Sir, \u2013 As we welcome in the New Year, 2026 also ushers in a new era of healthcare in Ireland, Sl\u00e1intecare. Patients can no longer be treated privately in public hospitals and this will supposedly increase the number of beds available to treat public patients. <\/p>\n
As the majority of private patients treated in public hospitals are admitted as emergencies, this change will not have any impact on their access to treatment or, in fact, release any beds for the use of public patients. <\/p>\n
It will however, result in the loss of the 10-12 per cent of income that public hospitals are expected to generate from private patients as part of their running costs.<\/p>\n
Private patients should also be reassured by the continually expanding private healthcare sector in Ireland which has benefited from the in excess of \u20ac2 billion funnelled into the private care sector by the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) over the past 15 years, which has helped and maintained this expansion. <\/p>\n
In addition, the lack of investment in public hospitals means consultants will have lots of free time, due to lack of resources in public hospitals, to devote their skills to the treatment of private patients in private hospitals.<\/p>\n
The only beneficiaries of this new change will be the private health insurance sector. I do not envy our current Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, when she has to go cap in hand to her ministerial colleagues to ask for funding to replace the loss of income as a result of this new change, which has come with no tangible benefit. \u2013 Yours, etc, <\/p>\n
PETER O\u2019ROURKE,FRCS(Orth)<\/p>\n
Retired Consultant <\/p>\n
Orthopaedic Surgeon,<\/p>\n
Ramelton, <\/p>\n
Co Donegal.<\/p>\n
Moving from Wood Quay<\/p>\n
Sir, \u2013 In a recent article in this newspaper it was reported that Dublin City Council are considering buying a vacant Kevin Street site to redevelop as new offices, and the subsequent demolition of the current council offices at Wood Quay and redevelopment of the site for public housing.<\/p>\n
There is a lot of carbon already embodied within the vast concrete structure of the Wood Quay offices.<\/p>\n
To build new offices at the Kevin Street site and then demolish the Wood Quay offices and build the proposed public housing units, seems to me to be going against the principle of reusing existing buildings to prevent the further expenditure of carbon emissions in the building of new, and very possibly, unneeded buildings.<\/p>\n
What is the cost (both in monetary terms and environmental terms of carbon use in new construction) of demolishing the existing buildings and of relocating (unnecessarily?) to Kevin Street?<\/p>\n
The article mentions that it will cost \u20ac350-\u20ac400 million to bring the current offices to modern insulation standards, perhaps mentioned as some sort of justification for not staying at a refurbished Wood Quay. <\/p>\n
But how much will the total project cost?<\/p>\n
Perhaps it makes more sense (both monetary and to reduce additional embodied carbon already produced in the construction of Wood Quay) to refurbish the existing offices and build afresh for public housing on the Kevin Street site.<\/p>\n
As taxpayers we need to know which will cost us more, taking into account the additional fines Ireland already faces for failing to meet our current emissions targets and which will be added to, from the emissions of demolishing Wood Quay. \u2013 Yours, etc,<\/p>\n
DAVID DORAN,<\/p>\n
Co Carlow.<\/p>\n
Role of guidance counsellors<\/p>\n
Sir, \u2013 I commend your letter writer Sean Keavney (December 31st) in highlighting the shortage of 300 educational psychologists from the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) to meet the European average. <\/p>\n
They are acutely needed to assess the growing numbers of children in our schools who need special needs support in mainstream classes or access to special classes. <\/p>\n
As educational psychologists, they are experts in their field. What they are not are clinical psychologists and never under any circumstances engage in personal counselling in schools. <\/p>\n
This may seem odd to most people, who regularly hear the sentence following the announcement of some occurrence relating to a school-going student whose life has ended tragically, that NEPS psychologists are supporting the school. <\/p>\n
Their role under these circumstances is to advise school management relating to dealing with media, planning activities within the school to allow the students to come to terms with the occurrence, speaking to staff who are supporting the students in their interactions. What they never do is engage one to one with students. <\/p>\n
The teaching staff who know the children better than anyone and particularly the guidance counsellor, and in many such cases, guidance counsellors from neighboring schools, are the ones who support students through such tragedies. <\/p>\n
Where I completely disagree with your letter writer is in his suggestion that guidance counsellors cease to deal holistically with the 12-19-year-old students sitting in front of them and try to deal exclusively with their vocational aspirations. <\/p>\n
The essence of postgraduate guidance counselling education is the acquisition of counselling skills for use in an educational context. <\/p>\n
