Politics « Thurles Information

Candidates Sought For Positions In GRAI.

Candidates today are being urged to come forward to fill the roles of Chairperson and the six Ordinary Members positions, at the newly established Údarás Rialála Cearrbhachais na hÉireann [the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI)].

The GRAI is a new statutory body that will be responsible for the licensing and regulation of gambling in Ireland. Once established, it will focus on public safety and well-being – covering gambling online and in-person – and will have the power to regulate advertising, gambling websites and other applications (apps).

Historic legislation setting out the framework and legislative basis for the establishment of the GRAI passed both Houses of the Oireachtas earlier this month and has already been signed into law by President M.D.Higgins.

Closing date for applications is 3:00pm on Friday November 15th, 2024.
Applications for the roles can be found here at Public Jobs.ie.

Nursing & Midwifery Posts Left Vacant At Tipperary University Hospital.

According to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, some 50 nursing and midwifery posts are currently being left unfilled at Tipperary University Hospital, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary.

Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) Industrial Relations Officer, Mr Liam Conway speaking today, ahead of a cross-trade union protest at Tipperary University Hospital, stated that the situation was currently completely unacceptable, and solely brought about, due to the limited caps the HSE have placed on recruitment, leaving staffing unsafe at both the hospitals emergency department and at ward level.

Mr Conway was adamant that the suppression of key front-line nursing and midwifery posts at Tipperary University Hospital, Clonmel, were leading to an increased risk to both patients and staff alike.

Mr Conway added that nursing posts in stroke care; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); neurology and colorectal specialisms are being left vacant; critical areas are understaffed and unsafe, while standards outlined in the Government’s own Safe Staffing Framework was leading to poorer patient outcomes, longer hospital stays and a heightened risk of mortality.

“The front-line healthcare workers and the people of County Tipperary deserve better”, Mr Conway concluded.

Approval For 20 Additional Judges Secured.

An additional 20 Judges to be appointed on a phased basis as part of the continuing implementation of the Judicial Planning Working Group Report.
Approval follows assessment of impact of 24 new judges appointed in 2023 – shown to have had a positive impact on number of court sittings, number of cases resolved and waiting times.
Additional 20 appointments will support the establishment of the Family Courts.

Approval has been received for 20 additional judges to be appointed on a phased basis, to support timely access to justice across the courts system.
The report from the Judicial Planning Working Group, (set up in February 2021) in their final report published in 2023, recommended the appointment of 44 additional judges in two phases.

A first phase of 24 additional judges was approved and appointed throughout 2023. This built on other judicial appointments brought the total number of additional appointments to 31.
Following the completion of an assessment on the impact of the judges appointed in Phase 1 and progress made in other areas of the report’s implementation, the appointment of a second phase of 20 additional judges has now been approved.

The impact assessment also highlighted the need for Phase 2 of additional judicial resources to build on the progress already made.

Areas identified for continued focus to enhance the timely administration of justice across the courts include:

Further reducing waiting times and increasing clearance rates.
Enabling the courts to support new and growing areas of business.
Facilitating additional training days for judges to ensure that the Judiciary are attuned to the needs of victims and equipped to deal with increasing case complexity.

Actions which have been delivered in the first phase of judicial expansion include:

An initial trial project to stagger the court vacation was ran in the High Court this summer.
The Presidents of the Circuit and District Courts are working with the Courts Service to develop protocols for scheduling sittings on all five working days of the week (Monday – Friday).
Cases are being stacked in the same courtroom where feasible (i.e. one judge conducts a hearing in the morning and another judge conducts a hearing in the afternoon in the same courtroom) and to increase the use of hybrid and remote hearings to maximise the use of courtroom space.
A report has been completed which has examined further reforms to empower the Court Presidents to ensure the maximum and efficient use of judicial resources in their court jurisdictions.
A stakeholder engagement group, which comprises representatives of the Department, the Courts Service, judicial observers and affected stakeholders, continues to meet regularly to consider the impact of the implementation of the JPWG recommendations on stakeholders and to identify cross-organisational efficiencies, which may arise in this context.

Tipperary FF TD Jackie Cahill Will Not Contest General Election.

Thurles resident and Tipperary Fianna Fáil TD Mr Jackie Cahill has announced that he will not contest the upcoming General Election.
In a statement last night, Mr Cahill said he had made this decision following health advice.

Mr Cahill stated that being an effective TD requires a great deal of time and energy, and he believes that both personally and professionally he would be unable to continue to make this commitment to his electorate for another five years period.

Prior to becoming a TD, Mr Cahill served on Tipperary County Council from 2014. From 2020 last, he has served as the chair of the Oireachtas Agriculture Committee and was previously the national president of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association.

Fianna Fáil will now begin a candidate replacement selection process and will be in contact with members in the North Tipperary/North West Kilkenny in relation to his successor.

We understand that the current three party government leaders have agreed that the general election will take place in 2024. However, the Tánaiste Mr Micheál Martin has ruled out any formal voting pact between coalition partners.
Fine Gael has appointed former Laois Offaly TD Ms Olwyn Enright as its national director of elections. Ms Enright said she expects the party will have between 75 and 80 candidates running in the next election, with 71 candidates already selected across 41 constituencies.

Legislation To Streamline, Strengthen & Modernise Gambling Regulation.

Legislation will Establish the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland.
Introduce a modern and robust licencing and regulatory framework for both in-person and online gambling.
Establish a National Gambling Exclusion Register.
Introduce tight restrictions on gambling advertising.
Introduce a Social Impact Fund to support educational measures and problem gambling treatment activities.
CEO Designate of the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland has been progressing important preparatory work.

The Gambling Regulation Bill, 2022, has passed through both Houses of the Oireachtas. The legislation sets out the framework and legislative basis for the establishment of a new, independent statutory body, Údarás Rialála Cearrbhachais na hÉireann, (the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland) and for a modern and robust licencing and regulatory framework for both in-person and online gambling.

**Painting by Italian artist Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio** *(1571-1610)***, “*The Cardsharps*.”** *(painted c.1594)*.

The Bill provides for the establishment and operation of the National Gambling Exclusion Register and introduces tight restrictions on the advertisement of gambling activities.
It also provides for the creation of a Social Impact Fund to support awareness–raising and educational measures and to support problem gambling treatment activities.

With regard to black market operators, the Bill contains a suite of measures to address illegal or criminal gambling activity and includes explicit prohibitions on illegal activity or practices, some of which could result in significant custodial sentences.

Once the Bill is enacted, the GRAI will be established with a seven-person authority. A Programme Board has been established in the Department of Justice to ensure that the legislation and the operational preparations are progressed in parallel, allowing the Authority to commence operations, on a phased basis, as soon as possible, after enactment and appointment of the Authority members.
Ms Anne Marie Caulfield has been appointed to the role of CEO Designate of the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland and has been progressing important preparatory work.

As part of Budget 2025 announced on October 1st last, the GRAI will receive €9.1m in 2025, including €4m of ICT capital investment.