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Live Blog
As it happened: Government called upon to 'go further' with containment measures as TDs make statements on Covid-19
Here’s a round-up of the latest developments today.
1.53pm, 5 Mar 2020
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LAST UPDATE|5 Mar 2020
THE THIRTY-THIRD DÁIL reconvened today – the second time since the general election result – and the new TDs discussed the threat that the new coronavirus Covid-19 poses to Ireland and abroad.
After four new confirmed cases were announced last night, Health Minister Simon Harris said that schools will be impacted in different ways by confirmed cases, but added that it was important that schools did not act unilaterally, and that people shouldn’t panic.
Here is the latest update on where we are on Covid-19:
There are 9 people on the island of Ireland who have been confirmed to have Covid-19: three in Northern Ireland, and six in the Republic of Ireland
At least two schools in Clare have issued closure notices after it was announced last night that there were four new confirmed cases in the west of Ireland
Italy now has over 3,000 cases, and over 100 deaths. Yesterday Italy announced its schools would close until mid-March to slow the spread
The World Health Organisation has increased the death rate from over 2% to 3.4%
The HSE gave an update at 2pm (no new cases confirmed); a briefing from the Department of Health is due at 8.30pm.
Meanwhile in Qatar, the country’s Ministry of Public Health has indefinitely banned serving shisha at coffee shops and restaurants to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
The Gulf state took other measures, including the suspension of classes at schools and universities.
The Qatar News Agency tweeted that the suspension will start on 10 March and will continue until further notice.
The Ministry of Public Health issued Tuesday a decision to prohibit Shisha/hookah in all restaurants and cafes operating in the country, starting from today until further notice. #QNApic.twitter.com/THA9ROQgVA
Meanwhile in Qatar, the country’s Ministry of Public Health has indefinitely banned serving shisha pipes at coffee shops and restaurants to prevent the spread of coronavirus,
The Gulf state took other measures, including the suspension of classes at schools and universities.
The QNA tweeted that the suspension will start on 10 March and will continue until further notice.
The Ministry of Public Health issued Tuesday a decision to prohibit Shisha/hookah in all restaurants and cafes operating in the country, starting from today until further notice. #QNApic.twitter.com/THA9ROQgVA
As noted below, the media will be briefed on the latest Covid-19 developments in Ireland at 8.30pm this evening.
Stick with TheJournal.ie for all the latest updates from the briefing.
5 Mar 2020
6:57PM
The Department of Health will be briefing the media on the latest Covid-19 updates at 8.30pm.
5 Mar 2020
6:33PM
Ossian Smyth is an Irish Green Party TD now speaking about the worker who works in the sandwich bar or in a pub, who fear they won’t get paid if they have to self isolate.
5 Mar 2020
6:29PM
Giving some advice on what to tell children in relation to Covid-19, McDonald, having had her own experience, says: “Don’t dismiss their concerns and fears, be honest.”
5 Mar 2020
6:29PM
On large gatherings, McDonald said the medical experts should decide that.
McDonald’s two children attend Scoil Chaitríona, a school that has closed for two weeks after a pupil tested positive for Covid-19.
“My own family has been affected … my son and daughter are now self isolating at home,” she tells the Dáil.
McDonald says her children’s “delight at two weeks off has well and truly passed”.
She said there is no sport, no hanging out with friends, “no craic whatsoever”.
She said the “reality has dawned on them very quickly”.
McDonald thanked those that have sent good wishes to her and her family.
“There is a great deal of anxiety and uncertainty” out there, she says.
5 Mar 2020
6:25PM
Mary Lou McDonald says advice and protection for workers must be guaranteed.
Workers need assurances that they can come forward and will be protected, she says, adding that special attention must be paid to low-pay workers.
She says those that live week-to-week will fear losing out on pay if they are required to self-isolate.
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald says a meeting of the north-south ministerial council should be convened as a matter of urgency.
“We need to increase capacity rapidly,” she says, adding that no bed should close.
