eolas magazine

Informing Ireland’s decision-makers...

Consolidating Ireland’s wind resources IWEA’s David Connolly Government CIO Barry Lowry reflects on Ireland’s digital government journey

National Shared Services Office CEO Hilary Murphy-Fagan discusses robotic process automation

Public health expert Gabriel Scally considers Ireland’s Covid-19 response

issue 40 June/July 20

Digital government • Health and care services • Local government

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Contents

16

04

Matters arising

06

Issues

50

06

Government formation analysis

14

ESRI projections for Irish economy

16

Cover story: IWEA’s David Connolly discusses Ireland’s wind resources

24

Round table discussion: Semi-states and the Climate Action Plan Hosted by

41

24 73

Digital government

Sponsored by

42

Government CIO Barry Lowry discusses Ireland’s digital journey

54

Martin Curley from OoCIO HSE explores digital health

64

Robotics and healthcare

68

Head of Digital, Scottish Government talks citizen engagement

Health and care services Sponsored by

118

122

74

State of health

80

Interview: Public health expert Gabriel Scally

86

Who’s who in Irish health

96

Minding the care gap

103 Local government

Sponsored by

106

Civil society response to Covid-19

108

Enhancing local cycling infrastructure

114

UCC’s Diarmuid Scully on Limerick’s directly elected mayor

118 Europe

126

118

Interview: Green Party MEP Ciarán Cuffe

122

MaREI Director Brian Ó Gallachóir advocates green recovery

126 People Four-time Paralympic champion Michael McKillop

128 Public affairs

124

140

128

Facial recognition technology

130

Trade and Covid-19

134

Caretaker government conventions

138

Meet the media: Irish Examiner political correspondent AoifeGrace Moore

140

Back page: Economist John FitzGerald discusses the future recovery

Copyright Notice: All advertisements, editorial and photographs are subject to copyright and may not be reproduced in any form without express permission from the publisher.

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eolas Issue 40 June/July 20

Editorial Owen McQuade, Managing Editor owen.mcquade@eolasmagazine.ie

In the eye of the storm…

As we take the first steps along the road to reopening Ireland, citizens across the island are indebted to the sacrifices made by healthcare professionals, frontline and essential workers to mitigate a pandemic which has permeated society to an extent unparalleled in the history

Ciarán Galway, Deputy Editor ciaran.galway@eolasmagazine.ie David Whelan david.whelan@eolasmagazine.ie

of the State.

Fiona McCarthy fiona.mccarthy@eolasmagazine.ie

As Covid-19 battered our shores, volunteers and civil society

Odrán Waldron odran.waldron@eolasmagazine.ie

organisations worked tirelessly within communities to shield the vulnerable. Such efforts are worthy of the ideals on which this Republic was established. Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na daoine – we rely on each other for shelter.

Out of this deluge, there is an opportunity to build a more ethical society. Speaking on The Late Late Show, Uachtarán na hÉireann Michael D Higgins asserted: “We need to look how we can give a liveable income to people not just to survive but to be able to participate in society. This is very, very different to 2008. That’s why we

Advertising Sam Tobin sam.tobin@eolasmagazine.ie Design Gareth Duffy, Head of Design gareth.duffy@eolasmagazine.ie Paul Rooney paul.rooney@eolasmagazine.ie

need new thinking, radical thinking.”

Meanwhile, having largely weathered the public health tempest, ominous economic clouds are gathering and Ireland’s small, open economy is exposed. Indeed, the full socio-economic effects of the

Events Lynda Millar lynda.millar@eolasmagazine.ie

pandemic are yet to be felt. The ESRI has warned that we are facing

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Without doubt, the daunting decisions now required demand that a new government, answerable to Dáil Éireann restores the democratic legitimacy of the State.

A sustainable and green recovery offers some opportunity to blunt the force of the coming economic headwinds. Unlocking Ireland’s

Contact: Sharon Morrison Email: subscriptions@eolasmagazine.ie Online: www.eolasmagazine.ie eolas Magazine

actual wind potential, therefore, will be a key component of this new

bmf Business Services

agenda. A target of 70 per cent of electricity generated from

Clifton House Lower Fitzwilliam Street Dublin, D02 XT91

renewable sources by 2030 contained within Climate Action Plan has revitalised the wind energy industry. Pertinently, IWEA CEO David Connolly discusses the priorities and ambitions for the sector in our cover story.

Tel: 01 661 3755 Web: www.eolasmagazine.ie Twitter: @eolasmagazine

Moreover, this issue of eolas magazine is furnished with analysis from across the current and public affairs discourse. Framed by Covid-19, our detailed reports on digital government, health and care services, and local government are replete with interviews and contributions from Government CIO Barry Lowry, public health expert Gabriel Scally and UCC’s Brian Ó Gallachóir, among others.

Ciarán Galway

www.eolasmagazine.ie

FSC® is an acronym for the Forest Stewardship Council®, which is an independent, non-governmental, not-for-profit organization that was established to promote the responsible management of the world’s forests. The FSC® system provides an assurance that products such as wood and paper have been harvested in a socially and environmentally responsible manner.

The FSC’s Chain of Custody certification provides a way in which the material can be tracked from the certified initial source through the manufacturing process to the end user.

matters arising

Hogan “exploring idea” of WTO director general application Hogan has been a key player in Brexit negotiations on the EU side and is believed to have won a number of admirers in Brussels for his work in the Commission. When asked if current caretaker Taoiseach Leo Varadkar would support his party colleague’s bid for the position, the Government said that the matter had yet to be discussed.

It has been confirmed that EU Commissioner for Trade Phil Hogan is “exploring the idea” of applying to be the next Director General of the World Health Organisation. The incumbent Director General, the Brazilian Roberto Azevēdo, is due to step down in September of this year.

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, is believed to have had his name suggested for the post by a number of EU governments. If appointed to the post, Hogan would become the second Irishman to hold it, the first ever WTO Director General having been Dubliner Peter Sutherland.

Hogan, the Kilkenny native and former EU Commissioner for Agriculture and

Nominated to the European Commission by then Taoiseach Enda Kenny in 2014,

A European Commission spokesperson said that it was expected that the matter would first be discussed by EU trade ministers at a meeting on 9 June and that “the European Commission emphasises the importance of an expedited process and of EU unity in agreeing one candidate". The spokesperson also stressed the importance of the work done by the EU in reforming the WTO, which it was said was needed to continue “to ensure it remains fit to respond to the challenges we face, especially as we try to respond collectively to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic”.

Taoiseach proposes cuts to PUPs The number of people claiming the Pandemic Unemployment Payments (PUP), the emergency unemployment Covid-19 payments, fell by 6 per cent in the week starting May 18, new Government figures have revealed. The number, which had peaked at 585,000, fell to 543,000 from the 579,000 who had been claiming the payments the week before. The fall comes as large swathes of the Irish population began their return to work in early and mid-May. However, while the numbers of those claiming the unemployment payments continue to fall, the numbers of those availing of the Government’s separate wage subsidy scheme continue to rise.

In the same week, the number of those availing of the scheme rose form 482,000 people to 508,000.

The payments have become a bone of

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contention within the Government’s response to the crisis as repeated claims by caretaker Taoiseach Leo Varadkar that he had been told of people faring better on the €350 weekly unemployment payments than they had in the waged jobs they had held before the pandemic have been received poorly. Varadkar and his caretaker government have been attempting to taper off the payments, with the Taoiseach also saying that there is “no such thing as free money”. The Government is currently seeking Dáil approval to spend an additional €6.8 billion on social welfare this year, but the plan within to cut the €350 weekly payments will be resisted by Sinn Féin, Labour and Solidarity-People Before Profit. As yet, only Fianna Fáil have expressed explicit support for the proposal.

matters arising

Von der Leyen: “Europe’s moment” President Ursula von der Leyen saying that the fund is “Europe’s moment” after weeks of fraught negotiations finally came to a close.

The European Union has unveiled its plans for a €750 billion Covid-19 response fund as European Commission

“Things we take for granted are being questioned. None of that can be fixed by any single country alone," von der Leyen told the European Parliament. "This is about all of us and it is way bigger than any of us." The process of arriving at the formulation of the deal was marred by a clear north/south divide within the EU, with the southern states, whose economies were almost uniformly in a more precarious position than those of their northern counterparts even before the pandemic wrought its destruction, arguing strongly against the “frugal”

approach to recovery preferred by the northern states. The sticking point of the negotiations was the form of the payments to be made to member states, with the northern states preferring loans to be added to state debt, and southern states arguing for grants instead.

Whether the fund is passed in its current form remains to be seen, with Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden all known to oppose the issuance of grants that would add to EU debt. The current plan is made up of €500 billion in grants and €250 billion in loans, which von der Leyen says will “kick-start our economy and ensure Europe bounces forward”.

President Higgins warns against return to austerity Ireland to now “look how we can give a liveable income to people not just to survive but to be able to participate in society”.

Credit: RTÉ

He also paid tribute to healthcare workers “who have died delivering an extraordinary courageous delivery of their work on behalf of the Irish people” and to all workers working through the pandemic, who he said “are delivering themselves into the shadow of Covid every day”. “These are the essential workers in society without whom society couldn’t function,” he said before calling for “follow through” in the supportive rhetoric that has surrounded the workers by improving the terms of their security of employment, conditions and pay.

Uachtarán na hÉireann, Michael D

economic wreckage of the Covid-19

Higgins used a recent appearance on

crisis. Stressing that the economic

RTÉ’s The Late Late Show to stress the

hardships the country is now facing into

need for “new thinking, radical thinking”

are “very different from 2008”, the

as Ireland seeks to emerge from the

President said that there was a need for

Speaking in front a sculpture of the Plough and the Stars, Higgins said that the Irish banking sector will have to “come to the table with an instrument which can deal with those who are having short-term liquidity”. He said that the recovery from the pandemic was a “great promising moment” for the State to revolutionise how it delivers housing, healthcare, childcare and other services.

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Credit: Green Party / ALDE / Merrion Street.

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Government formation: An interminable road Over 120 days since General Election 2020, formal government formation talks are well progressed and appear to be gathering pace. If and when an agreed programme for government does materialise, achieving the assent of three different party memberships could prove to be a final stumbling block.

While unlikely, General Election 2020 2.0 cannot be ruled out.

There is no constitutional limit on the length of time that the current caretaker government can remain in situ. Rather, the Taoiseach and ministers of an outgoing government are obliged by the Constitution to continue to hold office until successors have been appointed.

The period in which government formation talks can occur is indefinite.

Hindered somewhat by Covid-19, 2020 has long surpassed the record 70 days required to establish a government after General Election 2016. Within Europe, such a scenario is not unprecedented and the fragmented parliamentary systems of Belgium and the Netherlands often result in lengthy post-election stalemate.

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Until now, most actions taken in response to Covid-19 have been dictated by public health professionals. Tensions are now evident. For instance, several ministers have spoken in favour of 1 metre social distancing rather than the 2 metres advocated by Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan.

In the coming weeks, as industry representatives and others engage in lobbying, significant political decisions pertaining to the implementation of the Roadmap for Reopening Society and Business will be required of the caretaker cabinet. This process will substantially increase the need for accountability and transparency, while exposing the deficit in democratic

legitimacy which currently permeates the legislative process.

In the meantime, the formulation of a broad left coalition seems as unlikely today as it did in the immediate aftermath of February’s General Election.

Such a collaboration would be comparable to the 1948 interparty government which dislodged Fianna Fáil after 16 years. It appears that Sinn Féin, Labour, the Social Democrats, the Greens and Solidarity/PBP are unable or unwilling to commit to the concessions required to dispossess Fine Gael of power.

Sinn Féin has objected to its exclusion from negotiations with either Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael as a ‘betrayal’ of the

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Party negotiating teams for government formation talks

Dara Calleary TD

Simon Coveney TD

Michael McGrath TD

Paschal Donohoe TD

Barry Cowen TD

Heather Humphreys TD

Thomas Byrne TD

Hildegarde Naughton TD

Anne Rabbitte TD

Richard Bruton TD

The draft document between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael “to facilitate negotiations with other parties on a plan to recover, rebuild and renew Ireland after the Covid-19 emergency” acknowledged the unparalleled challenges facing the State.

Catherine Martin TD Neasa Hourigan TD Ossian Smyth TD Roderic O’Gorman TD Marc Ó Cathasaigh TD

Framing the “Covid-19 Emergency” as analogous to The Emergency during the Second World War, the document affirms: “We know that there is no going back to the old way of doing things.” Referencing the contribution of each party in “advancing the Irish nation”, it maintains that a resilient government with a clear majority is required, to deliver “a programme of national recovery across its lifetime”.

With an overarching “focus on wellbeing” the framework, which will form the spine of an agreed programme for government contains 10 broad “core missions”. Facilitating a space within which smaller parties might be enticed to negotiate finer detail, these are:

‘mandate for change’. “Fianna Fail and Fine Gael have held power for almost a century. They want to have it all their own way. They seek to obstruct the alternative politics and the appetite of the people for change. The people didn’t vote for five more years of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael,” leader Mary Lou McDonald TD contends. That being said, a deal is far from a foregone conclusion and the party would be more than willing to negotiate should the current talks fail.

1. reigniting and renewing the economy;

Framework document

7. supporting young Ireland;

Conversely, one significant comfort for Sinn Féin has been the success of its electoral surge in finally driving the duopoly of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil together for the first time in the history of the State, irreversibly transforming the political landscape.

The party is poised to lead the parliamentary opposition.

2. universal healthcare; 3. housing for all; 4. a new social contract; 5. a green new deal; 6. a better quality of life for all;

8. opportunities through education and research; 9. a shared island; and 10. at the heart of Europe, global citizenship.

Suggesting that his party would be “laughed at” if it published

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Figure 1

Green Party questions in response to the Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael joint framework document 1.

Will you commit to an average annual reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of at least 7 per cent?

2.

Will you commit to an ambitious programme of development of, and investment where necessary in, renewable energy infrastructure including off-shore wind, grid and interconnector upgrades and community energy projects?

3.

Will you commit to ending the issue of exploration licences for offshore gas exploration?

4.

Will you commit to ceasing the construction of new fossil fuel infrastructure, particularly LNG import terminals that could allow the entry of unconventional liquefied natural gas into the Irish energy mix?

5.

Will you commit to the exclusive provision of public housing, social housing and cost rental housing on public lands?

6.

Will you commit to prioritising urban renewal in line with a 'Town Centre First' model?

7.

Will you commit to a comprehensive deep retrofit programme as part of a programme for government?

8.

Will you commit to convening a social dialogue process representative of all key stakeholders with a view to developing of a new social contract?

9.

Will you commit to working towards ending the Direct Provision system and replacing it with a not-for-profit system based on accommodation provided through existing or new approved housing bodies?

10.

Will you commit to setting us on a clear and certain path to meeting our UN obligation to spend 0.7 per cent of our national income on Overseas Development Aid?

11.

Will you commit to the development of a national land use plan which will inform both the new national economic plan and the new social contract?

12.

Will you commit to rebalancing our transport infrastructure spend, dedicating at least 20 per cent of infrastructure expenditure in transport to cycling and walking and aensuring that other public transport infrastructure investment is allocated at least two-thirds of the remaining infrastructure budget?

13.

Will you commit to establishing a trial of Universal Basic Income (UBI) within the lifetime of the next Government?

14.

Will you commit to the revision of the existing National Development Plan so that we can meet our New Social Contract goals and climate change targets?

15.

Will you commit to a review of the State's response to the Covid-19 pandemic, undertaken by the Oireachtas, to enable us to learn lessons for the future?

16.

Will you provide a clear and detailed analysis of how your Joint Framework Document is to be financed?

17.

8

Will you commit to publishing and implementing a Green Procurement Policy?

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such a document, Sinn Féin’s finance spokesman Pearse Doherty TD asserted: “The reality is that this is a document that is designed at doing what the two parties want to do and that is keep Sinn Féin out of government.”

FF/FG The framework document effectively heralded a cessation of hostilities between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael at parliamentary party level, publicly at least. However, as the State’s two erstwhile superpowers attempt to carve up a coalition arrangement, a cold war, replete with its own proxy battles, is likely to wage just below the surface. Already, on several occasions, tensions have bubbled out from negotiations, the very existence of which have faced outright internal opposition in both parties.

For instance, a war of words erupted when it was reported in The Irish Times that on the order of Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy TD, officials were drafting contingency plans for staging an election during the ongoing pandemic.

Fianna Fáil TD Barry Cowen accused Fine Gael of acting in bad faith and “putting party before country” while Thomas Byrne TD suggested that arrangements for polling in nursing homes were “utterly sick”.

This incited Fine Gael to release a statement, asserting: “The fact that this prompted an attack on Fine Gael by two senior Fianna Fáil spokespeople was unwarranted and has damaged the talks process. It is also rather ironic that one of the two had recently claimed falsely that both parties had agreed to hold a referendum within weeks of forming a Government, presumably during a pandemic.”

Leo Varadkar TD subsequently contacted Micheál Martin TD directly to object to the comments made by his two deputies while on RTÉ, Tánaiste Simon Coveney TD sought to soothe the dispute, assuring: “We are serious about forming a government. We hope to be able to do that by the middle of [June] and I hope that people will take that in good faith.”

This spat gives some indication as to the level of distrust that still exists between these bitterest of rivals. It is well known that senior Fine Gael figures are at best

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With no change for four weeks, the latest Red C poll captures support for Fine Gael at 35 per cent, up 9 per cent on its vote share in General Election 2020. The party has manoeuvred into a win-win scenario. If negotiations succeed, it will enter government for a third successive term. If talks fail, it will contest a general election with a much strengthened hand, likely consolidating its parliamentary presence.

Meanwhile, Fianna Fáil languishes at 17 per cent, down 7 per cent on its share of the vote since the election in February. In what could be the last roll of the dice by leader Micheál Martin, he has staked his political existence against a second election.

Overall, the ongoing truce has facilitated a marriage of political expediency rather than a union of two kindred spirits. The longevity of such a loveless relationship between two mutually distrustful parties is questionable. However, for now and while under their current respective leaderships, who have coalesced around the exclusion of Sinn Féin, it seems to be the only viable show in town.

Green Party In response to the Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael joint framework document, the Green Party published 17 questions (figure 1) and invited responses to each “to provide the necessary clarity before any formal negotiations might take place”.

Formal negotiations between Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and the Green Party began on 11 May and detailed policy discussions were subdivided into parallel sessions. The Green parliamentary party voted to enter government formation talks, with leader Éamon Ryan TD expressing his belief that these might last “a few weeks”. Since then, Covid-19 restrictions have limited discussions to two-hour windows, hampering momentum.

