 where cookies don't get in the way of your advertising. Welcome to Radio, advertising that's cookie free. Visit radiocenterarlin.ie to see what radio can do for your product or brand. Get the right tools or equipment to get the job done with great hire deals at Watson Hire in Lederkenny. Everything from diggers to power tools, dumpers to portaloos and pressure washers to cherry pickers. Watson's offer a fast and reliable service. To book, call Watson Hire in Lederkenny at 911-677-777. There's bingo every Monday night at Halfway House Burnfoot. Doors open at 7.30 with eyes down at 8.30. 2,500 euro bus go. The snowball is now 1,000 euro and 45 numbers are less. If you're not in, you can't win. That's Halfway House Bingo tonight at 8.30. Good morning, Tia and good morning to Greg Hussauer for running over there. Greg's running over there. Welcome to the Ninety-Ninth Show, Gidge. Oh, thanks. Nice to be part of your program. Good to have you on the program. Yes, I can always say it was on the program with you. It was lovely. Exactly. We have a good show, right? It's all good in the hood. Don't worry about it. It's only a minute. But I know your time's precious. We've got three hours. Don't worry about it. Thanks, Lee. Check it out. We've got three hours. We've got three hours. We've got three hours. We've got three hours. We've got three hours. We've got three hours. We've got three hours. We've got three hours. Don't worry about it. Thanks, Lee. Cheers, bye. Bye soon. All right, it is the Ninety-Ninth Show. Time for a news update at a minute past nine, and it's over to Donna Marie Daugherty. Thanks, Greg. Good morning. Younger people are being advised it's now easier than ever to register to vote. It's moved from a paper base to an online system with basic information like a PPS number, aircode and date of birth required. Many of 70,000 potential voters who've just turned 18 over the past 12 months are unregistered or unaware that they need to register. Heading into the year with two referendums and the local and European elections, it's important everyone does get registered. Paul Gordon from the National Youth Council of Ireland says everyone should register to vote. It's much easier than it was previously and a lot of those paper base is involved going to the other station, getting it stamped and then sending it to your council. And that was a real barrier, particularly to young people. And now it is easier than ever. You can do so at CheckTheRegister.ie You only require a few simple pieces of information. The higher education minister is urging those who received exit deals from RTE to come before the Oroctus committees. Simon Harris is calling for transparency, particularly from those who've not yet faced Brittany. Minister Harris says now's the time to come forward. I think it is important to say that there have been a number of Oroctus executives, current and former, who have went in front of Oroctus committees and spent many, many hours in front of those committees. There's others who haven't attended for one minute or co-operated in any way. It's really important that anyone who can assist the Oroctus committee structure does do that. Machinery was stolen from a farm on the Glen Shane Road on Thursday last. P.S. and I are investigating after a suspicious vehicle was observed in the area at around 4 a.m. It was then realised a number of items had been stolen, such as a galvanised silver log splitter and nugent bale spike and a bale lifter. The total value of the items lost is around £3,000. Police in Straben are asking those who believe they have information to get in touch. A list of the full list of the items stolen can be found online. Gardie and Donnie Gall have made an appeal on social media on the appropriate way to report a crime. They say to make any type of report to call your local Garda station. They added that their social media channels are not monitored on a 24-hour basis and provided a full list of local station numbers. Looking now to whether today will be mainly dry and sunny cloud during the afternoon with patches of light rain or drizzle developing later, highest temperatures of 9 to 11 degrees in light to moderate-westerly winds, becoming southerly and freshening later. That's all for now from Hyden's Radio News Back again at 10 o'clock. Didn't know this car was diesel. It's not. At the garage you use the black pump. Diesel. No idea. So we're going to miss the flight, but some holidays are overrated. Oh, that sun and sand. Who needs it? Hey. We're going to use the black pump. Diesel. No idea. So I'll call Allianz Breakdown Assistance. With Allianz car insurance, you can also add Breakdown Assistance. Say 15% when you get a quote online at Allianz.ie. You write it, we underwrite it. Allianz. Allianz PLC is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. Standard acceptance criteria, policy conditions, and a minimum premium apply. Breakdown Assistance is an optional extra and an additional premium applies. And now it's time for the talk of the Northwest. The Ninetown Noon Show with Greg Hughes on Highland Radio. Hello and a very good morning too. You're very welcome along to another week of The Ninetown Noon Show as the clock just turns five minutes past nine on this Monday, the 19th of February 2024. How are you all keeping? What happened at your weekend? If you want to share with us, please do. Maybe it's some good news and active kindness, whatever it might be. Or maybe there's an issue that's propped up that you need our help and support with. Well, get in touch with us. The lines are open for you right now of course on 0862025000. That's the WhatsApp and text number. And you can also send your WhatsApp voice notes to that. If you want to give us a call, we've got Caroline as always producing the program assisted by Shannon, both taking your calls on 0749125000. And email comments at highlandradio.com and you can contact us on our social media as well as many of you do. And if you want to watch the program, go to YouTube, the YouTube app on your TV, your smart TV or Fire Stick. And you can watch us there. And we're across your mobile devices on that app and on Facebook as well. Highland Hub, Highland News and Sport. Coming up later on after 11 o'clock. Well, there's lots coming up on the show. Brendan Devaney's going to be on with us. He's looking forward to the DL debate, reflecting on the weekend's sporting action. Another great performance from the Donegal seniors. Well, when I say a great performance, a good second half, certainly first half, not so much. But anyway, we'll be talking through that and the rest of the GEA results with Brendan. And we're also going to be joined by a panel to discuss the upcoming referendums. You would know that we're going to the polls or being asked to go to the polls on March 8th International Women's Day. There are two referendums. And we have four people with different views on which way they might vote. And I suppose trying to influence others as well. So that's coming up after 11. They're complex referendums. There's no doubt about it because it's not just the wordings of the referendum but lots of people have different views as to what might happen if the referendums are passed or not passed. And that's where the sort of interpretation and the could be comes into it or it could open the door for this or it could open the door for that. And it's going to be difficult really. I think it's going to come down to really who you trust to some extent as well. But anyway, we're going to debate that after 11. If you have any questions or comments in relation to those referendums, get them into us right now on the numbers I mentioned just a few moments ago. So hopefully we'll come out of that with a little bit more clarity on what way we're thinking and what have you. Every day for me too is a learning day on that issue. So I'm looking forward to it, to sit in on it of course, but just to hear what the contributors have to say. We've got a great panel actually of voices you're familiar with to discuss that. So stay tuned for that. That's coming up after 11 o'clock. Let's have a quick look at what's in and on the front of the papers this morning. The Donegal News, a leading Donegal cancer campaigner, has warned that despite the high numbers of patients receiving treatment at a cross-border centre, many are still forced to travel further afield. Chair of Donegal Action for Cancer Care, Betty Holmes said, Laurels cannot be rested upon when it comes to providing cancer treatment. Figures released to the Donegal News through the Freedom of Information Act reveal 1,353 Donegal patients have been treated at the Northwest Cancer Centre in Artnagelven Hospital and Derry since 2017. The figures were highest last year when 268 Donegal patients received cancer treatment at NWCC. The Derry News this morning of course this is the story I wanted to discuss from this paper. It is from Catherine McGinty. Signs at Greenin of Alja deterring people from visiting the iconic Inichon Monument have been removed. The Office of Public Work signs at the Fort Car Park were given visitors the mistaken impression Greenin of Alja was closed when it was actually open. Dozens of disappointed Derry visitors found themselves repeatedly unable to gain access to the Ring Fort over Christmas and New Year. Such was the visitor and community frustration with the situation. An online petition started recently by local historian Bettina Link to restore open access to Greenin of Alja was signed by more than 1500 people. But the signs have been removed. Opening hours there have been extended. On to the Irish Times now and a legal analysis carried out by the Free Legal Advice Centre concerning next month's referendum proposals has led to its supporting the proposed family amendment to the Constitution but not the ineffective as they describe it and implicitly sexist amendment on carers. The care amendment is unlikely to provide carers people with disabilities or older people with new enforceable rights or improved services from the state. Flack said the proposal gives constitutional expression to harmful stereotypes in care provision and potentially compromises the rights of people with disabilities. While Flack has said it will not be participating in the referendum campaign the position adopted by the respected independent human rights and equality body is significant and a significant contribution to the debate. On to the Irish Independent now and what do you think about this? I mean listen a lot of people are paying mortgages late into their life but a new lender is to issue mortgages that people can pay off until they are 80. I mean would you take on a 40-year mortgage if you were 40 or a 60-year mortgage if you were 20 that's not realistic probably a 50-year mortgage if you were 30 but anyway new lender Moco is prepared to issue mortgages that people can pay off until the age of 80. Most lenders have credit policies that mean they won't mortgage they want the mortgage paid off by the time the homeowner reaches the age of 70. Moco which is owned by Australian bank Bawag is expected to add some much needed competition in the home loans market here which is dominated by AIB and Bank of Ireland. It insisted it is acting prudently in offering mortgages to older homeowners. Last month it launched its first home loans in this market including a 5-year fixed rate starting from 4.5% which is lower than the main banks but it's moved to issue lending criteria to brokers that permits mortgage terms that will mean some borrowers still paying off the loan up to the age of 80 has raised eyebrows. Its credit policy states max term of up to 35 years max term to applicants aged 80 so a 45-year-old theoretically if I got my maths correct yes a 45-year-old could take out a 35-year mortgage paying it until the age of 80. Okay maybe it's more inclusive maybe it's a good thing. Will they do a lot of trade? Perhaps. The Irish Daily Mail the media minister is to Hall RTE Director-General Kevin Backhurst and Board Chair Sheenian Iratia before her this morning to insist full transparency around Golden Handshake exit payments is vital to rebuild trust and secure future funding for the national broadcaster. It's understood Catherine Martin will urge the pair to explore options for maximum disclosure at the earliest opportunity and make clear that reform of the funding model is linked with reform of RTE. Simon Coveney the Enterprise Minister he does not know how much his brother was paid to leave RTE after the latter spearheaded the multimillion euro flop late late show the musical. Now the problem for Kevin Backhurst is that some of these deals where confidentiality was afforded were agreed whilst he was in situ as the DG right? So does that point to change? You know what I mean? This is taxpayers money why should some of these people be able to leave with a year's salary or two year's salary or whatever the package might be and it to be a secret and that secrecy was agreed by the new Director-General Kevin Backhurst and it's a political problem for the government hence him coming before the media minister. On to the Irish Sun and a bill of nearly 1500 euro what was the last time we spent 1500 euro in a restaurant or a bistro I wonder I would say there's very few people listening to this show that have ever racked up a bill of 1500 euro well a bill of nearly 1500 euro was racked up at Jamie Oliver's bistro was among items paid for on an Eroctus credit card over the past year an invoice for 17 000 euro to the posh K club was also among the expenditures there was also a 1000 euro bill for a working dinner at a boutique lounge and nearly 11 500 euro spent on accommodation at the capitals Conrad Hotel the Eroctus currently has four credit cards in operation the largest billing card was 17 284 spent at the K club in Kent Kildare or the Kildare Hotel and country as it is listed in the statements official said this was for a meeting of the British Irish Parliamentary Assembly in December and included representatives from Ireland the UK and its island dependencies 1423 charge at Dublin's Checker Lane by Jamie Oliver's restaurant last February for a dinner to mark a visit by the speaker of the Republic of Moldova okay that's interesting 1500 euro whining and dining the speaker of the Republic of Moldova and that went on a Eroctus credit card I'm not sure if that's regular spending or if that's something that might get the ire of the public who's to say interesting story from the Irish Daily Mirror if you were watching the Late Late Show on Friday you would see a group of individuals performing in honour of the late singer Sinead O'Connor well RTE asked musicians not to wear pro-Palestinian clothing and accessories during a performance on the Late Late Show the Irish Women in Harmony group performed a tribute to Sinead O'Connor on Friday night's edition however Irish artist for Palestine said prior to the performance a group member was asked to change a t-shirt which featured the word Gaza and a love heart while others were asked to remove badges expressing support for Palestinians which I find quite interesting because the the RTE actually did a fundraiser for Ukraine the Late Late Show if I'm not mistaken they actually did a fundraiser for Ukraine when Ryan Toberty was the host if I'm not mistaken as well the ambassador from the ambassador from Israel to Ireland appeared on the show or has appeared on RTE at the very least wearing pro-Palestinian sorry pro-Israeli badges and what have you so there is precedent here from Israel represented from Israel being able to express themselves through badges and what have you and an actual fundraiser for Ukraine so how is the policy formed there where you go right well we can do a fundraiser for Ukraine but we can't wear a t-shirt that supports Gaza it really is quite one I can't really quite get my head around RTE said contributors are asked not to wear clothing related to one particular point of view as part of its impartiality guidelines a spokesperson said all RTE content follows clear guidelines in regard to impartiality now I'm not saying you know there are a lot of people that feel there's no impartiality in the Russia-Ukraine situation but there are others that would argue that of course there has to be but it seems a bit of a I don't know I don't know what to make of that what do you think 086625000 and lastly good news from the BAFTAs last night for Ireland Kilian Murphy has become the first Irish born performer and he's very proud to be Irish born as well he's the first Irish born performer to win a BAFTA award for best actor the Cork native bagged the BAFTA for best actor in a leading role for his performance in Oppenheimer making him the first Irish actor to get the prize Kilian's performance as JR Jay Robert Oppenheimer one of the leading men responsible for inventing the atomic bomb nabbed the prestigious award his first BAFTA win there was also nominations too for Barry Keung and Paul Mescal they missed out I believe but anyway, Oppenheimer a good film if you sort of watch it in the context that there's kind of like three timelines going at the same time it's less confusing when you view it like that all right okay that was a run through the papers this morning how are you all doing stay in touch stay in contact keep us busy 086625000 that's the WhatsApp and text number or call 0749125000 it is Monday's 9 till noon show first guests on the way the newspapers are courtesy of Kelly centra mountaintop letter Kenny the C store national large four court of the year for 2022 the 9 till noon show is brought to you by letter Kenny credit union offering low-rate car loans with fast approval apply online at letterkennycu.ie or in office today Armour colour jewellers in letter Kenny are synonymous with fine jewellery quality watches and gift wear with stores at main street letter Kenny and the letter Kenny shopping centre or online at armourcolour.com you can choose from their quality product range in a relaxed atmosphere and their sales staff will be happy 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online or call 0749175989 McElhenny and associates solicitors Strenholder an event called dunny goll literature and landscape will take place in boncrane community library at 3pm on Ireland reads day Saturday 24th of February writers will discuss the way the unique landscape of dunny goll has influenced their work inspired by the Booker prize win of dunny goll author Paul Lynch the event is free but booking is advised visit dunnygolllibrary.ie for more information now farmers are going to target county council meetings around the country in the next phase of a campaign against rising costs and increased regulation the message for politicians we're told is that is enough Frank Brady's regional chair of the IFA and joins us on the program now good morning to you Frank thanks for your time sorry Frank are you there no I don't seem to have Frank there unfortunately anyway we'll get Frank for you in a moment 086625000 by the way if you want to have a say on that whether or not you back the farmers in their protests 086625000 give us a call on 0749125000 and just an opportunity as we reconnect to remind you that a little later on we are going to be debating the upcoming referendums on on carers and what have you I'll give you the proper wording I don't want to do it off the top my head for fear of its misleading but we are being asked to vote on March the 8th I wonder how many of you actually will take the time to vote do you believe it's something that moves you or bothers you I wonder actually in relation to that because we don't really hear from those that aren't really that bothered if you know what I mean that maybe even turn the news over when this issue comes up that they feel it doesn't affect them I'd say there's a lot of people out there along those lines Caroline can I have that stuff from the end of the week just if you don't mind because it'll give me an opportunity to catch up on that yeah I just you know those that are sort of passive about the whole situation do we really get to hear from them I'm not really sure right some comments here I was wondering if you could highlight something for me it's with regards to do with women I don't know if it's rats or mice oh is it shall I come back to that then because that's quite a long message all right I'll come back