An Post were amazing during the pandemic and really showed how they could improve the lives of the more vulnerable in our community. They offered free postage for Packets up to 2KG to Nursing Homes. This enabled carepack.ie to leverage the humanity all across Ireland to get 13,000 Gifts to residents in 2020 and 20,000 to residents in 2021. The Service halted in March 2022 , but we would love to see it back again , please !

quantum proliferation ,young kids hurtling dangerously around on roads and pavement ,deadly accident potential if trend continues particularly in dark winter months

Methane emissions from animals is a well-known issue. Cows alone are responsible for about 40% of those planet-warming gases globally — mainly through their burps. UC Davis scientist Ermias Kebreab is something of a cow whisperer who has spent two decades studying the greenhouse gas contributions of hoofed animals. "If you tell me how much your animal is consuming, I can tell you pretty closely to the actual emissions using mathematical models," he said. "Most of the gas is formed in their stomach, so in their guts, particularly in the first chamber. And so they belch it out." He and other scientists have developed special diets and genetic predictions that could help reduce the methane formed in cow stomachs. Now, New Zealand could become the first country to tax its way to fewer "four-legged" emissions. There were 7.3 million cattle, 5.5 million sheep, 1.6 million pigs and almost 16.5 million poultry on Irish farms in 2020, while the average farm size has increased by 0.7 hectares (or 2.2 per cent) in 2020.

Babies cannot safely get the vitamin D they need from the sun and they need vitamin D because: -between 0 to 12 months babies grow very quickly and have a greater need for vitamin D to form strong bones. -Research shows that vitamin D plays an important role in helping the immune system. It may help prevent diabetes, heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, MS (multiple sclerosis) and some forms of cancer. -African, Afro-Caribbean, Middle-Eastern or Indian parents are more likely to have babies with low levels of vitamin D.

Pre cancerous cells can develop at any time. 5 years between tests is too long leaving many people in Ireland vulnerable

In our cities and rural areas

I am finding it impossible to get to the truth the coroner has even said no to an inquest

"If these deaths had happened in a children's home I think there would have been an investigation a long time ago, but because it's the elderly it just seems to be pushed to the side" Hundreds of care home residents died across Northern Ireland during the first wave of the pandemic. Each of them was valuable, and are grieved by their loved ones. The Department for Health's report in 2020 did not accept there was a link between these deaths and the discharge of patients from hospitals without Covid testing.

The way assessments are planned to be held in Irish Universities is a health and wellbeing crisis of the utmost urgency which requires immediate action. This is an emergency situation which will have severely detrimental effects on the wellbeing of all members of our College communities.

This affects every single person in this country from the cradle to the grave as a matter of urgency.

The current model of vaccine production controlled by a handfull of pharmaceutical companies will be unable to meet global needs until 2024. In the presence of ongoing high level of viral transmission we are likely to see viral variants emerge which will be immune to vaccines currently in use. In the words of Dr Mike Ryan WHO- 'nobody is safe until everybody is safe'

Direct Provision also known as asylum seekers is a term used to describe the money, food, accommodation and medical services an individual receives while their international protection application is being processed (Citizensinformation.ie, 2021). As of 2019 there were a total of 4,781 applicants for the protection status in Ireland (‘Statistics’, 2020). There were 7,330 still pending at the end of 2019 and a total of 585 people living in Ireland with the refugee status. Due to the large numbers of asylum seekers and the growing increase over the years, facilities are exhaust leading to poor treatment of the basic human rights and needs of an individual living in direct provision. Asylum seekers are given a weekly payment of €38.80 per adult and €29.80 per child, as a result of this they are unable to afford education, healthcare or sufficient food (Citizensinformation.ie, 2021). Not only their physical health is being damaged, but also their mental health. People in direct provision are five times more likely to have issues in relation to their mental health (‘Direct Provision – Doras’, 2021). The total funding for the Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP) is €770,000 (Justice, 2020). This is to be spread across seven different areas around Ireland, allowing only €110,000 for each geographical area. This is not enough funding to provide adequate accommodation, food, education and healthcare for all. The White Paper was released in February 2021 which contains a description of the current plans in relation to abolishing Direct Provision. This is in fact great news however, change needs to be made now and cannot wait three or so more years. There are people currently living in Direct Provision and their voices and concerns need to be heard and their needs must be met. Immediate action must be taken to help those currently living in Direct Provision. The following are links to more detailed sources in relation to this issue: Information on Direct Provision: https://www.irishrefugeecouncil.ie/listing/category/direct-provision Information on the food provided: https://nascireland.org/sites/default/files/WhatsFoodFINAL.pdf Information on the White Paper: https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/affd6-minister-ogorman-publishes-the-white-paper-on-ending-direct-provision/ References: Citizensinformation.ie (2021) Direct provision system. Citizensinformation.ie. Available at: https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/moving_country/asylum_seekers_and_refugees/services_for_asylum_seekers_in_ireland/direct_provision.html ‘Direct Provision – Doras’ (2021). Available at: http://doras.org/direct-provision/ Justice, T. D. of (2020) Irish Refugee Protection Programme, The Department of Justice. The Department of Justice. Available at: http://www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/Irish_Refugee_Protection_Programme_(IRPP) ‘Statistics’ (2020) Asylum Information Database | European Council on Refugees and Exiles. Available at: https://asylumineurope.org/reports/country/republic-ireland/statistics/