The beds as part of the winter initiative which are due to close on 31 March should not close, says McDonald.
The Sinn Féin leader says beds need to be freed up by discharging those that are well.
This will require more home help hours, she says.
5 Mar 2020
6:19PM
Fianna Fáil’s Paul McAuliffe says the HSE helpline should be open longer and he says test results for people should come back sooner as people who are tested are very stressed.
“If we are in a war, we need a war Cabinet,” he says, urging the government talks to progress.
5 Mar 2020
6:17PM
As regards travel restrictions, Stephen Donnelly asks if flights from the restricted areas should be allowed, stating that people from Italy and the areas affected will be travelling to Dublin this weekend.
He says it is a question that needs to be asked.
5 Mar 2020
6:13PM
Donnelly says the Department of Foreign Affairs website could also be more clear.
Schools have also not been directed to not travel through the hot zones, and Donnelly asks why schools aren’t being asked not to go there.
Fianna Fáil health spokesperson Stephen Donnelly says a lot of people are worried right now, particularly those that are susceptible.
Children are increasingly concerned too as they are getting some false information on social media.
He commends communication from HSE, but he says HSE Facebook messaging has been poor.
He says some information is not being shared, and says when it came to the first case, he saw no reason why the mode of transport used was not revealed.
He says as much information that can be shared should be shared.
Ireland remains in the containment phase, says Simon Harris.
“I understand just how anxious people are about this outbreak,” he says, adding that the risk is low for people who have not travelled to the impacted areas or who have not come in contact with an infected case.
He says health workers are working flat out and should be commended.
This is a public health emergency, he says.
5 Mar 2020
6:02PM
Harris says airports and seaports are directly liaising with health authorities in relation to Covid-19.
The Department of Transport has been in touch with all public transport operators, he says.
Proposals on social protection supports and sick pay will be considered in Monday’s sub-committee meeting on Covid-19, Harris adds.
Health Minister Simon Harris briefing the Dáil now about Covid-19. He says the patients affected will never be named by authorities and efforts to name them on social media is "disgusting".
Harris is briefing the Dáil on the confirmed cases to date, along with the number of tests that have been carried out.
5 Mar 2020
5:53PM
Health Minister Simon Harris is now addressing the Dáil regarding Covid-19.
“This is neither a time for panic or a time for complacency. Our approach will remain both vigilant and proportionate,” he says.
5 Mar 2020
5:40PM
The patient who has died in the UK had been “in an out of hospital” for other reasons but was admitted on Wednesday evening to the Royal Berkshire NHS Trust and tested positive.
The news comes as cases of coronavirus in the UK have more than doubled in 48 hours as the country moves towards the delay phase of tackling the virus.
Some 116 people have tested positive, including 105 in England, three in Wales, six in Scotland and three in Northern Ireland.
Just two days ago there were 51 UK cases.
5 Mar 2020
5:32PM
A number of NUIG students studying on Erasmus programmes in Italy have been asked to return home following the announcement that Italian authorities have closed all schools and colleges in the country.
Ten students who were studying in Northern regions – the centre of the outbreak – have been asked to return to Ireland and to follow the advice of the HSE and Department of Foreign Affairs.
A further nine students have not been asked to return from Italy as they are not studying in the Northern region, a spokesperson said.
Other universities, including UCD which has around 30 students on Erasmus in Italy and Trinity College Dublin, which has 22 students on Erasmus, said they are not requesting their students return but are asking them to inform them if they intend on travelling back to Ireland.
5 Mar 2020
5:32PM
A statement from the Royal Berkshire NHS Trust said: “Sadly, we can confirm that an older patient with underlying health conditions has died.
“The patient has previously been in and out of hospital for non-coronavirus reasons, but on this occasion was admitted and last night tested positive for coronavirus.
“The family has been informed and our thoughts are with them at this difficult time.
“We will not be commenting further and ask that everybody respects the family’s privacy.”
5 Mar 2020
5:25PM
Authorities have confirmed the first coronavirus-related death in the UK.
