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STV News
08-07-2025
- Politics
- STV News
At least 13 postmasters may have taken their own lives, Horizon scandal inquiry finds
The long-awaited inquiry into the worst miscarriage of justice in British legal history has been published Horizon scandal victims must get full and fair compensation, inquiry urges Close family members of people affected by the scandal should recieve compensation Horizon shortfall scheme claimants should recieve legal advice funded by the Government, retired judge determines Fijutsu, the Post Office and the Government told to publish plan for restorative justice by end of October A long-awaited independent inquiry has identified at least 13 postmasters who may have taken their own lives in the wake of the Post Office Horizon scandal. The Horizon IT inquiry's final report found 59 people who contemplated suicide attributable to their experiences with Horizon and/or the Post Office. Ten of those attempted to take their lives, some on more than one occasion. The probe's chairman, retired judge Sir Wyn Williams, said he couldn't make a definitive finding that there was a causal connection between the 13 people who died and Horizon, but he said he did not rule that out as a 'real possibility'. He said the Government and Post Office must agree on 'full and fair' compensation for victims and their families. The chairman said this should mean damages at the top end of the range and beyond the legal principles that sometimes prohibit compensation where evidence has been lost or destroyed. The first tranche of the final report into the Post Office Horizon scandal was published on Tuesday. Sir Wyn has issued 19 urgent recommendations to resolve issues with redress for those impacted. More than 900 subpostmasters were wrongfully prosecuted between 1999 and 2015 in what has been dubbed as the worst miscarriage of justice in British legal history. Many were wrongly convicted of crimes such as theft and false accounting after faulty Horizon software made it look as though money was missing from their accounts. Subpostmasters' lives were destroyed – with some bankrupted by legal action and sent to prison. The various compensation schemes have been criticised by victims as unfair and difficult to navigate – processes which lead campaigner Sir Alan Bates has previously described as 'quasi-kangaroo courts'. The inquiry found that 'the Post Office and its advisors have adopted an unnecessarily adversarial attitude towards making initial offers.' The inquiry estimated there are currently 10,000 eligible claimants but that number is likely to rise by at least hundreds if not more over the coming months. Among Sir Wyn's recommendations were a call for claimants to the Horizon shortfall scheme to receive Government-funded legal advice and for close family members of people affected by the scandal to also receive compensation. The Government should also form a public body which will create, administer and deliver schemes for giving financial redress to people wronged by public bodies. There is an expectation the Governement and, where appropriate, Fujitsu and Post Office should provide a response to the recomendations by October 10. Fijutsu, the Post Office and the Government have also been told to publish a plan for restorative justice by the end of October. The first volume of the Horizon IT inquiry's final report also covers the devastating impact on the lives of the scandal's victims. It has heard from 298 witnesses, held 226 days of hearings, and received 788 witness statements. The 162-page report details the scale of the suffering endured by those affected. People became seriously ill, struggled with mental health problems, struggled with addiction and faced financial implications such as bankruptcy. Some were 'driven to despair and suicide' and some were wrongly imprisoned. Ravinder Naga took the blame for the alleged theft of £35,000 from the Post Office to protect his mother when the money went missing. He was ordered to complete 300 hours of community service and pay compensation in 2010 after offering a false confession to stealing money from the Post Office where his mother worked in Greenock, Inverclyde. His conviction was overturned in August 2024. 'If someone comes and falsely charges you, rips your whole world apart, sends you to prison, convinces everybody you're a thief, and then it gets proved that they've lied and they've destroyed your life for profit , what's the justice system going to do for you?' he told STV News. 'What's the government going to do for you? 'That's what this is about. If there's no one held accountable, the answer is zero, they're going to do nothing for you.' The inquiry was established in 2020, with a number of witnesses giving evidence on the use of Fujitsu's Horizon system, Post Office governance and the legal action taken against subpostmasters. In a previous statement addressing the compensation schemes, the Department for Business and Trade said: 'This Government has quadrupled the total amount paid to affected postmasters to provide them with full and fair redress, with more than £1 billion having now been paid to over 7,300 claimants.' Help and support is available now if you need it. The Samaritans can be contacted any time, from any phone, free on 116 123, email at jo@ , or visit to find your nearest branch. Details of other services and more information can be found on the NHS website here . Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
North Wales Live
05-07-2025
- Business
- North Wales Live
Conwy council conducts official investigation over 'inaccurate' Llandudno library figures
