Issues: 1. Capacity • Since a network of 12 hospital Research Ethics Committees (REC) was established around the turn of the century, the number of health research applications has dramatically increased – without a corresponding increase in REC capacity to assess these applications. 2. Uncertainty • It is now the case that many RECs can no longer guarantee a timeline for review/approval – even where submissions are made by deadline, which creates uncertainty for trial/study planning. • Any uncertainty in the Irish health research environment makes Ireland a less attractive location for opening clinical trials and undertaking health research. • Consistency: Different RECs may respond to the same application in different ways, or place different demands on researchers. • REC efforts to standardise application forms between 2010-2015 appear to have faltered with the introduction of GDPR and the Health Research Regulations. 3. Drug vs. non-drug studies • While drug trials (interventional trials) only need approval from a single REC to open a study at any sites, non-interventional studies (translational - TM) must submit a separate application for every single site. 4. Research guidance • There is no central location where guidance can be sought on how to progress research. Clear and consistent direction on e.g. patient consent is required to navigate an evolving research environment. In summary: • Reduce the burden on researchers • Standardise ethics reviews, which are paramount for guarding patient safety • Streamline approval and guidance Note: This petition was created by Cancer Trials Ireland as one element of the organisation’s Just Ask 2020 campaign to raise public awareness of clinical trials and issues relating to clinical trials. The Just Ask 2020 campaign is supported by unrestricted grants from Pfizer Healthcare Ireland; Novartis; AbbVie; MSD; Roche; Bayer.

In Ireland , all of the basic or advanced trainings, Cross contamination, Blood borne pathogens , Sterility, Infection control bearly gets an hour of teaching with no exam at the end. Through lack of knowledge Hepatitis A, B or C, or HIV can be contracted if the practitioner has not followed a minimum training/teaching with exams plus annual tests to ensure practices do not slip. To date, no such regulation is in place, leaving the general public exposed to a viral/bacterial infection unwittingly along with their treatment. What makes this right? Olive, a Registered Nurse and Midwife with over 30 yrs experience wants to ensure public safety, and due diligence to the industry . Please help by signing the petition below , and ensure Mr Blogs dosent enter a treatment clinic for one thing and leave with much more. Kind regards Olive

It is important for this to happen, because there are students in both Third Level and Future Education Colleges who are being looked down upon and made feel ashamed and embarrassed because of their mental health and the majority of us Students are being kicked out of their college for having a Mental Health Illness. You can't just stick a plaster over a Mental Health Illness, it's not the same as a broken arm or leg; were it it will heal in approximately 6 weeks. I think both students and teachers should be taught about Mental Health so they can understand it more and know exactly how to help someone with Mental Health; mental health isn't just an illness; it affects everyone differently and the majority of mental health goes unnoticed due to it been invisible. 1 in 5 people have Mental Illness, 5 in 5 people have Mental Health We want you Simon Harris to join us Students in stopping this Stigma of Mental Health in college, especially now in these difficult times.

The Endometriosis Association of Ireland (EAI) has quoted the waiting time for diagnosis as being up to nine years – longer than the seven-and-a-half years reported in the UK. Endometriosis affects can cause debilitating pain, heavy periods, painful sex, painful bowl and bladder movements, fatigue and infertility. The UK is finally starting to address this horrific condition and following an MP inquiry in the UK, the majority of people have shared stories of how their mental health, education and careers had been damaged by the condition. More than 10,000 people took part in the All-Party Political Group inquiry which found that 58% of people visited the GP more than 10 times before diagnosis and 53% went to A&E with symptoms before diagnosis. The majority of people also told MPs their mental health, education and careers had been damaged by the condition. About 90% said they would have liked access to psychological support but were never offered it, with 35% having a reduced income due to endometriosis. In survey of 13,500 women it found that half of them reported being addicted to painkillers and having suicidal thoughts. Due to a "gender pain gap" women's symptoms are often belittled by doctors, despite numerous visits to A&E, local GPs and specialists. Pain is notoriously hard to describe and pinpoint. But for women, the work is doubly arduous. We have to learn to advocate for ourselves and one another. But we need doctors and health professionals to meet us in the middle, believe our testimonies and help us over the line to diagnosis and treatment. With no cure for the condition and limited treatment including hormone therapy and surgery. It's time to call on the Government to establish a working group to address the long waiting times for diagnosis, treatment of the condition and the major psychological damage it has on the women who suffer from it. Endometriosis care across Ireland needs urgent improvement and diagnosis times need to be cut in half. We can't carry on like this, one in ten could means one day it could be you, your sister, girlfriend or friend suffering from this debilitating condition. *(Although endometriosis is most commonly referred to as a female disease. Endometriosis may also impact Trans/Cis Males. There are documented cases of cis men (someone who identifies with the sex they were assigned at birth) who present with endometriosis of the prostate that is typically discovered when their body is introduced to estrogenic effects. There is also population of trans men (and trans women) who face living with endometriosis everyday whose experience with the disease goes un-researched) Additional Resources: Endometriosis Association of Ireland: https://www.endometriosis.ie/?gclid=CjwKCAjw_sn8BRBrEiwAnUGJDou2wgRqMbtuQ0nzBYwM0L8x9Dy_r69srSPgkoOX4hhnEdtIT37GDxoCkyMQAvD_BwE Endometriosis care needs urgent improvement, MPs say: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-54513072 Endometriosis showed me we need better ways to talk about women's pain: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/oct/22/endometriosis-women-pain-diagnosis-report-mps?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other 'A lot of doctors fail to recognise it': Calls for government to review treatment of endometriosis': https://www.thejournal.ie/endometriosis-working-group-4840562-Oct2019/ Additional 'Endometriosis and Being a Trans Person: Beyond Gendered Reproductive Health' http://www.hormonesmatter.com/endometriosis-transgender-beyond-gendered-reproductive-health/