One patient with underlying health conditions has died after testing positive for coronavirus, the Royal Berkshire NHS Trust said.
Primark has confirmed that it is asking the majority of staff in its Dublin headquarters to work from home tomorrow.
In a statement this evening, the company said:
“In order to test our operational readiness and IT capability should a situation arise where we need to temporarily close one of our offices, we have asked the majority of our employees in our Dublin headquarters and Reading office to work remotely on Friday 6 March.
“We have not had any cases of Covid-19 among our employees.”
Dr Ghebreyesus said WHO is “concerned that in some countries the level of political commitment and the actions that demonstrate that commitment do not match the level of the threat we all face”.
He said:
“This is not a drill. This is not the time to give up, This is not the time for excuses. This is a time for pulling out all the stops.
“Countries have been planning for scenarios like this for decades. Now is the time to act on those plans.”
He called on governments to educate their public in knowing what the symptoms are and how they can protect themselves.
He also called on governments to increase their testing capacity, get hospitals ready and ensure essential supplies are available.
“If countries act aggressively to find, isolate and treat cases, and to trace every contact, they can change the trajectory of this epidemic.
“If we take the approach that there’s nothing we can do, that will quickly become a self-fulfilling prophecy. It’s in our hands.”
"#COVID19 is a serious disease. It is not deadly to most people, but it can kill.
We’re all responsible for reducing our own risk of infection, and if we’re infected, for reducing our risk of infecting others."-@DrTedros#coronavirus
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) March 5, 2020
In a press briefing this afternoon, the World Health Organization confirmed that there is now a total of 95,265 reported cases of Covid-19 globally, and 3,281 deaths.
"There is now a total of 95,265 reported cases of #COVID19 globally & 3281 deaths.
In the past 24 hours, #China reported 143 cases. Most cases continue to be reported from Hubei province, and 8 provinces have not reported any cases in the last 14 days"-@DrTedros#coronavirus
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) March 5, 2020
Police in Northern Ireland may face 12-hour shifts and cancelled rest days if coronavirus has a serious impact on staffing levels, the PSNI has said.
This afternoon, PSNI Chief Constable Simon Byrne stressed the potential impact of Covid-19 is very much unknown at this stage.
However, he revealed contingency plans are in place if high numbers of his officers are struck down by the disease.
Speaking of the possibility of 12-hour shifts and cancelled rest days, he said: “It’s not a long-term solution but we can use it to boost the number of people available.
“At the moment we are not complacent, and we can use a lot of experience from operating at pace at different times, whether it is dealing with complex investigations or serious disorder to keep officers and staff available to work.”
Byrne said that the PSNI also has to look at “how we will support all our staff through this difficult time because we are dealing with uncertainty, see how we can get them back to work quickly when they fall ill”.
PSNI Chief Constable Simon Byrne says his officers do not yet have the powers to detain over #coronavirus but that dialogue is ongoing with the Department of Justice over the matter pic.twitter.com/JsLn2AUtHi
The Chief Constable also revealed he is in discussions with Stormont’s Justice Department about securing bolstered powers to enable officers to detain affected people who might be unwilling to quarantine themselves.
He said he hoped powers handed to police in England could be replicated in Northern Ireland.
Asked if he was concerned about the risk to law and order, he responded: “It’s easy to speculate some sort of scenes of a horror film where we are dealing with pandemic and virus, but at the moment our assumption is actually that as people fall ill, that will quieten down the calls for service from us.”
5 Mar 2020
4:40PM
A second case of coronavirus has been confirmed in Wales, the country’s chief medical officer has announced.
Dr Frank Atherton said: “We have identified yesterday evening the second Welsh case. It’s a patient who has travel history to Italy, a Cardiff resident who has been assessed by infectious disease experts, and who is being managed in a setting in Wales.”
He said the patient, who he said he could not identify but was not thought to have a connection to the first patient who tested positive for the disease, was being treated in the Welsh NHS.
