Latest news with #PrimeTimeInvestigates
Irish Independent
5 days ago
- Health
- Irish Independent
‘My boy could 100pc travel for spinal surgery but we have never been offered the choice', says mum of teen left on waiting list once again
Mother of Darragh Cahill (16) says he has been on the waiting list for surgery for eight months In November 2017, Crumlin Children's Hospital apologised to Darragh Cahill, at the time a seven-year-old boy who had waited 15 months for surgery to correct a curve in his spine. The previous February, Darragh had captured the hearts of the nation when he appeared on an RTÉ Prime Time Investigates programme, Living on the List.
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.'
RTÉ News
08-06-2025
- Health
- RTÉ News
Helen Rochford Brennan
A dementia ambassador and advocate for Alzheimer's services, Helen has been living with Alzheimer's for the past thirteen years. After the recent Prime Time Investigates exposé on two nursing homes, she feels compelled to speak out when so many people in her position would prefer to stay in their own home with state supports
The Irish Sun
08-06-2025
- Health
- The Irish Sun
Our elders deserve dignity and the Government has a duty to protect its citizens – shock RTE programme showed failing
NURSING home group Emeis Ireland is under the spotlight following shocking revelations this week on an RTE Prime Time Investigates programme. It exposed multiple failings at Residence Advertisement 3 A new RTE investigation uncovered how residents were being treated in the nursing home Credit: Getty Images - Getty 3 Natasha Newsome Drennan has urged the government to take action to protect its citizens Credit: Wikipedia The Health and Information Quality Authority (HIQA) is now reviewing all EMEIS homes, but it is a terrible indictment of the industry and not the first time abuse has been uncovered in EMEIS has apologised and said the findings were 'deeply distressing, wholly unjustifiable, and entirely unacceptable'. It has also launched a review. The HIQA investigation will hopefully unvcover the extent of the abuse but it is clear a lot needs to change. Older people should be treated with dignity and respect in their later years and their Advertisement READ MORE OPINION Here IRELAND'S older people deserve dignity – and the highest-quality care. What we have witnessed in the But sadly, this is not the first time we have seen scandals in the care sector. We have had the Emily Case, Brandan Case, Grace Case, Áras Attracta and many more. Advertisement Most read in The Irish Sun Exclusive Breaking For over a decade, professional bodies, experts and advocates have pointed to weak regulation, failures in standards and an absence of safeguarding, all on the watch of This programme points to the need for better regulation of nursing homes and the need for adult safeguarding legislation. The Irish Association of Social Workers has demanded this for years, as has Sinn Fein. We need mandatory reporting of abuse and neglect, and a legal right of entry for social care teams to investigate individual complaints. BROKEN PROMISE Sinn Fein is committed to empowering older people to live independently, building a Advertisement We have advocated for a comprehensive social care policy to support independent living for people and groups with identified additional needs, including targeted funding to tackle loneliness and isolation, particularly among older people and people living alone. People deserve to live in their own But waiting lists for home support are growing and the promised statutory home-care scheme never materialised. Another broken promise by Fianna Fail and Fine Gael. Advertisement The State should support older people to 'age in place', through home support and adaptation grants. Long-term residential care should be available for those who want or need it, but it should not be the default option. Long-term residential care will, however, always be the appropriate care setting for some. Our ambition must be to provide assessable, afford-able, safe and quality care. REALISTIC PROPOSALS Sinn Fein has set out realistic, deliverable proposals to improve access to care for all our citizens. We proposed to mandate the Commission on Care to future-proof the model of care for aging. We would support family carers, as outlined in our Charter for Carers, and invest in day services for older people. Advertisement We would also support specific programmes for those with dementia, We also point to weaknesses in regulation which have led to a failure in standards in some care settings, and instances of neglect and abuse. This is intolerable — and it is a scandal that this Sinn Fein would urgently enact adult safeguarding legislation. This would provide a legal framework to support safeguarding, additional power for social workers and relevant social care professionals — and an agency, separate from the Advertisement We would legislate to provide a legal right of entry to any designated care centre for relevant social workers and social care professionals. We would also legislate for a care partner scheme similar to that which operates in the north of WAKE-UP CALL This scheme was highly successful at reducing isolation and improving health outcomes during the It gives a