Latest news with #CarolNolan
Irish Independent
21-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Ireland's smallest trade partner revealed, after ‘confidentiality' clause lifted
The 'winner' is Guinea-Bissau, a small country in west Africa, from which Ireland imported just €11.95 worth of produce last year. This represented just 0.00000001pc of the total value of our imports. By volume, it was 0.0005 tonnes, or 500g, the equivalent of a loaf of bread or a carton of butter. The detail was supplied by the Department of the Taoiseach in response to a Dáil question posed by Independent TD Carol Nolan. When Ms Nolan first asked for a list of the 20 countries from which Ireland received the least imports by value, the department said that 'for confidentiality reasons', the countries and territories from which Ireland buys less than €1m worth of goods were being aggregated into one group. There were 114 in the group. Last week, the Independent TD resubmitted the question, asking why confidentiality was being applied to the countries. 'A lot of parliamentary questions are not being answered,' she told the Irish Independent. 'I was curious to get the full details in the context of tariffs, which makes these trade questions topical.' Mary Butler, the Government Chief Whip, said the previous answer had 'incorrectly referred to a confidentiality designation relating to countries from which Ireland imported less than €1m. No confidentiality designation applies to this information.' She added that the Central Statistics Office, which compiles the information, sincerely apologised for the error. In second place on the list of the countries and territories with which Ireland does the least foreign trade was Mayotte, a small archipelago under French control between Madagascar and the east coast of Africa. Ireland bought €104 worth of produce from Mayotte last year, weighing one kilogram. In fifth place on the list was Heard Island and the McDonald Islands, an external territory of Australia and among the remotest places on Earth, which shot to international fame in April when Mr Trump imposed a 10pc tariff on it. In response, Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese said: 'Nowhere on Earth is safe.' Ireland imported €473.80 worth of goods from the islands last year, according to the information supplied by the department. Other remote and underpopulated islands in the top 10 include Pitcairn, Kiribati, the Falklands and St Lucia. In terms of bigger countries, we import the least from war-torn South Sudan, from which we bought just €2,824.28 worth of produce last year. This was only slightly behind the trade levels with Libya, also beset by internal conflicts, from which we imported just under €4,000 worth of produce. The value of all Irish imports last year came to €134bn, amounting to 45 million tonnes of produce.
The Irish Sun
15-07-2025
- Health
- The Irish Sun
Hundreds of families whose kids were harmed or at risk during care at South Kerry Camhs have applied for compensation
SOME 230 families whose children were harmed or put at risk during care at mental health facilities in South Kerry have applied for compensation, the Cabinet will be informed today. A review of the care of 1,300 Some 240 children received substandard care while 46 others suffered significant harm due to the prescribing practices by one junior doctor. The Maskey Report revealed some children suffered significant weight gain, sedation, elevated blood pressure and even produced breast milk as a result of their treatment. The Cabinet will today be told that 230 applications have been made to a compensation scheme set up for the READ MORE IN IRISH NEWS So far, 83 applications have gone through mediation with 74 concluding with a settlement while the remainder are awaiting decisions. A separate 'look back review' into CAHMS in North Separately, recently revealed new data showed that Irish The National Self-Harm Registry Ireland released the figures in response to a Dail question from the / Independent TD Carol Nolan. Most read in The Irish Sun Operated by the National Research Foundation , it records and reports information about visits to emergency departments. It found that in 2020, a total of 12,553 went to with wounds caused by self-harming , while the following year, the figure was 12,661. 'MORE TO BE DONE' In 2022, 12,705 were admitted, and in 2023 it rose to 12,792 in 2023. Junior Health Minister Butler said: "Broadly speaking, self-harm rates are stable year-on-year and there has been a decline in recent years. "Recently published data from the National Suicide Research Foundation Self-Harm Registry highlights that between 2010 and 2023 self-harm rates decreased by 12 per cent. "While there is much more to be done, it is reassuring that the rate did not increase across 2022 and 2023 and we now know that self-harm rates did not increase during the "The peak self-harm rate recorded for adolescent girls aged 15-19 years in 2021 has decreased in 2022 and 2023, which is positive. WORRYING TREND "However, self-harm rates in younger female adolescents are continuing to rise, highlighting the need to prioritise mental health supports and targeted interventions for young people and their parents." The latest figures reveal that, 504 people died from suicide in Ireland in 2020, another 512 in 2021 and 436 in 2022. Eight out of the ten suicides recorded are men. And it's one of the highest rates in 1 Mary Butler will bring an update on the scandal today Credit: Alamy
Extra.ie
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
Lack of accountability means artist supports are 'a slush fund'