He said the patient was identified from community testing at their home.
5 Mar 2020
4:28PM
Hello, Hayley Halpin here now.
I’ll be taking you through all the latest Covid-19 updates this evening.
5 Mar 2020
4:19PM
Eight of the new confirmed patients contracted the virus in the UK and it is not clear yet whether they contracted it directly or indirectly from an individual who had recently returned from abroad.
So the numbers in the Republic of Ireland haven’t changed today (so far), but in England, the Department of Health has said there are 25 further confirmed cases of the Covid-19 virus.
Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty said 17 were diagnosed after recently travelling from recognised countries or who were from recognised clusters under investigation.
Included in the above figures are 25 further cases in England.
Following previously reported confirmed cases in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland, the total number of UK cases is 115.
The HSE says there is an “increasing preparedness” for the possibility of outbreaks/clusters or ongoing community transmission in Ireland, which would see us move into the mitigation phase.
The national ambulance service is now providing a “key element” to the community testing model (swabs can now be taken in people’s homes) which will “alleviate pressure on acute hospitals”.
The HSE says its procurement team has been very active in sourcing key health supplies in what it says has become a “volatile market”.
The HSE has also invested €20 million to increase its ICU bed capacity
Our reporter Nicky Ryan has been speaking to Richard Grogan, employment law specialist, who explained workers’ current entitlements if they have to self-isolate:
RTÉ’s Health Correspondent Fergal Bowers reports a final year exam for RCSI students has been moved forward by seven weeks:
300 final-year student doctors at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland have had an important final year exam moved forward seven weeks because of Coronavirus.
The government said people should not be de-incentivised to disclose symptoms or to inform their employer of exposure to Covid-19.
The Workplace Relations Commission has issued a guidance note on Covid-19 for employers and employees, asking employers to be as flexible as possible and explore options as the need might arise.
“The government recognises that the State itself is the largest employer in the country, and guidance will be issued today in respect of the arrangements that will apply to all Civil and Public Service employees
“The government acknowledges that there are a wide range of scenarios where businesses and employees will be potentially affected by the impacts of Covid-19.”
The Taoiseach has asked officials to meet with employer and trade union representatives to discuss how assistance can be best provided.
5 Mar 2020
3:59PM
The government has just issued a statement on income support for employees who are required to self-isolate.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said workers “should receive income support” if they have to self-isolate in accordance with medical advice.
“This will require flexibility and responsiveness by employers and in government social protection schemes,” he said.
Varadkar said proposals will be considered by the Cabinet subcommittee on Monday.
5 Mar 2020
3:47PM
HSE chief Paul Reid told reporters at today’s briefing that the HSE will be taking up the issue of misinformation with social media platforms:
“For us in terms of social media, we’ve had good support today from all the social media platforms. There have been occasions where somebody may post a video, something of a test being carried out on an area.”
He said this is “not good for the public and not good for us”.
5 Mar 2020
3:32PM
Our reporter Christina Finn has an update from the Dáil:
In the Dáil, on a discussion about Europe, People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett that if Ireland has to fall foul of intellectual property rules relating to vaccines or rules governing medicine its distribution, that should be done.
He says private hospitals, if needed, must also be used, even if that is against health policy. “If rules or fiscal rules or state aid rules need to be broken then that should be done,” he says.
Boyd Barrett also states that if there is any profiteering on the back of this virus, people and companies should face serious consequences.
If there is an attempt to raise prices or medicine, equipment, hand sanitisers, “it should be severely punished”.
“Severe sanctions should be imposed if there are any signs of that across Europe,” he said.
5 Mar 2020
3:31PM
In international news: NATO has said that it has confirmed three cases of the novel coronavirus linked to its military headquarters in Belgium – a civilian employee and two family members.
The employee had recently travelled to Italy. NATO said the employee and family members had not visited its Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) facility in Mons, southern Belgium, since returning from Italy.
“There are three confirmed COVID-19 cases within our wider SHAPE community,” NATO said in a statement.