right to a family or friends acting as care partners to combat isolation and, during public health emergencies, assist in care-giving in residential facilities. HIQA regulation is not enough. We cannot dismiss abuse or neglect or adopt an out-of-sight, out-of-mind approach. Our elderly citizens deserve to receive the highest quality of care and to be kept safe from harm. Advertisement We also need to invest in public nursing home capacity. Over 70 per cent of nursing home capacity is now private. But privatisation of nursing home care is wrong. We need to tip the balance back in favour of public capacity, with robust regulations and appropriate safeguarding. It is the duty of any Government to keep all citizens safe and protected from harm. Advertisement The Prime Time program is another wake-up call. We can no longer accept or tolerate sub-standard care or abuse and neglect of our elderly citizens. They deserve so much better. 3 It points to the need for better regulation of nursing homes and the need for adult safeguarding legislation Credit: Getty Images - Getty Advertisement
Irish Times
07-06-2025
- Health
- Irish Times
Letters to the Editor, June 7th: on nursing home revelations, Trump versus Musk and bird droppings
Sir, – It is 20 years, almost to the day, since RTÉ broadcast the Prime Time Investigates documentary which revealed the horrors of Leas Cross nursing home in Dublin. On Wednesday, further outstanding investigative journalism by RTÉ revealed yet more horror stories in Ireland's private nursing home sector. I have no words to adequately describe the anger, profound sadness and deep frustration I felt as I watched frail, vulnerable, elderly people being denied the most basic care. As I listened to frightened residents begging and pleading for help, I also felt an overwhelming sense of the deepest fear. READ MORE My mother lived with dementia for 20 years. She has a strong family history of dementia and all her siblings have either succumbed to, or are living with, Alzheimer's disease. I cared for my mother at home for many years. I am forever thankful that she received excellent quality care, and extended care, in both our acute and voluntary hospitals. Developing dementia is one of my greatest fears. I have no family. There will be nobody to fight for good care for me, or to advocate for me, should I also succumb to dementia. When I watched frail elderly residents with dementia being treated so horrifically on the RTÉ Investigates documentary this week, I despaired. Those residents were the victims of blatant abuse. Residents with advanced dementia would most likely be unable to accurately explain their experiences to anybody, or to identify their abusers. That also makes them easy targets for such abuse. I concluded that, should I ever be diagnosed with dementia and reach that stage of illness and dependency, I would rather not be alive than be at the mercy of such so-called 'care providers'. Twenty years after Leas Cross such horrors are still happening. What does it take to make this stop? Or will this latest horror simply result in more transient outrage, more eloquent statements and yet more empty promises, until the next time? Is there always going to be a next time? – Yours, etc, BERNADETTE BRADY (PHD), Rathfarnham, Dublin. Sir, – The RTÉ Investigates programme, Inside Ireland's Nursing Homes, was truly disturbing. RTÉ and all who contributed to the making of the programme, both to camera and undercover, deserve our thanks. It does however raise some important questions which a follow-on programme might wish to address. Twenty-five years after the Leas Cross scandal, and the follow-on establishment of the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa), how come care in congregated settings is increasingly provided in large for profit facilities (a worrying trend to which Hiqa has drawn attention) and what difference would it make if the Health Service Executive (HSE) were to build and run more such facilities? How come private and voluntary (non-HSE) nursing homes are not part of the overall planning process for integrated services in the six new regional HSE organisations, despite a clearly identified need to improve clinical governance across the sector as suggested by the expert group on nursing homes which reported during the Covid pandemic? Where is the evidence of follow through on all the recommendations for the development of a wider range of alternatives to nursing homes, including the development of small scale 'Household / Teaghleach'models of nursing home and congregated care? Why is the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF), essentially a medical procedures agency, still involved in 'purchasing' care for older people through a nursing home support scheme (Fair Deal) administered by the HSE across all nursing homes (most of which it does not control) while the regulator, Hiqa, has no role in regulating the payment levels to those nursing homes? Why is the Law Reform Commission report on adult safeguarding, published in April 2024, not being progressed with urgency by the Oireachtas given that the report included draft legislation? The RTÉ programme concerned two nursing homes owned by Emeis, formerly Orpea. There is plenty of information available