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Almost 200 HPV-positive smears through CervicalCheck need repeat test after samples expire

The samples expired after an increase in the number of cervical smear samples being sent in.

ALMOST 200 HPV-POSITIVE smear samples from May and April carried out by CervicalCheck will have to be re-tested after the samples expired before further examination could be carried out. 

The samples expired after an increase in the number of women coming forward to be screened as part of the CervicalCheck programme, particularly during the month of May.

Smear sample turnaround times have since “caught up” and are going through the labs “in good time”, the head of the National Screening Service has said.

The clinical director of CervicalCheck has said the women affected will be contacted “in the coming days” but that it is “very important” to state that the positive HPV tests are “very unlikely” to mean the women will develop cervical cancer.

CervicalCheck is sending out letters to inform GPs today, and the 180 women who are affected are to receive their letters from tomorrow. It is understood that informing GPs first is the usual protocol, in order to have the necessary supports in place for women.

The women’s repeat tests will be taken three months from now, so that cervical cells have a chance to grow back and yield the best smear samples.

It is understood that the 180 women who are affected will be prioritised for retesting, and are expected to wait around four to six weeks for their repeat cervical-smear test result.

There is currently an 8-10 week turnaround for smear test results at the moment, meaning some of the thousands of women who are waiting for their smear results may be concerned that they are among this group of 180 women.

How HPV testing works

CervicalCheck still screens for abnormal cells that can cause cervical cancer, but the way that they do it has changed.

Previously, a cytology smear test was carried out first to look for any cervical cell abnormalities, and then if that test found an abnormality, women were referred to a colposcopy clinic to test whether those abnormalities were low-grade or high-grade.

But studies have shown that the results are better if you test for HPV in cervical cells first, and if it is found, then refer the woman on for further examination (cytology).

HPV is very common virus with no noticeable symptoms. Over 90% are cleared by the body’s immune system after two years, but in some cases, HPV can develop into cancer in both men and women.

What caused the delay in testing

RTÉ News first reported this morning that in 180 samples tested positive for HPV, but they were not sent on for cytology examination within the required period of 42 days.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland programme, clinical director of CervicalCheck Dr Nóirín Russell said that the tests were not carried out in time because of the backlog in testing caused by the suspension of services last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

There were actually 200,000 samples sent during the first half of this year and that was 50,000 more than we had been expecting. Our ability to screen that number of samples, whereas the vast majority did get processed and did get fully processed and fully screened, in approximately 200 samples we were able to test for HPV, the first part of the test, but we weren’t able to look at the cytology or look at the cells, the second part of the test because the samples expired.

The tests affected were mostly from May, with some from April and some also possibly from March. Patient advocate groups were told of the issue late last week. 

Dr Russel said that supports are currently in place to answer women’s questions:

“We have staff have ready on the info line ready to take calls to explain and to reassure, so all of those steps are in place and we’re expecting that the affected women will get their information in the next few days. That information will be in the form of a letter explaining that they’re HPV positive and that they need to have a repeat test,” she said. 

It’s really, really important that women who hear this, who hear HPV positive, know that it’s very unlikely to mean cancer but it’s really important they attend for that second test.”

CEO of the National Screening Service Fiona Murphy said on Today with Claire Byrne that 13% of smear tests come back positive for HPV, and are referred on for further examination, but this is just one “risk factor” for developing cervical cancer.

She said that CervicalCheck had been expecting to receive 140,000 samples in the first six months of the year, and instead got almost 200,000 samples.

She said they came close to processing all these additional samples, but 200 samples expired.

I can only say sorry that we didn’t do that for those 200 women… Part of the trust and confidence [issue] is to tell people when we make a mistake. We won’t hide anything, when we make a mistake [we say] mea culpa and this is how we’re fixing it.

She said additional capacity has since been added to the system.

