Statement On The Agreement Of Memorandum of Understanding On The Omagh Bombing Inquiry.
The Irish Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Chairman of the Inquiry, Lord Alan TurnbullPC, (PC Scottish lawyer, Senator of the College of Justice, and a judge of the country’s Supreme Courts), on matters relating to the disclosure of materials to the Omagh Bombing Inquiry.
On June 12th 2023, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Right Honourable Mr Chris Heaton-Harris(British former senior politician), announced that Lord Turnbull would chair the Omagh Bombing Inquiry, due to Lord Turnbull’s previous experience of working on terrorism cases.
The Irish Government authorised the signature at its meeting earlier today.
The Omagh bombing was a car bombing on August 15th 1998, which took place in the town of Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It was carried out by the Real IRA, latter a Provisional Irish Republican Army splinter group, who opposed the IRA’s ceasefire and the Good Friday Agreement/Belfast Agreement, which had been signed earlier on Good Friday, 10th April of that year.
The victims of the bombing included people of many backgrounds and ages, both Protestants and Catholics, unionists and Irish nationalists were killed, including six teenagers, six children, a woman pregnant with twins, two Spanish tourists and others visiting on a day trip from the Republic of Ireland. As a result of the bombing, new anti-terrorism laws were swiftly enacted by both the United Kingdom and Ireland.
This agreement reflects the Government’s decision, in July 2024, to assist this Inquiry to the extent that is permissible under the Irish Constitution and laws of the Irish State. The Programme for Government reiterates that commitment, stating that they will play their full part in legacy processes, including facilitating and supporting this Omagh Inquiry.
This Memorandum sets out the working arrangements that will apply between the Inquiry and the office of the Minister for Justice on the lawful disclosure of materials from Government Departments and their agencies to the Inquiry, thus assisting it in carrying out its terms of reference. It also addresses the onward disclosure of those materials and their destruction or retention at the conclusion of the work of the Inquiry.
As recorded in the Memorandum a central point of contact has been established in the Department of Justice to receive and manage all requests for materials from this Inquiry. The Minister’s Department and the Inquiry will maintain regular contact to support the operation of the Memorandum.
The Minister’s Department will also continue to engage with the Inquiry to find solutions consistent with Irish law to fulfil the Government’s commitment to assisting the Inquiry. This includes the giving of oral testimony for the purposes of the Inquiry. The Government has made it clear, that should it be necessary to bring forward legislation to support this assistance to the Inquiry, then this will be undertaken.
Clare Fine Gael TD Mr Joe Cooney is urging the HSE to redress the imbalance of General Practitioner (GP) cover in North Tipperary, Clare, and Limerick, compared with surrounding regions.
Figures released by HSE Mid-West to Deputy Cooney show that there are 258 GPs catering to a population of 385,712 in North Tipperary, Clare, and Limerick, which represents one GP per 1,493 people.
Fine Gael TD Mr Joe Cooney.
GP cover in the region is lower than in Galway/Roscommon/Mayo and Kerry/Cork, which have one GP per 1,387 people and 1,382 people, respectively.
Nationally, there are 3,160 GPs with a public contract, in addition to other GPs, including those who work privately, GPs in training, and International Medical Graduate (IMG) participants.
Deputy Cooney’s request for additional resources to be allocated to the Mid-West comes in light of the ongoing absence of a practicing GP in the village of Newmarket-on-Fergus, Clare’s fifth-largest population centre.
The HSE has been providing locals with a part-time GP service from the nearby Carrigoran House since 2020, following the retirement of the town’s long-serving GP.
Deputy Cooney said he has engaged with HSE Mid-West in recent days to secure a permanent GP service in Newmarket-on-Fergus.
HSE Mid-West confirmed it is actively working on plans to secure permanent GP accommodation in the locality. In the meantime, Dr. Colum Gavin of Saffron & Blue Medical is continuing to provide a GP service to patients on Monday mornings and all day on Thursdays from its current location at Carrigoran House. Outside of these times, patients from the Newmarket-on-Fergus area can be seen at Saffron & Blue Medical Centre at Clareabbey, Clarecastle.
Following representations from the local community in Kildysart, Deputy Cooney said he will also be raising the ongoing part-time locum doctor service being provided by Saffron & Blue Medical Centre in the village, with a view to having a full-time service restored.
“The figures provided by HSE Mid-West show a clear imbalance between the Mid-West and surrounding regions in terms of permanent GP accommodation,” explained Deputy Cooney. “Having received the data to back this up, I will now ask the Minister for Health to increase pressure on the HSE to expedite investment in GP cover across North Tipperary, Clare, and Limerick .”