to that one that's from a listener Frank are you there Frank Brady are you there Greg how are you this morning I am doing fantastic Frank okay so when we say enough is enough when farmers say enough is enough what do they mean I mean that we're tired by bureaucrats sorry I have a cold that's okay take your time we're tired by bureaucrats we're tired by bureaucrats who are trying to save the world and blame the farmers for everything we they'll take the beef in from with the Mercer deals they'll not pay us our payments in time and if we are late or we make one mistake we are fined we're closed down and we're just generally getting tired of this we want to be treated as equals and we want to be treated what we do produce really good food in a very good carbon friendly place and this is not just Ireland we're seeing a movement right across Europe and I think particularly in France the farmers are really ramping up their game in that regard so it's not a uniquely Irish situation then what what is what's happening across Europe that has farmers so angry is it what you've said is it deals that have been signed proposals that have been made or is it being used as what some might say is the scapegoat for the whole climate crisis conversation I would say it's a combination of all three Greg definitely would say it's a combination in France and Germany it was the diesel and taken the fat off it or put the fat on us and that was the torch that lit the fire here it's always been late with our payments always feeling like second hand trying natural risk doing or taking our land away from us wetting some one field between two good farmers and not telling us where the extra water is going to go there's a lot of little things there special areas of concentration we have the hin harrier where the paid farmer for five years to look after them which seems to have been a bit of a failure and then after five years you continue doing what they want you to do but they're not going to give you any expense that are in course so there's a lot of little things that we're doing I'd say it's a setup of supermarkets not giving us a margin not getting the fair price having to live like this I think I think we all had a margin and we're all well properly paid I think to be a lot less people wouldn't be as unhappy as they are I mean some would feel it's almost like being seen as a sunset sector in other words it's on its last legs is it is there a sense that this is the beginning of the last stand to protect farming and its future and farming families and there's sons and daughters who may have an interest in farming does it feel like that that we're at the tipping point now it's now or never Craig it's the look at the average age of farmers a few years ago at 57 years of age it's now 62 I'm lucky I have a son that's come into my business I don't think he's lucky because it's too hard in life like what's happening here are we going back to the landlord system which is not what we want where the big are getting much bigger and the smaller leaving because our children don't want to go why are farmers children the best educators because they don't want them going back to the doing what they did so that we give them the best education we can give them so there is a need there for make sure that if somebody's gone farming that there's a proper income and they'll do the hours they'll do everything else but they do need to be rewarded for the work and we do choose carbon friendly food we're the best producer of milk in Europe and we're the fifth best for beef nobody can produce like we do unless rewards for us we don't want a big margin but we just want to be rewarded and the government has to stand up to brought in a regulator there has she any real powers at the end of the day our acres payments all our payments were delayed if that if we told the seven servants they're not going to get paid until after Christmas last September we generally got our payments when kids are going back to school farmers didn't have the money to pay for their children's education because everything was put back because of IT systems because of everything and as fancy your government says enough is enough this is not a this is not a question coming from a point of view from me though but you're talking about payments and it's not necessarily payments from for producing or wages it's actually payments and supports from from the government from the EU in reality if farming had to stand on its own two feet could it survive is it an industry worth saving because it really is only kept going is it not as it is because farmers are really you know they're not making money off what they're doing they're keeping their head above water by being supported yes I agree with all of those things but Greg had you did you have a breakfast this morning oh not listen you don't have to convince me but I have to ask the question I don't know I'm not this morning not this morning but I'm not this morning I'm not this morning Greg you should always most important meal of the day you just asked the wrong person that question but I had breakfast yesterday morning Frank I had dinner last night I did I had dinner last night and all of those ingredients hopefully came from Ireland yes and if we are not producing it we have to go to Brazil we have to go to Argentina where there's massive big farmers and they continue to cut down the rainforest then we have the carbon footprint it's like the almond milk people say all the almond milk is great they don't realize that after the almonds are cut down that the ground has to be rested for two to three years because of all the nutrients it takes out plus the carbon footprint that it takes to bring it from there to here so the most curious thing that we can do is produce food there's an issue now with women that people that are ladies that are having babies that are vegetarians there's a little bit of rickets coming in and the babies because of the dice isn't balanced so we do need farmers to produce a balanced dice to produce a good dice and hold some dice and whether we like it or not we need to support our farmers because the housewife or the house husband or the consumer in a better word is getting cheap food which is supported by the government if we didn't or Europe if we didn't have that cheap food their consumer would have to pay an awful lot more and that's how they do it that's how cap came in the beginning was to make sure that food was safe and it was there after World War II that's why cap was so important and now they're taking it away gradually and there will be an issue if we're not careful on food there will be a shortage of food and then where do we go and we need family farms to produce food because they're the most efficient people that do is because a farmer would enough just to look after himself looks after his animals much better than a big multinational that has thousands of them now we know all our animals every farmer that I know would nearly know all their animals individually Frank how much of this because obviously there's an EU-wide element to this how much of this is the actual playing field for farmers across Europe and in terms of what Irish farmers are going through how much of it is about our deals and what we get from Europe or what rules and regulations we have to follow like in other words could an awful lot of the Irish farming issues be resolved with a better deal from Europe are Irish farmers in certain ways more disadvantaged than their counterparts in France Spain Portugal etc I would say if you speak to any farmer in any of those countries they will think they're probably disadvantaged more than any other farmer but I suppose if we look down seriously and look at it all we're all seriously disadvantaged because of the rules and regulations that are being put in place by people that don't even know what they're doing and that is the issue here why are they doing this why are they not willing to support us and let us produce food and let us get a proper price for it right as we're speaking those watching the show are observing the last protest whereby it wasn't disruptive it was in solidarity with farmers across Europe the next stage of that as we've mentioned right at the beginning of this is to protest at Donegal County Council meeting on Wednesday so what form will that take on Wednesday around Lifford Frank well what I showed what we did in in in Longford and we were the first crowd to as regional chairman I was in Longford as we what we did in Longford was we went in and we met the council and we were brought into the chamber myself and John Sheridan who's chairman of Longford and we sat down and we told them our issues and we look for their support because they want our support in a couple of months time when they're going for election so we look for their support to help us that the red tape is cut that the regulator has real teeth that the schemes that they bring in are to help us rather than hinder us and we're going to do the same with Donegal County councillors that basically enough is enough work with us rather than work against us and if you work with us we'd work with you yeah because you know it's like it's like fishing as well and we saw quite a passionate exchange in Kitty Beggs there recently and I'm on about from speaking to people within the industry so I don't know enough to express an opinion myself but speaking to people that I trust and know is where is the next generation of fishers where is the next generation of farmers you know we are I think there's a really quite a small window here to as some would say turn it around that there is a future for those industries because they could just naturally die out it'll be like cash or something along those lines you know where is where are the next crop of farmers and fishers going to come from and there's no industry without them because no harm to the likes of yourself Frank or if it were me we're not going to be around forever no unfortunately we're not going to be around forever I found that out this morning yeah we're not going to be around forever because it's just um and what I made the point earlier is now what's going to happen is the landlord system that we fought on this a year to get away from will take over because the small will be taken over and the big will get bigger and then he'll have to go and get staff in from Romania or Mexico or Philippines or wherever and Ireland will lose the heritage of small family farms the local GA team will lose the local churches will lose everybody loses if the family farm goes down the drain and that's why it's very important that we have to keep the family farm viable and we have to look after us because if we look after the family farm we get the food we want we know it's safe it can't be produced any safer than what we've produced in Ireland and we know we have a rural community which is what everybody wants all right Frank I do note your your past and comatose everything's all right with you and and those close to you but thank you very much for uh joining us this morning I do appreciate it okay thank you very much all right bye bye Frank Frank Brady there regional chair of the IFA they're going up on Wednesday and I'm sure they'll get a good hearing from the local public representatives of course any views on any of that conversation 08 660 25000 08 660 25000 and give us a call on 07491 25000 hi Greg I was just wondering if you know anything about the man who stands outside a shop looking for spare change he was at this shop again yesterday evening and I feel totally freaked out by him as he stands so close to the door frame so that staff do not see him and even though I know he's there I get a fright and bang my trolley into the door he is obviously making a pretty penny when he continues to do this but I feel it's unfair as people who cannot afford to give money may be doing so now that is I'm not sure what area that's in I know the type of shop I know the name of the shop is it a ploy to sort of get the trolley money I wonder that you might hand over the one or two-year-old dependent on what it might be I don't know but this person finds it quite intimidating this person standing so close to the shop I suspect it may well be in letter Kenny okay back with more on the program shortly watch the show live now on youtube facebook and at highlandradio.com the 9 till noon show with letter Kenny credit union simplify your debts with a debt consolidation loan from letter Kenny credit union call us on 0749102126 or apply online via our app or in office today on March 8th we'll be asked to vote in two referendums the first referendum is about how our constitution recognizes families and the second proposes to replace existing wording with new text to provide recognition for care within families a booklet explaining the two amendments will be delivered to homes across Ireland or see electoralcommission.ie forward slash referendums your vote is your voice so be a voter on March 8th from on commission tower con Ireland's independent electoral commission it's time to visit Ireland's newest lexus dealership Lexus letter Kenny with 50 years of experience you can trust us in this new era of electrification experience our all electrified range including the stunning ES hybrid saloon and our award-winning range of plug-in hybrid SUVs and view our finance offers including the all new lbx start your 241 journey with Lexus letter Kenny port road Lexus experience amazing are you tired of waiting for treatment or surgery did you know you can receive immediate treatment across the border under the new n.i planned health care scheme at potentially no cost dunigall patients are still being treated with us at kingsbridge private hospital northwest post-branx it the process is easy and our dedicated team will help guide you through it so why wait contact us today to find out how you can skip the waiting lists and receive treatment in northern ireland visit kingsbridge private hospital dot com because life matters don't miss the BAFTA award-winning comedian Michael McIntyre's brand new show magnificent at the ssz arena Belfast on friday the 31st of may 2024 as always Highland radio make it easy for you as we look after all your needs we will provide luxury transfers overnight stay at the Clinton Hotel Belfast on a bnb basis your ticket to the show shopping time in Belfast city centre for more information go to the outlet at highlandvideo.com or give us a call on 07491 25 000 Michael McIntyre in Belfast all right you're welcome back to the show I did read towards the end of last week that the housing minister confirmed he expects Sligo to be included in the states mica and pyrite redress scheme as it was referred to by a media outlet down the country Darrell Bryan indicated that Canty would be behind the priority list hundreds of homes in Sligo thought to be affected by the issue and it sort of lauded us wow this is great news Sligo is now going to be added to this but for those who are already on this scheme in Donegal the reality is that for many it just simply is not working or it's slow or it's faulty that's the feedback we're getting anyway Gareth joins us on the programme hi Gareth morning Greg how's the form I'm doing all right Gareth and I hope you and yours are okay as well you are will tell us your experience of the scheme so far in the situation you find yourself in well the current situation we're in Greg is we are due to move out of our house hopefully in the next week and a half where our plan is that the demo and rebuilds will hopefully start sometime in March so up to this point we have had to lay quite a few quid out of our own pocket that we have no chance of getting back as yet because we have no access to the portal we have contacted the council about this and we have been told that it's currently not open they don't know when it's going to reopen which leaves us no chance of getting any of this money we've spent so far and we have spent close to about eight and a half thousand euro and there's no real opportunity for you to get this back then so because you can't engage with the system to to lodge your you know lodge your documentation is that the situation yeah so currently yeah there's there's there's no we have we have no chance of getting this money back currently and like I say we we haven't even moved out of our house yet we have had to make our own plans for storage there's no storage space available anywhere in letterkenny so we had to go and we had to buy a shed we haven't got space on our land we have we live in an estate in remelton we haven't got space on our land to put in a big storage container so we had to go and buy a shed we had to clear an area in the garden we had to move our oil tank which consequently has left us with no heating for the last two weeks we had to move our oil tank we put the shed in we filled the shed with all the stuff from the house we've been told that this may not fall under applicable costs in the scheme the scheme does provide 5 000 euro for storage but we have been told that this may not qualify as as an applicable cost so we could be left with that bill ourselves um you made the point or your partner made the point that if revenue needed to get money in it'd be all be sorted really really quickly what why can't they put the same sort of emphasis into paying the money out it would be nice yeah it would be nice if anybody would come and talk to us rather than just you know I don't know name names Greg but you know the people that are going to national media and they're telling a certain story and the national media seems to be quite happy to carry this story when anybody on the ground here in Donegal knows it's anything but that you know that RTE have been told all the people are able to fully rebuild their houses within the cost of the scheme which is absolute horse manure it's rubbish but it's one of many problems we are facing now as I've told everybody that I speak to recently I consider us lucky if the worst thing that's going to happen to us we're going to have to come up with 30 or 40 or 50,000 to get through this I don't see that as a huge problem because it's only money if this was going to start affecting us physically or mentally which it is with so many people in this county I would consider that a much bigger problem can we talk a little bit about the physical and emotional impact of trying to work through the scheme even let alone how it feels when you find out that you have it that you're on that list that you sort of the little bit of denial about something cracks or whatever that a lot of people Oh yeah, we certainly weren't denied for a while when the reality sets in and you realise that this you've got this journey ahead of you and then when you do try and engage with the scheme that you're told is great and it's a good scheme but at every turn it feels like it's not it is tough we're only human aren't we it's tough to deal with all of that emotion and it does impact on your emotional and physical health yeah and look Greg like anybody you know we've had our ups and downs in life but you get to a point where you just you feel like you're just banging your head off a brick wall pardon the pun but you get the feeling like you're just you're absolutely getting nowhere and our public representatives stand up and they tell everybody what a great job they're doing and how much they're helping and they're enough they're just not great we are we're in a desperate situation Gareth just on that you see and maybe this is the reason they are not because if you speak privately to some they do believe it is a good scheme and encourage people to get on it say it is a scheme it's working it's got some teething problems but this is a good scheme that is the view of potentially some of the people that you're talking of if that's what they believe that's what they believe like you know so maybe that's why well Greg do you know what yeah you let you let any one of them come on the radio with anybody from Engineers Ireland and have that conversation Greg maybe that's a worthwhile move for it in terms of you talked of a shortfall this is not going to be a 100% scheme for you you and your family Gareth I think you've kind of accept that is that the case or oh yeah we are we are fully aware of that and I mean like we're we've pretty much exhausted all the