Connacht Tribune
Legal delay to report for ‘Tuam babies’ site
The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs has confirmed that a report on using DNA testing to identify the remains buried at Tuam Mother and Baby Home is currently being considered by her Department – but the report would require legal advice from the Attorney General ahead of its findings being made public.
Minister Katherine Zappone commissioned Special Rapporteur on Child Protection Dr Geoffrey Shannon to investigate the possibility of compiling a DNA database to compare against DNA profiles which may be generated from juvenile human remains found at the site in an effort to make positive identifications.
The report was due to examine if this can be carried out within the current legislative framework.
“I have received Dr Shannon’s report and it is under consideration in my Department. A requirement has been identified for detailed legal advice and this has been sought from the Office of the Attorney General. That advice will determine the options open to Government,” she said.
Minister Zappone was responding to a question from TD for Galway East Anne Rabbitte (FF) who is now calling on the Government to immediately implement supports for the survivors of mother and baby Homes – ahead of the publication of the Commission of Investigation’s report which is not due until February 2020.
Deputy Rabbitte called on the Minister to consider “establishing a redress or compensation scheme for survivors of mother and baby homes”.
In her response, the Minister said that while she appreciated the calls to establish such a scheme were “genuinely made” on behalf of an aging community, such a scheme could not be implemented ahead of the Commission’s report.
“Given that these specific matters have not been central to any previous inquiry, it is not feasible at this interim stage in the Commission’s work to pre-empt its findings and recommendations. To date, the Commission has made no findings about abuse or neglect in any of the institutions within its terms of reference.
“I know that many former residents are eagerly awaiting the completion of this work. When the final reports of the Commission are available, the Government will be in a position to comprehensively respond to the full account of the Commission’s conclusions on all matters regarding the experiences of former residents,” said the Minister.
Deputy Rabbitte asked the Minister to divulge the status of the working group established on supporting survivors and in her response, Minister Zappone confirmed that the group, which is a collaboration between her Department and the Department of Health, had met three times.
“The working group has been tasked with reporting by September in order to facilitate considerations within the estimates process for Budget 2020,” she said.
In relation to commemorating those who were held in the mother and baby homes, Deputy Rabbitte queried if funding could be supplied to survivors for their commemorative events – and the status of a national memorial.
Minister Zappone said her Department had already commenced the detailed scoping work necessary to implement the proposed memorial measures, which had come about in response to the first report of the Collaborative Forum of Former Residents of Mother and Baby Homes.
“When Government approved publication of the Forum’s recommendations on 16th April, it also agreed to progress a number of initial related measures. Chief amongst these was a necessity for a comprehensive analysis of all the recommendations in the report, with individual Departments to conduct an assessment of the policy, resource and legislative, of recommendations relevant to their respective Departments.
“I expect to receive feedback from relevant Departments shortly. Once this initial analysis and assessment is complete, my Department will further co-ordinate the response in respect of a number of recommendations, particularly those relating to memorialisation,” said the Minister.
Significant state investment is required to address ‘shocking’ inequalities that leave cancer patients in the West at greater risk of succumbing to the disease.
A meeting of Regional Health Forum West heard that survival rates for breast, lung and colorectal cancers than the national average, and with the most deprived quintile of the population, the West’s residents faced poorer outcomes from a cancer diagnosis.
For breast cancer patients, the five-year survival rate was 80% in the West versus 85% nationally; for lung cancer patients it was 16.7% in the west against a 19.5% national survival rate; and in the West’s colorectal cancer patients, there was a 62.6% survival rate where the national average was 63.1%.
These startling statistics were provided in answer to a question from Ballinasloe-based Cllr Evelyn Parsons (Ind) who said it was yet another reminder that cancer treatment infrastructure in the West was in dire need of improvement.
“The situation is pretty stark. In the Western Regional Health Forum area, we have the highest incidence of deprivation and the highest health inequalities because of that – we have the highest incidences of cancer nationally because of that,” said Cllr Parsons, who is also a general practitioner.
In details provided by CEO of Saolta Health Care Group, which operates Galway’s hospitals, it was stated that a number of factors were impacting on patient outcomes.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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GARDAÍ and the IFA have issued a joint appeal to all road users to take extra care as the silage season gets under way across the country.
Silage harvesting started in many parts of Galway last week – and over the coming month, the sight of tractors and trailers on rural roads will be getting far more frequent.
Inspector Conor Madden, who is in charge of Galway Roads Policing, told the Farming Tribune that a bit of extra care and common-sense from all road users would go a long way towards preventing serious collisions on roads this summer.
“One thing I would ask farmers and contractors to consider is to try and get more experienced drivers working for them.
“Tractors have got faster and bigger – and they are also towing heavy loads of silage – so care and experience are a great help in terms of accident prevention,” Inspector Madden told the Farming Tribune.
He said that tractor drivers should always be aware of traffic building up behind them and to pull in and let these vehicles pass, where it was safe to do so.
“By the same token, other road users should always exercise extra care; drive that bit slower; and ‘pull in’ that bit more, when meeting tractors and heavy machinery.
“We all want to see everyone enjoying a safe summer on our roads – that extra bit of care, and consideration for other roads users can make a huge difference,” said Conor Madden.
He also advised motorists and tractor drivers to be acutely aware of pedestrians and cyclists on the roads during the summer season when more people would be out walking and cycling on the roads.
The IFA has also joined in on the road safety appeal with Galway IFA Farm Family and Social Affairs Chair Teresa Roche asking all road users to exercise that extra bit of care and caution.
“We are renewing our annual appeal for motorists to be on the look out for tractors, trailers and other agricultural machinery exiting from fields and farmyards,” she said.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
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Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Families queue up for school’s offer of free house
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
Marathon Man plans to call a halt – but not before he hits 160 races
