37% of A-Level students in NI have had their grades lowered, because of the 'standardisation' process put in place by CCEA. The Minister is feeling the pressure. Today (17th August) he announced that teachers grades would be used for the GCSE results. The Assembly has been recalled. Decisions are being made now by universities that will have huge repercussions for the lives and futures of students. Leaving it to the appeals process is not enough. Pupils in England, Scotland and Wales, have been guaranteed results no lower than their AS grades, or had their 'moderated' grades scrapped. Action must be taken now to fix the A-Levels Fiasco. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-53767773

The temporary cycle lane on Shannon Bridge implemented as part of the Council's 'Guiding Limerick Through Covid-19 Plan' has removed a full lane of inbound car traffic from the junction at Lower Shelbourne Road and Condell Road as far as the Dock Road roundabout. During the school term this roundabout is used by 25,000 cars daily, the northside of Limerick City cannot cope with one single lane of inbound traffic on this bridge. The junction at Lower Shelbourne Road onto Condell Road is already a bottleneck for traffic. It is a one-way turn towards Shannon Bridge so all traffic is going in the same direction. With only one lane for cars this will be a traffic nightmare. Using this junction is traffic for many schools such as Ard Scoil Ris secondary, Villiers secondary, Educate Together secondary, Salesians, JFK, and Gaelscoil Sairseal primary schools, plus Limerick Institute of Technology, as well as people on the northside travelling to schools in the city (e.g. the Model, the Project and Mary Immaculate College). We want to cycle safely across the bridge, but this is not the way to do it. People cycling down Mallow Street or from the Dock Road direction are not even using the new lane, they are still cycling out over the bridge on the left traffic lane - squeezing all incoming traffic into one lane coming against them is more dangerous for those cyclists. Please listen to people that are actually using this bridge on a daily basis. Motorists, passengers and cyclists. Older neighbourhoods is this area will suffer the most in this decision, traffic joining from Westfields and North Circular Road directions already wait in a tailback on school mornings to join traffic at Fernbank, this will get far worse. Traffic on the Condell Road will be worse as cars coming from Clonmacken meet traffic from Fernbank and all wait together to get over the bridge on that one single lane. This will cause huge delays, unnecessary mental health strain on everyone involved, and will be dangerous - and all for a cycle lane that isn't working. We request Limerick City & County Council restore the vehicle lane and remove the current setup, and instead implement proper cycle lanes instead of these "short-term measures on a temporary basis" as it is called in the Council's 'Guiding Limerick Through Covid-19 Plan'. https://www.limerick.ie/sites/default/files/media/documents/2020-07/limerick-city-and-county-council-guiding-limerick-through-covid-19-15-july-2020_0.pdf

During this pandemic, many of our green areas have been allowed to grow wild, with no council mowing ongoing. Which is great! Green areas have been allowed to flourish with flowers growing through them. Widespread population declines of bees and other pollinators from habitat loss are a growing concern. However, spontaneous flowers like dandelions and clover can provide pollen and nectar sources throughout the growing season....... Therefore, please don't mow, don't spray, let them grow!

It is important because as many of us it will be a once in a lifetime achievement which should be proudly received and celebrated not virtually.

Far too frequently, this supply line bursts and impacts upon thousands of people from Buncrana, Fahan, Inch, Tooban, Burnfoot, Bridgend, Muff, Netwoncunningham and Killea. This impacts on the way of life for thousands of residents. It affects out schools, medical facilities, community centres and businesses. It is simply unacceptable and would not be tolerated anywhere else in Ireland. We are simply calling for a consistent water supply as would be expected anywhere else.

As Covid 19 cases have started to rise again across the country and in Limerick it is vital that covid mobility measures, put in place to facilitate social distancing, are kept in place for the forseeable future. South Circular Road runs parallel to Ballinacurra and O'Connell Avenue in Limerick City. It is a residential street and over the past month as a result of these Covid mobility measures, locals, both living on the street and in the surrounding neighbourhoods, have found it a pleasure to walk or cycle along, to bump into neighbours and have a chat in the open air, at a socially safe distant, without battling the noise of heavy through traffic or risking their lives as cars speed through. This has all been facilitated by the new one way traffic system, blocking incoming traffic from the Dooradoyle side and preventing the use of the street as a rat run for people accessing the city centre. Now locals from South Circular Road itself and from the suburbs of Dooradoyle and Raheen can use it as a safe cycle route into the city, a quiet, comfortable walking route in the evenings and a place to meet and chat to each other. South Circular Road could become the ideal road for young people to cycle and walk to school when they return in a few weeks. Over 6,800 students attend university or primary or secondary school on the SCR and many more use it as an access route to other city centre schools. Many of the children attending these schools are local to the city but are driven to school or creche by anxious parents as there currently is no safe road for them to cycle or walk. South Circular Road can be that safe route - reducing traffic in the city, improving the quality of the air we all breathe, giving our young people confidence and independence as they make their own way to school and creating healthy habits that will last them a lifetime. For those that need to drive to school access is retained via the Dock road and Ballinacurra road. Please sign this petition to show Limerick City Council that the one way system needs to stay and that we, as the people of the city, are in agreement on this.