Interestingly, the Green Party’s negotiating team is led by its deputy

Credit: PBP

ambivalent to any coalition arrangement with Fianna Fáil. This wing of Fine Gael would much rather face another election, given the party’s substantial rebound in the polls during the pandemic.

A number of groups march at the ‘Stop the Fine Gael Fianna Fáil Stitch Up’ protest in March.

leader Catherine Martin TD, initially an outright opponent of the negotiations.

The team is tasked with “fighting for our policies, our principles and our membership” to “develop a deal that respects our mandate with a view to presenting that agreement to Green Party members for approval”.

If a proposal that prioritises climate action is not forthcoming, the party has threatened to withdraw from negotiations and enter opposition. Indeed, any resulting programme for government will require the support of a two-thirds majority of the Green Party’s membership. This vote is widely regarded as the most mercurial ingredient of any government formation deal.

The Greens are conscious of their previous period in government (20072011), when Éamon Ryan served as Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources. The coalition with Fianna Fáil was a bruising experience. All six of the party’s thenTDs subsequently lost their seats when its share of the vote in General Election 2011 plummeted below the 2 per cent threshold required to access State funding.

Much to the chagrin of the Green Party, the Fine Gael negotiating team led by Coveney has emphasised the challenges facing the public finances. It is likely that, even if the incoming government dulls the pain of deficit reduction by prioritising borrowing and spending for the first half of its existence, difficult or unpopular decisions will inevitably be required and electoral punishment may well follow.

While the Greens are wary of being led back into austerity politics and deficit reduction at the insistence of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, opportunities to progress the green agenda are obvious to the party’s pragmatists. Within the larger two parties, however, there is particular disquiet in relation to the Green demand for an 7 per cent average annual reduction in carbon emissions and the potential impact on their rural and agricultural bases.

Speaking to RTÉ, outgoing Minister of State for Training and Skills John Halligan suggested: “Fianna Fáil can’t stand Fine Gael essentially and Fine Gael can’t stand Fianna Fáil essentially; none of them can stand the Green Party.” Regardless, ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend’. Applying this proverb, it is in the common interest of both Leo Varadkar and Micheál Martin to deny Mary Lou McDonald’s party a place in government, even if it means shrugging off the weight of history and papering over myriad disparities.

Caretaker Taoiseach Varadkar has indicated his determination to ensure that any coalition arrangement will be resilient, though, simultaneously, he will not do a deal at any cost.

If agreement is reached, it is anticipated that talks will then open to independent TDs. Though, as is the case with the Green Party, the Fianna Fáil membership and Fine Gael’s electoral college must ratify any proposed programme for government. As such, another election is still possible. The power to dissolve the 33rd Dáil rests solely with caretaker Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.

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Covid-19 response announcement, the travel distance restrictions that had been in place were slightly alleviated, with the distance people were permitted to travel from their homes for reasons such as exercise extended from 2km to 5km. Social distancing will remain largely the same over the first three phases of the plan, with travel beyond a person’s “home area” only permitted in phase four, which begins on 20 July.

Credit: Merrion Street

In the first three phases, notable changes occurred in phase one, where small groups were once again permitted to meet outdoors, and can occur from phase two (8 June), where funeral restrictions will be eased and short home visits in small groups will be allowed.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and HSE CEO Paul Reid visit the Community Assessment Hub at DCU.

The caretaker Government’s response to the Covid-19 crisis outside the immediate world of healthcare has been dominated by the publication of a five-phase exit plan in May and the provision of weekly unemployment payments.

The five-phase roadmap “to ease Covid19 restrictions and reopen Ireland’s society and economy” was published on 1 May and sought to illustrate how Ireland would reopen in a “slow, phased way”, with the first of the phases beginning over a fortnight after the publication of the plan, on 18 May. Phases are planned out to progress in three-week intervals, with the situation monitored by the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) and the Government. The guidelines were designed to “keep the level of transmission as low as possible while 10

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balancing continuing restrictions proportionally with the positive social and economic benefits which will be brought about by lifting restrictions”.

The guidelines did not only involve the roadmap however, with a framework for government decision-making, a process for engaging with unions and other representative groups regarding the gradual return to workplaces, an updated economic policy response, an updated response on “other pressing societal concerns”, and travel and international co-operation guidelines also included.

Immediately following the

In terms of economic activity and work, the map works up to a phased return to work across all sectors and the continuation of remote working for all that can do so in phase five (10 August).

The return to work for vast swathes of the workforce began in phase one, with the phased return of outdoor workers such as construction workers. This is set to progress to limited onsite working “subject to compliance capability” for others in phase two, a return to “lowinteraction” work in phase three (29 June) and a return to work for those unable to remotely work from home and the provision of staggered working hours in phase four.

In education, things remain the same in the first two phases of the plan, with childcare provided for the children of essential workers and the opening of schools and colleges for teachers. Phase three will see the phased reopening of crèches and preschools for the children of essential workers; this will be opened out to all children in phase four. Phase five will then see the phased reopening of schools, third level institutions and adult education facilities for the beginning of the 2020/21 academic year.

Retail and commercial activity and cultural and social guidelines follow much the same tack, with outdoor retail and public amenities such as pitches and tennis courts opened up subject to social

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distancing in phase one. These then progress to the opening of libraries and the resumption of team sports training, along with controlled numbers in retail outlets and the reopening of agricultural marts in phase two. Phase four will see the return of “higher-risk” services such as barbers and hairdressers, along with a return to competitive match action for some sports, including soccer and the GAA. However, GAA President John Horan has cast doubt on the association’s ability to play games while social distancing measures are still in place.

Phase five will see more high-risk services reopened such as tattoo parlours, shopping centres, nightlife spots and casinos. More sports will also return to competitive games, including rugby, and both indoor and outdoor festivals, along with other mass gatherings will be permitted.

In terms of travel, restrictions on those travelling to and within major urban centres will remain in place until they begin to gradually decrease in phase four. Hotels will open on a limited occupancy basis in this phase, with their bars remaining closed. Social distancing and hygiene measures will continue to be observed on public transport throughout all the phases as the numbers permitted onboard gradually increase and specific measures will be in place at ports and airports. In phase five, tourist travel to offshore islands will resume.

Unemployment payments The most notable aspect of the Government measures to tackle the mass unemployment caused by the pandemic has been the provision of special weekly unemployment pages of €350. As the pandemic has lingered on and the Government has continued to provide both these payments and a wage subsidy scheme to employers, the Fine Gael caretaker government has straddled the limits of their ideological commitment to minimal state interference in business and provision of welfare benefits.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has already said that the unemployment payments will cease before the wage subsidy scheme and warned that anyone found to have

Government roadmap to ease Covid-19 restrictions Phase 1 (18 May) • • • •

allow outdoor meetings between people from different households open up childcare for healthcare workers open retailers which are primarily outdoor or those which were open during first level of restriction (e.g. opticians) opening of certain outdoor public amenities

Phase 2 (8 June) • • • •

allow visits to households develop plans and supports to open up business with consideration for safety of staff and customers open small retail outlets and marts where social distancing can be observed open public libraries

Phase 3 (29 June) • • • • •

allow small social gatherings opening of crèches, childminders and pre-schools for children of essential workers in phased manner return to work for those with low levels of interaction open non-essential retail outlets with street level entrance and exit open playgrounds

Phase 4 (20 July) • • • •

opening of crèches, childminders and pre-schools for children of all other workers on a gradually increasing basis return to work for those who cannot work from home gradual easing of restrictions for higher risk services (e.g. Hairdressers) opening of museums, galleries, places of worship

Phase 5 (10 August) • • • •

allow larger social gatherings return to work across all sectors on a phased basis, commencing at the beginning of the academic year 2020/2021, opening of primary and secondary schools and third level institutions further easing of restrictions on high risk retail services

rejected a job offer would have their payments immediately halted.

Throughout the pandemic, government and business figures have spoken of people being ‘better off’ under the unemployment payments than they had been while in employment pre-pandemic.

This talking point has typically been used to argue against what they perceive as overgenerosity in the payments rather than an indictment of pre-pandemic wage levels.

been reached as people gradually begin

It is assumed by the Government that peak in numbers of people claiming the unemployment payments has already

or possibly coalition partners within a

their returns to work. In mid-May, the number fell by 5,000 in one week to 585,000. However, the number of those on the wage subsidy scheme is rising, in the same week 8,000 people were added to that scheme and the total of companies availing rose to 54,000. How long Fine Gael will faciliate the spending it resisted following the previous crisis – and how long it will do so as caretakers newly formed government – remains to be seen.

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11

Business and the law: Develop a practical understanding law for non-law graduates and for mature entrants who may never have had the opportunity to go to university. Graduates of this course are entitled to apply to sit the entrance examination for the Barrister-at-Law degree course in the same manner as university law graduates. The course offers students top-notch tuition, often in small groups, facilitating access to the expert teaching team and fostering an atmosphere of collegiality.

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Diversity

Amidst growing complexity, businesses now face unprecedented challenges in today’s market. To stay competitive, a practical understanding of the relevant domestic and EU legislation is essential. Eimear Brown, the Dean at Ireland’s renowned law school, King’s Inns, gives us an insight into the highly sought-after law courses which assist many businesses in understanding and navigating the current legal issues that affect their day-to-day operations.

What does an institution founded in 1541 have to offer modern employers? As it turns out, the answer is: a wide range of cutting-edge courses imparting specialist legal knowledge and practical skills. In these difficult times, a skilled workforce is essential. The courses available at The Honorable Society of King’s Inns (King’s Inns) in central Dublin cover a broad spectrum of legal areas, an understanding of which will benefit those working in both the public and private sectors.

Historically, the primary function of King’s Inns has been the pre-qualification education and training of barristers in Ireland. King’s Inns continues to carry out that function very successfully on the Barrister-at-Law degree course which

can be studied over one year as a fulltime course or two years as a part-time (modular) course. Part-time study allows people working across Ireland and beyond to qualify as a barrister without having to give up work. While the primary aim of the Barrister-at-Law degree course is to ensure that students possess the competencies required of a newly qualified barrister, many of the skills taught on this course are highly transferrable across different industries, including problem solving and oral communication skills.

King’s Inns also runs a very successful Diploma in Legal Studies programme, which is a part-time evening and weekend course that provides a route to an excellent qualification in substantive

King’s Inns is proud of its culture of educational innovation in terms of the range of courses on offer, course design and delivery methodology, our diverse teaching panel of industry practitioners and in the use of e-learning software to allow students to participate in courses from a distance.

Over the past decade, King’s Inns has expanded its programme of educational courses in order to increase access to courses teaching specialist legal knowledge and skills to a wider audience. Our goal is to make many of our programmes accessible to both lawyers and non-lawyers, and this goal is accomplished via our extensive range of advanced diploma programmes, which are open to people from a range of professional backgrounds. These very successful programmes provide key professional development to participants who wish to upskill or to fill a knowledge gap that is important to their organisation’s goals or to their own career progression.

Some advanced diploma courses are of importance regardless of the sector concerned. After all, Data Protection Law and Applied Employment Law are areas that affect almost every business and public body. Social Media and Media Law is of increasing general importance in a society where nearly every business relies upon media for some aspect of its business, whether that be promotion or customer service or the direct provision of services.

Likewise, some courses attract a cross section of participants from different backgrounds. For example, our course in Public Procurement Law is of use to parties affected by the law from all angles, whether they are considering tenders or making them; Planning and Environmental Law is important to county councils and planning bodies on one hand and to engineers and developers on the other.

Specialism Meanwhile, other courses are of particular importance to those working in a specific field, including Medical Law (attended by clinicians, hospital administrators and in-house counsel), Corporate, Regulatory and White Collar Crime (which is of particular interest to the Department of Finance, Gardaí and the banking sector), Immigration and Asylum Law (attended by representatives of NGOs, lawyers and civil servants), and Law and Education (which attracts principals, teachers of all levels and anyone involved in school administration).

coordinator Tricia Sheehy Skeffington BL notes: “The task of a quasi-judicial decision-maker is exceptionally difficult.”

By providing this course, King’s Inns hopes to demystify the process.

Speaking of the course in Law and Education, Claire O’Connor BL, former teacher and now one of the course coordinators said: “This course provides students with the keys to unlock a pathway of lifelong learning in respect of the law. In practical terms students will be aware of the legal obligations underpinning their professional background and will develop a skillset in respect of the avoidance of litigation.”

Accessibility

The advanced diploma in Legislative Drafting is an intensive course with a very limited number of places, focusing on the skills required to successfully interpret, critique and draft legislation.

Typical students would be those seeking to upskill due to their involvement with the legislative process. For anyone wishing to work in the field of Irish legal translation, whether at home in Ireland or abroad in the EU institutions, our advanced diplomas in Lawyer-Linguistics and in Legal Translation provide an excellent training in the skills concerned.

King’s Inns was an early adopter of elearning technology, ensuring that most courses have been available via distance learning options for some years now. This technical capacity was of great importance this Spring, when the institution was required to pivot quickly in order to allow classes on several courses to continue as scheduled. Thanks to our use of lecture capture software and videoconferencing software for interactive tutorials, students continue to attend their courses. All students also have access to high quality course materials and to a range of online legal databases which are available on our Virtual Learning Environment.

This past academic year, King’s Inns debuted a new Advanced Diploma course in Quasi-judicial Decision-making, which included lectures by several very senior members of the judiciary, sessions on the use of interpreters and a workshop on unconscious bias by an international expert. The course also gave students the opportunity to participate in highly practical small group sessions, e.g. by running their own quasi-judicial tribunal hearing. Course

King’s Inns timetables all courses in a manner most likely to ensure that classes take place at times when busy professionals of all types will be able to attend. For some courses, this means lectures early on a weekday morning with an 0830 start; for others, it means the courses run in modules over a series of between four and six weekends.

King’s Inns will continue to anticipate the needs of the market in terms of course design and delivery, and as our history shows, we will continue to promote the importance of the rule of law in a modern democracy.

Anyone interested in enhancing their career and in learning more about the

law should have a look at our website, www.kingsinns.ie/education. We are very proud of our courses, our teaching teams and our diverse network of graduates, and we think that many people will find at least one of our courses useful for their continuing professional development.

Dr Eimear Brown, Dean of School King’s Inns, Henrietta Street, Dublin 1 Ireland DO1 KF59 T: +353 1 874 4840 E: info@kingsinns.ie W: www.kingsinns.ie

Credit: Cityswift

eolas issues

All in this together?

Post-pandemic economy As a result of Covid-19 and the subsequent lockdown, Ireland faces the largest recession in its history. Austerity measures are likely to hinder the post-pandemic recovery, the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) has warned.

Ireland, like most countries, is now experiencing a significant economic downturn as a consequence of the lockdown measures necessitated by Covid-19 and initiated in March 2020. The extraordinary decline across Europe is unlike anything witnessed before.

Assessing the post-Covid-19 prospects of the Irish economy, the ESRI’s Summer Quarterly Economic Commentary provides three different scenarios.

1. Baseline: New normal with ongoing physical distancing Following the Government’s roadmap for easing the lockdown, the baseline scenario is considered the most likely to occur. From August onwards, the economy will begin to recover but with continued social distancing measures, will still operate below pre-pandemic levels.

The baseline scenario projects a 12.4 per cent decrease in real GDP in 2020.

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2. Severe: Second wave requiring strict lockdown A worst-case projection, the severe scenario anticipates a second wave of Covid-19 in Q4. In this scenario, real GDP will decline by 17.1 per cent and unemployment will peak at 19 per cent for the year.

3. Benign: Successful disease suppression

will be comprehensively impacted. In the baseline scenario, investment and consumer spending are expected to drop by almost one-third (28 per cent) and 13 per cent respectively. Based on reduced consumption, imports are assumed to decline by 12 per cent, while the global downturn is expected to reduce the external demand for Irish exports by over 8 per cent.

In the best case or benign scenario, Covid-19 is successfully suppressed and economic normality restored in Q4.

However, real GDP will still fall by 8.6 per cent in this scenario and unemployment levels hit 15 per cent for 2020.

Already in the labour market there are obvious indications of the pandemic’s impact. Comparing figures for Q4 2019 with those for people claiming the Government’s Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP). The ESRI illustrates the demographic and geographic analysis of the unemployment surge.

Therefore, regardless of the scenario, the Irish economy is projected to experience the most significant annual decline in its history. Declining consumption means that the economy

Unemployment spiked to a record 28 per cent in April, with young people bearing the brunt. “Claims for the [Pandemic Unemployment] Payment amongst younger workers represent a far greater

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share of employment than for other age categories,” the Summer Quarterly Economic Commentary states.

Almost 60 per cent (27,000) of 18 to 19year-old workers who had a job last year are claiming the payment, while over 47 per cent (93,000) of 19 to 22-year-olds who were employed are doing likewise.

Scenario summaries 2019

Baseline 2020 Severe 2020

Benign 2020

Output (Real annual growth %) Private consumer expenditure

3

-13

-20

-12

Public net current expenditure

6

11

15

11

Geographically, regions outside Dublin are the worst affected. In the border region, almost 30 per cent (51,586) of the workforce is claiming the payment, followed by 28 per cent (52,211) in the south-east and 26.5 per cent (54,823) in the mid-west. However, in Dublin alone, 171,874 people (over 24 per cent of the labour force) are claiming the payment.

Investment

94

-28

-39

-18

Exports

11

-8

-10

-7

Imports

36

-12

-13

-10

GDP

6

-12

-17

-9

GNP

3

-14

-19

-10

As the lockdown eases, this upward trend in unemployment will revert to some extent, thought the baseline scenario still envisages unemployment exceeding 17 per cent for 2020.

Employment levels (ILO basis)

2,322,000

2,026,000

1,967,000

2,081,000

121,000

427,000

477,000

371,000

5

17

19

15

1 billion

-28 billion

0

-9

Public finances have also been visibly affected with a public expenditure increasing to unparalleled levels while being compounded by a decreased economic activity and a resulting dip in revenue. The baseline scenario predicts a significant public deficit of €27 billion (9 per cent of GDP) in 2020.

Fiscal adjustment In the coming months, as the financing of such a deficit will necessitate great attention, difficult decisions must be made. Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil have suggested that the incoming government must commit to a programme of deficit reduction.

However, the ESRI has warned against a knee-jerk response to the growing deficit.

Instead, it advocates a stimulus package to boost recovery, followed by adjustments later in the new government’s lifetime.

Ahead of the publication of the Quarterly Economic Commentary for Summer 2020, ESRI Senior Research Officer Conor O'Toole and ESRI Research Professor Kieran McQuinn presented an overview of the document to the media.

“We have to focus on stabilising the economy, managing income supports and reigniting economic activity in the shortto medium-term,” McQuinn asserted.

Labour market

Unemployment levels (ILO basis) Unemployment rate (% of labour force) Public finances General government balance (€) General government balance (% of GDP)

Acknowledging that “some sort of fiscal adjustment” will be required, he emphasised that if the stabilisation is well managed, “that will ultimately minimise the scale of adjustment that’s needed over the longer term”.