5 Mar 2020
3:25PM
Our reporter Rónán Duffy has been looking at public transport challenges:
The use of public transport is one that has been raised in reference to Ireland’s response to the coronavirus.
The National Bus and Rail Union has been raising concern about its members’ interactions with the public. General Secretary Dermot O’Leary told TheJournal.ie that the union has a number of concerns:
“Bus Éireann coaches don’t have protective screens for example. So the drivers feel they are vulnerable, there is a lot of interaction with passengers across the country, north, south, east and west.”
“The other issue is the capacity issue on public transport these days, anyone who uses public transport these days be it trains, Darts, commuter services , Dublin Bus or buses in other cities. Some of these voices you read are saying to keep outside three feet from people with allergies or sneezing or anything like that, well you wouldn’t find three inches on packed public transport.”
In a statement, the National Transport Authority responded to a number of queries and to anecdotal observations that passenger numbers have decline on some services:
“NTA and the transport operators have been engaging with the health authorities. The cleaning practices of transport operators are in line with advice provided by the health authorities. We have no data to suggest that passenger numbers are down.”
5 Mar 2020
3:20PM
This long-read from Vox explains what connection they think bats have with the Covid-19 outbreak:
“Bats are hunted and eaten in China, and in fact were brought into the markets in the case of SARS, and that is how other animals, including people, were infected.”
5 Mar 2020
3:16PM
Some useful resources on the most common symptoms of Covid-19 and mythbusters:
Dr Doyle said that there are some positives for Ireland in tackling Covid-19:
“It has emerged elsewhere so that has given us some time to gather some information to find out about it, and also to prepare. We do have previous knowledge of other Coronaviruses and other infectious diseases. So the principles of management will remain the same, whether that’s from a public health perspective, or a clinical perspective.
“Investigating each of the cases, implementing prevention measures their public health measures and control also control public health measures. And we do know that many of these things work.
“We do have previous experience with pandemic influenza and SARS. We are in a developed world health healthcare system.
“And the other thing is, and I think it’s really important to emphasise at this point is that I think the Irish people are a nation who have solidarity. And we have come through previous crises.”
5 Mar 2020
3:02PM
Cormican also adds this fun fact: “It’s called Corona because some people think that the pictures of it looked like a crown. I can’t see it myself but that’s why it’s called coronavirus.”
5 Mar 2020
3:02PM
Parents of children at the Glasnevin school raised a number of questions at a townhall-style meeting this week, and one was “why don’t you just test everybody?”
Professor Martin Cormican, National lead for infection control and antimicrobial resistance, HSE says that testing contacts too early, before they get sick, can give a false reassurance, and is not the best use of lab testing capacity.
5 Mar 2020
3:00PM
In a Claire Byrne poll, a panel of over 1,000 adults were asked whether they were “concerned about Covid-19 in Ireland”.
The results showed that most people were:
62% of people said Yes, they were concerned
30% of people said No they weren’t concerned
8% said they didn’t know.
The results showed that the group who were most concerned were women (67%) and those aged 55 and over (66%), as well as those aged between 35-44 (63%).
People aged 18-24, and men were the groups who were least worried (57% of each of these groups).
59% of the ABC1 groups were concerned, versus 64% of the C2DEF group.
5 Mar 2020
2:41PM
Dr Sarah Doyle, a HSE Consultant in Public Health Medicine, said that there were “a number of reasons” why Ireland is concerned about the virus:
“It’s new. So we’re still learning about it. There can be considerable individual and family impact.
“There’s no vaccine for prevention, and to no treatment. Because it’s new everybody is susceptible.
“It will have considerable impact on health services, we know that from experience elsewhere. And if there are health care staff infected that will also have an impact on healthcare services.
“It will also have considerable social and economic impacts,” she said.
5 Mar 2020
2:37PM
Our reporter Adam Daly is at a weekly HSE briefing on the Covid-19 coronavirus.
