Author Archives: Bodger

Then Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Paschal Donohoe, at the Public Services Card Centre, D’Olier House in Dublin after he registered for a Public Services Card in October 2016

The new National Childcare Scheme will take effect on October 29.

It will see parents applying for subsidies in person rather than through their childcare provider.

The only way parents can apply for the subsidies will be through MyGovID – for which you need a Public Services Card.

Further to this, Cianan Brennan, in The Irish Examiner, reports:

From the scheme’s inception, as previously reported by the Irish Examiner, the only way to apply for those subsidies will be via MyGovID, the online face of the PSC, which requires the individual verification of each cardholder.

A postal application option is slated to go live in late January 2020 —however, subsidies will not be backdated.

It can now be revealed that the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER), the lead body behind the expansion of the card to services such as passport applications, ordered the Department of Children and Youth Affairs (DCYA) to drop a secondary online authentication method so that MyGovID would be the only application portal available.

Alternative to PSC for childcare shut off in 2018 (Cianan Brennan, The Irish Examiner)

Previously: ‘Iarnród Éireann Used The Public Services Card To Collect The Information’

Rollingnews

Sebastian Barry; Melatu Uche Okorie

This morning.

On RTÉ’s Today with Seán O’Rourke, the Laureate for Irish Fiction with the Arts Council of Ireland Sebastian Barry spoke about his Life Lines Book Club.

The book club initiative sees Mr Barry meet people who live in what the Irish Arts Council have termed “harder to reach settings”.

Mr Barry spoke about his experiences with the club and paid special tribute to This Hostel Life author Melatu Uche Okorie, who was born in Nigeria and came to Ireland, with her infant daughter, in 2006 seeking asylum.

They spent eight-and-a-half years in direct provision.

Speaking of the club, Mr Barry said:

“It just adds to my wondering sense that some of the most majestic people are these who seem to be in so-called marginalised places or their backs are against the wall.

“And when you go and see them, you know, as something as simple as a book club, to talk about a book, you find people in this really almost untoward state of grace.”

Speaking of how the club works, he said:

“…I have seven or eight novels, all sort of interconnected and they choose one of those to read.

“It’s often just a starting point for other more urgent and important things that people will talk about.

“But I will usually read from the book, just to give the birdsong of myself and the book.

“…And then they will respond to the book. But more often it’s a door into a sort of more brightly lit room of their lives and the things they know and the important information they have for me, actually.”

Mr Barry mentioned that next month he will be holding one of his book clubs with people who live in direct provision before he paid tribute to Ms Okorie.

He said:

“Having spoke to Melatu Uche Okorie last year, again, it brings to mind, it brings forcefully the issue to mind, the actual madness of direct provision.

“Because if you take Melatu for instance, I hope she doesn’t mind me speaking for her or about her.

“But there’s a woman now, one of our principle writers now – her opera has just opened a few nights ago and her book is being republished in England, ‘My Hostel Life’ it’s called.

“How long do you think it would take you or I to notice how amazing she was. I would say about two hours?

“But bureaucracy took eight years to notice how amazing she was. And how fit she was supposedly to be an Irish citizen.”

Listen back here in full.

Previously: ‘Lives Stunted By Purposelessness, Arcane Rules And Condescending Officiousness’

Govt preparing services for Hurricane Lorenzo (RTÉ)

Last night.

RTÉ News reported that the British Government is allegedly proposing to build customs posts between five and ten miles along both sides of the border to replace the backstop, as part of the UK’s Brexit deal proposals.

However, Tánaiste Simon Coveney has dismissed the idea.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has also dismissed the leaked proposal but told BBC this morning that it’s a “reality” that some customs checks will be needed.

Further to this…

Richard Cantwell tweetz:

Here’s a map [above] showing what a 10-mile buffer zone along *both* sides of the border would look like.

There are over 625,000 people living in the zone.

Last night, RTÉ’s Europe Editor Tony Connelly tweeted:

Meanwhile…

Tánaiste Simon Coveney responded…

Brexit: Boris Johnson dismisses leaked UK border plan rejected by Dublin as out-of-date – live news (The Guardian)

Meanwhile…

Connemara Galway Hotel

Pat McGrath, of RTÉ News, reports:

A tender to provide a direct provision centre at a hotel in Oughterard, Co Galway, has been withdrawn by the applicant.

Speculation that the former Connemara Gateway Hotel was to be repurposed as a centre to house asylum seekers has led to a round-the-clock protest by locals in recent weeks.

Following discussions with protesters, construction workers are entering the site this morning and removing tools from the hotel.

Tender over Oughterard direct provision centre withdrawn (RTÉ)

Previously:  In Galway

Meanwhile…

Kinsale Road Direct Provision Centre in Cork

This morning.

Roos Demol has said that after five years of bringing clothes to people who live in the Kinsale Road Direct Provision Centre in Cork, she’s been told to stop.

Roos, who is originally from Belgium and has been living in Ireland since 1998, is an intercultural facilitator and blogs on immigrantinirelad.com.

She tweetz:

Anyone?

Previously:  Boy From Burundi

“What Has This Guy Been Saying to Other People?”

John Wall (left) and Minister for Health Simon Harris

This evening.

Father-of- three John Wall, aged 48, from Quin, Co Clare, who following a diagnosis of terminal prostate cancer had his Emergency Medical Card abruptly revoked twice, writes:

I met today with Minister of Health Simon Harris and senior representatives from the Department of Health, Primary Care Reimbursement Service and the HSE.

The meeting lasted well over an hour.

A full apology was received from the Deprtment of Health and the HSE for my experience to date regarding the Medical Card fiasco.

Initially, the minister committed to establishing a review group to ensure that my issues are not repeated. Items to be reviewed include the application process, patient communications and generally enhancing the process to ensure a more streamlined experience.

That group will be comprised of department officials, representatives from various NGOs, including the Irish Cancer Society, Marie Keating Foundation and myself. It will be established before the end of November.

Of significance, there was a commitment to review the Terminal Illness Card with specific reference to the current necessity to be have a prognosis of 12 months or less left to live.

I have campaigned for this period to be significantly extended as it is my firm belief that terminal patients should be entitled to a terminal illness card without the current limitation attached.

Of note is that, once approved, this type of card will never be reviewed nor ever expire.

Separately, I will be working alongside the National Cancer Control Programme as a patient representative which will give me a platform to influence the National Cancer Strategy from a patient’s perspective.

Overall, it was a very productive meeting that met expectations and will lead to significant change which will, in turn, lead to a significant overhaul of the Medical Card system and the associated application process.

I very much look forward to working alongside the various government departments for some time to come and very much welcome the minister’s intervention, commitment and time on issues that have personally become very important to resolve and, as a result of today’s meeting, I am confident they will be.

In fairness.

Previously: John Wall: Notes On A #medicalcardscandal

They Come Up Against A Wall

Delicious.

Spochadóir tweetz:

Lads I bought a fu**in jambon and a cup of coffee this morning at a filling station in Longford and it cost €5.40.

Now, I’m no fu**in’ economist but I’m a great man for a filling station breakfast and lemme tell ya fu**in something, the arse is about to fall out of the economy….

No need for the language but anyone?

Pic: Our Best Bites