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Martin wades into abortion debateAs the Dáil committee hearings continue on the abortion bill, Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin has waded into the debate saying it is important that Christian believers "be, and seen to be, on the side of life, especially when life is most vulnerable".
Payment cuts see families pay rent shortfallLimits on rent supplement payments set by the Government are forcing thousands of families to make undeclared top-up payments to landlords to secure places to live.
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Anger as North Korea launches another missileNorth Korea fired a short-range missile from its east coast, a day after launching three more of these missiles, a South Korean news agency said.
How Star Trek predicted the futureWHEN Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry first dreamed up the concept of a television show based in the unexplored universe of Outer Space in 1964, the world was a very different place.
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Warnings over future of eurozoneThe eurozone is heading towards a break up unless there are moves towards much closer political and fiscal union, according to chief economist with State Street Global Advisers, Chris Probyn.
Bruton defends corporate tax rateIreland will be able to maintain its current corporation tax code in the face of international pressure to prevent multinational corporations avoid paying their fare share of tax, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton said yesterday.
- SPORT
Mayo’s statement of intentGalway 0-11 Mayo 4-16 Five minutes to go in Salthill yesterday and James Horan was still cajoling his men to sew it into Galway.
Wilkinson inspires Toulon to gloryASM Clermont Auvergne 15 Toulon 16 Not for the first time this season, a matchday performance and the result have made a mockery of the statistics.
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What Lenny did nextLENNY Abrahamson has directed three feature films: Adam & Paul, Garage and What Richard Did.
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Breaking stories
Culture change ahead on rights
By Mary Regan, Political Correspondent
A change in the culture of how children are treated will follow the constitutional acceptance of their rights, according to the Ombudsman for Children, Emily Logan.
She said the wording of the proposed change to the Constitution to be put to the people on Nov 10 was stronger than she had expected.The wording, announced yesterday, received a strong welcome from groups representing children’s rights and so far no major opponents have emerged.
The Children’s Rights Alliance said it was an “exciting” and “historic” day for Ireland. While it will carry out a full analysis of the wording in the coming days, the alliance said: “We are delighted that the Government has taken the important and long-awaited step towards strengthening children’s rights in the Constitution.”
Ms Logan praised Frances Fitzgerald, the minister for children, for achieving the right balance: “Generally children in Ireland are well looked after and are in secure, loving homes. But there are exceptions. Inclusion of proportionality creates an appropriate boundary for the State that they can’t just go in as and when they feel. It’s proportionate to the child’s needs.”
She had hoped a section giving weight to the views of a child in court proceedings would extend to the civil service and Government departments. Howe-ver, she said she expected that if the amendment was accepted, the views of children would become central to decision-making across all organisations.
The wording was also welcomed by the Rape Crisis Network.
Chairwoman Miriam Duffy said the absence of children’s rights in the Constitution until now “added to their vulnerability and contributed to a culture where children’s interests and voices were not of primary importance”.
She said the referendum offered people the opportunity to “put right that gap in our Constitution”.
However, the Government was told proposed changes would not deliver on child protection unless backed up by resources. John Lonergan, the former governor of Mountjoy Prison, said: “The easiest part of the job is to get the referendum passed. But that is only the beginning. The real task is to ask are we going to ensure the necessary resources are there so that the philosophy of the referendum is delivered for children and families.”
Speaking at a conference for Archways, which offers programmes for troubled young people, Mr Lonergan said: “Our history shows that we’re much better at reacting to things and reaction often does worse damage.”
*Read more:
Amendment is a step in the right direction
Culture change ahead on rights
Proposal ‘a second chance’ for vulnerable youngsters
Proposed wording ‘more robust’ than past versions
Geoghegan appointed as commission’s chair