There is a risk that moving to address the budget deficit too soon will inadvertently exacerabate the economic shock, necessitating an even larger adjustment in the long-term.

Potential consumer boom In relation to personal savings, John FitzGerald’s contribution to the Quarterly Economic Commentary indicates that in contrast to the most recent financial crisis between 2008 and 2012, households in Ireland and beyond are likely to have a stronger balance sheet at the end of 2020 than at the beginning.

“It is widely recognised that consumers take into account both current income and expectations of future income when choosing their current consumption.

Consumers are also affected by uncertainty about their future income, so that they may save to prepare for future shocks. Thus, it is no surprise that

consumers today are engaging in precautionary saving in case of permanent job loss.

“In this crisis consumers are also unable to buy certain goods and services, such as foreign travel and the services of pubs or restaurants. Finally, consumers with financial assets may also be facing losses in the value of those assets, which may lead them to increase their savings today. Understanding which of these factors is causing the rise in saving in the current crisis is important,” FitzGerald writes.

The exceptional savings this year could have a significant impact on the economic recovery. While uncertainty may postpone a consumer boom, if household behaviour is similar to the last occasion of ‘forced’ saving, World War Two, it could contribute to “a more vigorous recovery than might otherwise be anticipated”, reducing the need for further fiscal adjustment.

However, FitzGerald concedes that even such a scenario “would go nowhere near compensating for the huge loss of output in 2020”.

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A second wind: Consolidating Ireland’s wind resources The publication of the Climate Action Plan injected fresh impetus into Ireland’s wind energy industry. In the context of a targeted 70 per cent of electricity generated from renewable sources by 2030, Ciarán Galway discusses the industry’s priorities with Irish Wind Energy Association (IWEA) CEO David Connolly.

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“It’s a phenomenal storyline really,” David Connolly remarks as he tracks the trajectory of the Irish wind energy industry. Speaking amid a concerted global effort to tackle climate change, the IWEA CEO suggests that while Ireland’s laggardly climate action statistics are often disparaged, wind energy is the exception.

With a 33 per cent share of wind energy in its electricity demand, Ireland is second only to Denmark at 47 per cent.

The 29 per cent demand share of onshore wind in Denmark is supplemented by a large share of offshore wind (18 per cent). In terms of onshore wind alone, therefore, Ireland is the European leader.

“In the space of around 15 years, we have gone from practically no wind energy industry in Ireland to the number one in Europe for onshore wind. The Danes invented wind turbine technology, so to now be ahead of them in terms of how much onshore wind energy we produce is hugely symbolic. It’s a proud achievement for the wind sector here. Of course, we have an awful lot of catching up to do in terms of offshore wind and we’re really determined to start utilising that resource over the next decade,” he asserts.

Last year, there were 24 wind farms built in Ireland providing an extra 463 MW of additional capacity, the second highest figure on record. Now, in the first two months of 2020, 49 per cent of electricity in Ireland was generated from wind energy.

“We’ve entered a scenario where, each month so far this year, almost half of the electricity powering Irish homes is local, indigenous and clean. While the picture in the Republic is very visibly positive, from an all-island perspective, the outlook is even better. Currently, Northern Ireland doesn’t have standalone statistics and is grouped in with the UK, but approximately 44 per cent of electricity there is coming from wind right now,” he explains.

Vision Connolly credits the 2008 All Island Grid Study as having set an ambitious direction for wind energy which the industry could buy into and which it subsequently delivered. Now, with the

“In the space of around 15 years, we have gone from practically no wind energy industry in Ireland to the number one in Europe for onshore wind.” advent of the Climate Action Plan in the Republic and the Energy Strategy consultation in the North, positivity is building again ahead of the forthcoming decade. Attaining alignment between Northern Ireland and the Republic is one of IWEA’s top priorities.

“Looking at what we achieved in the last decade by having that singular vision and focus on what we were trying to achieve, the next 10 years looks really promising. Hopefully the Energy Strategy, which is currently out for consultation in the North, will reach at least a similar conclusion as the Climate Action Plan in the Republic, once again creating an aligned all-island vision. That would revive what we did for 2020 and lay the groundwork for 2030,” he remarks.

Responsibility The Climate Action Plan has injected a burst of optimism into the wind energy industry, sending a strong signal that its upward trajectory must continue. The Action Plan aims to cut 16 million tonnes of CO2 emissions each year, by 2030.

Between 7 and 8 million tonnes of this will come from renewable electricity, predominantly generated by onshore wind and offshore wind.

“This illustrates the level of responsibility held by the wind sector to deliver Ireland’s Climate Action Plan,” the IWEA CEO says, adding: “It is a significant component of the State’s strategy to tackle climate change. Consider the effort required to retrofit homes, cultivate forests, install heat pumps and more.

The total volume of CO2 saved by those combined actions is between 8 and 9 million tonnes. Yet wind energy, with some solar power, will save between 7 and 8 million tonnes of CO2. That

provides some sense of the scale of the ambition that must be delivered on in the coming decade.”

Simultaneously, in addition to carbon emission targets, the Action Plan outlines a targeted increase in onshore wind generation from 4,200 MW to 8,200 MW. Likewise, it signals the development of an offshore wind sector in Ireland with a target of 3,500 MW of offshore wind by 2030. The industry has welcomed this ambition from policymakers.

Opportunities Seeking to embrace the opportunity unlocked by the Climate Action Plan, there has been a surge of projects endeavouring to get off the ground.

“IWEA’s membership has onshore projects totalling 8,000 MW in development. That’s a huge uplift, though we acknowledge that not all these projects will succeed. It’s necessary to have 8,000 MW in development in order to mitigate the projected attrition.

“In the offshore sphere, meanwhile, we have 12,000 MW worth of projects in development. Again, a portion of these will succeed. However, opportunities are not confined to the projects themselves, but across the entire supply chain. Now that we have offshore as a second component of the wind industry, the potential in terms of job creation will be even more significant than in the previous decade,” Connolly emphasises.

Challenges Over the last decade, the single biggest challenge for onshore wind energy has been the time required to complete a project – averaging between eight and 10 years. 80 per cent of this process is

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of time until the bill is enacted. Until the offshore sector has a planning permission system in place, it is stuck in limbo. In the context of the 2030 targets, a decade is a blink of an eye for an offshore wind farm project. We need to get the process underway as soon as possible,” Connolly states.

Adaptation Over the last decade, the wind energy industry has had to approach projects in a sequential fashion. Such an approach is time consuming. Instead, Connolly suggests that project milestones be pursued in parallel rather than waiting for one step to be completed before beginning another. subsumed by regulatory, licencing and planning systems, while the construction phase represents a relatively small portion of a project’s lifecycle – averaging between 12 and 18 months.

“If I was to sum up our major challenge into one word, it would be: time,” the IWEA CEO insists, stressing: “We’re already in 2020 and we cannot tolerate a situation where it takes 10 years to develop a typical project, if we do, 2030 is already behind schedule.”

The 2030 challenge, therefore, is to ensure the delivery of infrastructure at sufficient scale and in a timely manner.

An immediate priority on IWEA’s agenda, whether in onshore wind or offshore wind, is planning.

“A difficulty for both onshore and offshore wind is the time it takes to get decisions through the planning system.

In the context of a 10-year timeframe, it is not feasible to wait a year to get an answer, whether it be yes or no. We want to see mandatory decision timelines implemented by An Bord Pleanála,” he observes.

Onshore More specifically, the major obstacle for onshore wind energy right now is the draft revised Wind Energy Development Guidelines which were recently out for public consultation. Acknowledging that the industry is pleased that new guidelines may soon be in place, Connolly warns that, aside from a swift conclusion, it wants certainty that the new guidelines will facilitate the development of the next generation of

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onshore wind farms.

“IWEA’s concern is that some of the proposals contained within the draft have major elements that need to be resolved and delay will really eat into the schedule for trying to deliver projects.

Our single biggest concern is the noise proposals. Experts in the field do not believe that these proposals are technically robust and it’s very challenging for a sector to prove compliance with something that isn’t technically possible to prove.

“We are suggesting that the Republic adopts the noise criteria which are applied in Northern Ireland so that there is a single approach across the whole island. That would mean we can get this resolved quickly so that the sector can move forward,” he says.

Offshore For offshore wind energy, the major challenge is the absence of a planning system and the delayed Marine Planning and Development Management (MPDM) bill. “Just prior to General Election 2020, the Government approved the draft MPDM Bill for Oireachtas scrutiny. Once enacted, the bill will create a new regulatory area and a new single State consent regime for the entire maritime area, enabling offshore wind projects to apply for planning permission.

“Naturally, now that we’ve had an election, no party received an outright majority, government formation is yet to be concluded and Covid-19 is absorbing the attention of the political system, the real worry for offshore wind is the length

“Leaving aside the inherent challenges of the planning process, one of the industry’s major asks of the Government and regulatory bodies is that EirGrid and ESB Networks, alongside SONI and NIE, work to develop the grid in parallel to what we’re trying to achieve.

“I don’t think anyone expects grids to be developed without wind farms in place, but what we would like to see is the timely initiation of planning for those projects. With the grid designed and planning permission sought in advance of the wind farm construction phase, then grid construction could occur concurrently. That’s a principle we’re trying to encourage now over the next decade, because if we don’t get things moving in parallel, we certainly won’t meet our targets,” he contends.

Timeframe The IWEA CEO is not convinced that policymakers fully appreciate the timeframe within which the industry operates. On paper, 2030 appears distant but relative to the lifecycle of a wind project, this is not the case.

Consequently, IWEA is allocating time and resource to inform policymakers, regulators and its key stakeholders. In the coming months, it is launching a major piece of work which will map out, in enormous detail, how the 2030 targets can be achieved in time and at the lowest cost to the consumer.

“While, as an industry, we have an obligation to educate the system, we also have a responsibility to come forward with solutions. It’s very easy to say that policymakers and regulators

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don’t appreciate what needs to be done, but we must then put proposals on the table.

“Right now, I don’t think decisionmakers fully grasp the scale of the timeframe challenge we’re facing though some are certainly coming round to it over the last 12 months.

IWEA’s ‘Delivering 70 by 30’ will set out the stages of developing a wind farm project at a granular level and show how time and money can be saved. No one knows the sector as well as we do, and no one knows the timelines as well as us.”

Policy framework Indeed, while welcoming the Climate Action Plan, he emphases that it was very much designed by the policymakers while industry merely received it. “We would like to see a much stronger industry voice in its subsequent iterations. Hopefully that will be facilitated through industry being brought to the table for policy discussions. We can provide significant insight into project delivery, refining the Climate Action Plan to focus on actions that will have the greatest impact. As things stand, from a wind perspective, there are some critical actions missing.”

Achievable 15 years ago, the suggestion that Ireland should establish itself as the European leader in onshore wind would have been met with scepticism. There were several factors which made this unlikely.

However, it is now proven that through a unified sense of purpose, this level of ambition can be delivered.

“Policymakers, regulators, grid operators and the industry worked together to achieve this. We have proven that we can start from scratch and succeed, so sustaining that momentum in the coming decade is certainly achievable.

“However, it is only possible if the system works holistically. Without policy decisions and grid development in parallel, meeting the 2030 targets will be very challenging. Based on the ambition that is outlined in the Climate Action Plan and the subsequent response from industry, we certainly have the commitment and the resources.

“Now that we have offshore as a second component of the wind industry, the potential for job creation will be even more significant than in the previous decade.” bits of the puzzle in a timely fashion, I can certainly see 70 per cent of our electricity generated by renewables, the vast majority by on- and offshore wind, by 2030. That is a very exciting prospect,” Connolly says.

Beyond 2030 2030 is only one ambition on a much wider trajectory. For instance, the subsequent creation of a fully decarbonised power system would facilitate the heat and transport sectors – which will increasingly rely on renewable electricity – to achieve their own respective targets.

“IWEA is keen to ensure that whatever is put in place for 2030, there is consideration of what happens beyond this point. In my own view, we will have to achieve 100 per cent renewable electricity by 2040 at the very latest if we are to have any chance of meeting the broader climate change agenda. The electricity sector is a first mover in

climate change mitigation,” Connolly observes.

Optimism Overall, the IWEA CEO emphasises the significance of the Climate Action Plan and identifies a discernible shift within the wind energy ecosystem. “It is an excellent initiative and its positivity has filtered into the industry where there has been a spike in activity over the previous 12 months.

“I want to emphasise that IWEA regards this as a challenging yet hugely promising time. It is difficult to adequately articulate the sense of optimism which now permeates through the industry. The distinct ambition outlined in the Climate Action Plan has instilled an enormous sense of confidence in investors. While our workload has increased exponentially, it’s a great challenge to address as we strive to tackle climate change together,” he concludes.

David Connolly David Connolly is CEO of the Irish Wind Energy Association (IWEA) which is Ireland’s largest renewable energy association. It is the representative body for the Irish wind industry, working to promote wind energy as an essential, economical and environmentally friendly part of the country’s low-carbon energy future. Its more than 150 members work together to plan, build, operate and support the development of the country’s chief renewable energy resource.

Previously, David was an Associate Professor in Energy Planning at Aalborg University in Copenhagen where his research focused on the design and assessment of 100 per cent renewable energy systems for electricity, heat, and transport. He graduated as a Mechanical Engineer in 2007 and completed a PhD in energy modelling in 2011, both at the University of Limerick.

“If we can piece together the different

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19

Helping to navigate the new world of remote working Maybury says that Dell Technologies was itself well prepared because of the remote and flexible working arrangements that have been in place for its 6,000 strong workforce in Ireland since 2009. That experience has allowed the company to share its expertise with clients and to observe the stages at which they find themselves.

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“Central government is a historically desktop-driven environment that is now trying to work remotely and move to a more agile workforce. That move towards an agile workforce is probably a two to three-year plan. In the first quarter of this year there was a demand for laptops that went through the roof. But on the remote working pivot, we’re only two months into a 24 to 36-month change process.”

As the Covid-19 pandemic necessitates widescale pivoting to remote working and learning, George Maybury, Public Sector Director of Dell Technologies Ireland, discusses the changes in the way organisations are having to go about their business and what is to come next in an evolving workplace.

“Over the last few months, we have seen extremely high levels of activity. It has been very busy right across the public sector,” George Maybury says. “Primarily looking at computing, where Government is trying to allow people to interact digitally, we’ve seen that some

organisations have invested ahead of the curve. Organisations such as the NTMA have had a sustained end user transformation programme over the last two years and were very ready for the current crisis.”

Connected Workplace is Dell’s programme which allows employees to choose the work style that best fulfils their needs on the job and in life in a highly mobile, collaborative, and flexible work setting. Maybury says that the programme has allowed for a change in how Dell thinks about work; where work is not anchored to one place and time and instead is focused on outcomes.

Having established a 2020 goal in 2013 to enable 50 per cent of their workforce to work flexibly, Dell surpassed that goal, with approximately 65 per cent of team members leveraging work flexibility in their jobs. This integration allowed Dell to move 90 per cent of their global workforce to remote working “practically overnight”, Maybury observes.

“Having an end user device is fine but if your processes aren’t digitised, projects and programmes of work are going to have to be put into place to allow what is going to become the new normal to be more effective,” Maybury says, emphasising the need to focus on the entire process rather than just the technology. “Our view is that if social

“We’re all going to have to look at all the processes that could be digitised and how to manage a mobile workforce.” distancing has to continue then office space will not allow for everybody to be back in at once and you will have to allow for a hybrid workforce in the future.

That means for us, and for Government, that we’re all going to have to look at all the processes that could be digitised and how to manage a mobile workforce.

Having a laptop is one thing but being able to manage somebody out in the field is a totally different experience.”

Maybury is keen to stress that while the future cannot be predicted, one thing is certain: both private and public organisations will need to navigate the “new normal”.

“A key aspect of this journey will be user experience,” he says. “In Dell Technologies, when we log onto our systems, the applications and the services we use recognise us. We don’t have to log in multiple times. This is going to be a big challenge for the public sector; we have invested in the software and the security around this. When I log in, I know that I can access everything that I can access from within the Cherrywood offices. Because of our investment over 10 years, we’ve been able to test that and iron out all the foibles, so that if I have a problem with my laptop or services such as HR or payroll, I can fix that from home. In the public sector, take HR for example, trying to log onto that remotely can be a significant challenge. But modern infrastructure and systems can make sure the user experience is a seamless one for all those both in frontline and supporting functions.”

Security is also critical in these uncertain times, with organisations being forced

into relying on technology and needing to be assured that their data and communications are secure. “Security for endpoints is significant for messaging and data,” he says. “For example, on our Zoom calls, everything is encrypted. It is as locked down and as secure as Dell can possibly make it, giving me peace of mind that our communications are secure. Both the public and the private sector need to know that they can trust the technology.”

A pulse survey carried out by Dell Technologies among its customers found that 40 per cent planned to make a more permanent shift to a flexible working situation in light of what has transpired with Covid-19, which Maybury says has been “an acceleration of what was already known in terms of home working”.

Maybury sees this change coming to the fore in public services especially: “I think we’ll see change in healthcare. In the past, you or I would much prefer to see a doctor, but now if we were offered a physical visit to a place with a lot of people or a video consultation, most would prefer the video. Remote healthcare will also be accelerated in terms of monitoring in the home.

“Looking at education, research universities are strengthening their collaboration with technology companies to make virtual learning a reality. Ulster University and Trinity College Dublin are collaborating around Covid-19 and starting to use the expertise they have invested together with the power of new technologies to fix real world problems.

We see the importance of that growing over time and far beyond education. As

public sector organisations plan for a changed future, there will be a renewed emphasis on research and harnessing the power of data to transform the way public services are provided in Ireland .”

Organisations across the public sector can begin that journey of transformation today with the help of the Payment Flexibility Programme from Dell Technologies. “We understand the many obstacles that may impede companies and organisations. That’s why we have made a $9 billion fund available globally to enable businesses to acquire the technology they need for their digital transformation,” says Maybury.

On the ground, that translates into zero per cent interest and a six-month payment deferral period. “Organisations will be able to make their digital transformation ambitions a reality with no capital implications until next year,” Maybury adds. “If they have a lot of legacy infrastructure in place with high maintenance costs, they can replace it with latest technology at zero cost upfront and benefit from cash flow savings as a result of the reduced maintenance bill.”

Be it something as simple as buying a second monitor to enable duel screen working or larger organisational programmes based on new Cloud technologies and modern infrastructure, Maybury sees the change coming as permanent.

“After this initial rush, leaders across the public and private sectors are going to be mapping out their new target operating model. They will be asking where they need to be. Everybody will be different and forced to assess their commitment to digital transformation.

