Griffith Book of Investigative Journalism

Griffith College Dublin
Faculty of Journalism and Media Communications
The Griffith Book of

Investigative Journalism
2010
r e s s
p
Written by students of the Journalism and Media

Communications Faculty, Griffith College Dublin
Edited by Barry Finnegan
2
© 2010 Griffith College Dublin and students of the

Journalism and Media Communications Faculty.
Published by
Griffith College Dublin,
South Circular Road,
Dublin 8,
Ireland
Tel: 01 4150400
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons

Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
Layout and design by Alan Gill

The Griffith Book of Investigative Journalism 2010 3
CONT ENTS
T HE MONEY SECT ION

Cutbacks, Bailouts, & Tax Rises Page
Mental Health of the Nation 6

For those who step forward in search of mental health services, there
is very little out there. Sophie Kelly investigates.
Back to the Old Education System 14

Cutbacks to classroom Special Needs Assistants wreaking havoc in our
schools. Grace Fox investigates.
Ending Homelessness 18
Stephen Duffy goes undercover begging on the streets for a day and
investigates the rhetoric around the government’s radical plan to end
long term homelessness by the end of the year.
National Learning Network sees Recession-linked

Rise in Youth Mental Illness 23
Cutbacks in funding for mental health services are leaving young peo-
ple vulnerable says NLN source. James Ward investigates.
Dolphin House Contemplates Uncertain Future 28

A year ago Dolphin House in Dublin’s south inner city hit all the head-
lines when criminals placed a hoax bomb at a residents’ meeting. Now
its future is still uncertain as plans for its redevelopment have stalled.
John Dorney investigates.
State Services Could Cost 21% Extra 32

Decision by the European Court of Justice means Ireland will be forced
to charge VAT on state services such as waste collection, car parks and
sports facilities. John O’Donnell investigates.
Anglo Closure Costs Exaggerated By Government 38

Analysis of the latest financial results undermines Government claims
of ¤70 billion wind-down costs. Joseph Morgan investigates.
4 T he Griffith Book of Investigative Journalism 2010
T HE REGULAT ION SECT ION

Prostitution, Drugs & Charities Page
Modern Irish Prostitution 44

Why are our country’s legislators allowing a boom in online prostitu-
tion services? Katie Archer investigates how the oldest profession is
adapting to thoroughly modern telecommunications tools.
Headshop Reality, Media Reality 49

We hear about it every day, it’s in every paper we open, every radio
station we tune into. There’s no escaping, the never ending presence
of head shops. Darren Cleary investigates by surveying 100 third level
college students.
Head Shops: Are We Using Our Heads? 54

Suzanne Fitzpatrick talks to the medicinal and organic chemistry
Course Director at Trinity College Dublin and investigates difficulties
the government will find in attempting to ban specific ‘legal highs’.
Government Fails To Regulate Fake ‘Charity’

Clothes Collectors 59
The scam of door-to-door clothes collection is costing genuine charities
¤1.2m a year. Sarah Canning investigates where our good will is going
and how we are so easily lead.
Pandemic In A Time Of Crisis 62

Allegations are growing that undue influence on the World Health
Organisation to hastily declare the H1N1 global pandemic came from
pharmaceutical corporations for profit-motivated reasons. Lidia
Okorokova investigates.
RSA Launches Driver Fatigue Awareness Campaign 69

Government failure to regulate industry leaves public at serious risk
from fatigued taxi drivers. Laura Delaney investigates.
Contents 5
T HE INFRAST RUCTURE SECT ION

Incineration, Planning & Transport Page
Student Travel Discount? Not 72

Uniquely in Europe, Irish second and third level students need to buy a
card to prove that they are students in order to get discounts on public
transport. Gina Karoline Dalen investigates.
Home Sweet Dam 76

Mark O’Flynn investigates the November 2009 Cork city floods and
finds the ESB, Cork City Council and property developers partly to
blame.
Dioxin Levels Set To Rise 82

When incinerators were being constructed all over Europe, Ireland re-
mained critical. Now that their construction has ceased in the USA and
slowed in Europe, a waste combustion plant is being built on Dublin‘s
Poolbeg peninsula. Jennifer Kober investigates.
The investigative journalism in this book carried out by students of Griffith

College’s Faculty of Journalism and Media Communications was submitted in
April and May 2010 as part of their course assignment work.
Mental Health of the Nation
For those who step forward in search of mental
health services, there is very little out there.
Sophie Kelly investigates.
M
ental health is something that we all have to deal with regard-
less of who we are, where we come from or how much money
we have in the bank. For us to be able to function, maintain
relationships and contribute to society, our mental health must be intact.
However, at some point in our lives we all experience, or know someone
experiencing, mental health difficulties. The stigma which has surround-
ed mental health for too long now stops so many of us from seeking help.
For those of us who do step forward in search of help we may find there
is very little of it out there.
In January 2006, the Government accepted recommendations con-
tained in an independent report entitled ‘Vision for Change’ (VFC) as
the basis for a future mental health policy. Four years have passed since
then and very little, if anything has been achieved.
Ireland’s suicide rate has continually grown over the last thirty years.
In the early eighties, figures never went over the 300 mark but the nine-
ties and noughties saw record highs of over 500 and the numbers have
never fallen back down below 400. With such high stats, you would
think that the Government of a democratic republic would be pumping
millions into the mental health care system resulting in better hospital
conditions for both inpatients and outpatients, slashing waiting lists and
boosting the amount of services available up and down the country. In-
stead, this year they have allocated a measly 5.4% of the overall health
budget to the mental health sector. The HSE Service Plan 2010 states
that the spend for the Irish health service has been cut by €668 million
to €14.070 billion. By EU standards, Ireland should be spending at least
Mental Health of the Nation, Kelly 7
12% on it, not 5.4%. Suicide prevention campaigner and Fine Gael TD,
Dan Neville, has criticised the spending cuts. He said, “we spend ten
times more money on road safety measures than on suicide prevention
despite the fact that more people kill themselves than die on the roads”.
However the Minister for Equality, Disability and Mental Health,
John Moloney, maintains that the VFC is his main priority. Speaking
at the official opening of the Centre for Living in Blackrock in Janu-
ary of this year, Mr.
Moloney said, “the
event is a reflection of
the great changes that They found patients were
are taking place in living in “appalling conditions
the delivery of mental
… toilets with no privacy, paint
health services. The
perception of an insti- peeling, mould in showers,
tutional style mental broken furniture, ill-fitting
health service, stand-
doors, cramped dormitories, a
ing in isolation and
closed from the rest smell of urine, poor ventilation
of the community is and a bare drab environment
thankfully a thing of
were clearly evident”
the past as we move
the delivery of services
from a predominantly
hospital-based to a community based service.” But just a month later,
conditions in treatment facilities around the country were been deemed
“inhumane” by health inspectors acting on behalf of the Mental Health
Commission, the State’s mental health watchdog.
They found patients were living in “appalling conditions” and that
it was “difficult to convey the extent of the dilapidation. … Long cor-
ridors in poor conditions, toilets with no privacy, paint peeling, mould
in showers, broken furniture, ill-fitting doors, cramped dormitories, a
smell of urine, poor ventilation and a bare drab environment were clearly
evident.” When contacted, the HSE said they were unable to comment
on the report published by the Mental Health Commission for the time
being.
There are more than 60 psychiatric hospitals or in-patient facilities
in the state which accommodate about 2,700 people with mental health
problems. Of this, about 15 facilities are old psychiatric institutions
from the Victorian era which health authorities have been planning to
close for the past twenty years. The Commission has been calling for the
closure of these facilities for some time and have welcomed plans an-
nounced by Minister Moloney to invest €43 million to help modernise
the sector.
This money had been raised from the sale of lands from psychiatric
hospitals in recent years. But many campaigners seem sceptical as to
whether this plan will come in to effect. One woman I spoke to whose
son is being treated for depression said she found it hard to believe:
“Considering similar plans have been made to shut these institutions
down by two previous ministers responsible for mental health, I am very
cautious in welcoming Minister Moloney’s proposals”.
The Irish Government are also failing the children of the state who
are living with mental health difficulties. In late 2009, more than thirty
organisations united to form what is known as the Children’s Mental
Health Coalition and are urgently calling on the Government to reform
the mental health care system for children and young people under the
age of eighteen. The Coalition believe that the problem is that children
have the right to enjoy positive mental health but that it is not fully
respected in Ireland. Children and their parents are forced to endure
exceptionally long waiting lists, lack of services regionally and a lack of
early intervention which may prevent issues from worsening.
Minister Moloney has acknowledged that for young people, mental
health is a great concern. “Youth is a very vulnerable time and it is a time
when 75% of mental illness emerges. The Mental Health Commission
has recently issued an addendum to the Code of Practice relating to the

admission of children under the Mental Health Act 2001 which seeks
to ensure that by 1st December 2011, no child under 18 years will be
admitted to an adult psychiatric unit.”
However, in the meantime in-patient capacity is just thirty beds for
children and adolescents: ten in Galway, 12 in Dublin and eight beds in
Cork. Figures for the year 2008 show nearly 250 children were treated
in adult inpatient facilities because there were no children or adolescent
places available. Two twenty bed-units are under construction at Bess-
boro, Cork and Merlin Park, Galway with completion expected this year
but considering the economic climate and drastic budget cutbacks its
unclear if there will be funding to staff and cater for these beds.
A trend has developed that in times of recession, suicide rates have
tended to rise. Those who have lost their jobs in the last two years are at
a greater risk of self harming or dying by suicide. Experts say the risks
for those who are the least educated are even greater and so it is vital
for governments to protect those who are vulnerable by providing safety
nets and support programmes to help people cope with redundancy and
how to get back to work.
The NGO programme, CALL, is a listening and information service
for people in County Wexford who need to talk through their problems
or find information on services that may help. The service is available
seven nights per week from 7pm - 10.30pm. It was set up after a number
of family suicides took place took place in Co. Wexford.
In one case it has been alleged a family member tried to get in touch
with social workers from the HSE but because it was a weekend, could
not get in touch with anyone to talk to. Marie-Louise Byrne, spokes-
person from CALL says offering emotional suvpport and information/
literature on mental health and related matters to people is the key to
preventing statistics from rising further.
“We receive calls from so many different people from different back-
grounds.
Some issues are more serious than others but everyone who has made
the call are suffering from some sort of stress or. Our trained volunteers
are there to offer a listening ear and refer those in need to services in
their area who can help,” she says.
Marie-Louise admits funding is a constant worry: “Every year when
the Budget comes around, we wait with baited breath. It can be taken
away or slashed. The funding we do get goes a long way but without the
support and generosity of the volunteers who give up their evenings to
take calls, this service would not exist.”
From my research, I have seen many organisations are very much
ready and willing to help reform the mental health care system. And
certainly much has been done to try and improve the quality of life for
those who are going through the system. But in a time where fear and
uncertainty is prevalent in our everyday lives because of the country’s fi-
nancial situation, the government must stop and ask themselves how can
they help those who are being left behind?Gael TD, Dan Neville, has
criticised the spending cuts. He said, “we spend ten times more money
on road safety measures than on suicide prevention despite the fact that
more people kill themselves than die on the roads”.
However the Minister for Equality, Disability and Mental Health,
John Moloney, maintains that the VFC is his main priority. Speaking
at the official opening of the Centre for Living in Blackrock in Janu-
ary of this year, Mr. Moloney said, “the event is a reflection of the great
changes that are taking place in the delivery of mental health services.
The perception of an institutional style mental health service, standing in
isolation and closed from the rest of the community is thankfully a thing
of the past as we move the delivery of services from a predominantly
hospital-based to a community based service.” But just a month later,
conditions in treatment facilities around the country were been deemed
“inhumane” by health inspectors acting on behalf of the Mental Health
Commission, the State’s mental health watchdog.
They found patients were living in “appalling conditions” and that
it was “difficult to convey the extent of the dilapidation. … Long cor-

