Portfolio

Nationwide conversation to form Ireland’s first national cultural policy

A consultation process has been launched to form Ireland's first ever national cultural policy, Culture 2025.

Arts Minister Heather Humphreys today said she wants to kick start a conversation on the topic, aiming "to shape the dialogue rather than to dictate it".

The policy will set high level aims for the arts and culture sector over the next decade.

A series of regional meetings will be held over the next two months to facilitate debate and discussion amongst stakeholders and interested parties in the arts and cultural sector. Minister Humphreys also intends to hold a one day symposium in Dublin Castle in early October, to close the consultation process. It is envisaged the final policy will be published in early 2016.

You can read the Culture 2025 Discussion Document here.

The Minister said:

I hope Culture 2025 can help create a platform for bringing together the numerous local, regional and national cultural entities, so they can share best practise and look at new ways of working together. As a high level document, the policy will set a framework for future strategies and plans in specific areas. It will be underpinned by the principle of upholding and supporting artistic freedom.

She made the comments at Dublin's Smock Alley Theatre, where the Culture 2025 launch was held. Cast members of the theatre's current production of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest joined the Minister at the launch and performed a scene from the play.

Varadkar & Lynch launch registration system for Free GP Care 

Health Minister Leo Varadkar and Minister of State Kathleen Lynch today officially launched the registration system for the new Free GP Care for Children Under 6 service which will commence on July 1st.

Parents can visit www.gpvisitcard.ie for more details and to register their children for the new service.

Speaking at the launch Minister Varadkar said:

This is an investment in our future generations. Free GP care for children under 6 will significantly improve access to quality healthcare. It's also the first real step to universal healthcare. From this summer, almost 300,000 children will be able to see their GP without paying fees, for the first time.

Minister Lynch added,

This is good news for parents with babies and young children. Having a sick child is challenging enough without having to worry about the cost of visiting your GP. Assessments for children at age 2 and 5 years as part of the service are in keeping with this Government’s commitment to improving health and wellbeing.

The HSE are kicking off a public information campaign today to encourage the parents of 276,000 children under 6 who do not have a medical card to register their children at www.gpvisitcard.ie.

Taoiseach welcomes French Prime Minister Manuel Valls to Government Buildings

Taoiseach Enda Kenny today met with French Prime Minister Maneul Valls in Government Buildings.

The two leaders discussed the recent tragic deaths in the Mediterranean, the historic relationship between Ireland and France, and the steadily improving economic outlook in both countries and across the euro area. Prime Minister Valls expressed the thanks of France to the Government and to the people of Ireland for their expression of solidarity with the people of France following the attacks in Paris in January.

They agreed on the urgent importance of strengthening EU policies to support growth and jobs by boosting investment, fostering reforms, and ensuring growth-friendly fiscal consolidation.

Following their meeting, the Taoiseach and the Prime Minister held a press conference in the Government Press Centre, where they took questions from French and Irish media.

Taoiseach takes part in National Job Shadow Day 

Taoiseach Enda Kenny today took part in IASE Job Shadow Day, a nationwide campaign to promote ability, diversity and inclusion in the work place. Martin Flanagan, a member of South Side Partnership DIG - Disability Interest Group, shadowed the Taoiseach for the day, which saw him attend a jobs announcement at technology company Zalando, view Leaders' Questions at Leinster House and attend meetings with the Taoiseach. 

*I organised and hosted two live question and answer sessions on the @merrionstreet Twitter account with Minister Simon Harris, to allow people in different timezones to discuss the new Financial Services Strategy under the hashtag #IFS2020. This is the recap article I wrote following the sessions.*

As we reported yesterday, the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and Minister Simon Harris launched Ireland's financial services strategy for the next five years at a press conference in Dublin's docklands.

The strategy sets out a target of 10,000 new jobs in the financial services sector by 2020, which would bring the total number of people employed the sector here to 45,000.

5 key priorities are set out in the strategy:

Promote Ireland as an IFS location

Improve competitiveness

Drive research and innovation

Develop emerging IFS sub-sectors and new markets

Establish an implementation model

You can read the strategy document here.

Simon Harris is the Minister of State with responsibility for International Banking, including IFSC. He took over our Twitter account to answer questions on the strategy today, in two live 30 minute discussions.

The two sessions were hosted to accommodate different timezones. You can still join in the conversation via the hashtag #IFS2020.

