Decriminalisation of Sex Workers should be of high priority.

Because they are 1. Cutting down palm trees 2. kicking people off their land to farm palm oil 3. Killing the animals in the rainforest 4. Destroying the biodiversity of the rainforests

The Irish sex education curriculum needs to be objective, factual and inclusive and taught without the barrier of school ethos. Support the Oireachtas Education Committee and the National Council for Curriculum and Assessments recommendations to reform the current sex education curriculum. It is imperative that: - Young people grow up with the right information in order to make informed decisions about their own sexuality and relationships. - Young people grow up understanding consent, especially in the #MeToo era and at a time when there remains a high prevalence of sexual assault, harassment and violence. - Young people grow up inclusive of people's sexual orientation, gender identity and the spectrum thereof, at a time when LGBT students still face high amounts of homophobic and transphobic related bullying.

The adverse health effects from vaping is not yet known. Smoking was banned, yet vaping is permitted in enclosed public places at the discretion of the premises owner. The vapour is polluting the air we all breathe and just because it is colourless or odourless this does not conclude that it is harmless to public health.

Linda Fairstein achieved her fame & fortune at the expense of five innocent individuals who became known as The Central Park 5. These men were children at the time aged between 14-16. There was not a single shred of physical evidence linking these boys to the crime she hunted them for. She led the investigation that fundamentally changed these men’s lives forever & unfairly tarnished their reputations. She then went on to launch her writing career in fictional true crime. And not that any more reason to get her "stories" off the shelves is needed, but she also represents Harvey Weinstein (media mogul , serial sexual assault perpetrator), proving her actionsin 1989 were never about justice for sexual assault survivors as she is representing the perpetrators now. This dangerous, vile woman used the Central Park 5 case to advance her the aspiring career as a crime writer. For Raymond Santana Jr, Korey Wise, Yusef Salaam, Antron McCray and Kevin Richardson, whom she KNOWINGLY & WRONGFULLY hunted and coerced into a conviction & because of her everything she has gained at their expense, I am starting a petition to ask ALL retailers & book publishers in Ireland and around the world to stop selling Linda Fairstein books or any product that is linked to her.

Downgrading, staff cuts and a ban on any new admissions to the hospital presents an inevitable risk of full closure. It ultimately means that the hospital will lose beds and will no longer be able to facilitate respite care, step down care and long stay patients. A total of 21 beds were closed in Belmullet already between Áras Deirble Nursing Home and the Community Hospital. The Barony of Erris is a vast, highly dispersed area, the size of Co. Louth with a population of nearly 10,000 people. The main hospital is located in the county town of Castlebar- Mayo University Hospital is a 190km round trip from one of the farthest points in Erris, with patients having to travel one the worst roads in the country, the R312. With an ageing population and increased demand for step down and respite care, we cannot lose our hospital. This will put unimaginable pressure on older and vulnerable patients, their families and on Mayo University Hospital, where overcrowding and bed shortages are already an issue.

The impact of the daily load of 4million litres of fat oil and grease solution on the harbour it’s nature reserves and it’s ecosystem has not been adequately investigated or modelled. The pipe line is simply the shortest route to the sea from the factory. There are other options such as putting the discharge point way out to sea using the Ballycotton gas pipeline. The cheapest solution is rarely the best solution.

This is extremely important, we have school kids, College students, Elderly people and people with disabilities either going to school,College,Hospital or doctors appointments and people using the bus to get shopping, 1 an hour is not enough especially at peak times, not to mention at winter time when people are standing in the cold and the rain or snow with no bus shelter and a Bus thats due may or may not turn up, Stepaside is a huge population now and still growing, bus service no longer meets that growing demand.

Our beautiful planet has reached a dangerous toxic load of Roundup weedkiller. In 2018 over 5 billion pounds of it was spread worldwide and this will rise each year if we do not stop it. Roundup's makers, Monsanto, have been proven in numerous high profile lawsuits to have hidden the scientific proof that it does not, as they claimed in the 1970s, break down in the soil; it remains active and therefore harmful for at least ten years. Yet still we spray. The fact that is does not break down is evidenced by it being found in urine and breast milk samples, and organic honeys which are nowhere near spraying. It is, at this stage, everywhere. It has been proven to attack beneficial bacteria in all lifeforms, including humans, and is linked to numerous diseases including cancers, celiac disease, autism and gluten intolerance. It is proven to kill honeybees and other pollinators, and has been implicated in the ill health and death of dogs and other pets. The only reason it is still on the shelves is because our business-focused governments keep lobbying to keep it there. We are essentially putting the profits of corporations above the health and future of our planet. This is insanity. The only way we are going to stop the spraying is by pressuring those in the newly formed council to wake up and take action; to remind them their jobs are to serve the community's healthy and well-being, not amass wealth for an elite class. Look around your towns and countryside, and when you see Roundup sprayed speak up. Tell people that there are much healthier and cheaper alternatives. See recipes here: https://garden.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Recipe_for_Vinegar_Weed_Killer

