The Irish Traveller Movement director Bernard Joyce will make the call to the Seanad public-consultation committee today.

Senator Colette Kelleher has announced that she will outline a plan that she says will create "a fair Ireland" for members of the travelling community.

An organisation working to protect vulnerable adults is calling for “urgent delivery” of safeguarding legislation.

The independent Referendum Commission has urged people to register to vote ahead of today’s deadline to have a say in the May 25 referendum.

The independent Referendum Commission has urged people to register to vote ahead of today’s deadline to have a say in the May 25 referendum.

Ensuring that we never experience a homelessness crisis such as the current one is a key priority for the Simon Communities, writes Niamh Randall.

In 1983, aged 21, I voted against the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution designed to ban abortion in Ireland. At the time, a crisis pregnancy was a very real possibility for me.

A national campaign to help stamp out financial abuse of vulnerable adults gets under way today against a backdrop of a 44% rise in the number of alleged cases.

“Granny dumping” in nursing homes, pilfering from pensions, and lack of clear obligation on the State to protect vulnerable adults are among the reasons adult safeguarding legislation was needed, an Oireachtas committee heard.

Restrictions on reuniting refugees with loved ones are “creating mentally-ill children of the future”, senators have warned.

If access to housing was enshrined in the Constitution, then homelessness would be a failure of the State, not of the individual, write Niamh Randall and Colette Kelleher

The new Mental Health Minister Jim Daly has admitted services for children with mental health difficulties are “not good enough” and that he is “not happy with them”.

The abuse of adults must be addressed in the same way as for children to offer help where needed but also respecting individual autonomy, writes Colette Kelleher.

A number of politicians have welcomed what appears to be a breakthrough in finding a solution to tackling excessive gynaecological waiting lists at Cork University Maternity Hospital (CUMH).

Health Minister Simon Harris will travel to Cork on Thursday to hear firsthand from hospital consultants why women face inordinate delays accessing treatment for a range of gynaecological conditions, including potential cancers.

A new report on maternity services in the South/South West (SSW) Hospital Group has identified gynaecology services in Cork as its “biggest clinical risk”.

The existing management structure at the country’s newest maternity hospital needs to be replaced and it needs its own CEO and budget to ensure its services are protected.

Health Minister Simon Harris is “convinced” the way to tackle hospital overcrowding is to reduce the number of delayed discharges.

Funding for home-care packages for people with dementia fell €11m in four years up to 2015 while nursing-home care investment rose €84m.

Super junior minister Finian McGrath has said he is “delighted” with Enda Kenny’s promise to “love him to bits” politically in order to ensure that the Government lasts.

The Government’s chief whip has admitted there is “mild irritation” among Fine Gael back-benchers over the party’s Seanad appointments deal with Fianna Fáil.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has relinquished three of his Seanad nominees to Fianna Fáil as part of a special deal with Micheál Martin.

Former President Mary Robinson has launched Ireland’s first human rights charter for people with dementia.

The number of Irish people with dementia will rise 40% in the term of the next government, says the Alzheimer Society of Ireland (ASI).

The head of a disability service was summoned to a showdown with watchdogs after staff faced repeated allegations of verbal abuse of vulnerable residents in a care home.

A study of about 600 elderly patients admitted to six Cork hospitals found 25% had dementia of whom almost two thirds had not been previously diagnosed, with obvious implications for care.

Disability support group, The Cope Foundation, has launched its first campaign to find long-term sustainable jobs for people with intellectual disabilities.

Meet Ireland’s newest champion advocates who are setting out to change the world for the better.

The Brothers of Charity, which provides services around the country for people with intellectual disabilities, has been ordered to review the salaries of 14 senior staff members whose pay scales range from €67,000 to €106,000.

Munster hooker Damien Varley has backed an innovative app which uses music and signs to help children with an intellectual disability find their own voice.

A Cork charity with a €59m spend in the city and county said it is continuing to help over 2,000 people “live life to the full”.

The Cope Foundation is to develop a €1.2m “smart” housing scheme in Cork to make independent living more accessible for people with intellectual disabilities.

A GP who has devoted his career to caring for a city’s homeless population has been honoured.

ONE of the stars of a hit TV series has released a charity single with his band to help the homeless of his native city.

THE shocking range of complex and chronic health problems among Ireland’s homeless community has been revealed for the first time.

A CONSULTANT psychiatrist has questioned the fact that the Government’svision for mental health services does not include treating addiction.

NAMA legislation must change if it is to help alleviate the pressure on the social housing sector, a leading charity has warned.

A WET shelter for homeless street drinkers is set to fully open in Cork within weeks.

CORK Simon turned away more than 500 people from its emergency shelter last year and has warned of a funding crisis.

A HEART-BROKEN mother launched a scathing attack yesterday on the country’s leading homeless charity, after hearing how her son died alone in an emergency shelter after a heroin overdose.

CORK’S Simon Community had to turn 300 people away from its emergency shelter last year because it was full every night.

CORK Simon, which is opening a temporary cold shelter with support from the St Vincent de Paul today, says that it is experiencing unprecedented demand for its services.

DINERS across Cork will be able to help the homeless thanks to a novel fundraising initiative launched yesterday.