Here's a look back at the two sessions in full. The Minister answered questions on a range of aspects of the strategy, from making Ireland competitive to how international network groups can get involved and help move the strategy forward.

[View the story "Minister Simon Harris - Twitter Q&A on #IFS2020 (session 1)" on Storify]

- Published on MerrionStreet.ie, 12/3/2015

Comhrá leis an Aire Stáit Joe McHugh

Toisc go bhfuil Seachtain na Gaeilge ar siúl mar is gnáth ón 1-17 Marta 2015, eagraigh mé agallamh leis an Aire Stáit Joe McHugh, fear a bhfuil taithí aige le deanaí ar an próiseas foghlama. Bhí ionadh an domhan orm, tar éis dom na h-ailt a léamh ag an am a ceapadh Joe mar Aire Stáit faoin díoma agus an náire a bhí ar lucht labhartha na Gaeilge, le aimsigh go raibh a chuid Ghaeilge thar a bheith nádurtha, líofa agus canúint álainn Uladh air fresin. 

Cinnte go bhfuil a lán obair déanta aige a chuid Ghaeilge a fheabhsaigh ó ceapadh mar Aire Stáit é, ach caithfidh go raibh leibhéal maith ann roimhe sin. 

I rith an agallamh, inis sé dom faoina aistear foghlama agus chuir sé in iúl dom tábhacht ní amháin Seachtain na Gaeilge, ach an Ghaeilge í féin. 

Mar a deireann blurba Seachtain na Gaeilge - is linne í. 

Minister Fitzgerald marks International Women's Day with Accenture

Minister Kelly, Minister Coffey and EIB Vice President Jonathan Taylor at St Mary's Mansions

A new €300 million fund will target an additional 2,000 social housing units in the next three years, Environment Minister Alan Kelly announced today.

The investment programme is jointly backed by the Housing Finance Agency (HFA) and the European Investment Bank (EIB). The money will be available to approved housing bodies for upgrading and delivering social housing.

Ministers Kelly & Coffey meet Leanne McCarthy and twins Ruby & Emmy Byrne (18 months), who live in St Mary's Mansions

Minister Kelly and Minister of State Paudie Coffey were visiting St Mary's Mansions and Killarney Court in Dublin to mark the announcement. Jonathan Taylor, Vice President of the EIB and Barry O'Leary, CEO of the HFA also attended the announcement, as well as representatives of Clúid, a not-for-profit housing association.

St Mary's Mansions is a potential project for upgrading under the programme, with Clúid Housing Association interested in redeveloping it. Killarney Court was Clúid's first regeneration project, with refurbishing works completed there in 2002.

Ministers Kelly and Coffey with Elsie Campion, who is Scheme Manager with Clúid, in her apartment at Killarney Court

Under the programme, approved housing bodies like Clúid can apply for long-term finance at competitive rates for the upgrade of social housing. During the visit to Killarney Court, the Ministers saw how local residents have benefited from investment to reduce heating costs, provide play areas and improve the buildings.

Minister Kelly highlighted the government's Social Housing Strategy 2020, commenting that the agreement between the EIB and HFA represents "good progress in that direction". The Social Housing Strategy 2020 targets 35,000 new social housing units over a six year period.  

Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald has said that wide-ranging legislation to recognise the diverse forms of family life in Ireland will be published on Thursday.

The Children & Family Relationships Bill covers a broad and significant range of issues, the Minister said. Among them are guardianship and access for unmarried fathers to their children, adoption for same sex couples and cohabiting heterosexual couples, and provisions around assisted human reproduction.

While the law currently allows a single person in a same sex partnership to adopt a child, the Bill will make it possible for a same sex couple to adopt together. Cohabiting couples who have lived together for three years will also be eligible to adopt a child.

The legislation provides for the set up of a donor-conceived child register, which will be managed by the Department of Health before being transferred to a dedicated Authority. The Minister confirmed there will be no option for donors to remain anonymous, and donor-conceived children will have access to information on their natural parentage when they turn 18.

Unmarried fathers can obtain guardianship rights after living with the child's mother for a year, and living with the child for 3 months. The Minister said that this was a policy decision recognising that "fathering, as with mothering, comes with responsibilities". However, she added that the law already allows unmarried fathers to have a statutory declaration that they are the natural father of the child shortly after the birth, provided there is agreement with the child's mother.