Commenting at a briefing this afternoon, HSE chief executive Paul Reid said about the four new cases in the west of Ireland:
All those cases have been placed in infection control environments have been treated for that matter.
Reid says contact tracing of this cluster of cases is a “significant challenge”.
On the Glasnevin case, he said:
We took a very proactive engagement with the relevant areas involved and decisions that were made very promptly with the communities involved for the public representatives for the area were briefed in detail.
Reid says the HSE will follow that same line of contact in all cases as was done in Glasnevin, ie, issuing letters and meeting with parents.
5 Mar 2020
2:31PM
Our political correspondent Christina Finn is watching Dáil proceedings closely, here’s a quick note from her on what to expect:
“The Dáil is back today for the second time since the general election. There are two matters up for discussion – the European Council meeting held last month and the outbreak of Covid-19.
“It’s a six and a half hour sitting today – so we might not get to statements on the coronavirus until after 5pm.
“The FG parliamentary party meeting met at noon today to discuss Micheál Martin’s latest offer of government formation, but it is understood there was a big focus on Covid-19, where Minister Harris briefed TDs and senators on the latest.”
This was enjoyable: it’s hard to keep politics out of any debate.
Laughter when Ceann Comhairle says @alankellylabour can’t speak now as it is only for party leaders and he’s not the Labour leader yet. Neither is @AodhanORiordain he says
Over at the Dáil, it has gathered today for the second time since the general election.
All party leaders are in the middle of giving a statement on Covid-19.
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald and Social Democrat Róisín Shortall have questioned the usefulness of a Cabinet subcommittee on the Covid-19 coronavirus, which is chaired by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.
@RoisinShortall says a special committee on Covid-19 was considered by business committee but it was decided best not to have health officials who are very busy having to appear before a new committee
Elsewhere, the Central Bank confirmed that one if its employees is being tested for Covid-19. A spokesperson added that the HSE has advised them to continue business as normal, and so its premises remain open today.
Employees have been given the option to work from home.
The Central Bank had yesterday advised the firms that it regulates (banks and credit unions, for example) to have a protocol in place to tackle major operational events that might happen in relation to the new coronavirus Covid-19.
Harris also said that it’s important that the public healthcare protocol is followed where there are confirmed cases, and in the case of schools, that they do not act “unilaterally”.
He added that some information will be given to the public through the media about confirmed cases, without compromising patient confidentiality.
Two males and two females in the west of the country were diagnosed with the new coronavirus Covid-19
The Health Minister Simon Harris said he was aware of schools in Clare being closed as a result of this, but said that the advice would be different for each school
When asked if one person had contracted the virus and spread it to the other three here, or if all four had contracted the virus in north Italy, Harris said that he had been informed that it was the latter
“There has been no community spread of the virus,” he said.
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When they arrested him he was told he didn’t have to say anything but anything he did say would be given as evidence. He said “I’ve no focal at all”. I’ll get me coat
All I want to know is: how much will FF charge us for water. Under legislation passed Dec2014 the current rates end Dec2018. And per jan2019 we pay €3.70 per m3. With avg use at 45m3 per person per year that’s €166 p.p per year. And that is steep.
This comment section is full of trolls from all political parties. Sinn Fein decided a few years back to target all the online debate & comment sections and social media. The other parties realized this started to send trolls onto all online media outlets, but Sinn Fein have had a head start and seem to have it wrapped up.
A party living in the past. I’m sure Mehole must ave been cringing when that clown turned up – his attendence really says where FF are – Living in the Past.
Haughey was a bad one to be sure but he had a vision for Ireland and created the IFSC. The lot we have today are all about themselves and what they can get from us. I would love a visionary rather than this lot.
@Michael sands any party that gets in will have to bow to Merkel and the EU regardless if its FF FG SF LB GR etc. That’s how it is and how it will be as the end of the day we are a island that needs mainland Europe.