“Samples expire in labs across the whole country all the time. It’s normally very small numbers, the vial itself may have expired, or sometimes we have to ask for a retest because there’s not enough of a sample in the vial, or somewhere along the way from the GP to the Post to the sample collection centre it just takes too long.

We’re always aware of it, we’re always doing what we can to try to minimise that, but in this particular instance, because of the large volumes in mid-March and through early May, we weren’t able to process all of them.

The helpline for women who may have queries is now live and can be contacted on 1800 45 45 55.

Cervical screening with HPV testing prevents cervical cancer from developing in 90% of cases. An effective and free cervical cancer programme, coupled with high uptake rates of the HPV vaccine, could together eradicate cervical cancer.

From 2015 to 2017, there were 264 cases a year of cervical cancer in Ireland. Of that number, around 160 women a year are diagnosed via the CervicalCheck programme (around 60% of all diagnoses).

Each year in Ireland, 90 women die of cervical cancer. Without a national cervical smear programme, the numbers could double: 320 women could be diagnosed, and 180 women could die.

With reporting by Gráinne Ní Aodha.

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27 Comments
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    Mute Conall
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    Mar 19th 2020, 3:56 PM

    In the case of tenants not being evicted, if the tenant is not paying rent, the landlord should be able to pause mortgage repayments. If I own an apartment/house, I don’t want someone to have to leave in the middle of a national crisis, but I might need the rent to pay the bank.

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    Mute Connoroconner
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    Mar 19th 2020, 4:29 PM

    @Conall: in that case the mortgage can be postponed for 3 months that announcement yesterday included buy to let’s as well as homes.

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    Mute John Hazelnut
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    Mar 19th 2020, 4:47 PM

    @Conall: As a pretty decent tenant, even one who got exploited by his Landlord by having “unwelcome improvements” forced on me, I understand your worries. Landlords /Landladies shouldn’t be left short of more money than they have put in. We all need to play fair.

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    Mute Craic_a_tower
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    Mar 19th 2020, 5:31 PM

    @Conall: the thing is a pause is not the same as never getting paid. Reality is interest needs to be paused too

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    Mute Diarmuid
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    Mar 19th 2020, 3:57 PM

    Eveerything should be paused across the board. There needs to be equity and fairness for people.

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    Mute Jim Buckley Barrett
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    Mar 19th 2020, 4:34 PM

    @Diarmuid: Diarmuid, define everything?

    Should employers stop paying wages due to the crisis?

    Should we stop paying for services like broadband and allow those companies to shut down? Who needs internet right now.

    There is a still a lot of people out there that can work and are being paid who can cover their bills. There are others that can’t and there is help for them.

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    Mute james foley
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    Mar 19th 2020, 6:03 PM

    @Diarmuid: well unless u a cival servant

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    Mute Niall Ó Cofaigh
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    Mar 19th 2020, 7:41 PM

    @james foley: the workers in the HSE and the nurses and doctors and fire and ambulance crews and the ones working on contact tracing and those in the army on standby and those supporting those services…. would they be the civil servants you are talking about?

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    Mute mark d
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    Mar 19th 2020, 3:59 PM

    I thought a tent freeze is unconstitutional…. Hmm

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    Mute Ted Logan
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    Mar 19th 2020, 4:00 PM

    @mark d: this is a new paradigm Mark

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    Mute mark d
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    Mar 19th 2020, 4:03 PM

    @Ted Logan: really? It’s either unconstitutional or it’s not. Constitution doesn’t change because of paradigm shifts, it changes because of referendums.

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    Mute Ted Logan
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    Mar 19th 2020, 4:13 PM

    @mark d: it is essentially a state of emergency we are in which allows certain things to be permitted that would otherwise be unconstitutional for the greater good.

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    Mute Laughable
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    Mar 19th 2020, 4:13 PM

    @mark d: you’re absolutely right, in other words it was never unconstitutional.

