If they get to know this area, then they can work with their employees on it. As with lots of other areas like this, if an employee feels supported they become very loyal to that employer and it's very hard to put a price on that.' NISIG sees people who have left their jobs while undergoing treatment because they felt it was too stressful. 'Or they would take a sabbatical because they could not deal with that other pressure in the background and what they felt was a total lack of understanding.' Some really good, proactive employers, she says, ask NISIG to talk their HR department through what assisted reproduction involves and its impact on patients. They use that information to inform their own workplace policies. NISIG would like to see the provision of designated leave led by legislation but, in the meantime, hopes that 'a serious number' of employers will take the need on board 'so that it becomes the norm' to have guidance in the workplace. [ Ireland far behind other countries for IVF genetic testing, doctors and advocates say Opens in new window ] 'Lots of employees will check the maternity policy before they start a family; if they're going to start medical treatment, they will look at different policies. It should be the same for fertility treatment.' Then individuals and couples 'can make their decisions based around knowing', Fitzpatrick adds, 'as opposed to being halfway through their treatment and suddenly feeling like, 'I'm going to have to tell somebody,' and it complicates the whole thing.' The HR manager at Sims IVF, Niamh Doran, wrote the new guide for employers and fellow HR professionals, drawing on real-life experiences of clients, gathered by last year's survey, to highlight the challenges and offer possible solutions. Fostering open communication is key, she suggests, as is employees being able to trust their line manager or HR team to be understanding. 'It's just going to make people feel less like they're being watched. They won't feel like it's going to stunt their career growth, which I think is the number one concern, particularly for women,' Doran says. The guide includes a fertility policy template for companies to follow when creating their own policies. 'If there's not those examples out there, it's hard to know where to start. We're hoping that this is a jumping off point and people can then tailor it to their business needs.' Ibec declined to comment on issues raised in this article. Employee voices on fertility treatment and the workplace: 'I was told it was likely to not work and [will] have to keep trying, so how am I going to manage so it won't impact on my work?' 'Empathy drastically dropped after the first two rounds. My boss actually rolled his eyes when I said I was doing the fourth round.' 'I can see my employer is already trying to recruit for my role in case I go on maternity leave. This makes me uncomfortable as, depending how my treatment goes, I may never go on maternity leave.' 'I received support from my direct manager; the company overall did not know I was undergoing treatment. There is a need for flexibility around appointments, understanding around absence and general awareness of what the process is.' 'I haven't told them as I feel my team lead won't be happy with it and that might damage the relationship.' 'My management were helpful, but certified IVF pay would have been amazing as you have to use your own sick pay for days off and treatments.' '[I would have appreciated] greater understanding that there can be several appointments to attend and be flexible around this, ie allow an hour to attend a scan without having to take annual leave.' Source: 2004 Sims IVF survey
Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Irish Times
Germs: The dirtiest items are ones we might least expect but there are ways to protect yourself
One of the legacies of the Covid pandemic is an increased awareness of microbes. Many bacteria and viruses lurk on surfaces we touch everyday. Most are harmless, but a few of these bugs can make us seriously ill . Writing in The Conversation recently, Dr Manal Mohammed, senior lecturer in Medical Microbiology at the University of Westminister, looked at how some of the dirtiest items in our lives are ones we might least expect. With many of us travelling during the summer months, she highlighted the hidden dangers of items, such as hotel TV remote controls and airport security trays. I was surprised to read that hotel remote controls can be dirtier than toilet seats. Then again, they are rarely sanitised, with research showing they harbour common bacteria including E. coli and Staph. aureus. READ MORE So, how can we protect ourselves from becoming infected? We can either wipe the remote with an antibacterial wipe or place the remote in a transparent plastic bag before using it. Airport security trays are another source of potential infection. Despite being handled by hundreds of people daily, they are rarely cleaned. Research has found high levels of bacteria on the trays, including E. coli. And a study that looked for viruses on surfaces found in airports found that security trays had the highest concentration of respiratory viruses. Dr Niina Ikonen, a virology expert, and colleagues from the University of Nottingham and the Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare collected surface and air samples from Helsinki-Vantaa airport. [ How your tongue and gait can give important clues as to your overall health Opens in new window ] Research has found