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THE DEPARTMENT OF Health is currently examining a policy paper that lays out options for lifting the lifetime ban on gay men donating blood in Ireland.
The report was compiled by the Irish Blood Transfusion Service (IBTS) and sets out a range of options for reviewing the ban on donations including total removal of the ban, a time deferral on donation and a continuation of the existing ban. It was recently handed over to the Department for consideration.
The ban was introduced in 1985 as part of a worldwide response to the emergence of HIV and AIDS. It was announced last month that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the US will move to ease its ban by allowing gay men to donate after a year of abstaining from sex.
Today, Tiernan Brady, policy director with gay rights group GLEN, said this review represented a significant and positive development. He said the original ban was “introduced at a time of international fear and lack of knowledge about AIDs and HIV”.
In the subsequent years science has made major advances in understanding, identifying and treating HIV and it is right that we take those scientific advances into account.
“The priority is that there is a safe blood supply which has the confidence of the general public,” he said. “An essential part of that is keeping up to date with the scientific developments.”
There can be no doubt, according to Brady, that the blanket lifetime ban “continues to stigmatise” gay and bisexual men. This policy document represents “the first real step” in addressing that stigma, he said.
A Department spokesperson confirmed it had received the policy paper recently and that it is being considered, adding that “it will take time” before any decision is made on this issue.
The leader steps down following a scandal..isn’t that a novel idea..never catch on here ….
You need to have a leader first ;)
guess they won’t be going into f1 now
Das Enda.
Vorsprung Durch Technik – well they didn’t lie did they, Tschus!
Force = Mass x acceleration. To create force u need Energy. You simply cannot increase power (energy), fuel efficiency and reduce emissions. If u want to push a larger rocl up a hill you need a bigger man-who eats more-and quite possibly flatulates more too :))
VW just got caught. The rest of the car industry will now claim that they’re ‘appalled’ and quickly remove dodgy software from their stock.
“Not at Ford, we take pride in our award winning safety record” wink wink. Psst! quickly remove all traces and lets keep it quiet!
This has been going on for years with all manufacturers, Some Classic example are
Audi Numerous & timing chain /burning oil
Ford Dual mass flywheel
Mercedes SBC unit /Timing Chains
Nissan Timing Chains key fobs
Opel Numerous including engine fire
Peugeot Numerous & Electric
Renault Numerous & Electric window fault / Key card fault
Seat VAG Emissions nct Fail HCppm
Toyota Air bag /Burning oil
Volvo Numerous & Electric
Mechanical and electrical parts fail. When these items you have listed fail during the warranty period it costs the manufacturers a fortune In parts, freight and claimed garage labour times.
Seat vag emissions!
Was it covered under warranty?
If it failed an nct test due to exhaust emissions and it was under warranty and if a fault can be proven via diagnostics then it should be
“Wir Riggin’ Autos”
Brilliant, Fran!
More time to play GOLF and POLO
And PASSAT!!………..oh right,yea i see what you were doing there…..
Any chance that Merkel will go too?
Too good be true I’m afraid
That’d come in fierce handy for the NCT.
Can’t see why they are so popular here tbh modern vw cars are some of the worst reliability wise….over priced and living of an old reliable name but sure people are falling for the jazz
He steps down but will take a nice 10/20 mill package for his troubles
Resign before he got das boot.
I’m surprised this is only now becoming an issue, the Mpg fugues quoted my car manufacturers are also pure fantasy.
In a way, I kind of admire VW for sticking their finger up at the bureaucracy of increasingly stringent emission regulations! All it does is force manufactures to asphyxiate their engines with emission regulating technologies to the detriment of reliability at the expense of the owners! EGR’s, DPF’s etc are nothing but trouble.
Why we’re pushing people to buy diesels is a mystery. They are polluting the shiiit out of our cities.
As an aside, are vw golfs as popular as they were in Irl? They was a fetish for then in the naughties.
Wonder will this affect the CO2 emission bands of Volks here?
No
@Tony – and you know this how. ..? This is just the top of the iceberg. ..
If the emissions levels have been falsified, then they need to be determined.
Following that the correct taxes should be applied to them, of course they should.
How could anyone argue otherwise?
The emissions in question are NOx (nitrous oxide) not CO2 (carbon dioxide)
Diesel fumes are toxic, Paris plans to ban Diesel cars by 2020 London are looking to follow suit also
diesel was kind of the great redeemer of the combustion engine. Surely now electric and possibly hydrogen will be pushed to the forefront.
It will be the end of small workshops when this happens. They won’t have the finances or know how to work on these cars. Motor factors won’t be able to sell parts and the infrastructure change cost required if the national fleet is to change would be huge. Don’t expect it to happen anytime soon
Garry, 2 issues. (1) Battery range. (2) sufficient raw material to make batteries-scarce…
Hey who says Germans are honest?
€280 road tax for those who can afford “Low Emissions” new cars.
€700 road tax for those who can not afford new cars.
€420 balance given to Irish Water to subsidise those who can afford “Low Emissions” new cars!!
Can we have a refund of €420 please since 2008 Green Party and Fianna Fail thick chicken antics.
Just a thought how many shares does saudi Arabia United Arab Emirates and the such like have in the German economy pure thick the people on this ball of muck
have your say