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Number of people officially recorded as homeless in Ireland since January 2016

Number of children officially recorded as homeless in Ireland since January 2016

Children’s Ombudsman Niall Muldoon

Yesterday evening.

The Department of Housing released it’s latest homeless figures.

They showed that, in the final week of September 2017, there were a record 8,374 people officially recorded as homeless in Ireland – 3,124 of whom were children.

This represents an increase of 76 children, 28 children, and 13 families since the final week in August 2017.

Further to this.

On RTÉ’s News at One, the Children’s Ombudsman Niall Muldoon said:

“We’ve called it a crisis for a year and a half but I don’t see any visible changes at a sufficient level. There are over 3,000 young people or children in homelessness situations is a disgrace at this stage.”

Full list of figures here

Rollingnews

 Brendan Courtney

On The Ray D’Arcy Show…

Masterchef’s Gregg Wallace will take us behind the scenes of one of the world’s most loved cooking shows as well as telling Ray about meeting wife number four on Twitter!

Brendan Courtney will tell Ray about hanging out with ministers Eoghan Murphy and Simon Harris; and he will also talk about his new RTÉ2 show This Crowded House which explores the issue of millennials stuck in the family nest due to the housing crisis.

Ray talks to swimmer Karen Leach about turning her life around after being abused by her former swimming coach, in what became one of the biggest scandals in Irish sporting history.

Meath woman Angela Scanlon will talk about the new series of BBC’s Robot Wars, and being a rising star in the UK.

Ray meets the Mayo teenagers Lisa Lavelle and Stephen Gallagher who went viral this week following an impromptu Irish dance performance at a cancer awareness event.

And which county will it be this week for Ray’s House Hunt, a game of memory, speed and stamina where one lucky viewer has the opportunity to win some cash, live on telly, from the comfort of their own home. If you want to play Ray’s House Hunt, e-mail Raydarcyshow@rte.ie

*punches own face*

The Ray D’Arcy Show at 9:45pm, RTÉ One.

Rollingnews

Yesterday.

Fiona Reddan, in The Irish Times, reported that a Permanent TSB customer Maria Page had settled a case with the lender in what is believed have been one of the first successful tracker mortgage cases taken since the scandal broke.

O’Dwyer Solicitors, based in Mayo, represented Ms Page.

Further to this…

O’Dwyer Solicitors write:

For now the single biggest issue is whether or not there has been surcharging and what the borrower can do about it if they believe that they have been affected.

We, at O’Dwyer Solicitors, were involved in the first cases of this type in the Country where Permanent tsb accepted the claims that were being made by our clients and settled the cases for a sum which was substantially more than was on offer initially.

If offers are now made from either Permanent tsb, Bank of Ireland, AIB or Ulster Bank, or any other lender, there is no obligation on any borrower who has been adversely affected to take up this offer and they should immediately seek independent legal advice.

Not every person who has been adversely affected by the tracker crisis will have the same level of compensation paid to them. In the most extreme circumstances where the repayment schedule was too much to bear houses have been lost and families have been evicted. This is the most extreme circumstances.

Among our own clientele we know of rural people affected who took up second jobs or sold farm animals in order to make repayments. We know of people who obtained personal loans in order to make up the shortfall in the repayments made to banks. There are a lot of horror stories out there and this is only the beginning of what could potentially be a much larger problem for the banks.

Given the attitude of the banks towards borrowers, and towards the government in trying to tackle this crisis and the Central Bank in trying to regulate the behaviour of banks, there is no guarantee that the banks will contact each and every person who has been adversely affected by their behaviour. There is no guarantee that the amount of compensation proposed will in any way be equal to the amount which is due.

It is therefore incumbent upon each mortgage holder to contact their bank in writing and request their files for review so that each borrower can individually establish whether they have been affected or not.

At O’Dwyer Solicitors we have the expertise to allow us to be able to know what to look for and to represent those people who have been adversely affected and seek recompense against the banks.

