Tuesday, December 28, 2021

Minister for Land Use and Biodiversity marks first full calendar year in office

The Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine Pippa Hackett has marked her first full calendar year in office by highlighting her achievement in 2021 and outlining her priorities for 2022.

Looking back at year end, the Minister said:

“It’s been a very productive and busy year. The agreeing of a CAP Strategic Plan to submit to the EU by the end of it, has consumed a lot of

Minister Ryan publishes Draft Policy Statement on Geothermal Energy

  • Draft Policy Statement outlines potential of geothermal energy – for heating and cooling buildings and for generating electricity

The Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan TD, has today (Tuesday) published a Draft Policy Statement on Geothermal Energy for a Circular Economy. The Draft Statement delivers on the Roadmap for Geothermal Energy published in November 2020.

Geothermal energy is not only renewable, it is also secure, reliable and

Ministers Harris and Foley publish Education Indicators for Ireland 2021 report

The Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris and Minister for Education Norma Foley today announced the publication of Education Indicators for Ireland 2021 – which presents a comprehensive set of educational indicators for the education system in Ireland.

The indicators in this report cover all levels of education starting with early years and working through school education, further and higher education and through to lifelong learning. In doing so the report provides an overview of the work of both the Department of Education and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.

This updated report provides data up to and including the school/academic year

Minister Heydon highlights agri-food research and innovation achievements in 2021

The Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with responsibility for Research and Development, Martin Heydon, T.D., has highlighted the role of science and innovation in the agri-food and bioeconomy sector over the course of 2021.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine supports research and innovation to enable the Irish agri-food sector to deliver greater efficiency, sustainability and the development of a strong bio-economy. Commenting on this, Minister Heydon said

“This year saw the publication of the new ten-year Strategy for the agri-food sector – Food Vision 2030.One of its four Missions is to

Monday, December 27, 2021

McConalogue announces €2.7 million funding to expand the National Agricultural Soil Carbon Observatory

Data collected by the Observatory will underpin the development of a carbon farming model that aims to reward actions that remove carbon and store it in our soils

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue announced over €2.7 million in funding for the expansion of the National Agricultural Soil Carbon Observatory (NASCO) today (Monday). This investment will facilitate the purchase of additional greenhouse gas monitoring equipment to increase the range and type of soils and land uses monitored through the Observatory.

Minister McConalogue said:

“Today’s investment of more than €2.7 million funding to expand the

Sunday, December 26, 2021

Statement by President Michael D. Higgins on the death of Archbishop Desmond Tutu

“It is with great sadness that people all over the world will have learned of the death today of Nobel Peace Laureate, Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

With the passing of Desmond Tutu, the world has lost not only a great spiritual leader but a great advocate for an informed, sensitive and caring society, defined by compassion and kindness.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu was a man of profound wisdom and as of

Minister O’Donovan visits Wexford (Enniscorthy and Bridgetown) to view extensive flood damage in the region

Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works (OPW), Patrick O’Donovan TD, today visited Enniscorthy and Bridgetown in County Wexford, meeting with officials and engineers from Wexford County Council, to view and hear at first hand about the extent of the damage caused by recent flooding.

Minister O’Donovan said:

“The Office of Public Works and Wexford County Council have worked closely over many years to develop a robust flood relief scheme for Enniscorthy. When complete, this scheme will protect over 230 properties, including in areas of the town that have been flooded over this Christmas,

Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan expresses concerns at the damage caused to bridges and road infrastructure in the southeast

Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan has expressed his concerns at the damage caused to bridges and road infrastructure by the floods in the southeast yesterday.

The Minister said:

"My department will provide full support for Wexford County Council and other councils as they address and repair the damage caused by the flash floods.

"The department will ask Wexford County Council and other affected councils to submit and estimate of the cost of repairs as soon as it reasonable estimates available. An allocation for repairs will then be made from the 2022 Regional and Local Roads fund."

Supports available to householders affected by severe flooding in South East

Minister for Social Protection, Heather Humphreys TD, has said her department will support householders affected by the severe flooding in the South East.

The department’s Community Welfare Service officials are engaging with Wexford County Council and other agencies in response to the recent flooding event.

Minister Humphreys said that the interagency response ensures that

Statement from the Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan - 26 December 2021

It is important that all of us continue to reduce our contacts and avoid crowded places, to the greatest extent possible, as we see the Omicron variant become the dominant variant of COVID-19 in Ireland.

