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LAST UPDATE | 1 Jul 2022
DR TONY HOLOHAN is stepping down from his role as the country’s chief medical officer today after after 14 years in the job.
Tributes have been paid to the “leadership” and “courage” he brought to the position during the first two years of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Holohan himself said that “it’s been an honour to serve the Irish people, particularly through the Covid-19 pandemic.”
In a LinkedIn post, he wrote:
I believe that optimal public health and wellbeing, both physical and mental, is essential for people to reach their potential, and is key to a just and equitable society. Professionally I will continue to explore opportunities around health and related issues, but I want to see what else is out there too.
“There’s much to be done, especially with vulnerable groups, and now that I have more time, I plan to take on some pro bono work within healthcare and in wider community initiatives.
“The loss of my wife has also left me with a desire to do something meaningful in her memory, though the exact form it will take is still undecided.
“Thank you to the Irish people for their enormous trust, sacrifice, patience, and resilience in the last couple of years, and for their many kind messages when Emer died. I cannot adequately express how much this has meant to me and to our children. So many of us lost loved ones in the pandemic. My heartfelt commiserations to you all.”
He also thanked his Department of Health colleagues, the government, various agencies he worked with and the HSE.
“Having served seven Ministers, I witnessed firsthand just how dedicated each one of them has been. It has always impressed me.”
Holohan announced in March that he would be stepping down to take up an academic role at Trinity College Dublin.
He subsequently pulled out of the mooted Trinity post amid controversy over the transparency and funding of the position.
Professor Breda Smyth has been appointed to serve as Ireland’s interim chief medical officer.
A competition to find a permanent replacement for Dr Holohan remains ongoing.
Paying tribute to his last day, HSE Chief Operating Officer Colm Henry said he wanted to “acknowledge his leadership, courage and commitment throughout his tenure and the clarity he brought at a time of fear and uncertainty”.
“This involved great personal sacrifice for him and his family,” Henry said.
“Tá muid faoi chomaoin aige.”
Junior minister in the Department of Health Frank Feighan also commended Dr Holohan’s leadership.
“He was able to inform and also to show huge leadership ability,” Feighan said, speaking on Shannonside FM.
“People trusted him and people trusted his knowledge, but also trusted his evidence base, and the way he delivered it.
“That was very, very reassuring in the very, very difficult and dark times during the pandemic.”
As Dr Holohan steps down, Prof Smyth will head up the Government’s Covid-19 advisory group, which has replaced the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) which made public health recommendations to Government throughout the pandemic.
Professor Luke O’Neill, alongside infectious disease experts Professor Mary Horgan and Paddy Mallon are just some of the members of the Government’s new Covid-19 advisory group, which has 20 members.
Since it was established in April, the group has on two occasions. The Department of Health said the group will continue to meet regularly over the coming months.
Shortly after Holohan announced that he planned to step aside, deputy CMO Dr Ronan Glynn resigned to work in the private sector.
Since then, other significant players in the health service have announced they are moving on.
HSE boss Paul Reid confirmed this week that he will step down from his position later this year.
Reid stepping down comes amid what is being dubbed a “mass exodus” of people from the top jobs in health.
Anne O’Connor, the chief operating officer of the HSE, has also left for a job with the private health insurance company, VHI.
Those in Government are concerned about the “brain drain” in the Irish health service.
“There is a lot of turnover for sure,” said one source, adding that it is an employees market right now. They can get paid good money and get a lot less abuse, they added.
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Yet no changes to laws regarding tenants not paying their rent or causing damage beyond deposits. There are two sides to this and an increase in complaints doesn’t mean they are legitimate.
@Kal Ipers: and there are proven cases of landlords unreasonably forfeiting security deposits as well. This can have hugely detrimental impacts on some tenants who are in a precarious and vulnerable financial position.
A landlord can sue a former tenant arrears of rent and even get a garnishee order against a former tenants wages in case of default as well as register the Judgment and put it in Stubbs Gazette.
As for damage, if it is malicious, an Garda Siochana will pursue.
If accidental damage is done, insurance of landlords fixtures and against loss of rent is commercially available at a reasonable premium level.
Both landlord and tenant should exchange high resolution photos so as to record the condition of the rented property at the inception of the tenancy.
Sending a registered post letter setting out defects is good protection. Say, an old washing machine or other item packs up, some Landlords will demand a new and better replacement.
Reading the PRTB decisions can be illuminating. Surprisingly not all landlords are decent and it is not on,y tenants who may be a fault. The Landlord is in a much stronger position with greater leverage in a scarce supply market.
@Fiona deFreyne: hurling from the ditch Tony?
@Fiona deFreyne: Your obviously not a landlord. Good luck A. finding old tenants and good luck getting money out of former tenants if they wreck your home. Suing will not get landlords anywhere. Do you honestly think landlords want to claim on their insurance or take out accidental damage insurance whatever that means which increases their costs? There is no protection here for legitimate landlords.
@Karen Doyle: That’s unfortunately very true. Bringing in more measures against landlords will just drive them out of business. In Germany, an often cited paradise for tenants, it’s absolute standard to pay 3 months deposit. Well, they should bring in the measures and deal with an even hotter rental market when landlords put up the sales sign. Sorry tenant, you gotta move..