Factual educational and vocational information is readily available on a wide range of websites from Qualifax, CAO, Careersportal, Solas, Eunicas, UCAS; the list is endless. <\/p>\n
The guidance counsellor\u2019s job is to disseminate this information in a classroom of up to 30 students. Guidance counsellors are all qualified teachers after all \u2013 and use their counselling skills in their one-to-one interactions with individual students in their office to help them apply the knowledge communicated in a classroom context to their own lives. <\/p>\n
In the privacy of that confidential interaction students often reveal deeply personal or family circumstances which are having a significant effect on their current educational performance and\/or their capacity to realistically explore their ongoing career\/academic journey. <\/p>\n
Using their professional judgment, they can use their counselling skills to deal with the challenge confronting the student themselves or decide to refer the student, using the designated school procedures onto the Child and Adult Mental Health Services (Camhs), Tusla, in the case of child protection concerns, or the child\u2019s GP through a recommendation to a parent, etc. <\/p>\n
The guidance counsellor may also brief, where appropriate, class tutors or year heads who are dealing with the child daily, to increase the support for the child within the school. <\/p>\n
Your letter writer is critical of the guidance counsellor engaging in such referrals. Is this not exactly what every GP does daily following interactions with their patients? <\/p>\n
Ethically, no counsellor, whether in a school or other context, engages in ongoing counselling without professional \u201ccounselling supervision\u201d. <\/p>\n
The Department of Education and Youth has funded the delivery of six, two-hour supervision sessions from September for every guidance counsellor working in any publicly funded educational institution for over 20 years now \u2013 to ensure the highest quality of guidance counselling possible. <\/p>\n
To suggest that this entire profession of guidance counselling be pared back to disseminating information on vocational options and somehow embed educational psychologists, who have more than enough work to be doing conducting educational assessment, in schools, is not helpful to either profession. \u2013 Yours, etc, <\/p>\n
BRIAN MOONEY,<\/p>\n
Education Columnist,<\/p>\n
Clonskeagh,<\/p>\n
Dublin.<\/p>\n
Simon Harris and homelessness<\/p>\n
Sir, \u2013 Recent comments by T\u00e1naiste Simon Harris attributing Ireland\u2019s homelessness crisis in part to immigration inadvertently reveals yet another layer of failure in this Government\u2019s approach to the issue. <\/p>\n
Rather than addressing systemic policy shortcomings in housing provision, Mr Harris scapegoats newcomers, revealing a position within Fine Gael that treats homelessness not merely as a policy failure but as an acceptable outcome when linked to migrants.<\/p>\n
International law, including the 1951 Refugee Convention and the EU\u2019s Reception Conditions Directive (2013\/33\/EU, and the as yet unratified 2024 recast Directive), imposes clear obligations on Ireland to provide adequate reception conditions, including housing, for asylum seekers and refugees. <\/p>\n
These instruments mandate material reception conditions to ensure dignity and basic needs, prohibiting destitution. <\/p>\n
By framing immigrants as the cause of homelessness, Mr Harris undermines these duties and signals a deliberate prioritisation of political rhetoric over humane governance. It is the kind of comment that diminishes political discourse and which is beloved by populist politicians worldwide. <\/p>\n
Homelessness in Ireland predates recent migration surges, driven by chronic underinvestment in social housing and speculative development. Pointing a finger at homeless immigrants distracts from the real culprits: years of austerity and inaction under successive Fine Gael governments. \u2013 Yours, etc,<\/p>\n
DR FINIAN FALLON,<\/p>\n
Dublin 8.<\/p>\n
Steve Bannon versus the EU<\/p>\n
Sir, \u2013 I read that Steve Bannon\u2019s objective is to drive a \u201cstake through the heart of the Brussels vampire\u201d and bring about the end of the European Union. He should be careful what he is planning, as it looks increasingly likely that the United States is also ready to fragment, with the wealthy east and west coast states ready to resist US president Donald Trump\u2019s interference, particularly as these states fund the Trump-supporting mid-west. <\/p>\n
The governor of California, Gavin Newsom, has expressed frustration at the way federal aid was not forthcoming after recent fires and storms, and has threatened to withhold tax revenue from the federal government in future to cover these natural disasters. <\/p>\n
llinois and New York are also disillusioned with the current regime, so a break-up of the federation of not-so-united-states might not be so far-fetched, and could happen alongside the disintegration of Europe. Russian and Chinese agencies must be watching with interest. \u2013 Yours, etc,<\/p>\n
DENIS RYAN,<\/p>\n
Galway.<\/p>\n
Russia and Ukraine<\/p>\n
Sir, \u2013 Eoin \u00d3 Murch\u00fa (Letters , December 31st) refers to the \u201ctired trope\u201d of an aggressive Russia. Perhaps Mr \u00d3 Murch\u00fa has missed the reports by Unicef on the devastating numbers of children injured or killed in Ukraine by Russian missile attacks. <\/p>\n