money we have so far we have we've a few quid left and even with the fact that the the portal isn't currently open we have been advised that we like I said we're moving out in a week and a half we have been advised and we've already paid a deposit and marches rent for the place we're moving into we've been advised that we should prepare to pay April's rent because it could be some time in April before this is this portal is reopened right okay and and just in terms of of how Gareth you can progress with this build I mean obviously notwithstanding the issues that you've talked about you're moving out if you've got a timescale for for demolition and and rebuild and how does it work with a with a contractor in terms of sort of you know the payments for them and what have you if any of that leaks into your private information ignore the question Gareth that's not what I'm not trying to ask your ins and outs your finances I'm just curious in your experience so far of the scheme yeah well what I have heard now and I must say just anecdotally from talking to people is that there are contractors that are taking on jobs and aren't are commencing work and then due to the limitations of the scheme are going are having to stop because they're they're not getting the money they need because not everybody has you know tens of thousands of euros sitting about to facilitate this kind of thing yeah I don't know anyone I don't know anyone that has but that's just you find yourself in your sort of similar situation with your friends group and family group don't you okay Gareth we're going to make some inquiries about the opening of of this portal I mean I don't know what we can say just the question marks over the storage and whether that's a refundable cost just recap that for me so it's clear what we're asking Gareth yeah so what we had to do was we had to clear a space at the back of our garden we had to move our oil tank down the garden there was also a cement pad the oil tank was sitting on we had to rent a kango to smash all that up we had to level the area we had to buy blocks at the cost of about a hundred euro to level the area this was all work we spent three days at this this was all work we had to do ourselves we had the purchase of the shed which was four thousand euro and we've had to buy obviously we've had to buy storage boxes as well which was about another 400 euro and in your head you're setting that around about the 5k mark by the sounds of it if not a bit more roughly yeah yeah yeah and you're being told that maybe that's not going to be covered and we're being told to we've actually been told Greg to prepare an appeal but then that's another issue because there is no way to appeal these decisions at the moment so all right it's okay listen you know we try our best all right love and support to you and everyone you know we're all we are kind of all in this together and i think that's what we have to the approach we have to have in this county but listen gareth thanks for and it's not easy to talk about either because you have to face up to the realities which sometimes we try and avoid to keep ourselves sane but you can't with this crisis it's just ever present gareth thanks for your time take care of yourself cheers Greg all right bye bye bye gareth thanks very much a call to say isn't this is an interesting one when a house is tested how far apart should the test bore holes be i was recently looking at a house to buy the walls are full of cracks on the outside but the three holes were drilled on the same wall and the test came back no mica how is that right okay yeah i can understand the concerns there i would imagine if it were me purchasing that property i would want them in different locations but i don't know what the rules are but i know there are people listening that will know the answer to that like that and they'll get in contact with us if you don't mind so how far apart should the bore holes be the test holes would you have your concerns if you were purchasing a property that had a lot of cracks and the three test sites were all on the same wall 08 660 25000 whatsapp some texts to that number no further than iMotors your only nissan dealership in the north west the nissan x-trail has been crowned large suv of the year that's right it's not just an suv it's an award-winning experience on wheels available in four-wheel drive and a seven-seater visit us today at imotors.ie to find out more are you building rebuilding or renovating what heat pumps or solar panels would suit your build come along and speak to the experts efficient renewables on heat pumps and solar panels get advice on installation and grants available visit the efficient renewable showroom in newton conningham and see these products in operation for yourself want to work from home without the worry of dropped connections what about enjoying a film without any freezing do your kids want to be online at the same time national broadband ireland is delivering high-speed fiber broadband under the national broadband plan to homes schools and businesses across rural ireland to find out when you can get connected simply contact one of our broadband providers we have almost 50 or check your aircode at mbi.ie nbi building a limitless ireland supported by the government of ireland mc denver in concert with guests decklyn erney and brendan shine at angren and theater letterkenny on thursday february 29th tickets on sale at angren and box office that's mc denver with decklyn erney and brendan shine at angren and theater letterkenny on thursday february 29th don't miss a great concert highland radio weather updates brought to you by grant building a new home choose grants a triple plus rated air owner air to water heat pump and you flex under floor heating visit grant.ie right eo today will be mainly dry and sunny clouding in during the afternoon with patches of light rain or drizzle developing later highest temperatures of nine to 11 degrees in light to moderate west of the winds becoming southerly and freshening later 08 660 25000 which is the whatsapp and text number now as you would be aware there's a story that we are covering extensively on this program because it's so important and that is a change in the process of a special education teacher allocation to primary schools across ireland it was set out in a circular issued earlier this year now the concern being that and it's not a concern actually it's a fact stated by the minister with responsibility that a third of schools will lose set hours as they've been described uh marie hurley is a mom and teacher and joins us on the program now thank you uh i beg your pardon i'll come back to marie there's something else playing here in the background which is my fault marie can you hear me now i wonder are you are you there yes greg i'm here thank you so very much indeed right okay marie from your perspective what do you see is that the main problems the main concerns here i think it's a dreadful situation greg and i was just listening back to emma whom you had on last week who's also a teacher and a mother of a little girl with complex needs like myself and i'm just going to echo what she said in that this is going to pit children against each other parents against each other and play schools and principals and decision makers at school level in a really really difficult situation my child has a recent diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis on top of her Down syndrome diagnosis which means that her motor skills using her fingers and her ability to walk are quite delayed and quite a challenge for her therefore she also has complex needs of a different nature to those which Emma's child would have but there are other children going to school who don't have Down syndrome who also have complex needs and our constitution and our morals and common decency would dictate that everybody in the year 2024 is entitled to an education to meet them where they're at and to bring them on to reach their full potential mary i don't want to i don't want to ruin your flow there but i mean if you don't know or see actually children with complex needs how can you um how can you assign the correct amount of set hours to any particular school if you don't see those people if you don't count them if you don't acknowledge them well your last word there is perfect they are no longer being acknowledged so therefore this is the same as not accounting for them this is the same as ignoring them this is diluting the provision that helps them and i think i would go as far as saying that this is going to create a two a two tier system in school teachers will be left scratching their heads and wondering how they're going to provide for children who are now going to become and i'm using finger quotes here a problem a challenge a difficulty something they don't have adequate resources to deal with meanwhile as emma said and as lots of people have been saying online and in real life this is going to leave those children on the fringes yes who still have needs they're going to be unprovided for not provided for not served either mary can i ask a question to from typical households greg are also going to miss out yeah of course but say for instance marie like a child parents or guardians or a mix with a child with complex needs additional needs if they had them enrolled in a mainstream school for september what are they thinking now you know what is the school going to say to them now because before this most recent circular went out there would have been an perhaps a reasonable expectation that there would be enough set hours to cover their needs and the needs of other children i'm just wondering has this changed the position now for parents and guardians and schools who had children with complex needs enrolled for this coming september absolutely it has utterly changed the whole landscape for everyone who goes to school and most particularly for those people who have a child with complex needs i have the petition started online greg to try and reverse this situation and as a result of that i have had so many messages from parents all over the country many of them from people with children with complex needs who are terrified that's their word that's the word that's coming up most often they are terrified at the prospect of what september is going to bring but i think it's also important that it's not just the parents of children with complex needs i think no absolutely it hasn't and that's there that's what i'm at pains to stress and i'm so sorry to speak over you greg but really this needs to be said too every child is going to be impacted because i know what my little girl does not get the support she needs going forward she is going to file school incredibly challenging she's going to be more of a challenge in the classroom for her teacher for the sna and for all of the other children and that is going to upset the apple cart and i as a parent do not want to be singling my child out as the reason for distress for everyone else in that room that is utterly unacceptable and that to me is putting her in a position that she should never be put in if everybody's equal if we value all children if we cherish them and if they're all entitled to their education they should god damn be getting it excuse my anger and just this is really really awful and i don't think the ordinary parent out there understands that their child will also be impacted by this and if every parent and every person who loves a child who goes to school be it their niece their nephew their grandson their granddaughter their neighbour's child everybody is going to feel the brunt of this cut and in the middle of the circular Greg is a beautiful sentence that's very carefully worded and if it was one or two words changed it would be blatant discrimination against children with complex needs it basically says that there are special schools and special classes and many children with complex needs attend those schools now i'm wondering is there a next sentence that's missing which says everyone with complex needs should go there now because they're no longer going to be provided for in their local school now that is crazy there aren't enough places in special schools there aren't enough special classes attached to mainstream schools to accommodate those children and if we send them all to those schools isn't that segregation and utterly the opposite of inclusion and i thought we were moving forward to a more inclusive society jessie fumatican was on the radio before christmas talking about all the new special schools and saying that the ncse which is a national person for special education which is a wing of the department for education jessie fumatican said in her role as the minister for those with special needs that there would be provision for all these children in their local schools in the years to come now obviously she can't say it's going to happen in 10 years or whatever but that that's their objective as a department well how is that their objective if two months later after she made that statement norma foley comes out as the minister for education and cuts everything for children with complex needs okay marie it's ridiculous this is a story obviously that we were committed to following through on and we appreciate your time thank you new greg and thank you so much for all the coverage and again i'm so sorry for speaking over you i really appreciate the opportunity thank you people hear my voice all the time it's important that you're heard and and it's important the situation of your child and you and your family and all children are heard as well and that's what we'll continue to do here thank you so much for your time not at all thanks so much bye bye marie that's marie hurley mum and teacher as well so how's that sort of double experience of that situation listen we're going to get in contact with the local minister and the minister with responsibility the education minister to try and get interviews as we will we'll let you know how that goes but that's what we're going to try and do and try and get answers as well the 90 noon show is brought to you by letter kenny credit union with monster loans available up to 60 000 euro for all occasions visit letterkennycu.ie an unbelievable clearance sale is now on at foys in everkennie and ballet buffet with massive reductions to make way for new arrivals there's up to 70 percent of selected furniture display models up to 50 percent of designer display curtains and up to 50 percent of rolls of fabric plus many more great savings the sale won't last long so-called in store to foys in everkennie or ballet buffet today if you need a new laptop enjoy super fast performance and seamless multitasking with avita laptops at ben swinney ironix avita laptops are equipped with advanced processors and ample ran so they handle everything from work to 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10 o'clock early October the local community hall was packed to capacity where the local people wanted to see action the restoration of current on a daycare committee have set up a Facebook page and since that's there've been over 4000 hits with people reading that information I just take it there is support for restoration for the reestablished service the regional chair of the irish farmers association says that for quality safe local food irish farmers need better support the body will be staging a protest outside dunagall county council special plenary meeting this Wednesday as part of a national action speaking to greg q's on this morning's dental noon show frank brady believes irish farmers should be better paid and are under too much pressure from government about the environment so there is a need there for make sure that if somebody is confirming that there's a proper income and they'll do the hours they'll do everything else but they do need to be rewarded for the work and we do choose carbon friendly food we're the best producer of milk in europe and we're the fifth best for beef nobody can produce it like we do and lets rewards for us we don't want a big margin but we just want to be rewarded and the government has to stand up machinery was stolen from a farm on the glen sheen road on thursday last p.s. and i are investigating after a suspicious vehicle was observed in the area at around 4am it was then realised a number of items had been stolen such as a galvanised silver log splitter a nugent bale spike and a bale lifter the total value of all those stolen was around £3000 police instra banner asking those who believe they have information to get in touch a list of full items stolen can be found online there are calls for school bus transport scheme to be radically reformed thousands of more pupils are set to become eligible for a bus place for the 2025 academic year under new plans being finalised by the education minister however the price of annual tickets are expected to increase social democrats spokesperson for climate and children jennifer whitmore says more significant changes are needed and what we really needed to see from that review rather than just an expansion of the scheme to bring in a few more thousand children into the scheme what we needed to see was a complete overhaul of the school transport scheme because it's really not working for thousands of children across the country every year looking now to whether today will be mainly dry and sunny clouding during the afternoon with patches of light rain or drizzle developing later highest temperatures of 9 to 11 degrees in light to moderate westerly winds coming southerly and freshening later that's all for now from highland radio news back again at 11 o'clock the obituary notices this monday morning february 19th the death has taken place of harry diver karnigarh movil funeral arrangements to be confirmed later the death has taken place of anthoinette boys knee doherty gulliduff movil anthoinette's remains will leave liam collins funeral home station roadkarn dunna this evening funeral arrangements to be confirmed later family time please from 10 p.m to 10 a.m the death has taken place of billy doherty white castle quickly's point how strictly private please funeral arrangements to be confirmed later family flowers only please donations in lieu of desire to the foil, sea and rescue care of any family member the death has taken place of marie steveni lustigal carragans his remains are opposing at his sister margaret deveni's home at monis st johnson funeral leaving there tomorrow afternoon a quarter past one for 2 p.m funeral serves at top boyn parish church carragans followed by burial in the family plot in the adjoining graveyard family flowers only please donations in the loot medical five letter kenny university hospital care of tarence mclintock funeral director the death has taken place of mary mcburtey knee mcded nine letter kenny road livered and formerly maher a clois in johnston proposing at her home funeral leaving her home tomorrow morning at 10 20 a.m for rakeway mass and st patrick's church murlock lyford at 11 a.m in term and afterwards in the adjoining cemetery family time please from 11 p.m tonight the rakeway mass can be viewed live via the parish webcam the death has taken place of joe doherty jack malin carndona his remains are opposing at his home funeral leaving there on wednesday morning at half past 10 going to the sacred her church carndona for rakeway mass at 11 a.m followed by burial afterwards in the adjoining cemetery joe's rakeway mass can be viewed live on the parish webcam house private please from 10 p.m until 11 a.m family flowers only please donations in lou if desired to university hospital gallways patients comfort fund care of kelly's funeral directors or any family member the death has taken place of linda mclean knee plat tolly bogley manor cunningham her remains are opposing elderly residents funeral leaving there this afternoon at half past one for 2 p.m funeral service in ray presbyterian church followed by burial in the family plot in the adjoining graveyard house private to family and friends family flowers only donations in lou if desired to ray presbyterian sunday school care of any family member the death has taken place of father george mclaughlin ppvs late of drum away road green castle retired parish priest of movile father george's remains are opposing at simpius the 10th church