Summary:- We urgently need to move to virtual courts to provide people with access to justice during the current pandemic. Affidavits are an essential part of the court process but cannot be completed without physical attendance before a commissioner for oaths to swear an oath on a sacred text if the person making the affidavit has religious faith. A move to a completely secular Statement of Truth was recommended by the Law Reform Commission as far back 1990 and can be enacted immediately. It is now urgently required to enable people to have access to justice remotely without being put at risk by unnecessary physical meetings. It will also bring in a long overdue modernisation of our legal system and will reduce costs for those dealing with the legal system. More Detail:- We have all restricted our activities as directed by the Government to do what we can to slow the spread of the Covid-19 Corona Virus. While legal services have been designated as essential services, legal practitioners have also restricted activities to those that are essential and that can be delivered safely. This involves most people working from home and remotely in other ways. Our courts have effectively closed other than for urgent matters and the Courts Service is to be commended in that it is seeking to facilitate a move to remote hearings as swiftly as possible. However, meanwhile, citizens awaiting remedies from the courts are entitled to access to justice in a timely fashion. Social distancing is likely to remain with us for some time and it is difficult to see the operation of our courts returning to normal while these requirements remain a necessity. Therefore, we need an alternative as a matter of urgency. In the context of a move to the remote hearings of court proceedings, it is important to understand that almost all legal business required to be done to progress legal proceedings can be done remotely, with one very significant exception. Affidavits cannot be completed remotely. They must be sworn in the physical presence of either a commissioner for oaths or a practising solicitor. These documents are an essential requirement for all court proceedings and for many non-contentious court-sanctioned processes such as the functions of the Probate Office and the Wards of Court Office. A High Court ruling on affidavits has confirmed that, as the law currently stands, if a person has religious faith, they must swear an affidavit placing their hand on the sacred text of that faith. This places the commissioner for oaths (or practising solicitor) taking the oath in the entirely unsatisfactory position where he or she must enquire if the person making the affidavit is a person of religious faith and, if so, the commissioner must then produce the appropriate sacred text of that faith for the oath to be administered in accordance with the requirements of that faith. This is a completely anachronistic practice that has no place in our modern society. The State, the courts, and the legal profession have no business enquiring as to the faith or otherwise of a person in the context of legal proceedings, unless for some reason the question of faith forms part of the subject matter of the proceedings. A person seeking to complete an affidavit should not be subject to the intrusion, indignity and potential embarrassment of having to explain their religious beliefs or otherwise to a stranger in the context of exercising their rights in a democratic republic. The case for this change was made in a report of the Law Reform Commission from 1990 which offers a very simple and succinct change to the position. The legislation required to give effect to this change has been advanced to heads of bill stage since 2017 and can quickly and easily be brought forward for enactment. It will be clear to anyone that this is a change that should have long since been made even in the absence of the current need for social distancing. But it must also be remembered that an affidavit can only be sworn in the physical presence of a person acting as commissioner for oaths who is independent of the solicitor acting on behalf of the person swearing the affidavit. Therefore, affidavits cannot be sworn without a physical meeting of two or three people, and perhaps more depending on the circumstances. There are no circumstances in which an affidavit can be completed remotely and, therefore, a system of remote court hearings cannot presently proceed without the affidavits that the litigation process depends upon being sworn physically. This need for otherwise unnecessary physical meetings is dangerous in the context of the current pandemic. Many litigants in court proceedings are vulnerable people who find themselves with no choice but to seek redress from the courts. Furthermore, the requirements for affidavits in probate matters and in the context of the creation and registration of enduring powers of attorney exposes many elderly people to the possibility of meetings with strangers that are entirely unnecessary and should be capable of being done remotely. While many of the measures required to combat the current pandemic will involve significant cost, this is a change that will be almost completely cost-free to implement. Furthermore, it will result in significant cost saving for consumers who will no longer have to pay the additional third-party commissioner’s fees that are currently associated with almost all legal transactions. Having regard to all of the foregoing, this long overdue and necessary change is now urgent. Please sign the petition now to show your support for this change. Please also spread the word with your friends, family, and colleagues and on social media to help make this important and urgently needed change happen.