Conwy is conducting an official investigation after '£126K savings' presented to back the closure of Llandudno 's Mostyn Street library were labelled inaccurate. At a special meeting on Wednesday, Conwy 's head of finance claimed closing Llandudno's library and moving the service to Venue Cymru would save £126K a year. Head of finance Ms Amanda Hughes had claimed Conwy was paying around £46,000 a year in electricity bills to Npower at the current site – a sum referenced as a future saving if the move went ahead. But this was before Cllr Louise Emery produced a letterheaded bill at the Coed Pella scrutiny committee. Cllr Emery said Conwy only owed 38% of the £46,000. This was, Cllr Emery claimed, because the rest was legally payable by other tenants of the library building's owners Mostyn Estates, who occupied other floors. But part of Conwy's argument for moving was the £126K-a-year saving, which was included in a report presented to strengthen the council's case. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox. This led to Ms Hughes revealing she was 'concerned', 'disappointed', and 'dismayed' as she was only now aware Conwy had paid the full £46,000 on behalf of the whole building, throwing the '£126K' savings into doubt. The figures being questioned also led to Cllr Emery raising doubts that other savings could be incorrect. The Local Democracy Reporting Service asked the council to clarify the situation and if the authority had recovered payments it had made on behalf of Mostyn Estates' tenants. A spokeswoman for Conwy County Council commented: 'Strategic director of finance and resources is investigating the issues raised at economy and place scrutiny committee on Wednesday so that the details can be clarified before cabinet consider the report on Tuesday.' As the statement suggests, Conwy's cabinet is expected to vote in favour of the Mostyn Street library's closure on Tuesday, with the service moving to Venue Cymru as part of a UK Government-funded £10m 'arts centre' revamp. Cllr Emery, who raised the issue - as well as fears about a lack of a business plan for the revamp of the theatre - said she had serious concerns. 'I'm glad they are taking my concerns seriously with the information that I had on Wednesday, and it is good to see they are doing an investigation, but I'm quite surprised that they needed to do that considering the chief financial officer said the information she had was accurate,' she said. 'I'm very concerned that the costs, which they say are with the library, and particularly the new costs relating to moving the library, that they really don't have those drilled down in any sort of detail, and we really can't make a decision until we have exact costings of the move.' She added: 'I don't think they've (the council) got the figures right on the rates. I don't think they've got the figures right on the future maintenance of the building. I think we are going into this blind, and I'm really concerned about the cost of moving the library and the ongoing costs if it does go into Venue Cymru.' Mostyn Estates wouldn't comment on the situation regarding the £46,000 electricity bill but did raise fears that moving the library would affect footfall on the high street. Jon Merrick is the business development manager for Mostyn Estates. 'We are unable to comment on any matters regarding a tenant/landlord arrangement at the current library in Mostyn Street, but our position on the proposed move of the library to Venue Cymru is that we are opposed to this suggestion,' he said. 'We are totally supportive of Venue Cymru and their efforts to upgrade and refurbish the building. We believe Venue Cymru has a strong and positive story to tell, that they should aim to base their business plan for the grant funding solely on the theatre, arts, and conferencing rather than bringing in key services such as the library and Tourism Information Centre, which alienates a large proportion of local businesses and community, as well as jeopardising the town centre by removing a 200,000 footfall from Mostyn Street. This is not helpful to small independent businesses trading on the high street.' The results of a public consultation conducted by Conwy revealed 76% of 999 residents were worried about access to the new library service at Venue Cymru. A petition of around 1,100 signatures also backed a campaign to keep the library at its current location. Conwy's leader Cllr Charlie McCoubrey was unavailable for comment. Conwy's cabinet is set to vote on Tuesday 8 July.
Irish Examiner
30-06-2025
- Health
- Irish Examiner
Couples experiencing secondary infertility eligible for free fertility treatment
Couples experiencing secondary infertility will be eligible for free fertility treatment including IVF in a Government-funded scheme, the health minister has confirmed. From Monday, couples who already have a child but meet all other access criteria can access publicly funded assisted human reproduction treatment. This includes one full cycle of in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) or intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill announced updated access criteria, saying: 'Since we introduced publicly funded assisted human reproduction (AHR) treatment in September 2023, close to 2,500 couples have been referred by reproductive specialist consultants, and many have achieved their dream of starting a family. Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Niall Carson/PA) 'Fertility issues can be devastating, and I am conscious that secondary infertility is a significant issue, with many people facing huge financial and emotional difficulties in their attempts to have a second child. 'I have listened to the requests from parents in this difficult situation, and I am pleased that we are now in a position to make this potentially life-changing treatment available to more people. 'With effect from June 30 2025, the current access criteria will be extended to include couples with one existing child in their relationship.' She said work is under way to progress the legislation and establish a regulatory authority. The Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Act 2024 was signed into law by in July last year. A supplementary Bill to deal with issues such as parentage and citizenship in surrogacy arrangements as well as donor-assisted conception is also being worked on. Ms MacNeill added: 'We are making significant progress in relation to AHR legislation, and formal drafting of the Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) (Amendment) Bill is nearing completion. 'Officials at my department are working closely with officials at the Department of Justice and the Department of Children to finalise the Bill. Intensive work is under way to publish this legislation as soon as is practical. 'One critical piece in the AHR jigsaw is the establishment of a regulatory authority. Good progress has been made in relation to the establishment of the Assisted Human Reproduction Regulatory Authority.'
