Category Archives: News

news as it is happening-ish

Minister for Communications Pat Rabbitte has said the Government allowed a “good news” story about the development of primary care facilities to be dominated by a controversy about where they were located.

Speaking yesterday about the continuing controversy, he said “that’s not an achievement that I’m proud of but that’s what happened”.

The controversy over primary care facilities reignited over the weekend after The Irish Times reported that two centres, at Balbriggan and Swords in Dr Reilly’s constituency, were added the evening before the full list was published by the Government last July.

Damn those pesky facts.

Damn them.

Rabbitte defends Reilly in primary care site controversy (Martin Wall, Mary Minihan, Arthur Beesley, Irish Times)

(Sam Boal/Photocall Ireland)

Labour will this week press for an early Cabinet commitment to legislate for limited abortion amid party concerns about Minister for Health James Reilly’s ability to implement a new legal framework.

The expert group on abortion’s report will be brought to Cabinet tomorrow. It says legislation consistent with the Supreme Court ruling on the X case is required and this should be followed by ministerial regulations.

Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin yesterday said the Government would act “speedily” and insisted the Coalition would not be the seventh administration to fail to act on the 1992 judgment.

Oh?

An early statement of intent by Cabinet this week would provide cover for Labour backbenchers who will come under pressure to vote for former Socialist TD Clare Daly’s revamped abortion Bill on Wednesday night.

Ah.

Carry on.

Labour To Seek Assurance On Limited Abortion (Mary Minihan, Irish Times)

(Laura Hutton/ Photocall Ireland)

The venture is the brainchild of businessman Paddy Dunning, who came into ownership of the Popemobile when he acquired the Wax Museum some years ago from former politician Donie Cassidy.

According to a promotional pack, the vehicle has 15 seats, including the original “pope’s chair”. Mr Dunning plans to charge up to €300 an hour plus VAT for use of it.

Well, that’s Ronan Mullen’s campaign bus sorted, so.

Debs,Hens And Stags to Make Holy Show Of Popemobile (Ciaran Hancock, Patsy McGarry, Irish Times)

(Pic: Topfoto)

(Hat tip: Austin O’Broin)

The husband of Savita Halappanavar is considering lodging a complaint to the Ombudsman to assert his ownership of his wife’s medical notes, his solicitor has said.

Gerard O’Donnell said he had taken instructions from Praveen Halappanavar to seek direction from the Ombudsman on whether he or Galway University Hospital owns her medical records.

Mr Halappanavar has objected to the use of his wife’s notes in a HSE inquiry into her death. He has said he has no faith in a HSE-run inquiry and does not want her notes used in it.

Mr O’Donnell had asked that the hospital, where Ms Halappanavar died last month, hand over the original medical notes. However, the HSE has said it owns them.

Husband may lodge complaint with Ombudsman (Kitty Holland, Paul Cullen, Irish Times)

(Eamonn Farrell/Photocall Ireland)

When it’s an extra dimension.

Yes.

The expected announcement of a second State inquiry into the death of Savita Halappanavar is “an extra dimension, rather than a U-turn”, according to Minister for Health James Reilly.

The board of the Health Information and Quality Authority is expected to confirm today that it will undertake a statutory investigation into Ms Halappanavar’s death, following a request from the Health Service Executive.

It was unclear last night whether her husband Praveen, who says he will have nothing to do with the HSE inquiry, will co-operate with the investigation to be conducted by the authority, which is the State’s health watchdog.

 

Reilly says new inquiry into Galway death is ‘not U-turn’ (Paul Cullen, Kitty Holland, Irish Times)

(Sam Boal/Photocall Ireland)

President Michael D Higgins has intervened in the continuing row over the inquiry into the death of Savita Halappanavar, saying it must meet the needs of her family as well as those of the State.

President Higgins’ unprecedented comments will increase the pressure on the Government to recast the investigation in response to continuing opposition from her husband Praveen.

However, Government sources continued to insist last night that the HSE-commissioned inquiry announced this week, to be held in private, would go ahead as planned. Mr Halappanavar is seeking a sworn public inquiry.

President says Savita inquiry must satisfy her family (Paul Cullen, Kitty Holland, Mark Hennessy, Irish Times)

(Mark Stedman/Photocall Ireland)

Church of England members rejected a direct plea yesterday from the man who will be the next Archbishop of Canterbury to approve the appointment of women bishops, in a move which threatens to split Anglicans.

The reform needed to win a two-thirds majority from bishops, clergy and laity in the near-500 strong Church of England Synod, but while bishops and clergy backed it, it failed to win the necessary support from the laity.

Forty-four bishops were in favour, with three against and two abstentions, while Church of England clergy supported change by 148 in favour to 45 against. However, the vote of the laity produced a 132 in favour and 74 against result – short of the necessary majority.

Risking his influence, Bishop of Durham, Rt Rev Justin Welby, who takes over as Archbishop of Canterbury in the New Year, forthrightly backed reform, saying women priests had made a powerful contribution to the church since they were admitted to the priesthood.

478 years on, and they’re still a bit Catholic.

Anglicans fail to back women bishops (Mark Hennessy, Irish Times)

(Pic: Telegraph)

Gamification has been a bit of a marketing buzzword over last year or so. Normally applied to things like forums and coupon sites.

The idea is to reward returning users with badges and achievements to drive the user interaction and repeat site visits.

It can be a bit twee and silly but it doesn’t really mean anything.

Until now.

The Israel Defence Forces Blog has decided to gamify its website during an ongoing operation where real people are dying.

Unbelievable! The IDF Has Gamified Its War Blog (Readwrite)

[via Joseph Dana, Retweeted by Graham Linehan]

Above: Praveen and Savita Halappanavar Dr. Philip Crowley, HSE National Director of Quality and Patient Safety.

The husband of the late Savita Halappanavar wants employees of Galway University Hospital removed from the inquiry established by the Health Service Executive into her death.

Praveen Halappanavar said last night he would request through his solicitor that Prof John J Morrison, a consultant in obstetrics and gynaecology; Dr Catherine Fleming, consultant in infectious diseases; and Dr Brian Harte, consultant in anaesthesia and intensive care at the hospital, be removed from the inquiry.

…[He said] It does bother me that there are people from Galway hospital on the inquiry. I would prefer no Galway people on the inquiry. I will basically request that there be no-one from Galway on it.”

Husband Objects To Inquiry Members (Kitty Holland, Martin Wall, Irish Times)

(Mark Stedman/Photocall Ireland)

(Cover Asia Press/Daily Mail)