Approximately 30,000 residents between Knocknacarra, Barna and Salthill are suffering from the fact that there is no public transport service in operation, all routes have been suspended since the 23rd of March. It is imperative that the situation is fixed immediately before schools, colleges and even more business open back up, to prevent vast sections in the West of Galway City having no available means to commute. We implore the Minister to act now to ease the extreme difficulties this has caused the affected residents of Galway city.

The people who produce our food are often treated the worst in society. Now, they're being exposed to COVID-19 at work, and bosses are allowed to get away with it. It's time Minister for Health Stephen Donnolly took action to make meat factory bosses protect the people who work there.

Covid 19 infection rates are rising again. The crisis is not over and requirements for social distancing are still vital. Any removal of mobility measures designed to facilitate safe movement into the city is dangerously premature. Shannon Bridge is a crucial transport corridor for schools. Over 3,500 children will soon travel to schools directly served by Shannon Bridge. Provision must be made for safe active travel to these schools. This is mandated by the National Transport Authority, Green Schools Ireland, and the Department of Education; The Department of Transport guidelines state 'use public transport only for essential journeys, walk or cycle if possible.' The COVID-19 Response Plan by the Dept. of Education for the safe and sustainable reopening of Primary and Special Schools states 'promote alternative means for children to get to school in a safe way, including walking, cycling and more generally in reducing the impact on public transport'. (July 2020). The Green Schools Plan 'An Ideas Document for Safe Access to Schools' also reiterates the need to prioritize active travel, including walking and cycling, and suggests the implementation of 'a cycle bus or walk-and-stride facilities'. (July 2020). In installing a cycle lane to provide safe travel for cyclists and a safer passage for pedestrians along the pathway- now insulated from motor vehicles- the Council has acknowledged the need for such infrastructure. Removal of such infrastructure is a retrograde step for the Council, when other local authorities across the country are introducing cycle infrastructure to support people who cycle and those that want to cycle but feel its unsafe to do so due to fear of accident, driver hostility and current route layout. Up to 40 children and parents from the Cycle Bus (which serves 2 primary schools in the city centre) use the inbound lane to cross the Shannon each morning on route to school and work. Before the lane was opened exclusively to cyclists and pedestrians, these children shared a lane of traffic with cars, vans, buses and HGV’s on a daily basis. It was, all would agree, the most unsafe aspect of the Cycle Bus’ journey each morning. If Limerick wants to support the increasing numbers of people cycling, then the Council must support 'people first' measures like maintaining a safe segregated cycle lane on one of our bridges.

The noise pollution, dust, and traffic a quarry only 1/2 a kilometre away from the school would create throughout the day would be detrimental to the peaceful, quiet, and healthy learning environment needed for students with special needs. This is a new school being built, and nearly completed, at a location designed especially for these special students with various disabilities. The quarry application must be denied as such to protect the rights of these disabled students with special needs.

On 2nd April, 2017, while Bus Eireann drivers were on strike, Bus Eireann axed the X7 service from Clonmel to Dublin Airport. At that time both Bus Eireann and JJ Kavanagh & Sons were operating services from Clonmel to Dublin Airport. Since that time JJ Kavanagh & Sons have continued the service. However, since Covid-19 JJ Kavanagh & Sons suspended this service mid-March and left commuters in the Clonmel area without a bus service to Kilkenny and Dublin. This highlights the results and consequences of privatiisation, where profit come first and foremost and people's needs are seen as irrelevant. This is why we need a proper publicly funded bus service from Clonmel to Dublin that will serve the needs of those living in Clonmel and it's environs.

On the 2nd April, 2017, while Bus Eireann drivers were on strike, Bus Eireann axed the X7 Expressway service from Clonmel to Dublin Airport. At that time both Bus Eireann and JJ Kavanagh & Son were operating services from Clonmel to Dublin Airport. Since that date JJ Kavanagh & Son have operated the service, however due to Covid -19 the service has been suspended since mid March. Leaving commuters with no bus service from Clonmel to Kilkenny and Dublin. There are no talks of JJ Kavanagh resuming the service in the near future. This outcome has highlighted the dangers and consequences of privatisation, whereby profit is put first and foremost and peoples needs become irrelevant. This is why the X7 needs to be re-instated and a proper publicly funded bus service offered to those living in and around the Clonmel area.