CATU Ireland is a union for communities and tenants. That means renters, council tenants, mortgage holders, and people in emergency and precarious living situations. The current housing crisis is a result of government policy designed to benefit speculators, landlords and vulture funds. But housing doesn't have to be in crisis. Public housing is the solution. 3,917 households are on the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County housing list, yet the council built only 18 houses in 2023. These figures also hide households who make more than the income limit of €40,000, but who can't afford to rent in DLR where the average rent is now €2,331 per month. The result is that working class families are pushed out of the county. It doesn't have to be this way. Universal public housing will bring about reduced rents and property prices and force corporate investors out, with many properties becoming vacant and available to be added to our stock. Publicly owned housing will further allow tenants to have more control over their communities through local democracy, rather than an unaccountable profit-driven private sector. It will also mean more sustainable communities, as people will not be evicted at the whim of a landlord seeking to make a greater profit. It's time to end the landlords' grip and tip the balance of power back to renters. Housing is a human right, not a commodity to be bought and sold to the highest bidder.

Over the past few years there have been a soaring number of planning applications across the Island of Ireland to build very large “Solar Energy Farms” covering thousands of acres of agricultural land, with some in high amenity areas. Such projects involve taking over productive food-growing fields with hundreds of thousands of tall solar panels in order to generate “green” electricity for periods typically 35- 40 years. During this period the farms are unable to grow any food crops or raise animals. Only a few exceptions graze sheep, though this is going out of fashion with the developers. The developers usually offer to “improve the local biodiversity” or similar “green” sounding platitudes but there are no guarantees that the existing wildlife will not be permanently impacted or that the land will be even used for grazing. Solar photo-voltaic (PV) panels produce electricity from sunlight, but are very inefficient in producing energy compared to their land greed. Offshore wind power and hydroelectric systems, along with nuclear generation are significantly more efficient for their land footprint and have been chosen by the Government as the primary large-scale routes for energy investment towards our net zero goals. Nevertheless, solar developers are keen to cash in on the publicity of the net zero targets whilst they still can, removing valuable food producing land in the process. Solar panels on individual homes, offices, public buildings, and over car parks can and do contribute to offsetting electricity used in those buildings. The ISEA issued a report in 2022 showing that over 1.3 million homes in Ireland have roof space for solar panels which equates to 13GW capacity meeting 19% of renewable energy targets. County level findings also show that using maximum theoretical potential on each roof that up to 38% of Westmeath’s residential energy demands would be met by solar PV in homes. (https://www.irishsolarenergy.org/_files/ugd/dcb342_31fe5681d3fd4f56b322141c9886af5c.pdf) Energy sent over the transmission network is lost the further it travels, contributing to energy waste. Like a bucket of water with a small hole in the bottom. But this is reduced to almost no loss when installed on a rooftop and used by the building. These industrial solar energy plants, if needed at all, should be located on previously developed “brown field” sites and rooftops, not on valuable agricultural land. And certainly not adjacent to communities and in areas of high scenic and historic beauty, where they will destroy the public amenity and visual openness of the local countryside. Over the coming decades as we face up to the challenges of Climate Change, which is predicted to reduce food yields across the globe, we need to be able to produce enough food for ourselves. It is predicted that we will need to produce more food due to increasing populations. We need to be able to feed sustainably and covering viable agricultural land with solar “farms” is NOT the way to achieve this. It is time to call on the Government to end the development of large-scale Solar Energy “Farms” on prime agricultural land and take other measures to realise the benefits of solar pv such as making it mandatory for a minimum of 50% of all new builds to include rooftop solar power or giving communities the opportunity to participate in community owned projects like those set out in RESS 3 and supported by SEAI. If this gets approved it sets a dangerous precedent and there are more developments (similar in size) in the pipeline taking up large quantities of our prime arable land. If you care about the destruction of our countryside and wildlife (protected and unprotected) in our beautiful lake county then please sign and share for others to sign. We need to stop this now! Imagine acres and acres of glass and metal monstrosities where there once was crops, birdsong and animals grazing. Please Don’t let our Lake county become a Solar County.