Our local libraries are an amazing resource. Weekends are a great time to go to study, take your children, and browse around as there is lots to do there. When a bank holiday weekend comes around the local library shuts that preceding Saturday. I have gone to my local library on lots of Saturdays during the year planning to have some quiet study space only to realise as its a bank holiday they are shut! I imagine there are many people out there who have had this experience. This wonderful resource should be open particularly at a bank holiday weekend allowing people access to the wonderful facilities.

In order to favor the implementation of the electric car beneficial for health, government assistance is needed, not only in subsidies to purchase but also in infrastructure. With this measure all gas stations should have a fast charging point for electric cars obligatorily

Do you think that it is fair that Deaf community in Ireland can simply thrive in the UK with the provision of Access To Work Scheme funded by the British Government, but not here in Ireland? In the UK, Access to Work Scheme gives a wide range of reasonable accommodation such as sign language interpreters in the workplace, note-takers for meetings, and different supports that Deaf individuals may need. This scheme would not just benefit the Deaf community but all people with disabilities. People with disabilities are diverse including physical disabilities, intellectual disabilities and mental health and with the Access to Work Scheme, people with disabilities in the UK are thriving too with supports they need. This scheme in the UK has proved to be economically beneficial, that for every £1 spent on ATW, £1.48 is recouped by the government, as more people are in employment and not on dependent on the government welfare system. Unfortunately, there is no such scheme like that here in Ireland. Deaf community face severe barriers and discrimination in the workplace here. Deaf people are 2-4 times more likely to be unemployed than their hearing peers. Irish Sign Language (ISL) is the first and/or preferred language of Deaf community, of at least 5,000 Deaf people. As English is a second language for most of these Deaf people, there is significant difficulty in the workplace in terms of access. We regularly experience the effects of restricted access to supports, services and opportunities in the workplace including interviews. In Ireland, those majority of Deaf people, who are currently working have been in low-paid and low-status jobs with little hope of promotion. They tend to stay in their workplace for the long-term, rather than change jobs and achieve their career dream like their hearing peers. Work and paid employment serve to develop a sense of belonging with positive mental health benefits and identification with the wider community. However, Deaf people in Ireland continue to face barriers in employment and experience higher rates of poverty, social exclusion and under-employment. Deaf people get adequate supports in the education system but not in the workplace. The gap needs filling. It's been filled and resolutely proven to work abroad. In Ireland, employers are obliged to provide reasonable accommodation as long as it doesn't impose a disproportionate burden on the employer. Currently, there are some financial supports such as the Job Interview Interpreter Grant which pays for interpreters at interview and induction period. There is the Workplace Equipment/Adaptation Grant which only covers equipment and not interpreting costs. There is also the Wage Subsidy Scheme which pays approximately €10,000 towards salary costs of a disabled person who can prove they have a lower productivity level than their peers. A pool of funding is available however deaf employees cannot access this pool of funding to meet the costs needed for interpreting due to systematic barriers. The Reasonable Accommodation Fund by the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection needs a major overhaul to allow talented deaf employees to avail of this. With funding like the Access To Work Scheme, Deaf people can simply thrive here in Ireland where they can contribute and enhance their role through Irish Sign Language interpreting on a daily basis like their hearing peers. This can lead to job promotions and achieving their career dreams. This applies to people with disabilities generally, they can thrive as well with adequate supports. We always tell our children to follow their dreams and that they can achieve anything they put their minds to. Right now in Ireland, all epsecially young Deaf people don’t always have the opportunity to pursue their dream jobs - not because they’re not able to do them - but because they might not be accessible. Let’s change that now. Thank you Joanne Chester email: [email protected] Supported by: Irish Deaf Youth Association Irish Deaf Society National Deaf Women of Ireland