movile where you're welcome to pay your respects rakeway and mass today at 12 noon followed by burial in ballet break graveyard funeral can be viewed live on movilparish.com for family information and more details regarding wakes and funerals please go to highlandradio.com before you settle on a new hybrid take the nissan cash guy e-power challenge the nissan cash guy e-power is a hybrid so you don't have to plug in but unlike other hybrids it always drives in electric mode you get the superior smooth and quiet driving experience of an electric car all of the time take the nissan cash guy e-power challenge at your local nissan dealer today you'll never look back nissan innovation that excites and now in rose 2023 best local original news program the voice of the northwest the 9 till noon show with greg hughes you're very welcome along to the program good morning if you're just after joining us and thanks for sticking around if you've been with us since the top of the hour in the first hour of the show we're covering issues that are important to the people of canthedonegall we were talking about the changes to the criteria for the appointment of special education teachers which is going to affect every school in this county we were speaking to a gentleman who's very frustrated and you know concerned about the defective concrete portal and access to it it's affecting hundreds and thousands of people right across this county and we were also talking about the plight of farmers in canthedonegall and elsewhere so if you didn't tune in for the first hour that's what you missed because we're here covering the issues that are important to us here in the northwest coming up after 11 o'clock a little later on by the way we are going to be having a debate on March 8th referendums so if you are unsure about it or any questions in relation to it please get in touch with us and share your views 08 660 25000 I think we're also getting into that process now where we're trying to see the wood for the trees but as I said also interested in those of you who may think it's a waste of time we're not interested in it either all right I'm going to get to some comments then we'll have the bingo numbers for you morning Greg the government seem to have no end to the millions of pounds or euros being paid for new hospital for the new hospital in Dublin which still has yet no end in sight but cutting all the services for everyday life no problem they say thank you the woman Marie is making so much sense good on her and it's a joke how money is squandered I drop children at the school and I know a bus driver dropping off one Ukrainian child every day and he drives quite a distance to do so and all other Irish children walking or their parents paying someone to drop them off I've nothing against Ukrainians but it's a joke let the government look after our own people as well as other people with children with special needs have a tough enough time without fighting all the time for what they're entitled to personally for me I get everything that you're saying there I would be familiar with similar stories as to what you've just outlined there but I can't compare all children should be treated equally to me in my opinion and I'm sure you're of that opinion too Greg we have a business commercial building falling to bits with defective concrete yet we are still expected to pay rates I mean how could that be it's falling to bits that the commercial property and I think the owners of commercial properties farm buildings and what have you and community halls will have probably felt a little bit unheard throughout all of this because of course we're also talking about people's houses and you know people are so gracious people who are struggling like that listener there with a commercial property or a farm or you know with an outbuilding that's falling to bits as well often they want to highlight their situation with us but they don't want to come on air because they say often they say and this is how gracious they are well listen it's not our house and there's an awful lot of people there that are kind of worried about their property and we don't really feel that you know what I mean and I think as I say it's gracious but there are also people who need to be spoken to as well good morning at the minute we're all hearing all we're hearing about is recycling which is great but my concern is that we're paying high fees for this one week it's domestic waste then week two it's recycling and food waste last Wednesday I watched a local bin company collect all waste in one lorry domestic recycling and good food waste all three bins were emptied into the one lorry so would all the recycling be cross contaminated and wasted so why are we paying two charges for bin collection when all is being wasted I've heard that and witnessed that myself where all the bins go into the one bin lorry not sure what the ins and outs of that are but it doesn't feel right can I ask actually we're a couple of months in or a couple of weeks in now to this recycling of plastic bottles and what have you are any of you doing it successfully is there any good news stories about that or even maybe you've had problems whereby the bottles aren't being recognised or what I don't know but as I say you know there's a lot of conversation and talk in the lead up to it maybe your children have really embraced it and it's their pocket money or something I don't know but a couple of weeks in what's your experience been of the deposit return scheme I'd be really interested and I think we all would be interested actually to get some views on that so have you been engaged in the deposit return scheme is it working great for you or your family or maybe you have tried it it didn't work wasted time whatever it might be as I say it'd be interesting to get a sample of what's going on now a chai Greg the argument in favour of farmers is very simple do we want to have national food production self-sufficiency or not are we going to price our own farmers out of the industry and become dependent on corporate food production surely food self-sufficiency should be a prime issue of national security food security yeah I mean when others control our food we've seen what can happen there so yeah there's a strong argument that we should be independent in that regard Greg that man is there a very long time and the store seems to be doing nothing about him this is the person standing outside a particular store looking for change I assume it's because he's on the footpath and there's nothing that they can do regarding the RTE lump sum payments two million euro was handed out between five people 450,000 for one person's payoff TV license abolishment is one thing but RTE should be taken off air completely the rockers committee is futile RTE still do what they want there are so many Irish people struggling and for people to get that kind of money is outrageous they say Greg and Frank there's a global agenda to wipe out small farmers so that the elites can leave us no choice but to eat their processed insects says Mary okay back with more after the numbers it's time for Vision Ireland Bingo on Highland Radio it's Monday the 19th of February you're playing on the green sheet the reference number is S16 it's game number eight the numbers are 17 67 36 4 87 81 19 20 13 and finally 73 phone your claim to 9104833 before 8 tonight leave in your name contact number and the name of the shop where you purchased your book and we'll call you back the next working day get all your Vision Ireland Bingo information at HighlandRadio.com Relay for Life Donegal is back and is now open for team registrations as a community we relay together to celebrate cancer survivorship remember those we've lost and fight back by raising awareness will you join us gather your friends and family and enter your team register today at DonegalRelayForLife.com together we can make a difference with a high digital online skills course you'll feel a real difference I can listen to all the music I like the boss app that's coming out and it's brilliant anything you want and all is to add their fingertips does small turns but they mean something learn essential online skills with simple accessible lessons at highdigital.ie or free phone 1-800-20-30-30 brought to you by Vodafone Foundation and alone Vodafone together we can Choose Life Choose Fun Choose not sitting at home getting bored Choose something better Something really fun Choose Fundamenia Coming to the Brunswick Movie Bowl from March 1st Choose Regular Junior or Family Risk Bands and enjoy some of Europe's top thrill rides Choose Fun for All Ages A legendary Fundamenia event 1st to the 17th of March For details see Fundamenia.co.uk The Ninetal Noon Show with Letter Kenny Credit Union now offering mortgages from 40,000 to 600,000 euro with no hidden fees or transaction charges Letter Kenny Credit Union 9102127 Now having been first elected to Boncranatown Council in 1994 and elected Mayor of Boncranat in 96 and again in 2011 and elected President of the Association of Municipals of Ireland in 2006 and in 2019 elected Mayor of Innisone that and more accolades Councillor Nicholas Croson has decided to I don't know you don't hang up your boots I don't know what you hang up when you're a politician but decided not to seek re-election Three decades in public life Councillor Croson a tough call for your tough decision to make Good morning Greg Good morning listeners Yes Greg one of the probably one of the toughest decisions that I made in my life as I said it's very very difficult to walk away from something that you really love to do Now it's up to you to decide when you want to announce it or when you want this to become public but it's not that long ago I think you were on the Friday panel and I asked if you were seeking re-election at that time you were were you wobbling at that point but as I say it's your prerogative to decide when to announce it right but had you been thinking about it for some time or was this actually a more recent decision No I have been thinking about it Greg but I felt duty bound that I established independent grouping within the county councils in Ireland and I felt duty bound to inform them the same time as I informed the people of Donegal I knew we had a meeting coming up last Wednesday or last Wednesday and Thursday and an article and I said that was a good opportunity for myself to inform by the most loyal band of people that I've ever worked with Greg so I felt duty bound to tell them and when I got into the room the press release has went to Donegal so and I told them at the same time so that was a good way to go out Yeah for sure you know if this is a pie chart you know where's the where's the positive and where's the negative in the 30 years for you because you know it's a thankless task at times much of the time Yeah funny somebody said that the conference we were at one of the speakers said you know you're a community worker until you get elected and then when you become elected then you become the opposition like I've been working involved in the communities since actually before I left school that and various different items in Von Cranow and I enjoy working with people and it was supposed a national progression on Tony Yiller an independent town councillor and we can't be sure I'm in a by-election in 76 that's 48 years ago Tony resigned to Higgety 5 started to go over to 94 and I seen an opening then for a seat in Von Cranow and that's what I ran for then I wanted to carry on the work I suppose that he was doing as well and enlarged my own issues and my own ideas make the council more clear to the people clarity, transparency let the public know what was happening in the council chambers and in relation to that did you ever have aspirations above council level did you ever, were you ever approached or did you ever this may be on the public record I just don't have the information in my head at this time you never contested national election did you no and did you ever get close or did you ever have a desire to very briefly in 2016 there was a general election then followed by a Shannon election so when I formed the independent group in Ireland you probably need to get into Shannon you need about somewhere between 80 and 120-30 votes depending on what panel you're on and for about a couple of months I thought of running for the Shannon myself and how it changed my mind it was out round the beach in Von Cranow one day a walk myself and my two wee dogs and I said to myself what and I'm the god what I'd be doing something up and doubling so when I could do so much and then I got so I went home and told my wife I said no I'm not running for the Shannon I called the meeting of our own group and said no I wasn't Roman but since then we've got three independent councillors or senators elected Shannon Ireland for the first time ever in 2016 we got an independent was outside the university panels but I think it was a great achievement and since then we've got three all the other independent senators where do you think we are politically now compared to where we were in terms of you know the power or influence of local politics I mean you were in Von Cranow town council and we had led a Kenny town council and then we had the Balashannon town council and then now we have sort of we have the municipal districts and you know then and even coming down to the county development plan one of the most recent conversations we're having it's really you know whatever the will of the council it really is actually up to a person nationally to decide the direction we go in that regard has there been a that's one example but has there been a significant watering down in your view of you know both I mean obviously with the loss of the town councils but generally with the role of the council even like he could talk about water responsibility going to Tarish water and what have you do you feel that you can affect less change now than you might have in the past really as an elected rep yes one hundred percent what you're saying Greg our powers has been diminished and that's what we have been talking about because if you want local if you want local politicians and people to make decisions at local level you must give more power to the councils the power of the council has been constantly eroded and I think that's where we're getting mixed up and we do get mixed up in Donegal County council because meeting after meeting we get motions coming in which in my opinion are national motions which is nothing to do with on Donegal County council and we are we ourselves as we're handing power to the national the senators and the TDs to take over from ourselves because they're looking on their votes for the next time I put the erosion of county counters has as one hundred percent what we have to do now is pass the budget the development plan no matter what we put in the development plan if the OPR doesn't like it they've sent it on to the minister and if the minister would raise the OPR they can change our plan so I keep saying where is it our plan that's not really our plan we can try our best to get it done but at the end of the day it is it's going to be different action powers yeah it's going to be different council and I won't hold you but I think we should have a chat in the future 30 years in politics there's a lot of stories in there and we've there's been you know we could probably have a good chat about that down the line but it's going to be a different council at least five people that's yourself to Sinn Fein reps Tom Connhan down in in Donalgold town as well and who is to say who may announce what way do you think the council needs to look post June elections well that's up to the people and I can as I have said from day one the electorate are not a silly people they they do elect everybody elects the government or the the countries they get but I have great faith in the people of Donalgold to to to elect the the right candidate something to represent them and I would encourage I would encourage people to come out on vote in June at the local elections and have your say don't don't be sitting on the fence I don't know you know 50% now the people are not voting this you know and that trend is going in the wrong direction I would encourage and I would also encourage a lot of community candidates to go forward and and do their put their name on the ballot paper and and go forward for election and finally is that it or are you going to ensure that the Christmas lights are switched on within a millisecond of the time announced which what's the future hold that kind of has stuck all right no I'm not be walking I look when you live in a town like Boncranne you're never too far away I've spoken to former politicians who would never come back that they sort of went back to you know being part of the community you know you're an independent anyway but even those with a political affiliation sort of you know being able to drift into being a political if you know what I mean and would never return to elected politics again because they feel they can have so much more influence and and and what have you you know in the community rather than as you say it's quite an interesting where you put it is that what you know post-election then you become the opposition a pre-election I'd say you're looking forward to getting back to that to that role doing what you do but not with the moniker of councillor yes look Greg be under no illusion I enjoyed I enjoyed being a town councillor for 20 years and the county councillor for 30 I enjoyed every minute of it I enjoy helping people and as you well know I enjoy talking to people as well but somebody said to me only yesterday somebody says there is a time for everything and everything has a time and I think it was a great statement for it and I think there's the old song you got to know when to hold them and when to fold them and when to walk away so I I would just and Greg before getting case that you do I'd like to first of all or say to a big thanks to my wife and my family for putting up for 30 years being it it is a huge sacrifice and I started out as a town councillor I was a bread man with two young children and now I'm retired with three adults three adult children if you want to call them that they are spread all over the place so it has been a huge rather more entail for me it's just a huge turn of life but it was what I swap it for anything else no way well I'd be sad when June comes yes I will be but I think I've done done my part and I think that I would encourage somebody else to take up the mantle now and go for it yeah and in relation to families and friends they of course they feel every up but they generally they feel every down to on a very personal level too so it's a big sacrifice for anyone in a in a family because there's peaks and troughs but they feel that we all feel the troughs with those we love you know more personally and deeply than we might the highs not they're there for the highs too I hope you know you know what I'm saying and I and we yeah we did talk about that before Greg and there's brought up at a conference to the abuse on Facebook of county councillors not so that is not we can take a bit but once it starts because on the family's then it's something totally totally different you know so and I do feel sorry what about the abuse on what I'm on on there what are your the biggest announcements that you've made now as it turns out towards the end of your tenure is that some people don't like me and I'm still waiting on the list that was the big revelation from last week you could have you could have dropped the bombshell that you were retiring from Pollux but instead you decided to to hit me in the goolies with that one I wish you you know me Greg no no no no no better in yourself I wouldn't let you go away without a good jag Govir have a good day all right best wishes to you and your family take care of yourself we'll chat again thank you very much thank you very much Greg all right take care bye bye Nicholas councillor Nicholas Cross and there's one of a a number of politicians now that are choosing to go and I know people are we're I know that we are all very opinionated and we form our opinions and we have our views of maybe elected reps or not but fundamentally we are all neighbours and humans at the end of the day and I've