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    Mute Laughable
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    Mar 19th 2020, 4:16 PM

    @Ted Logan: No you’re wrong there. If it’s unconstitutional landlords could essentially sue the government. Emergency or not.
    Emergency legislation has to be introduced but if it unconstitutional you cannot introduction the legislation.

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    Mute Gordon Comstock
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    Mar 19th 2020, 4:17 PM

    @mark d: freedom of association is a constitutional right but mass gatherings have just been prohibited. Things change in emergencies.

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    Mute Jim Buckley Barrett
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    Mar 19th 2020, 4:40 PM

    @Laughable: No, you are wrong, my fake account. Why don’t you just post under your real name? Why hide behind a fake account?

    Under international law, rights and freedoms may be suspended during a state of emergency.

    In Ireland declaring a state of “national emergency” involves Article 28.3.3° of the 1937 Constitution of Ireland, which states that:

    Nothing in this Constitution shall be invoked to invalidate any law enacted by the Oireachtas [parliament] which is expressed to be for the purpose of securing the public safety and the preservation of the State in time of war or armed rebellion, or to nullify any act done or purporting to be done in time of war or armed rebellion in pursuance of any such law.

    So what was once unconstitutional is for the duration of the emergency suspended.

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    Mute Vic's Burd
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    Mar 19th 2020, 4:40 PM

    @Laughable: in times of normalcy and buoyant economy yes, they can sue, but this is a National Emergency everyone is suffering they don’t have any grounds to challenge it.

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    Mute Jim Buckley Barrett
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    Mar 19th 2020, 4:43 PM

    @mark d: Mark, this might help you understand the different between being unconstitutional and an national emergency.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_of_emergency#Ireland

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    Mute Tony Lyons
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    Mar 19th 2020, 4:56 PM

    @mark d: tents are freezing in the winter

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    Mute mark d
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    Mar 19th 2020, 5:10 PM

    @Tony Lyons: very true….

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    Mute Craic_a_tower
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    Mar 19th 2020, 5:34 PM

    @mark d: it is unconstitutional but a temp emergency is allowed. They used one up already now a bigger emergency happened so allowable. They won’t be able to keep it going forever. And keep extending to get around the constitution

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    Mute Nuala Mc Namara
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    Mar 19th 2020, 6:26 PM

    @Craic_a_tower: 2 articles:IT: Housing crisis:There is no constitutional block to rent freezes in Ireland’ &
    Journal:’Column:It’s not so simple,Minister,the proposed rent freeze bill could work under the Constitution’.

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    Mute Craic_a_tower
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    Mar 19th 2020, 6:36 PM

    @Nuala Mc Namara: yes that is the opposing OPINION but if they continue it becomes something that can be legally challenged on constitutional grounds. It would be challenged so disingenuous to say it is legal. They claim a loop hole to get around a previous ruling. Don’t be fooled

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    Mute Vladimir Macro
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    Mar 19th 2020, 10:14 PM

    @Ted Logan: Shtap Ted

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    Mute mark d
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    Mar 19th 2020, 10:17 PM

    @Jim Buckley Barrett: the point i was making, was when previously a temporary rent freeze was suggested as an emergency measure due to homelessness and rent pressures, FG and FF both said it would be unconstitutional. There were legal experts who said that a temporary measure could be argued to be within confines of the Constitution the not be seen as a Constitutional infringement on the right to private property. Here’s the article written by an assistant professor of law at trinity, in case you need to educate yourself further… https://www.thejournal.ie/readme/rent-freeze-4929058-Dec2019/

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    Mute Top Horse Shop
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    Mar 21st 2020, 4:46 AM

    @mark d: the constitution was thrown into the Liffey outside the 4 courts years ago

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    Mute Oliver Mahon
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    Mar 19th 2020, 4:10 PM

    No where close to enough , sit at home stressing already and then add the worry of being on the street in 3 months will push people over the edge , two where I live both laid off last Sunday paid utilities Monday night with basically nothing left , no idea when we will even get the 203 and rent due end of the month , even if used every bit of the 203 from both of us will not cover the rent , need to have some hope , following the government advice and not even leaving the house bar food shopping

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    Mute Sam Greene
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    Mar 20th 2020, 1:05 AM

    @Oliver Mahon: so sorry to hear of your situation. I hope that your landlord is a decent one, I really do.
    One of my kids has been laid off work, and my other daughter is a nurse, we havent seen her for 10 days, shes doing such long shifts and staying with another nurse in a rented apartment incase she brings the virus home. Good luck and hopefully stay well.