Together, let's demand the attention, funding, and action that this crucial infrastructure project deserves. Join us in advocating for safer roads, economic prosperity, sustainable development, enhanced connectivity, and the empowerment of the community.

Clare County Council has developed a strategy to develop Ennis and set up a company, Ennis 2040 DAC, to implement it. The strategy aims to enable Ennis to prosper as a vibrant civic, commercial, cultural and residential centre. We support these aims but NOT the project they are starting on now - a multi-storey commercial block on Abbey Street car park and a later project for two commercial blocks on Parnell Street car park. We ask Clare County Council to stop the plan to build on our riverside car parks because: • It removes car parking that our businesses and mobility impaired people need – a vibrant town needs vibrant businesses • It is a speculative development for high cost office and large retail that could end up as a white elephant in a prime location • It hands valuable open public space to private interests, space that is ideal place for our community to gather and enjoy river and town views • This generic development in the heart of the town could destroy what people love about Ennis - a medieval town with narrow, winding streets and laneways with the beautiful river Fergus meandering through it We ask Clare County Council not to transfer this public property to Ennis 2040 DAC, a company that can sell it on without consent by the county council or councillors. There are many vacant sites that exist in Ennis that are ideal for regeneration and development. We ask Clare County Council and Ennis 2040 DAC to focus on these. Do you want large private buildings on our riverside car parks? If not, please sign our petition and share it with others who also want to stop this madness. You can also sign this petition in person at many of the businesses in Ennis Town Save Ennis Town is a group drawn from the general public including community, business, retail and political representatives. It formed after a public meeting on 4th May 2023 in the Temple Gate Hotel with over 200 people, all concerned about elements of the Ennis 2040 plans. We aim to have constructive engagement with Ennis 2040 DAC and develop a plan that will enhance our town for everyone.

Trees are essential to our existence. They provide us with oxygen, reduce carbon and give life to the world's wildlife. Saving our trees will reduce greenhouse gases, protect our wildlife and bees, and make sure our environment and communities can be enjoyed by future generations.

The Irish Funds Industry Association (Irish Funds) is the representative body for the international investment fund community in Ireland. According to Irish Funds, Ireland is the domicile for 5.9% of world-wide investment fund assets, making it the 3rd largest global centre and the 2nd largest in Europe. On their website, they claim as one of their values "Integrity – in everything we do". But integrity is incompatible with allowing their membership to include nine of the ten top investors in major companies in oil and gas expansion - companies like Exxon, Chevron, Conoco and Glencore – and four of the banks labelled the “Dirty Dozen” in the 2023 Banking on Climate Chaos report. By allowing these 14 tainted companies to continue as members, Irish Funds is legitimising their cannibalisation of the planet. By expelling these companies, Irish Funds will send a strong signal that funding fossil fuels is immoral and unacceptable in an escalating climate and biodiversity emergency. It will increase pressure on these companies to divest from fossil fuels – the burning of which is the main source of greenhouse gas emissions that are cooking our planet.

Keem bay is one of the most beautiful beaches in the world but despite that there is no plan for sustainable tourism. This is putting Keem at risk. There should be no campfires allowed as they are destroying the land and risking a large fire taking off in the area. Also, there should be staff employed to enforce this and clean up the beach after every day. Yes, it would be perfect if people cleared away their own rubbish but that doesn’t happen so the council needs to come up with a plan. Keem brings in thousands of tourists to Mayo every year and yet there is no effort to protect it from the impact of that many people lighting fires and leaving rubbish.

Aside from being unfair to NAPCP members who have worked hard to meet rigorous professional requirements, for the HSE to continue with these exclusionary hiring practices would be gravely irresponsible and potentially damaging to members of the public - many of whom are not currently receiving the care that they need.