had my scuffles on air with Nicholas in the past and what have you but no matter who it is in this county or whoever I've dealt with we're all neighbours and we're all part of the same community and friends not friends that sounds like I'm saying we're not friends I don't really have any politicians that are friends if you know what I mean but anyway my point being is is that I still wish anyone the very very best and would never hold any ill feeling or grudges or anything like that neither would Nicholas or any of the other or most of the other elected representatives so we wish him my point I'm trying to make is that at the end of the day I wish everyone the very best going forward not least councillor Cross and there happy eighth birthday to Peter Patten he's in Mahirah Boy letter Kenny from Tim Harry and who's the third fourth fifth Paulie Holly okay happy birthday to you Peter Peter Patten I love names with Peter Patten Hudson Hughes Finn Fury double double lettered names sound cool I think all right okay so let's get some clarity about the situation as it relates to accessing the various portals or what have you in relation to defective concrete scheme councillor Martin McDermott has joined us at short notice appreciate it Martin how are you getting on good morning Greg so am I your friend or is it yeah well yeah I know as soon as I said that it's like yes of course all friends we're all friends man you beat bumping to each other I like you you know I don't know what you think about me but yeah we are because we're all part of the world community here I like you all right okay well come here put in a good word for me anyway come here my councillor Martin McDermott it's also Jared the defective block committee with Donegal County Council so just to be clear for all of us how many portals are there that the people at the beginning of this great scheme Martin people would be accessing so the scheme as it sets at the moment so the portal that was there was the portal from the old at 1910 scheme so when the new scheme came in back in mid-July of last year that portal had to be updated to all the new regulations all the new legislation that was coming in because a lot of it changed there were second the availability of second homes the how the information was unputted particularly for showing that you're the principal private resident that changed to NPRN that was involved in Heracode was involved in so there's quite a bit of work to be done for us all the re-calculations of all the applications had to be redone as well now the new portal that there's been working here now and Greg I will say that this is taking longer than expected absolutely and it is a problem for families I know that I get the calls every day on this but the new portal particularly for payments and for ancillary monies will be a lot more streamlined and a lot more simpler that portal was to be up and running after Christmas there was issues IT issues that had to be resolved they have now been resolved there's also quite a bit of information to be and put it into that portal from applications that's already and all the council that has to be uploaded has to have the information have to be done so that when it goes live that Martin McDermott or Greg Hughes can go onto their portal and their information is there then I've had conversations lots of conversations over the last few weeks on this I had another conversation this morning and I'm told that if not by the end of this week certainly by next Monday morning the new system will be ready and go live so if people have you know before we get to what the situation is going forward there are a few people called in a bit of a purgatory on this though between the old portal and the new portal and this is where it's going to start getting complex and I hope people don't tune out because this is really quite important and there's 300 families affected by this circa 300 families affected by this so what is the sort of the in-between that they find themselves in Martin just for clarity? Well suppose to applicants and at the moment as you know there's 43 houses completely finished there's about 70 commencement that were just submitted to Donegal County Council so 70 people have said we're ready to start work a number of them have started work and as of today about a couple of weeks ago there was a serious issue here with people that had started work and couldn't actually access the scheme to get their money we met two weeks ago with the council to discuss how we could move this forward so then what they said that they would contact those people if they sent them their information they can email their information and buy email and that they would pay them and they are getting paid today so those families are getting their money the ones that were in the situation where they started work so this reference just this reference what we heard earlier on that the situation some find themselves in that they got contractors on site they were doing the work but no money forthcoming they also have to pay the bills so maybe moved on to another job you're saying those that have the correct documentation and all in should start receiving some of their stage payments today then? Yes that's correct and again if there's families out there you know that are in that position you know email that on to defective concrete blocks because it will be done manually until this is up and running because we can't under no circumstances great can we have you know contractors with no money and I know there's issues there and there's issues we're getting paperwork on but the most important thing is that we do get money particularly to contractors because this is you know contractors route a lot of money at the start of this and they need to be able to get their money on a very very quick timeline and that is something that you know the new system that that's coming in will really help with it will really make it more simpler so then get their money within a couple of weeks of submitting documentation to the New York County Council Now there are a group of people the same group of people is it that will not get fees back what fees are we talking about and why not? Yeah so there are a situation there with fees so go back to December of 2022 the Minister made a recommendation to pay the fees to everyone that was with no fees whether you had your application determined or not now anyone that submitted their application after that date would have not got their fees back These are testing fees are they? These are testing fees yet so when the new scheme come on anybody that applied now to the new scheme don't have those testing fees so the those testing fees are absorbed on the housing agency but anyone that say come on in January February March off 2023 would not have got their fees back now we had a delegation with the Minister sorry with the department just before Christmas myself and Councillor McInnes and Councillor Daherty met with the department the department have committed that they will allow the local authority to pay back those fees to people whether they have a recommendation or not because they suppose the problem here Greg is that the housing agency now are looking at those and they're putting they're putting that determination that they'll come back to you say maybe on the third quarter of this year or the fourth quarter of this year and that means that you couldn't get your money back until there was a recommendation made but the department have committed that they will allow the local authority to pay back those fees now they haven't sent that in writing to the local authority yet now we were back on to them last week and they said that they would have something to the local authority within the next two weeks Is everyone going to get their fees back or is that that wouldn't everyone should have their fees back apart from those families that came into the scheme but they will get them they will get them they will get them back okay but anybody that was in the scheme pre so anybody that had already applied to the to the scheme pre the 13th of December of 2020 what should have got their fees back anyway because they're eligible to get their fees back this is only for the people that fell after that date so the fact that no one pays fees now bar their buzzing addition assessment and then it's it's only right that those people should get their fees back and should get their fees back right away okay this might cover this texture then hi Greg could you ask Martin what's happening re people who applied for the old scheme and are having their engineers feed deducted from the 420 there have been greatly disadvantaged compared to someone applying now to the new scheme who do not lose out on this money thanks that's literally what we've just been talking about I believe you're saying no that's another different situation very important from what we were talking about so again this was something we discussed and met with the department on because the fees that that someone paid so if I was on the old scheme I paid the fees out myself I got those fees back when the recalculation was being done with my costs that fee was being taken out of my recalculation so we went back had a conversation with the directors and service and the council on this and we went back to the department says look that's not fair that that that can't be right how can I be punished my sixth grand now when someone coming into the new scheme doesn't have to pay that sixth grand so if me and you the same size of house and me and you in the 2000 square felt house tomorrow morning and I was getting 300,000 and you were getting 300,000 I was getting 200 and 294,000 and you were getting 300,000 so that was unfair so that was that was shorted and they said no the fees would not be taken out but someone that's over the £420,000 mark the fees are not taken out of that now there is a situation if you had the 420 you'd drop back to your fees at 413 again I don't feel that that's correct and I've had a conversation with the council on Thursday and Friday about this we've sent correspondence to the department to say look anyone that's getting the 420 you're getting the full entitlement of 420,000 and that sex shouldn't be coming out of that so I would hope that that will be rectified in the next few days so working progress where are we at in terms of the whole debate about interleaves foundations you know you would be of course very familiar with the recent science and what have you engineers perhaps being reluctant to stand over outer leaf only when we know there's you know defective elements to the concrete in the internal and it will deteriorate it's just about time and also and also the the issue of foundations where are we at in relation to that because I think there's still an awful lot of people that are are not prepared to continue down this road until we have some clarity there yeah and that's and that's totally understandable and the the foundations aspect of it is something that won't be determined until the national standards authority come back with our recommendations I would think that that's probably going to be early next year certainly not going to be it's not going to be this year again there's a lot of conversations going on and you know quite well Greg that the the redress focus focus group on the banking and having conversations with both the banks engineers Ireland and the insurance companies to make sure that if a house is remediated that it's both insurable and mortgageable and no one's there the two things that you know have to you can't remediate a house and not have it insurable or mortgageable it just doesn't make any sense to anyone that didn't be in a situation like that so there is a lot of conversations with that in mind Delmar and how can it proceed at all unless those really vital issues are unless those real vital issues are determined because you know like even if you completely real rebuild a house on the old foundations now okay and theoretically you could get insurance that could be negated potentially with new recommendations that foundations could deteriorate early next year you know like so even someone who possibly could get a quote now if the guidance is updated they could end up with this brand new house that they can't ensure sitting on potentially defective foundations and not we kind of can't believe it's actually February 19th, 2024 and we're still kind of having to negotiate this type of stuff but that's a big question that really needs answering ASAP I wouldn't move forward at this point but it is a question and people can as you know replace their foundations if they so wish that they won't cost and it's not at the cost of the scheme and some people are doing that and some people are checking them as they go along but certainly I think you know engineers Ireland in particular who are the the experts in this field you know certainly have to have strong conversations with both the National Standards Authority the banks and the news companies to come out with you know an answer on this question because you're right Greg it is a very very important I can't see any scenario where the insurance industry will underwrite a flawed scheme now if that scheme turns out the foundations are included I can't imagine any organisation particularly an insurance company that will look for any out in a claim I cannot see any scenario where they will effectively be underwriting the role of a dice that foundations will be okay yeah and I think probably there's a meeting I think in two weeks time on that and I think there'll be you know hopefully there'll be some clarity from all those organisations at that that will give us a maybe a bit of a more clear clear way forward Greg just on one of your your listeners that was on with you previously about their storage their storage facility I was going to ask you about that to having extra costs so if their storage facility cost them 4,000 for instance if that was the cost and their salary works to that say for five or six hundred euro to make that you know you get it down to the house to put down the concrete that is that can be claimed by as part of your even if it's a shed you know and you put it in the same garden and someone might look at it and go well that's Andy you'll have that shed after the house is rebuilt they're not viewing it like that there it's seen purely as practical storage so why would that person I wonder and we can't talk about individual cases and I'm not asking you to but just broadly why would they be told to get an appeal ready I wonder and not sure why but you'll be happy that that scenario that Gareth outlined is it would mean the 5,000 should be paid yes okay that's positive for it okay and that's the information that you're working on as well we'll have to see how it pans out you're not can't guarantee that but that's your understanding of a very complex issue there should be no reason that that's when the unit costs X and it costs so much as long as you have receipts to back that upgrade okay listen thanks very much Martyn I appreciate your time this morning that's Councillor Martin McAdermot there it's amazing the seams to be it's not amazing because we know I know I'm I would say I would talk to someone about the scheme at least every other day someone affected by it or someone that wants something clarified or something even actually sometimes it's just to let off steam on social media in private message or what have you but there is still so many unanswered questions like real fundamental ones like foundations like interleaves like insurance and we have to wait at least a year to find out if foundations are going to be included or what so and as we had from from John McLaughlin from the council he said himself I put it to him and this is only his own opinion by the way not in the council not as head of the council by the way I did ask him in a personal capacity I said look if you if you would you rebuild a house on on the old foundations and his answer was because he can't give advice and speaking in a personal capacity was by be that if it were he he would do what he could to actually change the foundations The 9 till noon show is brought to you by letter Kenny credit union offering low rate car loans with fast approval apply online at letterkennycu.ie or in office today at ESB we're investing over one billion euro a year 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office today in Southern Malawi communities are facing extreme floods followed by extreme dry spells Malita is a single mother who farms to support her four children in 2023 a record cyclone ripped across her farm with rain waters destroying crops and damaging her home when her farm faced a withering dry spell later in the year Malita was left wondering how she would access safe water or feed her family again Throkra is working with Malita and thousands more like her to adapt to the devastating effects of climate change you can help them build a more secure future visit throkra.org or call 1-800-408-408 together we can make a lasting difference this extreme weather report on Highland Radio was brought to you by Throkra Kelly's Diner winners of best family dining at the Highland Radio Hospitality Awards is open right through the week with extended opening hours every weekend try the renowned breakfast or the tastiest burgers in town or something from the selection of healthy options all on a menu that's packed with all the most popular dishes first communion and confirmation catering is also available to book all at Kelly's Diner mountaintop better kenny do you need a UK address save hundreds of euros on custom charges shopping online with spacehubdairy we provide a full virtual address mailbox service for all your business and personal use save hundreds possibly thousands on custom charges with spacehubdairy call 048-71-87-8077 or online spacehubdairy.com for more details it's time to travel again to feel nervous again to go where they go and roar them on again it's time to rise again for the Allianz leagues this sunday at boxeth athletic grounds our ma faced unigall in the Allianz football league at 3pm advanced ticket sales only at gaa.ie or selected centre and super value stores GAA where we all be on other updates brought to you by grant building a new home choose grants a triple plus rated air owner air to water heat pump and new flex under floor heating visit grant.ie okay mainly dry and sunny today clouding up during the afternoon though with patches of light rain or drizzle developing later highest temperatures today nine to 11 degrees in light to moderate westerly winds becoming southerly and freshening a little later on now apparently seven and a half thousand people will be left without home care this year according to the newly published hsc national service plan for 2024 Jamie Farley's policy and communications manager with home and community care Ireland joins us on the program now Jamie good morning to you hi good morning there's seven and a half thousand is that sort of your organization's extrapolation from what the hsc is proposing or the hsc conceding in your view that that amount of people will be left without home care well it is our calculations and I can explain them so if you look at the national service plan last year in 2023 the target for home care was 24 million this year it's 22 million now as recently as last November in a letter to the public account can be the hsc say that the demand for home care increased about four percent each year if you take the 20 trip 2023 target we should have 25 million this year instead we have 22 nothing of home care for seven and a half thousand people that's seven and a half thousand people who should be funded for home care this year who won't be I mean that of course affects a lot of different people's in different ways but presumably too that has an impact on our acute hospitals as well because this is going to lead to difficult discharging delayed discharging as well as every lots of other issues yes absolutely it's a very strange one really it comes back to the the health service budget overruns there was a problem around the budget last year you're listening I probably would have heard and it's always been very confusing to us and never been properly explained by the HSC the Department of Health or by paramedical expenditure