We know that this variant is more transmissible than even the highly transmissible Delta variant. As such, please do not socialise or meet indoors with people from other households.

Avoid crowded places including retail environments.

Choose to shop online where possible, queue outside and leave

Christmas Concert Kindles Community Spirit Raising Funds for People in Need

Santa presents a Christmas gift, representing funds raised by the benefit concert, to Linda Shortt Maritza, founder of Caring is Sharing, a charity that provides food and essentials to the homeless and others in need.

Santa presents a Christmas gift, representing funds raised by the benefit concert, to Linda Shortt Maritza, founder of Caring is Sharing, a charity that provides food and essentials to the homeless and others in need.

Santa joins the Dublin City Ramblers, Sean McGuinnes and Stephen Leeson on stage at the Sharing is Caring fundraiser at the Scientology Dublin Community Centre.

Santa joins the Dublin City Ramblers, Sean McGuinnes and Stephen Leeson on stage at the Sharing is Caring fundraiser at the Scientology Dublin Community Centre.

Artists United Against Homelessness Christmas Concert grand finale

Artists United Against Homelessness Christmas Concert grand finale

Award-winning singer Aoife Duignan traveled from County Roscommon to support the cause.

Award-winning singer Aoife Duignan traveled from County Roscommon to support the cause.

The Feekers joined the many other talented artists who helped make the fundraiser a resounding success.

The Feekers joined the many other talented artists who helped make the fundraiser a resounding success.

The “Artists United Against Homelessness” concert brought together talent from across Ireland in aid of Tallaght community group Sharing is Caring, Dublin 24.

DUBLIN, IRELAND, December 26, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Artists from across Ireland came together on the night of 17 December to raise funds in aid of Sharing is Caring Dublin 24, enabling the Tallaght community group to continue looking after the homeless and people in need.

“Artists United Against Homelessness," the first fundraiser held in aid of the voluntary group, raised 3,145 euros with donations still coming in. The musical and dance fusion was produced by the Scientology Community Centre in Firhouse and was featured as part of The Stephen Leeson Show.

The highlight of the night was a personal interview with Linda Shortt Maritza, the Aylesbury woman who, seven years ago, started taking care of one person in need and expanded this gentle gesture of humanity to a community initiative now helping over 140 people on a weekly basis.

Since March this year, Linda and her team of volunteers have been on the streets of Tallaght every week providing hot meals, packaged foods, toiletries and warm clothes to people in need.

Talking about the work of her team in 2021,

Sunday, December 19, 2021

Press statement from Minister Ryan

Minister Eamon Ryan has tested positive for COVID-19 and is self-isolating at home. The Minister is following all HSE protocols. He has advised the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and the Secretary to the Government.

Minister Ryan attended Cabinet remotely on Friday, so members of the Cabinet are not close contacts.

Minister Harris announces new €2,000 support for apprenticeship employers

The Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris, has today (Sunday) announced the introduction of an annual grant of €2,000 for employers who employ apprentices in one of the 37 apprenticeships which have been established since 2016.

This extends financial support to all apprentice employers for the first time, addressing a key barrier to employer participation in apprenticeship.

Speaking today, Minister Harris said:

“Throughout 2021, my department has placed a real focus on

Statement from the National Public Health Emergency Team - Sunday 19 December

The Health Protection Surveillance Centre has today been notified of 5,124 confirmed cases of COVID-19.

As of 8am today, 436 COVID-19 patients are hospitalised, of whom 107 are in ICU.

Possible Omicron cases can be identified by the number of PCR results with ‘S gene target failure.’ Using this methodology, we estimate that approximately 52% of reported cases are now due to the Omicron variant.

Dr. Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer, Department of

Monday, December 13, 2021

Minister O’Gorman announces suite of new measures to support the early learning and childcare sector in latest wave of Covid-19

The Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman ,T.D., has today announced a suite of new Covid-19 measures to support the early learning and childcare sector, including:

  • €10 million Grant Programme for Improved Ventilation and Other Measures to Reduce Transmission
  • Student Temporary Employment
  • Updated Covid-19 Resource Pack

€10 million Grant Programme for Improved Ventilation and Other Measures to Reduce Transmission

The objective of this once-off exceptional Grant Programme is to support

Minister Foley announces payment of €62 million minor works grant funding for primary, special and post-primary schools

Minister for Education Norma Foley TD has today (13 December 2021) announced the payment of a minor works grant totaling €45m for primary schools and special schools as part of additional support in the context of COVID-19. Once-off COVID-19 minor works funding of €17m is also announced for post-primary schools.