high levels of bacteria on the airport plastic security trays, including E. coli. Photograph: Smith Collection/ Gado/ Getty Images Some 20 million passengers pass through Finland's busiest airport every year, making contact with surfaces such as armrests, escalator handrails, toys in the children's play area, trolley handles and luggage trays. Researchers swabbed these surfaces and tested them for viruses such as influenza, respiratory syncytial virus, adenovirus, rhinovirus, and coronavirus. The results showed viruses were present on 10 per cent of the surfaces examined, with rhinoviruses - the culprit for the common cold - the most widespread. And while plastic security trays had the highest concentration of viruses, perhaps the most unusual positive swab location was the buttons on the credit card payment pad at the airport pharmacy. In terms of protection, either wash your hands after security or use hand sanitiser, especially before eating or touching your face. Shopping trolley handles are another potential source of infection. A US study found that more than 70 per cent of shopping trolleys were contaminated with coliform bacteria, a group that includes strains like E. coli, often linked to faecal contamination. A separate study found Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas species on trolleys. It would help if we could get into the habit of cleaning shopping trolley handles before use. Mobile phones have become a big part of travel, with airlines encouraging us to display boarding cards on their screens. Frequent handling and their warmth make them ideal for bacterial contamination. Research shows phones can carry harmful bacteria including Staph. aureus. Mohammed advises not using our phones in bathrooms and to clean them with a slightly damp microfibre cloth and soap. [ The way to a human's brain and immune system is through the gut Opens in new window ] Flushing a toilet releases a plume of microscopic droplets, which can land on nearby toothbrushes. Photograph: Getty Images When we are on the move, staying in hotels or Air BnBs, we have to use unfamiliar bathrooms. It's worth being careful how we store our toothbrushes in each new location as flushing a toilet releases a plume of microscopic droplets, which can land on nearby toothbrushes. Research found that toothbrushes stored in bathrooms can harbour E. coli, Staph. aureus and other microbes. If we rinse the toothbrush after each use, let it air-dry upright and store as far from the toilet as possible, we can protect ourselves from this source of microbes. Finally, take care if sharing nail and beauty tools with your travel companions. Nail clippers, cuticle pushers and other grooming tools can spread harmful bacteria if they're not properly cleaned. We can't avoid all germs. But with a few good habits you can help protect yourself and others. mhouston@
Irish Times
7 hours ago
- Irish Times
Letters to the Editor, July 29th: On the HSE's lost millions and funding services, the All-Ireland and women, and Gaza
Sir, – Is it not galling for the thousands of parents who rely on service for their children and adults with an intellectual disability to read; 'Ten of millions in HSE money lost, say auditors,' (July 26th) when those who provide these services are subject to a punitive 'value for money' penalty annually and are starved of the necessary funding to provide the services that are so obviously needed? The hope of a residential places for my 41-year old daughter was just this week ended by a letter from the chief of the service provider she attends stating that; '[it has] paused acceptance of new referrals to the residential wait list…we continuously seek funding for new premises from the relevant departments, but applications to date have not transferred to appropriate housing'. Today, there are hundreds of parents like myself and wife in their 70s and 80s providing full-time care for their adult children with an intellectual disability. With no certainty as to what will happen to our daughter when we are no longer able to provide the care she needs, we live in dread for her future. READ MORE In the context of the auditor's report is it not an indictment of the political system that no one can answer my simple question; 'what will happen my daughter when I die?' The wanton waste and lack of accountability by the HSE and our politicians, while not surprising, is nonetheless, staggering. – Yours, etc, TONY MURRAY, Chairman, Before I Die, Fairview, Dublin 3. Air drops, Gaza, and protests Sir, – Air drops are costly, inefficient and dangerous. Crucially, they do not address the significant risks of refeeding syndrome. When a population has been starved or malnourished for a period of time, they require careful reintroduction of appropriate specialised foods to avoid overwhelming the metabolic processes. Failure to firstly provide appropriate electrolytes to the starved, instead giving random quantities of non-specialised food through air drops, can lead to cardiac abnormalities, delirium and death. This is known as refeeding syndrome and is well known in the humanitarian and medical spheres. This is another example of the damage that removing humanitarian access from Gaza has done, and makes the cynical performance of air drops even starker. – Yours, etc, DR LISA McNAMEE, Dartry, Dublin 6. Sir, – I wish to support the proposal for a national day of protest (Letters, July 24th and 26th) over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Words are inadequate