Some will have lots to do because until recently IT was merely seen as a cost in their business rather than something that strengthened business resilience. From now on technology will be seen as absolutely critical to how an organisation stays operational and thrives into the future,” he concludes.

For more information contact George Maybury, Director Dell Technologies Ireland E: George.Maybury@dell.com

eolas issues

The realities of a rent freeze The housing crisis and a proposed rent freeze dominated discourse in the lead up to the general election in February. eolas looks at the rental policy of the parties who sought to depose Fine Gael and the oft-cited example of the recent Berlin rent freeze and how it compares.

A private members’ bill tabled by Sinn Féin housing spokesperson, Eoin Ó Broin TD in December 2019 passed through the floor of the Dáil with the support of his own party, Fianna Fáil, Labour and more. The Rent Freeze (Fair Rent) Bill 2019 sought to “provide for a rent freeze for all existing and new tenancies” while also calling on the Minister of Finance to “commission a report to examine the structure and the costs of introducing a tax relief”.

The Bill, like all bills in the midst of the legislative process, lapsed when the Dáil was dissolved in order to allow for February’s general election. Its thrust, 22

eolas issues

that of a rent freeze after a decade in which rents reached record levels year after year, became one of the key battlegrounds of the election campaign.

The deciding factor of the Bill passing the floor of the Dáil had been the decision of Fianna Fáil to back it, a surprise given their confidence and supply agreement with the Fine Gael minority government. They did so with a caveat however, stating that they were not “wedded” to the idea of a rent freeze and that the Bill in the form it had passed the floor would require extensive reworking at the committee stage.

A month before the vote was carried, party leader Micheál Martin had backed the initiative of a rent freeze. Fianna Fáil housing spokesperson Darragh O’Brien said after the vote that he was “not certain” that the Bill was “fully workable” in the shape it had been in and that the party were “open to looking at [it], to allowing the bill to go to committee, to carry out detailed pre-legislative scrutiny, particularly around the area of what are the risks of any unintended consequences”.

By the time they had unveiled their general election manifesto, Fianna Fáil had rowed back on any support for a

eolas issues

rent freeze and instead began to advance the line that had also been used by Fine Gael and other opponents of the idea: that such a measure would be unconstitutional. Instead, the party’s manifesto outlined six strands central to their housing policy, the latter three being: build social housing and affordable homes; help “Generation Rent”; and end homelessness.

The term “rent freeze” was never used in the Fianna Fáil manifesto and the party instead proposes a New Deal for Renters, a €214.6 million per annum plan that involves: €600 tax credits for all private renters; strengthening the implementation of Rent Pressure Zones; doubling the resources of the Residential Tenancies Board; creating a National Rent Deposit Scheme with a lifetime deposit that moves with the tenant until they withdraw it; creating an Affordable Rent Scheme; improving the quality of accommodation with a Local Authority Quality Certificate; and a ban on coliving.

Sinn Féin, as would be expected from the party that tabled the Bill, made a prospective rent freeze one of their central selling points in the campaign.

Echoing the plans of the Bill, Sinn Féin’s manifesto promised to “put a month’s rent back in every renter’s pocket” with a three-year refundable tax credit for all existing and new tenancies at a cost of €301 million, along with the three-year rent freeze promised in the Bill.

Sinn Féin also promised to legislate the Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Bill, which would create tenancies of indefinite duration and link rent reviews after the three-year freeze to the Consumer Price Index.

The Labour Party’s manifesto also contained with it a commitment to freeze rents, saying: “Labour froze rents in the past by forbidding landlords to raise rents for two years after a contract was signed. This can be done again.” There is no specific timeframe or cap in Labour’s commitment to a freeze, rather it is simply said that they would “freeze rents for a longer period” in order to allow for the building of more homes to alleviate housing supply pressure. They argue that, with rents at an all-time high, landlords can “afford accept a rent freeze”.

Wohnstadt Carl Legien hosuing estate in Berlin.

The Green party’s manifesto made no mention of a rent freeze, instead promising “several legislative and regulatory amendments to make the rental sector fairer” including the removal of sale as a legal reason for eviction, the introduction of indefinite tenancies, and the possibility of the introduction of Germany’s “mirror rent”, where rents in local areas are determined by official guidelines.

Opponents of the rent freeze idea, typically represented in party politics by Fine Gael and eventually Fianna Fáil, have argued that a rent freeze would be unconstitutional. Arguments supporting this tend to focus on the restriction of the property rights of the owners and landlords, arguing that the effect of any prospective rent freeze law would disproportionately target them.

However, Assistant Professor of Law at Trinity and constitutional expert David Kenny wrote of the original Bill that he believed it would pass through the Irish courts if challenged, due to the fact that where proportionality is concerned, the Courts would have to consider the societal problems the Bill seeks to rectify against the supposed infringement upon personal property rights and decide which was the more pressing issue.

Berlin Berlin is often noted as an international exemplar of what can be done to achieve a rent freeze due to recent measures taken by its House of

Representatives to tackle the rental crisis ballooning in the city. Introduced in January, Berlin’s rent freeze is time capped, similar to the Sinn Féin proposal, and is estimated to affect about 1.5 million homes by putting a cap of €9.80 per square metre on rents. Two unique elements of the law are that landlords now cannot charge a rent higher than what the previous tenant paid and if rents charged exceed the limits in the “rent table”, a tenant can sue in order to have their rent lowered.

The Berlin rent freeze is not a complete freeze; in order to encourage continued construction, buildings built after 2014 were exempted from the measures and from 2022 onwards, landlords will be permitted to raise rents in line with inflation of 1.3 per cent per year. Berlin, despite being heralded as a unique example worldwide, does seem to have simply caught up with similar rent control initiatives already present in places like New York, Vienna and Barcelona.

After the rent freeze came into force in February, the Berlin district court ruled it to be unconstitutional in March, referring it to Germany’s supreme court. Despite the fact that landlords have already failed in challenging the law’s fine mechanisms at the federal level, the district court ruled that it does not believe the House of Representatives to have the power to institute such a law. The case is currently waiting to be examined, but as an example of what can achieved and the strength of opposition to such a measure, it remains one of particular

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roundtable discussion

The role of semi-state bodies in delivering the Climate Action Plan (CAP)

KPMG hosted a virtual round table discussion with key stakeholders in the semi-state sector looking at their role in delivering on the Government’s climate change agenda.

How important are semi-state bodies in tackling climate change in Ireland?

Russell Smyth KPMG is in the fortunate position of working closely with numerous semistate bodies across a range of topics, including the climate change agenda.

We consider them as having a key leadership role in this area, helping leverage their considerable asset bases and long-term investment horizons to demonstrate what can be achieved and to encourage best practice across both the public and private sectors.

Brendan Murphy Commercial state-bodies have very substantial assets, networks etc. that can be utilised to decarbonise the economy.

We’re also big emitters and need to play a leadership role by reducing our own carbon contribution. Semi-states, with their engineering capabilities and ability to look long-term, are in a prime position to affect change. From a financial point of view, we’ve got big balance sheets and therefore the ability to invest, so long as it makes commercial sense. From an Ervia perspective, while gas accounts for 1/6th of Ireland’s emissions, we believe that the gas network can reduce the country’s emissions by 1/3rd, which would be a very big benefit to the country.

Jim Meade Semi-states should be leading on government initiatives, and a big part of this is in plan development. We are the experts on heavy rail and one of the key players in public transport generally, so,

Round table discussion hosted by

24

we feed into government planning, as do various bodies, in their specific area. I think it’s incumbent on us to assist government in developing innovations that highlight the benefits of addressing climate action to the wider public.

David Dwyer They have a huge role to play. A significant and tangible step of tackling climate change is renewable generation and using clean electricity to drive the electrification and decarbonising of heat and transport. Getting to 70 per cent renewables by 2030 is a massive step and requires widespread engagement and it needs to be achieved whilst ensuring a safe, stable, secure and affordable network. ESB Networks engage significantly with DCCAE, SEAI, CRU, EirGrid, generators, suppliers, customers and communities to ensure the right balance for change. ESB Networks have the capability to lead through innovation, the development of a future network to address changing needs of customers, communities, ESB and EirGrid.

Roundtable Participants Michele Connolly Michele leads the Corporate Finance practice of KPMG and is Head of Government and Infrastructure for the firm. She has advised on property, project finance and infrastructure transactions for over 20 years. Her areas of focus include semi-states, telecoms, transport, housing, commercial property, healthcare and bank deleveraging.

David Dwyer

David Feeney David is Managing Director, Land Solutions & Venturing for Coillte. David was appointed Managing Director of Land Solutions and Venturing in September 2019. He has worked in Coillte for over 16 years in a number of leadership roles such as sales & supply chain, resource planning, procurement, treasury and finance. David is a Chartered accountant and has a master’s in accounting from UCD and a post graduate degree in IT from DCU.

Jim was appointed Chief Executive of Iarnród Éireann in May 2018. He had previously been Director, Railway Undertaking since 2013 responsible for all passenger and freight services.

Jim leads the management team, prioritising safety for passengers, employees and third parties; provides a quality customer service; strengthens the productivity and performance; and delivers rail’s contribution in support of the Government of Ireland’s policies on sustainable development.

Brendan Murphy Brendan is Director of Commercial & Regulation in Ervia where he has responsibility for strategy, economic regulation and next generation decarbonisation solutions.

He joined the organisation in December 2013 from NTMA where he was Director of Finance, Technology and Risk.

Prior to that, Brendan worked in ESB where he held a number of roles in finance, treasury, trading/regulation and risk.

Russell Smyth Russell is a partner in KPMG and leads KPMG’s Sustainable Futures team, a division dedicated to assisting both public and private sector organisations navigate the sustainability and climate change agenda. Russell has over 15 years' experience in renewable energy, low carbon fundraising and project finance transactions, as well as corporate sustainability and decarbonisation strategy.

Michele Connolly

What specific actions in the

In the private sector, tackling climate

Government’s Climate Action

change is starting to be driven by

Plan will you help to deliver?

shareholders and regulators. Translating that across, the State needs to take a leadership role, by getting its own house in order, so that it can then lead by example. Semi-states need to be front and centre in addressing climate change within their own businesses, offering leadership to the commercial world on how it can be done in a commercially viable manner.

David Feeney Semi-states have significant assets between them and there are different ways we can utilise those to tackle climate change. Currently, Coillte are creating a joint venture with ESB to develop 1,000MW of wind energy on our lands. This is one example of semi-states coming together and there are many similar avenues to be explored through collaborations. Typically, shareholders put pressure on organisations to make changes and sometimes these messages can be mixed but the Government, as a shareholder, is very clear that it wants to see the semi-states tackle climate change.

roundtable discussion

David is Networks Projects Manager for Engineering and Major Projects ESB, a position he has held since 2018. He has been with ESB since 1992 with roles and responsibilities that included Asset Management, Power Station Management, Engineering & Safety Management, Project Management and Strategic Management.

Jim Meade

Brendan Murphy Action number one in the Plan relates to the need to target net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. While the country should clearly maximise renewable electricity, we will need a backup for when the wind doesn’t blow, and the sun doesn’t shine. Decarbonised gas generation will be essential for that.

Also, electricity currently meets about 20 per cent of Ireland’s energy needs. Even if the country can increase that share to 50 per cent, there will still be another 50 per cent that needs to be decarbonised.

We believe that gas (using biomethane, hydrogen and CCS) will be essential to decarbonise that – for heat and transport in particular. Our Vision 2050 document, a strategy to decarbonise the gas network by 2050, is a way we believe we can help the Government achieve that overall ambition.

The shorter term one for us in Ervia, as parent to Gas Networks Ireland (GNI), is working with the Government to help deliver a target for carbon-neutral biomethane on the gas network by 2030.

We believe that this is potentially a very significant source of decarbonised gas in

the long-term. GNI is supporting the move to get biomethane onto the gas network and also the rollout of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) which, when combined with biomethane, creates a carbon neutral transport fuel.

We are also working with government on carbon capture and storage (CCS). We’ve supported the Department’s work in establishing an inter-departmental CCS steering committee, which is now running well. We can see a shift whereby in the last 12 to 18 months CCS is increasingly being recognised as a pivotal part of the overall answer to decarbonisation. We are looking at two CCS models. One is to store CO2 indigenously in the depleted Kinsale Gas Field and second is to export CO2 to a new field being developed off the coast of Norway by Equinor. This would be a readymade store for CO2 being captured in power stations or other large emitters. CCS allows Ireland to continue to benefit from carbon free, secure, flexible electricity generation while at the same time enabling the deployment of increased renewable electricity generation.

Jim Meade The biggest deliverable for us in the Plan is that we can migrate significant numbers of people into public transport modes, specifically heavy rail in our case.

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“We truly believe that sustainability is a long-term value driver for business and getting the governance and roundtable discussion

structure right from the beginning is fundamental.”

Russell Smyth, Partner, KPMG Electrification of the rail network is the single biggest item for us and something we have been progressing. Last year 23 million of our 50 million passenger journeys were on our electric network (DART). If we can get to the point where the electricity is generated through green energy, then we are at a zero-carbon position in regard to those journeys.

The National Development Plan outlines a €2 billion investment in heavy rail, electrifying the Greater Dublin area. We have a plan to deliver that by 2027 but we are also seeking to grow usage numbers in that period with an ambition to facilitate 75 million passengers annually by 2025. If the electrification plan proceeds on course, we would have 80 per cent of all our passenger journeys on an electrified, potentially emission-free network.

Our other major project is the conversion of our Intercity trains, our biggest fleet of 234 vehicles (with an additional 41 ordered), to hybrids. We’ve partnered with Rolls Royce on this project and estimate a 40 per cent reduction in the 23 million litres of diesel fuel burned by

that fleet currently. In the longer term, we have taken the strategic decision that we have ordered our last diesel trains, and that all new trains as part of the expansion will be either electric or battery electric.

David Feeney Coillte have been tasked with looking at increasing the productivity and size of the forest estate, to improve the capture of carbon. The current forest estate across the country captures around 4.3 million tonnes of carbon per year. We’re looking to see how we can support the country, hitting the 8,000 hectares of new forest planted every year.

We’re also looking at innovative ways to enhance the levels of native woodland being planted and last year established Coillte Nature, a not for profit entity, focussed on the environment and biodiversity forests. We are currently partnering with Bord na Móna on establishing a Native Woodland on their land. Coillte also has about 90,000 hectares of land and forests focused on biodiversity and this is another real

important area of the climate change emergency. We are currently looking at how we can protect and enhance these assets.

From a product perspective, the products we produce from our forest are used in a range of areas from buildings, packaging, lifestyle and energy. Under climate change, the key focus is to ensure these products are used to build green homes and displace products that have a high carbon impact. From a renewable energy perspective, we are developing 1GW of wind projects on our land which will have significant impact on the renewable energy targets.

David Dwyer The CAP is fundamentally important for us all and it has the electricity sector at its heart. At the moment, in terms of response to the transformation that’s required, ESB Networks is currently planning with the Regulator to agree the multi-billion investment plan PR5 from 2021 to 2025. ESB Networks are addressing some of the key concerns from the Regulator who want the facilitation of an affordable low carbon

“While gas accounts for 1/6th of Ireland’s emissions, we believe that the gas network can reduce the country’s emissions by 1/3rd, which would be a very big benefit to the country.”

Brendan Murphy, Commercial and Regulatory Director, Ervia

26

future. This process causes detailed planning for the infrastructure investment to meet the significant challenges on the way to 2030.

Michele Connolly At KPMG we recognised that we were doing lots of work in the climate changes and renewable energy sphere, but it was distributed across the firm. We collated all these services under one team (‘Sustainable Futures’) to answer client demands for advice across the broader spectrum of climate change – from strategy through to implementation and monitoring. It’s an area we’ve invested heavily in and will continue to do so. We are equally a firm believer in getting our own house in order. We’re in the market at the moment for a new, sustainable building and we also ran an initiative asking all of our staff for ideas, big and small, to enhance the sustainability of current operations. One of the key things that came from that was transportation, getting more sustainable mobility solutions. We are pushing hard to implement the practical things that will

make a real difference from our staff and the environment’s perspective.

How do you intend to resource the climate agenda and what governance structures are you

NewERA are doing under the CAP that all semi-states will have to follow. What we need to do is make sure we have real clarity on where we can make our biggest impact, set ambitious targets for those areas, and then start to measure it.

putting in place?

Brendan Murphy

Russell Smyth

It’s very important we place sustainability at the centre of our business. We’ve set up a Climate Action Steering Committee, which our CEO chairs, to drive that agenda – covering biomethane, CNG and CCS and hydrogen. Our Vision 2050 strategy is about how we plan to deliver on that. Also, our Board recently approved a sustainability strategy for the company, looking at how we will help decarbonise the economy as well as our own operations – as a big user of energy.

It also addresses the need to reduce waste, support biodiversity among other headings in line with the UN Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs).

This is one of the key questions when we meet clients – how they should go about implementing a sustainability strategy and what structures and governance will ensure success. A lot of organisations have historically gotten this wrong, because they form a dedicated sustainability team who end up sitting off to the side, without a voice at the top table. They end up becoming a cost centre and an annoyance. The key advice we give is that if this is going to move from being a CSR agenda to be a key commercial driver of the business, this has to sit at executive or board-level.

The person responsible for driving this agenda has to be a part of the business and embed this into the core strategic decision making of the business. We truly believe that sustainability is a longterm value driver for business and getting the governance and structure right from the beginning is fundamental.

David Feeney When it comes to the governance, we have been challenging ourselves to build a model that is not just reporting but is driving change and setting real targets that we measure ourselves against.

There are lots of things that are directed toward the climate in Coillte but how do you actually centralise it is the question.

We’re working now on putting together a framework that will be linked to work

roundtable discussion

Over the next five years, and subsequent Price Review periods, ESB Networks will have to invest in the reliability of the network to ensure it provides a good service to all users as customer requirements change while the CAP begins to affect their business and domestic usage. The plans need to engage with customers, as customers are central to the success of decarbonisation. Investing in the low voltage network will be different because of the CAP, as this network will have a major role in the electrification of heat and transport. There will also be significant investment into the smart metering campaign, currently being rolled out, which will help customers better understand how they use electricity and take advantage if possible, of moving demand to high wind/low price times.

Jim Meade When we think of resource, we have the benefit of the DART expansion programme and so we have appointed a new director of capital investment and within that we have a sustainability team.

We have taken resources across the organisation, who were addressing issues of climate action at a sectional level, and all those people have been brought up as one group now. That team is looking at all aspects of sustainability such as biodiversity, recycling, energy management and CO2 reductions. All the business cases that we now bring forward for funding address the sustainability agenda. Sustainability was always important in what we do but now it is also integral to the cost reduction 4

“What we need to do is make sure we have real clarity on where we can make our biggest impact, set ambitious targets for those areas, and then start to measure it.”

