It’s too soon.
This afternoon.
Jervis Street, Dublin 1.
Father Christmas with, above from left: Thea Walsh, Sam Stoutt and Hallie Timmons at the Winter Wonderland which starts at the Jervis Shopping Centre this Saturday at 11am.
Families will have the chance to win a trip to Lapland with the Magical Jervis Christmas Trail running all throughout the Xmas period.
Grotto times here
Decent Santa, in fairness.
Pics: Karen Morgan
Expertly handled.
This afternoon.
Pavilion, Swords, County Dublin.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar (left) meets his public with Fine Gael by-election candidate and former Minister for Health, Senator James Reilly right).
The by-election will take place next Friday week, November 29. Candidates here.
This morning.
Via The irish Nurses And Midwives organisation (INMO):
No beds for 571 people in hospital this morning, including 11 children.
Today’s highest trolley figures are in:
UH Limerick – 62 people
UH Galway – 44 people
Cork UH – 38 people
November data here
Meanwhile…
This morning.
From left Dr. Vida Hamilton, National Clinical Advisor, Acute Operations, HSE; Anne O’Connor, HSE Chief Operations Officer; and Dr Kevin Kelleher, Assistant National Director, Public & Child Health, HSE, at the launch of the HSE Winter Plan at the HSE National Communications Unit in Dublin.
From top: Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan, Paula Mullooly, Head of Legal Affairs RTÉ; Press Ombudsman Peter Feeney
This morning.
Royal Irish Academy, Dawson Street, Dublin 2.
Minister for Justice and Equality Charlie Flanagan speaking at the Reform of Defamation Law Symposium.
Mr Flanagan told the symposium.:
“Defamation law in Ireland essentially seeks to balance three different rights which are protected under both our Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights – the right to freedom of expression, the right to protection of good name and reputation, and the right of access to justice.
We might perhaps add a value: that of promoting the importance of truth in public comment and debate, as far as that is reasonably possible, while also recognising and remembering the vital role in a democracy played by an independent media.
I expect the defamation review to be completed shortly, with options for reform presented before end of March 2020.”
Minister pledges to reform defamation law in 2020 (Law Society Gazette)
This morning.
Gaiety Theatre, Dublin 2.
A clash of cultures as Ryoko Yagyu (right) who plays Odette in Ballet Ireland’s ‘Swan Lake’ (running at the Gaiety until the November 16) with Suzie Seweify (left) as Princess Jasmine in the Gaiety Panto ‘Aladdin’ (November 24 until January 5, 2020).
Sasko Lazarov/Photocall Ireland
From top: Sinn Fein TD Martin Kenny; Lucia and Jim O’Farrell and their late son, Shane
This afternoon.
At 1pm, the Dáil will vote on a Fianna Fáil motion regarding the terms of reference into a review of Shane O’Farrell’s death by Judge Gerard Haughton.
On Tuesday night, after Fianna Fáil moved its motion, Sinn Féin introduced an amendment.
SInn Fein TD Martin Kenny said:
“Sinn Féin has tabled an amendment to the motion, which we will move. It is a very short amendment and relates to the relationship, official and unofficial, of Mr. Gridziuska with An Garda Síochána handlers of informers.
We feel, as would anyone looking at this situation, there is an issue here that has not been recognised heretofore and that needs to be included in any scoping exercise or fair review of what happened because we believe that that particular issue has in many cases around the country led to tragic circumstances.
This is only one of such tragic circumstances.
The Minister’s pronouncement that he is determined to recognise that the law has to be followed and to ensure that it is followed properly in all of this would sound good if we were in a situation where people could see evidence of that.
The evidence before us is that the Government is continuing to shift the situation to one side and to ensure that that will not happen.
I hope that the Minister will withdraw the Government amendment this evening, that both the Government and Fianna Fáil will accept our amendment, which was tabled in good faith, and that the Government will support the amended motion to ensure it delivers on this.
Supporting this motion, which undoubtedly will get through when it is voted on at the end of this week, is only one thing. It puts in place a motion that does not bind the Government but it needs to step up to the mark and ensure it delivers for this family.”