It's not important. There are far more important things going on in the World. We know that. However, this is something that Irish football fans might feel strongly about. The current crest used by the FAI is awful. If you ask any Irish football fan they will tell you. We would like the FAI to consider changing the current crest and go back to a design similar to those used at Italia '90 or USA '94. The current crest is just a template crest which is also used by Israel and a number of football clubs. There is nothing unique about it. The older crests give fans a sense of history and pride. Next year will be the FAI's centenary year and a perfect opportunity to change the crest. So, we ask the FAI to please change the crest to something similar to the ones used in the early to mid nineties. Please follow our facebook page too >>> https://www.facebook.com/Change-the-Crest-115497503470609

In light of the recent outbreak of COVID-19 and the lockdown maternity leave/ maternity benefit should be extended by 3 months for those who's maternity leave was affected by the lockdown. With all childcare facilities being closed many parents face issues of where to leave their babies, with facing loosing their jobs if they have nowhere to leave them. Maternity leave is time when you and baby can attend baby groups, spend time with family, attend needed appointments and with a country being in lockdown none of these things are happening. Many babies have not met their family members or met other babies to socialise in baby groups, these things are vital for baby development, bonding and educating for babies and their parents. Due to COVID-19 many of us are scared to leave our homes and bring babies outside, with the uncertainty of when this is going to end, maternity leave and maternity benefit should be extended giving families reassurance and support. Follow us on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ExtendMatLeave2020/ or on Twitter @matleave2020

In Northern Ireland, more deaths are occurring due to Covid19 in care homes than in hospitals. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-52529270 In Ireland, all care home workers and residents are being tested for Covid19. Yet here in Northern Ireland, residents and staff are only tested for coronavirus in care homes where there is a suspected outbreak.

Eir claim to have 5MB download speed. For the most part we are lucky to get a maximum of 3MB. We are paying full price for broadband eventhough, in many households, the broadband is intermittent and drops. This makes skype/zoom/WhatsApp calls near impossible. It makes working from home near impossible. We are a remote and isolated community and especially during a pandemic we are increasingly reliant on quality broadband. Please resolve

That’s why we have to fight to make sure big businesses like Keelings put the health of the people who work for them at the centre of all their decisions during this pandemic. That includes a decent living wage, proper protective equipment, good working conditions, safe accommodation and the ability to social distance. Some people will try to use this to divide us. But we know better. That’s why we all need to stand with the people who work on fruit farms to push for the safe working environments every single one of us deserves.

Covid19 is putting a spotlight on how flawed the model of private 'for profit' nursing home care in Ireland is. They are driven by profit with many now owned by huge companies. Problems with overcharging, understaffing and poor treatment of older people have hit the headlines in recent years and now they have become the epi-centre of the Covid19 pandemic. Nurses and healthcare staff in private nursing homes are not well treated - no sick leave, overworked, part-time contracts, poor working conditions, reliance on agency/temporary.

The decision by Debenhams management to put the company into voluntary liquidation is opportunistic and cynical. Bank of Ireland is a part-owner of the business, along with Barclays, Silver Point Capital and GoldenTree. It beggars belief that an Irish bank bailed out by the Irish taxpayer, would place a company into liquidation without any negotiations with workers on a fair redundancy package.

The extraction, transport, refining and use of petroleum and petrol cause damage to people, air, water, land, animals and plants. Gasoline engine exhaust pollutes the air, causing asthma, heart and lung disease, cancer, dementia and thousands of premature deaths each year. Vehicle exhaust affects children, disadvantaged communities and communities of color most, with disproportionate impacts on health, finances and quality of life. How will it help reduce pollution? Emissions of nitrogen oxides (Nox) - which come from car exhausts - regularly exceed safe levels in many cities. Diesel vehicles produce the overwhelming majority of roadside Nox gases. So removing petrol and diesel vehicles from the roads should help bring air quality within the guidelines set out by the World Health Organization (WHO). Air pollution has been a concern for decades. But the issue gained renewed urgency when the UK government lost court cases over its plans to reduce nitrogen-dioxide levels.

It has been difficult to keep the spirits up during confinement, knowing the end of the effort wasn’t so far away, or wasted, kept the focus and the effort going. The news of the long deferral have so deflated the LC students, who were studying so hard up to now. I worry about the consequences this decision might have on their resolve up to now. It would also interfere with plans to study abroad, and would have further implications regarding college entry, after correcting time is added in. Times are tough, but there’s no need to dismantle everything and take the carpet from under their feet. College classes can be taken online, exams can be scheduled in a way that social distancing is adhered to.

