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THE GOVERNMENT HAS ANNOUNCED this year’s overseas travel programme for St Patrick’s Day, which will see the Taoiseach and eight ministers heading abroad for the holiday.
While Enda Kenny is planning to meet US President Barack Obama at the White House to provide the annual bowl of Irish shamrock, the other countries on the list include Australia, India and Rome.
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The full programme for each minister’s trip has yet to be announced, but one will be travelling to Christchurch, New Zealand, where two Irish people are known to have died in the city’s recent earthquake.
Last year, the then-Taoiseach Brian Cowen, ten ministers and 11 junior ministers travelled abroad for St Patrick’s Day.
Click through our slideshow for the names of the ministers who will be travelling next week – and where they’re going:
Germany - Richard Bruton, Minister for Enterprise, Jobs and Innovation
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No matter how you dress it up the truth is that all governments of the day have sought to deny citizens their rights and entitlements based on the fact that citizens have no knowledge of their entitlements, how to qualify like signing for credits to be entitled to a pension when they reach pensionable age if they are out of the workforce for caring roles or what exactly their medical card covers before charges are levied or indeed if they have a long term illness that they may be entitled to medication. In the case above. it is galling to hear Watt say “I don’t think anyone disputes that it was unfair … that’s different to legal entitlement.” There are none so blind as those who will not see and it is those most in need to are treated with such distain.
Still , you have to have some sympathy for the tax payers and governments of the current era .They are expected to compensate everyone back to the foundation of the state ..I mean all the descendents of the executed 1916 leaders should be compensated should they not but by whom ,Britain I suppose .As for monies paid by nursing home residents many of whom have passed away is that to go to their ‘loved’ ones for extensions to houses, sun holidays and all the rest . Special needs people in care homes are frequently not capable of making a will and their money will go to random relatives who may have never visited them once when they were alive .We are a grand little country shure
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