Grandparents and other relatives will have easier access to children in the context of a relationship breakdown, and can apply for custody if there is no parent willing or able to care for the child.

The Minister commented that provisions in the Bill were "long overdue" and stressed that:

What permeates the Bill and goes through it like a golden thread is the best interests of the child. In every decision that’s made, whether it’s in relation to a same sex adoption or a guardianship or access, the best interests of the child are what will guide the court

The Bill will be published on Thursday, following final proofing and printing. It will be debated in the Dáil and the Seanad next week.

Read the press release from the Department of Justice & Equality for more information.

From March 2nd, commercial sunbed ‘happy hours’, and 'unlimited' or 'free' use of sunbeds will be banned in an effort to reduce skin cancer.

The new regulations, announced today by Health Minister Leo Varadkar, come after last year's ban on under 18s using sunbeds. The measures come under the Public Health (Sunbeds) Act.

We reported on former Health Minister James Reilly's appeal to young people on the risks of sunbeds last summer.

Sunbeds are classified as a group 1 carcinogen by the World Health Organisation (WHO), meaning they are carcinogenic to humans and cause cancer. Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in Ireland, with over 850 new cases of melanoma each year. More than 150 Irish people die each year from melanoma.

Under the new regulations, sunbed business owners will have to display warning signs, provide information on the risks, and refrain from health claims. Users will be required to wear protective eyewear and won’t be able to use sunbeds without supervision, in order to minimise damage to their skin and eyes. New hygiene standards will be put in place.

Minister Varadkar said the regulations were designed to "make sure that adults know the risks".

Taoiseach opens Teach Fáilte rehabilitation centre in Mountbolus, County Offaly, a set on Flickr.

Taoiseach, Tánaiste and Minister for Justice visit Garda College Templemore as 100 new recruits start training, a set on Flickr.

Recently covered

OPW Minister Simon Harris and Arts Minister Heather Humphreys recently announced the discovery of a unique assemblage of artefacts in Rathfarnham Castle. 

The archaeological finds from the excavation have been removed for laboratory cleaning and analysis, and archaeologists are working with the OPW and the National Museum of Ireland to fully conserve the remarkable assemblage.

MerrionStreet.ie spoke to Minister Harris and Finds Supervisor Alva Mac Gowan about the significance of the find. 

Passing of former Taoiseach Albert Reynolds

I took these photos on assignment for MerrionStreet.ie today. The Irish flag is at half mast at Government Buildings to mark the passing of former Taoiseach Albert Reynolds. 

Cabinet Reshuffle 

These are a selection of photos I took on Cabinet Reshuffle day as the new Cabinet gathered in Government Buildings. I took these images on assignment for MerrionStreet.ie, as a behind the scenes look at the first moments of the new Cabinet. Several of these photos were published on various news websites, news shows and on the front page of some of the weekend newspapers - including the Sunday Business Post, the Irish Examiner, the Week in Politics and RTÉ News. 

Action Plan for Jobs report shows 97 of 103 measures delivered

The Government today published the ninth Action Plan for Jobs Quarterly Progress Report, showing that 97 out of the 103 measures earmarked for delivery in Q1 2014 have been implemented.

Also today, the authoritative IMD world competitiveness rankings 2014 were published, showing Ireland in 15th place globally, up from 17th in 2013 and 24th in 2011. In 2000 Ireland placed 4th in these rankings, but this had fallen to 14th by 2007 and then to 24th in 2011.

Among the Quarter 1 measures delivered are:

Opened the 31 Local Enterprise Offices, to provide more and better services to SMEs across the country

Developed a government-wide online guide for SMEs so they can learn which of over 80 Government business supports are applicable to their business (www.localenterprise.ie/smeonlinetool)

Started the national rollout of the Trading Online vouchers to support SMEs in taking advantage of the huge opportunity offered by online selling

Published a new ICT Skills Action Plan to increase to 75% the proportion of ICT vacancies filled by people from the Irish education system by 2018

Published Construction 2020, to support a more competitive, innovative construction sector employing sustainable numbers of people

Also in this quarter, the OECD published its review of the Action Plan for Jobs, concluding that the plan is working while recommending adjustments to maximise its potential. The review stated that the plan represents a “sound approach” to job-creation and “marks an important innovation in Irish governance".