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    Mute Fr. Fintan Stack
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    Mar 19th 2020, 3:54 PM

    Q the poor landlords….3, 2, 1…

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    Mute Ted Logan
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    Mar 19th 2020, 4:00 PM

    @Fr. Fintan Stack: there are some Landlords that will struggle if they don’t get rent. Until recently I myself was an accidental Landlord. I know one or two months missed rent and I’d be in trouble. I would have not been in a position to cover the mortgage and tax liabilities. The bank would not be getting a mortgage and my credit rating would suffer.

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    Mute Conall
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    Mar 19th 2020, 4:02 PM

    @Fr. Fintan Stack: Q the comments who think all landlords are evil bloodsuckers …3, 2, 1….

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    Mute Fr. Fintan Stack
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    Mar 19th 2020, 4:03 PM

    @Ted Logan: Maybe you should read upon what was discussed between Pascal and the banks yesterday. It includes buy to rent / landlords.

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    Mute mark d
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    Mar 19th 2020, 4:04 PM

    @Ted Logan: the entire financial system needs to be put on hold, those working and earning pay bills, mortgage, rent, loans etc..

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    Mute Ted Logan
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    Mar 19th 2020, 4:07 PM

    @Fr. Fintan Stack: what if it wasn’t a buy to let but a buy to live. And you have rent or a mortgage elsewhere that needs to be paid too. I rented my house for 6 years when I moved city to get a job in the last recession – house was in negative equity, I never made money renting my house but was not in a position to sell it.
    It’s not alway black and white how the Landlords situation is.

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    Mute Gordon Comstock
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    Mar 19th 2020, 4:15 PM

    @mark d: put the financial system on hold? We still need food and medicine from abroad along with all manner of other sundry products, do you expect foreign producers to provide us with their goods gratis until the financial system is removed from hold status? Because they won’t do that, they’ll sell their goods to countries and people who are willing to pay their asking prices.

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    Mute Fr. Fintan Stack
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    Mar 19th 2020, 4:23 PM

    @Ted Logan: The deal with the banks covers everybody. If you rented the house for 6 years and you took in no income from rent for the 6 years then you made no money. If on the other hand your tenant only paid half of your mortgage for 6 years then you made money. You are getting half your mortgage paid for 6 years and you have an asset at the end. That’s profit. A lot of people went in to negative equity for a time but property prices bounced back, so that’s a red herring.

    18
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    Mute Bren
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    Mar 19th 2020, 6:08 PM

    @Ted Logan: This is a problem with some landlords. Rent is income. Any money you earn is income. You bought a house as an investment to make money. You took a risk and lost. The banks would have explained this to you. You signed off on this agreeing it was a risk. So give us a break with your poor me attitude.

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    Mute Sean
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    Mar 19th 2020, 8:40 PM

    @Bren: the banks took risks too and lost and were bailed out to the tune of 64bn by the taxpayer.

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    Mute Fr. Fintan Stack
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    Mar 19th 2020, 9:13 PM

    @Sean: So at the end of the day the tenant should be penalised twice for the mistakes/risks of the landlords and banks? 1. By exorbitant rents and 2. as a taxpayer paying back the 64bn.