why home care was cutting this because we know home care saves you money if you're not having home care you're probably going into a hospital you're going to nursing home so in the long run it costs a lot more but it's never really been properly explained why home care has been cut in the budget yeah and your organization is suggesting and you've really outlined it to a little earlier on is that we're not actually planning for the future here because we can't be because we're not actually keeping a pace with the present demands no in fact we're going backwards and I think this national service plan really showed that and it's not just the early targets there's more to it and so there's two thousand less people receiving home support in 2024 compared to 2023 two thousand less we need two thousand more not two thousand less and if you look at other areas you can see that there's really disjointed policy around around home care we don't actually have any home care strategy that's got this so we have slanture care but it's not very detailed when it comes to home care all I really said there's more care in the community there's no actual detail there that's why we see kind of confusing measures within the national service plan so we have this new complex case home support package it looks a good initiative but we're in you know deliver more hours than the standard home care package we already have one of these it's called the intensive home care package but only 25% of that target was met last year so why are we introducing a new package when we have another one that's not been the target's not been met now it's only anecdotal about yeah Jamie I'm sorry just ahead of the news here it's only anecdotal but the what I hear on this program is not that the money isn't there for home care package or it's not that home care packages haven't been approved it's actually the staff and the resources to implement what has been approved how big of a factor is that that's I know you represent an awful lot of people in this area but there seems to be short a shortage of people available to do the sanctioned work around the country yeah there is it's a serious problem and in fairness the government some improvements have been made so as of last year home care is going to be paid the living wage as minimum and they will get mileage so that's the expenses for traveling between clients but really we need to do a whole lot more than that so we need to index the living wage so they're only getting paid last year's living wage not this year's living wage that needs to be indexed they need to get paid the living wage every year very strange that they be paid mileage but they're not paid for I'm sorry they're paid for travel time but they're not paid for mileage so they they get paid they get paid for 15 minutes they don't get paid for petrol but it doesn't really make sense it doesn't it doesn't show a good message it doesn't attract new carers carers need a career development currently there is no career development at home care there is ad hoc so you can within a company of course you can become a manager but there's no clear career progressions see advanced home care to make people more serious conditions we need social welfare reform so one of the funny things when you increase the wage of carers actually means someone will work less hours because they come into the income batch of social welfare you can't work over starting at the time or earn a certain amount so it kind of has the opposite effect really when it comes to delivering capacity so we really need a workforce strategy that's something that this government should need to push and the next government of election this year really needs to get on top of before it's too late because Ireland is getting older we're still a young enough population so we have time you know it's not rather crisis yet but very quickly will be HSD's own national service plan says 25% increase and over 65% by 2030 can I just ask a question thank you for that but before I let you go you represent 32 member companies is there any statistics or any information on to the makeup of the staff in terms of you know whether we're having to hire staff from overseas to fill a lot of these vacancies or if it's people that are already living here like is there any information official or anecdotal Jamie as to sort of the staff makeup of the companies that you represent yes so we don't track them outside the EU so you know people study you're kind of treated as one yeah and so last year and the employment permit process was open to home care workers so we got 500 came to last year and we expect that to grow this year the quota is 1000 would get closer to 1000 but internationally the research will say that and a good amount of home care workers would be from outside the home country is it fair to say or is it reached Jamie that for the future of home care that it can't really be sustained by staffing from within Ireland only that to meet our care needs going forward there will always be or need to be an international national element to it yeah there will definitely need to be an international element of course but that doesn't mean we should give up on the domestic workforce we should have we should be attracting people we should be getting school leavers we should be training them off that's something we don't do potentially care has come kind of maybe you know after the kids have grown up and they go back to work wouldn't they kind of it's not seen as a crowd from the get-go all right Jamie listen it wasn't a loaded question actually it was just something I was quite interested in I appreciate your time Jamie Farrelly policy and communications managed with home and community care Ireland heading to the news now which will be a minute late Shrek the musical the west end in Broadway smash hit is back and is bigger brighter and more beautiful than ever join Strictly Come Dancing's Joanne Clifton as Princess Fiona alongside Dreamworks iconic duo Shrek and Donkey this five-star triumphant musical spectacular comes to Millennium Forum Derry from the 60 to the 21st of April tickets selling fast book now at milleniumforum.co.uk Discover comfort with eye-heating and cooling your trusted heat pump engineers and Mitsubishi approved service providers in Donegal we design install and maintain cutting-edge heating systems build a lasting relationship with us through annual service and comprehensive after-sales support contact us for a free consultation on low-cost low-carbon heating solutions visit eyeheatingandcooling.ie today make great photos into beautiful gifts at McGee's Chemist Letter Kenny different gift ideas include canvas prints freestanding already-to-hine art blocks and personalized photo books perfect to mark any occasion there's also jigsaws calendars mugs and much more for details visit McGee's.ie turn your favorite moments into something truly special with McGee's Chemist Letter Kenny how would you like to go on the holiday of a lifetime then why not join us for the Highland Radio Hooli in sunny Saloon spend seven nights in the sun with some of Ireland's top entertainers including Robert Mazzell, Jim Devine, Margo, Claudia Buckley and many more with live music all day every day staying in the beautiful four-star Sol Costa Gerata hotel this is a trip not to be missed book now by calling country music tours on 0749119955 or email info at country music tours.ie we'll see you in sunny Saloon cutting through the spin the 9 till noon show on Highland Radio okay it's a minute past 11 let's get a news update and cross over now to Donna Marie Daherty thanks Greg good morning an initial and counsellor says he hopes progress on the provision of daycare services and current Donna and the retention of the supervised residential unit support at work and Slater can be made now that industrial action by Forza has ceased. Councillor Albert Daherty says questions he submitted in early November will get responses in the next meeting of the northwest regional health form on the 27th of February counsellor Daherty says it's been a long wait for those affected regional chair of the Irish Farmers Association says that for quality safe local food Irish farmers need better support the body will be staging a protest outside Donegal County council's special plenary meeting this Wednesday as part of a national action Frank Brady believes Irish farmers should be better paid under too much pressure from government in terms of environmental action Donegal has officially been appointed a new chief superintendent Grady Sheridan takes up her role today the new chief superintendent took charge of Bunkrana district in 2020 and also served in Castle Ray County Ross Common in Slago previous to this she spent six years as inspector in letter Kenny. Councillor Nicholas Crossan says it was one of the toughest decisions he's ever made to step away from politics he served Donegal for 30 years after having been first elected in 1994 counsellor Crossan spoke of his time on the council with Greg Hughes on this morning's dental nun show he says counsellors today have much less power than they did previously and finally Tonish Jameel Martin is among those meeting the widow of Alexei Novani in Brussels today. EU foreign affairs ministers are gathering to discuss conflict in the Middle East Russia's aggression in the Ukraine and Mr Novani's death prominent anti-corruption campaigner and critic of Vladimir Putin died in prison last week with many blaming the Russian president that's all for now from Highland Radio news back again at 12 noon thanks darling Marie okay coming up after the a quick outbreak we are going to be debating March 8th referendum stay with us for that the 100% electric new Nissan area is now on Irish roads which means you'll discover the game-changing silhouette that sets it apart as well as its luxurious interior inspired through Japanese design then you'll discover the smooth acceleration quiet operation and advanced technology that makes every drive a pleasure the new Nissan area for €43,500 test drive it today and discover outstanding Nissan innovation that excites dealer delivery and related charges apply all right congratulations and best wishes to Nicholas on his retirement that comes in from Neil and Helen ask Liam McLaughlin what's going on with the farmers alliance he has meetings all over the country but has never had a meeting in Donegal are there reasons for this Greg I started using the food bin since January brilliant I returned to my normal general waste bin have nothing to put into it nice one morning Greg my driving license is due and to appoint and no appointment to renew sorry and got appointment there's a team missing morning Greg my driving license is due and got an appointment to renew it but can't pay cash card only can't remember but thought it went back to cash as well that comes in from rose yes rose I know exactly what you're talking about because I've seen that myself years ago we could grow our own food if planes and boats ceased we'd have no food we should grow enough to feed our country most of our ice cream these days is Ben and Jerry's witches an American brand we need products produced by our own people I went to a shop a guy was outside looking for money asked him why he needed money he said he was hungry I'd get him a sandwich I got him one and when it came back he was gone whenever you see someone begging for money offer them a sandwich and you'll see what they're after another it's getting cheaper to go broad on an all-inclusive holiday to Europe for a few weeks than stay in Ireland it would work out cheaper to put all the refugees in another country too and pay for it that way not by okay I was going to move into I was going to look into moving abroad after my pension after my pension but if it's cheaper for me to rent out my house and go maybe I'll do that now okay well so that's an option for you okay dog we'll be back with I'm going to clear a break here now because we're going to be talking about the upcoming referendum after these the county's number one talk show the 9 till noon show on Highland radio the 9 till noon show is brought to you by letterkenny credit union with monster loans available up to 60 000 euro for all occasions visit letterkennycu.ie Around the Northwest with John Breslin will launch Reed DL 2024 with an outside broadcast at the Central Library Letterkenny this 30 22nd of February Reed DL is an annual one book one community program so hear all about this year's chosen book and to find out how you can get involved tune in to John Breslin on Around the Northwest this 30 from 12 noon live from the Central Library Letterkenny for the launch of Reed DL 2024 make real savings at supervalue with price cuts like supervalue irish mozzarella and red cheddar grated cheese was $2.99 now $2.75 and supervalue fresh irish whole chicken 1.6 kilo was $5.29 now $4.99 plus money off vouchers every week on the app pop in store online for real savings at supervalue in 1869 a dreadful new statistic was born in Ireland the world's first road death since then thousands of our loved ones have been added to the list of people who have lost their lives on our roads that list of names does not have to keep growing because together we can bring an end to road deaths starting now make life-saving changes today and you will help Ireland achieve vision zero no road deaths or serious injuries by 2050 learn more at rsa.ie hello jedward speaking sorry Edward speaking hey bro i'm glad you picked up who is this it's me john i'm literally outside in the landing i don't know any Sean lose my number hello Edward don't hang up i'm sorry for saying a handyman could fix the gas boiler please forget always use a registered gas installer or you could risk everything find one at rgi.ie Donegall e-tbs for the education and training fair is on next week in the radison blue hotel letter kenny Wednesday evening the 28th from 7 to 9 is aimed at leaving cert students their parents and those in employment looking to upskill with talks on courses and apprenticeships then Thursday the 29th from 10 a.m to 2 p.m is for anyone interested in full and part-time education or training opportunities this free event is perfect for finding out about the various options offered by Donegall education and training board across the county okay so on Friday the 8th of March irish citizens are being asked to vote on two proposed changes to the constitution the first referendum concerns the concept of family in the constitution the 39th amendment to the constitution will be on a white collared ballot paper and it deals with article 41.11 and article 41.31 of the constitution both of which relate to the family you have two separate votes on whether you wish to make the proposed changes to the current text of article 41 of the constitution's the proposal in this amendment there is one vote for two proposed changes the proposal involves the insertion of additional text to articles that i've mentioned these proposed changes are as follows the state recognizes the family whether founded on marriage or on other durable relationships as the natural primary and fundamental unit group of society and as a moral institution possessing inalienable and imprescribable rights antecedent and superior to all positive law and also the change to 41.31 the state pledges itself to guard with special care the institution of marriage on which the family is founded and to protect it against attack the legal effect of a yes vote were told if a majority vote yes then the constitution will change if not then it won't right okay we have a number of people joining us to discuss these issues we'll start with this i know it's like a lot of people are voting yes yes no no but we'll start with this particular proposal first mary t sweeney candidate for aintu in the local elections good morning to you your no no i take it completely no no all the way and encourage our voters our listeners to really when in doubt vote no but i've been completely vindicated the only party in the country to encourage everybody to vote no no aintu has come out and led on this and the reason we're asking people to vote no no has just been affirmed this morning by flak who are the the um legal uh independent legal advice and they have now come out calling for a no vote because of the legal concerns they have in relation to the implications of this uh ridiculously poorly worded referendum which is what are your what are your principal concern and i think the Irish freedom party will also advocate and no no but what are your concerns in relation to the proposed um the referendum concerning the concept of family in the constitution because and i can quote from flak which is just hot off the press here who corroborate exactly what aintu are saying that it is unlikely to require the state to provide improved child care support for cares or for children with disabilities they have absolutely necessary relation to the care amendment i was just asking you initially in relation to the the concept of family in the constitution well the family's cares are integral to families you know and where do you stop a care of being part of a family or a family having care carrying roles to provide for members of the household so it's quite ridiculous and it's that confusion confusion in the wording uh it's unbelievable the wording is so confusing that even the legal teams when you have the likes of Senator McDowell a legal brain that former attorney general coming out and giving a very distinct and definite no no as well so i have to admire McDowell he's done a fantastic stint and again i've been encouraging everybody to come to Dill's on Thursday night where i'm having a meeting to elaborate on why it should be a no no right okay uh rachel coil head of campaigns and mobilization with the national women's council i mean is it going to be possible for us to have this debate sort of taking these separately i don't know if you want to address uh the first referendum concerning the concept of the family in the constitution or if you wish to to speak with them collectively i'll leave that up to you rachel um was was just to address firstly um flak is not advocating and no no if you um maybe look back at that article but i mean what i focus on actually greg if you don't mind is the um the vote on care um and this is about removing article 41.2 and inserting new language we know article 41.2 it's outdated the language is limiting and it doesn't reflect the lives of women it's time for it to go it says that only women have duties in the home it says nothing about the role of men it says nothing about the other ways that women contribute to and enrich our society and i just hate to think of children particularly young women learning about the constitution for the first time and seeing this a woman's place is wherever she wants it to be and anything less than our constitution is unacceptable but deleting it greg was never enough because caring within families is fundamental to our existence we'd all give and receive care at different times of our lives and this should be recognised it should be valued and the state should support it i think in dunigal in particular we have quite a high number of carers full-time carers i think the the statistic from the census last year was 10,693 which is slightly above the national average and these are people that contribute a huge amount to our society and the new wording recognises this it's gender neutral which is really important because nearly 40 percent of carers are men and why we know that there's still a lot of work to do to even the playing field when it comes to caring looking after children, heist work we know that women absolutely still do the majority of this but the current wording in our constitution 41-2 it makes it seem like that's all we do or should do and that there's no role for men in this so the new wording at least goes some way it's it's a really important step in the right direction um doctor i just clarify there they're just because this is just she may not be aware of it respectfully this is just straight off the press this morning and flak have issued a new statement this morning the independent human rights and equality organization which offers free legal advice has urged a no vote in the forthcoming referendum on the care amendment to the constitution and