Before 2002, sexual abuse figures available in Ireland were based on only the numbers seeking counselling or reporting sexual abuse to gardaí. But SAVI (Sexual Abuse and Violence in Ireland ) revealed the true extent of abuse Add a comment

Dr Garry Fitzgerald: Ireland has a drink problem, what does it mean for our population Add a comment

Almost 1,000 people die in road accidents and from suicide each year and yet there is no sense of crisis or urgency Add a comment

Where is Europe going today? asks Diarmuid Martin, Archbishop of Dublin. What are the signs of hope? Which are the signs which should cause us concern? On what principles will the Europe of the future base its values? What will be the contribution of faith and of men and women of faith to the construction of those values? Add a comment

The Irish Blood Transfusion Service (IBTS) has denied sending contradictory messages to the public by using a celebrity to promote a 'give blood' campaign who is disqualified from donating blood. Add a comment

Thousands of people with disabilities living in long stay accommodation are facing substantial increases in charges, as a direct result of the Health Regulations, 2005 rushed through the Dail by Mary Harney on 15 June 2005. Add a comment

There are now well over half a million more people insured than there were when BUPA Ireland entered the market back in 1997: the proportion of the population covered by health insurance has risen from 36 per cent to over 49 per cent. That's over half a million people who are not relying solely on the already over-stretched health services for their health care needs. Over 150,000 of these have joined Vhi Healthcare, a company whose profits have soared since the advent of competition, while its reserves have risen nearly four fold to over €330m in February 2004. This has turned a semi-state company of marginal profitability, which nearly went under in the 1980s, into a vibrant and healthy competitor, even though it continues to enjoy an exemption from EU solvency requirements. Add a comment

The past few months have been personally fulfilling as I discovered the meaning of independence. For the first time in my life, I have 100 per cent of the decision-making power. In the past, other people played a role in determining what I did, when I did it and how I did it. The provision of a personal assistant has given me this autonomy. I just completed a BA degree and I plan to start an LLB degree in September at NUI, Galway. My interest in the law stems largely from a desire to ensure that rights and privileges of people with disabilities have a clear expression in Irish law. Add a comment