ridors in poor conditions, toilets with no privacy, paint peeling, mould
in showers, broken furniture, ill-fitting doors, cramped dormitories, a
smell of urine, poor ventilation and a bare drab environment were clearly
evident.” When contacted, the HSE said they were unable to comment
on the report published by the Mental Health Commission for the time
being.
There are more than 60 psychiatric hospitals or in-patient facili-
ties in the state which accommodate about 2,700 people with mental
health problems. Of
this, about 15 facili-
ties are old psychiat-
The funding we do get goes a ric institutions from
long way, but without the the Victorian era
which health authori-
support and generosity of the
ties have been plan-
volunteers who give up their ning to close for the
evenings to take calls, this past twenty years. The
Commission has been
service would not exist.
calling for the closure
of these facilities for
some time and have
welcomed plans announced by Minister Moloney to invest €43 million
to help modernise the sector.
This money had been raised from the sale of lands from psychiatric
hospitals in recent years. But many campaigners seem sceptical as to
whether this plan will come in to effect. One woman I spoke to whose
son is being treated for depression said she found it hard to believe:
“Considering similar plans have been made to shut these institutions
down by two previous ministers responsible for mental health, I am very
cautious in welcoming Minister Moloney’s proposals”.
The Irish Government are also failing the children of the state who
are living with mental health difficulties. In late 2009, more than thirty
organisations united to form what is known as the Children’s Mental
Health Coalition and are urgently calling on the Government to reform
the mental health care system for children and young people under the
age of eighteen. The Coalition believe that the problem is that children
have the right to enjoy positive mental health but that it is not fully
respected in Ireland. Children and their parents are forced to endure
exceptionally long waiting lists, lack of services regionally and a lack of
early intervention which may prevent issues from worsening.
Minister Moloney has acknowledged that for young people, mental
health is a great concern. “Youth is a very vulnerable time and it is a time
when 75% of mental illness emerges. The Mental Health Commission
has recently issued an addendum to the Code of Practice relating to the
admission of children under the Mental Health Act 2001 which seeks
to ensure that by 1st December 2011, no child under 18 years will be
admitted to an adult psychiatric unit.”
However, in the meantime in-patient capacity is just thirty beds for
children and adolescents: ten in Galway, 12 in Dublin and eight beds in
Cork. Figures for the year 2008 show nearly 250 children were treated
in adult inpatient facilities because there were no children or adolescent
places available. Two twenty bed-units are under construction at Bess-
boro, Cork and Merlin Park, Galway with completion expected this year
but considering the economic climate and drastic budget cutbacks its
unclear if there will be funding to staff and cater for these beds.
A trend has developed that in times of recession, suicide rates have
tended to rise. Those who have lost their jobs in the last two years are at
a greater risk of self harming or dying by suicide. Experts say the risks
for those who are the least educated are even greater and so it is vital
for governments to protect those who are vulnerable by providing safety
nets and support programmes to help people cope with redundancy and
how to get back to work.
The NGO programme, CALL, is a listening and information service
for people in County Wexford who need to talk through their problems
or find information on services that may help. The service is available
seven nights per week from 7pm - 10.30pm. It was set up after a number
of family suicides took place took place in Co. Wexford.
In one case it has been alleged a family member tried to get in touch
with social workers from the HSE but because it was a weekend, could
not get in touch with anyone to talk to. Marie-Louise Byrne, spokes-
person from CALL says offering emotional support and information/
literature on mental health and related matters to people is the key to
preventing statistics from rising further.
“We receive calls from so many different people from different back-
grounds.
Some issues are more serious than others but everyone who has made
the call are suffering from some sort of stress or anxiety. Our trained
volunteers are there to offer a listening ear and refer those in need to
services in their area who can help,” she says.
Marie-Louise admits funding is a constant worry: “Every year when
the Budget comes around, we wait with baited breath. It can be taken
away or slashed. The funding we do get goes a long way but without the
support and generosity of the volunteers who give up their evenings to
take calls, this service would not exist.”
From my research, I have seen many organisations are very much
ready and willing to help reform the mental health care system. And
certainly much has been done to try and improve the quality of life for
those who are going through the system. But in a time where fear and
uncertainty is prevalent in our everyday lives because of the country’s
financial situation, the government must stop and ask themselves how
can they help those who are being left behind?
Back To The Old Education
System
Cutbacks to classroom Special Needs Assistants
wreaking havoc in our schools. Grace Fox
investigates.
S
pecial Needs Assistants (SNAs) give assistance to thousands
of pupils with physical, emotional and other difficulties such as
hearing or sight impairment, attention deficit disorder or autism.
SNAs have had their hours cut drastically. This is causing severe change
and disruption to special needs children, the teachers and other pupils
in the classroom.
Our education system has taken a huge hit in the latest budget and
the effects are being felt already. It seems that those being affected the
most are the vulnerable, and Special Needs Assistant (SNA) Lynn Jen-
nings* agrees.
“The government is making their main cutbacks on the education
and the healthcare system; neither children nor the sick can defend
themselves,” says Jennings.
Lynn has had her hours cut by a third and has been told that they will
be halved again by the end of the school year.
Currently Lynn works with a special needs child who has serious
learning and behavioural difficulties.
“I have to learn to cut back on spending, I have three children of my
own and it’s not easy but we’ll manage, it’s the child [with special needs
which she assists] that I am most concerned about and what these cuts
are going to do to her future,” says Jennings.
“My absence in the classroom is causing harsh consequences on the
child and the teacher. The teacher is being forced to isolate the child
Back To T he Old Education System, Fox 15
from the class due to her behaviour and this is resulting in a reversal in
the distance the child has come in the last two years with me.”
“It is not the child’s fault or the teacher’s; she has no choice, she has
to take the needs of the other 28 pupils into account.”
Lynn feels that the cutbacks in special needs assistants should have
been a last resort for the government and that other cuts should have
been made instead.
“It is impossible
for the teachers to
keep up to speed with
the curriculum and SNA’s give assistance to thou-
the hormones of their sands of pupils with physical,
class students without
emotional and other difficulties
the support and assis-
tance of an SNA,” says such as hearing or sight impair-
Jennings. ment, attention deficit disorder
The director of
or autism.
Special Needs Educa-
tion at the Portobello
Institute says that,
“the role of an SNA is
paramount to ensuring teachers get the right support when providing
differentiated learning in an inclusive classroom”.
The reductions and cutbacks in SNA’s is going to put the Irish educa-
tion system back five steps to the time when special needs students were
lost in the system.
Lynn Jennings has been told by the Department that they would like
her special needs child to be self sufficient and independent of her SNA
within the next two years.
“If they enforce that I will be surprised if the child sits her Junior
Certificate. Many of these children don’t have the support behind them
at home and they are going to be lost in mainstream education on their
own. My child has come such a long way and it will kill me to see her
progress go backwards, ” Jennings admits.
Philip Mullen, the IMPACT trade union official who deals with SNA
staff said that once the decision was made in 1993 to mainstream special
needs students, a system of SNA’s was introduced. Children have been
able to reach their ed-
ucation potential and
have been encouraged
It is inevitable that the ones to do so. Now we run
the risk of taking this
who will be affected most by away from them and
these cuts are the special needs putting the special
children themselves needs students to the
back of the classroom
again.
Lynn recalls the
poor treatment of
special needs children when she was a child: “I used to sit beside a child
in school who had very poor hygiene and no way of learning, I met that
girl recently at a bus shelter, begging. We cannot allow these children to
get lost in the system anymore.”
The official duties of the SNA, as laid out by the Department of
Education, include preparing and tidying the classroom, assisting the
child in typing and writing, assisting the child at break times, assisting
the teacher and engaging with the parents of the child.
However SNA Lynn Jennings says that these duties are often abused
and exploited by school principals.
Lynn recalls several occasions in her first year of assisting where her
skills and presence in the school were taken advantage of, to the detri-
ment of her special needs child.
“I was asked to clean the staff room, wash towels and prepare art
displays for parents. On one occasion she [the principal] told my teacher
Back To T he Old Education System, Fox 17
to give me a bucket and brush when I got in and to go clean the toilets,”
Jennings recalled.
The department of education estimate savings of up to €7m. with
these cutbacks so how can the government afford not to make them?
Lynn suggests bringing in a system of ‘teacher assistants’ instead of the
special needs assistants: “If we got teachers assistants for our junior and
senior infants, it would eliminate the need for special needs assistants as
the teacher’s assistant would be able to help manage the entire classroom
and they would be able to see things that the teacher may not.”
“It would save the government on assigning one SNA per special
needs pupil as they would contribute with the entire classroom and also
it would allow the special needs child to feel less isolated from the class.”
It is inevitable that the ones who will be affected most by these cuts
are the special needs children themselves. The Assistants will manage to
keep going, the other pupils will cope and the teachers will adapt as they
always have in the past. But the special needs children will not and this
is unacceptable.
* To protect anonymity the names of the SNAs have been changed.

Ending Homelessness
Stephen Duffy goes undercover begging on the
streets for a day and investigates the rhetoric
around the government’s radical plan to end long
term homelessness by the end of the year.
T
o experience what is an every day reality for an estimated 2,500
homeless people in Ireland, I spent a day living on the streets. The
potential for that number of people on the streets to rise is very
real, a recent EU survey found that more than a quarter of Irish house-
holds said there is a “high to moderate risk” of them falling behind on
their mortgage within the next 12 months.
So, at 5am on a cold March morning I put on my best ‘tatty’ clothes,
got my sleeping bag, cardboard sign and the essential styrofoam cup and
pitched up on West Mooreland St. in Dublin’s city centre outside an
AIB branch and beside the €185 a-night Westin Hotel.
I slotted in fast and quickly came to terms with my new situation. It’s
amazing what you can accept as reality the closer you come towards it. It
almost felt normal. Then the debilitating hopelessness set in, specifically
that of not having a penny. Normally I’m privileged enough to not think
twice about buying a coffee and as morning wore on I noticed more
people on the move with their cup in hand, but I had no choice but to
look on and salivate.
Documents published by the Homeless Agency are central to the
drive to stop homelessness in the capital and country wide. The first ‘A
Key to the Door’ an action plan for 2007 to 2010, then the ‘Pathway to
Home’ in 2009 targeting the acquisition of homes. These fall under the
national strategy, A Way Home, which titles itself as a “way to tackle
homelessness in Ireland 2008-2013”. Anyone casually interested in these
Ending Homelessness, Duffy 19
plans can soon get bogged down in the minefield presented by the sheer
amount of plans and strategies.
I put the suggestion to Lisa Kelleher of the Homeless Agency that
the target to end homelessness by the end of the year was “too ambi-
tious”. Her response was contradictory, “to be clear the target is not to
eliminate homelessness, as this would not be possible, specifically our
vision is by 2010, long-term homelessness and the need for people to
sleep rough, will be eliminated in Dublin”.
Despite all the plans, strategies and funds, homelessness is growing.
Counting the exact figure is strewn with problems, but the last major
survey conducted, counted 2,500 adults homeless in Ireland, which rep-
resented a 4% increase on the previous survey of 2005. Last year it was
revealed by Dublin City Council management that 300 extra adults had
registered as homeless in a three month period between March and July.
Under the ‘Pathway to Home’ plan, one of the first shelters set for
closure is Cedar House, by Eden Quay in Dublin’s centre. It is a shelter
run by The Salvation
Army which provides
emergency shelter,
methadone mainte-
One of the first shelters set for
nance and counsel-
ling. The closure was closure (due to government
due to happen at the cutbacks) provides emergency
end of April, however
shelter, methadone mainte-
after public demon-
strations, a motion nance and counselling
was called by People
Before Profit Coun-
cillor, Bríd Smith and
Independent, Christy Burke, to stop the closure until adequate replace-
ment services are in place. The motion was passed by Dublin City Coun-
cil, but Cedar House is still earmarked to close by September with no
word on a replacement as of yet.

When questioned, Christy Burke said he would “raise the roof ” if
the closure went ahead without replacement services ready. He said, “I
remember the words at the meeting, they said ‘there is no way Cedar
House will close down without an alternative in place’ and I’ll remind
them of that come September”.
The Minister responsible for housing, Michael Finneran, responded
saying that even if the motion hadn’t been passed by Dublin City Coun-
cil, Cedar House would “absolutely not” have closed down. Finneran
went on to say “the local authorities and the Homeless Agency are re-
sponsible for formulating and implementing the reconfiguration of
homeless services in Dublin”, and that “they have indicated that Cedar
House will not be closed before September and then subject to the pro-
viso about alternative accommodation”.
Councillor Burke, who has held a consistent agenda on homelessness
over the last 20 years, explained that as it’s an executive function the City
Council, Manager John Tierney would be “scared witless” to be seen to
go against a Ministerial order. That implies that should the Minister
request such property to close, then it more than likely would, in accord-
ance with the governmental target to end homelessness via the proposed
redistribution routes.
Homeless Agency communications officer, Lisa Kelleher, echoed
Minister Finneran’s words on replacement services, “it is extremely im-
portant to state that no service will be decommissioned unless there is an
alternative in place”, she said.
Councillor Burke speculated that the reason for the quick closure of
Cedar House was due to local businesses opposing an emergency shel-
ter beside them. He said “they congregate (the persons that use Cedar
House) but they harm nobody, it’s the nature of living with a lifestyle of
addiction”, although he was also keen to point out that he had no proof
that local businesses had a factor in its closing but a “strong inkling”.
Last year the Homeless Agency succeeded in acquiring 700 tenancies
Ending Homelessness, Duffy 21
from a targeted 1000. In 2010 the target is to provide 1200 long term
houses to homeless people. The Department of Environment has said it
is working closely with the Homeless Agency to acquire homes and units
in the private market that are vacant. The prime initiative in this drive
to house the homeless
is the Social Hous-
ing Leasing Scheme.
Through the Ap- “The day I spent a day living
proved Housing Bod-
ies the Government
on the street wasn’t nice. One
will lease affordable thing I felt for certain is that
houses to the most no one of sound body and mind
needy at reduced rates.
There is how-
would wilfully choose to live like
ever somewhat of a that. In 14 hours begging from
discrepancy in the 6am I made ¤67.”
amount of houses
stated to be available
and the number of
people in need of housing. Minister Finneran when questioned said that
“accommodation will be sourced from the significant stock of unsold
units” which, when you consider that there is already tens of thousands
of people on housing waiting lists, seems somewhat of a moot point.
Over two clinics in the week of April 5th to the 11th Councillor
Burke spoke to 22 people who are on the waiting list, who according to
him “won’t have a house for another 4 or 5 years”, furthermore he went
on to divulge that all Councillors have been instructed to allow more
long term homeless people into available units.
Does the system then create a scenario were a single mother who has
been on the housing list for a number of years, could be over-looked by a
homeless person? Burke agrees and states that “if we’re not careful we’ll
end up with people jumping from the housing to the homeless list and
the creation of resentment”.

Overall, Burke is supportive of the seemingly altruistic goal of ending
homelessness but he feels there should be a ‘phasing’ out of emergency
shelters instead of a sudden closure and believes that there will “always
be a need for emergency services”.
When I spoke to Minister Finneran over the phone he reiterated
that there will be replacement services in place, but all utterances on the
matter have been vague. If there are to be “200 temporary places” avail-
able, as Mr. Finneran has said, then one would think that action taken
to get these places would have to be very soon if they are to be ready by
the end of 2010.
The day I spent a day living on the street wasn’t nice. One thing I felt
for certain following it is that no one of sound body and mind would
wilfully choose to live like that. In 14 hours begging from 6am I made
€67, which was donated to the Simon community.
For every couple of coins and good will thrown my way there was a
look or remark that made me feel like the proverbial dirt on the accusers
shoes. The lack of the common exchange of ‘morning’ not being recip-
rocated, alienated me towards feeling like I was half a person that day. I
got talking to ‘Anthony’ from Derry who has been homeless in Dublin
for around two years, I asked him how he felt when someone pretended
not to hear him “you just get used to it, to be honest I don’t even notice
it anymore,” was his response.
The back-up alternative beds are at the core of the Pathway to Home
plan and that is the area least transparent at the minute. At a practical
level, emergency beds or lack thereof, could literally be the difference be-
tween life and death to members of society that are vulnerable to losing
their homes. I believe that the Homeless Agency and Government in
general have been brave with this initiative and have genuine intentions
to end homelessness. Time will tell and our streets will tell if it’s been
successful.
National Learning Network
Sees Recession-linked Rise In
Youth Mental Illness
Cutbacks in funding for mental health services are

leaving young people vulnerable says NLN source.
James Ward investigates.
T
he average age of those accessing the National Learning Net-
work’s (NLN) mental health rehabilitation courses has dropped
significantly during the past two years. Over 80% of patients
coming to the NLN through the HSE’s psychiatric services are now
under the age of 30.
According to a source at NLN, with whom I spoke under condi-
tions of anonymity, in the past those accessing their services were mainly
middle-aged people with long-term mental illnesses. Now increasing
numbers of young people are presenting with disorders ranging from
depression to schizophrenia.
“More young people are coming through the system now compared
with just a few years ago; the recession is a factor in many educated and
skilled people in their teens, twenties and thirties developing mental
illness,” the source told me.
“Young people are vulnerable due to failures in service provision
throughout the mental health system,” the source said. The source con-
firmed that HSE funding for the NLN’s rehabilitation courses has been
cut by 8% per client.
The NLN, a non-governmental organization, is an internationally
recognised leader in the provision of high quality accredited training
and specialised support to approximately 5,000 people annually “who
are distant from the labour market”, provides psychiatric rehabilitation

courses funded by the HSE and vocational courses funded by FÁS. The
source indicated that the NLN’s courses compensate for the lack of psy-
chiatric rehabilitation within the HSE itself.
The source stressed that the HSE’s mental health services are suffer-
ing across the board: “They can’t afford enough beds, nurses or psychia-
trists; if you develop mental health difficulties in Ireland today and need
care, you’re in trouble,” the source said.
The source stated that places on the rehabilitation programs at NLN
centres around the country are accessed by “very lucky people”. On a
course with for example 12 places, “there are on-average 40 to 50 people
just hoping for a place”. When patients are released from the psychiatric
units in hospitals, they spend eight hours each day, Monday to Friday at
local health centres.
According to the source, patients attend local health centres just to
stay in the system: “They sit around, with nothing to do; no activities,
no rehabilitation; they are dreary places to be”. Recent cut-backs have
ended the limited activities such centres once provided.
Some patients attend local health centres for over a decade. The
source told me: “When patients go without rehabilitation they deterio-
rate, become institutionalised, and can’t feel the benefits of our courses;
they no loner have the ability to change”.
A two year NLN rehabilitation course might lead to progression
onto a vocational programme for reintegration to the workplace. How-
ever, the source indicated that due to a lack of vocational places, many
are simply sent home without any further support.
Initial access to psychiatric care is difficult due to bed shortages in
regional hospitals with psychiatric health facilities. The source spoke of
one regional psychiatric unit, with 20 male and female beds, including
long-stay patients. The source indicated that as few as 12 beds are avail-
able there at any time for emergency cases.
This stretched psychiatric unit has a catchment area covering six rural
National Learning Network Sees Recession-linked Rise ..., Ward 25
counties. The source believes that planned closures of regional psychiat-

