GOOD MORNING.
Here’s all the news that you need to know as you start your day.
1. Cabinet is expected to approve the new National Maternity Hospital deal today.
The decision to approve the NMH’s move to St Vincent’s Hospital was delayed for two weeks in order to give more time for ministers, medical experts and the public to reflect on the proposals, according to the Government.
The Oireachtas Health Committee formally requested last week that Health Minister Stephen Donnelly further delay any Cabinet decision to allow for more consideration of the matter.
2. Ukrainian officials say the regiment that doggedly defended a steel mill in the port city of Mariupol has completed its mission.
The declaration came on Monday after more than 260 fighters, including some badly wounded, were evacuated and taken to areas under Russia’s control.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the evacuation to separatist-controlled territory was done to save the lives of the fighters who endured weeks of Russian assaults in the maze of underground passages below the hulking Azovstal steelworks. He said the “heavily wounded” were getting medical help.
Child Welfare
3. The Ombudsman for Children’s Office saw a 79% increase in complaints last year.
In 2021 there were 2,126 complaints made to the Ombudsman for Children’s Office, with 908 of these directly related to Covid-19 issues, according to the Ombudsman’s annual report.
These issues included restrictions in schools, uncertainty surrounding the Leaving Certificate, facemasks and supports for children with disabilities.
4.The UK Government is set to bring forward legislation on the legacy of the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Brandon Lewis, said late on Monday that the Government would introduce the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill on Tuesday.
It comes the day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited Northern Ireland in a bid to restore power-sharing, amid ongoing fall-out over the Northern Ireland Protocol.
5. Covid-19 hospitalisations and admissions to intensive care are declining.
In recent months, the focus largely shifted from emergency measures to reflection and planning for the future.
The Taoiseach said last year that an inquiry into the State’s handling of the pandemic would be carried out to learn lessons for “the next pandemic or the next emergency”.
Pay Dispute
6. Significant disruption to diagnostic tests both in hospitals and GP surgeries is expected as medical scientists are due to strike tomorrow.
The Medical Laboratory Scientists Association (MLSA), which represents more than 2,100 medical scientists, has said the dispute centres on a decades-long demand for pay parity with colleagues in laboratories who are doing the same work.
The union has said medical scientists are paid on average 8% less than colleagues in hospital laboratories who are doing the same work.
Protocol
7. UK Home Secretary Liz Truss will today declare her intention to bring forward legislation which rips up parts of the UK’s post-Brexit trade deal on Northern Ireland.
It is understood that Liz Truss will make the announcement in a statement to the Commons following a full Cabinet meeting, in an attempt to restore power-sharing in the region.
The row over the Northern Ireland Protocol has created an impasse in efforts to form a new Executive in Stormont, with the Democratic Unionist Party refusing to join an administration unless its concerns over the arrangements are addressed.
Mental Health
8. Progress being made on eating disorder services in Ireland is moving at a ‘somewhat slow’ pace, TDs and senators will hear this morning.
The Oireachtas subcommittee on mental health is meeting at 11am to discuss eating disorders in Ireland and hear from representatives of Bodywhys, a national voluntary organisation supporting people affected by eating disorders.
Bodywhys CEO Jacinta Hastings will address the meeting along with the organisation’s Training and Development Manager Harriet Parsons and Support Services Manager Kathy Downes.
Reopened
9.Dublin City Council today reopened Wolfe Tone Park following recent regeneration works by the Parks, Biodiversity and Landscape Services team.
The park is located in a busy shopping and business district in the north inner city. It used to be a graveyard that was attached to St. Mary’s Church. The graveyard was deconsecrated in 1966 and laid out as a green park.
The official reopening was carried out by the Lord Mayor of Dublin Alison Gilliland.
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