Botox is the brand name of one of the products containing the nerve poison botulinum toxin. The toxin is used for medical and increasingly for cosmetic applications. A small injection causes facial wrinkles to disappear. But the price for the short term 'beauty' is paid by the suffering and death of thousands of mice. Each batch is tested using the LD50 test before it reaches consumers. A sample is injected into the abdomen of mice. The mice suffer paralysis, impaired vision and respiratory distress. After three or four days of suffering, they die from suffocation. The IAVS has supported the campaign 'Stop Botox animal testing' since 2009 to inform the public, to put pressure on the manufacturers still testing on animals as well as on authorities to speed up the validation and implementation of animal-free methods and to remove the LD50 mouse assay in the EU legislation.

The Pakistani community in Ireland are 1000s in number. They have been a part of society for many years and contribute widely to Irish society. They also have a deep rooted connection with their families overseas. Currently, Pakistanis are facing some of the worst human rights violations and political victimisation. Pakistanis around the world are exercising their right to freedom of speech to speak out against such human rights violations. Unfortunately, these Pakistanis who are using their right to freedom of expression against human rights violations back home, have been receiving threats and harassment openly from undercover agents living in Ireland. These agents have openly claimed on social media they have spied on them and leaked their data to foreign agencies which has resulted in raids/serious harassment of their families (women and children) overseas. We have already received complaints from healthcare workers whose families have been harassed and threatened back home. We strongly condemn such unlawful activities by these agents in Ireland and urge immediate action from Irish human rights and law enforcement agents against them. These agents also claim they are working in collaboration with the Pakistani Embassy in Ireland to breach personal data (GDPR) and to promote personal/political victimisation. We strongly urge the Pakistani Ambassador to Ireland to take notice of this and pass an official statement on this. Please sign and share to report such criminal activities in Ireland and to hold these agents accountable for their actions P.S. We have evidence of these agents that we can provide to the relevant authorities

There is very clear inequality: Research Staff in the Technological Universities are not allowed join the single public pension scheme. Research Staff in the Traditional Universities are, while both carry out the same jobs.

Citi, based right at the centre of the iconic Titanic Quarter in Belfast, is bankrolling the destruction of the Amazon, drilling in the Arctic. It’s even funding the company behind the proposed LNG plant in the Shannon estuary, importing filthy gas–much of it fracked–and locking us into fossil fuels for decades to come. [2] Here in Northern Ireland they’ve been given tens of millions of pounds of public money by Invest NI to operate, meaning that the climate destruction they wreak is being made possible by our own money. [3] For too long, fossil fuel CEOs have divided and distracted us with lies hoping to hide the origins and impact of the crisis they created, while they pollute our air, poison our water, and dump toxins into communities. [4] We are acting together to make sure our children are still able to enjoy beautiful landscapes and healthy nature -such as those represented by W5’s ‘In our Nature’ exhibition, in real life, for generations to come. According to your own sustainability pledge you are ’committed to reducing our environmental impact wherever possible. Placing sustainability at the heart of what we do, we pride ourselves on our forward-thinking approach.’ [5] Taking sponsorship money from the second largest funder of fossil fuel companies world-wide makes a mockery of the sustainability pledge and allows Citibank to present an image as an environmentally conscious company while they pour billions of pounds into coal, oil, and gas. It’s time to fight back on Citi’s greenwashing, and stop it funding climate chaos. We, the undersigned, are calling on W5 to end its sponsorship arrangement with Citi until it stops funding fossil fuel companies. [1] https://bank.green/banks/citi [2] https://www.bankingonclimatechaos.org/ [3] https://www.irishnews.com/business/2022/09/07/news/citi_to_create_another_400_jobs_for_fast-growing_belfast_operation-2819832/ [4] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jun/30/climate-crimes-oil-and-gas-environment [5] https://w5online.co.uk/sustainability-pledge