David Feeney, Managing Director of Land Solutions and Venturing, Coillte 27

roundtable discussion

“Semi-states need to be front and centre in addressing climate change within their own businesses, offering leadership to the commercial world on how it can be done in a commercially viable manner.”

Michele Connolly, Partner, KPMG agenda. For example, we’re in the market currently for electric trains, which are about 30 per cent cheaper to buy and 50 per cent cheaper over its lifecycle. It’s not just something that needs to be done and will have a price tag with it, there’s actually significant savings if this is done right.

Michele Connolly Where we see businesses that have proven successful in tackling this, it has had senior board attention. I think it is incumbent on us all to continue to highlight the work that is being undertaken in our organisations and across our client space to demonstrate that this is really being taken seriously in the corporate world.

directly to the directors of the company.

Best project management processes and methodologies are applied to ensure there is accountability across the organisation and to make sure the plans that have been put in place are actively monitored and delivered.

In terms of the Innovation Strategy and its eight roadmaps, there is also a governance structure for its delivery. ESB Networks have also set up the Dingle Project to support innovation. The Dingle project involves the deployment of electrified heat, solar PV, battery storage and smart metring across 100 locations in the community. The project gives important feedback both on the technologies and usage from customers and communities.

David Dwyer

What is your organisation’s

The climate action plans are/will be embedded into existing and future Price Review agreements with the Regulator.

Within those plans there is a programme of work, and this programme of work has a governance structure that reports

overall strategy in tackling climate change?

Brendan Murphy It’s about the internal and the external.

The external is about delivering on a net zero carbon gas network for 2050 (Our Vision 2050 strategy). Gas is responsible for about one sixth of Ireland’s emissions, but we believe it could be used to decarbonise about one third of the economy. We need to ensure that gas can help to decarbonise parts of the economy that electricity cannot decarbonise, working interdependently with electricity – which is increasingly being recognised internationally. The internal part is our sustainability strategy, decarbonising our own gas and water operations.

Russell Smyth The key for us is developing a framework that brings all of the individual initiatives together into a cohesive strategy, with appropriate baseline metrics and measurable targets. For the semi-states for example, the Government is keen that there is a common approach and methodology adopted across all semistate bodies, and alignment to key reporting metrics, such as the UN

“ESB Networks have the capability to lead through innovation, the development of a future network to address changing needs of customers, communities, ESB and EirGrid.”

David Dwyer, Project Manager, ESB-Networks 28

Sustainable Development Goals, which will ultimately assist government in its national reporting obligations.

David Feeney

Jim Meade The key strategy for us is electrification and diesel hybrids, that 70/30 split across our fleet. We want a significant increase in passengers on public transport aligned with a corresponding decrease in privately owned cars, interlinking with all modes of public transport. Iarnród Éireann is currently building on our existing strategy under the National Development Plan to 2027, and expanding our horizons right out to 2040, to align with Project Ireland 2040.

Within this longer-term approach, we believe that consistent funding at modest levels in infrastructure terms, can bring us towards an electrified Intercity network, as well as electrification of other urban rail systems like our Cork Commuter network.

David Dwyer Our Brighter Futures strategy (2017) is built around the transition to a low carbon energy environment. The CAP (2019) will accelerate the Brighter Futures strategy ambition. In terms of climate change, ESB Networks are focussing on three particular issues. The first is the facilitation of the decarbonisation of electricity to achieve the CAP’s target of 70 per cent renewables by 2030 incorporating the additional renewable targets solar (1.5GW), offshore wind (3.5GW) and onshore wind (8.3GW). The further two issues are the needs to facilitate the electrification of both transport and heat. The low voltage network must accommodate EVs for transport and heat pumps for heat. In terms of internal company action plans, there are plans for decarbonising of both buildings and fleet in line with the 2030 Public Sector Targets for CO2 reduction and energy efficiency improvements.

Existent and planned investment in buildings and refurbishment of depots will take on modern building efficiency standards. ESB Networks have plans in place to electrify their fleet. Currently

there are 70 EVs with some batteryoperated forklifts and there are plans to introduce more as the technology evolves.

Michele Connolly It goes back to basic SMART management principles. Setting targets that are monitored and measured to ensure that everybody continues to focus on implementation, particularly in light of all the other challenges that are now out there.

roundtable discussion

Sustainability is right at the core of our strategy. As we move more towards the bio-economy and circular economy, forestry will play a vital part in its development. We are trying to ensure that the wider sustainability agenda is captured within the business and forestry can deliver commercial, economic and environmental benefits for society. Our strategy is focused on capturing more carbon from forest, delivering low carbon building products and delivering renewable energy projects. We are also looking at how we decarbonise internally, especially with the supply chain that we rely on.

Those are the big-ticket items but there are also small wins; things like recycling in depots, facilities, and around the office, that extra 1 per cent as athletes would say. Looking at the original EU climate goals, we were one of the organisations who hit their 2020 goals, and we did so in 2016, which I think proves that we have long been working on sustainability and have been doing so before it became fashionable.

We do see the emphasis staying on the Climate Change agenda at the moment, but we need to focus on implementation of the plans that are out there.

Is there a danger of climate being put on the back burner in light of COVID-19?

Russell Smyth I think if we look back to the last recession, there was a point pre-2008 where climate was gaining traction but lost momentum following the crash. We don’t see the same risk this time however – the science is now conclusive, the issue urgent and political and corporate policy embedded. While it’s true that some industries, such as the airlines will be focused on survival over the next six months and by necessity will have to de-prioritise other matters for a time, overall we remain comfortable that the tipping point has been reached and this is now a fundamental direction of travel for society.

“I think it’s incumbent on us to assist government in developing innovations that highlight the benefits to the wider public.”

Jim Meade, Chief Executive, Iarnród Éireann 29

Supporting cross-border trade and collaboration during the pandemic out a survey in April as the crisis hit. It showed that 80 per cent of businesses had seen a dramatic reduction in their sales in the first few weeks of the crisis.”

Adapting to help SMEs in a new landscape

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InterTradeIreland then widened its approach, introducing a number of new supports to help businesses that trade across the border move out of crisis mode and into the recovery phase. At this point Gough stresses that the body wanted to develop initiatives that focused on its remit of cross-border trade and business development, and not to confuse the landscape for SMEs by duplicating what other government agencies were doing in both jurisdictions.

He acknowledges the comprehensive response from both governments to support businesses on both sides of the border.

Aidan Gough, Designated Officer of InterTradeIreland, discusses how the organisation has responded to the Covid-19 crisis and why cross-border trade will be vital to economic recovery.

The catastrophic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has already had a significant impact on cross-border trade and business development. This is in stark contrast to the latest figures before the crisis hit. Cross-border trade had been at an all-time high of €7.4 billion and was a big economic driver for both jurisdictions.

“Once the current crisis hit, like most organisations, our first priority was to make sure our staff were safe and that the organisation could function when the island went into lockdown. The staff have been fantastic. Just as our employees contributed to business growth during the period of expansion they’ve been

working hard when SMEs need us the most,” states Aidan Gough.

InterTradeIreland initially turned its attention to the cross-border trading companies and organisations who were on its programmes. The economic development body is unlike both Enterprise Ireland and Invest Northern Ireland who have their own clients, whereas the cross-border body runs programmes that assist businesses through various initiatives. “We had to ensure companies on the programmes had the resources and capabilities to continue on those programmes and get the benefits from them. We also carried

“Our approach has always been value through collaboration. We had worked previously with TechIreland, an organisation that identifies and works with new emerging technology companies across the island, to develop a Covid-19 business map. This showed all the businesses that were willing to cooperate in response to a public need related to the pandemic,” explains Gough. The business map was launched in April 2020 and has since grown substantially. The initiative has led to cooperation between companies on several projects. “The map shows a business other potential business partners and effectively speeds up the collaboration process. Businesses have been incredible in the way they have responded in repurposing production to meet a public need,” he adds.

InterTradeIreland’s existing programmes have also been leveraged to respond to the crisis. The Co-Innovate programme aims to increase the numbers of small

and medium enterprises (SMEs) involved in research and innovation across the border region of the Republic, Northern Ireland and parts of western Scotland.

The five-year €16.6 million project was the first funding offer to be announced under the EU’s INTERREG VA Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body. In the wake of the pandemic, the programme brought together, and provided the initial funding for a partnership of 20 businesses supported by Queen’s University Belfast to mass produce visors on an industrial scale of tens-of-thousands each week.

“This existing programme showed that businesses are willing and capable of responding on a cross-border basis,” says Gough.

Going digital InterTradeIreland’s corporate plan has digitalisation both of its own supports and helping SMEs to adapt and adopt digital processes, as one of its central planks.

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought forward the digitalisation of business processes, forcing change and adaptation in a time frame that no one expected. As a result, the body has been able to respond very quickly to business needs and has re-engineered many of its services, including its sales programmes, funding supports and new Covid-19 initiatives so that they can be accessed and implemented in the new environment created by the pandemic.

It also launched the E-Merge programme to help companies embrace their digital sales options. E-Merge provides £2,500/€2,800 fully funded consultancy support to help businesses develop online sales and e-commerce solutions.

Advice is provided in a range of areas including e-marketing, website management, e-commerce, online payment systems, secure logistics, customer service and the legal and insurance implications of moving online.

There has been a strong uptake for the programme as the Covid-19 crisis has hastily forced many businesses online.

There’s also been a lot of interest in InterTradeIreland’s Emergency Business Solutions programme. Firms are offered £2,000 /€2,250 worth of support to risk asses their current business position, assist with cash flow forecasting, HR issues and to help manage suppliers.

Businesses are also directed to the appropriate source of relevant supports in Northern Ireland and the Republic.

Another element that illustrates InterTradeIreland’s willingness to adapt to the new landscape is the

Hero Shield Project, Shnuggle A group of firms set up not-for-profit company, Hero Shield Ltd, to manufacture face visors for health workers with help from €300,000 of funding from the Co-Innovate programme.

The Co-Innovate initiative, led by InterTradeIreland and supported by the European Union's INTERREG VA Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), is providing the cash injection to the cross-border group of 18 companies, to help them produce thousands of lowcost, quality face shields in response to Covid-19.

There has been an overwhelming response from the health sector both north and south, with Health and Social Care Northern Ireland having placed an order for 70,000 visors per week.

Adam Murphy, CEO of Shnuggle, said: “Hero Shield was born when we heard about the desperate need for PPE. We saw an opportunity to use our collective skills and knowledge of precision engineering, plastics and manufacturing to create a low-cost, fast-manufacture face shield. We wanted these to be distributed free of charge or at cost. We will sell some product at a small profit to private companies, which will raise funds to make even more Hero Shields, allowing us to continue operating as a not-for-profit company. Funding from Co-Innovate has provided us with the financial support to keep this amazing venture running for the benefit of all in society.”

reconfiguration of its all-island Innovation programme that brings in internationally recognised speakers. The programme is now delivered online and is reaching an even wider audience than previously. A series of funding and recovery webinars that help businesses navigate their way through the current crisis as well as avail of key supports in both Northern Ireland and the Republic, has also proved popular.

Looking ahead, Gough sees the area of supply chains becoming more important: “We are going to have to help firms take a strategic look at their supply chains.

There is an obvious need to diversify supply chains and even to bring them closer to home. Redesigning supply chains will be an important factor in the recovery and we are looking at initiatives in this area.”

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Seedcorn, Tracworx This Limerick company was last year’s winner of InterTradeIreland’s Seedcorn competition, which recognises and identifies early start companies with high potential. Tracworx has used the Seedcorn funding to repurpose its technology to combat Covid-19. It has developed a tracking device to help hospitals with social distancing and to trace where contacts have been indoors.

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Brexit Brexit is another once in a generation issue and it will again come into sharp focus towards the end of 2020, with the issue of deal or no deal. “Although there is the Northern Ireland protocol, there are still important issues that could impact on the way we trade across the border on this island. One of the main issues is the significant amount of cross-border trade from Northern Ireland to the Republic that ultimately leaves the island as part of an EU free trade agreement,” says Gough. If Northern Irish goods are not treated as part of the EU, that could have real consequences for trade from north to south.

Challenges and opportunities The main challenges to the end of 2020 will be the emergence from the Covid-19 crisis and Brexit. Businesses will redesign and adapt as we move to a new ‘normal’ but Brexit will also be a challenge. “We are planning for the recovery and to help business who trade across the border to repurpose and redesign their business models and to keep them informed and ready to react to whatever Brexit deal emerges,” Gough states.

Before Covid-19, InterTradeIreland had looked at major areas of opportunity for cross-border trade and business

development. “Some of these will become even more important in light of the current crisis. These include Industry 4.0 and a raft of new technologies, such as blockchain and AI that will change the way we do business. There are opportunities for early adapters of these game changing technologies. Other areas where there are real opportunities for cross-border cooperation include adaptation to the low carbon economy, cooperation to drive small firm productivity and in sectors such as advanced manufacturing and health and life sciences – where there is scope for developing internationally competitive allisland clusters building on world leading indigenous businesses, multi-nationals and world class R&D. “While the short term is focused on recovery from the current crisis and InterTradeIreland has been very quick to respond, looking further ahead there are many real opportunities for cross-border cooperation that will deliver mutual benefits in terms of business development and international competitiveness,” he concludes.

Included are three examples of how InterTradeIreland has been helping business collaborate, pivot and respond Covid-19.

CovidBizMap, Axial3D InterTradeIreland teamed up with TechIreland to develop an interactive map. It tracks those responding to the needs of the Irish Government and Northern Ireland Executive during the Covid19 pandemic. It is generating new connections and collaborations and identifying clusters of expertise.

One Belfast company on the map is Axial3D, a former winner of an InterTradeIreland FUSION Exemplar award. At the core of this innovative SME is 3D printing capability. The company is now printing thousands of face shields and test swabs for Covid-19.

W: www.intertradeireland.com InterTradeIreland helps SMEs across the island by offering practical crossborder business funding, intelligence and contacts.

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Leadership latest responsibilities seriously and it is up to them to form a stable government.”

Green Party

Credit: Labour Party / Green Party.

Meanwhile, the Green Party constitution dictates that a leadership contest must occur within six months of a general election.

Labour leader Alan Kelly TD, Green Party deputy leader Catherine Martin TD and Green party leader Éamon Ryan TD.

In the aftermath of General Election 2020, the Labour Party has concluded its leadership contest while the Green Party is set to hold an election this summer.

Labour Party Alan Kelly TD has succeeded Brendan Howlin TD as leader of the Labour Party.

In April, the Tipperary TD saw off a challenge from Dublin Bay North TD Aodhán Ó Ríordáin by 54.7 per cent to 45.3 per cent.

First elected to the Dáil in 2011, Kelly is a veteran of parliamentary politics having served for three years as Minister of State in the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (2011-2014) and two years as Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (2014-2016). At that time, he was also deputy leader of the party.

Infamously, during an interview with the Irish Independent in early 2016, he

suggested: “Anybody who says that power isn’t attractive is telling you a lie.

Of course it is. It’s obviously a drug. It’s attractive. It’s something you thrive on. It suits some people. It doesn’t suit others. I think it suits me.”

Given his reputation as a brash politician, many anticipated AK47 might have sought to exert Labour’s influence on government formation talks. For the moment, however, the new Labour leader seems keen to remain on the opposition benches.

Within 24 hours of acceding the leadership role, Kelly stated: “When it comes to forming a government, we have been very clear since the general election that it is up to other parties to take their

Éamon Ryan TD has been at the helm of the Green Party for 10 years, having led the party back from the brink in 2011, through the wilderness years until 2016 when the party gained two Dáil seats, before making significant gains in the 2019 local and European elections.

Today, the party has 12 TDs, two senators, two MEPs and over 40 councillors, including five in the North.

Ryan, who represents Dublin Bay South, was taken by surprise by a letter signed by four Cork-based Green Party councillors – Lorna Bogue, Colette Finn, Oliver Moran and Liam Quaide – urging deputy leader Catherine Martin TD to make a challenge for leadership of the party.

Acknowledging the letter, Dublin Rathdown TD Martin indicated that she would give “serious consideration” to the request. “Thank you to the Green Party members who have asked me to step up and contest the upcoming leadership election… I believe it is important that government formation talks fully conclude uninterrupted and that any leadership campaign happens subsequently,” she tweeted.

At the time of print, nominations for the leadership election had opened and candidates require the support of just 50 of the party’s 2,700 members. Postal ballots will be distributed to Green Party members on 1 July and must be returned ahead of the count on 23 July. If the support for Ryan within the parliamentary party is mirrored across the broader membership, it seems likely he will retain the role.

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conference report

Social Media Dublin 2020 Speakers: James Coltham, The Scottish Government; Darragh Doyle, Event Chair; Aoife McGuigan, Lucozade Ribena Suntory; and Christopher Cahill, Snap Inc.

The annual Social Media Dublin Conference 2020 took place in February and welcomed over 300 marketing and communications professionals for a day of all things social media!

An exciting line up of expert speakers included Christopher Cahill from Snap Inc, James Coltham from the Scottish Government, and Andrew Payne from the Department of Justice and Equality plus many more. Delegates heard expert insights on how to improve their social media strategy and examples of successful case studies.

Over 300 attendees at Croke Park.

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Delegate taking photo.

Emily Daniels, Robert Holton and Katie Byrne from Trinity College Dublin.

conference report

Deirdre Farrelly and Brónagh Kelly NSAI with Orla Calnan, Ornua.

Aoife Costello, Rachel Dempsey and Rachael Brennan from An Post.

Lorraine Wall and speaker Nathalie Pavone from Business in the Community Ireland.

Speakers: Rachel Gallagher, AMPLIFY @ Drury PN; Corina Fitzsimons, Dogs Trust Ireland; Darragh Doyle, Event Chair; Corrina Kavanagh, Columbia Records UK; Kathryn O’Dwyer, Cork Airport and Andrew Payne, Department of Justice and Equality.

Ciarán Hogg, Fiona Farrell and Nicola Ryan from the Public Appointments Service.

David Nutley, Office of the Ombudsman with Michael Kelly, Personal Injuries Assessment Board.

Niamh Sloane, Laura Meehan, Catherine Whelan and speaker Jenny Finegan from Fáilte Ireland.

Colm Smyth and Sarah Ann Murphy from Dublin City Council.

Emma Cronin, Enovations Solutions with Milena Gajda, Tesco Ireland.

Q&A session.

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HP Inc.: Leading the way HP Inc. Country Manager, Ireland Neil Dover discusses the company’s drive to be the best in class in meeting the changing demands of ‘Future of Work’, security and sustainability.

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Outlining how HP is evolving its services to meet changing demands, Dover highlights the organisation’s integral understanding of the ongoing demographic workplace shift, as much as a technology shift, in regard to the future of work.