There are two sides to every story, but for now this is one side. Stop whining
@Fiona deFreyne: not really, 2 landlords in my street having to strip there trashed houses this week, tenants disappeared, thousands of euros out of pocket..
swings and roundabouts, yes some landlords are dodgy and more tenants are taking the pee you’ll find!
@Fiona deFreyne: Ha!
I’ve had 4 tenants that have absolutely destroyed 4 properties.
Its not that easy to go to court if you have a bank breathing down your neck looking for mortgage payments when the rent hasn’t been paid in 6 months!
You can’t even get a date in court for 6-8 months and even then the judge may just allow them to pay you back 20ks worth of damage at 50cent a week! if they have “no” income, what else can he do??
I am glad to see that I will now be able to sue the PRTB if the tenant absconds with excessive damage to a property though!
If the PRTB negates my right to look for two months deposit, they must then get the consequences of having to make up the shortfall on damages the tenant absconds from!
How about another article… ” Government to craxk down on renters who don’t pay landlords ”
@KingBen: that’s the job of the legal,profession, Courts and PRTB.
The housing relevance here is when a tenant has a security deposit forfeited, the tenants may not be able to raise another security deposit and one month’s rent in advance etc.
I have a first cousin who is a landlord of 3 rented properties. She says that she has always been lucky with tenants and she leaves them undusurbed with no rent increases in return for being good tenants.
Some landlords attract bad tenants. Others attract good tenants. Social class has nothing to do with it.
@Fiona deFreyne: in summary though and notwithstanding the anecdotal friend it cuts both ways. Some landlords retain deposits unfairly. Some tenants don’t pay their rent. It can take months to evict a non-paying tent and involve significant expense and time for the landlord. The landlord has to take time off work to attend RTB hearing and following an RTB judgement has to attend a court and appoint a lawyer, etc. In fact, it is this very risk that has encouraged landlords to seek deposits of additional duration. I don’t know about the theory of some landlords attracting good tenants and some attracting bad. That sounds like victim blaming to me as in he/she must have been a bad landlord to attract such bad tenants. Most landlords welcome escrow.
@Fiona deFreyne: I was just suggesting, for the sake of balance and just for once on the journal, maybe they could post a renter bashing article instead of landlord bashing.
Deposits are rarely returned. Another quango to be set. Will not be monitored or dealt with. The PTRB is unable to deal with the number of disputes on hand. Up to two years behind. A joke.
Can’t be retained for ‘wear and tear’. Can be retained for damage.
@Anthony Halpin: a pernickety landlord may regard fair wear and tear as destructive damage and as an excuse to retain a security deposit although in some other cases a security deposit may be grossly inadequate to meet the destructive damage done by wilful tenants with a grievance.
In addition to only being to request one month, please ensure a standard is set for supporting documentation.
Having the gaul to ask me and my girlfriends salary and weekly expenditure and I’ve heard of CV’s and work references being requested.
@Dave J: have you tried applying for a mortgage recently? Landlords like to know you have the means to pay your rent. Banks like to know you have the means to pay your mortgage. Same goes.
@Sean: what if a landlord goes bankrupt, you’re deposit is at risk. So if held independently it’s better for the tenant. Unfortunately there are a % of bitter landlords who try to milk every penny with zero interest in playing fair. In such instances where landlords hold onto deposits they should be sued and barred from being a landlord.
@Dave J: thats all fair enough. They need to know that you have the means to actually pay your rent.
@Dave J: You may prefer not to show supporting documentation, but my property goes to a candidate who does.
@6ljJQRRU: I had s friend who was an excellent Tennant. In her property several years. The landlord didn’t pay their mortgage for eight years despite getting a good rent. Friend was evicted. Landlords need to realise renter’s aren’t there to pay their mortgage
Deposit retention scheme run by the PRTB! That’s the best laugh I’ve had. Both tenant and landlord have to submit written permission to an organisation that can’t even deal with any issue fully to completion
What happens when a tenant is leaving to move to new accommodation and has to wait for months to receive their deposit?
Leaving the country?
Disputes arises?
Tenant fails to pay last month’s rent and says put my deposit against unpaid rent and then fails to submit in writing the situation which is a breach of the lease
Don’t get me started
The PRTB holding money is knee slapping joke
@John Connolly: Absolutely John.
If the PRTB hold the money there will be costs associated with it. In a tight market landlords will pass on costs in increased rent. Everyone was cheering on property tax for landlords not tenants, water charge responsibility for owners not tenants and all this does is to force business people to pass in risk to customers. Of course the ones who pay are the ones who pay for everything; those who pay their bills.
@Mike: LPT and water charges are passed on to tenants and add to predatory rent increases in the case of some landlords.
@Mike: Same will be true for limiting deposits to one month. Eventually landlords will increase rents further as their only way left for protecting their investment. It’s a given that there will be a response from landlords, in what Utopia are ppl living..