ric care facilities, such as St. Loman’s psychiatric hospital in Mullingar,
will further damage this inadequate service.
Due to bed shortages patients are kept for
a maximum of one week. The source added:
“Some will be discharged for weekends and
“If you develop
brought back in on Mondays; most will be put
on medication, and sent home having been told mental health
that their fine”. difficulties in
Patients can then attend local health cen-
Ireland today
tres during working hours; however there is no
support services out-of -hours or at weekends. and need care,
Grow and Aware are two non-governmental you’re in
agencies operating in the community that go
trouble”
some way to filling this growing void by pro-
viding weekly support groups.
Due to the lack of a twenty-four hour ser-
vice, NLN staff finds themselves having to
provide out-of-hours support. “Most of our clients don’t have allocated
social workers; the system is very underdeveloped,” the source said.
The source recalled one out-of-hours incident involving an NLN
client called ‘Martin’ (not his real name). She received a call from the
Gárdai one evening telling her that Martin had attempting suicide at a
local waterway.
Martin asked the Gárdai to contact the source. “As the Gárdai hadn’t
a car available, I took Martin to the nearest [hospital with a] psychiatric
unit for assessment. He waited over two hours to be seen by a psychia-
trist, who deemed him to be of no danger to himself,” the source said.
There wasn’t a bed available to keep Martin for supervision. He was
told to contact a nurse at the local health centre in the morning; “That’s
providing he survived the night; it’s a very loose arrangement,” the source
added.
The source believes that the HSE’s mental health service just doesn’t
offer people time; this is something the NLN tries to do: “Although we
are not psychiatrists or councillors, it’s a role we have to fill, without
HSE training”.
The source feels
that the government’s
2006 mental health
policy document, A
Vision for Change, ‘Martin’ had attempting suicide
is little more than a at a local waterway … There
“glossy booklet”. The wasn’t a bed available … He
source said that there
is little confidence was told to contact a nurse at
among NLN staff of the local health centre in the
services improving in morning; “That’s providing he
the current economic
environment. survived the night”
An opposition
party County Coun-
cillor I spoke to
agrees: “Apart from the sale of HSE property, little has progressed with
‘A Vision for Change’ since 2006,” the councillor told me.
The councillor believes that a current three year plan to close St. Lo-
man’s hospital in Mullingar will have devastating consequences: “The
plan will leave 120 residents homeless, and not a sod has been turned
to provide the modern accommodation promised,” the councillor said,
adding that of the €36m made from the sale of lands at St. Loman’s, four
year ago, not a Euro has been reinvested in the hospital.
“I think there is still a need for hospitals like St. Loman’s; the institu-
tion offers security to those in need, that is hard to replicate out in the
community,” the Councillor added.
“The modern community-care model calls for large investments in
National Learning Network Sees Recession-linked Rise ..., Ward 27
terms of services and training; the resources just aren’t there anymore.
The government needs to invest in the existing infrastructure and serv-
ices; providing beds and staff. The needs of vulnerable people must come
first” the County Councillor added.
The NLN source believes that the rights of psychiatric patients are
being ignored: “If you have private health insurance there’s a chance of
a bed in St. Patrick’s or St John of God’s. Otherwise, you’re at the mercy
of the public system.”
“Mental health patients are treated like scum in the public system,”
said the NLN source. “In my experience, animals would be treated better
than patients in some of the public psychiatric units, ” the source told me.
The source concluded by saying: “In the mental-health-service we
have today there’s no care; no one understands the meaning of compas-
sion. I’m afraid we have a long way to go”.
Dolphin House Contemplates
Uncertain Future
A year ago Dolphin House in Dublin’s south inner

city hit all the headlines when criminals placed a
hoax bomb at a residents’ meeting. Now its future
is still uncertain as plans for its redevelopment
have stalled. John Dorney investigates.
O
n April 28, 2009, residents of Dolphin House, sick of drug-
dealing and crime in their estate, called a meeting to demand a
permanent Garda presence in the area at night-time. Before the
meeting was over, hundreds of cars in the estate had been vandalised and
someone placed what appeared to be a bomb with a fuse at the commu-
nity centre where the meeting was taking place.
The “bomb” turned out to be a Pringles crisp box with wire a attached,
but the message it gave was clear enough: the criminals were giving a
warning to the community.
Since then, according to local councillor, Críona Ní Dhalaigh (Sinn
Féin), the situation at Dolphin House has “greatly improved”. The
Gardaí now have a permanent and visible presence in the area and walls
have been built where the flat complex borders the canal.
“Before”, explains Ní Dhalaigh, “there were loads of ways in and out,
now there is only one”. Previously people selling drugs could escape to
the path along the canal whenever the Garda entered the estate.
“Fear is slowly breaking down”, she says, “even if the problem has just
been moved down the street”.
Many of the dealers have just moved across the canal into Crumlin,
which is under the jurisdiction of a different Garda station.
Dolphin House is a fortress-like social housing complex situated
Dolphin House Contemplates Uncertain Future, Dorney 29
beside the Grand Canal in Dolphin’s Barn. It is surrounded by high

grey walls on its street
side and 12 blocks of
red brick flats loom
Bad planning and the poor over the canal. The
quality of the housing at complex was built in
the 1950s, in the era
Dolphin House, along with when the corporation
poverty and neglect by the state desperately needed
is partially to blame for social to clear Dublin’s in-
ner city slums and re-
problems house their residents
in a hurry.
Its 436 flats are
home to over 900
people, the largest public housing project in the city and second only to
the now demolished flats in Ballymun.
The problems of crime, drug dealing and anti-social behaviour have
long dogged the estate. But Dolphin House also has a proud tradition
of community activism. Back in 1983, the “Dolphin House Community
Development Association”, led by a man named John ‘Whacker’ Hum-
phries, helped to start a popular campaign against heroin in Dublin.
In the 1990s, there was again a wave of activism against drug deal-
ing in the area. At that time, the practice of community activists was to
march on drug dealers’ houses and demand they leave the area.
But according to Críona Ní Dhalaigh, “Those days are gone. There
are some people from that generation that say we need an anti-drugs
movement again, but at the end of the day, it’s the Gardaí who are paid
to keep the law.”
Ní Dhalaigh argues that bad planning and the poor quality of the
housing at Dolphin House, along with poverty and neglect by the state
is partially to blame for social problems there. For 13 and 14 year olds in
the area, she says, the prospect of a criminal career has a certain allure:
“They see the pushers in fancy cars and with lots of money – the criminal
culture is glorified in some of these estates”.
Dublin City Council has long had plans to knock down and rebuild
Dolphin House but there has been friction between the Council and
local groups.
The Council’s preference was for a Public Private Partnership (PPP)
scheme, in which half
of the complex’s 400
units would be sold
for private “afford- “The market value is not high
able housing”. The
community, Críona
enough to justify the costs.
Ní Dhalaigh says, State funding will now be
were against this as it necessary and I can’t see it
would “dislocate the
community”.
[redevelopment] happening in
Instead, Rory the immediate future”
Hearne, the regenera-
tion officer for Dol-
phin House, initiated
a consultation between the local community and Sheridan architects,
who were brought in to design an alternative plan for the estate.
The consultation process took place over seven months, according
to Owen Kelleher, the Sheridan architect responsible for the project, in
which each flat block had its own meeting with the architects.
It turned out that what the residents wanted differed substantially
from the Council’s plans. Kelleher says the final design he proposed in-
cluded more social housing and fewer commercial units. The flat blocks
would now be sealed off to anyone except residents – in part to stop the
drugs trade – and play areas were over looked by balconies, “so people
could watch their kids at play”.
Dolphin House Contemplates Uncertain Future, Dorney 31
The problem is that, since the redevelopment was first mooted, the
Irish economy has been hit by a severe recession. According to Owen
Kelleher, the original PPP scheme is now unlikely to take place. “The
market value is not high enough to justify the costs. State funding will
now be necessary and I can’t see it [redevelopment] happening in the
immediate future,” he says.
The Dolphin’s Barn estate is, in any case, unfortunately behind nearby
St Theresa’s Garden’s in the Council’s timetable for redevelopment.
While Dolphin House may have to deal with formidable social prob-
lems and must now wait for its shiny new housing, the people there have
seen off worse in the past and bring at least their sense of togetherness
and community into the uncertain future.
State Services Could Cost
21% Extra
Decision by the European Court of Justice means
Ireland will be forced to charge VAT on state
services such as waste collection, car parks and
sports facilities. John O’Donnell investigates.
I
rish businesses and consumers could face an increase of 21% in
charges for state and semi-state services from the 1st of July. The
government must try tov decide how best to respond to the Euro-
pean Court of Justice ruling that Ireland has been in breach of EU law
by not charging value added tax on public services.
The result of this ruling is that Ireland must introduce legislation to
eliminate any unfair advantage government bodies can gain in any mar-
ket by not charging VAT.
The ruling could have implications for a wide range of economic ac-
tivities. Services run by local authorities, such as car parking and waste
management are most likely to face an increase in prices. Public ameni-
ties, such as sports facilities and libraries, as well as areas such as health
and education are also likely to be affected.
KPMG’s global head of indirect tax services, Niall Campbell, believes
different sectors will be affected in different ways by the introduction
of VAT on public bodies. “There are going to be winners and there are
going to be losers out of this, because I don’t think it’s uniform. You’ve
got a couple of sectors here; you’ve got sectors that have been essentially
competing with the state for the last number of years and have been at a
competitive disadvantage [because they had to charge VAT]. Those sec-
tors will welcome this decision because they’re now in a position where
State Services Could Cost 21% Extra, O’Donnell 33
they can compete more effectively. If you take for example, car parks,
that’s a classic example. Others in that boat include the property sector,
waste management sector, health, education, sports facilities, etc. There
are a number of those types of business who have been up against com-
petition of different types from state or state type entities and will now
be on a level playing field. They’ll welcome it,” said Campbell.
“There is of course on the other side of it, the businesses who are on
the receiving end of these charges from state or local authorities or state
entities. In particular, those entities that aren’t entitled to VAT recov-
ery. If you take for example, the banking sector, insurance sector, again
health, education; a lot of those sectors where they will be incurring
charges where heretofore they haven’t incurred VAT. Their VAT cost is
going to go up as a result of now being subject to VAT on these charges
in the same way that private individuals can’t recover VAT and charitable
organisations and other non-VAT recoverable organisations will now be
suffering essentially an additional cost on things like waste management,
parking, sports facilities and similar services so I think it’s probably not
a uniform answer. You’ve got to look at the profile of the particular busi-
ness or organisation and decide whether they fall into the winners or
losers box,” said the KPMG spokesperson.
Families are likely to fall into the losers box, with all of the nega-
tives of higher service charges but none of the benefits felt by businesses
competing with the state. Niall Campbell thinks that the outlook is not
a positive one for Irish families, and they will feel the pinch the most.
Campbell said, “It’s certainly going to be predominantly in the area
of things like waste management and car parking. There’s no positive
answer there, in the sense that it simply is the case that in those sectors
where there is private competition I think it will be clear that the state
or the local Council is going to have to levy VAT. The cost of providing
those services is going to go up.”
However, Niall Campbell went on to explain how the government
could assume the burden of VAT so that consumers don’t have to:
“There’s a political choice here. We have to remind ourselves just because

Irish law is changing, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the public has to
suffer. If Dublin City Council or any Council is required now to charge
VAT on their services, it’s a decision which is as much a financial, as well
as a political decision, as to how much of that do they actually pass onto
the consumer. It can’t
be assumed that 100%
of that is going to get Government must try to decide
passed onto the pub-
how best to respond to the
lic, there may be social
reasons or policy rea- European Court of Justice
sons why a particular ruling that Ireland has been in
Council may decide
breach of EU law by not
that they want to pre-
serve charges at the charging value added tax on
current rate. Given public services
the financial environ-
ment, that’s going to
be difficult for them but I think something that needs to be aired is
that there is a political decision and an economic decision to be made as
to whether this additional VAT liability is something which should be
borne by the state entities or should in fact be passed on to the tax pay-
ing public, and that’s not something that’s automatic.”
People Before Profit Councillor, Joan Collins, fears that the intro-
duction of VAT will put extra strain on households already suffering
from the economic downturn. “As far the People Before Profit Alliance
is concerned it’s going to have a huge impact on families because, what
you’re talking about is all public services, user type things like swimming
pools, car parks, waste charges, right across the board. It means nearly a
13.5% or a 21% increase on the cost of going to a swimming pool or on
waste charges. Waste charges have gone up 5% already in the estimates
for this year, and waivers have effectively been withdrawn. People have
to now pay for the pick up of the bin and that means another 13.5% or
21% on the pick up price of a bin, so it’s going to have a big impact on
old age pensioners as well in relation to their outgoings,” said Collins
Cllr Collins had a motion passed at the February meeting of Dublin
City Council in which she called for the Dublin City Manager to meet
with the Revenue Commission to negotiate the
level of impact that the introduction of VAT on
state activities was going to have on families.
Families are She hopes that meeting would see the gov-
likely to fall ernment incorporate VAT into existing prices.
into the losers “Definitely there are going to increases either
by 13.5% or 21%, and that should be subsumed
box, with all of into the costs that are there already. So for ex-
the negatives ample, a [bin] pick up is €6.40, if there’s 21%
of higher VAT then it should be around €4.80 and then
21% on top so that it doesn’t actually impact on
service people’s pockets. 21% is quite a lot of money.
charges Already with the waivers going, old age pen-
sioners face at least a €4 cut in their old age
pensions per week, and with this on top of that
again, it will definitely have an impact. Prices seem to be going up while
wages and social welfare are cut. It’s a nightmare for people,” said Cllr
Collins.
All EU member states signed up to a common VAT directive in 1977
which called for states to introduce legislation to prevent unfair market
advantage being gained by avoidance of VAT, but it was not properly
implemented by Ireland.
In 2006 an EU directive was introduced to try to bring new members
states into line with European VAT law. A complaint to the European
Commission by a multi-storey car park operating in Dublin, led to the
2009 European Court of Justice case of ‘the Commission of the Euro-
pean Communities versus Ireland’, in which it was decided that Ireland
should be forced to bring its VAT laws into line with the rest of the EU.
The European Commission claimed that the European Court of Jus-
tice should declare that by failing to transpose correctly into Irish legis-
lation the directive, and consequently by excluding from the scope of the
tax all economic activities in which the state, local authorities and other
bodies governed by public law engage, with certain limited exceptions,
Ireland had failed to comply with its obligations in the directive on the
common system of value added tax.
In Ireland, the state and local authorities are treated as taxable per-
sons only in so far as a specific order to that effect has been made by the
Minister for Finance. In the Commission’s view that situation is contra-
ry to the scheme laid down in the 1977 VAT directive in several respects.
First, no provision is
made for the taxa-
tion of public bodies
where they act other There is a political decision
than in their capacity and an economic decision to be
as public authorities.
made as to whether this
Secondly, no general
provision is made for additional VAT liability is some-
the taxation of pub- thing which should be borne
lic bodies where they
by the state entities charges
act in their capacity
as public authorities but none of the benefits felt by
but engage in an eco- businesses competing with the
nomic activity whose
state
non-taxation would
result in a significant
distortion of compe-
tition. The taxation of public bodies is wholly at the discretion of the
Minister for Finance, and no criteria for his decision are contained in
the relevant provisions.
The Department of Finance is currently compiling a directory of

services carried out by public bodies to assess which services could be
considered competitive businesses and would therefore be subject to
VAT under the ECJ’s ruling.
The Finance Bill, due out later this month, will just provide the pro-
vision for charging VAT on state services. The full impact of the ECJ’s
decision could take some time to be fully felt as Niall Campbell points
out: “This is a process which the Revenue are undertaking right now
themselves. I mean they’ve actually gone out to all state entities, and
what they’re doing right now is trying to compile almost like a telephone
book of all of the circumstances where state or state entities charge the
public, or charge businesses for services.
Campbell, the global head of indirect tax services at KPMG went on
to say: “It is important to note that it’s not a case that the state is going
to have to charge VAT on everything, it’s still the case that their only
required to charge VAT in circumstances where non-operation of VAT
would give rise to distortion of competition. There are still plenty of
examples of services where the state is the sole provider, or it is a func-
tion of state to deliver certain social services or public services or even
services to business, and in those circumstances where it’s not giving rise
to distortion of competition because there’s nobody of a private sector
nature in the market or being kept out of the market by lack of competi-
tion, then those services would continue to not be subject to VAT.
The cost of these new taxes will benefit some private companies,
while at the same time it’s likely this government will choose to lay many
of increased costs, at the doors of citizens.
Anglo Closure Costs
Exaggerated By Government
Analysis of the latest financial results undermines