when faced with the starvation of men, women and children, regardless of their ethnicity, nationality, creed or religion. I force myself to watch the news and read the reports and feel ashamed because I have done nothing to stop these terrible atrocities or help the poor victims who continue to suffer, day after day. There is pain on both sides of any conflict but the civilians in Gaza are bearing the brunt of the war. A national day of protest, a demonstration condemning the atrocities inflicted upon the civilians in Gaza, would garner support from all corners of our society. – Yours, etc, HELEN MURRAY, Church Street, Dublin 7. Sir, – Liz O'Donnell proposes a national day of protest over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza (Letters, July 26th). Has she missed the 16 national demonstrations held in Dublin calling for an end to the genocide organized by the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign since October 2023? Or the thousands of locally organised solidarity actions and events that have taken place across the island these past 21 months? Ms O'Donnell praises the 'courageous stance taken by the Irish Government' on Gaza so she clearly has no issue with the US military using Shannon Airport to transport arms and personnel or Israeli war planes flying through Irish airspace, or the Central Bank facilitating the sale of Israeli war bonds. Or Ireland's export of more than €97 million worth of dual-use products to Israel since October 2023. If protests were enough to bring about a ceasefire in Gaza, then it would have happened by now. What is needed is immediate Government action that ends all complicity with Israel's genocide in Palestine. – Yours etc., STEPHEN McCLOSKEY, Director Centre for Global Education, Belfast. Sir, – Two letters published in The Irish Times (July 28th) on Gaza have shredded any illusion that there does not exist in Ireland a strong feeling that Jews, everywhere are to be blamed collectively for the actions in Gaza of the Israeli government. Chris Fitzpatrick, announcing himself as a Christian, quotes the Bible to provide evidence of how Jewish teaching is being eschewed by Israelis and then demands that 'Jewish people need to raise their voices in protest'. Angela Currie informs us that Israeli and diaspora Jews are not aware of the suffering in Gaza. She, too, demands that Jews stand up and 'shout your disgust'. The one-sided media narrative in Ireland has created unprecedented anti-Jewish sentiment, increasingly isolating the Jewish community here. Would the letter writers not have considered the same call to Muslims, to condemn the indescribable cruelty and moral corruption of Hamas? Does Mr Fitzpatrick's christianity not motivate him to urge Christians everywhere to stand up against Russian aggression in Ukraine where every single one of the ten commandments has been turned on its head? There are millions of Jews in Israel, in the diaspora, secular and religious who are protesting against the Israeli action in Gaza. You may have to wander outside the Irish media bubble to find them. To quote Matthew 7:5 'Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thy own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.' – Yours, etc, CATHERINE PUNCH, Ranelagh, Dublin 6. EU-US trade agreement Sir, – The trade agreement just agreed between the US and EU provides for a 15 per cent tariff on EU goods entering the US, but I can find no reference to a reciprocal tariff on US goods entering the EU. Is it the same as the 15 per cent applying in the other direction or some other figure ? Can we assume the EU will apply an identical or at least similar tariff ? If not we are entitled to know why there is no such tariff is being applied. The EU has agreed to buy large amounts of US goods. Has the US in turn agreed to buy a similarly large amount of EU goods. If not why not ? – Yours, etc, NIALL LOMBARD, Mount Merrion Co Dublin. Phone alone Sir, – We visited our son in the Gaeltacht at the weekend. He looked healthy and happy and not at all suffering from withdrawal symptoms from only being allowed access to his phone for 15 minutes a day. Sounds like a route back to full health and happiness for us all! – Yours, etc, BRIAN QUIGLEY, Drumcondra, Dublin 9. GAA women, and All-Ireland football finals Sir, – Congratulations to Kerry for winning the Men's All-Ireland Football Final. Note my addition of 'Men's' at the beginning of the sentence which all of the media insists on omitting. The omission of 'men's 'presupposes that the football final is the only one. However, the Women's All-Ireland Football Final is on August 3rd. The first women's GAA football final was played in 1974, 51 years ago! Why then presume Sunday's final was the only one? Words matter. – Yours, etc, CARMEL WHITE, Castleknock, Dublin. Sir, –The Kerry victory against Donegal arrived in the nick of time to save Gaelic football from extinction. What a relief to see a return to high fielding, long distance kicking and a plethora of scores on a regular basis. The data driven obsession, borrowed from soccer and American football, with its clichés about zonal defence, dominating the middle third, edge of the D, outside and inside the arc, and so on ad nauseam, had made this relatively simple and spontaneous game the world's most boring, and unwatchable, except for scoreless soccer games. At last the new rules have liberated natural and skilful athletes like David Clifford and Michael Murphy to keep going forward toward goal and