Scoop
18-06-2025
- Health
- Scoop
Strong Interest In New Programme For Overseas-Trained Doctors
Minister of Health A total of 180 overseas-trained doctors have expressed interest in a new Government-funded training programme aimed at boosting New Zealand's primary care workforce, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. 'New Zealand needs more doctors – particularly in primary and rural healthcare care settings – and this Government is taking action to make that happen,' Mr Brown says. 'That's why we've launched a new two-year training programme to support up to 100 additional overseas-trained doctors across the country.' Announced in March, the programme supports qualified international doctors to become registered in New Zealand, with a particular focus on those wanting to enter general practice roles – creating a clear pathway for doctors already in the country and ready to contribute to our health system. 'It makes no sense that overseas-trained doctors already living here, ready and willing to work in primary care, are held back simply due to a lack of supported clinical training opportunities. We are changing that.' Applications for the programme closed on 31 May, with 184 expressions of interest received – well exceeding the number of places available. The first group of 10 overseas-trained doctors will begin in Waikato this July, with Health New Zealand currently working to match the remaining placement locations with district and primary care providers. 'This strong response shows the scale of untapped potential in New Zealand. These doctors are eager to work where they are most needed – and this Government is opening the door for them to do so. 'I've also requested advice from Health New Zealand on how to provide clear, structured pathways for doctors who have passed the NZREX to begin practising under limited scopes while they wait for a placement in general practice training. 'This is part of our broader plan to strengthen primary and rural healthcare and ensure New Zealanders get timely access to the care they need, no matter where they live,' Mr Brown says. Notes: Cohort timing and planned numbers July 2025 Cohort - 10 October 2025 Cohort - 30 January 2026 Cohort - 40 April 2026 Cohort - 20 This investment is part of the Government's comprehensive primary care package announced earlier this year, including: Increased access to urgent and after-hours care Recruitment incentives for up to 400 graduate nurses annually for five years 100 additional doctor training places over the course of this Government Up to 50 graduate doctors training in primary care annually Up to 120 training places for nurse practitioners in primary care Accelerated tertiary education for up to 120 primary care nurses A $285 million uplift to funding over three years for general practice from 1 July, in addition to the capitation uplift general practice receives annually Better access to 24/7 digital services.
Extra.ie
14-06-2025
- Extra.ie
Nursing home scandal: 'It was shocking. But not as shocking as what we'd seen ourselves'
A couple of weeks ago, Paul Guy was on holiday in Germany. An avid tennis fan, his wife got him tickets to see the men's final at the Hamburg Open for his 50th birthday. The day after he got there, he received a phone call from an editor in RTÉ television, telling him there was a 'private matter' they needed to discuss with him. Guy explained where he was, and agreed they could meet on his return. It was made clear to him that the rest of his family should probably be there too. Paul Guy. Pic: RTÉ Investigates 'My greatest fear was that it was about dad's nursing home,' he says. 'I hoped it wasn't. But that was my immediate inkling.' After getting back on the Monday, Paul had to wait another few days before his family was ready to talk with RTÉ. 'One of my sisters was away so it was Thursday by the time we were able to meet them in my dad's house in Tallaght,' he says. The Guy family – two brothers Paul and Dave, and two sisters, Sarah and Kassandra – sat down with the Prime Time Investigates team to watch footage recently filmed by one of their undercover reporters at the Beneavin Manor nursing home in Glasnevin on Dublin's northside. While Paul was somewhat prepared, it still made for incredibly disturbing viewing. Audeon Guy. Pic: RTÉ Investigates It showed their father, 80-year-old Audeon Guy, being allegedly manhandled by two members of staff – held by the waist of his trousers by one carer, his walking frame was steered down a corridor into his room. Although loudly and persistently protesting, Audeon's trousers were pulled down, exposing his incontinence pad, before he was 'forcibly' pushed into a chair. Naturally, his children were distressed at the scenes. However, Paul says the manner in which his father was treated did not come as a 'revelation' to him. Since Audeon went into Beneavin Manor in January, Paul and his siblings had noticed a litany of issues with his care and made several official complaints, which were upheld. 'It was shocking,' he says. 