Latest news with #O'Callaghan
Irish Independent
17 hours ago
- Health
- Irish Independent
Cork primary school pupils learning how to cook through new Tesco programme
More than 80 Scoil Barra Naofa Monkstown pupils are currently taking part in the free six-week Stronger Starts Cooks programme. The course, launched by Tesco Ireland, will be delivered to over 3,000 children, mostly fifth calss students, across 42 primary schools in Ireland. Among the highlights of the programme is a visit to a local Tesco store, where students will get to explore the journey of food from farm to shelf, take part in a budgeting challenge and enjoy food sampling sessions. Munster Rugby legend and proud Cork man Donncha O'Callaghan is an ambassador of the programme. Mr O'Callaghan said giving children the tools to make healthy choices is what he 'loves most' about the programme. 'As a dad, I know how important it is to give kids the tools they need to make healthy choices, and that starts with understanding food,' he said. 'What I love most about the Stronger Starts Cooks programme is that it's not just teaching kids how to cook, it's sparking their curiosity about what they eat, where it comes from, and how to make smart decisions in the kitchen and beyond. 'It's real-life learning that sets them up for the future, and I'm proud to be involved.' Stronger Starts Cooks builds on the success of the Stronger Starts Food programme, launched in 2021, which provides free weekly packs of fruit and vegetables to children in DEIS schools. Research commissioned by Tesco Ireland, which surveyed 1,016 parents nationwide, found that 92pc of parents support additional food education in the school curriculum and 44pc of parents feel their children could cook a basic meal from scratch. The research found that almost 80pc of parents believe children lack sufficient knowledge about nutrition, with 54pc saying their own children don't know enough. Only 51pc of parents talk to their children about healthy eating only occasionally or not at all, according to the research.
RTÉ News
18 hours ago
- Business
- RTÉ News
What do State spending figures on refugee and asylum accommodation tell us?
The State spent more than €401 million on accommodation for International Protection applicants and Ukrainian refugees in the first three months of this year. That's according to new figures released by the former Department of Integration detailing its spending for the first quarter of 2025. It's an eye-watering amount of money but it is down on last year's quarterly spends on such accommodation, which ranged from €424m to €490m. Paying for private sector accommodation for refugees and asylum seekers made up 97% of the Department's purchase order spends of €20,000 or more detailed in the report. While hundreds of providers are in receipt of Government payments, 91 were paid more than €1m in the first quarter of this year, and together the top five brought in €52.5m. The Government has said it wants to move away from its reliance on the private and commercial sector when it comes to accommodating refugees and asylum seekers. To this end, the Minister for Justice announced this week that the Cabinet had signed off on his plan to buy Citywest, a campus that has been central to its International Protection and Ukrainian refugee accommodation provision over the last number of years. Jim O'Callaghan announced that the State would buy the hotel and convention centre for the sum of €148.2m, describing it as "value for money". Cape Wrath Hotel Unlimited operates Citywest and over the last couple of years it was the State's top earner when it came to these accommodation contracts. Last year it secured €70.86m in accommodation payments from the State, and it was at the top of the table once more in the first quarter of this year, getting paid €18.7m - almost double what the next best paid accommodation provider received. Mr O'Callaghan said that "purchasing Citywest makes prudent financial sense for the State compared to costs of leasing the site" however it appears that there will still be some invoices forthcoming even after the sale. According to the Department of Justice there will be a "a transition plan with the current service provider for a period of 12 months to ensure there is no disruption to the accommodation services at the site." A statement added that "the service provider will continue to oversee the management and provision of services including catering, cleaning, maintenance and security, resident check-in, operational support, finance and other services." The Department of Integration's quarterly purchase order report sheds some light on the current spend on additional Citywest expenses paid in January, February and March this year, including over €709,000 on security and €580,000 on meals. In total, in the first quarter of this year the State spent over €267m on accommodation and related costs for International Protection applicants and almost €133m for Ukrainian Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection. Separately the Department also spent almost €1.7m on modular accommodation for International Protection applicants in the first quarter of 2025. These figures are all inclusive of VAT. After Citywest operator Cape Wrath Hotel Unlimited, Mosney Holidays PLC, was the next best paid accommodation provider in the first three months of 2025. It was paid €9.7m for providing international protection accommodation at the former holiday resort in Co Meath. The third highest paid provider was Holiday Inn Dublin Airport, which was paid €8.5m. Over January, February and March, the report shows Travelodge Hotels, operated by Smorgs ROI Management Limited, were paid over €8m. However, in this period there were also payments amounting to €3.6m made directly to Tifco Ltd which runs Travelodge Hotels among others, and of almost €1.85m made to Pumkinspice Ltd, which also operates a Travelodge Hotel in Dublin City Centre. Rounding out the top five earners in the first quarter of 2025, East Coast Catering, which owns a number of hotels, was paid almost €7.5m. Last year saw a record number of people seeking Protection in Ireland, 18,561. However fewer asylum seekers are doing so this year. Last year 9,199 people had sought asylum in Ireland by 31 May, compared to 5,037 in the same period this year. But there's no denying that there a real demand for accommodation for asylum seekers. As of the 4 May this year there were 32,934 people, including 9,442 children, living in International Protection accommodation. For more than two years now most male asylum seekers who seek international protection in Ireland are not offered accommodation on arrival, with the Government citing an ongoing accommodation shortage. As of Monday, the Department of Justice said there were 2,987 asylum seekers awaiting an offer of accommodation by the State. Meanwhile, the number of Ukrainian refugees in State provided accommodation is down significantly from its peak of almost 60,000 at the end of 2023. Since then, the State has limited free accommodation provision for new arrivals to three months and has cut supports for those in hotel style accommodation. As of 1 June, there were 23,599 Ukrainian refugees in State provided accommodation.
