Electric Ireland says it will increase its residential electricity prices by 23.4% and gas prices by 24.8% from 1 May. These price hikes will create real hardship for communities up and down the country, already struggling with the cost of living. Electric Ireland (ESB) has extra responsibility as a state owned company (and thus owned by the people of Ireland) to take into account our well-being in decisions on prices and to put this before profit. We ask Paddy Hayes CEO of Electric Ireland (ESB) to put communities first and help alleviate, not worsen the cost of living crisis.

We in the Irish Heart Foundation are calling on the Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe to remove VAT on AEDs (Automated External Defibrillators). An AED (Automated External Defibrillator) increases a person’s chances of surviving cardiac arrest. An AED is a portable, simple to use, computerised device. When someone suffers a cardiac arrest, an AED delivers a shock to the heart to allow it to resume its normal rhythm. Right now, AEDs and replacement pads and batteries are subject to VAT at 23% in Ireland. Recent changes in EU legislation mean that the Government will have the power this year to abolish this VAT on AEDs, a tax which we in the Irish Heart Foundation have condemned for years as “a tax on saving lives”. Every year, thousands of people in Ireland die from cardiac arrest. 80% of these occur at home and in local communities. The more AEDs there are available in local communities and accessible to the public , the more lives can be saved. Charging VAT on these devices, along with replacement pads and batteries, makes it harder for sports and community organisations to afford their purchase and upkeep. The Irish Heart Foundation hopes that Minister Donohoe and the Department of Finance will act on this petition and undertake all work necessary to ensure an exemption of VAT on AEDs is introduced at the earliest date possible in 2022.

"11 million Ukrainians wander, they have had to abandon their homes, take their children under their arms and flee? How else can one treat the mass rapes, the mass murders, the bombing of maternity hospitals"... In view of the unprovoked aggression by the Russian government in attacking Ukraine and killing thousands of its citizens call on the Irish government to reduce the number of Russians based in the Russian Embassy in Dublin without delay. 29/03/2022 - Today the Irish government asked 4 Russian diplomats to leave Ireland. Of the 31 Russian diplomats based in its Orwell Road embassy 27 remain. Ireland has 5 diplomats in Moscow. Today the Netherlands and Belgium announced they were expelling 17 and 21 Russian diplomats respectively for engaging in espionage. The Irish government need to expel more Russian diplomats or justify why they are not. Add your name to this petition to encourage the government to take this action. Also please ask your friends to sign the petition. https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/four-senior-russian-diplomats-expelled-from-state-following-security-advice-1.4839308?mode=sample&auth-failed=1&pw-origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.irishtimes.com%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2Ffour-senior-russian-diplomats-expelled-from-state-following-security-advice-1.4839308 https://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/garda-expands-security-operation-around-russian-embassy-in-dublin-1.4829674

In 2019 all references to 'Human Rights' were removed from CORU’s Code of Professional Conduct & Ethics for Social Work, the legally binding document which governs Social Work practice in Ireland, and which Social Workers must adhere to. No explanation has been provided by CORU for the removal of human rights from the code. CORU’s previous 2011 Social Work Code contained six separate references to ‘Human Rights’, recognising its fundamental nature to the Social Work profession. The foreword to the 2011 Code noted: “Social Work is a profession based on principles of Human-Rights and Social Justice”. In 2021 the membership of the Irish Association of Social Workers (IASW) voted overwhelmingly in favour of initiating a campaign to have the term Human Rights reinstated to the Code. This petition forms part of that campaign, please support us. Advocating and upholding Human Rights and social justice is a core Social Work value. The International Federation of Social Workers’ (IFSW) 2014 Global Definition of Social Work states: "Principles of social justice, human rights, collective responsibility and respect for diversities are central to Social Work". The IFSW’s definition is a beacon to Social Work practitioners across the world, many of whom tenaciously hold onto the values embodied in this definition. This definition has been adopted globally, including by the IASW, and has been translated into 28 languages. Human Rights feature centrally in the Codes of Ethics of Social Work organisations in countries across the world, including England, Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand, Canada, Finland, Japan, and South Korea. The Australian Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics refers to Human Rights thirteen times. Similarly, the British Association of Social Work (BASW) Code of Ethics for Social Work features Human Rights a total of twelve times in its 15-pages. Removing the phrase ‘Human Rights’ from the Code effectively alters the narrative and meaning of Social Work, and has implications for how we, as Social Workers, both individually and collectively, understand, frame and practice our profession. It is imperative that Human Rights is included within CORU’s Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics for Social Work in Ireland. We call on CORU to reinstate all references to ‘Human Rights’ from the 2011 Code to the current Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics for Social Work. For more information: https://twitter.com/SWs4Change

