Outsourcing Cervical Smear Test Screening shows Double Standards
All this talk of 'shopping at home' and doing our 'patriotic duty' has me wondering why then, the Government and the National Cancer Screening Service has outsourced the screening of cervical smear testing to the United States????
Surely, jobs will be lost as a result of this decision - jobs that we could well do with at this stage. The Government is not walking the walk that it is talking. It's good enough for them to go to the cheapest provider, even if they are on the other side of the Atlantic but its not ok for us ordinary people to go just the other side of the border?
Now I have to say that I have always been a believer in shopping at home and very rarely head anywhere other than Waterford to shop. Perhaps it comes from having had my husband working in the retail trade in Waterford for so long and knowing how hard it can be to make a living at it.
But the Government is being at the very least unhelpful in this - or indeed, at worst, demonstrating double standards; a one law for me and another one for you approach. They should cancel that contract for outsourcing cervical smear test screening as soon as possible and show good faith and the courage of their own convictions.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
3 Year Wait too Long! Designate WIT now.
The Government must grant University designation to Waterford Institute of Technology without further delay.
It is almost 3 years since WIT made application to the Government for University designation in February 2005 and almost a year since the long awaited and much abused report by Dr Jim Port which was commissioned by the Government, was finally published. It surely makes a mockery of the Governments own legislation if they continue to refuse to allow WITs’ case be adjudicated on by an International Panel as set out in the Universities Act 1997 (Section 9).
We run the risk at this stage, of our hard-worked and comprehensive application being totally out-dated by the Governments lack of action of this most important issue.
Waterford has been devastated by job loss announcements over the past years and months in particular and if the Governments’ own National Spatial Strategy is to mean anything then the South East Region, which alone suffers by having no University, must be given the tools to stimulate and deliver real regional growth.
Dr Jim Port stated in his report that WIT is already ‘operating at University level’ and deserves to have its case examined. The Government has the legislation but we have had three years of delay and prevarication. Perhaps we can expect an announcement in advance of the Local Elections when surely Fianna Fáil will want to give something to try to reverse their terrible showing in the 2004 Local Elections???
Personally, I don’t care what the reason but we need University designation and we need it now.
The Government must grant University designation to Waterford Institute of Technology without further delay.
It is almost 3 years since WIT made application to the Government for University designation in February 2005 and almost a year since the long awaited and much abused report by Dr Jim Port which was commissioned by the Government, was finally published. It surely makes a mockery of the Governments own legislation if they continue to refuse to allow WITs’ case be adjudicated on by an International Panel as set out in the Universities Act 1997 (Section 9).
We run the risk at this stage, of our hard-worked and comprehensive application being totally out-dated by the Governments lack of action of this most important issue.
Waterford has been devastated by job loss announcements over the past years and months in particular and if the Governments’ own National Spatial Strategy is to mean anything then the South East Region, which alone suffers by having no University, must be given the tools to stimulate and deliver real regional growth.
Dr Jim Port stated in his report that WIT is already ‘operating at University level’ and deserves to have its case examined. The Government has the legislation but we have had three years of delay and prevarication. Perhaps we can expect an announcement in advance of the Local Elections when surely Fianna Fáil will want to give something to try to reverse their terrible showing in the 2004 Local Elections???
Personally, I don’t care what the reason but we need University designation and we need it now.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Waterford Crystal Pensions
Hi there,
this is my first ever blog - something I've wanted to do for a while now so here goes......
On the Waterford Crystal Pensions issue, how come the goverenment can come up with €138m to 'compensate' pig farmers and producers (who can all go straight back into business), without any concern about setting a 'precedent' but they won't help out the pensioners in Waterford Crystal - who are not young enough to go back and start working again???? If this pension scheme collapses people will be very reluctant to contribute to any private pension scheme ever again - and why should they? The pensions must be protected. It's a national issue. The Taoiseach is in Japan working on the pig market - why doesn't he come to Waterford and work on the people market????
this is my first ever blog - something I've wanted to do for a while now so here goes......
On the Waterford Crystal Pensions issue, how come the goverenment can come up with €138m to 'compensate' pig farmers and producers (who can all go straight back into business), without any concern about setting a 'precedent' but they won't help out the pensioners in Waterford Crystal - who are not young enough to go back and start working again???? If this pension scheme collapses people will be very reluctant to contribute to any private pension scheme ever again - and why should they? The pensions must be protected. It's a national issue. The Taoiseach is in Japan working on the pig market - why doesn't he come to Waterford and work on the people market????
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