The Journal
a day ago
- Politics
- The Journal
Minister criticised after recent deportation flight took off without human rights monitor on board
A GOVERNMENT CHARTER flight that flew to Nigeria earlier this month has been criticised after it emerged that no independent human rights observer was on board the flight. Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon accused the government of 'skipping independent scrutiny' in favour of 'theatre' by allowing the flight to make its journey without a monitor on board. These independent human rights observers were on board the government's two previous charter flights, which saw a combined 71 people deported to Georgia. This was followed by a special charter flight this month where some 35 people, including five children, were deported from Ireland to Nigeria. The flight was heavily criticised afterwards by a Dublin school and by a Clondalkin community group as each had members of their community on board. In response to a Parliamentary Question from Gannon about the makeup of the professional personnel involved in the flight, Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan disclosed that 'due to technical reasons outside the control' of the Department of Justice, the human rights observer was not able to accompany the flight to Lagos. O'Callaghan defended himself from criticism of the flights, telling Gannon that planning and consideration had been given to 'ensure the safety and wellbeing' of the people being removed from Ireland to Nigeria. Role of human rights observers The role of the independent human rights observer is to monitor the use of force and restraints for deportees on the flight. Such observers are currently not mandatory for charter deportation flights in Ireland. However, there are requirements to have such monitors so as to ensure fundamental rights are upheld during forced returns of people. These requirements feature in the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture (OPCAT) but Ireland remains the only EU member state yet to ratify the protocol , despite having signed it in 2007. It is included in the current Programme for Government . They had been present at Dublin Airport before the flight took off and later received a debrief from gardaí who were on board the plane, according to O'Callaghan. In addition to Garda personnel, the returnees on the flights were accompanied by a doctor and an advanced paramedic. The flights are carried out by the Garda National Immigration Bureau. Advertisement In his response to Gannon, seen by The Journal , O'Callaghan said the independent observer was briefed by gardaí afterwards. 'For the charter flight to Nigeria the observer was present in Dublin Airport to monitor the operation prior to departure of the charter flight on 4 June 2025 and meet with returnees including the families concerned,' O'Callaghan said. 'However, due to technical reasons outside the control of my Department, the observer was not able to accompany the flight to Lagos. The observer has been debriefed by a nominated Garda escort on the operation of the flight.' Gannon had asked about the number of professionals present on board, including medical staff, child protection professionals and psychological support personnel. The Dublin Central TD told The Journal that the minister needed to clarify whether he believes a human rights observer is 'essential' for the flights. If so, then O'Callaghan needed to outline 'why did he let the Nigeria flight go ahead' without an observer. He repeated a criticism of the minister's use of the flights as a form of PR and a submission to anti-migrant demonstrations seen over recent years. 'Having the Gardaí who carried out the deportation 'debrief' the observer afterwards isn't oversight, it's theatre,' Gannon said. 'This flight involved children. The State has a legal and moral duty to safeguard their rights at every stage, not just when it's convenient. Skipping independent scrutiny when children are being forcibly removed strips away any pretence of a rights-based approach. What we're seeing is a government more committed to appearing tough than doing things properly. Gannon added that the deportation flights will 'go down as a shameful episode' in the life of the current government. 'It may play well in certain corners of the political world, but anyone with a shred of decency can see how wrong this was,' Gannon claimed. The Fianna Fáil minister said he accepted that deportations were 'challenging' for the people involved. He added that they had received legal orders to leave the State and that the flights were required to ensuring that Ireland's immigration system is 'robust and rules based'. He noted that any person who has been ordered to leave the State is committing a criminal offence and 'can be arrested without warrant if they come into contact with An Garda Síochána'. The 2,113 deportation orders signed this year are nearing last year's total of 2,403 orders. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Examiner