Government claims of ¤70 billion wind-down
costs. Joseph Morgan investigates.
T
he Taoiseach, Brian Cowen, claimed on the evening RTÉ news
of 31st March 2010 that closing down the State-owned Anglo
Irish Bank could cost the taxpayer as much as €100 billion.
The previous day, in a speech outlining the scale of the banking crisis
in Ireland, Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan, claimed that it would
cost up to €70 billion to close Anglo without defaulting on any of its
debts.
The subsequent release of Anglo’s financial results for the 15 months
to the end of 2009 undermines both of those claims. The bank posted
a loss of €12.7 billion, the largest deficit in Irish corporate history, after
writing off €15.1 billion in bad loans.
According to an analysis of Anglo’s financial statement by Karl Whe-
lan, Professor for Economics at University College Dublin (UCD), the
Taoiseach’s assertion that it could cost up to €100 billion to close Anglo
down can immediately be dismissed as their total liabilities are currently
€81 billion. Even if the bank had no assets, €81 billion would be the
worst-case scenario in winding it down.
To date, the Government has recapitalised Anglo with €4 billion last
year and a further €8.3 billion within the past few days, to replenish its
capital after the latest losses wiped out its reserves. Current Department
of Finance predictions are that at least another €10 billion will be re-
quired by next year. The final figure could be higher still as future losses
have yet to be quantified.
Anglo Closure Costs Exaggerated by Government, Morgan
Brian Lenihan originally stated in January 2009 that the maximum

cost of Anglo’s recapitalisation would be €4 billion and that the State
would provide just €1.5 billion in the short term. It was also originally
estimated that Anglo would transfer €28 billion in toxic loans to the
National Asset Management Agency (Nama). This figure has now been
revised upwards to €35.6 billion. Its first tranche of Nama loans had a
book value of €10 billion but were discounted by 50 percent to €5 billion
due to the loss in value
of the property assets
underpinning those
If Anglo’s wind-down were loans.
phased over the next four years, The current pro-
jected recapitalisation
there is around ¤67 billion in is now over €22 billion
realisable assets to pay off and this could go even
liabilities of ¤81 billion higher, depending on
the level of discount
applied to future loans
being transferred to
Nama and any further deterioration in value of the non-Nama loan
book. There is little confidence among economists that this figure will
be accurate as Nama asset values have deteriorated with every major
government announcement.
The original Government argument for not shutting Anglo down
was based on the premise that it was of ‘systemic’ importance. It was
stated that closing it down would cause a collapse of the entire banking
industry in Ireland and a loss of faith by the international money mar-
kets. Brian Lenihan told the Dáil in January 2009 that, “As a country, we
cannot afford to have the message going out that we will let a bank fail.”
That position has come under severe criticism over the past year and
the Government now seems to have moved its argument to one where
the cost of closing Anglo down would be too prohibitive. In his latest
speech, Brian Lenihan said, “Finding a long-term solution for Anglo

Irish Bank is by far the biggest challenge in resolving the banking crisis.
The sheer size of the bank means there are no easy or low-cost options.
Winding up the bank is not and was never a viable option.”
“The starting point for any useful discussion about what to do with
Anglo has to be its balance sheet,” said UCD’s Karl Whelan.
An analysis of that balance sheet, as reported on page 38 of Anglo’s
latest financial results, shows that they have €81 billion in liabilities. The
€70 billion claim made by Brian Lenihan would therefore imply that the
bank has only €11 billion in assets.
However, after the Nama transfers, Anglo’s assets – excluding the
non-Nama loan book - are as shown in the table below.
Government-backed Nama bonds ¤17.8 billion
Government promissory notes ¤8.3 billion
Other Government bonds ¤6.2 billion
Other financial securities ¤1.7 billion
Loans to other banks ¤7.4 billion
Total ¤41.4 billion
According to Karl Whelan, these assets might sell at a discount if

they were sold off quickly but given their current value, they would not
fetch as little as €11 billion. “If the bank was wound down over four years
up to 2014 and the securities were sold gradually and loans allowed to
mature, it’s hard to see the bank recouping too much less than their par
value of €41.4 billion,” he said.
However, the non-Nama loan book looks more problematic. €35.6
billion in original value loans are currently held on the balance sheet at
€30.8 billion due to bad loss provisions. €9.5 billion of these loans are
impaired, and €4.7 billion are past due. Whelan makes a soft estimate
that this loan book may only be worth as little as €20 billion by the time
all loans have been repaid but that the majority of whatever is going
to come in from these loans is likely to come in prior to any potential
Anglo Closure Costs Exaggerated by Government, Morgan 41
wind-down.
According to Karl Whelan’s estimates, if Anglo’s wind-down were
phased over the next four years, there is probably around €67 billion in
realisable assets to pay off liabilities of €81 billion, €11.5 billion of which
is ‘intra-government’ (owed to the Irish Central Bank).
He said, “the vast majority of these losses will stem from the non-
Nama loan book and the fact that the Nama assets are worth less than
currently listed. So these losses will be incurred regardless of whether the
bank is kept open or wound down. From my reading, there’s not much
evidence that there would be huge losses on gradual sales of the bank’s
financial assets over the next few years.”
The likelihood then is that a structured, orderly wind-down over a
period of four years will make the cost of closing Anglo far less than is
being suggested. The reality is that it is more likely to be in the range of
€15-20 billion; some €2-7 billion lower than the current minimum pro-
jections of €22 billion in further recapitalisation to keep the bank going.
It may well be that the Government realise this and perhaps even
plan to take this wind-down option but have not made it public in
order to avoid any possible run on the bank. People are unlikely to leave
deposits in a bank they know is going to be closed.
The stated plans for Anglo are that it will be split into a good bank/
bad bank and the good bank will be put back into the economy as a busi-
ness lender to small and medium-sized enterprises. Although a business
plan has been submitted for approval to the European Central Bank
(ECB), as is the case for all Irish banks receiving Government subsidies,
it is still awaiting approval and has not been made available for public
scrutiny. However, downsizing and cleaning Anglo up, then selling it as
a small business lender is not likely to recoup anywhere near the amount
being spent on recapitalising it.
Anglo has been mired in controversy since the financial crisis began
in 2008. It emerged in 2008 that Sean Quinn secretly accumulated a 25
per cent indirect stake in Anglo, just as the bank was faltering. Quinn’s
decision to convert this holding into a direct shareholding of 15 per cent

led to the infamous “Golden Circle” transaction, where ten other Anglo
customers were loaned money to buy up Anglo’s shares and stop the price
from collapsing. It also later transpired that Irish Life and Permanent
(ILP) deposited, short
term, €7.5 billion into
Anglo in September
2008 in order to give
an incorrect picture of The reality is that [the cost of
Anglo’s balance sheet.
closing the bank] is more likely
Sean Quinn is back
in the Anglo story. The to be ¤15 to ¤20 billion; some
picture is now fur- ¤2 to ¤7 billion lower than the
ther complicated by
current minimum projections
Anglo’s involvement
– encouraged by the of ¤22 billion
Government - in the
recent Quinn Insur-
ance administration.
It may well be that
the Government realises that the ‘cost of closure’ argument is too weak
and that they need to move it back to the ‘systemic importance’ basis.
Injecting a cash-generating business, Quinn Insurance, with 5,500 Irish
jobs, into the heart of Anglo would certainly make the bank much more
difficult to close down.
Quinn Insurance was placed into temporary administration by the
Financial Regulator, Mathew Elderfield, because their solvency levels
did not meet the minimum legal requirements. Anglo is proposing to
raise €700 million to pay off Quinn’s bondholders and inject cash into
the insurer’s reserves. Where this money is to come from, considering
they need further recapitalization, has not been made clear but further
calls on the public purse appear to be the only option.
Anglo Closure Costs Exaggerated by Government, Morgan 43
The Quinn family and Quinn Group of companies owe Anglo €2.8
billion. The Quinn Group also has borrowings of €1.2bn from the likes
of Barclays Bank and international bondholders. These have first call
ahead of Anglo. Should that call ever be exercised, there is unlikely to be
anything left over for Anglo and the cost of recapitalisation will increase
again.
There seems to be a determined effort by the government not to wind
Anglo down. If there are any further dark secrets in there, closure would
certainly reveal them.
Modern Irish Prostitution
Why are our country’s legislators allowing a boom
in online prostitution services? Katie Archer
investigates how the oldest profession is adapting
to thoroughly modern telecommunications tools.
P
rostitution in Ireland is a far cry from the secretive and seedy
back-alley affair many people still deem it to be. Prostitution, or
“escorting” as it is now more commonly referred to, has become
a finely tuned business and it is now easier then ever to fulfil your fan-
tasies and get your kicks with any escort of your choice. Like everything
else in our contemporary life, prostitution in Ireland has become com-
puterised. There are dozens of Irish websites dedicated to helping men,
and women alike, get the best service they can. These companies feature
women (and men), with their photos, their statistics, verified pictures, a
price list, their sexual favourites, a bio and the facilities their premises
offers for example: Wheelchair accessible? Drinks on arrival? Shower?
Check, check, check.
Prostitution in Ireland has become like shopping online. There are
forums for punters to discuss their favourite girls, you can write reviews
on your experiences, and whether you would recommend your girl to a
friend or not. These men speak about women as if they were a DVD they
rented and discuss them and their experiences as casually as if they were
discussing a football game. Escort-ireland.com seems to be a huge con-
tributor to this growing phenomenon, it being the number one Google
search for ‘Irish escorts’. As well as the above features discussed, they
offer an ‘eejits guide’ to escorts, for first time clients, an A-Z of ‘escort
lingo’ and the likes. They also offer articles and readings against sex traf-
ficking and are promoting the legalisation of prostitution in Ireland. A
regular escort client commented on one site’s forum stating that “with
Modern Irish Prostitution, Archer 45
the Internet it has got too easy to access escort services. I have become
addicted and am trying to give it up. It is hard, as it is an addiction like
smoking, drinking, gambling or drugs. I think it will be a growing prob-
lem in Irish society.”
Many people in Ireland think that prostitutes are disgusting peo-
ple with no morality seeking to feed drink and drug addictions. It is
thought that nobody would become one unless they had no alternative
or unless they were victims of trafficking. This is still quite common for
‘street walking’ prostitutes. According to a male escort I interviewed who
wishes to remain anonymous “The only advantage is it’s easy money.”
The disadvantages he says include “STD’s, being physically and emo-
tionally hurt, ... it is emotionally unbalancing, mentally destructive and
just horrible.” When asked if he would suggest it as a career choice he
answered: “As a last alternative to living on the street, yes. But if there is
anything else you can do, do it.”.
To become an escort you simply have to click the ‘employment’ sec-
tion from one of these websites, some ask you to fill an application and
even offer a professional sex photographer so you can advertise your
merchandise as well as possible. These profiles are posted on the internet
either for free or for an ‘advertising fee’. Some escort websites post your
profile for free. Your number and e-mail address are included and this is
how prospective clients contact you. For the purpose of this investiga-
tive article I set up one of these profiles using a generic photo sourced
from google and within the first week I received 26 phone calls from
men seeking my ‘services’. May I add that I was advertising at €300 an
hour. What recession? Few of the men who rang whispered or sounded
embarrassed. Most spoke naturally and confidently, asked if I was work-
ing that day and if they could book an appointment as if I was the local
barbers. I was the one who spluttered and stuttered as I lied that I was
booked out at the moment or that I was in a meeting. I also applied to
an escort agency to work for them instead of independently. A lovely,
well spoken woman then rang me daily, told me the company’s different
shifts, and assured me they could work around my schedule and that my
inexperience as an escort was not an issue. She informed me I could ex-
pect to see an average of four clients daily. I was called for interview and
a trial. I was informed that a trial was working a shift to see if I got on
with my prospective co-workers and if I fit in with the company.
It has become too easy to become an escort. People have become lazy
and figure that if they enjoy sex and are attractive why not make some
easy money? If that thought has ever crossed your mind then take heed
to this comment from
a working Irish escort
I spoke to: “It’s horri-
ble, it takes away your
For the purpose of this
sense of being and investigative article I set up
makes sex between one of these profiles using a
you and anyone else
near meaningless, it
generic photo sourced from
destroys your relation- google and within the first
ships.” week I received 26 phone
Peoples’ pre-con-
ceived assumptions
calls from men seeking my
would lead them to ‘services’ ... at ¤300 an hour
believe that every man
who hired a prostitute
in Ireland was a dirty,
smelly, lonely, older man. Yet, according to an Irish escort clients’ survey
conducted in 2006, the average Irish punter is a native white male, aged
mid-twenties to mid-forties, with 41.7% being in the 25-34 age brack-
et. A massive 74.2% had completed third level education and the most
regular occupations of the clients surveyed were engineers, accountants,
executives or self-employed business owners. They were most likely in a
relationship or married and using Irish escort services for sexual gratifi-
cation. There has been speculation before now that escort websites en-
Modern Irish Prostitution, Archer 47
courage the use of escort services and this survey appears to confirm
that, with over 80% of the respondents indicating either that they feel
escort websites have encouraged them to use escort services more or that
they didn’t use escort services prior to the existence of escort websites.
73% were accessing escort sites from their home computers. This survey
indicates that dangerous unprotected sexual activities are currently com-
monplace in Irish escort transactions which is allowing and encouraging
the spread of sexually
transmitted diseases
throughout the coun-
try. One man who
“It’s horrible, it takes away your
completed the survey
sense of being and makes sex commented, “I believe
between you and anyone else that all men who use
escorts are lacking in
near meaningless, it destroys
some way, shape or
your relationships” form, me included. I
also believe that all
escorts are victims and
that no matter what
some of them may say, they all hate what they do, it can only shatter
their self esteem. I know since using escorts my self esteem has gone way
down. I always hate myself afterwards.”
People seem to forget that prostituting oneself in Ireland is illegal
and always has been, so why have these sites not been regulated? Why
have our country’s legislators not done anything when escorts and escort
companies alike so brazenly advertise their phone numbers, addresses
and services? The prostitution policies of the Irish state have changed
over a long time from an unambiguous prohibitionism towards a partial
abolitionism, overall policy is characterised by inconsistency and con-
tradictions and legal changes have occurred outside of a comprehensive
policy review. As Ireland is integrated into a globalised sex industry, with
a consequent restructuring of the vice trade, prostitution itself may re-