My name is Miriam Cullen, I have Long Covid since March 2020, I am grateful that I attend the Post-Covid Clinic in St James Hospital, Dublin 8. I am campaigning together with the support group Long Covid Ireland and Joan Collins TD to secure funding for Long Covid Clinics in EVERY county in acute hospitals / primary care service & include upskilled relevant practitioners.We also need a central data base with information on LC sufferers. Long Covid doesn’t discriminate, it can affect anyone at any time. I took part in a fatigue management program run by The Occupational Therapist which is hugely beneficial to patients. We learned about pacing, identifying triggers for fatigue, relapses etc,having these skills is invaluable to daily life of Long Covid sufferers. Long Covid knocks your confidence and the Occupational Therapist helped me understand and try to accept my changed lifestyle which in turn helped my confidence. We the undersigned call on Minister Donnelly to • Provide funding for nationwide multidisciplinary Long Covid Clinics which include upskilled occupational therapy in acute hospitals and primary care services. • Hold information for LC sufferers on a central data base. Please take a second to sign this petition, to protect this important service and all of those who may require it.

Unfortunately, as a result of complaints from certain neighbours to Dublin City Council - one referencing “the sound of chatter and laughter”, we have been forced to close our Rathgar location 😞 This is obviously extremely upsetting for us, as we really feel that we have integrated so well into the community and were just after finding our feet in the area. To those that have expressed support during this situation, thank you so much. Most of you guys know that we really tried our best here and still it wasn’t enough for some people. We are one of many trailers across Dublin that so many people depended on during covid and now that covid restrictions have lifted we are being punished. 🤨 It has been a difficult couple of weeks trying to prevent this, and especially telling 4 wonderful staff members that they’ll no longer have jobs.

Asylum policy is a reserved matter decided by Westminster that lies outwith the Northern Ireland devolved government. Westminster's response to the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Ukraine has been shameful. We the undersigned from Northern Ireland call on Boris Johnson to put in place a visa waiver scheme for Ukrainian people seeking shelter from the war and on the Northern Ireland Executive to put in place a scheme to facilitate the resettlement of refugees in Northern Ireland.

All financial barriers should be removed for people who are trying to leave to get to safety. Ryanair make serious profits every year and should be offering their travel without cost to those seeking refuge.

People powered campaigns are the best for delivering for their own communities, join to enrich the culture of our hometown.

Procedures should be simplified so that people at the border can enter without needing a passport. More than 800,000 Ukrainians have fled their country since the beginning of the Russian invasion. But it is not only Ukrainian citizens who are queuing to leave, but also foreign students and people who have already been granted asylum in Ukraine. Europe must protect all people fleeing war, regardless of their nationality, the colour of their skin, gender identity or sexual identity. This means not only agreeing to give people the right to live and work in Europe, but also removing barriers to entering the territory, such as the need for a passport. Many people have never traveled abroad and do not have a passport. They must also ensure that ethnic minorities and foreigners in Ukraine are not treated differently. Irish Ministers have a unique chance to prove that the European Union can respect Article 1 of the human rights convention: "Women and men are born and remain free and equal in rights. Social distinctions can only be based on common utility." Image credit: BEATA ZAWRZEL/NURPHOTO VIA GETTY IMAGES

This is important as it's a serious safety issue and it makes people feel unsafe while walking or cycling along this road.

The park is a community facility which everyone should feel safe in, however, due to a lack of facilities and resources the park has become unused by the vast majority of people in the evening. Over the last few months there have been a number of assaults and muggings in the park. The whole community should feel safe using the park. The park requires investment in order to improve the facilities and to allow everyone in the community to use it in the evening time. We want South Dublin County Council to improve the facilities in the park by investing in: - Proper lighting to increase community activity - More facilities and organised events such as exercise, yoga or running programmes - More facilities such as park benches and exercise equipment - More park rangers to ensure the park is used in a positive way