'But not as shocking as what we'd seen ourselves, I think it just reaffirmed what our family wasn't happy with.' After extensive discussions, the Guy family agreed to allow Prime Time Investigates to use some of the footage featuring their dad in a programme exposing practices at facilities run by the country's largest provider of private nursing homes, Emeis Ireland. Paul, Sarah, Kassandra and Dave Guy with their father Audeon Guy. Pic: RTÉ Investigates The RTÉ show was contacted by a 'whistleblower', a nurse who'd reported a number of her concerns about standards of care to the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA), the statutory, Government-funded agency that monitors safety and quality of Ireland's healthcare and social care systems. She claims they took more than four months to follow up on her complaints, which compelled her to go to the state broadcaster. As part of its investigation, RTÉ sent in two reporters posing as healthcare assistants, one to Beneavin Manor, the other to The Residence Portlaoise, both run by Emeis Ireland. They filmed footage showing a long list of failures at both facilities, including chronic staff shortages, vulnerable older people being left unsupervised, inappropriate handling of residents and shortages of basic supplies like bed linens, towels, gloves and sanitary wipes. The almost universal reaction to the alarming television report was one of disgust, despair and anger. Emeis Ireland issued an apology to all residents and their families for 'the suffering and distress experienced as a result of failures identified in the care provided.' Audeon Guy. Pic: RTÉ Investigates It also said it recognised and deeply regretted the 'breach of trust' and 'any failure to uphold the dignity of some residents at all times'. The statement said Emeis Ireland had commenced a comprehensive review across both nursing homes. Advocates for the elderly were unanimous in their condemnation, pointing out that it's 20 years since RTÉ did a similar undercover sting at Leas Cross Nursing Home in Swords, north Dublin. Their revelations of inadequate staffing levels and substandard living conditions caused public outcry and led to the establishment of HIQA. Leas Cross was subsequently shut down. Safeguarding Ireland repeated its calls for the establishment of an interdepartmental, interagency working group to implement recommendations made in April 2024 in the Law Reform Commission's report. Patricia Rickard-Clarke is chairperson of the group that promotes measures for vulnerable adults to protect them from all forms of abuse. She told RTÉ that HIQA is limited in what it can do about complaints and concerns, and that introducing the recommendations would finally provide a legal framework to tackle failures in the nursing home sector. 'The Law Reform Commission sets out a number of offences that straight away could be enacted under criminal law,' she explained. 'This is the Department of Justice's responsibility. So, an offence of intentional or reckless abuse and neglect or ill treatment, an offence for exposure to serious harm, an offence of endangerment. The criminal law, it's all set out in the 2024 Bill.' Safeguarding Ireland, she continued, wants an independent authority that 'will have functions and roles in relation to adult safeguarding to protect people from abuse'. 'It would have the function of receiving reports of suspected abuse or actual abuse,' she said. 'And it would have the statutory function of responding to those abuses.' The implementation of the recommendations is a large part of the reason that Paul and his family made the difficult decision to go public about their father's case. Concerned about Audeon's privacy and dignity, allowing him to be named a week after the distressing footage of his treatment was aired on television was not something they took lightly. 'This has caused a lot of trauma throughout our family,' says Paul. 'My dad is an incredible man, he never spoke a bad word about anyone, he's very charitable and principled. I think he would have wanted me to do this.' On Tuesday night, Prime Time featured an emotional interview with Paul. 'No one should have to go through what we've seen,' he told them. 'No one should be handled like our father was. These are human people – people who lost their dignity and no one should have to go through that.' The toll this is taking on Paul is clear to see when we meet this week at his home in Glasnevin, which is a 15-minute walk from Beneavin Manor. He's shattered, and a little overwhelmed at the response to his father's situation. He says he awoke this morning to at least 25 messages from people across Ireland, and some from France, who have loved ones in Emeis-run nursing homes. 'It's a French-owned company,' he explains. 'The messages are from families either offering help and support, looking for advice, or saying thanks for bringing it to the public's attention, that they've been trying to do this for years.' Audeon, who worked for An Post for 40 years, is originally from Inchicore in Dublin. He moved his family out to Tallaght several decades ago, and after the break-up of his marriage around 18 years ago, he remained there, surrounded by good neighbours and friends. Last November, he suffered an accidental fall down the stairs at his home. With a broken hip and damaged neck, he was admitted to Tallaght Hospital. His family had suspected he was beginning to struggle with his memory, but he'd refused to go for tests. During his stay in hospital he was diagnosed with Lewy body dementia, a rare type of the disease that causes severe confusion and hallucinations. It was a shocking diagnosis, one the family was still coming to terms with as they tried to find a suitable place for him to move into once his hip had healed. 