Tom that is a lie that the E.U. spreads to create fear to control, look at the U.K. now wanting to leave… http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/danielhannan/100241300/whats-the-point-of-a-trade-mission-when-britain-cant-sign-a-trade-agreement/
China, Africa, Middle East, India, Russia, U.S. South America as they aren’t controlled by the E.U., It was Merkel who banned E.U. goods going to Russia thanks to Obama. Obama has more say over the E.U. than its own citizens?
The E.U. is riddled with ex Goldman Sachs employees, the E.U. looks now more like a branch of Goldman Sachs than anything else, the E.E.C. was a good idea but it has turned into a greedy nightmare where Merkel turned bank debt into tax payers debt. Does that not kill the E.U. spirit and what the E.E.C. was about?
There are many Islands outside the E.U. that do well for themselves, Ireland has changed itself to fit into what the Troika, Brussels, Frankfurt and Berlin wants. We have not taken proper care of ourselves and did what was good for us because we have lost our sovereignty thanks mainly to the Euro. What is next will be a federation to create a political union as promised by Professor Sinn who is Merkel’s right hand man and you can see that for yourself with his interview. An united states of Europe with Berlin as its political capital… https://www.rt.com/shows/sophieco/320457-eu-currency-economy-crises/
A political union of the E.U. is the death of democracy…
Ah sure they’ll just get the taxpayers to foot the bill for their knees up, and get to tell themselves how great they are while they’re at it. Meanwhile people sleeping on the streets and cancelled operations for sick kids due to a lack of money are the norm now in so called modern Ireland.
Not at my expense, let them pay for there own drinks, why should they rely on welfare from Irish citizens for their get togethers, they still haven’t cleared the beer and whiskey bill in the dail, sure small cheese to them at thirty thousand Euro, hardly worth the fuss, is it. These parasites are a drain on the rest of us, but you think it’s perfectly fine for financial abuse of our hard earned cash to be spent on expensive wines for our ruling elite, do us a favour and send them a cheque on your behalf to clear the bill so that taxpayers money can be spent on housing children living in b and b’s and to help clear the backlog for children living with crippling illnesses.
Von. Mk76 tough on everyone but politicians, always on here bleating about spongers but remarkably quiet when it comes tackling political fraud and crime.
Yes, Richie will be their director of elections and as his first act, he will force FF to be honest with the public and so all FF TD’s will wear clown suits similar to his own.
At the last election Fine Gael mopped up Fine Fails voters, it won’t be the case this time. It’s really unknown what’s going to happen this time around. I really fear what voters will do. I won’t be voting for either. But who will I vote for????
A gathering of parasites, Mickey Martain,s speech ,would have gone down well at a mafia convention. Very forgetful about criminality and corruption in his own party,
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We process your data to deliver content or advertisements and measure the delivery of such content or advertisements to extract insights about our website. We share this information with our partners on the basis of consent. You may exercise your right to consent, based on a specific purpose below or at a partner level in the link under each purpose. Some vendors may process your data based on their legitimate interests, which does not require your consent. You cannot object to tracking technologies placed to ensure security, prevent fraud, fix errors, or deliver and present advertising and content, and precise geolocation data and active scanning of device characteristics for identification may be used to support this purpose. This exception does not apply to targeted advertising. These choices will be signaled to our vendors participating in the Transparency and Consent Framework.
Manage Consent Preferences
Necessary Cookies
Always Active
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then these services may not function properly.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not be able to monitor our performance.
Store and/or access information on a device 110 partners can use this purpose
Cookies, device or similar online identifiers (e.g. login-based identifiers, randomly assigned identifiers, network based identifiers) together with other information (e.g. browser type and information, language, screen size, supported technologies etc.) can be stored or read on your device to recognise it each time it connects to an app or to a website, for one or several of the purposes presented here.
Personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development 143 partners can use this purpose
Use limited data to select advertising 113 partners can use this purpose
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times an ad is presented to you).
Create profiles for personalised advertising 83 partners can use this purpose
Information about your activity on this service (such as forms you submit, content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (for example, information from your previous activity on this service and other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (that might include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present advertising that appears more relevant based on your possible interests by this and other entities.