main largely beyond the reach of the state.
Since 2001 in Germany, persons who sell sex have been seen as pro-
fessionals, the parliament approved a law with the aim of integrating sex
sellers into society. Since then prostitutes have been entitled to unem-
ployment benefit, sickness benefit and pensions. Sweden decriminalized
the selling of sex and criminalized the buying of sex in 1999. Whereas in
Ireland, buying sex, if done indoors, is not illegal. Sweden has social serv-
ice funds aimed at helping people get out of a life of prostitution. When
I asked my anonymous escort interviewee whether he felt Ireland should
legalize prostitution, he said that “yes, at least that way there would be
more safety in the profession, we’d have legal rights and it wouldn’t be
so dangerous. Regulation would be the way to go, basically needing a
license to do it. That would mean you could avail of legal aid if you need
it and don’t need to lie if you are arrested, hospitalized or even raped.”
Legalising the selling of sex in Ireland will of course have benefits to
those in the sex trade. However, gender inequality will remain unattain-
able so long as men buy, sell and exploit women by prostituting them
and as long as women in this country continue to forget their worth and
potential.
Headshop Reality,
Media Reality
We hear about it every day, it’s in every paper we
open, every radio station we tune into. There’s
no escaping, the never ending presence of head
shops. Darren Cleary investigates by surveying
100 third level college students.
T
he picture painted by many newspapers and by the Joe Duffy
sect of the country is far detached from reality. Head shops are
endemic, the legal high culture is not reserved for out of control
teens in disadvantaged areas, this is gripping the nation in a way the
scaremongers have irrationally overlooked, preferring to focus on “Billy,
17, who took some drugs and jumped in front of a bus”.
However, in all actuality this is something that runs far deeper, it’s a
craze that’s sweeping the professional sector and the college scene too.
Under it’s fancy façade, the exclusive fee paying institution that is Grif-
fith College has a drug culture that is alive and well, albeit a legal one.
As a student for the past two years of the college, I’m extremely
shocked by the sudden appearance of a drug scene, this is not by coin-
cidence and it’s something I’m sure is quickly becoming prevalent on
campuses nationwide. Last year aside from a slight over indulgence in
drink, the college was for most intents and purposes much like any other
you’d see the length and breadth of Ireland.
So for me it’s obvious that the appearance of a drug craze on the
Dublin 8 campus almost directly coincides with the opening of the Nir-
vana ‘head shop’ on Leonard’s Corner, close to the college in September
2009.
I took my questions to the students in a bid to establish some hard

numbers to get some kind of conclusive understanding of how prevalent
the legal high craze
has become. The re-
sults were shocking.
On a survey of 100 This could have been a turning
students of the seven
faculties in Griffith point in Ireland, a form of
College, almost six regulation and accountability
out of every 10 people toward drugs. A chance to take
have taken legal highs
at some point, while it out of the dark alleys of Ire-
31% have dabbled in land, or at least hurt the drug
illegal drugs such as dealers trade
cocaine and ecstasy.
With almost 80% of
the media faculty stu-
dents surveyed admitting to trying the products sold over the counter at
head shops at some point. Despite the high level of students admitting
to, at some point sampling the drugs, a staggering 93% surveyed believed
the substances contained in the legal highs are harmful; and 38% be-
lieved they were less harmful then their illegal counterpart. Almost half
of everyone who had taken the drugs admitted they would do it again,
while a shocking 28% of people saying they would recommend others
to try it.
The fact that these drugs are legal and sold over counters in shops all
over the nation breaks down former social taboos: users are all to happy
to talk about their experiences. I spoke to one journalism student about
their experiences.
The student said, speaking by a lift at midday one Thursday, “over
Christmas I found myself drinking a lot as people do, and one night
looking for company I called some of the lads who I figured were pretty
Headshop Reality, Media Reality, Cleary 51
much guaranteed to be out drinking, and they were doing it and I tried
it”.
Going further into detail on their first time the student said, “ I was
completely naive to this stuff, I did the stupidest thing possible, went the
jacks on my own, polished off about five lines and by the time I stumbled
back into the room I was off my face”. When I asked about the physical
effects the young student paused briefly before smiling, “It was much
different to drink. When your drunk you get quite difficult, quite hard
to manage, falling around, maybe puking etc but this wasn’t like that.
I was off my face, but I was gripped by a love buzz and immediately I
felt comfortable, and that I could talk to these people I was with about
anything, and talk I did, it was like a time warp, next thing I knew it was
morning, and not like 6 am morning it was coming up to noon and I was
still high as a kite…”
The student’s reflections were not so fondly reminisced upon when
asked about the downsides of legal high’s. “Pretty rough comedown very
abrupt; one minute your high, next minute you hit the floor hard. Which
I mean, makes you want more and more of the stuff so it’s not hard to
get addicted”.
Another student I spoke to in the Meagher Building echoed much
of the same sentiments, answering in a relaxed demeanour: “Living on
campus you have to do the stuff to keep you sane”. The Law student
quipped, “I think a lot of people will start using ‘Wild Cat’ [sold as a
bath salt at the local head shop] instead of drink, you just get a happier
buzz, you don’t get tired, makes your nights longer and better” .
When asked about the regularity of his use, the student said, “ prob-
ably about once a week usually on a Monday. I arrive back up Sunday
evening, class on the Monday, then to celebrate the golden day a couple
of us will go in on a gram and do it in the halls (of residence)”.
I enquired about how long they have been doing this and has security
ever become suspicious or ever discovered one of these ‘sessions’? “Nope
not once have we had a bother and this has been going on since before
Christmas, it’s not a gargle buzz, your not loud, your not messing, your
chilled out, having a few sniffs then you flake and go to bed when it’s all
hoovered”.
So you’ve become a regular at the head shop I asked? “Yeah well,
on Monday’s anyway. ‘Parking Permit’ knows us well and pretty much
every week gives us a half gram sampler bag for free”. Parking Permit’
I quizzed? “Yeah well,
I don’t know his real
name but I call him
that cause on Rag
Richer and more powerful Week I ran outta
criminals, less money into the money and swapped
economy, more poisoned him my Griffith park-
ing permit for three
teenagers = result! grams I don’t drive so
Apparently! it was a good deal for
me”.
These kind of com-
ments can be uttered
by many on campus,
who chances are, one year ago, would have been drug virgins. Now how-
ever, people are experimenting in their dozens maybe even their hun-
dreds with these legal highs, that the media has largely promoted aware-
ness of.
Two weeks ago, I, like 56% of students surveyed was in favour of
closing head shops, but now having gained insight into the issue, I think
closing head shops won’t end the demand and will ultimately force these
substances into the hands of the drug dealers and give them a host of
new drugs to sell on the black market and invariably just make the prob-
lem worse. This could have been a turning point in Ireland, a form of
regulation and accountability toward drugs. A chance to take it out of
the dark alleys of Ireland, or at least hurt the drug dealers trade. There’s
Headshop Reality, Media Reality, Cleary 53
accountability if you buy something over a counter, if it kills you, I’m

sure someone will be able to say: “that was bought at X head shop, they
are accountable for this death”. While if you buy something down a lane,
from one of the shadiest of characters walking god’s green earth, and it
kills you, chances are he won’t be there if you go looking for him.
However, all this makes little difference as it has become increasingly
likely that head shops will very soon have all their cocaine, ecstasy and
marijuana substitutes outlawed by new legislation. The drug dealers must
be celebrating. I believe we’re taking money out of the hands of the gov-
ernment, and putting it in the hands of illegal drug dealers and criminal
gangs. I’m not sure exactly what the government or the people gain from
this, other then keeping the Joe Duffy lynch mob at peace until the next
time something comes along that they don’t quite understand.
What would new legislation leave us with? Richer and more power-
ful criminals, less government income meaning in it’s most basic form:
more taxes, more cuts in public spending, former head shop employees
lengthening the dole queue. Making sure that the drugs, that let’s face it,
are still around, will be less pure and no doubt mixed with more harmful
chemicals, and therefore much more dangerous.
Richer and more powerful criminals, less money into the economy,
more poisoned teenagers = result! Apparently!
Head Shops: Are We Using
Our Heads?
Suzanne Fitzpatrick talks to the medicinal and
organic chemistry Course Director at Trinity
College Dublin and investigates difficulties the
government will find in attempting to ban
specific ‘legal highs’.
I
t’s a topic that’s been streaked across the news for months now. The
invasion of Head Shops in Ireland has sparked disagreement and
concern amongst the public, both pro and anti-drug campaigners
alike. Everyone has gathered their own thoughts on the issue but what
evidence is there to back each argument up? Also, we tend to think that
this influx of legal high sales is a new thing when in fact it is not. Legal
highs have been around since the mid 1960s; with records of use of can-
nabis and alcohol going back over 5000 years. In the mid 1800’s, China
announced war against Britain after the latter tried to ban opium trade
between the two nations. However, it is only in recent years that the
numbers of resulting legal highs have made their way to Irish shores.
The first Head Shop was established in San Francisco on January
3rd, 1966. It was opened by a former war veteran named Ron Thelin and
his brother, Jay. Head Shops spread as establishments that were once
indie poster and candle shops began selling psychedelic and hallucino-
genic substances as well as apparatus used to consume drugs. This was at
the time when psychedelic-‘hippie’ culture was all the rage in the USA,
with pro-high vocal injections from the likes of The Beatles and Jimi
Hendrix. It went hand-in-hand with the anti-Vietnam war, the idealistic
hippie culture. The new Head Shops were places flooded with this hippie
Headshops: Are We Using Our Heads?, Fitzpatrick 55
or indie, unfettered culture; substances to get you high, alternative music,

art and free sprits. Of course, in the 1960’s, the danger of cigarettes was
generally unacknowledged never mind drugs. The shops spread to the
east coast and found many customers in trendy New York, particularly
the East Village.
While marijuana and cannabis consumption apparatus have been on
sale in Ireland for over ten years, the influx of ‘legal highs’ in Head Shops
on these shores over the last two years is new. One of the most inter-
esting questions is what is the difference between the illegal drugs and
their apparently socially acceptable legal equivalent? What makes them
legal? The answer lies in their exact ingredients, although it is difficult to
understand these chemical differences if you’re not a chemist.
Mike Southern is
the Course Director
and lecturer of the
B.A. degree in Me-
“These artificial cannabinoids dicinal and Organic
Chemistry in Trin-
are legal because they are not
ity College Dublin. I
covered by current legislation; contacted him to help
you could ban that compound me discover if the
ingredients in legal
but it is possible for another to
highs were in any way
replace it in the future” the same as their ille-
gal siblings. I wanted
to investigate what
exactly the similarities
between them were.
“The compounds in the legal highs are different to those in ille-
gal drugs but have similar effects. For example, tetrahydrocannabinol
(THC) is one of the main psychoactive ingredients of cannabis and it
acts at the recently discovered cannabinoid receptors in the brain. In-
teraction of THC with These cannabinoid receptors (you can think of

them as chemical switches which cause a biological effect) are relatively
recent discoveries and are what cause the effects of cannabis when in-
gested. However, it is possible to design, or discover accidentally, other
compounds that are also active at these same receptors that will have a
similar biological effect to THC. ‘THC mimics’ are probably added to,
or are present in the cannabis-like products on sale in head shops. These
artificial cannabinoids are legal because they are not covered by current
legislation; you could ban that compound but it is possible for another
to replace it in the future,” said Mr. Southern
Products sold in Head Shops are compounds that work on our bodies
in the similar ways to the illegal substances work. They do have an almost
identical effect on humans as the illegal substances but their ingredi-
ents are chemical mimics of the latter. Kind of like sugar versus artificial
sweetener; they have the same effect but are structurally and chemically
different.
“The legal highs cannot contain controlled substances [illegal drugs],”
says Southern, “and be legal so the compounds in the legal highs are dif-
ferent to those in illegal drugs but exert similar effects.”
Mr. Southern also pointed out that these similar compounds can
be generated and updated quite easily. In other words, if one particular
compound is made illegal due to its effects, it is possible that a new one
with again the same psychoactive effect would be created and put into
the market.
“If you ban a particular compound then clandestine chemists can
create another structure that is similar in activity, working at the same
receptors, but is not covered by the initial ban. Some subtle and not so
subtle structural differences can give a compound properties that retains
its activity,” said Mr Southern.
Many politicians, doctors and members of the public both in Britain
and Ireland have pushed to see Head Shop products banned; believing
that drugs should be illegal drugs if they have damaging psychoactive
Headshops: Are We Using Our Heads?, Fitzpatrick 57
and physically damaging properties, and that there should not be any
exceptions. As this fight continues, it’s important to recognise that it’s
not that simple. If these products like ‘Wild Cat’ and ‘Orange Orbits’
(sold as ‘bath salts’) are outlawed, then it is only a matter of time before
a new substance is created with the same effects but without the same
ingredients as those that have been banned.
This possibility
of seemingly endless
substitutes makes
it difficult for any Targeting different receptor
straightforward legis-
lation or ban against classes [in the brain] with
the legal highs. In legislation could make many
other words, if specific currently legitimate and
Head Shop products
were illegalised to- medically accepted, useful
morrow, it would only drugs, illegal
be a matter of time
(it is difficult to know
how long) until the
producers beat the ban and developed a new chemical formation that
exerted the same effects as that of the banned, but it would be legal be-
cause it wouldn’t contain any of the exact ingredients that are banned. So
what ban might work? It might be a case of banning chemicals that have
a particular effect, not banning exactly what’s in them.
This is a suggestion that has crossed Mr. Southern’s mind too: “If
outlawing particular compounds or even classes of compounds is prob-
lematic, how about banning activity at the particular receptors [in the
brain]? But clearly you cannot make a receptor system itself illegal, that
would make us all criminals.”
Acknowledging the difficulty in this approach, Southern says: “As an
example, the opiate receptors mediate many processes in the body and
interact with endogenous molecules such as enkephalins or endorphins