Given that each school setting is different, individual schools are best placed to decide how best to use this funding to address their particular needs.

Arrangements are now being made for the payment of these grants to

Minister Harris announces €6.85m in additional funding to support the most educationally disadvantaged in Ireland

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris TD has today (Monday) announced that €6.85m has been granted to provide funding to support educationally disadvantaged learners in accessing and participating in community education under the Mitigating against Educational Disadvantage Fund (MAEDF).

The fund was first made available in 2020 and is managed by SOLAS, with

Minister Heydon welcomes Department’s commitment to Climate and the Environment in latest round of research funding

The Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with responsibility for Research and Development, Martin Heydon, T.D., has taken the opportunity to highlight the significant focus on climate action and the environment in the recent awarding of research funding by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

Referring to the announcement of over €20m in research funding to the

NCSC advises organisations to urgently assess their web servers for exposure to new vulnerability, and to take measures to address the risk of compromise

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) is advising organisations to urgently assess their web servers for exposure to a new vulnerability, and to take measures to address the risk of compromise. This issue only affects organisations operating web server infrastructure and not users operating home or personal devices.

The NCSC has been working with partners across Government and the private sector to address a serious vulnerability that has been identified in Apache Log4j (CVE-2021-44228). This is an open source java logging library used by many

Major €80m funding boost for Sports to recover, grow and attract people nationwide

  • €73.6 million in COVID-19 related funding
  • €5.3m for Sport Equipment

Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin TD, and Minister of State for Sport and Gaeltacht Affairs, Jack Chambers TD, together with Sport Ireland, have announced almost €80m for the sport sector under two separate support programmes.

Some €73.6m in COVID funding is being allocated under five separate streams to help sports organisations to recover and grow post pandemic, support our

LEADER Programme 2014-2020 Case Studies

Minister Donnelly welcomes new maternity and gynaecology facilities at the Rotunda Hospital

Today, the Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly formally launched new facilities at the Rotunda Hospital, including two new operating theatres, additional delivery suites, as well as an ambulatory gynaecology unit.

These facilities were developed as part of the new three-storey extension on the Parnell Square campus, notwithstanding the pressures of the COVID-19

Minister Foley announces consultation on second phase STEM Education Implementation Plan 2022-2026

Minister for Education Norma Foley TD today announced a wide-ranging consultation process as part of the development of phase two STEM Education Implementation Plan under the STEM Education Policy Statement 2017-2026.

Minister Foley said:

"It is important that our children and young people have real opportunities for high-quality STEM experiences at a young age. We know that having this access can have a lasting impact and can set the stage for their later

Minister for Mental Health and Older People, Mary Butler, announces detail of €10 million additional funding for mental health

Minister for Mental Health and Older People, Mary Butler TD, has today confirmed the details of €10 million in additional once off funding for mental health, that was announced on Budget Day.

Minister Butler stated that:

"It was of huge importance to me to ensure that as many individuals as

McConalogue and Hackett launch €5 million Pilot Farm Environmental Study

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue TD, and the Minister for Land Use and Biodiversity, Senator Pippa Hackett, today launched a major investment of €5 million in a pilot Farm Environmental Study (FES). This pilot will establish a framework to generate a database of baseline habitat and biodiversity data at the farm-level and will provide the scope for an inventory of farm habitats and biodiversity present and a baseline for future targeting of agri-environmental schemes and measures.

Image: FES1

The Pilot Stage of FES will focus on the roll out of farm level habitat surveys on approximately 6,500 farms. The Pilot FES measure will provide the farmer with

Draft Nitrates Action Programme published and public consultations on Natura Impact Statement and Strategic Environmental Assessment launched

The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien TD and the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue TD have today published the Draft Fifth Nitrates Action Programme (NAP) and announced the opening of a public consultation on the Draft NAP Natura Impact Statement (NIS) and the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA).