Dover is new in post, having taken up the position as Country Manager, Ireland in February 2020 but brings a broad experience base in a variety of roles throughout his 12 years with HP Inc. Roles spanning public sector management, retail and distribution mean that Dover brings a unique end-toend outlook on the priorities in Ireland.

By 2025, he estimates that 75 per cent of the workforce will be millennials and recognises that meeting the changing demand of this demographic will require an innovative approach.

“A significant number of millennials don’t really view work and their personal life as two distinct things. Often, they want to merge the two, what we at HP call ‘one life’,” he states.

HP’s unique approach to the future of work spans workspace, workforce and work culture, offering organisations services to shape the future of work to their advantage.

“The modern worker wants the flexibility to take devices from home to work and vice versa. Traditionally, work devices were built to be functional and durable.

Now it has to be those things, but it also has to be attractive, enabling suitability for at home and in the workplace.”

HP have excelled in this space, explains Dover, with a growth of 3 per cent in the past two years propelling them to become the fastest growing premium manufacturer. The key, he insists, has been a focus on innovation and design, coupled with an ear to what users are requiring in their devices.

“A significant number of millennials don’t really view work and their personal life as two distinct things. Often, they want to merge the two, what we at HP call ‘one life.” currently have in the market. “We’re aiming for first and best in class in terms of our device portfolio,” adds Dover.

Coupled with device design, Dover explains that expectations around

The Country Manager explains that HP’s ‘as a service’ offerings, such as those of ‘Design as a Service’ (DaaS) or print as a service, essentially take the pain away from IT departments and increases the benefits to the end user.

serviceability are also evolving, with most people now expecting the same level of service at home and on the move as they

An example Dover points to is that of the HP Notebook Elite Dragonfly, the lightest notebook device for commercial purposes at under 1kg. “It’s a really attractive and desirable device, even outside of the fact that it’s a commercial device,” he states.

did from a traditional office setting.

Similarly, the HP ZBook Studio, a “hybrid” design with workstation power, is another impressive device HP

wasted on trying to maintain a fleet when

“That’s a major challenge for a lot of IT departments,” says Dover. “IT departments are typically overrun with requests for updates, new devices and break fixes and IT resources are often their skillsets should be redeployed to focus elsewhere.”

“Our services are centred on being proactive and establishing a predictability in regard to our fleet management. Predictability means that often an issue can be resolved before it becomes a problem. We’ve integrated AI and analytics to improve that predictability and remove the pain from IT departments. For the user, this translates into more up-time and devices that are constantly operational. Rather than wasting half a day with IT trying to 4

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“Traditionally, work devices were built to be functional and durable. Now it has to be those things, but it also has to be attractive, enabling suitability for at home and in the workplace.” get your email back, the device is either swapped out or fixed before the problem occurs.”

A recent innovation by HP is the introduction of HP Tech Cafes and locker solutions, which enables HP to

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manage problems onsite and end-toend, improving the workplace experience Dover points to this as one of the various solutions that HP are producing to provide opportunities for IT departments to move away from their more traditional role and into a space

where they can add greater value to their organisation.

Security For all of HP’s solutions, whether devices are used at home, work or mobile, security remains at the forefront, explains Dover, with HP continuing to focus on the weakest points.

“Right now, those weakest points are endpoint devices and people. These are areas in which HP is very focussed,” he says. “HP has invested significantly in security and as a result has the most secure products on the market. We’re proud of the many awards we have won in this regard and of the reputation that we’re quickly building around security and the performance of devices.”

Outlining how HP is leading in this area, Dover points to the introduction of automation into detecting issues but also repairing issues. An example is that of HP’s SureStart technology which has a self-healing PD BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) protecting users from attacks. Similarly, HP Sure Run

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uses automatic detection and can fully recover the HP OS image without requiring that recovery software be present on the machine and using a network connection.

“All of these services ensure very little downtime for the end user and automation is the key,” explains Dover.

Sustainability Alongside security, a major focus for Dover and HP is in the area of sustainability. The Country Manager outlines a “circular economy” outlook on their products, ensuring that sustainability is a priority not just in the design phase but right the way through to disposal.

As a result, HP were awarded a triple A* rating by the government procurement directorate in Northern Ireland in February, alongside a Sustainability Leadership Award, becoming one of only five companies worldwide to attain both successes.

HP was the first global IT company to publish a full carbon footprint and outlining HP’s pride in being recognised for its sustainable actions, Dover points to a range of measures including the recent release in 2019 of HP paper, which comes with a guarantee of zero deforestation and the issuing of carbon footprint calculators and tools to end users, highlighting where savings are being made.

“The reputation that we have built in the market is second to none and it’s something that we are receiving a lot of feedback on. Demand from the market is widespread and a focus on sustainability is something that is being demanded, not just by organisation leaders but by the users. Our sustainable approach is something we’re very proud of in HP,” adds Dover.

However, HP’s sustainability agenda expands beyond the carbon footprint and recent initiatives have focussed on communities. HP have enabled better learning outcomes for 21 million people around the world and are on target to reach a goal of 100 million by 2025.

At the same time, HP recognises that its overall ambition must be powered by diversity and inclusion. Dover explains that this means building a culture within

the organisation where “people from all walks of life can contribute and flourish is a cornerstone of our success”, but also working to ensure that, externally, HP products are manufactured with respect and care for the people who make them. To date, HP has provided skills and well-being training to more than a quarter of one million workers worldwide.

Future trends The Future of Work, security and sustainability remain core to HP’s thinking as they continue to design and deliver new devices and new styles of devices, says Dover. One example is the recent launch of the Spectre Folio, a leather-bound device “which brings together luxury and quality with high-end and refined technology”.

developing powerful machines but the look and feel of those machines and how users interact with it. That’s something our engineers and designers are very focussed on.”

Looking more broadly, Dover points to the evolution of 3D printing and VR as an ongoing focus for HP. Recognising the level of disruption likely to be experienced through technology advancement in the coming years, he points to the manufacturing sector as a prime example of where HP’s 3D printing services and predictive technology could negate downtime through instant part production.

“We want to continue to lead the way in the premium space,” he concludes.

“The device has proven extremely popular and it’s an area we’re investigating more and more. Not just

Neil Dover Neil joined HP Inc. in 2010 as Product Business Manager, before moving to become Retail Channel Manager. He served as Public Sector Manager, Personal Systems until February 2020 before taking up his current post where he is responsible for leading the overall strategic direction of the business and the sales team in Ireland.

Neil has a degree in Computer Science from DCU and has a passion for travel. He and his family have travelled widely, sampling new cultures and he lists Japan and Peru as next up on his to-do-list.

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Digital government report

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digital government report

Digital Ireland: Advancing the agenda Digital government in Ireland has undergone considerable transformation through the implementation of its Public Service ICT and eGovernment strategies. Ciarán Galway engages with the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) to discuss the progress of this evolution with Barry Lowry.

Now in his fifth year as Government CIO, Lowry is pleased with Ireland’s direction of travel in digital government. Most notably, since first speaking with eolas magazine about the Digital Service Gateway concept upon his appointment 2016, Ireland’s Government Portal (gov.ie) has come to fruition and is receiving significant traffic, over 200,000 visits and half a million hits per day during April.

Government portal

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The development of a Digital Service Gateway as a one-stop platform for citizens is a major component of the Public Service ICT Strategy’s ‘Build to Share’ pillar as well as a key action within the eGovernment Strategy 2017-2020.

For example, the eGovernment strategy emphasises the need for a high quality and secure citizen experience, available

through a simple user interface. gov.ie is a central portal that provides online access to government services and information. By combining information across government departments and public bodies, it aims to provide userorientated interaction and to present information in a clear, understandable and accessible manner. Today, citizens can utilise these services using a verified MyGovID account, applying the ‘tell us once’ principle.

“All the evidence that we’ve accumulated indicates that more people are visiting the portal site and are staying for longer, which are good metrics of its success. In addition, we also sought customer feedback, undertaking interview sessions within one of the government departments.

“We interviewed people and directed them to attempt certain transactions, firstly on the old site and then on the new one. They all agreed that the new site was much easier to navigate. When we migrate content onto the new site, we take care to simplify it and collaborate with departments to do that,” explains Lowry, adding: “Needless to say, during the Covid-19 pandemic, Gov.ie has been an excellent focus for both government communications and those wishing to access information on any aspect of the Government’s response from health to welfare and for making offers of help.”

Observing the tangible uptake in engagement, the Government CIO expresses an ambition to enhance the quality and basic functionality on the site itself in 2020.

Digital public services

To consolidate this, at the end of 2019, the Government indicated its desire to accelerate the digitalisation of public services over the course of 2020. “We have a commitment from government that this will happen. We also have a commitment to push as hard as we can to move towards 90 per cent of transactions being consumed as opposed to simply being available online by the end of 2023,” Lowry outlines.

Specifically, the Government’s Digital Agenda for the Public Service provides several objectives for public bodies to pursue. These include: •

•

•

ensuring the most used services are used digitally as opposed to simply being available online; ensuring all digital services have the same look and feel, are understandable and easy to use; and ensuring all services are developed in an inclusive, transformational, user-driven and mobile-centric fashion.

The Government CIO believes that a significant factor behind growing uptake and use of MyGovID is an increasing public appreciation of the value proposition. “We’re starting to see citizens understand and value this process and it’s beginning to feel like we’re being pushed by the public to do things faster.

“One of the things that we’ve agreed to explore, with the Government’s permission, is the increasingly regularity of people asking government if they can use their personal credentials, such as the Public Services Card, to do things like open a bank account. For instance, rather than present a utilities bill, a citizen could simply tell the bank that their identity is already government verified or answer questions in a GDPR compliant manner,” he states.

This assertion is supported by a recent

GovTech Action Plan 1.

Government should seek to facilitate the re-use of

2.

Government should review the government business

government assets where lawful and feasible.

digital government report

A second key area of progress has been the observable increase in the figures for digital public services transactions. The eGovernment Strategy seeks to use digitisation to improve efficiency, transparency and flexibility of public services and there are now over 600,000 verified MyGovID accounts.

Figure 1

development funding frameworks to identify any gaps or opportunities for further cohesion, with a view to reviewing how the model can be better communicated to, and understood by, its target audience.

3.

Government should develop a more cohesive life-long digital

talent development model covering all life stages, from preschool age to retirement and all levels of competence from service user, to systems developer and systems architect.

4.

Government should seek to develop procurement solutions,

which fully comply with EU legislation, to enable easier access for new market entrants to conduct business with Government.

5.

Government should drive GovTech by being an exemplar in

the delivery of digital services, the continuous development of employee skills and the adoption of innovation.

6.

Government should actively engage with all sectors of society

to ensure GovTech is fully inclusive and addresses the main societal obstacles to digital participation.

7.

Government should create an appropriate GovTech

governance structure.

8.

Government should create a GovTech branding model, which

will be available to all contributors.

European Commission special Eurobarometer survey, conducted in December 2019, which found that Europeans are willing to share their personal information to improve public services. Europe’s Digital Future measured attitudes towards the impact of digitalisation on the daily lives of EU27 and UK citizens.

and private) online services and give

A total of 76 per cent of Irish respondents indicated that it would be very useful (28 per cent) or quite useful (48 per cent) to have a secure single digital ID that could serve for all (public

digital Ireland then where we can

control over the use of data. Indeed, this figure is higher than the EU average.

“We are very much attempting to respond to the public’s digital agenda as well as that of the Government. If citizens have a clear preference for how they want to interact with Government in facilitate it, we will do so. We’re attempting to illustrate what this will look like before opening it to public consultation,” Lowry says.

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“We’re pursuing this engagement and exploring what happens in terms of open data and incubators. We are conducting some interesting work with Science Foundation Ireland to garner this insight,” says Lowry.

digital government report

GovTech

At the same time, he emphasises the impact of initiatives undertaken by individual ministers. For instance, Minister for Children and Youth Affairs Katherine Zappone’s decision to launch the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) primarily as a MyGovID-enabled digital application. A subsequent media campaign encouraged parents to obtain a verified MyGovID to access the NCS in the “fastest, most user-friendly way”.

In many respects, Lowry feels that this was an ideal match of government initiative and target audience, in that it used digital to meet the needs of one of the demographics most in favour of digital government solutions.

Data sharing Another milestone on the wider digital government journey was the enactment of the Data Sharing and Governance Act 2019. This legislation provides a generalised legal basis for data sharing between public bodies and simultaneously establishes appropriate safeguards for such sharing to occur.

This, Lowry contends, is crucial to the expansion of the digital delivery of services and, through a reduction in duplication, the enhanced efficiency of public bodies.

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“With the Public Service Data Strategy 2019-2023 also agreed at the beginning of 2019, we now have permission to

recruit people to enact the legislation.

This is a big business project but also a significant technical project as well. The early wins will be a Data Dictionary and the newly planned MyData Portal.

“Cognisant of GDPR, the MyData Portal will be a gateway for citizens to access their government credentials and data.

This will demonstrate our transparency and to enhance understanding of this, we will move towards the data registries.

This will be a long journey of change as we rethink our data stewardship. The key is that we now have the legislative underpinning alongside cross-Civil Service support for the direction of travel.

We’re all working together to evolve this,” he stresses.

Open Data is a critical element of the Public Service ICT Strategy and, as a result, wider public service reform. Amid enhanced eGovernment and data analytics, Open Data’s objective is to deliver economic, social and democratic benefits through the access, reuse and distribution of data held by public bodies.

For three consecutive years, Ireland has been successful in retaining its status as the most mature open data country in Europe. “What we’re really striving to do in 2020 is to understand the value of this data and get our indigenous companies involved and develop understanding that if we invest more the potential impact for them.

Discussing the correlation between digital government and a successful digital economy, the Government CIO contends that a clear link exists. “While partly reputational, this is because it encourages citizens to do more online.

The OECD, the UN and others have highlighted that the most successful digital economies are also the best at digital government. This is evident in Denmark, Estonia, Sweden and Singapore,” he says, suggesting: “The next stage for us is to understand how to use government assets and government requirements to grow intellectual property rights [or IPR] in this country. When the new eGovernment Minister assumes office, one of the first things that I will be doing with them is taking them through the GovTech initiative.”

GovTech is the application of emerging technologies to deliver enhanced public services through increased efficiency and reduced cost. Applying this concept through collaboration with government, an ecosystem comprising start-ups, established indigenous companies and multinationals works to understand and develop solutions for public sector challenges.

The GovTech report is the product of a day-long workshop with a cross-interest group which included academia, multinationals and start-ups. It contains eight recommendations for a GovTech ecosystem in Ireland (see figure 1). The overarching ambition is to establish Ireland firstly, as the best place in Europe to transact digitally with Government and secondly, as the best place in Europe to be part of a tech start-up.

“The idea is that we put challenges in the ecosystem and help fund the delivery of solutions. If it appeared that we could make a solution work, we would effectively be building IPR that could read across into other EU countries. You cannot drag and drop everything because the legislative aspects of what we actually do are different, but you can get a degree of similarity in the process of opening a bank account or applying for welfare across jurisdictions,” Lowry notes.

Culture While overall, in terms of digital, Ireland is performing well, Lowry acknowledges a clear lag in the provision of public services. “We have found ourselves in a culture where people have become accustomed to accessing services in a particular way. This may not the best or most efficient way to either provide or access a service. People should not have to take leave to access a government service – they should be able to do so at their convenience,” Lowry asserts.

Relative to culture, he reasons, technology is a secondary component of digital transformation. “While almost invariably, technology can help, the OECD definition maintains that eGovernment is about putting a digital front-end on what you’ve always done, whereas digital government is about rethinking what you’ve always done, because the technology is available. It’s making the cultural leap and consciously deciding to set aside the traditional process and instead talk to the public in order to reimagine a better process for the future.

“This is a challenge and while we have started undertaking this progressively, we have now committed to building innovation capability within the Civil Service and creating labs where can test initiatives. While this is positive, we must drive outcomes to showcase that it is worthwhile,” he says.

ICT Apprenticeship Scheme ICT professionalisation is another challenge on the journey to establishing Ireland as a digital leader. Any Irish organisation, including Civil Service departments and offices, engaged in digital transformation, especially in the

“We are very much attempting to respond to the public’s digital agenda as well as that of the Government. If citizens have a clear preference for how they want to interact with Government in digital Ireland then where we can facilitate it, we will do so.”

Greater Dublin Area, is faced with substantial talent management challenges.

with a complete rethink of those which

As such, in 2019 the Government announced a specific ICT Apprenticeship Scheme in conjunction with Fastrack to IT (FIT). The ambition is that the apprenticeships will go some way to addressing staffing needs.

for the public and those who need

“There are 34 apprentices passing out of this scheme and we are meeting with FIT to discuss adjustments to its next iteration. Another approach we are taking is to offer our internal staff an opportunity to retrain and work in technology, digital or data analytics.

complete a transaction yourself because

“That is a simple logic stemming from the OECD statement that AI could likely retire around 14 per cent of jobs. This creates an opportunity for us and will mean that less people are consumed with administration of public services. Those people can then work on the design of services, including the collation of feedback. Overall, this means better quality jobs for the Civil Service, as well as increasing the talent pool,” Lowry suggests.

A new National Digital Strategy is being

Vision Looking ahead, the Government CIO’s ambitions for the next five to 10 years are framed in the context of providing over 90 per cent of public services digitally

digital government report

The Government CIO also believes that another important opportunity of Ireland’s GovTech project is its national orientation rather than confinement to Dublin. “The National Broadband Plan will increase connectivity, so how do we exploit that and unlock the indigenous start-up capability? If you examine any of the Government’s policy areas, from housing to climate action, having people work close to where they live is very important.

Through technology we can begin to better manage work and where work takes place,” he adds.

are yet to be delivered digitally. This means in a manner that is more suitable access to services most. “It becomes much more about managing the digital divide more proactively by ensuring that everyone gets involved,” says Lowry, adding: “For instance, if you cannot you lack the necessary technology or understanding, then you can attend an advice or help centre where they will walk through the process. People should not be excluded from the journey, but instead helped to manage it.”

led by the Department of the Taoiseach, which will holistically address the entire digital ecosystem. This is likely to be further developed in recognition of the many changes necessitated by the events of the last couple of months.

“I would like to see Ireland recognised for some of the initiatives undertaken here, perhaps through our GovTech. We have some brilliant ideas in our start-ups, we need to turn those into sustainable products and delivery streams. I also want to establish an environment whereby we create a safe data ecosystem which benefits our citizens and businesses alike,” Lowry concludes.

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digital government report

The ‘new normal’ for public servants A large reset button has been pressed on the world’s economy and its societies.