Use profiles to select personalised advertising 83 partners can use this purpose
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on your advertising profiles, which can reflect your activity on this service or other websites or apps (like the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects.
Create profiles to personalise content 39 partners can use this purpose
Information about your activity on this service (for instance, forms you submit, non-advertising content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (such as your previous activity on this service or other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (which might for example include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present content that appears more relevant based on your possible interests, such as by adapting the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find content that matches your interests.
Use profiles to select personalised content 35 partners can use this purpose
Content presented to you on this service can be based on your content personalisation profiles, which can reflect your activity on this or other services (for instance, the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects. This can for example be used to adapt the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find (non-advertising) content that matches your interests.
Measure advertising performance 134 partners can use this purpose
Information regarding which advertising is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine how well an advert has worked for you or other users and whether the goals of the advertising were reached. For instance, whether you saw an ad, whether you clicked on it, whether it led you to buy a product or visit a website, etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of advertising campaigns.
Measure content performance 61 partners can use this purpose
Information regarding which content is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine whether the (non-advertising) content e.g. reached its intended audience and matched your interests. For instance, whether you read an article, watch a video, listen to a podcast or look at a product description, how long you spent on this service and the web pages you visit etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of (non-advertising) content that is shown to you.
Understand audiences through statistics or combinations of data from different sources 74 partners can use this purpose
Reports can be generated based on the combination of data sets (like user profiles, statistics, market research, analytics data) regarding your interactions and those of other users with advertising or (non-advertising) content to identify common characteristics (for instance, to determine which target audiences are more receptive to an ad campaign or to certain contents).
Develop and improve services 83 partners can use this purpose
Information about your activity on this service, such as your interaction with ads or content, can be very helpful to improve products and services and to build new products and services based on user interactions, the type of audience, etc. This specific purpose does not include the development or improvement of user profiles and identifiers.
Use limited data to select content 37 partners can use this purpose
Content presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type, or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times a video or an article is presented to you).
Use precise geolocation data 46 partners can use this special feature
With your acceptance, your precise location (within a radius of less than 500 metres) may be used in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Actively scan device characteristics for identification 27 partners can use this special feature
With your acceptance, certain characteristics specific to your device might be requested and used to distinguish it from other devices (such as the installed fonts or plugins, the resolution of your screen) in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Ensure security, prevent and detect fraud, and fix errors 92 partners can use this special purpose
Always Active
Your data can be used to monitor for and prevent unusual and possibly fraudulent activity (for example, regarding advertising, ad clicks by bots), and ensure systems and processes work properly and securely. It can also be used to correct any problems you, the publisher or the advertiser may encounter in the delivery of content and ads and in your interaction with them.
Deliver and present advertising and content 99 partners can use this special purpose
Always Active
Certain information (like an IP address or device capabilities) is used to ensure the technical compatibility of the content or advertising, and to facilitate the transmission of the content or ad to your device.
Match and combine data from other data sources 72 partners can use this feature
Always Active
Information about your activity on this service may be matched and combined with other information relating to you and originating from various sources (for instance your activity on a separate online service, your use of a loyalty card in-store, or your answers to a survey), in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Link different devices 53 partners can use this feature
Always Active
In support of the purposes explained in this notice, your device might be considered as likely linked to other devices that belong to you or your household (for instance because you are logged in to the same service on both your phone and your computer, or because you may use the same Internet connection on both devices).
Identify devices based on information transmitted automatically 88 partners can use this feature
Always Active
Your device might be distinguished from other devices based on information it automatically sends when accessing the Internet (for instance, the IP address of your Internet connection or the type of browser you are using) in support of the purposes exposed in this notice.
Save and communicate privacy choices 69 partners can use this special purpose
Always Active
The choices you make regarding the purposes and entities listed in this notice are saved and made available to those entities in the form of digital signals (such as a string of characters). This is necessary in order to enable both this service and those entities to respect such choices.
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