Since the start of 2018, no new patients have been seen in the Northern Ireland adult gender identity clinic. There are now over 400 on the waiting list, some of whom have been on this list for over 4 years. While a review of these services was commissioned late last year, progress has been slow, and the Department and HSCB have been unwilling to meaningfully include and consult with trans communities. As a result, the majority of trans people in Northern Ireland who are currently accessing gender affirming care are doing so through private services, including those in England and further afield, or through self-medication. Those who self-medicate have been doing so to reduce the harm that is being done to them by the failure of statutory services to provide support and care while this review is ongoing and in the two years before it was commissioned. There is a mental health crisis in trans communities; while trans-led support groups and advocacy organisations are doing our best to support our communities, these groups are chronically under-funded and under-staffed. There is an urgent need for statutory services to step up and provide support to trans communities who have waited years for action.

This is important to save life’s and make sure this COVID 19 stop spreading rapidly.

Did you learn to swim in Marian College Swimming Pool? Generations of local children and adults alike have been using this unique facility in the heart of Dublin 4 since the early 1960's. Marian has played a key role in helping our communities fitness and wellbeing. We believe that the time is now to maintain and build upon its importance and outreach. Securing a better society where community, social interaction, exercise and education are at the heart of our daily lives. We would like to be assured that there is a plan in place to re-open in the not too distant future. Our entire community is in danger of losing the swimming pool forever, if nothing is done. This petition serves to show how much support and goodwill exist to you the board of management, together with your dedicated staff. Who have the knowledge to plan a safe reopening of this much needed facility. Please show your support to Save Marian Swimming pool from closure , before it is gone forever.

. Regular visitors and the WhiteRock swimming community, which spans all ages, have all been affected. Those - who can - scramble down to the beach from Killiney Hill car park in all weather conditions. Others, who can, get a lift down to the Vico road. Quite a few older or disabled regulars who came regularly to gaze at the sea view have not been seen since the parking facility was removed in March. Most other parking facilities along this side of the bay have been fully operational throughout the COVID-19 restrictions. The cold season is now upon us and it is going to get more difficult for many of us. Please give us back our parking spaces.

Too many people who are dying endure an unnecessarily, prolonged death, which is inhumane and cruel. International evidence, expertise and experience is available for our legislators. Legislation for assisted dying always has : * Robust safeguards which provides choice and protects everyone Legislation: * Eliminates the need to travel for an assisted death or to consider taking one's own life * Allows those eligible to choose when, where and how they wish to die * See the criminal law in Ireland that classifies assisted dying as murder reformed We want to see more funding for palliative care but know it does not alleviate all pain and distress. and we want to see greater provision of support for disabled people But these are separate issues, all too often conflated to delay the introduction of legislation for assisted dying. The lasting impact of seeing a loved one suffer intolerable pain and die 'badly' cannot be underestimated. Legislation for Assisted Dying with a robust framework of safeguards gives  immeasurable peace of mind to a person and the quality of life remaining to a dying person improves regardless of whether they go on to exert that choice. Over a third of those for an assisted death do not, in fact, go on to avail of it.  But the relief of knowing this option was available to them, meant they could focus on living without the fear of a bad death.  End of Life Ireland is a volunteer led advocacy group. John Wall & Vicky Phelan pictured here gave full permission to use their images and quotes to support this campaign. To learn more about this campaign and Assisted Dying, please visit our website www.endoflifeireland.ie and see our social media posts.

