Following Clare County Council's decision to object to the granting of the EPA license to Irish Cement, Mayor of Clare, Cllr. Cathal Crowe called on the elected members of Limerick City & County Council to trigger Section 44 of the Planning & Development Act to stop Irish Cement’s plans to burn “alternative fuels”, including waste tyres, at their Castlemungret plant. Limerick Metropolitan Council has already voted to object, but only the Mayor Michael Sheahan can call a full council meeting. Tell him to act now to preserve the health, livelihoods and reputation of Limerick City.

• address chronic workforce issues within our GP/primary care/acute hospital services • fully staff post COVID (PC)/long COVID (LC)clinics with upskilled medical professionals • establish a multidisciplinary team with patient advocates to review/manage LC care • establish a dedicated and specialist led LC clinic for children • establish PC/LC clinics, fully resourced LC services across GP/community services • ensure services/supports can adapt/expand based on learnings from implementation & evidence in relation to LC and current/projected demand for all specialists/services • develop a public awareness campaign on LC, • urgently complete an analysis of existing waiting lists • establish a LC electronic patient register to provide a secure database to store/analyse detailed information • commence an advice/ information campaign providing the best current advice in the management of conditions associated with LC /other post viral chronic conditions to GPs, the medical profession and those experiencing LC conditions • develop an innovative rehabilitative/recovery programme that is designed to meet the needs of those experiencing LC/ other post viral chronic conditions

Protect Workers against loss of income due and introduce mandatory sick pay for all workers.

We call for the resignation of the independent members of the Board of the Irish Central Bank if the Central Bank refuses to stop facilitating the sale of Israeli debt instruments (war bonds)  which are used to help finance Israel's genocide on Gaza and its apartheid practices in Israel and the Occupied Territories. By remaining in position these board members are complicit in the genocide and must exercise their personal desire to not support Israel, therefore they must resign if they have any humanity or integrity. 

PhD students in Ireland, particularly those from non-EU countries, are increasingly struggling to focus on their studies due to financial constraints. The stipends provided often fall short of covering the living expenses for themselves and their families, forcing these students to take on part-time jobs alongside their demanding academic pursuits. This situation compromises their focus and adds undue pressure. We propose that the spouses of non-EU PhD students be granted the right to work in Ireland. Allowing these spouses to enter the workforce would provide crucial financial support for their families, help integrate them into Irish society, and bring diverse skills to the Irish economy. Other EU nations have adopted flexible regulations that enable spouses of international students to work, as seen in the 2015 Holiday Visa Policy in the European Union. These policies have helped families maintain economic stability while positively contributing to society. It is time for Ireland to adopt a similar approach for the benefit of its international students and the broader community. Under Ireland’s Family Reunification Policy, non-EEA PhD students are allowed to bring their dependents to Ireland during their doctoral research studies. However, many spouses of these students face the difficult choice of leaving behind highly skilled employment in their home countries to support their partners, only to encounter significant barriers to re-entering the workforce in Ireland. The requirement for a work permit to gain employment presents a major obstacle for these individuals. While some non-EEA PhD students' spouses are granted immediate access to employment without the need for a work permit, a majority are still restricted due to their spouses not being part of the hosting agreement scheme. Both groups of PhD students, whether on the hosting agreement or not, are equally qualified and contribute significantly to research and development in Ireland. The disparity in treatment based on contract terms is unfair and creates inequality among early career researchers. We urge the Irish government to review and amend its immigration regulations to allow all non-EEA PhD students’ spouses to work in Ireland without requiring a work permit. Specifically, we request that all non-EEA PhD students’ spouses be granted Stamp 1G, enabling them to access employment without barriers and contribute their skills to the Irish economy.

Incorporate menopause training into the curriculum for GP training, launch a national education campaign, menopause in workplace policies and the secondary school curriculum.

Maintain a Minister for the Department of Children and Youth Affairs

Put a brake on the current changes until meaningful consultation and debate takes place

We respectfully urge you as our Minister for Foreign Affairs to immediately summon the ambassadors of both Russia and Iran to your office. We want you to express the outrage and disgust felt in Ireland as a result of the criminal, cowardly and shameful slaughter of Syrian civilians by their respective military forces and their proxies in support of the discredited regime of Bashar al Assad. We also appeal to you to urgently promote at E.U. level an exclusion of both Russia and Iran from any international financial information transmission systems. The previous exclusion of Iran from a well-known international financial information transmission system was said to have been very effective in encouraging the Iranian government to acquiesce to international demands for security concessions in relation to its alleged nuclear development programme.

The National Association for Professional Counselling and Psychotherapy (NAPCP) is one of several independent regulatory bodies for counselling and psychotherapy in Ireland. The NAPCP comprises of members at every level of the counselling profession (student, pre-accredited, accredited, supervisor). Despite robust accreditation requirements comparable to other regulatory bodies (Level 7 Qualification, 450 hours clinical practice), the NAPCP is currently excluded from consideration for counselling positions with the Health Service Executive. This continues, despite overwhelming evidence that Ireland is facing a mental health crisis, as those in need remain on extensive waiting lists for vital supports. We are calling upon our elected representatives to lobby the HSE, calling upon them to give full consideration to NAPCP members - thus drawing from a wider pool of highly-skilled, qualified mental health professionals.