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    Mute ImYourNumber1Fan
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    Mar 19th 2020, 4:03 PM

    My tenancy expires in July and I expect the current measures to still be in place then (based on how long we have been told this may all go on for). My landlady will not be allowed to raise my rent (I live in a rent-control-zone) but she can easily give me notice and get me out, to replace me with someone else who will pay more. As I see it, nothing has changed. Am I wrong? I am a good tenant and have never missed a cent in rent but that doesn’t matter to most landlords who are trying to squeeze as much out of tenants as possible. Breathing space means delayed debt and protection from eviction for three months means nothing in the real world as it just kicks the problem down the road…

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    Mute Conall
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    Mar 19th 2020, 4:06 PM

    @ImYourNumber1Fan: The rent can’t be raised for a new tenant any more than it can be for the old tenant.

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    Mute ImYourNumber1Fan
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    Mar 19th 2020, 4:10 PM

    @Conall: Thank you, I did not know that. Very reassuring.

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    Mute Vic's Burd
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    Mar 19th 2020, 4:42 PM

    @ImYourNumber1Fan: they have to give you notice to cancel your contract, they can’t do anything to change this until current emergency is lifted so you are safe for a while

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    Mute Jim Buckley Barrett
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    Mar 19th 2020, 4:46 PM

    @ImYourNumber1Fan: Your tenancy doesn’t expiry like that. You still would have to be given notice and justication for the eviction which is what it would be considered under the law. That notice could be anything from one month to 6 months depending on how long you have been a tenant in that property.

    I would suggest ringing Threshold and discussing this with them. https://www.threshold.ie/

    Or at least read through their website.

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    Mute lambda sensor
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    Mar 19th 2020, 5:05 PM

    @Jim Buckley Barrett: I agree with Jim. I am a landlord and tenancy simply doesnt work like the original poster mentioned. A tenant is covered under Part4 tenancy laws which mean that after 6 months of tenancy the landlord can only evict based on 4 fairly strict criteria and even then must follow specific rules around notice periods. Those rules stay in place until the tenancy has passed 6 years (used to be 4 years) whereby the landlord can cease the agreement without cause for a further 6 months.

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    Mute Chewey Bacca
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    Mar 19th 2020, 5:20 PM

    @ImYourNumber1Fan: a good landlady will recognise your a good tenant. But you need to talk to each other here even if not spoke before.
    She probably won’t want to lose you and she is as worried about this as you are. She will do a deal to get through this and you could become friends as a human consequence of this. Talk first imo

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    Mute mark d
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    Mar 19th 2020, 4:01 PM

    What the hell does a rent freeze accomplish when people are only earning the government €203 and they’re already paying extortionate rents!

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    Mute Conall
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    Mar 19th 2020, 4:04 PM

    @mark d: Their situation doesn’t get any worse than it already is.

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    Mute james dimaggio
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    Mar 19th 2020, 4:30 PM

    @mark d: Just had an offer €160,000 below asking price accepted on a house in Howth. I’m speechless. The world’s gone mad

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    Mute John Moylan
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    Mar 19th 2020, 4:37 PM

    @mark d: not everyone is payin extortionate rents. Public housing, HAP etc

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    Mute Marcus Kittel
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    Mar 19th 2020, 5:42 PM

    @mark d: agreed. If someone loses a job and is on €203 a week then there should be a rent break with a corresponding mortgage break for the landlord. The landlord still has the asset, after the freeze is lifted, so I don’t see that the break should crystallise on the tenant as the landlord will recoup the break eventually.
    If a landlord relies on the rental income to survive then they should also receive the €203 allowance. It’s temporary solution to a temporary problem.
    €203 a week won’t go far in getting food on the table and covering normal utilities (which is the next Pandora’s box!).

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    Mute Craic_a_tower
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    Mar 19th 2020, 6:03 PM

    @Marcus Kittel: what logic is that? Would you expect a shop to give you free stock because you had no money because they can make a profit later? Landlords aren’t social welfare. Electricity going to be free? Landlords aren’t a few big companies but mostly regular people. Flexibility is needed for them too

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    Mute Richard
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    Mar 19th 2020, 8:19 PM

    @mark d: nothing it accomplishes nothing and it will only stop landlords raising rent for those who lost their jobs due to the outbreak so its absolute rubbish. People see rent freeze and will think they don’t need to pay rent which will not happen.