Citizens and businesses have all been operating in restricted mode. But when the reboot is completed, we will all have to learn and adjust to a new economic and societal ‘operating system’ and ‘user interface’ writes Andrew Montgomery, Partner and Global Leader Government and Public Sector at BearingPoint.

What are the key considerations and challenges in designing this ‘new normal’ for Europe’s public servants? Their ways of working, work environments, the employee experience, and the skills and technologies they need to be effective in their roles.

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All industries have had to manage and operate through a rapidly changing economic environment that evolved over days and weeks: first from ‘business as usual’ to ‘business as not usual’ as social and mobility restrictions had an immediate impact on revenues and service delivery. As the new levels of supply and demand for services have become clearer, organisations are operating in a new manner: ‘business as unusual’.

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Through the period following the relaxation of restrictions, organisations will need to implement the permanent

changes to their business and operating models to be successful and effective in whatever ‘new normal’ economic and social environment materialises.

The public service has had to respond incredibly quickly and innovatively to the increased demand from citizens for its services: •

•

on the frontline in hospitals and nursing homes, through contact tracing and testing of citizens, the sourcing and supply of personal protective equipment and the implementation of population health management and communications plans; in other frontline areas like social care, policing, emergency responders, local government and education where public servants are dealing with extra demands placed

on them, and working in an environment of uncertainly and, in some areas, higher risk; and •

also, the redeployment of public servants from non-frontline roles to support the areas of the public service experiencing increased demand has resulted in a high proportion of people working in areas outside of their core domain and competencies, using unfamiliar work and management practices.

Public servants are playing a key and irreplaceable role in tackling and managing the many challenges that the Covid-19 crisis has presented and are demonstrating their flexibility and resourcefulness. The situation will stabilise, but it is clear we will all be working and living in a different reality.

This presents uncertainties, but also opportunities, in the medium to longer

term. For public service organisations, and specifically public servants themselves, there are six key areas for consideration that are clearly emerging.

1. The future of work is today

The ‘new normal’ will not see a return to the same levels of office-based work, and the balance will vary across different sectors. To prepare for this, public service managers need to design and implement permanent changes in areas including: •

•

•

full implementation of robust, scalable and secure communications infrastructure to support remote working and collaboration, both internally and externally; the rationalisation of its real estate portfolio and reconfiguration of workspaces to facilitate social distancing at work; and redesigning HR and workforce management processes to support new work patterns, work-sharing models and ways of working, supported by the appropriate training.

processes and using it to enable the people who deliver them. It is the latter scenario that is more appropriate for public services. Citizens expect the same options in terms of digital and physical channels from the public service as they get as consumers. They also expect frontline public servants, whether they are nurses, teachers or police officers, to be equipped with and have access to the appropriate technology and data to respond quickly and deliver their service needs.

Supporting frontline public servants to deliver services more effectively requires: •

equipping them with the appropriate mobile technology and access to systems and data to triage, resolve, refer or escalate situations in as close to real-time as possible;

•

redesigning existing processes to balance remote monitoring, video or in-person interactions (i.e. medical assessments, adjudications etc.) and determine when each is appropriate and effective; and

2. It is a people business and always will be

However, there is a difference between deploying technology to automate

•

making multi-agency approaches the norm and designing integrated services around the specific needs of citizen groups (i.e. elderly people and those living in remote areas) to provide an improved experience and outcome.

care professionals, police officers, local government workers and teachers, for example, have had a much greater profile and focus during the current crisis. There are a number of areas for consideration including: the physical working environment they are in day-today; the non-discretionary aspect of the customers they serve; the situational factors they need to consider in providing the appropriate level of service; the implications on people’s lives of making an incorrect decision; and the levels of personal risk.

The multi-faceted and diverse nature of many public service careers is a fundamental element of the overall employee value proposition. Attracting and retaining public servants to manage and deliver the level of services we expect will require a reassessment of elements of this employee value proposition, including: •

the career and progression paths that it can provide and balance between providing both generalist and specialist roles at different levels and grades;

•

the levers that are available to public service managers to support reward and performance management; and

•

a best-in-class wellbeing programme that supports public servants who work in demanding frontline environments.

3. Its services are more complex and multi-faceted than other sectors

4. It needs ‘problem solvers’ over ‘process followers’

The discussion in relation to the demands of various public service roles in comparison to ones at equivalent levels of seniority and experience in the private sector will be an important agenda item. The roles of nurses, social

Regardless of the current situation, rapidly changing working conditions and circumstances are now part of employees’ and managers’ everyday lives in both the public and private sector. Essentially, the culture and

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Compared to other industry sectors, the public service has a high proportion of its workforce who deliver services faceto-face on the frontline to its customers – be they citizens or businesses – or in the middle or back-office in terms of second-level supporting services, i.e. case management and customer care.

Other industry sectors have seen a significant reduction in the human element of either the manufacturing of products, through automation or the delivery of services via digitalisation of customer channels.

digital government report

In Ireland, the draft programme for government that has been presented includes an ambition that 20 per cent of public servants should be working remotely by 2021 (and private-sector employers will be incentivised to do likewise). Whatever the actual figure is, and it could arguably be higher, the potential positive outcomes for society, the economy and the environment are clear. It would reduce congestion on roads and public transportation, reduce emissions, increase daily productivity time, and improve citizen wellbeing.

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freeing up human and financial resources that can be dedicated to improving frontline services and higher-value activities or reassigned to other areas of increased demand.

digital government report

The current crisis has seen significant redeployment of resources on a reactive basis and out of necessity. A longer-term and more strategic approach should be developed that includes:

mindset of organisations have to change when faced with a world of increased volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. A new set and base-level of competencies are required for employees to be effective in their roles.

These include aspects such as flexibility, agility, resilience, readiness to assume risk, problem-solving, dynamic communication and decision making, and a higher tolerance for failure.

Many public servants have demonstrated their aptitude in problem-solving during the current crisis and it is a fundamental aspect of the overall matrix of skills they require. From an overall workforce development perspective, the key activities should include:

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•

There is a new balance to be struck between investing in transforming technology, processes, organisational structures and people development. And organisations need to consider the following in their decisions: •

•

implementation of a revised competency and self-assessment framework to reflect the core capabilities that public servants require in their ‘new normal’ roles in today’s society and economy;

•

providing access to appropriate learning and development programmes and delivery mechanisms aligned with the level and specialisms of public servants’ roles; and

•

an increased focus on the organisation and presentation of information from multiple sources to support public servants in real-time, data-driven decision making.

5. Investment needs to be rebalanced towards its people

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disproportionate amount of the investment in transformation and change is made in digital solutions and technology.

People, capability and leadership are generally cited as top success factors for public sector transformation. But often a

•

revising existing business case models in terms of where the money will be spent, what outcomes it is intended to achieve and where the quantitative and qualitative value will be delivered; developing the new skills that public servant managers require as they advance within their organisations so they can allocate their time accordingly in terms of directing, motivating and supporting their teams; and implementing a consistent organisational change approach that is understood by the whole organisation and becomes business as usual in terms of both continuous improvement or more transformative initiatives.

6. It is about reskilling and redeployment of roles as opposed to them becoming redundant In some sectors of the public service, as well as in regional areas away from population centres, there may not be enough frontline public servants.

Technology has an important role to play in increasing the effectiveness of backoffice and supporting processes and

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a sector-wide strategic workforce plan that includes the workforce profile (e.g. level, age, location and skills), drivers of service demand, workplace capacity and dynamic modelling capability for the reskilling, reactive and proactive redeployment of staff and impact of new technologies;

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development of new national models based on the learnings from current working arrangements that rebalance the centralised location of offices and staff to more remote and distributed arrangements; and

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the formalisation of arrangements for access to increased workforce capacity at short notice as part of business continuity management.

The ‘new normal’ in terms of how, where and when we all work will be significantly different to the models we were used to before the crisis. This is presenting challenges and uncertainties in the short term. But it is also providing valuable lessons and insights into the future of work which has arrived much sooner than expected.

There can be many benefits to these new arrangements for citizens, businesses and wider society if introduced in a balanced way. As they have done in the current crisis, public servants can take the lead in establishing these new ways of working as the ‘new normal’.

This article is an extract from our BearingPoint of View on the priorities for public service organisations to enable new and effective ways of working for public servants in the ‘new normal’ society and economy. Visit www.bearingpoint.com/enie/our-success/insights/thenewnormal/ to read the full article.

Andrew Montgomery, Partner and Global Leader Government and Public Sector T: +353 (1) 418 1176 E: andrew.montgomery@bearingpoint.com

Digital government in action: RPA in shared services digital government report

At a strategic level, insights gained through shared services are helping to inform pay talks, the development of government policies, including absence, leave and mobility, and are critical to the delivery of the Civil Service People Strategy and the new HR operating model. The NSSO is a key partner in developing and delivering these strategic initiatives.

Innovation has been at the heart of the NSSO since its inception and nowhere is this more evident than in the strides that it has taken in deploying Robotic Process Automation (RPA) technology to enhance service delivery.

RPA origins Robotic Process Automation (RPA) technology was first introduced in the NSSO in 2017, when a proof of concept trial was established to explore its potential to improve operational efficiency. The scale and extent of the HR shared services operation offered ‘prima facie’ evidence of ample opportunity for automation, with a consequential release of thousands of hours back to the business. This resulted in the release of staff from routine and monotonous tasks, allowing them to focus on value adding activities such as continuous improvement initiatives.

A pilot programme explored the technology for a limited period, to determine if business value could be realised from RPA within the context of HR shared services. The potential benefits identified for the NSSO included:

It is important to recognise that the positive impact of shared services to the Civil Service goes well beyond

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increased speed of operations, eliminating backlogs;

•

improvements in compliance, quality and operational agility; and

•

improved employee morale and strengthen employee engagement.

the documented cost savings that it has delivered already. Hilary Murphy-Fagan, CEO of the National Shared Services Office (NSSO) writes.

The National Shared Services Office is the shared services provider for the Irish Civil Service. It provides HR and pension administration services to 38,200 civil servants, and payroll and related services to 145,000 public servants, of whom over 60,000 have retired. A government office, the NSSO is a service partner to all government departments and a range of public service bodies.

Now, for the first time, the Civil Service is effectively operating a single set of HR and pension processes, guided by the same set of policies. This creates the opportunity for modernisation and easy online user access through self-service and digital services to professional HR and payroll services, as well as a transparent and fair system which is a benefit to the service users.

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HR data analytics are now readily available to management on a Civil Service-wide basis and the scale and specialist expertise of the NSSO allows reforms, such as the recent PAYE modernisation, to be implemented across the Civil Service efficiently.

A project team was established, comprehensive training was provided, and full support and mentoring services were facilitated through the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. The pilot programme was successful and delivered a number of significant wins to the organisation, and an RPA Centre of Excellence model was established within the NSSO. In the early stages, the focus has primarily been on the automation of processes within HR shared services. More recently, RPA processes have also been successfully deployed within payroll shared services, and this is anticipated to grow substantially in 2020. The NSSO is also deploying RPA to add value to cross-division initiatives.

Lessons Learned While the NSSO is at an early stage of maturity, it is continuously exploring and delivering optimum efficiencies through deeper application of RPA technology. There are a number of lessons learned from the journey so far.

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Ensure the proposed process identified for RPA is suited to automation, is a structured process, is not in flux or has not been recently changed, i.e. that the process has been

tried and tested and has been proven to work.

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Do not ‘let perfect be the enemy of good’. If the process is structured and works well it is a candidate, don’t waste time looking for the perfect process to automate.

•

Do not allow scope creep. Define your processes tightly and deliver the automation, add embellishments in subsequent phases.

•

Do not try to fix a process through automation, this is a recipe for disaster. Only automate processes that have been well tried and tested.

If there are deficiencies in the process, fix them first.

•

In the early stages it is important to get the processes out there and visible to win the support and trust of both management and of clients.

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Set realistic time frames. Be cautious at first, do not be afraid to make mistakes, learn from them, mitigate risks.

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Proactively engage with your subject matter experts, build trust and relationships.

•

The relevant operations team must agree to release resources/staff to work with the RPA team to validate and test the RPA.

•

•

The operations team must retain their skill set and process knowledge, in case the robot cannot run.

As proficiency builds and more robots are deployed, there is a need for strong governance with robust decision making on priority and pipelines to manage the demand.

The NSSO has implemented a significant number of robotic process automations, (some of these are included in figure 1), the impact of which has been to release significant capacity back to the organisation.

Robotic Process Automation has become an invaluable digital workforce support in the NSSO. We have conservatively estimated that RPA

Process automated using RPA technology

2019 scale of activity

2020 up to May

Comment

Alerts sent (e-mails)

1,018,078

416,820

This process is generally used to issue an email alert to all of our customers.

Absence Update Case Status

23,144

4,938

The robot changes the status of all new absence cases from new case to on hold.

Absence CMO Cases

4,254

909

This relates to Chief Medical Officer referral cases.

The robot creates the letters that issue to officers confirming their referral.

Exit Process

-

527

The robot initiates the ‘exit’ procedures raising the required cases across the various operational teams that have inputs to the process, emailing the officer and the local HR office, and completing HR amendments.

Issued New User Names

4,540

1,219

The robot generates and issues a username and password to new starters.

Reset Password Cases

14,169

4,052

The robot completes a password reset for officers who have forgotten their password.

Payroll PAF

5,637

3,198

The robot prepares a payroll amendment form with information collected from two databases for pay cases relating to parental leave, shorter working year unpaid and workshare pattern changes.

This process won the Overall Award in the NSSO Excellence and Innovation Awards 2019.

Recoupments PAF

10,127

9,788

The robot populates a payment amended form for the recoupments team with information collected from two databases.

DMS White Certs Upload

4,666

20,735

The robot uploads an electronic version of a medical certificate to the Document Management System.

Union Business Leave

1,294

326

This process transacts union business leave cases by updating the customer’s record and sending a confirmation email.

Started May 2020

Process implemented within payroll shared services to auto notify pensioners when they are registered for pension payment.

Pension Registration Letters

activity in the NSSO is the equivalent value of 14 FTEs (full time equivalents), in 2019. RPA has been instrumental in our growth and development, given the scale and demands of our shared services operations. The NSSO will continue to invest in RPA technology to reap the rewards and opportunity the technology presents, to better enable our people so that we can better serve our customers’ needs.

digital government report

•

Do not start with highly complex processes. Start with smaller processes or automate part of a bigger process. This offers the team a good opportunity for learning and acclimatisation, it helps win the trust of the organisation and mitigates the associated risks.

Figure 1: Examples of work completed using RPA processing

removing the more monotonous tasks from their work day. We currently have a waiting list of processes to be automated. The fact that demand is outstripping supply internally is evidence of how RPA has been embraced within the NSSO. This has been invaluable as it has permitted the organisation to have scalability and keep pace with a growing demand that has to be serviced from a static resource complement.”

John Ryan, Assistant Secretary for Employee Services, NSSO, says: “Each of our operations teams in HR shared services has experienced first-hand the potential of RPA and they readily embrace the technology as a means of

Looking to the future, we will continue to build our RPA expertise and grow our capacity and capability to roll out the functionality across all divisions within the NSSO.

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eInvoicing: Responding to business in a digital age digital government report

However, the transition to a distributed and remote working model, for so many people in recent weeks, has highlighted the advantages of digitising invoice receipt and workflow processes. eInvoicing is helping public and private organisations to maintain the flow of payments to suppliers, an important support for the economy particularly during challenging times, such as these.

Reflecting on this renewed interest in digital in recent weeks, I’m reminded of Milton Friedman’s famous assertion: ‘Only a crisis – actual or perceived – produces real change.’ Ideas can be out there, widely acknowledged as excellent concepts but may not have been properly embraced or realised. It isn’t until a crisis and ‘the impossible becomes the inevitable’.

Currently, the eInvoicing Ireland team is supporting public bodies in reaching compliance with the eInvoicing Directive deadline of 18 April 2020 against a most unexpected backdrop. Declan McCormack, eInvoicing Ireland programme manager, explores the role digital has played in facilitating our new work environments.

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Transforming the way governments transact with businesses across Europe is increasingly becoming one of the main advantages of adopting the European Directive 2014/55/EU on electronic invoicing in public procurement (the eInvoicing Directive), particularly when chosen as the main method for invoice processing. By adopting the European standard for eInvoicing as required by the Directive, and by choosing the Peppol network for the transmission of eInvoices, public administrations are helping to establish a shared European pathway for suppliers to make greater use of digital in doing business.

This common approach by public 52

administrations helps suppliers to simplify the choices they need to make and to avoid costs, when they are considering doing business digitally with public sector clients at home and internationally. In Ireland, most main invoice processing bodies across the public sector have now established Peppol based eInvoicing.

Digital processing of eInvoices reduces and can eliminate manual intervention altogether, facilitating a wide range of benefits. The elnvoicing community, here in Ireland and across Europe, have long been extolling the benefits of digitally transforming established paper-based invoice processes.

For most of us, our priority has been to do what we can to support those on the front line of the global response to the ongoing pandemic, including staying at home. In that regard, the global response has in many respects been a digital response, supporting a wide range of businesses and services to continue and to meet the needs of their customers, clients, students, and workers in a new way, while adhering to the essential health measures.

Our citizens of all ages have become more digitally enabled and are now experiencing technology in radically different ways, from facilitating schooling and work to shopping, supporting each other and socialising. As a result, citizens and businesses will expect a broader digital response from the Government in the delivery of services and business transactions from now on.

Although the eInvoicing Ireland team have experienced an increased interest in eInvoicing from those looking for an efficient and digital response to the current situation, we also understand that others have been delayed in implementing eInvoicing in time for the April 2020 eInvoicing Directive deadline, due to the disruption caused by Covid 19.

We are working with organisations to help them quickly establish eInvoicing compliance now that the deadline has passed and would urge any public bodies, not yet compliant, to engage with the Office of Government Procurement (OGP) eInvoicing and Peppol network framework, available from the Buyers Zone at www.ogp.gov.ie.

Figure 1: Becoming eInvoicing enabled in compliance with the eInvoicing Directive All public sector bodies should follow six steps: 1.

Conduct an internal analysis of the organisation’s current invoice processing environment including invoice volumes, supplier profiles and systems involved. eInvoicing Ireland have developed preparatory

To facilitate public bodies in reaching compliance with the eInvoicing Directive, the eInvoicing and Peppol Framework was established by the OGP with the eInvoicing Ireland team. The eInvoicing Ireland Steering Committee, comprising senior representatives from the four OGP sector partners across Central and Local Government, Health and Education, informed the establishment of the framework. The comprehensive framework, with three separate Lots, offers services and solutions which are compliant with the European Standard on eInvoicing as prescribed by the eInvoicing Directive and caters for the diverse range of needs and requirements across all public sector bodies.