“In my engagement with the HSE, I was informed that the HSE is working closely with the Irish College of General Practitioners on a range of measures to expand the GP workforce. While I acknowledge that GP training places nationally have increased from an intake of 259 in 2022 to 350 in 2024, it is clear that the Mid-West is not benefiting in the same way as other parts of the country from the corresponding rise in newly qualified GPs. The situation in Newmarket-on-Fergus is a case in point, as the town has been without a permanent GP presence since the retirement of Dr. Colum Hackett in May 2019. Likewise, the local community in Kildysart have contacted me with a view to securing a full-term service,” he added.
“The Strategic Review of General Practice, which is currently being led by the Department of Health, must be expedited so the arrangements necessary to improve access to GP care in larger population centres can be identified and action taken to redress the imbalance”, he concluded
Mr Fox passed away following a long illness, most bravely borne, at his place of ordinary residence.
His passing is most deeply regretted, sadly missed and lovingly remembered by his sorrowing family; loving wife Paula (née O’Donoghue), son Hugh, daughter Sara, grandchildren, daughter-in-law Bridget, brother Frank, sisters Ann and Lil, brothers-in-law, sister-in-law, nephews, nieces, extended relatives, neighbours and friends.
The extended Fox and O’Donoghue families wish to express their appreciation for your understanding at this difficult time, and have made arrangements for those persons wishing to send messages of condolence, to use the link shown HERE.
South Tipperary Development Company are inviting members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, and Intersex (LGBTQI) Community to a Tea/Coffee Evening and discussion to explore options.
A total of 8,596 complaints and queries were handled by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland’s (FSAI) Advice Line in 2024. Announcing details today of the complaints and queries last year, the FSAI stated that there were 4,996 complaints from consumers, with 32% of complaints relating to unfit food and 29% to suspected food poisoning.
Overall, the 4,996 consumer complaints in 2024 represented a 13.7% increase compared to the previous year with 4,395 complaints. The figures reflect an overall upwards trend over the past decade. All complaints received by the FSAI in 2024 were followed up and investigated by food inspectors throughout the country.
Unfit food, which is food that is not safe to eat, was the most frequently reported complaint in 2024. Unfit food also includes contamination with a foreign object. Commonly reported foreign objects in food included: plastic; insects/spiders; hairs; glass; metal; and stones.
Examples of some of the complaints include a large piece of rubber in a protein bar; a dead spider in a loaf of brown bread; a piece of glass in a chicken breast; a pack of muesli full of maggots; a toothpick in a bag of chips; a metal pin in pre-packed prawns; a piece of plastic in a milkshake; a metal nail in a takeaway meal; a snail in a box of grapes; a live insect in a burrito bowl; and a large piece of metal in a chocolate biscuit. Other complaints regarding unfit food cited undercooked meats; food served cold when it should be hot; and foods with “off” tastes or smells.
The second most frequently reported category related to reports of suspected food poisoning making up 29% of the total complaints in 2024. This was an increase on the 23.3% of food poisoning complaints in 2023.
The third most frequently reported category related to poor hygiene standards with reports of rodents spotted in businesses; staff not wearing appropriate clothing; poor personal hygiene with staff openly coughing and sneezing; staff not washing hands and handling food and money with the same gloves; excessive flies and insects spotted in food businesses; generally unclean premises; food not being stored correctly with fridges and freezers not cold enough; and food being stored in boxes on floors.
The breakdown of all complaints are as follows:
Unfit food: 1,597
Suspect food poisoning: 1,449
Hygiene standards: 1,289
Labelling: 169
Others: 156
Allergen Information: 155
Unregistered food business: 81
Mr Greg Dempsey(Chief Executive, FSAI), stressed the importance of making complaints to the FSAI, so that any food safety issues can be addressed. “We welcome consumers and food businesses contacting us via our Advice Line. People reporting inappropriate and unsafe food and practices is vitally important and is an essential component, supporting the work of the food inspectorate to ensure the highest standards and quality across the food chain. The year-on-year increase in complaints to the Advice Line reflects an increased awareness among consumers of the importance of food safety and also demonstrates their zero-tolerance approach when it comes to poor food safety and hygiene standards in food products and in food premises,” said Mr Dempsey.
“Food businesses have a legal obligation to provide safe food and it is vital that food businesses ensure they adhere to the legislation at all times. The FSAI Advice Line, supported by a comprehensive website and learning portal, are important resources for the food industry, and we encourage all food business operators to avail of these free and accessible tools,” added Mr Dempsey.
The FSAI Advice Line also offers advice and information. During 2024, there were 3,600 queries from people working in the food industry, including caterers, food manufacturers, retailers; and others. Popular topics included: how to start a food business; food labelling information; best practice in food businesses; food safety training and several others.
The FSAI Advice Line is contactable through our online complaint form ‘makeitbetter’ or through our online query form. The FSAI Instagram, Facebook and X pages are also resources with up-to-the-minute information in relation to food safety:www.facebook.com/FSAI and @FSAIinfo.
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