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    Mute mark d
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    Mar 19th 2020, 10:18 PM

    @John Moylan: your point?

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    Mute mark d
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    Mar 19th 2020, 10:21 PM

    @Marcus Kittel: absolutely, tbh I think there needs to be commercial rent, loans, utilities, mortgages freeze for those who have lost there jobs. Just suspend the whole system so the companies closing can reopen when all this is over with little to no impact on their business and jobs.

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    Mute Richard
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    Mar 19th 2020, 10:49 PM

    @mark d: Oh the fish ate something which ate something else and when you and the family enjoyed the fish you unknowingly ate something that was carrying a lethal virus once ingested… and spread to anyone you and your family came into contact with which spread to anyone they came in contact with.

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    Mute Michael Hanley
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    Mar 19th 2020, 5:27 PM

    Tenants and landlords will need to work together. Lots of accidental landlords that have also lost their jobs and are struggling to keep up payments of two mortgages. Also lots if tenants who could struggle to pay all the rent due. Fair and decent people will agree a reduction in rent until the jobs are re-established and then try and agree a plan over time to pay off the shortfall. As although the banks may give landlords a three month mortgage holiday they will still then expect the shortfall to be made up or it will just be added to overall mortgage. The banks will certainly not be out if pocket.

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    Mute
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    Mar 19th 2020, 5:43 PM

    @Michael Hanley:

    Accidental landlord? You’d be very cIumsy to slip and put an ad on daft, then slip again getting up and hand the keys over.

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    Mute Sal Paradise
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    Mar 19th 2020, 7:36 PM

    @: Still don’t understand the term. Sure I explained it before to you. Education system in Ireland has a lot to answer for.

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    Mute Ashley Rowland
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    Mar 19th 2020, 4:00 PM

    Planet earth needs to be paused at this stage full stop till this thing just goes away.

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    Mute Gordon Comstock
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    Mar 19th 2020, 4:19 PM

    @Ashley Rowland: as long as people still have selfish desires for food, heat, and healthcare then people will still need to remain unpaused to provide those things.

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    Mute John Farrant
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    Mar 19th 2020, 4:53 PM

    What about those mortgages who were sold to vulture funds, are they covered ? Or is it only the big 5, who were allowed/encouraged to sell their non preforming loans.

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    Mute MickN
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    Mar 19th 2020, 4:25 PM

    bUt itS uNConStiTutIoNaL

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    Mute Jim Buckley Barrett
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    Mar 19th 2020, 4:41 PM

    @MickN: Here Mick – this might help you understand the different between being unconstitutional and an national emergency.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_of_emergency#Ireland

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    Mute Charles McCarthy
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    Mar 19th 2020, 5:06 PM

    @Jim Buckley Barrett:
    Jim, that’s the wrong link you sent.

    Here you go Mick.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letter_case

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    Mute MickN
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    Mar 20th 2020, 9:30 AM

    @Jim Buckley Barrett: Homeless people dying on the streets, kids eating from cardboard boxes on the streets, kids sleeping in garda stations, OAP’s eating handouts on window cills.. Any one with a heart would have called that an emergency too… But FFG shills love to see it, it makes them feel better about themselves, and gives them someone to spit on

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    Mute Paul Newsome
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    Mar 19th 2020, 5:33 PM