If the government spent as much time working on how they would provide housing for those in need as they do coming up with rules and regulations to discourage anybody from wanting to remain a landlord they might not have THEIR housing crisis. All of this is nonsense and resolving nothing long term. The government need to provide social housing and then they can have no deposits, freeze the rent for ten years, let people live there for free if they wish. But no they want to continue interfering in what is a free market and add more rules and costs for landlords. What happens when the landlords sell up
@Aibrean Aine: I agree, plus all these accidental landlords that can’t wait to sell anyway, the moment they are out of negative equity. Those that remain will just become more creative, can’t blame them really..
It’s a highly subjective area. Some landlords are infuriated by ordinary wear and tear exacerbated by poorly durable elements regarding this as tenant delapidatiins, allowing an excuse to retain the security deposit and in some cases, a small minority, tenants who feel unfairly treated may cause wilful and even malicious damage.
The consequences of security deposit retention can prevent tenants securing alternative accommodation.
An escrow arrangement is applied in other jurisdictions and is more balanced.
@Fiona deFreyne:
An escrow arrangement is the fairest solution. Any interest accrued could help fund the arrangement.
“Government are going to crackdown”?
More Bollox talk from leo
Bedsits: “Alone” said that it campaigned for the abolition of bedsits for years.
Removing bedsit capacity was daft in the middle of a housing (shelter) crisis. These low cost shelter solutions are essential for some in society.
https://www.change.org/p/referendum-on-family-home-special-status-in-ireland
“Quick look over there at the mean landlords”, give me a break!
Having been mostly lucky with landlords my only concern is the delay introduced by an intermediary. If we have to wait for someone to push paper around and your deposit takes 30 days or more to be returned than it’s back to square one isn’t it.
A friend of mine is going through the same thing at the moment. However, I assured her I will be collecting her deposit back off the landlord tomorrow. Bring it onnnnnnnnnnn…. Errrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…….
@Paul Mc Manus: your friend has a good friend.
@Paul Mc Manus: I’m no legal expert but wouldn’t your approach be considered a criminal offence? Careful now.
@Paul Mc Manus: Yay! And bring on their first rent increase as well, hooray!!
@Paul Mc Manus: but it raises a good question, will this measure be retroactive?
PTRB should hold photos submitted by both landlord and tenant as well as the deposit.
@lavbeer: not much point ptrb never chase Avery the tenant for damages
Journal poll for tomorrow – would you prefer to be homeless or to live in a bedsit?
@Sean: Homeless.
Getting rid of bedsits was a stupid move. You had tenants paying ridiculously low rents for accommodation in Dublin. Govt comes along and closes them and says to the tenants you deserve a lot better. Great says the tenants who then find they have to compete for high end apartments and pay multiples of their original rent. Most of those bedsits have now been sold as houses to families so reversing this flawed policy will not introduce significant supply to the rental market.
So we’ve had a few articles about the government lack of social housing this week and once again the government drag the “evil landlord” on to centre stage.
Are people stupid enough to fall for this distraction?
Unfortunately yes
Every year thousands of landlords are selling their properties and more will follow as property prices increase.
Every “initiative” put in place by the mafia, sorry The State, will edge landlords closer to exiting the rental sector.
This housing crisis will continue to get worse with the loony Boyed Barrett now wanting to seize and nationalise private housing, some 30,000 or so.
Whats worse is that the majority of communist Irish population agree with him.
another quango
If you don’t have enough money fir a security deposit on another property, if your existing security deposit is forfeited, what do you do?
It may take too long for the PRTB to adjudication and, in the meantime, there is no security deposit to secure another rented property if even one can be secured at an affordable rent.
Yeah, like that will solve the crisis.
Another day of sweet fa from our politicians. Leo trying to be clever with the numbers, the LLA being highly hypocritical in talking about spending and now this shallow effort to deflect attention.
Build more houses, funded by either increasing taxes or don’t give away anything in the budget. No bloody rocket science.
Government tries to distract from own failings by blaming private landlords. Pathetic not taken long for leo to show how useless he really is
@ed w: well, we know Leo’s actual performance results. Was he not Minister for health?
There should be a neutral agency with which deposits are lodged and if the quitting criteria are met, paid back. Otherwise paid to the landlord to cover damages.
@Shea Fitzgerald: I like your suggestion to automate this. On the other hand, who wants to work for such an agency, getting hammered with silly requests every min of their working life? But maybe it works. If I was an entrepreneur, maybe an idea for AI: Use machine learning to assess photographs before / after damage.
Faoi dheireadh!!! Ach an dtarlóidh sé??
New South Wales in Oz had a great system. Fair trading hold the deposit and then release/retain it depending on the state of the property.
The amount of deposit linked to the value of the property. But that would be too logical.
Typical politicians and Government! Populist politics ! Trying to be all things to all people. I suppose we elect to two (No. I mean Multi faced) clowns that we deserve?! God help us.
This system works well in Queensland Australia and it has the added benefit that it
minimises landlord/tenent “cash rental deals” to avoid landlord income tax.
This RTB shower are useless and toothless, the amount of complaints it recieves as opposed to the complaints it resolves is outrageous. Time and time again Vulture landlords are getting away with scandalous behaviour and it’s high time something was done about this deposit debacle.
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