The lack of accountability when it comes to artists' basic income means the scheme has turned into a Government slush fund, a TD has claimed. Carol Nolan was commenting on the response by Arts Minister Patrick O'Donovan to queries about the initiative. Mr Donovan said: 'The current pilot scheme costs approximately €35million per year, based on 2,000 recipients receiving €325 weekly. ' The lack of accountability when it comes to artists' basic income means the scheme has turned into a Government slush fund, a TD has claimed. Pic: Gareth Chaney/Collins Photos The net cost is likely to be less, given the high number of BIA [Basic Income for the Arts] recipients who were previously on social welfare supports prior to the BIA.' Mr O'Donovan also said 'evaluation of the pilot is continuous, as participants complete a survey every six months'. He said: 'My department is currently preparing a report examining the first 24 months of the scheme. A further interview research paper, written by an independent researcher, was published recently. Carol Nolan was commenting on the response by Arts Minister Patrick O'Donovan to queries about the initiative. Pic: Collins 'This paper collects the experiences of 50 BIA recipients, who have been interviewed by a sociologist.' Ms Nolan called the response 'almost absurdly laughable'. She said: 'It is clearly stated in the reply provided to me that the evaluation of the pilot is continuous because participants complete a survey every six months.' The Independent TD asked: 'Does the department really think this is what robust evaluation looks like [and] does it believe that a slush fund that has cost €100million to date is going to be criticised by the very same people on the receiving end of that cash?' Ms Nolan accused Fine Gael TD Mr O'Donovan of implementing outdated Green Party ideology, as it was imple – mented by former arts minister Catherine Martin, adding: 'The entire scheme just reeks of that particular form of cultural entitlement to vast sums of public monies that is particularly pervasive in the likes of RTÉ where control of publicly financed spending is way down the list of priorities.'
Irish Independent
28-06-2025
- Health
- Irish Independent
BreastCheck may be extended to younger and older women in plans under examination
Currently, it covers women aged 50 to 69 years and invites them for screening. Independent TD for Offaly, Deputy Carol Nolan, asked health minister, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, if the programme could be broadened to women over 70. In response, the minister said that the Programme for Government commits to raising the age for the BreastCheck screening programme in line with updated standards from HIQA and work will shortly begin to establish whether the current age range should be extended. 'I am intent on advancing the cancer screening commitments outlined in the Programme for Government, which will be facilitated through established protocols. The National Screening Advisory Committee (NSAC) is the independent expert group that considers proposed changes to Ireland's screening programmes. 'NSAC assesses the evidence in a robust and transparent manner, and against internationally accepted criteria, before making recommendations to myself as Minister for Health. 'The rigorous processes utilised by NSAC are critical to ensure that our screening programmes are effective, quality assured and operating to safe standards, and that the benefits of screening outweigh the harms,' Minister Carroll MacNeill said. She told Deputy Nolan: "In this regard, I am pleased to report that NSAC is progressing work to consider the further expansion of our cancer screening programmes and has submitted a request to the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa), which has a section dedicated to undertaking evidence synthesises on behalf of the committee, to assess the evidence for a proposed expansion to the age range eligibility of the BreastCheck programme to include those aged 45 to 49 years and those aged 70 to 74 years. 'I should highlight that Hiqa is currently focused on the conclusion of two Health Technology Assessment (HTA) processes to examine a proposed age-range expansion to the BowelScreen programme and the potential development of a screening programme for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA). 'The evidence review for the expansion of BreastCheck remains a key priority for NSAC and is expected to commence later this year. ' She added that it would involve the assessment of relevant evidence and knowledge on the effects and consequences of healthcare technologies to guide decisions regarding the appropriate use of technology and efficient allocation of technology assessments are time-intensive and rigorous processes, she added.
Irish Independent
13-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Recreational visiting centre in Offaly benefits from €53k in funding to upgrade visitor hub
Kinnitty Trailhead Center is a refurbished hall located in Kinnitty Village and built to facilitate recreational visitors, with a large exhibition area, with fully accessible toilets and showers and a kitchenette area. The centre serves as a key access point to the Slieve Bloom Mountains, one of Ireland's most scenic outdoor recreation areas. The improvements are expected to promote tourism and support the growing reputation of the business. The plan for developments include creating a visitor information point, meeting space for local groups , secure bike parking, self-entry accessible showers, lockers lighting and improved signage. Independent TD for Offaly Carol Nolan has congratulated the committee: 'This award is testament to the hard work and sheer dedication of the Kinnitty Centre's entire management and application committee, and I want to commend them on this fantastic result. 'This is an enormously proud moment, and the kind of development that we urgently need to see more of here in Offaly and indeed right across the midlands region.' 'It is now possible for the Kinnitty Trailhead Centre to go from strength to strength. I wish all of the team and indeed all of the visitors to this wonderful resource every possible success.' The European Union's Just Transition Fund (EU JTF) aims to support the regions and communities in Europe that are most negatively affected by the transition to climate neutrality. Ireland is set to receive up to €84.5 million from the fund over the period to 2027. With the government match funding using exchequer resources, up to €169 million will be available.