    When it comes down to suiting themselves and their own agenda, Ministers and T.D.s across the board have no hesitation in enacting Housing and Tenure legislation which is already common law across the rest of the E.U.
    The U.N. Special Rapporteur for Housing Equality, Leilani Farah, has previously denounced the Irish Government/State for being in breach of Human Rights by failing to enact Housing and Tenure Rights legislation common to all other EU citizens for decades.
    It’s only when Lobster House wants to portray itself as being pro active on the Virus issue that they unanimously declare that intimidation, rack renting and eviction of tenants shall be deemed ‘unlawful’ for a few months.
    After that it will be back to removing any such Rights, and evicting three tenants PER DAY as has been the case in the current Celtic Vulture Property Apartheid racket.
    Across the rest of Europe there are stringent legislated rules, regulations and Rights protecting tenants and everyone, from the arbitrary Tenant Farming Racket which has enslaved Irish workers to Private Landlordism since Strongbow introduced it in 1170.
    It is way past time for a HOUSING AND TENURE RIGHTS REFERENDUM. Surely the Coronavirus crisis will be the catalyst for it.

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    Mute Neuville-Kepler62F
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    Mar 19th 2020, 5:30 PM

    Unbelievable … ‘temporary ban on evictions’ …. when future generations look back at the dark times of Evictions of kids from their family homes – in the early 2000s” they will wonder why not one man or woman among them stood up and said stop!

    https://www.change.org/p/irish-housing-crisis-referendum-on-family-homes

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    Mute Fiona Fitzgerald
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    Mar 19th 2020, 5:49 PM

    @Neuville-Kepler62F: Families? What of single people struggling on their own? They could be helped also.

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    Mute Neuville-Kepler62F
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    Mar 19th 2020, 7:01 PM

    @Fiona Fitz: .. agreed. A Referendum would fix our broken Constitution that leads to evictions, rack rents, and no affordable homes for those on average incomes.

    Bezier France starter home: €160,000
    Cork Ireland (same size) : € 260,000

    €100,000 ripoff by Government VAT(€28,000) plus county manager levies, plus land hoarding .. plus planning ( bedsit ban for others not affecting any Planner!) …. drain the swamp badly needed – A Referendum would do that
    and put the citizens first and center in their own country.

    So all concerned should sign the Petition AND promote it to reach 100,000
    https://www.change.org/p/irish-housing-crisis-referendum-on-family-homes

    and be very conscious of How They Vote!

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    Mute
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    Mar 19th 2020, 6:18 PM

    What if you lose your job, I doubt any body is paying less than €800 a month on rent.
    As for the landlord helping out, going by many previous experiences with landlords it’s hard enough to get them to fix minor problems let alone give some sort of break.

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    Mute Niall Dunne
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    Mar 19th 2020, 6:42 PM

    Im now temporarily laid off. I’ve been spending half on income on rent for 3 years so I have no savings. No idea how to keep a roof over my head or if my job will be back. 200 a week wont even cover my rent never mind anything else. We bailed out the banks, time to bail out us hard working tax payers who are ruined now because of something we have no control over.

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    Mute Soeren Kuehling
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    Mar 19th 2020, 7:41 PM

    @Niall Dunne: wasn’t it increased to 300 something?

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    Mute Niall Dunne
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    Mar 19th 2020, 8:45 PM

    @Soeren Kuehling: that’s sick pay. The 200 is for people who have been laid off temporarily

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    Mute Paul Newsome
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    Mar 19th 2020, 5:35 PM

    When it comes down to suiting themselves and their own agenda, Ministers and T.D.s across the board have no hesitation in enacting Housing and Tenure legislation which is already common law across the rest of the E.U.
    The U.N. Special Rapporteur for Housing Equality, Leilani Farah, has previously denounced the Irish Government/State for being in breach of Human Rights by failing to enact Housing and Tenure Rights legislation common to all other EU citizens for decades.
    It’s only when Lobster House wants to portray itself as being pro active on the Virus issue that they unanimously declare that intimidation, rack renting and eviction of tenants shall be deemed ‘unlawful’ for a few months.
    After that it will be back to removing any such Rights, and evicting three tenants PER DAY as has been the case in the current Celtic Vulture Property Apartheid racket.
    Across the rest of Europe there are stringent legislated rules, regulations and Rights protecting tenants and everyone, from the arbitrary Tenant Farming Racket which has enslaved Irish workers to Private Landlordism since Strongbow introduced it in 1170.
    It is way past time for a HOUSING AND TENURE RIGHTS REFERENDUM. Surely the Coronavirus crisis will be the catalyst for it.

