Minister for Health Simon Harris

This morning.

It has emerged that 52 of the 800 women impacted by the reported IT problems in the Quest Diagnostics laboratory have contracted the HPV virus.

Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall has called on the Minister for Health Simon Harris to “provide immediate answers” to the following:

1. Have all 52 women who tested positive for HPV on the Quest retest been notified of their results?

2. Have they all been referred for appropriate follow-up?

3. Have the other 750 women and their GPs been notified of their retest results?

4. What is the level of clinical risk for the 52 women who tested positive?

5. What action was taken by the HSE in February when they became aware of these problems with Quest?

6. Why were the Patient Advocates not informed of these issues at the Steering Group meeting on 26th June?

7. What action does the Minister intend to take to restore public confidence in CervicalCheck?

8. Does the Minister intend to review the Quest contract in light of these quality control failures?”

Anyone?

52 more positive for HPV in test scandal (Irish Examiner)

Yesterday: When Did he Know?

Meanwhile…

Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan

This morning.

EU member states must inform the European Commission this year if they would like to choose permanent summer or winter time and end the twice-yearly clock changes.

Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan will ask the Government [today][ to reject this proposal on two grounds.

The first is that it cannot agree to any move that could result in different time zones on the island of Ireland.

The second centres on a fear that this change could lead to a ‘patchwork’ of time zones across the EU.

Govt to oppose EU plan to end seasonal clock changes (RTÉ)

Rollingnews

This morning.

The ‘Big Gig’ at Semple Stadium is back.

Via MCD:

The town of Thurles, as well as the original promoters MCD, and the organisers of last year’s sell out FÉILE Classical concerts, are delighted to announce that this year’s festival will now be named FÉILE 19.

Previously titled Tipp Classical, the legendary music event which runs September 20 – 22 has revived its original moniker and with a host of new events and acts added…

Those making the Trip to Tipp this September will feast their ears on music curated by Tom Dunne of Something Happens, who performed at FÉILE ’90, ’91 and ’93, and will this year also be returning to the stage alongside some of the most legendary names in Irish rock and roll, including the one and only Sinead O’Connor.

Good times.

Tickets here

Yesterday.

Former Fine Gael junior minister Fergus O’Dowd describes efforts to privatise Irish Water by unseen forces.

Anyone?

Minister for Children and Youth Affairs Katherine Zappone

This morning.

Conall Ó Fátharta of The Irish Examiner has obtained a copy of a report by the Collaborative Forum on Mother and Baby Homes, set up last year by Minister for Children and Youth Affairs Katherine Zappone.

The forum presented its report to Ms Zappone last December but she has declined to publish it citing advice from the Attorney General.

Via The Irish Examiner:

In a lengthy section on information and identity rights, the report states that Tusla representatives informed it that it assesses the likelihood of harm being caused to wider birth families by the release of personal information to an applicant.

In exchanges with the forum, Tusla representatives indicated that identity and personal information applications are assessed in part by reference to the level of harm acceding to such requests may cause,” states the report. “Neither the statutory basis for such a criterion, nor the nature of how harm is determined, was clear to forum members.”

The forum states its belief that since Tusla began taking ownership of the files of former adoption agencies in 2014, it has been pursuing “a practice of withholding identity and personal information from applicants detained as children across various institutions on the basis that to release this information, could cause harm to the wider family members of the applicant”.

In a statement, Tusla said that in the absence of any specific legislation to regulate information and tracing services, it can only “lawfully release information relating to other persons [e.g. birth parents] with their expressed consent.”

Tusla considers damage release of personal information can cause (Irish Examiner)

Rollingnews

The video was removed by YouTube and she was served with a seven-day suspension, which prevented her from uploading new content on her channel, which has more than 26,000 subscribers.

However, [Ms O’Doherty] appeared to circumvent the ban by posting a series of new videos under a second account bearing her name with 14,000 subscribers, which is a violation of YouTube’s rules.

A spokeswoman for Google – which owns YouTube – confirmed that both Ms O’Doherty’s accounts have been removed for “repeat” breaches of its rules.

YouTube terminates Gemma O’Doherty’s account over breach of ‘hate speech’ policies (irish Times)

US Military chiefs have been ordered to reveal if the Pentagon created and spread Lyme disease

It seems like a rather mean trick
To fiddle about with a tick
And then set it free
While trying to see
If it will then make people sick

John Moynes

Pic: Allmed

Please.

This afternoon.

Marty Morrissey – carrying frisky (and slightly frightening) mime artist ‘Marcel So What‘ – celebrates his appointment as a style judge at this Saturday’s Kerrygold Irish Oaks at The Curragh Racecourse.

The broadcaster joins a panel that includes telly’s Sybil Mulcahy (right) and fashion stylist Ciara O’Doherty (left).

They will award the most stylish racegoer (man or woman) with a luxury weekend for two at the Ballyfin Demesne with €1,000 spending money.

Pic: Marc O’Sullivan

Broadsheet.ie