and also offer a very effective mechanism to reduce pain. Both codeine,
morphine and diamorphine [heroin] are used in many countries as pain
treatments, but can be abused”.
While opiates may seem like obvious targets to ban, targeting differ-
ent receptor classes (there are many) with legislation could make many
currently legitimate and medically accepted, useful drugs illegal and also
stifle the development of new legitimate drugs and thus increase the suf-
fering of people with a particular disease.
So it’s not that simple. The call for an immediate ban on legal highs is
quite far from possible as it is really very complicated. Governments will
have to find a way to legislate against chemicals that interact with certain
parts of the body and mind, but allow them for use against illnesses and
pain relief. This would be very difficult from what can be observed from
the (bio) chemistry side of things.
For example, in Britain, it has just been announced that Mephedrone
(an analogue of the active ingredient of Qat – the leaves of which are
chewed like tobacco or coca leaves), a currently legal drug that may have
killed an 18-year-old woman in Stockholm, and that’s being held re-
sponsible for 18 deaths in the UK and Scotland, is being banned. For
many, this seems like good and progressive news. It has now been noted
that already another even more dangerous substance, Naphyrone, known
as NRJ-1, has been lined up to be imported from Belgium to replace
Mephedrone’s popular social status. According to dealers, it matches
and doubles the effects of Mephedrone. It is known to cause brain-dam-
age from just one hit, although this is often seen as only likely if it has
been consumed in conjunction with other substances.
And so the process of legislating against the new substances goes on.
It could be impossible to have a final ban on these drugs. Bad things
often seem like their gone, only to come back stronger and more deter-
mined.
Government Fails To
Regulate Fake ‘Charity’
Clothes Collectors
The scam of door-to-door clothes collection is
costing genuine charities ¤1.2m a year. Sarah
Canning investigates where our good will is
going and how we are so easily lead.
C
harity shops, genuine clothes collectors, and big name charities
such as Oxfam are loosing millions each year because of gangs
who are illegally collecting clothes door-to-door for non-char-
itable profit. Leaflets are pushed through letterboxes on a daily basis all
over Ireland. The leaflets state that the clothes collected will be brought
to “third world” countries and will be given to less fortunate people. The
leaflets sometimes have images of starving children and captions that
read “Please help us”, “African Children In Need”, “Do Not Delay”,
etc. This of course causes confusion amongst householders, particularly
the elderly, and consequently misleads them into leaving out unwanted
items for these scammers. The phone numbers displayed on these leaf-
lets have been proven to simply ring out or don’t exist. Also, the charity
registration number, which is sometimes displayed on the leaflet is false.
This can be easily found out by ringing up the local authority, who have
lists of genuine clothes collectors that are collecting in the local area.
Items such as shoes, bed linen, all types of personal clothing, towels,
underwear, curtains, etc are among items which these gangs will benefit
from. All brands are worth something whether it has a Penney’s label or a
Next label on it. Mixed textiles are estimated to be worth €96 per tonne.
In some cases, the bags which are left out also attract other thieves, who
get there before these scammers do, in order to snatch the bags.
Most bags are shipped overseas to Africa and Eastern Europe and
are put up for sale on stalls at street markets. They are sold at a cheaper
price than local stalls, therefore putting local people out of business who
are trying to provide for their family, etc. There is huge profit in what
these fake charities are doing. Not only are they stealing from people
who believe they are giving to a genuine cause, but they are destroying
livelihoods, and local clothes businesses in poorer countries.
According to the Association of Charity Shops, they are loosing €1.2
million a year due to the scam clothes collectors. There is no decrease in
the number of gangs setting up business here in Ireland. In relation to
the law around this issue, it seems that prosecutions have failed due to
the law being unenforceable. These thugs exploit the laws in relation to
the Theft Act, and jump through as many loopholes as possible. Many
register their organisation as a genuine company; which isn’t hard to do
in this country. They then use their name, and
leaflets, etc, as a front to the Gardaí when ap-
proached. In most cases they are never caught
in the act. Mixed textiles
Many of these scammers will put leaf-
lets through letterboxes at a late hour such as are estimated
3.00am, and then come back for the clothes a to be worth
few days later at a time such as 6.00am; mean- ¤96 per tonne
ing you would leave your bag out before you go
to bed and it would be gone before you’re up.
Therefore, nobody sees them in person. In most
cases, the public do not complain or notice any-
thing fraudulent about these collections, and let them go unnoticed, be-
lieving they are giving to a genuine charity collection.
A worker in one St Vincent De Paul’s charity shop, who wishes to
remain anonymous, says: “ I have been aware of these scams over the
past number of years. But, I don’t think there is enough public aware-
Government Fails to Regualte Fake ‘Charity’ Clothes Collectors, Canning 61
ness about it. Many of my neighbours in my estate have fallen for these
scams and leave out clothes all of the time. They just don’t realise and are
completely mislead.”
My source went on to say, “When people see these leaflets, they think
‘oh! great, now I can get rid of those old clothes and help someone in the
process’, but this isn’t
the case. And I don’t
see anyone doing any-
Not only are they stealing from thing about it. There
people who believe they are is no single Govern-
ment department that
giving to a genuine cause, but will take responsibil-
they are destroying livelihoods, ity to tackle the issue,
and local clothes businesses in it’s ridiculous.”
“We’ve noticed a
poorer countries huge decrease in the
shop here with the
number of donations
and even the number
of people who come in and out of the shop. I believe this is genuinely
down to these scams. People are leaving everything out to these people,
and have stopped bringing them to their local [charity] shops. It is less
hassle for people,” says the St Vincent De Paul charity shop worker.
There is a major lack of public awareness on this issue. To try and get
some awareness out, the Irish Charity Shops Organisation (ICSA) are
trying to get this message across: “If in doubt, make sure your donations
will count by bringing them to one of the genuine and registered charity
shops in Ireland such as Enable Ireland, Oxfam, Irish Cancer Society,
and St. Vincent De Paul.” They also have information on their website
(www.icsa.ie) on how to spot fake charity flyers, and what to look out for
in relation to scams.
Pandemic In A Time Of Crisis
Allegations are growing that undue influence on

the World Health Organisation to hastily declare
the H1N1 global pandemic came from pharma-
ceutical corporations for profit-motivated reasons.
Lidia Okorokova investigates.
A
little less than a year has passed since influenza H1N1 “swine
flu” outbreak was announced in Mexico. The virus then spread
around the globe affecting 214 countries according to the World
Health Organisation’s reports. The fear of swine flu was as strong as the
Spanish flu of 1918, when almost 50 million people died around the
world, making that the deadliest natural disaster in modern history.
The World Health Organisation expressed fears that two billion peo-
ple would get infected with H1N1 by the end of 2009 and hundreds of
thousands of people would die.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has played a big role in the
shaping world’s attitude towards the swine flu pandemic in 2009. This
UN’s organisation announced “pandemic level six” in June 2009, but it
also recommended that drugs like Tamiflu and anti-viral vaccines like
Celvapan and Pandemrix were the only cure for influenza H1N1.
According to the guidelines for the industry from the European
Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products, in case of a pandemic
situation, steps “between the authorisation of the core pandemic dos-
sier and initiation of the fast track of pandemic influenza variation will
be limited to two to three days”. When in reality such assessment takes
much longer. The assessment takes place with the active participation of
the World Health Organisation.
This indeed stimulated such pharmaceutical giants as Roche or Bax-
Pandemic In A T ime Of Crisis, Okorokova 63
ter and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to produce millions of dozes of Celva-

pan and Tamiflu and other similar medicines.
Roche’s Tamiflu sales rose by 213 % in Europe and amounted to total
€678 million in 2009. The company is prepared to supply 400 million
more packs of Tamiflu to the world if such an occasion arises in 2010.
Baxter and GSK also signed contracts and delivered their vaccines to
almost all European countries.
Roche is very open about its connection with the World Health Or-
ganisation and national governments. A press release on their website,
dated July 23rd 2009 says, “in May 2009, after the first cases of the new
type of influenza were reported, Roche responded immediately to the
WHO’s request to supply Mexico and 71 other countries with the stocks
of Tamiflu that had previously been donated and stored in anticipation
of a pandemic situation.”
While Roche, Baxter and GSK have found a way to profit, key per-
sonal in government bodies in European countries have either lost their
jobs for overreacting or have been praised for looking at the situation
adequately and more coolly at the time of swine flu pandemic.
Tamiflu is an anti-viral medication that is designed to treat or pre-
vent serious seasonal influenzas and rare ones like Avian flu, or “bird
flu”. The WHO has named Tamiflu as the best known medicine to cure
pandemic swine flu just days after it raised the pandemic level to six in
June 2009.
The medication has mild side effects such as nausea and vomiting and
serious ones, such as delirium, behavioural disturbances and self-injury.
Some countries like Japan used Tamiflu as a treatment for influenza and
had linked fatalities among teenagers back in 2005. Nevertheless, the
sales of Tamiflu in Japan rose by 1,510% in 2009.
According to Doctor Mary O’Meara at the National Immunisation
Office (NIO), part of the HSE, two medicines Tamiflu (oseltamivir)
and Relenza (zanamivir) were used in the management of the influenza
pandemic in Ireland.
“These medicines
when taken early in
the illness (within 48
Pharmaceutical companies
hours) can both short-
en the duration of in- “have influenced scientists and
fection and reduce the official agencies, responsible
serious complications
for public health standards, to
of influenza,” she said
in an interview. alarm governments worldwide
“I think I have also and needlessly exposed mil-
been given Tamiflu,
lions of healthy people to the
when doctors thought
I had swine flu on my risk of unknown side-effects of
holidays in Bolivia last insufficiently tested vaccines”
summer,” says Alva
Mc Carthy, a Griffith
College student, “I
was locked up in a room in the hospital. One scratch was so bad that it
left a scar on my hand, I can’t remember scratching myself ”.
Therefore, Ireland and Bolivia were among those countries, which
have followed the WHO’s instructions to the letter. The Department of
Health and Children has taken seriously and acted in accordance with
the recommendations by this United Nations’ body.
One of the biggest steps Ireland has taken was to vaccinate its citi-
zens. The vaccination programme commenced on November 2nd, 2009
and lasted until March 29th 2010. Almost 16% of the Irish population
have received a vaccine. Pregnant women are still advised to be vacci-
nated, even if the pandemic is over.
Many health authorities now refer to the swine flu pandemic as
“mild”, because only 17,483 people died from influenza H1N1 around
the world.
Still, Roche and other pharmaceutical businesses have announced
their preparedness to sell additional doses of their medicines if needed

in 2010. If there is a second wave of swine flu, it will just boost sales for
them again.
The HSE’s Mary O’Meara believes that it is “unlikely that there will
be another Spring/Summer pandemic wave in Europe unless there are
significant unrecognised uninfected populations or the virus changes
and becomes more transmissible”.
She also added that, “the HSE will work in collaboration with inter-
national colleagues including the World Health Organisation to assess
the possibility of a second wave”.
The World Health Organisation has indeed had a profound effect
on the Irish Health Service Executive, just like in many other countries
around the world.
Several states have struggled to execute the instructions from the
WHO, among them is Ukraine. The government in this eastern Euro-
pean country had managed to buy 300,000 doses of Tamiflu by the end
of November last year. At first, the then president, Viktor Yushenko, and
former prime-minister, Yulia Timoshenko, had serious arguments over
how much Tamiflu they would buy that just added fuel to the fire of the
power disputes in Ukraine before the elections.
The way in which governments around the world have handled the
pandemic and followed the instructions of the WHO raises a question
of credibility for this UN body as the provider of recommendations to
the world about ongoing health disasters and problems. And a question
arises as to whether one health organisation such as the WHO, with
such very close links to huge pharmaceutical corporations, is enough to
provide the world with plausible information about health issues or not.
In November 2009 many European newspapers and TV channels
reported about the alleged links between the WHO and the pharma-
ceutical industry. Great Britain’s The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph
were among the first ones who began investigating the matter.
Many media reports cited British MP, Paul Flynn (Labour party),
and Wolgang Wodarg, speaker of German Social Democrats, who are

both assigned to and work at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Coun-
cil of Europe.
They wrote an Council of Europe ‘motion for recommendation’ on
December 18th, 2009 entitled “Faked Pandemics - a threat for health”,
where they said that the pharmaceutical companies “have influenced
scientists and official agencies, responsible for public health standards,
to alarm governments worldwide and needlessly exposed millions of
healthy people to the risk of unknown side-effects of insufficiently tested
vaccines”.
In January 2010,
a public hearing was
held in Strasbourg,
France, by the Coun- “Baxter was found to have
cil of Europe and rep- contaminated 72 kgs of vaccine
resentatives from both with the bird flu virus, supplied
the WHO and several
European pharma- by World Health Organisation,
ceutical companies in its bio-safety level three
attended. It has yet to laboratory, so nearly triggering
be concluded by the
committee whether a bird flu pandemic. A few days
the allegations against after I filed criminal charges,
the United Nations’ surprise, surprise, the swine
health organisation
are correct or not. The flu appeared in Mexico city”
Council of Europe
has yet to publish a
report and make rec-
ommendations to the European governments, after the second meeting,
which has already taken place in Paris on March 29th.
Meanwhile, the WHO launched an open “expert assessment” of its
work before and during the swine flu pandemic.

The Director General of the WHO, Dr. Margaret Chan, said in her
opening remarks at the first meeting of the Review Committee of the
International Health Regulations in Geneva, Switzerland on 12th April
that they “want a frank, critical, transparent, credible and independent
review of our performance, as well as that of the International Health
Regulations. The Secretariat will do everything it can to facilitate such
a process”.
This eagerness towards “open and frank assessment” was most likely
a result of the Council of Europe public hearings and a lawsuit filed
by Austrian journalist Jane Burgermeister, a half-Irish journalist from
Austria, who has been following the pandemic issue and stories about
pharmaceutical companies and the WHO since the beginning of 2009.
“I have been following this since February last year [2009] when
Baxter was found to have contaminated 72 kgs of vaccine with the bird
flu virus, supplied by World Health Organisation, in its bio safety level
three laboratory, so nearly triggering a bird flu pandemic. A few days
after I filed criminal charges, surprise, surprise, the swine flu appeared
in Mexico city,” Jane said when asked when she started following the
situation.
She filed a criminal case against Baxter and Avir to the Austrian
court in April 2009. Since then she has been writing a book, “False pan-
demic”, and trying to reach out to people around the world on the issue.
Jane set up a website and a blog in order to explain “the truth” about
the WHO and the swine flu pandemic what she is doing about it and
how people might get involved and help her.
In the meantime, Jane has worked as a reporter for such big publi-
cations as The Guardian the British Journal of Medicine, and Science
magazine. She has quit her day job to fight against the WHO and the
decisions it makes.
On April 16th, the eruption of the Eyjafjallajoekull volcano in Ice-
land which caused such airline disruption in Europe, made the World
Health Organisation issue a warning. It said, “people with chronic res-

piratory conditions like asthma, emphysema or bronchitis may be more
susceptible to irritation if ash is in the lower atmosphere in high concen-
trations”. Despite the sense of dread this warning may have produced,
there were no reported increases in “irritation” in Ireland. How were
people with these ailments to react to this in light of the WHO’s over-
reaction to H1N1?
In future, for the health of the world, governments and the mass me-
dia need to sceptically question the WHO and its advisors. The latter’s
financial interests and career history needs to be transparent at all times
so that people can again trust this important UN agency.
Sources and More Info:

European Medicines Agency: http://www.ema.europa.eu
Irish Department of Health and Children: http://www.dohc.ie/issues/

swine_influenza/
Jane Burgermeister’s blog: http://birdflu666.wordpress.com/
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe: http://assembly.