For further details contact tracker@odwyersolicitors.ie

Tracker mortgage crisis (O’Dwyer Solicitors)

PTSB settles tracker mortgage case with customer out of court (The Irish Times)

Previously: Bankers: Now Openly Laughing At The Public (January 2012)

Last night.

Kathleen McNamee and Dominic McGrath, in The University Times, reported on the impeachment of UCD Students’ Union president Katie Ascough.

Ms Ascough is the daughter of Tom Ascough, who sits on the Iona Institute’s board of directors.

Ms McNamee and Mr McGrath reported:

An overwhelming majority of voters, 69 per cent, chose to impeach University College Dublin Students’ Dublin (UCDSU) President Katie Ascough from her role.

The result follows two days of voting which saw thousands of students participate. Today’s vote saw one of the highest voter turnouts the union has seen in recent years.

Ascough came out defiant in her speech following the vote. “I fought the good fight. I have been open and honest. I have respected the law”, she said. While she offered something of an olive branch to her former UCDSU colleagues, she didn’t apologise for her actions.

Universities, she said, cannot function without “respect for those with different beliefs”. Such rhetoric was a mainstay of the campaign, with Ascough pitching the vote as a battle for democracy and freedom of speech.

In her speech, after a long night of disappointment for her supporters, Ascough seemed to suggest her defeat tonight might be something of a catalyst for change in Irish universities. “I hope we can build an atmosphere of inclusion to those who might not fit the stereotypical image of an SU president”, she said.

…Through the twists and turns of a campaign that seemed surreal at times, many have suggested tonight’s vote was something of an early indication of what a repeal referendum might look like in 2018.

…With over 1,200 signatures, the petition to trigger the referendum was submitted three weeks ago. It was started after Ascough removed abortion access information from the UCDSU freshers’ guide, Winging It. The move was seen by the pro-impeachment campaign as undermining the union’s pro-choice mandate. The campaign also objected to the €8,000 cost of reprinting.

After UCD Votes to Impeach, Ascough Comes Out Defiant (University Times)

Pic: Irish Election Literature

Irish Independent, May 11, 2016

Meanwhile…

That’s absolutely disgNOMNOMNOMNNOM

UPDATE:

In a statement from the Cork University Maternity Hospital to Mr O’Connell, the hospital said:

“Cork University Maternity Hospital has in place a multidisciplinary ‘Nutritional and Catering Group’ that meets on a regular basis.

“The Group includes a Catering Officer, Ward Managers and a hospital-based Dietician to ensure all patients receive proper nutritional food and meals.

“With the assistance of the hospital dietician and feedback from patient surveys, Cork University Maternity Hospital has created menus that contain meals, which are nutritionally balanced.

“All patients are offered a daily menu of healthy options that include salads, brown bread, fruit and yogurts.

“On some occasions, a small number of long-standing patients may request a preferential option and the hospital accommodates these requests if it is appropriate for the patient. 

“The hospital also has an evening time trolley service for patients consisting of sandwiches, fruit, yogurt, cheese and crackers.

“Every effort is made by the ward manager to ensure each patient receives an appropriate and nutritionally balanced meal of their choice.

“While we do not comment on individual cases, we apologise for any stress or inconvenience caused to this patient.”

UPDATE:

Fancy a comic jam?

Matt writes:

DECAF, the Dublin Eight Comic Arts Festival is an ongoing series of small press comic book events in Dublin. Our next event will be at the Dublin Food Co-op in Newmarket Square [Dublin 8] this Monday, October 30, 11am-5pm.

Peruse comics & art by over 30 local comic artists and illustrators! Bring your used comics to participate in our communal comic swap! Enjoy your newly obtained comics in our cafe lounge with food & coffee available for purchase by Vegan Surfers Kitchen.

The Comics Lab will be hosting live figure drawing, a talk on queer representation in comics by Katie Fleming and comic jams….

The Dublin Eight Comic Arts festival (Facebook)

Poster by  Helene Pertl