Galway Advertiser 2006/2006_01_19/GA_1901_E1_020.pdf 

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20 N E W S

www.galwayadvertiser.ie

January 19 2006

Kinvara group to launch loo in protest at sewerage scheme delay
BY UNA SINNOTT A local pressure group plans to launch a toilet in Kinvara Bay this weekend in protest at the lack of a sewerage system for the village. Cairde Cuain Cinn Mhara, which has initiated a publicity campaign called Kinvara Sewerage Scheme, or Kiss for short, said the loo will remain on a raft above the sewage discharge pipe beside the town's harbour until a new sewerage scheme is installed. With work on the scheme not due to commence until 2007, the toilet could be in situ for up to two years. The group has hit out at continuing delays in providing the proposed 3 million sewerage scheme for the village, which still flushes much of its sewage directly into Kinvara Bay. According to Kiss some 70,000 gallons of untreated effluent is being deposited into the bay every day, with faecal slicks and solid human waste a familiar site in the waters around the town. The discharge has made the water unsafe to bathe in and the shellfish which grow close to the town are unfit for human consumption. The odour from the raw sewage drives people away from the harbour during hot weather, and this is affecting businesses in the vicinity. "The Government has continually pushed this scheme back on the long finger," a spokesperson for the group said. "Repeated assurances that a plant would be constructed soon have proved specious. We are no longer prepared to wait while the G o v e r n m e n t prevaricates because if it continues to hold the scheme up by this kind of administrative inertia, the plant will not be up and running within a decade." The group has also collected a petition of 1,000 signatures urging both local and national Government to progress the scheme. Preliminary plans for the Kinvara Sewerage Scheme were sent to the Department of the Environment, Heritage, and Local Government late last year. The scheme has been earmarked for commencement in 2007 under the Department's Water Services Investment Programme, published in December.

Buskers' lament -- the music was doleful and sombre as these buskers played out the last few notes on the last day of trading at Kennys' Bookshop on Saturday last. Photo: Sean O Meallaigh.

Grealish calls on council to fund Cregmore playground
BY UNA SINNOTT

First steps...

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Dep Noel Grealish has called on the Galway County Council to provide funding for a playground in Cregmore. Dep Grealish said this week that community services in the area had not grown in line with the increase in population and housing in recent years. "There are no facilities for children to play and even a recent extension to the national school had to

build on the school's play area, leaving limited space for the children to play," he said. "The Cregmore Area Residents' Association are in the process of finalising a site for the much needed playground for the Cregmore area. However they need funding to progress this project further." The closest public playground for Cregmore was in Renville in Oranmore, some eight miles away, he said. "Given that parents

have already participated in a major fundraising initiative for the school building project, it would be unfair to now ask them to fund a playground," Dep Grealish added. "I wish to compliment the Cregmore Area Residents' Association for the wonderful work they are doing to provide this much-needed service in the community." Dep Grealish has asked the local authority to provide a recreation and amenity grant for the facility.

Hospitals and city partnership win ability awards
BY MARY O'CONNOR Two city organisations were named among the 50 winners of the O2 Ability Awards 2006. Galway Regional Hospitals and the Galway City Partnership clinched the honours this week. Galway Regional Hospitals, which comprises University College and Merlin Park Hospitals, was recognised for best practice in the recruitment and selection category. This was the second year it walked away with an O2 Ability Award. The Galway City Partnership, which works with socially excluded groups including the long term unemployed and employs 25 people, was acknowledged for best practice in three categories recruitment and selection, learning, development and progression and environmental accessibility. The winners, which represent a large cross-section of business sectors, will attend a special gala evening in Dublin on February 15 where the two overall winners (one from the private and one from the non-private sector) and the six category winners will be announced. The awards will be televised on Thursday February 16 at 10.45pm on RTE One. The first of their kind in the world, they aim to diversify corporate Ireland by rewarding organisations that recognise the contribution that people with disabilities make to business, thereby encouraging other organisations to do the same. More than 100 organisations took part in the event this year. The awards process includes a four month in-depth assessment conducted by disability management consultants, Access Ability, and three days of judging by experts in the fields of business and corporate affairs, disability management, equality management and people with disabilities. Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform Frank Fahey says his Department is pleased to support the awards. "I wish to applaud all the organisations who entered and especially those whose commitment to best practice will result in them achieving an ability award. I would strongly encourage all other organisations to follow their lead and reap the benefits of achieving this award." Commenting on the announcement of this year's winners, Caroline Casey, founder of the O2 Ability Awards programme says diversity is being recognised as a key driver of success in many businesses across all industry sectors. "This is evident from the list of 50 winners. Looking at people's abilities rather than their disabilities has helped many organisations enjoy significant growth and profit."

Good and bad news for Galway's hospitals
BY MARY O'CONNOR One of Galway Regional Hospitals was rewarded while the other was penalised in a Department of Health initiative aimed at encouraging hospitals to be more efficient. Merlin Park was given an extra 867,490 in its 2006 budget allocation while UCHG will lose 366,692 from this year's financial allocation as part of the Government penalty and reward scheme. The system, called "case-mix", was introduced in 1993 as a barometer to measure the performance of public hospitals against each other. A spokesperson for the Health Service Executive West said since the introduction of "case-mix" Galway Regional Hospitals has had a history of "good performance". " We are very pleased with the performance in Merlin Park Hospital for this year and while disappointed with UCHG performance, it was not unexpected in the context of the lead time for establishment of new services and budget allocation mechanisms. "We will be working hard to ensure that we have an overall positive outcome next year and recognise efforts of all staff involved in the process."