there's quite graphic details given about how it's slacking and how it's failing all the way through and one of the just just just to be clear just i know but yeah it's just really important that we're having this fully based on flak on the reality illegal analysis carried out by the free legal advice centers concerning next month's referendum proposal so it's led to it supporting the proposed family amendment to the constitution but not as it describes the ineffective and implicitly sexist amendment on care so they are supporting uh the uh yes on the concept of family in the constitution but they're not supporting it's just really it's going to be a really confusing debate just if we're if we're debating flak stance on it but very clearly they're saying that it's a yes to the the first referendum if we can just to call it that and a no to the second you can go over that and i'll come back to you in a moment if you want to Merity Sweeney uh Dr Joe Kelly um i mean you heard there from from Rachel i'm also was one of those that was a male carer just to put my cards on the table that really wasn't necessarily recognized uh in in the constitution because the reality is of life that it's not always a woman that can do it let alone uh whether it's by choice or not um do you want to focus on the carer's element of this Joe and tell us why you're advocating a no well first of all uh good morning to yourself and to your listeners and to the panel um and it's wonderful that democracies allow that we're having a discussion like this and we're given the freedom to articulate our views and that's most important in all of this today that this is a constitutional amendment and whether we're for it or whether against it the power lies with the people not the politicians and it's important first and foremost to say that people should vote and exercise their democratic right the most important political role in this country is the role of citizen and every person as a citizen should uphold that role by going out and voting whether it's a yes or no I'll be advocating a no no and let me explain what regards to the carers I mean we all have experience of carers and whether it's directly been provided for or not by ourselves and as family members I mean I had to care help to care for my father in in his uh autumn of his life so to speak uh you've obviously had a role as a carer as you said there Greg but it does not necessarily give and it's very clear in this this amendment gives no new rights to the carer or to the person being cared that's a fundamental here and it's a myth to try to project it that they will get right what they say is that they will strive now the same government is striving to sort out the maker crisis in this country the same government is trying to sort out many of other issues and the word strive is not good enough and so just to make it very clear this blue book is a constitution it's not a budget and the government have it within their remit every year annually at budget time to look after the carers and those needing care and they can do that directly through the budget and in fairness we have Pascal Dunhu and other ministers have acknowledged that this is not a budget book this is a constitution but are you not Joe in in in your statements though are you not saying really that you don't how it's not really about the changes to the constitution it's about the the the faith you might have in this government or the next government or any government actually to do the right thing by the constitution and is that really what is that should we really be thinking that far ahead in in in uh voting for change absolutely because you you've hit the nail on the head the very point of for example in the other referenda is the reference durable relationship and they've said the government have said so what is durable relation mean when you're asking so I would leave that to the court the courts to decide so we're not even deciding what the term durable relationship means it's left to the courts and it's not as if the judges sit down together and a big thinking and decide what that means it comes down to adversarial cases maybe one case is brought to the high court and then it's on that that the law is based so it's not as if the judges so we're we're giving away but it's okay but some might say that you but so you faith in the constitution but they're not the the legal system I'm going to go back to Rachel but I just want to tell you minute no no that's not what I said the constitution under article article five it lays out the order of the constitution the constitution if the language of it is that it's it comes with power power comes from god and then the people okay and for the people that end down to the legislator so the people are the primary people that own the constitution not the legislator not okay not the shattered so the people understood I want to give everyone a fair crack of the whip I'm going to bring Karen in a second but Rachel you just wanted to come back on something there more immediately yeah I just want to come back about you know what Joe was saying about like not comparing any new rights but at the moment in the constitution there is no recognition of care and the new wording it's not going to solve everything overnight but it's it is a step in the right direction it's a really important one because our constitution it isn't just a legal document it's our guiding document and it does give guidance to our legislators it's a reflection of our values and I don't know anybody who would say that the current wording in article 41.2 which Greg as you say you know is commonly referred to as the woman's place in the home I don't know anyone that would say that that reflects modern Ireland or our values woman's place is where where she wants it to be and buying care is really important and of course it's not going to change things overnight and we know that the state's record on care has left a lot to be desired um you know carers and and those of us who advocate for a stronger and better paid care and parental sports we know the struggle but we have an opportunity now to have this national conversation um this national platform to highlight and amplify these challenges it's a once in a generation opportunity Joe um this referendum hasn't come yet one moment Joe yeah and I'll come back to you Rachel but Karen has been incredibly patient and I know listening with interest as well Karen Kiran is chief executive of one family uh your views on the caring element of of this vote you also believe it do you Karen to be outdated sexist language we do but I I suppose I primarily want to speak to the family amendment actually um one family was set up as cherish back in 1972 many of your older listeners will remember they had a very big meeting at Glencombe Kill in the early 70s actually and um this was at a time when women who became pregnant and they weren't married were really forced more or less to have their children taken for adoption uh to leave the country or to be forced to marry and some very brave women decided that they were going to keep and raise their own children and then they you know started getting touched through newspaper ads and there were hundreds and thousands of people from all over the country in great difficulty and mostly because of the state and also because of the church and also because of families and what was done to those women they're the the fathers of their children the children themselves we know we are now making restitution to those people and for us in one family we've been fighting for this and our founders who are now women in their 80s those of them who are still alive have been fighting for this for 50 years this has been coming a very long time and what they want is recognition for their families in the constitution because what was done to many many people could not have happened it is completely out of step with families today over 43 percent of babies being born today are being born to parents who aren't married to each other so they may get married maybe they won't maybe they don't want to maybe they can't but it's out of step and the job of the constitution is to listen to the voices of the citizens to respect that and to reflect their realities so it is really really important that the family amendment which is about inclusivity equality it's building on other progressive referendums to include and see and recognize people so i'm thinking of mary from claire and she spoke at our launch and she's 83 and she said i really want my state that i love to recognize me and my son who's in his 50s you know before she dies there are people up and down the country did we did we not have a did you know sorry did we not though have a uh on the current constitution did we not have a ruling uh in the courts on the old wording of the constitution that would recognize that lady's son that you talk of do you mean the omara case yes no unfortunately not because that has to do with minor children so that's to do with the fact that john omara and his late partner had children who were underage in the department social protection decided not to recognize them as a someone who was eligible for a widow widower's payment so no that is not resolved in fact the omara case and he was dreadfully brave to bring that case and he had to do it with flag support actually and because it is a very progressive step and but it is is not unfinished business and the majority of the of the judges i was there in the court on the day said that their family would not be recognized under the current wording so no that's still an opportunity to remedy that and to bring all of these families into the constitution and they may never need to apply their constitutional recognition on a practical basis by old court but what it does mean is symbolically they feel part of something that up till now they have been excluded from. Mary T. Sweeney just responding there directly if you don't mind to Karen's argument in relation to the family do you do you see her argument as it swayed you in any way shape or form I think the listener needs to remember that the government have directed all of the government organizations the NGOs are not allowed to have their own voice in this they must vote that is not correct that cannot be allowed to be said that is not correct but Mary T. Sweeney is not important Mary T. That's potentially illegal to say that that is absolutely not correct be very careful what's being said here. Is it not important that we talk well you're not because I have to stand over it as well Mary T. so like I just want to distance myself from from you suggesting that NGOs are being compelled by government to make decisions you can say that on facebook or rex or whatever but just not here if that's okay but that's perfectly fine but also there are consequences to that now the problem is Mary T. I have you on the show regularly and I respect everything you have to say but it's going to come across as in all our interactions so far that I've been argumentative with you and I don't want to make that to be the case so rather than turning this into a referendum on government unless you want to can you talk to the substantive comments that we've heard from the likes of Rachel or Karen or make your own in your own time please Mary T. I would like to talk to the people that are really neglected and missed the golden opportunity that this government had for you people at home listening who are carers and many of you are getting no reimbursement from government in the role you provide the very very valuable role you provide looking after either an elderly parent a son or a daughter or a neighbor it can be no family member it can be a neighbor that you're just doing a good smart and turn and you're looking after the reality and the reality is that there are 15,000 and there between 350 500,000 carers across Ireland and we have just under 18,000 been employed in the private sector in Donegal as home care workers and over 5,000 of those employed by the HSE and I stood on the streets with those carers that are employed they were not allowed funding to even travel between houses which can be 30, 40, 50 minutes in traffic jams and letter canning the families that are doing it unfunded and families that are excluded because their husband or their wife who had a pension pushes them over the threshold to allow them to claim the 240 or 50 but in the context of the referendum though what does and in fairness I think travel now is to be included and carers are going to be given the living wages as far as more but that doesn't talk to the rest of the self you mentioned in the context of this referendum though why does that awful situation of so many carers that you describe lead one to vote no because over the reality the true reality for the people listening on the radio now is that over 80 percent of the care provided is by mothers and this is about a deletion of the word mother from the referendum and Rodrigo Gorman is quoted live on video saying that actually as as the minister the junior minister was the first that I read where he said minister Neil Richmond Neil Richmond Neil Richmond where he actually said that the role of this was to remove the gender to make it gender neutral Rodrigo Gorman said the whole role of this the emphasis of this referendum change was to make it gender neutral and that's tragic for women and that's tragic for the woman that should be identified and respected in their own right as women and that's you people standing at home listening and the sad reality can my eye finish please and the sad reality further extends to the fact that we are asking women to delete the role and recognition and respect for women and make it gender neutral which I think is a travesty and it's totally totally um it's a blatant disregard for the role that women play in society the role of a woman that differs from the role of the father or the brother and the reality is we must respect everybody individually okay now Rachel Rachel should amend their amend and include father include brother but not to delete the word woman okay now Rachel I think has to leave us shortly so I just want to give you an opportunity Rachel if you don't mind to respond to that and Joe I'm going to come to you and of course back to Karen yeah I feel like there's a lot to kind of unpack there keeping article 41.2 will do nothing to address the issues that you raise around carers and in actual fact voting no means keeping the status quo because at least this is a step in the right direction to recognize the care that goes on within families and the fact that we're putting it in the constitution means you know it's just as it's not a budget it means it mandates not just this government but every government going forward to support care and in terms of the the comments that you make around removing the word mother or women we're removing the limits that have been put on women and mothers in this referendum that's why we're advocating yes women do you know the word woman if you want to get technical it does feature in other articles in the constitution but in article 41.2 it's the only place where we're not placed on equal sitting with men because it says that you know working outside of the home is somehow a neglect of our our duties and yet no no supports were actually provided to women to to stay at home it's never led to any supports every case that was ever brought before the supreme court has failed and we've had 87 years of this and it's never led to a single progressive support and just as well to come I think this referendum hasn't come out in your word and it's not just the national women's council that are advocating for this women and and cares have advocated for decades about this and Joe you're a historian you'll know women protested this wording in 1937 because it doesn't reflect the reality of women's lives and you know we've had every democratic process we've had a a citizen's assembly that came to the position that article 41.2 is sexist and outdated and has to go and as we say like these things in terms of the rights of cares these things are not going to be resolved overnight but it is a step in the right direction it gives us leverage to say that Ireland values care and not just in word we're going to use this to demand real action real investment in care supports and we would argue sorry Greg but we'd argue that families can't meet care needs in isolation and the state the state there is a clear role for the state to support this we obviously have advocated for years around this so for us voting yes it gives a stronger mandate to this voting yes it gets sort of outdated and sexist language and finally insurance the value of care okay Rachel thank you very much indeed you can exit as you have to or if you want to hear Joe's response to you it's completely in your gift. Dr Joe Kelly just I suppose responding there to Rachel Coyle who's the head of campaigns and mobilization with the National Women's Council. First of all I think there's misinformation here from the start and I've been silent quite you know and giving everybody a chance to speak and it needs to be very clear that people the women and men of Donegal will get this very simply Susan Denham who is the chief justice of Ireland the highest lawmaker in the land made it very clear that article 41.2 does not assign a domestic role to a mother but what the constitution does is that it elevates her place within Irish society saying that the common good cannot be achieved without her good this is not and has been misused phrased by RT by ministers and by you Rachel it does not and I'm asking you to show me I have the constitution if you can tell me the page and the number and I'll read it out it does not say in this constitution and it's misrepresentation that a woman's place is in the home what it does say is that a woman a mother gives a unique contribution to our society without which the common good cannot be achieved and is that needed is that made it to the constitution Joe let me finish every human being has to come into this world through a mother's through a mother we are born through our mothers and our mothers gave us a unique contribution to our society and that is what our constitution says and if a mother should choose to stay at home then that she shouldn't be forced out due to economic necessity and that's what it says to say this is our cake to say this is not progressive is not true it doesn't say that and the chief justice I can't go any higher than the chief justice of the land the highest lawyer solicitor judge in the land that states that that's the first thing to say can I ask a question just in relation before you get on to the same situation do we have a situation now in this country whereby there are women who have poor or very little pensions that couldn't work because of how things were being interpreted and how their role was seen that effectively they became you know go on Joe you're you're again you're hitting the nail in the head and there's things Rachel I would agree with and with Karen and I don't think that you achieve a right by taking away somebody else's right you don't enhance the constitution by reducing somebody within the constitution by all means add in the cares but you don't have to reduce what's already there okay by all means add in the new understandings that we require but that does not mean that we have to reduce family reduce women and reduce mothers to a non-identity and this is really what the constitution is about it's a plan to make our mothers or women and the contribution they make to society you're just a non-person and non-identity all right and I think that's very very unfair you don't get rights by taking away somebody else's right rights and Karen both shaking heads and I want to bring Mary T back in again Rachel quick quick response to yeah just before I go like Joe if you could point to one progressive support for women from that article um I would you know merely agree with you but it didn't sorry it has never been to support not even that's not true that is not true and I'll name the support then please because no I'll name one my old good friend former MEP of mine Kathy Synod took the minister for justice to the high court minister for education to the high court based on that article the Synod case and she