Later, Fianna Fail TD Jim O’Callaghan said:
“I have not had an opportunity to consider the Sinn Féin amendment but, to judge from what Deputy Adams stated, the issue Sinn Féin seems to want to have included is whether or not the Lithuanian man was in any way involved in working as an informer for An Garda Síochána.
I had never heard that before, I am not aware of it and I do not think it has been suggested before.”
Transcript here.
More as we get it.
Previously: Shane O’Farrell on Broadsheet
Chief Superintendent Declan Daly
Last night.
An Garda Síochána issued an alert to sex workers after they announced they were investigating seven attacks on sex workers since mid-October.
They also appealed for any sex workers who have been attacked to come forward without fear.
The Irish Times reported:
Investigators are working closely with the injured parties involved and treating the victims with “the utmost sensitivity and confidentiality”.
Detectives attached to Operation Quest – which focuses on securing convictions against individuals involved in organising prostitution – at the Garda National Protective Services Bureau are liaising with local units.
They have issued an appeal to others who may have been subject to a similar attack to immediately report the incident.
Further to this..
Chief Superintendent Declan Daly spoke to Bryan Dobson on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland.
Bryan Dobson: “So to be absolutely clear here. A sex worker, who is assaulted, comes forward to the gardaí and speaks to you will not face prosecution? That simply doesn’t arise?”
Declan Daly: “Absolutely. That’s not even a consideration. The consideration is the welfare and the harm and the danger that they’re in at the moment.”
Dobson: “Do you have advice for sex workers, given that your suspicion presumably is that these attacks are ongoing and are organised and systematic.”
Daly: “Yeah I think they need to be very vigilant at the moment. Particularly when, if they’re taking online clients because that’s the medium through which these attacks are starting. So I think they need to be very vigilant in relation to that and obviously if they are concerned about a client, well obviously they just vacate the appointment or cancel the appointment.”
Dobson: “And are there precautions they can take?”
Daly: “Well, it’s very difficult because I suppose the nature of the work is that, is difficult, is that it’s people that they don’t know and I suppose, I mean they can simply, at the moment, and we’re working very diligently and quickly to resolve this issue.
“So they could, if they were of a mind to, forgo online appointments and maybe deal with people whom they know from previous encounters.”
Dobson: “Clearly, they’re very vulnerable, they’re very isolated and very exposed to this kind of attack.”
Daly: “Yeah, correct. I mean working in the prostitution industry are a lot of vulnerable people. There’s a high element of exploitation in that industry so we’re very concerned for the safety and welfare of these people.”
Listen back to Morning Ireland item in full here
Previously: Mass Surveillance On Sex Workers?
Currently doing the ’rounds’.
Sent in anonymously.
Say it ain’t so, Joe?
Public Accounts Committee chairman Seán Fleming
This morning.
At the beginning of the weekly Public Accounts Committee meeting.
Chairman Seán Fleming referred to figures that the PAC received from the National Transport Authority – after they were “shocked” to discover last week that the “majority of the staff” in the NTA are outsourced contracts.
Mr Fleming said: “We never met a State organisation before where the majority of the day-to-day staff are not direct employees.”
He said the 10-year-old organisation has 118 direct employees and 148 people sourced through agencies.
Mr Fleming explained that, after learning that last week, they sought a breakdown from the NTA in regards to pay and other matters.
He said the cost of employing the 118 direct employees is €8.7million and that of the 148 outsourced workers is €21.6million.
Mr Fleming further said this works out at an average of €73,728 per employee and €139,189 per outsourced worker.
Meanwhile, Social Democrats TD Catherine Murphy asked that the committee write to the NTA to find out, among other matters, where the money from advertising on bus shelters goes.
Watch live here
Studio apartment.
€1,150 Per month
Victoria Street, Portobello, Dublin 8 (Daft)
Studio apartment.
€1,200 Per month
Hatch Street Lower, Dublin 2 (Daft)
Carlosfandango writes:
Seeing this a lot on Daft now. Yes, it’s a bed in a kitchen..You can cook the bacon before you get up. No, they are not bedside lockers. This. Is. Your. Life.