These attacks are ongoing despite the peace talks and offer proof that Russian aggression is, unfortunately, very real for Ukrainians. <\/p>\n
Mr \u00d3 Murch\u00fa also refers to \u201cNato\u2019s threats to Russia,\u201d but doesn\u2019t elaborate on what these threats are. Russia\u2019s European neighbours are entitled to organise to defend themselves. Nato has never threatened Russia\u2019s borders and has never fired missiles at Russian civilians. <\/p>\n
It would appear that the really tired trope is the notion that Nato\u2019s \u201cthreats\u201d are a justification for Russian aggression. \u2013 Yours, etc,<\/p>\n
KAY CHALMERS,<\/p>\n
Cork .<\/p>\n
Giving RT\u00c9 a good name<\/p>\n
Sir, \u2013 Brendan Balfe, writing on a century of Irish radio broadcasting <\/a><\/p>\n (January 1st) informs your readership on the history of radio in Ireland from when the station was initially known as 2RN. <\/p>\n For me it was a nostalgic trip down memory lane as I was around for most of those years. However, Mr Balfe gave no explanation as to the origin of the name 2RN.<\/p>\n On January 1st 1926, the nascent Irish Free State Radio station 2RN was formally opened by Dr Douglas Hyde, who was to become the first president of Ireland in 1938. <\/p>\n The call sign 2RN which was designated by London phonetically reproducing the last words of the song \u201cCome back to \u00c9ireann\u201d was referred to the British Post Office, which, being first in the field, and already a member of the International Broadcasting Union, had a claim to allot Irish stations their call signs, wavelengths and power. <\/p>\n This title was maintained until 1932 when \u201cRaidi\u00f3 \u00c1th Luain\u201d was established in Athlone to coincide with the staging of the Eucharistic Congress. Radio Athlone was subsequently renamed Radio \u00c9ireann. Seamus Clandillon was appointed the first director of broadcasting with 2RN. \u2013 Yours, etc, <\/p>\n TOM COOPER,<\/p>\n Templeogue,<\/p>\n Dublin.<\/p>\n Letting the light in<\/p>\n Sir, \u2013 Thanks to Ella McSweeney for a most enlightening and informative article about light pollution based on her visits to the west of Ireland coupled with her obvious interest in the subject (\u201cLight pollution is surprisingly straightforward to fix when communities work together<\/a>,\u201d December 27th).<\/p>\n The Dark Skies 2016 International Group, whose founder is a native of Newport, Co Mayo, has a keen interest in the Nephin Ballycroy Project which covered 150 square kilometres of blanket bog, mountains and forests. It is a remarkable effort to reclaim the night in that area. With the interest of the community, the results are visually striking and of huge ecological importance.<\/p>\n Fake light is not good for life. It is a sensory pollutant. Light pollution is growing by 10 per cent per year, meaning that 83 per cent of the world population is living under polluted skies.<\/p>\n In itself, light pollution is concerning to us all. Hopefully, this fact will prompt us to conserve our lighting and allow us to embrace the night. \u2013 Yours, etc,<\/p>\n MARY RIGNEY, <\/p>\n Dublin 18.<\/p>\n Stop the lights<\/p>\n Sir, \u2013 There is something deeply unsettling about the lack of coloured lights on most of the Christmas trees in Irish homes for the last few years. <\/p>\n Perhaps it indicates a subliminal rejection of difference and only the professed purity of white or gold lights are acceptable as ideal. <\/p>\n Even grand Georgian and Edwardian houses exhibit this fashion with what seem to be white-lit inverted chandeliers in the window and the gardens are also boringly illuminated without colour. Actually, soulless. \u2013 Yours, etc, <\/p>\n EUGENE TANNAM,<\/p>\n Dublin 24.<\/p>\n A right hooley<\/p>\n Sir, \u2013 Jack Power reports \u201cDiplomats try to broaden perceptions of Ireland beyond St Patrick\u2019s Day hooley\u201d where it seems they could do more to \u201ctap into other countries\u2019 affinity for U2, the Corrs and even Boyzone\u201d (\u201cGuinness and Boyzone diplomacy: How Irish Embassies exercise soft power around the world<\/a>,\u201d January 2nd). <\/p>\n I take it that Kneecap will not make it any time soon on to that rather dated list of esteemed Irish bands. \u2013 Yours, etc, <\/p>\n MIKE MORAN,<\/p>\n Dublin 3.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sir, \u2013 As we welcome in the New Year, 2026 also ushers in a new era of healthcare…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17772,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[103,397,396,61,60],"class_list":{"0":"post-225042","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-healthcare","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-health-care","10":"tag-healthcare","11":"tag-ie","12":"tag-ireland"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225042","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=225042"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225042\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17772"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=225042"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=225042"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=225042"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}