The former owner of this site should be commemorated as someone who triumphed over adversity, by dedicating this iconic viewing spot in Tramore to those who struggle due to exclusion. An accessible community garden with coffee shop would offer all in the town and beyond, a space and workplace for inclusion along with environmental appreciation.

It is with a heavy heart that I am writing to you in regards to the cuts in EWSS and PUP last Friday 18th September. Despite several thousand emails arriving into TD's inboxes last week on this matter, all we have received are unfulfilled promises from the current government. The news of these cuts came at the same time we were informed that the bars in Dublin and surrounding areas would be shut for a further 3 weeks! To say this is kicking us while we're down, is an understatement. I know a lot of local constituents facing hardship as a direct result of the lack of action, leadership, and support from the current government, during this pandemic. This includes volumes of bartenders, chefs, kitchen porters, managers, servers, reservations staff, security, HR departments, young performers and musicians! There is a deep rooted culture that is being neglected for public health reasons, and although that is justifiable, it does not in the slightest justify the lack of support we need to receive for our sacrifices. It has now reached a point in time where some are making the decision between the roof over their heads and the food on their tables. There is a terrible attitude towards live performers and the hospitality sector, as if our professions do not justify the money we receive. That is very much pandering to a division in class, and it totally undermines the lengths and efforts to develop and master the talents that we were given. As you are well aware, the amount of revenue the government receives from the Tourism, Hospitality, and Live entertainment industries through taxation is substantial! License fees, VAT, PAYE, the list goes on! We have paid our fair way just like any other fully employed person has done and we should continue to receive the PUP until our industry is open again. To say there is a feeling of no confidence in this government is an understatement. Change was demanded at the beginning of this year and when this Dail was formed. We were promised change by the same two parties that have promised it so many times and failed to deliver. We were promised change when the opposition stepped back on forming a left minority. We were promised change and the only change we have witnessed has been in the wrong direction for us. It has taken 8 months to come up with a less than adequate 5 level plan for this pandemic, an issue that requires emergency response times and clear concise rules, not guidelines! We understand that a pandemic of this nature is quite a challenge for any government to tackle and our advice to you as the owners and workers of the hospitality sector is to listen to your constituents, especially the experts of each respective sector. In our case, we have sacrificed our main source of income to help you tackle this public health crisis, the least you can do is to help us in return. We demand the immediate reinstatement of the EWSS and PUP payment at the full rate per week (350EUR) for the highly skilled staff and businesses of this valued sector, until the sector (which is fully closed by government under public health advice) is allowed to return to work. We will continue to do our part for the sake of this country and we hope you will hold your end of the bargain too. Go raibh maith agaibh,

We believe it is inappropriate for a vulnerable young person (16-18) needing temporary or emergency accommodation to be placed in a B&B where adults are also placed. However, if the trust need to use these centres we want them to ensure that all employees have been previously accessNI checked prior to placing a young person within. Lisa Arthurs states, "My daughter Gabrielle was only 17 when she was placed in a B&B where she was sexually assaulted. No prior police checks were carried out on those working in the B&B. The sexual assault impacted Gabby massively and when Gabby sought counselling she was told she would have to wait months. Within this time period things began to spiral out of control for Gabby and she was subsequently placed in a number of centres which were miles away from the support of her family and friends. Tragically Gabby is no longer with us to fight for this change, however I have started this campaign #JusticeForGabby to ensure change happens within the care system. Firstly, we want to ensure that the Health and Social Care Trust carry out police checks on all staff working within these B&B's. I want to ensure that no other young person suffers the same fate as Gabby. Gabby was a loving, kind, warm hearted soul who was always looking out for her friends and family. We miss and love her so much everyday. Please support our campaign - change will happen!" FOI - Freedom Of Information Request (from the Belfast Trust) - 13th November 2020; Can you confirm that all staff/percentage of staff (not only owners/managers) working within the B&B or hotel have been access NI checked prior to placing a young person there? The Trust cannot confirm that all staff working in a B&B/ Hotel are access NI checked prior to a young person being placed there and this is outside the Trust’s remit Gabby recorded her story a few months before her death where she highlights the failings within the system. Please see video attached (www.vimeo.com/480947678). Please support our campaign by signing and sharing this petition. This is only the start of #JusticeForGabby.