won her case and the judgment had relied on that article I think about like in terms of the protection I'm really unclear there like what you're saying there is by taking women out of the constitution as if women were ever protected by it me answer it you've asked me a question you've not let me answer it there are numerous examples in law and you can have listeners phone in and barters phone in where that article was used to back up and one cases for mothers in the home with special needs with various different things absolutely I agree with you Rachel it hasn't been maybe used enough and the government financially haven't coughed up enough I agree with you on that I agree with you that they haven't made the use of their budgets every year to pay carers okay to look at the goals they care for Joe sorry like just I mean sorry but in terms of the language that is there I'm sorry you can't argue in any way that it is reflective of you know the reality and the diversity it has had a limiting role and when you think like nobody could argue that the Irish state has treated women like you say with this elevated respect and support that never happened on that particular point I think the listener is going to have to make up their own mind because I can't see Rachel and Joe coming to coming to an agreement on that thank you very much indeed and as I say I want everyone to feel they're getting an equal platform here so I'm going to come back to Mary T after I get a word please if possible on those comments from Karen Kern and chief executive of one family yeah thanks I think we need to go back to think about real people so you know one family we have people in and out of our building and our services every day we have done for 52 years and we know what's really important to people and really a lot of people parenting on their own and and separating are worried about their housing they're worried about the cost of living crisis but it actually means a huge amount you know so we've had lone parents able to buy their own home get a mortgage and they've had to sign a disclaimer for the Family Home Protection Act we have people who they get a one woman here from from Finglas she has two children who are constitutional children and two children that are not constitutional children her children and families are not seen as equal by the state and really this is about enhancing family it's about sharing the protection and recognition of family it's not taking anything away from marriage it's bringing other people in and we all know what families look like and what families do they love they support they care they worry that is the work of families could oh I could that could that have been achieved though with a different word in Karen in other words that you know that there wasn't what some might perceive as a a a reduction in the important role a mother and plays and a woman plays but at the same time recognizing that but also showing recognition and changing the constitution that it includes the people that you you talk of because it seems to be that people feel that the the role of woman or women is being diluted in our constitution not that people are against the level of inclusion that you talk of well I'm speaking about the family amendment which is the 39th amendment so on a separate ballot form there is that opportunity to remove the very sexist archaic language about women's duties and just to say that only ever applied to married women it didn't apply to single parents it didn't apply to single mothers they weren't even imagined when the state was formed and it did nothing to protect them when they were made to be available for work and training by the government so let's be clear about who's included just to also say the susan danham quote there's two paragraphs and only one paragraph is being quoted and they're slightly at odds with each other and that was a minority view it did not ultimately help so we will have lawyers as joe has said with different views but this is about real people so let's support them there are discriminations between married and unmarried families there are discrimination between lone parents and two-parent families in our social welfare tax codes housing and and yet children live in all these families so we need to protect and support all of them and this is a really good start not the end point but a start to doing that. Mary T would you not like to see the the constitution more inclusive and to take account of the various groups and real life situations that Karen refers to there? With real language and clear and articulate language which is missing from this current document and that is the reality of it we have spent 200 million on this constitution that 200 million would have been better served building 100 homes for 150 families across dunnego it would have been far better served to serve those mothers and the fathers and the children of whatever family combination that they provide that's the reality of how much this referendum has missed that is an enormous amount of money in any term and the reality is that the lack of wording the the fact that the the T-shirt and layer for Adger, Rodrigo Gorman and Pascal O'Donoghue have thrown it back and said that the word durable will be interpreted by the courts which is putting another legal on us on all financial limitations on people that maybe don't have the finances to go to court that why was that clarity not explicit from the very beginning so that all the people at home listening could understand it we have the likes of as I say the eminent former attorney general Senator McDowell he's tearing this apart his video is up there to see and the reality is there's multiple other but he is he's he's one he's one semester the chair of the electoral commissioner's office of Supreme Court Judge Mary Baker clarified that the wording in the constitution does does not say a woman's place is in the home and that has been slandered and thrown around flippantly by so many of these women's organizations and the sad thing for me as a woman is that I think it's very sad that women are so quick to throw out the word woman from anything instead of adding an appending and an appendement to it to say with the other reality of what is their father or brother or own your view obviously then is is is it that women are more important than men Mary like do you believe women are more important than men though my case stated clearly that that the the cohabitant couples are recommended and recognize he was able to get his his with a suspension rightly so of course he was but we cannot throw out gender it is ridiculous to throw out gender and it was Roger Gorman that said that that he wanted to make this gender neutral and the sad reflection is they're just they're destroying the concept of family and home they're removing the word home if this goes ahead and we need the home we need a referendum on providing homes for families around this country with 13,000 homeless people and multiple people in Donegal desperate to have that first home now 200 million squandered okay and Joe I'm going to let you back in in a moment but Karen I think wanted to come back just directly on to something that Mary T mentioned there Karen yeah both of these amendments are really about including more people they're about including the men and dads who care as well as the mums and the women so this is about including them it's around including care in the family the broader family it doesn't mention in their home it because it's including that we have grannies and granddads and aunts and uncles who also provide care and it's really about you know people who end up going to the supreme court are in very vulnerable situations so they're very extreme cases so for most people this is symbolic it's around saying we see and recognize you and your family and a no vote or staying at home would be a complete rejection and it would be incredibly hurtful Karen mother retain the word woman mother is is is retain is isn't used in the constitution in other parts of the constitution this is a red herring what it's doing is bringing in everyone it's not even that it's gender-neutral it's just inclusive okay but a lot of people a lot of people don't like the fact that even if this is the only one instance of mother being like what i'm getting is a lot of people might go yes if there was additional language rather than what's been perceived as the removal of mother so in other words like just the language is around of the for the very very first time ever a recognition of care in family that's what's going in and that is the first time the work and labour of care and families ever been recognized and instead of taking something away it's actually including all the men and dads like yourselves who also provide care within the family so it's a progressive and it's an inclusive thing it's not taking anything away women are mentioned in other places but they're mentioned in equal status and standing in other places in the constitution so this is nothing to be afraid of this is a random bracing progress and providing a platform to build for future governments which could be married tea in her party to provide for carers i just wonder if this is getting caught up in the progress debate and if this would have 10 years ago it might be different joe you've been waiting patiently there look i mean there's things that that have been said there by carnet i can't disagree but you don't include people by excluding people you don't enhance something by unenhancing it and symbolic is it may be you're trying to make something symbolic by reducing the understanding of family by reducing the understanding of motherhood reducing the role of women can we not enhance what's already there and build on it and as you say include other types of families of course we live in a modern Ireland and a changing Ireland absolutely and why is there not room for them but that doesn't mean to say that you have to take away what's already there build them what's there and make it better but there are legal instruments already there and you know this very well under the statues enacted in 2010 to co-habiting couples etc various rights and the state have not and this is where the problem is and and and Karen i think you can accept it this much we do not know what the definition of durable relationship means so you're going to reduce and make no difference no differentiation between a marriage and a durable relationship so automatically and the attorney general former attorney general Michael McDowell has pointed this out this is going to have massive tax implications inheritance farms businesses pensions we do not okay just on that point and i'll bring my tea back in but i just want but you may just a really really big you can remake that in a second build on but there build on what's there don't reduce what's there okay and that's what we're being asked to do i get you something i don't want to miss you you made a number of things you made a number of things that might actually happen so that's why i wanted just Karen to have her word on that he's confusing what are you saying Karen i think i think you're confusing and the change at the removal of the sexist language of woman from the 40th amendment and you're confusing that with the enhancement of family in the 39th but just to say that the electoral commission which is of course the neutral body is saying that the family is found in other durable relationships means a family based different types of committed and continuing relationships other than marriage and what that means is that children and their parents unmarried families will be included for the very first time it will mean that granny's grandad aunts and uncles who are providing kinship care when the the parents of the children cannot help they will be included and it means that long-term co-habiting couples will also be seen and recognised and there was a very deliberate reason all of those have not been enlisted it's because it would then exclude somebody so Conor O'Mahony who is academic special rapporteur for chap techens says the entire purpose of the amendment is to move away from a rigid definition which is what we've got now towards a more flexible approach that accounts for the fact that families come in all shapes and sizes now we know who these families are we are these families 43 percent of children today being born to families not recognised in the constitution that's not okay Mary T maybe just because maybe Mary T just because you know maybe because just because at the moment 43 percent of children are what was the phrase you used born not to married families born to parents not married not married but you know maybe that's the direction that we don't want necessarily some people don't want to go that we should try and actually return maybe more to a situation where more children are born within the families and changing the constitution maybe makes that an irreversible trend is that a concern you have Mary T just finally i have a concern that we won't know what families are and also the elephant in the room is the people in society that are concerned about what is the family reunification and how far the remit of that will go in relation to the migrants coming in at this moment and in relation to the expansion of families at the moment a family is protected by our constitution extremely well as in being a couple and that's whether they're same sex or they're heterosexual the family unit the guidelines the laws are there to protect them when this blows up without the legal definition without clarity without any fences to tell us exactly what it means we have no concept of the idea of polygamous relationships where you can have four whites yeah but that's illegal in this polygamy is illegal in this country though regardless of what changes in the constitution but that doesn't matter for the courts the same as what's illegal but durable is yeah but polygamy is illegal okay that's fine all right the word durable is not clarified in law in writing that is acknowledged in this referendum polygamy in and of itself is illegal sorry the polygamy is illegal only because at the moment but there's nothing to stop it being challenged because of this definition in law in Ireland as we could you know already challenged the constitution to say that your constitution doesn't recognize my cultural right to have multiple white i mean could that not already be i don't know that word but presumably if someone wished to challenge the constitution Karen they could already do so if that were the will know well we have to all follow the legislation and there's legislation there for tax and social welfare and there's legislation around who a family is and the european court and human rights has been making judgments and similar to this since the 1970s there's nothing radical going to happen this is actually about real people this is about us our friends our neighbors our relatives who are currently excluded symbolically and otherwise from our constitution and saying you know what we treated you terribly for many years because you weren't married we ignored people we treated them badly and now is our opportunity to bring them in and people have voted with their feet okay you know people are deciding we just have to be quick quick we just get in there briefly just to mention one thing that has been avoided all of this debate and that is the online relationships i see a growing number of programs dealing with women and particularly and men engaging in online what could be contentiously called durable relationships and i see often the women or possibly the men being fleeced online by these what could now become durable relationships and it just alarms me of the vulnerability of our fathers or mothers or brothers or sisters forming these online relationships that can will they have inheritance right this is about real people yeah but this is about i think i think karen i think karen is talking about this dealing with people who are existence and real situations now rather than i think someone's saying what about rei i don't know it's up to uh there's no connection to this amendment that's just a red herring it's very unfortunate this is about real people let's respect the families that are out there that are currently excluded instead of bringing up red herrings about them red herring is the actual wording of this referendum karen unfortunately okay i have to wrap this up they're constitutional experts the attorney gathering and the attorney general okay i just want to agree with me the attorney general said durable is a more appropriate term to capture relationships between a child and their parents rather than commit it because committed can imply only the the horizontal or the adult relationships was very deliberately chosen and it is to capture the relationships between children and parents just want to give joe a joe a very positive thing just to make sure everyone had an equal amount of time though it is two and one and karen fair play to i do understand but listen it's still balanced out and we're all adults and it's a constructive conversation but joe just briefly uh wrap up from your perspective i think very quickly karen has hit the nail on the head she wants to reduce the constitution on the understanding of family and i'm not confusing the amendment uh the 38th 9th and the 40th amendment to karen by no means but my point is you don't make a good law by making another one bad you don't have to improve the constitution by making it poor somewhere else you can add into the constitution and a loose definition is not serving anybody and what i can understand is you've given us a definition of a durable relationship is yet nobody no minister in the government has been able to provide this i mean it's amazing how you can say that with absolute confidence when none of us can say that because it hasn't even saying what a durable relationship is okay i think we could and maybe there's a red herring because you cannot define what a durable relationship is because you're not a high court judge i think you're taking roles and honours on to yourself which are powers that you don't have that's the first thing the second thing which i think is very important to say about this michael mcdowell asked for the minutes and the meetings of the government on this discussion to be made available and he was told no that he wasn't allowed to see why the terminologies that we're debating today okay i'm gonna have to give karen just a quick response to that before we go one moment yeah but we don't simply don't have the time joe because the people don't need to know the people don't need to know where so the government don't like us and they think we're stupid this isn't we'll get it in 30 years i suppose karen quickly please sorry yes it just things i'm not a politician and i'm not an apologist for the government in any way my understanding is that couldn't be released because it might influence the referendum so that's that's the other point is the t-shirt whether you know i'm assuming he's got very good advice he's saying that a yes to the family and care amendments will bring a million people into the constitution that it will bring in unmarried parents and children it will include unmarried couples it will include kinship and family carers and that is a positive thing so that is what i'm listening to because the courts are for the future absolutely okay and it'll only be a very few vulnerable people but the politicians are saying this is what we mean this is what we're going to do mary t just you believe them or not believe thanks karen of course and that's the public so you've an event coming up mary t do you want to quickly mention that before you finish thank you very much greg and listeners if you're available and you want further debate come along on thursday evening a half seven to dillon's hotel and i'll explain in detail why i feel it's so important to hope no no right okay thank you very much all of you we'll be back with more after this break the nine till noon show with letter kenny credit union now offering mortgages from 40 000 to 600 000 euro with no hidden fees or transaction charges letter kenny credit union nine one oh two one two seven at leadle we've dropped the prices of over 600 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