coe.int/main.asp?Link=/documents/workingdocs/doc09/edoc12110.
htm#P33_1169
Spiegel Online - International: ‘Swine Flu Panic Grips Ukraine’ http://

www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,658810,00.html
RSA Launches Driver Fatigue
Awareness Campaign
Government failure to regulate industry leaves

public at serious risk from fatigued taxi drivers.
Laura Delaney investigates.
The Road Safety Authority of Ireland has launched an extensive

campaign appealing to road-users to be aware of the dangers of driver
fatigue. RSA research indicates that one in every five crashes on the
roads could be caused by driver fatigue. Taxi drivers are proven to be the
most vulnerable and prone to fall asleep behind the wheel. The National
Taxi Drivers Union urges the government to regulate the taxi industry
and close the free market floodgates.
So far the government has paid little attention to the increase of
driver fatigue on the road. Brian Farrell, communications manager of
the RSA, said that, “there has been a dramatic increase in the number
of fatigue related accidents since 2008. Men, company drivers and night
workers are responsible for ninety per cent of accidents”.
A study conducted by the Adelaide Centre for Sleep Research has
shown that drivers who have been awake for 24 hours have an equivalent
driving performance to a person who has blood alcohol content (BAC),
0.1g/100ml, and is seven times more likely to have an accident. In the
current economic climate why is the government not taking action and
implementing safety procedures?
Vinny Keirns former vice-president of the National Taxi Drivers Un-
ion (NTDU) and head of Xpert Digi Taxis says, “driver fatigue is a wor-
rying issue among taxi drivers, the government refuse to acknowledge
this problem”. There are more taxis on the road per head in Dublin than
any other city in Europe. Between the government’s decision to open
the industry in 2000 to limitless taxi numbers,

and the impact of the recession, drivers have no
choice but to work excessive hours, he says.
“The minister for transport, Noel Dempsey,
is quick to support drink driving campaigns,
One in every
support the awareness of seatbelt safety among
children and highlight the danger of drink driv- five crashes
ing among youths. Yet, when it comes to driver on the roads
fatigue which clearly exists in the taxi industry,
could be
he turns a blind eye. Unlike truck drivers, we are
carrying people not goods,” says Keirns. caused by
“The government is too afraid to turn driver fatigue
around and say ‘We got it wrong’. They would
rather put the public at risk instead of enforcing
one simple precaution, he says. ‘Regulating the
taxi industry which currently stands at 47,156
would drastically decrease driver fatigue on the
roads’.”
A new in-depth on-scene study last year in the Vehicle Safety Di-
vision, at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden reveals that
driver fatigue, slippery roads and inexperience could be just as important
as, and should be factored into the design of, new vehicle safety features.
Mr. Farrell of the RSA states “Taxi drivers are in the high risk cat-
egory of suffering from a sleeping disorder which affects breathing
called ‘sleep apnea’. They tend to live a sedentary lifestyle, they do not
get enough exercise, they spend an awful lot of time sitting behind the
wheel and may have a poor diet, and it is extremely worrying”.
“If you do not get enough sleep you build up a sleep debt, it has to
be paid off, you have to sleep and the only cure for lack of sleep is sleep,”
says Farrell. He states that doubling up on hours worked, especially in
relation to late night drivers and taxi workers, is placing the public at
risk. Most GP’s these days will encourage night time drivers to sleep
RSA Launches Driver Fatigue Awareness Campaign, Delaney 71
with a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device to help them

sleep. It is often hard to sustain a regular sleeping pattern or settle after
being over-worked, he says.
A study by the National Central University in Jhongli Taiwan, re-
cently reported that driving for just 80 minutes without a break can make
motorists a danger on the road. People run a higher risk of succumbing
to driver fatigue between 2am and 6am. This is the prime working hours
of the majority of taxi-men. Except now when it reaches 2am, they may
be on to their sixth or seventh working hour.
Mr. Keirns former president of the Taxi Union says, “the govern-
ment has shown no attempt to respond to the RSA fatigue campaigns.
They knocked the
implementation of a
tachograph as they be-
“It is simple, regulate the
lieve that parking at a
industry and save lives” taxi rank is a sufficient
resting period. I am
aware that the major-
ity of my drivers may be a danger to society. Most work between 65-70
hours a week. It has to be done, we have to make a living. Unfortunately,
we have no choice in the matter”.
On a daily basis the government is issuing new taxi licenses without
even setting high entry criteria. Skeptics within the industry believe this
is purely a revenue collecting scenario for the government. But they will
also say it is reckless in the extreme, as it is increasing the risk to both
public and taxi drivers. Says Keirns: “It is simple, regulate the industry
and save lives”.
Student Travel Discount? Not
Uniquely in Europe, Irish second and third level

students need to buy a card to prove that they are
students in order to get discounts on public trans-
port. Gina Karoline Dalen investigates.
T
his is how it works everywhere else in Europe: you go to third
level college or secondary school: you are given a card to prove
that you are a student at their institution and with this card you
get student discounts on public transport.
In Ireland however, the number of student cards from different col-
leges and universities makes the train conductors’ heads spin and these
different cards make their work so much more stressful and complicated.
To solve this horrific problem, part of the public transport system has
decided to make the students invest in a student travel card. Each card
has a personal identification number, which is needed to buy a student
ticket. The card costs the student €15; however, if you bring you own
photo the price will be €12. The Student Travel Card promises discounts
up to 40% of the regular adult price on public transport. In contrast, in
Norway for example, students get a 25% discount on public transport
without having to buy a separate card.
I did some research where I compared Ireland with Norway. As an
international student with a valid student card you can take the train
from Oslo to Bergen, an eight hour ride, for 581 NOK (€72). The regular
adult price is 775 NOK (€97), this gives the student a 25% discount. In
Ireland however, a trip from Dublin to Tralee, which is only four and
half hour trip, will cost €72 for an adult ticket, but with a student travel
card the price would be €47. This gives the student a 34% discount. It
is not possible to use a regular student card to get discounts. The Irish
Student Travel Discount? Not, Dalen 73
rail system has a very high standard. While Irish trains are much more
expensive, compared to Norway, the trains are newer and faster, and stu-
dents get better discount.
Student Travel Card is a separate company
owned by Luas, Irish Rail and Dublin Bus and
they have four staff members. The company is
working with 13 partners to give students spe-
cial deals and discounts, not only on travel, but
Unlike Dublin
also at outlets such as Top Shop, Boots and Bus, Luas and
Champion Sports. Irish Rail, for
The government funds Bus Éireann, Dublin
Bus, Luas and Irish Rail, in that sense the Gov-
some reason
ernment will also fund the money gap between Bus Éireann is
ticket sales and expenses every year. Ciarán able to accept
Cuffe, the Minister of State at Department of
Transport from the Green Party said the CIÉ
all kinds of
program was a part of the Irish Government’s student cards
plan to maximize the use of public transport. on their
CIÉ and its companies have been involved in
a major investment program funded through
journeys
the National Development Plan with EU co-
funding and they use the money to shape up
busses and railways.
Ciarán Cuffe also said if the students did not buy the Student Travel
Card they would not travel as much as they do now. They simply couldn’t
afford it, he reckons. Unlike Dublin Bus, Luas and Irish Rail, for some
reason Bus Éireann is able to accept all kinds of student cards on their
journeys. If you want buy a Limerick-Dublin return ticket, the normal
price would be €19.80, and you would save €2.25 on the trip if you show
your student card. That is not much, only 11% and you have to buy a
return ticket to get a discount.
The Student Travel Card Group have made €864 000 so far this year,
but every time a student uses their student travel card, Irish rail lose 34%
of the fare.
Ciarán Cuffe does not agree, he thinks students would travel less if
the student travel card did not exist. “The goal is to make as many people
as possible use public transport”, he says over the telephone.
Ireland is the only
country in Europe
where you need to pay
for a card to prove that
It is a disgrace that students liv- you are a student. You
ing in Ireland have to pay to get can use your regular
the student benefits that are third level student
card on your public
free everywhere else in Europe transport travels in
for example Norway,
Sweden and Den-
mark. So why can’t
Irish students use their student cards on journeys here in Ireland?
Michelle from the company, Student Travel Card, explains over the
phone that it is because it’s too confusing for Irish Rail, Dublin Bus,
Dart and the Luas to handle the different student cards, and to check
their legitimacy. “The student travel card saw daylight for the first time
in 2004, this was to register students”, says Michelle. She and three other
staff members at Student Travel Card work the whole year around “for
the students”. While the card is similar reminds us of the International
Student Travel Card (ITSC) used throughout Europe, the ITSC will
not be recognized by Irish Rail, Luas or on Irish trains.
In Sweden they have a different system. Reduced prices go to all
students, as well as to everyone under the age of 26. Since most of these
are students or in a life situation where they don’t have a lot of money,
it is fair.
Students who come to visit Ireland, inter-railing for example, cannot
Student Travel Discount? Not, Dalen 75
use their ITSC card as they do in the rest of Europe, and cannot buy rail
tickets at student discount prices, since the (Irish) student travel card
is restricted to only people who study at second and third level here in
Ireland. It is a disgrace that students living in Ireland have to pay to get
the student benefits that are free everywhere else in Europe!
Home Sweet Dam
Mark O’Flynn investigates the November 2009
Cork city floods and finds the ESB, Cork City
Council and property developers partly to blame.
H
ave you ever felt unsafe in your own home? Have you ever wok-
en up in the middle of the night knowing that everything that
you worked so hard for is suddenly at risk of being destroyed?
In the early hours of November 20th 2009, thousands of people all over
Cork city and county woke up to this living nightmare.
The damage that was done to homes and businesses in Cork city and
county was both catastrophic and unforeseeable for the general public.
In University College Cork (UCC) alone, the damage was estimated
at around €25 million. According to a report done on flood damage in
UCC, 29 of its buildings suffered from significant flooding. As well as
that, some 30 of UCC’s 80 acres were submerged in flood water. It is well
known that Cork itself is on a floodplain and is therefore susceptible to
floods. Because of the fact that floods as extreme as the one that hap-
pened in November never happened before, different people are point-
ing the finger of blame everywhere.
In short, the majority of people are blaming the ESB for the floods
because they are in charge of the Inniscarra Dam which discharged the
water into Cork city and county. But does all the attention have to be
put on the ESB at this time? Was there not some sort of negligence on
behalf of some property developers or Cork County Council?
John O’ Flynn, owner and director of O’ Flynn Construction, ap-
plied for planning permission to build houses in Ballincollig, Co. Cork
in 2004. At the time, O’ Flynn Construction were redeveloping the old
army barracks and converted a section of it by the River Lee into a hous-
ing estate called Old Quarter, Ballincollig. “Our building ground was in
Home Sweet Dam, O’Flynn 77
a possible flood zone area and the water was passing us close by,” says Mr.
O’ Flynn. “The obvious conclusion was that the water was passing our
site at a low line. So it
was definitely a flood
risk area.”
In order to pre-
vent damage to the After receiving information
site in later years, O’ from the dam they raised the
Flynn Construction
ground level up “a good
approached the Inn-
iscarra Dam and en- meter”… At the time of the
quired what was the floods, no damage occurred to
highest level of water
the estate.
recorded in the area
where the houses were
going to be developed.
After receiving this
information from the dam, O’ Flynn says that they raised the ground
level up “a good meter”. At the time of the floods, no damage occurred
to the Old Quarter housing estate. In the same area, however, a site that
was not at a high enough level above the ground was damaged from the
flooding. “We do know of an adjacent site where the developers there
did not raise the levels high enough and the sewers were flooded. Our
own place would have been flooded as well if we did not check the levels,
there is no doubt about that”.
The Kingsley hotel at Victoria’s Cross in Cork City did not have such
a happy ending in comparison. The hotel was built by Victoria’s Cross in
1997. Prior to the hotel being built there, the old Cork Municipal Baths
were situated on the same site. The baths were opened to the public in
1934 and closed in 1986. This same site is located right across the road
from Cork County Council where all planning applications are received.
Despite the fact that there were occasional floods down through the
years on the Lee Fields, including a flood in 1986 due to a large dis-
charge of water from the Inniscarra dam that was witnessed by locals of
Cork city, planning permission was granted to build the Kingsley Hotel
on this very site.
Colm Feeney, a Cork engineer for John O’ Donovan & Associates
( JODA) said that there is a prescribed floor level for buildings in Cork
since the 1960s, which is 3.1 metres. It is recommended for builders
not to go below this floor level and if so, then waterproof basements for
car parks must be used for construction. In 2005, planning permission
was once again given
to the Kingsley Ho-
tel to build an under-
“The reservoir was full in ground car park right
next to the hotel. On
September, October and the night of the floods
November. That should not in November 2009,
have happened. And since residents of the hotel
who had their vehicles
the floods the reservoir is at a parked in the under-
record low.” ground car park had
their cars damaged as
a result of the flood.
As well as that, resi-
dents of the Kingsley were evacuated from the hotel at 4:30am.
If the planning permission had insisted that waterproof materi-
als were used for the construction of the underground car park in the
Kingsley, then it would be expected that a limited amount of damage
would happen to the car park. It would also be expected that good qual-
ity waterproof material would be used seeing that the underground car
park is approximately three metres below the riverbed. However, this was
not the case. “Because of poor construction, the car park of the Kings-
ley was completely flooded,” says Mr. Feeney. “The construction itself
was not waterproof and flooding was coming through the walls of the
basement. This was an extreme situation but the hotel would have been
prone to flooding anyway,” says Feeney. So not only did Cork County
Council give planning permission to build a hotel on a floodplain as well
as further planning permission to construct a car park under a river bed,
but permission for less than adequate construction was also a contribut-
ing factor to the damage done. To this day, the Kingsley Hotel remains
closed.
Looking at another development, Brookfield Village was built on
College Road in Cork City in 1990. The site includes a leisure centre,
a three star hotel and student accommodation as well as holiday homes
during the summertime. Denis O’ Flynn, one of the owners of the com-
plex says that that the total amount of damage done to Brookfield at
the time of the floods was no more than €200,000. When asked about
approaching the Inniscarra Dam about finding out about flood levels
for Brookfield, as it is situated on the Curraheen River, he replied “No.
There would have been a level given to us at that time and we kept above
that. What happened at Inniscarra that night was a man made problem,
nothing else.” By saying this, Mr. O’ Flynn is saying what a lot of other
people in Cork are; it was the ESB that was at fault.
On the week of the flooding, Met Éireann gave a detailed five day
forecast in the Munster region. It must be noted, however, that 50mm
of rainfall was predicted for Inniscarra but on the day itself, 80mm of
rainfall was recorded. “It is difficult for Met Éireann to give a detailed
rain forecast. Even in the Lee attachment from Inniscarra to Ballingeary,
rainfall could vary,” says an anonymous interviewee. Having said that,
in the book “Generations: Memories of the Lee Hydroelectric Scheme,
County Cork” it says the following about collecting rainfall data at the
Inniscarra dam: “Rainfall instruments were located at both dams (In-
niscarra and Carrigadrohid) so electronic equipments was put there. The
instruments collect data on rainfall, which is transmitted to Inniscarra
hour by hour. We [workers at the Inniscarra dam] know how much rain
falls and that gives us a six hour gap to make decisions on the reservoir
levels and river flow.”
When asked about the location of the Kingsley Hotel, the anonymous
interviewee stated that the Kingsley did not check the flood levels with
the dam at the time of development, something which the interviewee
found “very strange
at the time”. The fact
that so much damage
was done to the King-
sley proves that not Four hours and 20 minutes
only were the floor later, the discharge rate [from
levels too low, but the
water level on the site
the dam] was increased by 196
was not checked. cubic metres per second but no
People who live in one was informed; lack of
the local area of Innis-
carra are of the strong
communication between the
opinion that the ESB ESB and Cork County Council
are at fault because of was evident
the fact that the reser-
voir was very full with
water at the time of
the floods. “The reser-
voir was full in September, October and November. That should not have
happened,” says a local resident who lives less than four miles form the
Inniscarra dam. “During the whole autumn, the reservoir was full. Why
was that the case? And since the floods, the reservoir is at a record low.”
Through extensive research, this journalist has uncovered some points
of information about the Inniscarra dam on the night of the floods. At
5:30pm on November 19th, the ESB were releasing 350 cubic metres of
water per second; that was the last communication that was issued by
the ESB to Cork County Council. At 9:50pm that evening, the ESB in-
creased the discharge rate up to 546 cubic metres per second. From 1986,
it is known that when 300 cubic metres of water per second is released
from the dam, then Cork city would flood. On the night of the floods,
water was still stored in the reservoir preventing greater damage on Cork
city. The exact figures of the water stored were not released by the ESB.
The ESB had been releasing water from the dam the Sunday before the
floods, starting off at 70 tonnes per second and then increasing to 120
tonnes per second later on in the week, up to 5:30 pm on Thursday 19th.
Based on the information given above, the last contact made by the
ESB was at 5:30pm. Four hours and 20 minutes later, the discharge rate
was increased by 196 cubic metres per second but no one was informed;
lack of communication between the ESB and Cork County Council was
evident here.
Glen Pope, Hydro Manager for the ESB in Dublin was not able to
give facts and figures about the Inniscarra dam and the level of water
discharged: “Unfortunately we’re not in a position to do anything in that
space of time at all while we’re obviously co-operating with both an Oi-
reachtas Committee and a ministerial review”.
When asked if floods of this kind were likely to happen again, Cork
engineer Colm Feeney says that, “With global warming it may not have
been a once off flood but I think that it was badly managed by the ESB
as well”. The likelihood of a flood of this nature occurring again was
stated by the anonymous interviewee, “It is likely that floods of this kind
will happen again, even greater floods,” he said.
Dioxin Levels Set To Rise
When incinerators were being constructed all over
Europe, Ireland remained critical. Now that their
construction has ceased in the USA and slowed in
Europe, a waste combustion plant is being built on
Dublin‘s Poolbeg peninsula. Jennifer Kober
investigates.
F
rench scientists believe incineration could be more detrimental
to people’s health than previously anticipated. According to a
study carried out in 2003, the emissions of incinerators exceed
the amount Environmental Impact Studies can estimate before an in-
cinerator is operating.
After observing the homes of 222 people who had recently developed
lymphoma, the study found that the risk of developing the disease was
much higher in areas with medium to high dioxin levels in the air.
Lymphoma, a solid tumour in the lymphatic cells, can be terminal.
For residents in the surrounding environment of a municipal waste in-
cinerator, the risk of getting lymphoma was two to three times higher
than for others, says the study. The amount of dioxins emitted by the
plant studied was much greater than the Environmental Impact Study
suggested.
In the case of Poolbeg, the study carried out by the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) states the nature and the amount of emis-
sions produced in the waste combustion process. It mentions them as
potential dangers which, if controlled and filtered would not be harmful
to local residents. It confirms the proposed Dublin incinerator as safe.
This is a view shared by local T.D. Ruairi Quinn. He believes that,
if correctly monitored and filtered, these emissions would not be dan-
Dioxin Levels Set To Rise, Kober 83
gerous for citizens . Nonetheless, he does not support the construction