not sideways and backwards in a dreary process of endless handball, that former greats like Mick O'Connell would not recognise at all. The two points from long distance and long kick outs from the goalie have also helped, but backward handpassing should be banned completely. Gaelic football still has a long way to go to equal the wizardry and skill of hurling or rugby at its best, but at least it is finally going in the right direction. – Yours, etc, MAURICE O'CALLAGHAN, Stillorgan, Co Dublin. Sir, – New rules, what new rules? Surely what we witnessed yesterday represented a step backwards for the once great game of Gaelic football. For 80 per cent of yesterday's game, what I witnessed was field basketball with flashes of real football thrown in to break the silence. Back to the drawing board? – Yours, etc, NIALL GINTY, Killester, Dublin 5. Sir, – Ian O' Riordan's tribute to the great Con Houlihan ('T he gospel of Kerry football according to Con Houlihan ,' July 26th) was beautiful and timely. Con surely would have enjoyed Kerry's victory while being 'befuddled' by the July so. If the GAA gets its hands on Christmas we will be celebrating it in October ! – Yours, etc, JIM CAFFREY, Dundrum, Dublin. East is West Sir, – In Saturday's Irish Times, the Reuter's article 'Trump to mix golf with politics on Scottish visit', it was stated that Turnberry is on Scotland's east coast and Aberdeen on Scotland's west coast. In fact, Turnberry is on Scotland's west coast and Aberdeen is on Scotland's east coast. – Yours, etc, JOE KEARNEY, Castleknock Dublin 15. Truth and reconciliation Sir, – Edward M Neafsey is absolutely right in pointing out one of the key limitations that prevents many victims and survivors of the Troubles from engaging with the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR) to secure truth and, or justice for them, (Letters, July 23rd). But in fairness to the ICRIR this is not the commission's fault, it is due to basic defects in the Legacy Act and implicit in its terms of reference, which the current British government is attempting to address now. We also believe that the lack of any form of conditional amnesty for former combatants is a key factor in ensuring the full facts of many legacy cases never see the light of day and that former miscarriages of justice are not addressed. Time to do so is rapidly slipping away, especially for the most violent years up to the end of 1976 when most people were killed or injured. One major problem is the insistence by the authorities and by some victims groups that cases can only be addressed through the criminal justice system. As one of the most distinguished and authoritative contributors to the debate, Tom Hadden has pointed out in the latest issue of Fortnight, 'In reality, the two objectives of truth recovery and reconciliation require very different skills and formal powers'. The ICRIR may be salvageable as the investigatory body or one devoted the reconciliation, but it cannot be both. As currently constituted it is primarily an investigatory one, as required by the Act. However, we believe that a narrow ground has emerged in the debate that suggests there is a path between protected disclosure and conditional amnesty that can provide for truth recovery and reconciliation through mediation as an alternative to the existing processes and procedures. With this in mind, we are proposing to hold a conference on October 18th, at Queen's University, Belfast, at which we hope to address the realistic options for unshackling the present and the future from the perpetual legacy wars. These include continuing access to the courts for all Troubles-related criminal and civil cases and continued use of the ICRIR for those who seek to access its services. We are also proposing the speedy conclusion of all outstanding public inquiries and access to a mediation process based on our conditional amnesty proposals. In addition, we propose the establishment of a Joint British-Irish review body to monitor progress in all of these areas. The conference should be taking place shortly after the UK Supreme Court has given its decision on the British government's appeal against the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal decisions upholding objections to the current legislation. – Yours, etc, HARRY DONAGHY, Northern Chair, JOHN GREEN, Southern Chair, PADRAIG YEATES, Secretary. Portmarnock, Dublin 13. A good deal for religious bodies Sir, – Liam Herrick ('I'm angry that my abuse as a child does not count – State must pay for school sexual abuse', July 28th) observes that, in relation to implementing national child protection measures, the State 'cannot outsource that responsibility to religious organisations, nor hide behind procedural defences'. One might add: 'like it outsources education to religious organisations and hides behind procedural defences when it comes children's constitutional right not to attend religious instruction.' What a deal religious organisations have in this country – education is outsourced to them, but funding and liability are not. They remain with us taxpayers. – Yours, etc, ROB SADLIER, Human Rights Officer, Education Equality, Rathfarnham, Dublin. Handy tip for looking busy Sir, – Ruby Eastwood ponders the nature of work: ' The greater part of any job is learning to look bus y,' (July 26th). I absolutely concur. Walking the corridors or through an open plan office with a file under your arm seemed to work best. – Yours, etc, MIKE MORAN, Clontarf, Dublin 3.
