The Homeless and Needy of our country are abandoned by the state. It is up to us, the general public, to look after their welfare, with food, clothing, sleeping bags, tents and very often just to lend an ear. We can not simply be ignored, just as our service users can't be abandoned either.

It’s terrible seeing all these useless face masks ending up polluting the environment and they keep producing more and more and giving them away

In recent years there has been a growing trend in purchasing a cask of whiskey for investment purposes. These casks need to be stored somewhere and distilleries are looking to our countryside to build large warehouses solely for the purpose of storing whiskey. Now West Cork Distillers Ltd. wants to build a whiskey maturation site on 26.5 acres in the heart of West Cork. The floorspace alone for the warehouses amounts to 24,480m2 (6 Acres), a road network is also required around these warehouses. The proposed development is only 1700m from the foot of Carrigfadda, that affords truly the most magnificent panoramic coastal and countryside views in West Cork. On clear days, one can see as far as the Old Head of Kinsale, the Kerry Paps, Hungry Hill and Sherkin Island, to name a few. This Large development doesn’t offer any extra employment into the area as it is mainly manned by CCTV operations or would have a maximum of two people on site. Our country lanes can’t support arctic lorries, the infrastructure is not there to support such a sizeable development. There is a potential for flooding in the area if the development goes ahead. A development of this size will lead to loss of habitat for our wildlife. This is an urban development that is more suited to an urban industrial area. We want to support our local enterprises, but we need our local enterprises to respect our rural communities. And we need your help to help us protect existing rural character and discourage urban style developments.

Badgers are not the cause of TB in cattle, and 8 out of 10 badgers here are healthy Badgers are a valued native species, protected by law under the Wildlife NI Order 1985 and the Bern Convention. According to Ulster Wildlife, twenty-five per cent of the European population is found in the UK, so we have an international responsibility to conserve and protect them. Vaccination should be used as a way to control bovine TB in the badger population. The most comprehensive scientific study of the effect of badger culling on levels of bovine TB in badgers and cattle in the world took place 1998 - 2006 and concluded ‘badger culling can make no meaningful contribution to cattle TB control in Britain’.

Parks should be public amenities that serve the physical and mental wellbeing of city residents. Even before the pandemic, many people living in cities are confined to cramped indoor living conditions during the summer, with parks providing an important refuge from this reality. Four Masters Park in the heart of inner city Dublin has the potential to be one of those thriving community spaces. However, at present it is closed off to the public despite Dublin City Council paying for its upkeep. Local residents and politicians have all repeatedly called for the park to be opened up but the Sisters of Mercy won't budge. The days of religious orders controlling our parks, our bodies, our hospitals and our schools are numbered. It is incomprehensible that public funds are being used on a space that can't be enjoyed by the people. Renewed media attention and the wider issue of church control in Ireland has brought this issue to the fore. Now is the time to put pressure on the Sister of Mercy nuns to release their hold on the park.

The plans to introduce a statute of limitations on killings in the conflict in Northern Ireland, ending investigations, inquests, and civil actions are in flagrant breach of the European Convention on Human Rights, and the rule of law. They show contempt towards thousands of families here who will never receive the truth of what happened to their loved ones. Families of those who died whether at the hands of paramilitaries, the Army or police, deserve truth and justice.

President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins has said gambling ads are a 'scourge' of modern-day life. [1] Left unregulated, dangerous gambling advertisements will continue to cause so much damage to families and individuals. Ireland has the fourth highest number of gamblers in the European Union, according to a study by industry analysts H2 Gambling Capital. On average, losses for Irish gamblers amount to €300 for every adult, totaling €1.36 billion in 2020.[2] The deluge of online gambling online makes it far too easy to place a bet, and the rules have not kept up. The pandemic has also exacerbated this problem, with nearly half of all betting last year taking place online. The Government introduced a working group on this issue who published recommendations in 2019. Now it's time to act! NOTES 1. https://www.thejournal.ie/problem-gambling-michael-d-higgins-5491317-Jul2021/ 2. https://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/irish-fourth-worst-gamblers-in-eu-as-move-online-accelerates-1.4617386

It is well documented that CBD is a natural compound derived from the cannabis plant. CBD product does not get you high, and no significant adverse effects have been reported. CBD is transforming the lives of people all around the world. It does not make one high, but rather one that aids individuals in dealing with pain & other difficulties. These are far safer alternative to pain medication! CBD oil consumers are aware of the distinction between CBD produced from marijuana and CBD generated from INDUSTRIAL HEMP. Many patients have switched from prescription medicines (such as epilepsy, anxiety, and depression treatments) to CBD, discovering that it provides many of the same advantages as medical marijuana, that too without the psychotropic side effects. Despite this, many social media including Facebook and government target CBD companies in the United States and the United Kingdom for no apparent reason. Social media platforms unpublish pages for "promoting sale of prescription products." The vast majority of CBD products are not regarded pharmaceutical medicines, with the exception of a few FDA-approved CBD-containing treatments. Despite numerous requests, most of the pages are banned. While the same social media website profits from pharmaceutical industry advertisements, but the natural product and far less dangerous alternates are hidden from public. Let’s fight to keep hemp derived CBD products lawful to buy, sell & possess. 1000's of small business that sell CBD products derived from hemp rely on this. Sign the petition to let social media websites know that you have noticed that you do not like the pharmaceutical lobby to rule the social media website, and you are concerned about the small enterprises who are getting affected by such actions. When you sign this petition, you will be helping to keep CBD products derived from Hemp, you will be supporting local business and you will be supporting the freedom of choice.

The decision to charge admission to a current exhibition at the National Gallery of Ireland is contrary to the gallery's longstanding policy of accessibility for everyone. The public is being asked to pay to see works, gifted or purchased with public funds, that now form part of the gallery’s permanent collection. In other words, we are now paying twice to see these works of art! The National Gallery's mission claims to be the country's most popular free visitor attraction and promised to be 'Dedicated to bringing people and art together' which is why it is so important that access remains free of charge so that everyone who lives in and visits Ireland is able to access all works of art. When €500,000 in capital funding to support the gallery’s acquisitions programme for 2020 was announced by the Minister of Arts, director of the National Gallery of Ireland Sean Rainbird noted that the expanding national collection “of course belongs to the people of Ireland”.

A Directly Elected Mayor for Galway could be a big deal for the future of Galway City. In October 2020 Galway City Council unanimously passed a motion by Cllr. Owen Hanley calling for on the Government to implement referendum so Galway can have it's say on this issue. A Directly Elected Mayor would only ensure that the person in charge of finances, everyday decisions, and the future of Galway is selected and accountable to the people. But it's about more than that. It's also about the broader decision making in our country. It's about moving from a Dublin-centric model, to one where more and more decisions about Galway are made in Galway. Everyday our Councils and staff do work to help our communities. But local government has a long way to go. We need more power and decision making on a local level led by a Directly Elected Mayor.

We are aware that the Local Authority is willing to support with the purchase of land to resolve the parking/ set down issue. We understand that the request to acquire lands needs to come from the Department of Education and Skills and to date, no such request has been received by Meath County Council. When funding appears to be available we are unclear why this matter has not been progressed. We can no longer remain silent on this issue and wait for a fatality to spur the relevant departments into action.

The public services ombudsman has found CAPITA's work on the Personal Independence Payment to amount to 'systemic maladministration'. Capita continually failed to obtain medical evidence from GPs as required, and used systems which had the potential to inhibit the appropriate use of further evidence in making assessments Despite this, the Minister for Justice Naomi Long is awarding a contract to Capita to deliver a Medical Assessment Service to victims of the conflict in Northern Ireland. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-57583138