Ireland’s NAP gives effect to the requirements of the Nitrates Directive in Ireland and is a critical piece of legislation implemented by farmers on their farms. A

Ministers O’Brien & McConalogue publish Draft Nitrates Action Programme and launch public consultation on the Natura Impact Statement and Strategic Environmental Assessment

The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien TD and the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue TD, have today published the Draft Fifth Nitrates Action Programme (NAP) and announced the opening of a public consultation on the Draft NAP Natura Impact Statement (NIS) and the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA).

Ireland’s NAP gives effect to the requirements of the Nitrates Directive in Ireland and is a critical piece of legislation implemented by farmers on their farms. A

Minister for Health announces call for Public Voice Member of the National Screening Advisory Committee

The Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly is pleased to announce that expressions of interest are now being sought for membership of the National Screening Advisory Committee (NSAC) in the role of Public Voice representative.

This independent committee makes recommendations to the minister on

Lord Mayor Welcomes the Return of IFA Live Animal Crib

The Lord Mayor of Dublin is delighted to announce the return of the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) Live Animal Crib to the Mansion House. As a Christmas tradition spanning more than a quarter of a century, many will be familiar with and fond of this festive farmyard crib.

The IFA Live Animal Crib first appeared outside the Mansion House in 1995. This year marks the 26th anniversary of the collaboration between Dublin City Council and the IFA. 

Lord Mayor of Dublin, Alison Gilliland, said, “The Mansion House IFA Live

Ryanair announces new year round service to Birmingham


Ireland West Airport today welcomes the announcement by Ryanair of a new year round service to Birmingham to commence in March 2022.  The service will initially operate twice weekly and operate on a year round basis.

This new service will provide a major boost for the airport and the region as it restores a critically important service between the West of Ireland and Birmingham.

The opening of this new route reinforces Ryanair’s commitment to Ireland West Airport and the rebuilding of the airports route network whilst playing a key role in the recovery of local jobs and the economy. This is the third new route to be announced by Ryanair from the airport in 2021 following the commencement of new services to Edinburgh and Manchester in September. In addition, their services to Malaga and Milan will operate through the winter in 2021/22 for the first time.

To celebrate this new Summer route, Ryanair has launched a seat sale with

Monday, November 29, 2021

Worldwide Wearable Camera Industry to 2027 - Increasing Application in Health Care Sector Presents Opportunities

DUBLIN, Nov. 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Wearable Camera Market (2021-2026) by Type, End-User, Geography, Competitive Analysis and the Impact of Covid-19 with Ansoff Analysis" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Global Wearable Camera Market is estimated to be USD 4.6 Bn in 2020 and is expected to reach USD 7.48 Bn by 2025, growing at a CAGR of 10.2%.

Market Dynamics

Increasing outdoor activities such as water sports, hiking, sky-diving, etc.,

Monday, November 22, 2021

An Taoiseach Micheál Martin Officially Opens Newly Reconstructed Main Runway At Cork Airport

Cork Airport Runway Reopens

An Taoiseach Micheál Martin has officially opened the newly reconstructed main runway at Cork Airport. At a ceremony on the runway at Cork Airport today to mark the completion of the fastest large-scale construction project undertaken in the State in recent years - 12 months from funding approval to the completion of the construction works – the Taoiseach was joined by Minister Hildegarde Naughton, Minister of State at the Department of Transport  and senior cabinet members along with civic and business leaders to witness the result of the single biggest investment by any Government at Cork Airport to reconstruct a key strategic asset for Cork and the South of Ireland for the next 20 years.

Speaking at the ceremony held on the new runway, Taoiseach Micheál Martin TD,

Minister Humphreys announces extension of Hot School Meals Programme

81 additional DEIS schools invited to join programme

€3 million investment to benefit up to 16,000 primary school pupils

Expansion to bring total number of pupils receiving hot meal to over 55,000

Minister for Social Protection, Heather Humphreys TD, has today announced an extension of the Hot Schools Meals Programme, which will benefit up to 16,000 additional primary school pupils.

The €3 million investment will see 81 DEIS schools invited to join the programme

Government Ministers announce COVID-19 assistance for Lebanon

The Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly TD, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien TD and the Minister for Overseas Development Aid and Diaspora, Colm Brophy TD, with a number of government departments, the HSE and state agencies are working together to provide assistance to Lebanon in response to the worsening incidence of COVID-19 there.