concerning Orpea, particularly in France (where it was partially nationalised), to have at least raised concerns. There must have been some awareness of this and consideration of the possible consequences for older people in Ireland when they were allowed operate in the Irish market. It is interesting to note that the group's facility in Portlaoise is described as a nursing home but with a capacity for 101 residents it is not far off the size of Portlaoise hospital. To describe such a facility as a 'home from home' is seriously mistaken. The images of abusive and cruel behaviour and of residents corralled into one room are more suggestive of a human warehouse than a home. Finally, for all those many staff currently providing care in nursing homes to the highest standard they possibly can, in the often difficult circumstances in which they find themselves, it would be helpful if they could rely on a public system of support and guidance, including clinical support and governance, to deal with issues and concerns at short notice rather than having to await an occasional inspection from the regulator followed by a report some while later. Regulation and inspection are important but they are no longer enough. Practical supports to encourage quality care are far more likely to pick up on issues and have them addressed as they arise. – Yours ,etc. MERVYN TAYLOR, Stillorgan, Dublin. Sir, – The RTÉ Investigates programme laid bare the inhumane treatment of vulnerable residents in private nursing homes – many of whom are paying exorbitant fees of €1,400 per week. At such a staggering cost, these individuals could instead receive dignified, high-quality home care in the comfort of their own communities. That these abuses persist is a damning indictment of systemic failure. Hiqa, tasked with safeguarding standards, has clearly failed residents, families, and the State. Paper-based inspections and sporadic visits are not enough to prevent cruelty behind closed doors. If we are serious about accountability, Hiqa must have a permanent, on-the-ground presence in every facility, with 24/7 monitoring via live video feeds covering all areas – excluding only private bathrooms for dignity. Modern technology makes this feasible; what's lacking is political will. Why not implement this? If prisons and childcare centres can adopt stringent oversight, why not nursing homes, where our most fragile citizens reside? Until real-time transparency is enforced, families will never trust that their loved ones are safe. This isn't just about regulation – it's about basic humanity. – Yours, etc, PETER MALBASHA, Co Dublin. Sir, – This nursing care scandal has scared many people. My 80-year-old mother has just told me how, as she was lighting her candles for her grandchildren sitting their Leaving Certificate, she also lit one for herself. Her prayer is that she doesn't fall, break her hip and end up in a nursing home like that. Calling for help, with no one answering. I hope our Minister for Older People is listening, because this is a loud voting issue. – Yours, etc, CARMEL DOYLE, Beaumont Woods, Dublin 9. Trade union dues Sir, – Do I get a hint of disdain in Barry Walsh's letter (June 5th) about unions suggesting all should pay dues whether a union member or not ? He wonders why the general secretary of Fórsa earns three times the average pay. Does he suggest they earn the same as a shop-floor worker? I have been lucky to have been a union member most of my working life especially having been made redundant once. I do think it unfair that some colleagues refuse to join a union but at the same time are more than happy to accept the pay and benefits that a union has negotiated or earned, often by its members having to strike. – Yours, etc, ENDA SCANLON, Ennis, Co Clare. Trinity College and Israel Sir, – In deciding to boycott and divest from Israel, Trinity College Dublin has, in my view, abandoned the key principle of institutional neutrality which should underpin the actions of a serious university. In 1967, the University of Chicago led the way on this fundamental issue during the white heat of the campus riots across America during the Vietnam War and apartheid in South Africa. The faculty debated how a university should respond to the burning political and social issues of the day. When passions are running high, what should a university say or do when activists demand it choose sides and take action? Chicago's conclusion was straightforward: the university must remain neutral in order to meet its long-term core mission of the 'discovery, improvement, and dissemination of knowledge'. This did not mean ignoring difficult issues. Faculty and students must have full freedom of criticism, dissent and open inquiry, but the university itself 'is the home and sponsor of critics; it is not itself the critic'. Bizarrely, the board's chairman noted explicitly in a message to the college community that while Trinity is engaged in a number of EU-funded research consortia which include Israeli partners 'here is no evidence to associate any of these with breaches of international humanitarian law or human rights violations.' So what is Trinity's problem with individual Israeli academics and universities who are often eloquent critics of their