'He can be quite forgetful and sometimes aggressive,' explains Paul. The hallucinations can cause Audeon to see 'bizarre things', but he also has moments of lucidity. 'If he was in full dementia it might be easier,' says Paul. 'Last Friday I called in and he told me that he knew he was in a nursing home, not in a hotel. That was really tough.' Capable and fiercely independent up until his fall, it's been a difficult time for his loved ones dealing with this new reality. Given his night terrors and other care needs, their only option was to find him a nursing home. They looked at 17 properties and spent days going through HIQA reports in an effort to help with the decision. 'We needed a place specific to his condition, so that filters a lot of places out. We were told he'd need one-to-one care,' says Paul. According to RTÉ, the most recent publicly available HIQA inspection report for Beneavin Manor is from November 2024, in which it describes residents being very happy and the centre being well managed. It also says the quality and safety of the services provided were of a good standard and overall, it found it to be largely compliant. However, shortly after Audeon moved into the home on January 25, his children began to notice issues they were unhappy with. 'His toenails were left to grow and rot,' says Paul. 'We found him sitting alone in a corridor tearing up bits of paper, which was supposed to be an activity. There was urine all over the bathroom floor in his room.' He says there have been other concerns – the standard of his diet, how many times he's been brought outdoors on good weather days, the availability of clean clothes and if he's been brought to Mass, an important issue for them, given how religious Audeon has always been. Paul acknowledges the severity of his father's dementia. 'But you would think if you're paying just over €6,000 a month [to Beneavin Manor] they would have professional carers capable of looking after someone with that condition,' he says. 'Also, they were the ones to say they'd take him in and give him one-to-one care.' The Guy family made several complaints to management about their father's care, mentioning the lack of carers, and incidents they witnessed of residents being left on their own, sometimes on a toilet, for extended periods of time. There was also a distressing incident, when his daughters were visiting him, when a carer put their hand on Audeon's genital area to check if he was wet. 'You can't do that,' says Paul. The family was told in early March that their complaints were being upheld by management and that measures had been put in place to correct them. Three weeks later, however, the Prime Time Investigates reporter captured the distressing footage of their father. Paul says that even without the RTÉ footage, he believes he'd still be making complaints about his dad's care. In recent weeks he got a voicemail from Audeon, which he played for in which you can clearly hear a care worker asking him who he is calling. When they realise it's Paul, they tell Audeon to delete it. 'In the contract we signed with Beneavin, it stipulates the resident is free to communicate at all times in regards to their safety and well-being,' says Paul. 'I went into Dad the next day, he was terrified to make any more calls, so I immediately reported it to management and they said they'd look into it.' Paul says he is also 'liaising with An Garda Síochána, because there are issues they deem to be an assault'. The Guy family is desperate to find their dad a new nursing home. But Paul says they no longer trust HIQA or its reports. He wants an 'independent' report done on the next facility his father goes into, and for the HSE and the Minister for Older People, Kieran O'Donnell, to come to the Guys with suitable alternatives. It's the least, he believes, they are owed. 'When I saw that footage, my first instinct was to go in there and get Dad out of there,' says Paul, his voice cracking. 'But it's simply not that easy. His needs are complex and there's limited availability in other nursing homes. They have to do an assessment and that takes time. The home has to be suitable for dementia, and it has to be in the Fair Deal scheme.' HIQA told 'We will be taking the necessary actions with the provider to ensure safe and effective care and support to all residents. 'On foot of a request from the Minister of State with responsibility for Older People, HIQA has also commenced a review of all nursing homes operated by the provider group, and we will provide an interim report to the Minister this week. 'HIQA encourages residents and their family and friends to engage with us directly about their experiences so that we can support the delivery of safe and effective care and support for all residents.' For now, Paul and his siblings are visiting Audeon every day. 'We're doing memory games with him, helping him to exercise, bringing in food to him as well,' says Paul. When I ask about the level of anger he's feeling right now, Paul takes a long pause before answering. 'I don't do conflict easily,' he eventually replies. 'I have a sober approach to it, I try to do everything by the book. I'm disappointed, upset and shocked about what happened to Dad, but I'm equally frustrated because of the broken promises they made to us. 'Everything they said they'd change to make sure Dad would get better care, but he didn't.'