A donation of 16,500 packs of Magellan safety needles and 16,400 B Braun Omnifix

Minister Naughton announces €1.6m in funding for Knock (Ireland West) and Kerry Airports

Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Hildegarde Naughton T.D., has today announced the allocation of almost €1.6 million in Exchequer funding to regional airports under the Regional Airports Programme 2021-2025.

Announcing these allocations, Minister of State Naughton said: ‘Building on my

Cabinet approves General Scheme of the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) (Amendment) Bill

  • Landmark legislation will end wardship system in Ireland

Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman ,T.D., and Minister of State with Special Responsibility for Disabilities, Anne Rabbitte, T.D., have received Cabinet approval to commence drafting the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) (Amendment) Bill 2021.

The proposed legislation will amend the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act

New research confirms that participating in creative activity in adult years promotes health and well- being and reduces loneliness, depression and stress

The Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin, T.D., welcomed today the results of a newly-published report by The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) at Trinity College Dublin.

The research, which was commissioned by the Creative Ireland Programme, investigated how creative activity impacts on the lives of older people. It

Ministers McConalogue and Noonan visit site of Drumkeeran Landslide

The Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue T.D. and the Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform Malcolm Noonan T.D. met with landowners affected by a landslide in Drumkeeran, Co Leitrim.

Image: Drumkeeran 1

Over 20 farmers and landowners have been impacted by the landslide, which occurred in June 2020. A multi-agency working group was established in the wake of the landslide with the aim of working to support those affected.

Ministers McConalogue and Noonan, as well as members of their

Ireland West Airport welcomes announcement of €504,750 in funding for Sustainability projects from the Department of Transport


Ireland West Airport today welcomes the announcement by Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Hildegarde Naughton T.D. that funding to the amount of €504,750 from the Department of Transport, Tourism & Sport has been approved for Capital expenditure (CAPEX) projects. The funding is provided to contribute towards investment in sustainability initiatives in the areas of safety, security and sustainability under the Regional Airports Programme 2021-2025. 


In 2019 the Ireland West Airport was awarded Eco Merit Certification which recognises that the airport is operating in an environmentally responsible manner with a continued focus on helping improve our environmental performance, reduce costs and manage risk.  

The airport is currently part of the Airport Councils International (ACI) Carbon

Starcircle creates 100 jobs as it sets its sights on further international business growth

Starcircle

Starcircle, a trailblazing Cork-based talent sourcing technology provider that helps companies source and engage with hidden talent, is excited to announce plans to create 100 new jobs.

Enabled by technology and informed by data, Starcircle is rapidly expanding its team to cater for the surge in demand for its revolutionary approach to talent acquisition.

Starcircle, whose clients are some of the world’s biggest names - Marvel, Facebook, Amazon, Epic Games, Sonos, Dropbox, Doordash and Paypal, has earned its reputation for enabling companies to see further and expand their field of vision to find diverse talent.

Starcircle is a category creator that takes a unique approach to solve huge talent challenges for major global clients. It is particularly successful at supporting clients who need

Thursday, November 4, 2021

Swiss International Air Lines to launch a new weekly service to Geneva, Switzerland

SWISS

Management at Cork Airport has expressed its delight that Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) will commence a new weekly service to Geneva from Cork Airport this winter.


SWISS will operate the new route on Sundays from December 19, 2021 to March 6, 2022. The route will be served with a 145-seat Airbus A220-300. The flight will depart Geneva Airport at 12:10 local time arriving into Cork Airport at 13.25 and will depart from Cork Airport again at 14.10 and arriving in Geneva at 17:20. The flight will be available for booking on swiss.com from November 5, 2021.


Brian Gallagher, Head of Aviation and Commercial Business Development at

Minister McGrath announces winner of the Construction Sector Build Digital Grant

From Department of Public Expenditure and Reform 


The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Michael McGrath TD, has awarded funding to the Build Digital Alliance, led by TU Dublin, for their proposal which sets out plans to gather momentum in digital adoption in the construction sector in Ireland.


The Build Digital grant project was established under Project Ireland 2040 to

Department confirms Avian Influenza H5N1 in a wild bird in Co Galway

From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine 


The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has confirmed a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) subtype H5N1 in a wild bird in Oranmore, Co Galway. The peregrine falcon was submitted to Limerick Regional Veterinary Laboratory as part of the Department’s wild bird AI surveillance programme.


Highly pathogenic H5N1 has been confirmed in wild birds, poultry and captive

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