a day ago
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Prime €1.85m Cork Harbour development site hits market
A standout development site overlooking Cork Harbour, with flexible zoning and excellent transport links, is on the market in Ringaskiddy for €1.85m. Known as Paddy's Point, the 2.73ha (6.74a) waterfront site, formerly part of the Irish Steel portfolio, will have instant access to the new M28 motorway and is served by public transport. Pharma and biotech are among the likely interest parties in this €1.85m harbourside site at Paddy's Point, Ringaskiddy. Zoning under the county development plan permits offices, educational facilities, and research and development, ideally suited to nearby established operators seeking to expand within this major hub for pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. The site could also appeal to the MTU's Ringaskiddy-based National Maritime College of Ireland for expanded marine-related training, education, and innovation. Lisney's Gerard O'Callaghan says it's a 'spectacular site, with 270-degree views of Cork Harbour, and would make a magnificent office location'. 'What I would be saying to any big entities in Ringaskiddy considering investing in offices or R&D, is that this is a far better option than building on a greenfield campus down the road. 'I believe it would be hard to find the combination of this spectacular and idyllic setting, location, zoning, and infrastructure anywhere else in Ireland.' Mr O'Callaghan added that it had high potential for value growth as Cork's economic zone expands. 'This should encourage investment in the site. Any finished development would certainly be more valuable than a like-for-like development undertaken on a greenfield site, or adjoining a manufacturing campus elsewhere.' The site, which includes some foreshore, is comprised of 2ha of building land, with a 240 sq m storage shed and a secure hardstand compound. It's just 800m from the under-construction M28 motorway, and the 223 bus route terminus is across the road. Mr O'Callaghan said by the time new offices were built at Paddy's Point, the M28 should be completed as its due date is 2028. The new motorway is of critical importance to Ringaskiddy, which handles much of the region's freight as Cork Harbour's main deep-water port. 'I believe it offers a superb opportunity for an office development and will likely appeal to local multinationals and port-related companies,' Mr O'Callaghan said. The site was previously used by Irish Steel as a holding depot and was separated from the main campus (now an amenity park) by a bridge. Following Irish Steel's closure in 2001, it was sold to a local civil engineering contracting business and used for general storage and for accommodating plant. DETAILS: gocallaghan@ 9214275079.
RTÉ News
2 days ago
- Business
- RTÉ News
Govt agrees €148m purchase of Citywest Hotel and campus
Minister for Justice, Jim O'Callaghan has said Cabinet has approved plans to proceed with the purchase of the Citywest Hotel and campus in Dublin for €148.2m. The State has been leasing the property since 2020 when it was used as a Covid vaccination site. Since 2022, it was used to house those in need of temporary protection and more recently for international protection applicants. Speaking at Government Buildings, Minister O'Callaghan said: "It really does represent value for money in terms of the amount of money we're spending on the private commercial sector as opposed to the savings that can be achieved if we own our own accommodation." Minister O'Callaghan said €148.2 million purchase price would result in significant savings over time. "It's going to be far cheaper in the long-term in terms of owning it as opposed to the cost we're paying at present per person in the accommodation." In a statement, the Department of Justice said the purchase of the facility was part of a "long-term strategy to developing a sustainable accommodation system", and that the "site will deliver significant long-term savings to the State as its moves from licencing to ownership". The Department also said securing the site in State ownership would "enable Ireland to meet requirements under the new EU Pact on Migration and Asylum". Protest by residents Asked about protests outside Leinister House last week by residents opposing the purchase, Minister of State Colm Brophy said "we are not changing over all what is happening in Citywest at the moment in terms of numbers and Citywest has actually been working very effectively in terms of having an IPAS centre there and Ukrainians also". He said the campus has offered a range of services effectively for several years. Minister Brophy said that by owning Citywest "we can save effectively 50% of the operating costs". Minister O'Callaghan said, in terms of the programme for Government, the plan is to own 14,000 accommodation units for those seeking international protection.