governments' actions and policies? Is it not overreach to insist that the 'college should seek to align itself with like-minded universities and bodies in an effort to influence EU policy concerning Israel's participation in such collaborations?' So many questions remain unanswered. Can Trinity's decades long partnerships with Intel continue when the tech firm is thought to be Ireland's biggest importer of Israeli goods, most from its sister factory in Kiryat Gat? Are Trinity's teaching hospitals, St James's and Tallaght, now prohibited from accessing Israeli medical products and pharmaceuticals? Can Trinity's partnerships with American universities and companies continue given stringent US anti-boycott legislation? What now for Trinity's Herzog Centre, the only institution in Ireland offering Jewish studies, when your university has decided to boycott the world's only Jewish state? In singling out Israel alone for boycott and divestment while maintaining ties with other countries with well-documented human rights violations, Trinity has opened itself to the charge of institutional anti-Semitism and racism. I am ashamed of my alma mater. – Yours, etc, DR JANE MAHONY, BA (Mod), PhD, Trinity College, Dublin. Birds dropping Sir, – Reading Frank McNally's column on the provenance of James 'Skin the Goat' Fitzharris's reflection on informers , I wonder if it may come from the belief held in many places that being shat on by a bird is a sign of good luck? Personally I have never held much store in this, having been the victim many years ago on Brighton seafront of a seagull who had had a very large lunch, resulting in my repair to the nearest boutique to purchase a fresh T-shirt. That said, perhaps the informer never overflown will never again have the gift of good luck? – Yours, etc. JOHN F MCELHONE, Co Donegal. Critical climate omission Sir, – That there is a report by the Environmental Protection Agency about global warming´s effect on Ireland is welcome. ( 'Communications, transport and health of older people at increased risk from global warming, says EPA,' June 3rd). Frightening as it is in its current form, the report has a critical omission. It is has not addressed the dramatic effects of the weakening of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (Amoc). In lay man's terms, this ocean current keeps Ireland habitable. Otherwise it would have the climatic conditions of southern Alaska and Canada's Hudson Bay. The weakening or ending of the Amoc is probable. It is certainly an existential threat to Ireland. Ireland is not geared for an average winter temperature of –18 degrees. It is presently comfortably above 0 degrees. It is very surprising that the EPA has decided not to include this essential element. Policymakers need all the information to get to comprehend the scale of the challenge. The Irish Government, regardless of its political hue, needs to understand the new business as usual will involve planning and action to protect the State and its citizens. I don't believe that the timescale is as long as many politicians assume. One of the stand-out facts from my Earth Science education (1992) was the speed of climate change. The Younger Dryas climatic period ended over less than 50 years, so starting our current phase. Climate systems are stable until they are not. – Yours, etc, RICHARD HERRIOTT, Aarhus, Denmark. Trumping Trump v Musk Sir, – We can all now relax and enjoy watching the world's two biggest egos burn themselves out in front of a potential audience of billions. Could this be the template for settling all global disputes in the future? Yours, etc, NIALL GINTY, Killester, Dublin. Sir, – The very serious online and very public spat between the world's most powerful man and the world's richest man is a 'big beautiful example' of how reciprocity works in real time. – Yours, etc, NOIRIN HEALY, Goatstown, Dublin. Sir, – In the very public, very dirty divorce between Trump and Musk who will get custody of JD Vance? – Yours, etc, BRID MILLER, Athlone Road, Roscommon. Sir, – I wonder did Elon Musk realise how his social media platform X would become really so apt! – Yours, etc, AIDAN RODDY, Cabinteely, Dublin 18. Funding and the arts Sir, – The tenor of Yvonne O'Reilly's letter about funding the arts in yesterday's letters page chimed with the findings of a research project I recently undertook with colleagues from Queen's University, Belfast, and Liverpool University into a wide range of 'Arts for Peace' projects in Northern Ireland. Too often what passes for evaluation is really about accountability with funded organisations wanting to assure funders they have achieved their set goals. Funders for their part tend to see it as a purely administrative process, with vasts amount of data going largely unanalysed. But the value of this data must be questionable given the limited scope for acknowledging what is learnt from unsuccessful aspects of funded projects and outcomes that were not envisaged at the time of application. I can reassure your correspondent, however, that there are examples of good practice out there that will hopefully in due course inform a more productive evaluation culture. – Yours, etc. DAVID GRANT, School of Arts, English, and Languages, Queen's University, Belfast.