of the facility in Ringsend. “I think it has to be a much smaller incin-
erator and the location is wrong. For the greater Dublin area, it should
be somewhere in the Midlands, where there is very little population,”
Quinn suggests.
“Personally, I am
not against incin-
For residents in the surround- eration in principle. I
ing environment of a municipal think, there are incin-
erators working well
waste incinerator, the risk of in other countries. If
getting lymphoma [cancer] was you have the proper
two to three times higher than health and safety
standards installed
for others and properly moni-
tored, because this is
the most important
thing. There are seat-
belts in every car, but if you don’t put it on every time you use it, you do
not have the protection. It is one thing to have the standards for safety
as the Poolbeg facility claims, but it is another to have them properly
administered,” he says.
Quinn states, that the transport of waste would be an additional fac-
tor that would need to be revised. “The experience that residents in this
area have had with the public-private partnership for the local sewage
treatment plant was that it was not operated properly. The management
did not know how to do it.”
The Ringsend Wastewater Treatment Plant started operating in
2003, in order to recycle wastewater and clean the city’s rivers. It was the
first example of a large public-private partnership in Dublin. The failure
to frequently monitor the plant resulted in over 300 complaints about
odours in 2007. Dublin City Council said the neglect was due to the
repeated breakdown of the monitoring and filtering equipment.

Quinn says this has created a distrust of Dublin City Council and
private companies among the local residents of Ringsend. “If we are de-
pending on the same group of people to run the incineration plant, I am
not confident at all that it will be very good. As this is the case at the
present time, they won’t tell us the truth about the facility. They won’t
tell us what the nature of the contract is and where the safeguards are.
There is a mystery in relation to all this and yet, if it goes wrong the
taxpayer will have to bear the cost. That is unacceptable in a democracy,”
said Quinn
Ruairi Quinn’s opinion is shared by Maurice Bryan, a local engineer
from Ringsend. Bryan is a member of the citizen group Combined Resi-
dents Against Incineration (CRAI). The group has initiated an extensive,
ongoing research campaign against the facility. “I have been involved in
this for nearly ten years now, says Bryan. “I was initially brought in about
the effect it [incineration] has on wildlife. Because I am a qualified en-
gineer, I was able to understand all the technical matter. So I became
deeply embedded in it and I attended all the oral hearings in court.”
Bryan says that he does not trust the private public partnership and
that the amount of preliminary research it carried out was insufficient.
“The environmental impact study was good. There was a lot in it, but
it was not at all adequate. A lot of research is being carried out about
the effects of incineration, but a lot of the particles that come out of an
incinerator are very difficult to measure. In the last six years, there have
been a lot of problems surfacing about the carcinogenic effect of these
particles and how the pathogens can piggy-back onto the small dust
particles in the air”.
The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA), who issued
a report on incineration and its possible health impact in 2009, does
not confirm Bryan’s worries. It advocates the use of such thermal waste
treatment as an important source of energy. SEPA claims that waste
incineration reduces the overall use of fossil fuels for energy generation
and therefore helps to mitigate climate change. The study says that strin-
gent operational conditions, technical requirements and emission limits
would ensure the protection of the environment and human health. Al-
though it would be impossible to rule out harmful health effects for local
residents, SEPA remains confident that emitted particles, if detectable,
are too small to be of health risk. According to this, incinerators are safe
and no need for con-
cern. Residents would
not be affected.
Bryan believes the In a report on dioxin levels in
Irish Environmental
Protection Agency food, water and air from 1999
(EPA) should not the FSAI has found that in
have granted the li- Ireland exposure to the chemi-
cence to Poolbeg. By
doing so, it had im- cal is the lowest in Europe. The
posed very strict con- report attributes this to the fact
ditions on the opera- that there were no waste
tion and the emissions
of the incineration incineration facilities in the
plant. In effect, he country at the time
further explains, the
correct operation and
discharges could not
be measured until it is built. Therefore, these measurements could not be
evaluated until the facility is built and already operating.
He says that he fears the construction costs could have been spent in
vain. “This just was not listened to. In fact, the whole thing has been ig-
nored and was reverse-engineered. Dublin City Council picked the site
and they picked the size before anything else. And they have been trying
to justify it ever since. The council has spent €25 million on consultancy
fees, we have spent about €12,000 at the same time. Nobody will give us
any funding,” Bryan explains.

The EPA’s study states that the incinerator will produce 0.4 grams
of Dioxin emissions per year. This figure seems small, but could signifi-
cantly increase the Dioxin exposure of residents in Dublin, the Food
Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) suggests. In a report on dioxin levels
in food, water and air
from 1999, the FSAI
has found that, in Ire-
The [Ecomed] report acknowl- land, exposure to the
chemical is the low-
edges that very little is known
est in Europe. The
by scientists about the nature of report attributes this
the pollutants, but that there is to the fact that there
were no waste incin-
evidence to believe that the ash
eration facilities in the
created by incinerators contains country at the time. It
a high concentration of the toxic states that the aver-
age amount of Dioxin
substances dioxin and heavy
emitted by municipal
metals such as mercury, lead waste incinerators in
and copper the European Union
reaches 0.5 micro-
grams per tonne of
waste.
The Poolbeg facility could burn up to 60,000 tonnes of waste per
year according to Dublin City Council (DCC). If this figure is met, the
incinerator could produce up to 0.67 micrograms of Dioxin per tonne of
waste. DCC states that the plant is to be operated 24 hours a day, 365
days a year. This could mean that Ringsend could have dioxin levels of
4.6 micrograms in the air every hour.
As these calculations are based on estimations, Maurice Bryan says
the numbers need to be investigated by an independent researcher in
order to give accurate pollution forecasts. “It is a community which al-

ready has health problems. We have many independent health experts,
but nobody was allowed to do a full health survey because the Council
said they haven‘t got enough money, which is nonsense. They have been
able to give €25 million to consultants they picked. They know that if
somebody else did the survey, he was going to turn up health problems.”
The British Society for Ecological Medicine (Ecomed) published a
report in 2009 claiming that the health risk of municipal waste incinera-
tion is bigger than previously anticipated by impact studies. It confirms
Bryan’s suggestion that even small concentrations of toxins, which re-
main in the filtered emissions, can be very dangerous for the health of
residents.
Ecomed believes that most of these toxins are bio-accumulative. This
means they could build up inside the human body, which cannot break
them down properly. When this happens, very low exposure levels would
suffice for the development of chronic illnesses, such as asthma, heart
disease, birth defect in children and different forms of cancer. The report
acknowledges that very little is known by scientists about the nature of
the pollutants, but that there is evidence to believe that the ash created
by incinerators contains a high concentration of the toxic substances
dioxin and heavy metals such as mercury, lead and copper.
According to Medscape, an online medical database, these minerals
could be very detrimental to human health. Despite the fact that it is
used in many industries such as agriculture and battery and thermome-
ter manufacturing, it is still a concern because mercury is one of the most
dangerous metals on the planet. Lead is used in building construction,
bullets and lead-acid batteries.
Copper, even though being a natural compound of the human body,
is toxic if it is unbound in our environment. Medscape warns that mer-
cury, lead or copper poisoning could happen if they are inhaled, ingested,
injected or absorbed through the skin. The website says this could lead
to anaemia, brain damage, or even death. Due to the high toxicity of
these minerals, small amounts can cause damage to the body, but regular
exposure causes the biggest risk of toxification.
This is supported by Maurice Bryan. He says, while he is highly con-
cerned with the bottom ash, the same substances are already contained
in the household waste which is meant to be burned. “The fallout of the
incinerator is very hazardous. But there are also waste problems. The
Council is proposing to take the waste through the Port Tunnel. As we
saw recently in the accident, this can be very dangerous. That was burn-
ing household waste. It took them 36 hours and 30 fire brigades to put
it out. If that happens down here, nobody might burn to death, but the
smoke that comes out of a waste fire hasn’t been filtered, hasn’t been
cleaned and is very hazardous. It has dioxins and other toxic emissions
in it.”
Bryan is referring to an event on February 26th, 2010, when two
waste lorries crashed inside the Dublin’s Port Tunnel, which lead to the
breakout of a waste fire. Bryan says he blames Dublin City Council for
the constantly changing plans for the incinerator. “The council will not
listen to any objections. The Minister ( John Gormley) himself is against
it. He told Dublin City Council to stop, but they won’t, as they have
already gone through most of the planning process.”
Bryan stresses that there is a need for transparency and communi-
cation with the local residents. “We found out an awful lot of things
which subsequently turned out not to be true. We were told it would
only take waste from the greater Dublin area, that was said several times
in the enquiry. That was the rationale for Poolbeg. The original reason for
putting it to Poolbeg was the Eastern Bypass, which was completed in
2004 when it was meant to work,” Bryan reflects. “As we know, the East-
ern Bypass is gone now, it’s not going to happen, or if it does, it will be
so far in the future that the incinerator would be worn out. That makes
transport a problem immediately, because the waste is coming from the
suburbs mostly.”
The engineer does not believe that the proposed 60,000 tonnes of
waste can be burned. “We were told, over and over again, there was
enough waste in Dublin to feed the incinerator. It now turns out there
isn’t and that actually, at the time the hearing was being held, the Coun-
cil knew they were going to have to take on a partner. And they were
actually in process of negotiating a contract, which we have only seen
the provisions of in the last couple of days. It says half of the waste need
to be collected by the operating company and they proposed to collect it
from all over Ireland.”
Ruairi Quinn agrees with Maurice Bryan’s suggestion that a national
plant is not an appropriate solution and he does not believe that the
location for the incinerator can be justified. He recommends opening an
incinerator in the countryside: “In the middle of the bogs we did have
turf and peat electricity generating stations before and the facilities are
still there.”
Other than Bryan, Quinn promotes the use of the Port Tunnel: “The
waste that is collected locally should be taken together and bailed in
around the facility of the M50 and transported by railway in the night
time, when there is no rail travel to ensure a safer transportation,” he
explains. “You reduce the amount of the material that has to be inciner-
ated and conduct the incineration in an area where there is no risk to
population, as it would be in Poolbeg. That would be the best possibility.”
Maurice Bryan stresses that the concept of waste incineration has ex-
pired. “It could not produce that much energy, although there is a lot of
talk about this. But there are other processes available, such as mechani-
cal, biological treatment. It would be so much more efficient to turn our
waste into bio fuel, as we would not be forced, in order to generate it,
to give up land that could be usefully growing crops instead. There is a
definite benefit to using those, they are much cheaper and they don’t
have any emissions. But somehow, nobody will look at it”, Bryan says.
“This incinerator gives you huge transport issues, it gives you an in-
creased carbon footprint and it gives you problems of hazardous waste. It
is a problem. Something that was to be a local facility is now a national
one.” he explains. “So why should it be in Poolbeg? I have always said it

is the wrong place.”
So whether the Green Party being in government will have any im-
pact on DCC remains to be seen. Based on the evidence available, if
looks as if the residents of Dublin 4 can look forward to increased lym-
phoma cancer and dramatic increases in waste truck traffic.

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Faculty of Journalism and Media Communications

The Griffith Book of

Written by students of the Journalism and Media

© 2010 Griffith College Dublin and students of the

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons

Layout and design by Alan Gill

T HE MONEY SECT ION

Mental Health of the Nation 6

Back to the Old Education System 14

National Learning Network sees Recession-linked

Dolphin House Contemplates Uncertain Future 28

State Services Could Cost 21% Extra 32

Anglo Closure Costs Exaggerated By Government 38

T HE REGULAT ION SECT ION

Modern Irish Prostitution 44

Headshop Reality, Media Reality 49

Head Shops: Are We Using Our Heads? 54

Government Fails To Regulate Fake ‘Charity’

Pandemic In A Time Of Crisis 62

RSA Launches Driver Fatigue Awareness Campaign 69

T HE INFRAST RUCTURE SECT ION

Student Travel Discount? Not 72

Home Sweet Dam 76

Dioxin Levels Set To Rise 82

The investigative journalism in this book carried out by students of Griffith

has recently issued an addendum to the Code of Practice relating to the

it was “difficult to convey the extent of the dilapidation. … Long cor-

* To protect anonymity the names of the SNAs have been changed.

word on a replacement as of yet.

the creation of resentment”.

Cutbacks in funding for mental health services are

are distant from the labour market”, provides psychiatric rehabilitation

counties. The source believes that planned closures of regional psychiat-

A year ago Dolphin House in Dublin’s south inner

beside the Grand Canal in Dolphin’s Barn. It is surrounded by high

“There’s a political choice here. We have to remind ourselves just because

The Department of Finance is currently compiling a directory of

Analysis of the latest financial results undermines

Brian Lenihan originally stated in January 2009 that the maximum

speech, Brian Lenihan said, “Finding a long-term solution for Anglo

According to Karl Whelan, these assets might sell at a discount if

decision to convert this holding into a direct shareholding of 15 per cent

a consequent restructuring of the vice trade, prostitution itself may re-

I took my questions to the students in a bid to establish some hard

accountability if you buy something over a counter, if it kills you, I’m

or indie, unfettered culture; substances to get you high, alternative music,

teraction of THC with These cannabinoid receptors (you can think of

interact with endogenous molecules such as enkephalins or endorphins

Allegations are growing that undue influence on

ter and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to produce millions of dozes of Celva-

their preparedness to sell additional doses of their medicines if needed

and Wolgang Wodarg, speaker of German Social Democrats, who are

work before and during the swine flu pandemic.

Health Organisation issue a warning. It said, “people with chronic res-

Sources and More Info:

Irish Department of Health and Children: http://www.dohc.ie/issues/

Jane Burgermeister’s blog: http://birdflu666.wordpress.com/

Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe: http://assembly.

Spiegel Online - International: ‘Swine Flu Panic Grips Ukraine’ http://

Government failure to regulate industry leaves

The Road Safety Authority of Ireland has launched an extensive

the industry in 2000 to limitless taxi numbers,

with a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device to help them