At this time of international pandemic we would ask you and the other foreign ministers of the EU to seek a relaxation of the trade blockade by the US to end its blockade immediately, or at the very least to temporarily suspend it to allow vital supplies of food, fuel and medical equipment to the Cuban people allowing them to fight the coronavirus at home and abroad. As the world fights an international battle against the coronavirus pandemic, Cuba has once again proved itself a paragon of internationalism and solidarity. In recent days the island has sent highly skilled medical brigades to many countries including Italy, Grenada, Jamaica, Nicaragua and Venezuela to support foreign health services overwhelmed by the scale of the crisis. On 18 March the Cuban government offered safe haven to passengers of the stricken British cruise ship MS Braemar allowing it to dock in Havana when many other countries had refused. It has also made its anti-viral drug Interferon Alfa-2b available to nations around the world to help in the treatment of patients infected with COVID-19.The island’s altruistic response to the global emergency continues a long history of Cuban humanitarianism. In the last 56 years 400,000 Cuban health workers have responded to natural disasters and helped build health services in 164 nations. This includes sending medical brigades to Pakistan in the aftermath of the Kashmiri earthquake (2005), to Haiti to assist with the devastating cholera outbreak following the earthquake (2010), and to West Africa in the region’s fight against Ebola (2015). Cuba has also trained 35,613 health professionals from 138 countries at its Latin American Medical School since 1998, where many members of the Irish Cuban Solidarity Alliance have visited. At the same time the island has suffered the effects of the 58-year old criminal United States blockade which causes daily shortages of food, fuel and other basic necessities. Last year the cost to the Cuban health sector alone amounted to more than $104 million. As we write, Cuba is itself combating the spread of coronavirus within its own population and needs access of medical equipment and resources to safeguard the well-being of its most vulnerable citizens. Cuba has always put the humanitarian needs of people first, regardless or borders or politics. At this time of international crisis, the US blockade is criminal, not only for its impact on the Cuban people, but also for hindering their ability to assist in the worldwide battle against the virus.

Link to full statement and list of demands: https://tinyurl.com/swe4f8p How to support: > Pledge to boycott the awards & the awards’ outcomes online > Support the boycott by usings our images on your social media > Share the boycott using the hashtag #ARTSBLACKOUT #COVIDARTSCRISIS Twitter - @BLACKOUT_ARTS Instagram - @Arts_Blackout In place of the schemes proposed by the Department of Culture, Heritage, and the Gaeltacht, we are issuing the following demands. We have formulated these in consultation with artists and arts workers across the sector and invite artists participating in the boycott to submit their own demands. Please email [email protected] DEMANDS 1. For the Department of Social Protection to streamline access for artists and arts workers to the COVID-19 Unemployment Payment. A letter of reference from any Irish cultural organisation or venue should be accepted as evidence of working in the sector. 2. For the Government to begin setting up a Universal Basic Income Scheme through a pilot scheme for sole traders, arts workers, the underemployed, the unemployed and the community volunteering sector. 3. For at least a €10 million COVID-19 emergency fund to be made available to the Department of Culture, Heritage, and the Gaeltacht. 4. For the Department of Culture, Heritage, and the Gaeltacht to seek out sustained and meaningful consultation with artists from across the sector. To initiate a far-reaching debate on the current nature of the status of the artist with a view to ensuring the sustainability of artists' careers, practices and activities, as well as artists’ freedom of expression, social and financial recognition, and individual well-being. 5. For all publicly funded COVID-19 Art Schemes to take into account the different circumstances of artists in regards to space, time, materials and favour no particular medium, style, or type of practice. For equality and inclusion to be at the centre of decision making. 6. For all publicly funded cultural organisations to honour artist payments that were contracted to take place during the COVID-19 emergency measures, regardless of the status of work 7. For the Arts Council of Ireland and Local Authority Arts Offices to introduce non-competitive awards during the crisis and distribute funds to applicants equally. 8. For the Arts Council of Ireland to release funds to finance rent on studios, rehearsal spaces, and vital production spaces, to ensure that artists are not charged rent during the COVID-19 lockdown.