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    Mute Craic_a_tower
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    Mar 19th 2020, 5:56 PM

    @Paul Newsome: in the rest of the EU when you stop paying your rent you will be evicted and still owe the money and it happens quickly. Here you walk away without paying after over a year of living there. What is missing here is the right for landlords. It really isn’t a fair system and it should be for all parties involved. It isn’t the landlords job to act as a social welfare system. The suggestion so far seem to be landlords take a hit on their services. It just wouldn’t be fair. I will give tenants leeway but it cannot be all at my expense the same way shops don’t have to give their stock away free

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    Mute james foley
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    Mar 19th 2020, 6:08 PM

    @Craic_a_tower: time to sell rental properties let the government provide the free housing.

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    Mute Craic_a_tower
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    Mar 19th 2020, 6:25 PM

    @james foley: that will mean less places to rent if you give a moments thought. Is this the reward for over 50 years of providing a service to the public? Paying tax for 50 years for a pension they now shaft an industry full of similar.

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    Mute James Keogh
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    Mar 19th 2020, 4:23 PM

    For once the Green Party are showing a step in the Right Direction, lets hope they continue in a positive mode and give us a Government.

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    Mute Lauren Masterson
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    Mar 19th 2020, 6:35 PM

    So if people are paying collosal rent and have lost work how will they make up rent ? Rent supports wouldnt cover up to half of what some people pay so how will they pay the rest ? Out of the €203 they can claim ? That still wouldn’t be enough. And the landlords cant kick them out but nothing stopping them when this is over.

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    Mute Niall Dunne
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    Mar 19th 2020, 6:44 PM

    @Lauren Masterson: Im in this situation. Started a new job last week in a hotel, now out of work. My rent has been 40% of my income for the past 3 years so I have nothing in reserve. The 200 a week wont even pay for my room never mind food or anything else. Im panicked

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    Mute Michael Maher
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    Mar 19th 2020, 9:45 PM

    Where are all these evictions under the FFG authority happening ?
    Is it the banks or private landlords because if it is the banks we can expect thousands more to be evicted.

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    Mute William Kelly
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    Mar 19th 2020, 5:08 PM

    To be or not to be, that is the question.
    We have been advised for years, misled in my opinion, that the rights of private property would render such a prohibition unconstitutional. Total rubbish, just needs to be done, just like the sequestration of private pension funds for austerity measures.
    Get on with it.

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    Mute Neuville-Kepler62F
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    Mar 20th 2020, 8:58 AM

    Leo Varadker … Fine Gael Leader

    “I am going to restore “Evictions” of kids from their Family Homes when this corona virus crisis is over”

    …. what a leader, what a Political Party, ……… what a legacy!

    https://www.change.org/p/irish-housing-crisis-referendum-on-family-homes

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    Mute Catriona Galster
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    Mar 23rd 2020, 5:41 PM

    Could someone clarify for me how a rent freeze for 3 months will work out for a tenant once the three months is up? It seems to me that the tenant would now be liable for three months back rent, which could be €6000+
    Am I missing a vital piece of information from the minister’s announcement here?

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    Mute Dnom
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    Mar 24th 2020, 7:21 PM

    A rent freeze means the landlord does not increase the rent. There is no commitment from the landlord to forego rent completely.
    How is that to help any tenant?

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    Mute Stephen Moroney
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    Mar 19th 2020, 5:35 PM

    Let me hear a Hallelujah!!!

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    Mute Top Horse Shop
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    Mar 21st 2020, 4:43 AM

    It’s hard to see the party that let the vultures have free reign ,tax free” in the country ,fixing the problem even be temporarily

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