Skyclarys belongs to a group of medicines classed as “orphan drugs”, which are designed to treat rare diseases. Orphan drugs often come with a pretty hefty price tag. Without these orphan drugs, there is a significant unmet need. Rare disease patients in Ireland are suffering. This is why it is so essential that Ireland develops a robust approach to approving and reimbursing orphan drugs.
URC: Connacht 23 Leinster 34Event management is an endless list of boxes to tick. We've got some great Connacht stalwarts who are coming to the end of their careers and we've got some great young lads coming through. It was scored by young Harry West who took the last pass off the wing from Finn Treacy. I’m looking at Harry West versus Garry Ringrose, for example. “You forget how much experience a lot of those young Leinster lads have accumulated over a long time, Charlie Tector and people like that included.
“I thought we showed great resolve so we’re delighted to get the win,” said Clare manager Brian Lohan. “We’re under a lot of pressure I suppose especially after how we performed last year. Now welcoming the conditions, Clare initiated extended the margin to four, thanks to Rodgers. “It’s hard to win hurling matches regardless of what grade you’re in," reflected Lohan. "There are an awful lot of teams pushing hard near the top so we’re delighted to come through a really tough game.
Each Minister also has at least one special adviser of their own. He joined Fianna Fáil in 2015 as a policy adviser and has been a special adviser to Martin since 2020. When Leo Varadkar became taoiseach she moved to the Department of Health, where she was a special adviser to Simon Harris until 2021. His wife, Theresa Newman, is a special adviser to Minister for Tourism, Sport and Media Patrick O’Donovan. Photograph: LinkedInJack O’Donnell, special adviserPrincipal officer salary: €100,720-€124,582The Castlebar native is another adviser with strong Fine Gael roots.
The Government’s decision to slow walk a Sinn Féin proposal to restrict the sale of Nitrous Oxide has left it looking complacent about a serious and growing problem. Sinn Féin’s bill would require sellers of the gas to be licensed and allows purchases only by an approved list of buyers. Last year European regulators classified Nitrous Oxide as harmful to reproductive health and likely to cause damage to the nervous system. It will doubtlessly encounter the same problems they have identified in Sinn Féin’s bill namely that it would impose a “considerable regulatory and financial burden on reputable sellers, as well as significant cost to the Exchequer”. Regardless of how the Government proceeds on regulation, a concerted effort to explain the dangers of Nitrous Oxide to teenagers is necessary.
Martin said the previous government had introduced a right to request remote working, with a “significant degree” of this happening already. He did not reference the issue of traffic congestion. “Remote working is totally interlocked with this. The issue of traffic congestion, in particular delays on the M50, has been raised continuously by commuters, politicians and transport experts recently. A traffic jam on the Coldcut Road in Dublin caused by people trying to avoid congestion on the M50.
Photograph: Getty ImagesThe approval of €25 million in State grants last year to landlords seeking to renovate vacant and derelict properties has been described as “shocking”. The total value of Vacant Property Refurbishment Grants paid to people intending to let the renovated properties, an approach deemed as “affordable housing delivery” in official housing statistics, has risen by 234 per cent since 2024. Minister for Housing James Browne: Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant is 'tackling the scourge of dereliction and vacancy head-on'. Mr Hearne described the “huge increase” in public funds paid to landlords through the grants as “shocking”. In a time of housing shortage, leaving properties vacant is simply unacceptable.”
QuestionI have a 15-year-old daughter who lives with her mum since we separated seven years ago. My daughter has known my partner for five years and they seem to get on well. This is not easy for most parents and especially when you are a separated parent living away from your teenager. She could also simply be finding the change of routine at the weekend difficult and needs the comfort of having one place to stay. Arrange a time to talk that suits you both and think together about what might be going on for your daughter and how you can both help her.
This is twice the rate recorded in non-Deis schools, according to new research. “It is particularly worrying that attendance in primary and post-primary Deis schools is not recovering as well as non-Deis schools in the post-Covid period,” she said. School absence was more prevalent in primary and post-primary schools serving disadvantaged communities. Between 2022/23 and 2023/24, there was a modest improvement in attendance in primary schools, but a significant group of schools have seen an increase over the same timeframe. In terms of post-primary schools, more than a quarter of students in Deis schools missed 20 or more days, compared to 19 per cent for non-Deis schools.
Arsenal against Manchester United was one of the greatest Premier League games of all time. It doesn’t happen very often that Manchester United find themselves cast as the Ewoks against the imperial storm fleet, but here we are. By now United have recognised that Arsenal are all out of options and their forward pressers have locked on. But United see Arsenal’s rugby and raise them some football. [ After 13 years of failed appointments, Manchester United need to change their thinkingOpens in new window ]Afterwards, Michael Carrick talks about connections and partnerships.
VRT – vehicle registration tax – is the charge incurred by all vehicles brought into Ireland and must be paid when it is first given an Irish number plate. Hickey spoke to The Irish Times about a potential misapplication of VRT over the costs imposed on his importing of a BMW 5 Series. Even if the VRT is treated as internal taxation, the treatment of your imported car raises concerns under the provision.”The Irish Times put these concerns to Revenue. In response, a spokesperson said: “Vehicle Registration Tax is not an import tax and does not constitute a Charge of Equivalent Effect. Revenue says “if a taxpayer believes that the rate of VRT levied on their vehicle is incorrect, they may appeal that decision”.
There has been a wet start to the week across much of the country, and Met Éireann has warned conditions will remain unsettled for much of the week. A status yellow rain warning has been issued for three counties, with the forecaster warning that heavy downpours may cause flooding. Heavy rain may lead to localised flooding and difficult travel conditions. Monday will be dull and wet, with widespread rain persisting through the afternoon and turning heavy at times before gradually clearing eastwards. Rain will linger this evening across eastern and northwestern counties, while clearer and drier conditions develop elsewhere as rain clears.
After a year of keeping my tumble dryer limping along with running repairs and deep cleaning, it finally gave up the ghost last week. The final type of tumble dryer on offer in the Irish market is the heat pump appliance. In fact, a heat pump tumble dryer can save households quite a chunk of money. Before I headed to the local electrical store, I did the sums and compared a 9kg condenser dryer to a 9kg heat pump dryer. Allowing for a rough electricity cost of 30c per kWh (excluding VAT), the condenser dryer has running costs of €185.10 per year, but the heat pump dryer costs €77.40.
And yet, for all that, winter gardens are not empty places. Witch hazels like this bring much beauty to the winter garden without overpowering a space, says Peter Dowdall. These aren’t showstoppers, but they do bring life and beauty to the winter garden. These borrowed views can make a garden feel larger without adding a single plant. The garden isn’t demanding attention, thankfully, as the recent weather wouldn’t encourage us out into it.
Ever since the launch of GLP-1 drugs such as semaglutide (Ozempic/Wegovy) - which help control blood sugar and promote weight loss - the landscape around weight loss has changed utterly. Now, the WHO endorses the use of GLP-1 drugs. It emphasises the need to offer patients behavioural interventions alongside the prescription of GLP-1 drugs to help guide their weight loss. With all the hype surrounding novel drug treatments for obesity, where does this leave bariatric surgery? It still has a role, research suggests, especially in producing significant and durable weight loss.