The eInvoicing service providers on the framework are connecting public bodies to the Peppol network and offering solutions and services to enable basic compliance with the Directive as well as a more fully integrated approach to eInvoicing, facilitating ‘straight-through processing’. In this way the eInvoices can be transmitted directly into back office systems as data fields and then processed for payment, allowing goods receipting, tracking and spend analysis, whilst minimising the need for manual intervention. eInvoicing and straightthrough processing are helping businesses pay and receive money faster and more efficiently.

In considering eInvoicing implementation, public sector bodies should refer to the Six Steps to becoming compliant as outlined in the eInvoicing Ireland guide (see Figure 1).

Public bodies should undertake a thorough analysis of the current invoice processing environment and then rethink those processes in the context of digital.

Kildare County Council benefitted from this approach when they were looking at

available at: www.ogp.gov.ie/einvoicing.

2.

Identify the internal people/teams involved in invoice processing including the finance, ICT and procurement teams.

3.

Develop the organisation’s eInvoicing strategy/approach, stipulating whether basic compliance or fully integrated eInvoicing services/solutions are required for the organisation.

4.

Access the eInvoicing Framework through the Buyers Zone at ogp.gov.ie

5.

Public sector bodies not due to come under the shared-services or coordinating facilities across Central and Local Government, Health and Education, should refer to Lot 3 of the Framework to engage with the relevant service providers.

6.

Once engaged, work with the eInvoicing service provider to implement eInvoicing across the organisation’s processes, systems and with the relevant people.

eInvoicing implementation last year with the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA). Mary Behan, Head of IT, Kildare County Council who was involved in implementing eInvoicing spoke at the recent eInvoicing Ireland implementation event held in conjunction with the European Commission’s Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) in Dublin Castle and her presentation is available on the OGP YouTube channel.

eInvoicing: Driving digital procurement and suppliers In transposing the eInvoicing Directive, Ireland joined the rest of Europe in digitising a key element of the Procure2Pay lifecycle. eInvoicing is the key enabler joining the digital dots between the pre and post-Award procurement phases. In doing so, Ireland is supporting the European goal of moving closer towards the greener Digital Single Market, which will reduce barriers to trade, particularly important given recent impacts on the global supply chain.

send eInvoices under the Irish transposition of the eInvoicing Directive, the obligation is only on public bodies to receive and process should suppliers wish to send. The efficiencies, cost savings, improved spend analysis data and environmental benefits can only be realised by driving volumes. In order to drive volumes, we need suppliers to submit eInvoices. By supporting the European standard for eInvoicing through the PEPPOL network, public bodies are meeting their legal requirements and establishing a common standardised approach both nationally and throughout the Digital Single Market. This helps suppliers make a simple and cost effective ‘connect once and connect to all’ choice to adopt eInvoicing and helps all of us to make greater use of digital in doing business.

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eInvoicing implementation

worksheets to support public bodies in undertaking this exercise,

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The Office of Government Procurement eInvoicing and Peppol Framework

For access to information on eInvoicing in Ireland E: eInvoicing@ogp.gov.ie W: www.ogp.gov.ie/eInvoicing

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digital government report

Digital health transformation: Laggard to leader? a divisional unit within the Office of the CIO (OoCIO) and has evolved to focus on technological solutions, testing and adoption.

“Historic underinvestment in digital healthcare is one of the primary reasons that we are lagging. It wasn’t prioritised as an initiative that should be invested in.

The Covid-19 pandemic has shown the value of being able to use digital technology and we anticipate this will make investment in digital healthcare a new imperative for the HSE,” explains the HSE Digital Transformation team Director, Martin Curley.

Strategy In collaboration with leaders across the HSE, Curley is tasked with four objectives:

In the race to secure the digital transformation of Europe’s health services, Ireland currently lags behinds many countries. Ciarán Galway discusses the HSE’s digital ambitions and the catalytic effect of Covid-19 with its Director of Digital Transformation and Open Innovation, Professor Martin Curley.

Amid spiralling health budgets, countries across Europe are shifting towards people-centred, efficient, and sustainable health systems. Harnessing the opportunities presented by existing digital technologies and data is key to this transformation. While this ‘fourth industrial revolution’ has transformed societies more broadly, health lags behind other sectors. The OECD maintains that technology is no longer the obstacle. Rather, regulation, alongside the governance of health systems, is now the major obstacle. “A genuine digital transformation is a political choice,” it asserts.

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Indeed, while digital transformation is

underway across the HSE, the OECD health policy study ‘Health in the 21st Century’ indicates that Ireland is still lagging behind other European health services. The HSE Digital Transformation and Open Innovation team was established in mid-2019 with a stated vision of “developing and unleashing the digital capability of the HSE and associated ecosystem to drive breakthrough improvements in health service efficiency, effectiveness and experience”.

Digital transformation and the use of digital technology is crucial to the achievement of the Sláintecare objectives. HSE Digital Transformation is

1

Accelerating the adoption of digital technologies and solutions to transform Irish healthcare.

2

Supporting and influencing digitally driven change across the organisation to support the successful implementation of Sláintecare.

3

Building a consistent vocabulary, language and tone for digital across the HSE.

4

Delivering a digital learning programme to a wide range of staff in the HSE and across the wider health sector.

Similarly, the HSE’s digital transformation strategy has five pillars.

1. Digital Academy: As is the case in the UK, Ireland has established a Digital Academy to educate and create digital leaders as well as digital practitioners. More comprehensive than the UK model, a new master’s in digital health transformation has been launched with 50 students having already embarked on that journey.

2. Open Innovation: The HSE Digital Innovation team alone

3. Digital Labs Digital labs enable the deployment of a technology in real world scenarios, rapid iteration and the production of workable solutions as well as business cases that then enable broader adoption of that technology.

4. Digital Academy Forum Hosted quarterly, the Digital Academy Forum is a platform for ideas and views on digital health agenda, digital transformation and innovations across the Health Service to be shared and discussed by medical staff, academics, industry leaders, and patients and citizens. Ultimately, the forums inform Ireland’s National Digital Healthcare Strategy, in line with the government’s 10-year Sláintecare strategy.

5. Digitisation This is the actual act of moving the organisation from analogue to digital.

Robotic process automation (RPA) is one of a number of key tactics being deployed to support this.

According to Curley, the establishment of the HSE Digital Innovation team was a recognition of the need for an organisation to help galvanise and drive digital transformation. “We are chartered with pathfinding the future and running proof of concepts,” he says, adding: “We want to improve capability, competence, capacity and confidence. If we are successful, in five years’ time Ireland will have moved from European digital laggard to European digital leader and we would have improved the efficiency, effectiveness and experience of the wider healthcare system.”

Holistic change A key tenet of this mission is contained within a quote from Nobel laureate Ilya Prigogine who said: “In an unstable complex system, small islands of coherence have the potential to change the whole system.” The HSE Digital Transformation team is a small group, driving a coherent digital message in the

“If we are successful, in five years’ time Ireland will have moved from European digital laggard to European digital leader and we would have improved the efficiency, effectiveness and experience of the wider healthcare system.” hope of effecting impact on the broader health system.

For Curley, bridging gaps is also an important element of his mission. “When we apply the idea of open innovation 2.0, it is about the concept of quadruple helix innovation whereby we support the alignment of government, industry, academia and citizens around a common vision.

“Innovation can very often be described as developing new combinations of existing and emerging technologies to solve problems. Often, we are trying to synthesise various insights, new technologies and solutions to do things in a new way or to do things that would have been otherwise impossible,” he outlines.

HSE Digital Transformation has a digital innovation portfolio of around 50 technologies that it tracks and recently opened a portal for organisations to submit ideas, receiving around 100 submissions. This has yielded between 12 and 14 real life projects, some of which are already adopted while others are in the process of proof of concept and hopefully adoption.

Process Curley and his team work to generate a business case from a proof of concept, for the broader adoption of these specific solutions. Simultaneously, it works on the cogeneration of documentation, such as a data protection impact assessment, so that when a solution is adopted, it is ready for deployment.

For digital technologies and solutions, there is typically a four-stage process for broad adoption across the health system. “Firstly, we have the idea and review whether or not it is good. Then we establish a proof of concept which is a small-scale test of the technology. If and

digital government report

cannot bring digital transformation to the wider organisation. Instead, it is orchestrating the digital health ecosystem around the ‘stay left, shift left’ strategy. ‘Stay left’ is about using technologies to keep people well and ‘shift left’ is about using technologies to move people from acute settings to community or home settings as soon as possible.

when the proof of concept indicates that the idea is worth exploring further, we attempt a demonstrator which uses the technology in a real-life environment.

The output of this is a business case for broad adoption across the wider organisation,” Curley discloses.

In the context of Covid-19, some solutions have progressed through this process very quickly. “Arguably, we have had two to three years of progress within two to three months,” the HSE Digital Transformation Director suggests, adding: “In the past, this process would have taken several years. We are attempting to reduce it to a calendar year. That would be aggressive but it’s something that we think is achievable.”

‘Stay left, shift left’ Meanwhile, the ‘Stay left, shift left’ strategy is at the forefront of developing a business case for broad adoption.

Curley uses the proof of concept being started with DermView, a company specialising rapid teledermatology diagnosis service, as an example.

“Today, the waiting list for a dermatology consultant appointment extends to three years in St James’s Hospital. We want to use DermView’s technology to identify anyone who has been on the waiting list for over 15 months and photograph the area of skin that is causing them a problem for offline review by consultants.

“Some very early pre proof-of-concept work in St James’s Hospital has indicated that at least 50 per cent of cases didn’t require a consultant. In this case, the benefit would be a dramatic shortening of waiting lists as well as earlier detection of potentially harmful skin aberrations. We try to capture cost savings like this in a business case,” he indicates.

Curley wants to create a standard set of

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hospitals. We were anticipating the potential for hospitals to be overrun similar to what happened in Italy.

Therefore, this was a tool developed to determine which patients really required ICU and what interventions are necessary for the other patients,” Curley clarifies.

Other solutions adopted are relatively simple and include a non-contact digital thermometer (thousands of units of which are being distributed to nursing homes and hospitals) developed by Belfast-based TriMedika, and a thermal kiosk for nursing homes in which a staff member or visitor entering the facility can position their face in front of screen which displays their temperature.

Secondary legislation Director of Digital Transformation, HSE, Martin Curley, with Akara’s ultra violet cleaning robot.

value dials. These are indicators that can be improved. As each technology comes under our consideration, its potential efficiency improvement, the effectiveness improvement and the experience improvement can be analysed. This saving can then be quantified with a figure. For instance, the equivalent of one bed night saved is between €850 and €1,000, depending on the hospital.

Covid-19 priorities A key component of the HSE’s response to the pandemic has been collaboration with external companies to take digital solutions, rapidly verify and pilot the concept and then drive adoption as soon as possible.

For example, the health service has worked with patientMpower to develop a solution that remotely monitors Covid-19 patients using a mobile app and a Bluetooth-enabled pulse oximeter. To date, more than 1,000 patients across 20 hospitals have been monitored from home using this technology. If an individual’s oxygen saturation level drops below 94 per cent then an alert is generated. With the patient’s clinician involved, a decision is made as to whether the patient requires a hospital admission or not. patientMpower has swiftly pivoted to repurpose its technology for monitoring lung transplant patients and patients with cystic fibrosis. Praising this response from industry, Curley references several other examples of solutions being 56

configured alongside external partners.

“We have worked with RedZinc, a software-as-a-service company which specialises in a simple and secure videoconferencing tool whereby a consultant or doctor sends a text link to a patient who can then press that to open a secure two-way communication.

St James’s Hospital’s and three-hundred mental health consultants are using this technology today. Again, this is a reapplication of an existing technology, but we started to deploy it within two weeks of our first interaction with RedZinc.

“We also worked with Wellola and Nua Health to repurpose some of their sites to create video consultation platform for GPs and health centres. In the space of 48 hours, Wellola and Nua Health both signed up over 600 organisations and GPs to use their software,” he says.

Some of the work being undertaken is more experimental. For instance, Midland Regional Hospital Tullamore have been trialling an ultraviolet cleaning robot called Violet. “The initial results of this are very promising. We would like to run a more thorough pilot in Tullamore, quickly, to get evidence to drive broad adoption. The data is quite compelling that it is an effective Covid-19 killer.”

“Likewise, we collaborated with S3 Connected Health which has developed a solution called ACORRD, for triage and patient management of Covid-19 patients within pre-ICU settings in

Another important change that has happened during the Covid-19 crisis is the introduction of secondary legislation to facilitate the safe supply of medicines.

The Medicinal Products (Prescription and Control of Supply) (Amendment) Regulations 2020 allows for the electronic transfer of prescriptions between GPs and pharmacies and remove the need for a paper equivalent.

“That wasn’t really a technological innovation because that technology existed, it just wasn’t legal to do so.

Covid-19 precipitated that and today, there are over 1,000 pharmacies receiving electronic prescriptions and there are approximately 1,500 GPs transferring prescriptions electronically.

That was an important breakthrough.

The technology was very simple, but it needed legislative change to get that in place.

Overall, while conceding that cultural change is a challenge, Curley has been encouraged by a general willingness to adopt digital technologies such as teleconferencing and the remote management of patients as a matter of necessity.

Praising the collaboration within the entire digital health ecosystem, he concludes: “We have many people within the ecosystem who are willing to help.

Working with our colleagues throughout the HSE, I think we can get breakthroughs which will allow us to become a European digital leader within a five to seven-year timeframe.”

Ireland continues to climb DESI rankings digital government report

The European Commission’s Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) for 2019 saw Ireland move up the rankings once again, cementing its

Ireland was ranked seventh of the 28 EU member states for 2019, one place up from its eighth-place finish in 2018 and three up from its 10th place ranking in 2017. In that time period, Ireland’s overall score on the index has improved from 52.8 to 57 and again to 61.4, well ahead of the EU average of 52.5.

Ireland showed improvement in all of the index’s measures, but had an especially good performance in the integration of digital technology, where it ranked first in the EU. This was said to be “particularly because Irish SMEs excel in the use of e-Commerce”. Ireland also recorded the highest growth in digital public services, ranking first in open data and second in services for business users.

In the connectivity rankings, Ireland retained its 2018 position of 12th, but improved its score from 57.2 to 62.6, placing it ahead of the EU average of 59.3. This score was particularly buoyed by top 10 rankings for four connectivity criteria: fast broadband take-up (10th, 54 per cent versus an average of 41 per

cent); mobile broadband take-up (ninth); 5G connectivity (eighth, 30 per cent versus an average of 14 per cent); and fast broadband (NGA) coverage (fifth, 96 per cent versus 83 per cent). Despite this, the report accompanying the index says that Ireland “lacks a 5G connectivity strategy and a clear timetable for assigning the 700 MHz band”.

In the field of human capital, Ireland again retained its ranking from 2018 (11th) and improved its score, going from 52.2 to 53.8. This has been achieved through top 10 ranking in three of the section’s components: number of ICT specialists (eighth); number of female ICT specialists (fourth, 2 per cent versus an average of 1.2 per cent); and the rate of graduates possessing an ICT degree (second, 7 per cent versus an average of 3.5 per cent). These rankings mask poor showings in other criteria, however, with Ireland ranking 23rd in both the rate of people with at least basic digital skills (48 per cent versus an average of 57 per cent) and those with at least basic software skills (49 per cent

versus 60 per cent).

Of the seven components that make up the integration of digital technology rankings, Ireland places outside of the top five in just one: electronic information sharing, where its 28 per cent rate falls well below the EU average of 34 per cent and places it at 19th in the EU. Ireland does, however rank first in both e-Commerce turnover (26 per cent versus 10 per cent) and selling online cross-border (17 per cent versus 8 per cent) in this field.

Finally, despite improving its rank for overall use of internet services from 13th to 12th, Ireland still has a level of use below the EU average. Only four of the field’s 13 criteria feature Ireland in the top 10: selling online (seventh); shopping online (10th); use of professional social networks (10th); and use of video on demand (sixth). Ireland’s worst rank in this field was for citizens using the internet to access news, where they ranked 25th out of 28, with only 65 per cent of users doing so, compared to an EU average of 72 per cent.

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Digital adoption is crucial for SME survival Covid-19 has highlighted how many SMEs had neglected their online platforms for e-commerce. digital government report

However, with remarkable speed, many SMEs have embraced digital tools, platforms and websites, writes David Curtin, Chief Executive of IE Domain Registry, the company that manages .ie, the preferred online address for business in Ireland.

As a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic, we have seen how essential digital is for SME survival. Businesses need to be agile and many have demonstrated the ability to pivot their offerings online in order to maintain sales and be helpful to their customers during these unprecedented times. Now is the time to plan for the recovery and consider consumers’ evolving needs.

Our latest SME Digital Health Index, which analyses Irish SMEs and consumers’ attitudes to digital technology, shows almost six in 10 consumers (59 per cent) say making online purchases is ‘important’ to them. More than half (53 per cent) of Irish consumers want their local high street shops to offer a full online shopping service (such as directto-door delivery) and 45 per cent want a click-and-collect service.

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Covid-19 has accelerated these trends.

People are staying safe and working from home, and they have turned to online and e-commerce for goods and services.

The message is clear. Irish consumers expect their local SMEs to be online.

They want to see what their local shop has to offer, buy their products online, and have it delivered straight to their door.

Adapting to the digital world E-commerce is worth €12.3 billion to the Irish economy1, yet fewer than a third of SMEs with a website can take sales orders or process transactions through it.

According to the CSO Retail Sales Index, 58

for retailers based in Ireland, online sales were estimated to account for only 3.3 per cent of total retail sales in 20192. This is evidence of a missed opportunity. In an age of digital convenience, consumers will not wait around for their local high street businesses to catch up. 54 per cent of consumers will shop with a competitor if their preferred retailer isn’t online, and this may result in a high proportion being spent with overseas companies.

During Covid-19, we have seen many businesses demonstrating how quickly they can digitally innovate and respond in a crisis, at remarkable speed. For example, restaurants offering ‘pantry sales’ where customers can buy authentic ingredients and create favourite meals at home. Many retailers who had previously not sold online are now embracing e-commerce. SMEs that can adapt in this environment are positioning themselves well as the economy begins to recover.

Looking to the future, omni-channel will need to be the new normal where customers can visit a store in person, examine a product that they like, then seamlessly purchase it online, or vice versa. A business’s online presence should complement their in-store experience and be considered as a valuable sales tool. Providing options such as click-and-collect or the ability to reserve an item online, are e-commerce methods that are easily adapted for SMEs of all sizes and can encourage instore shopping.

Barriers When asked what exactly is preventing SMEs from doing more online, nearly three in 10 said they simply don’t have the time. One in 10 say they lack the expertise, and a similar number say that the investment seems too expensive. A recent OECD report, SME and Entrepreneurship Policy in Ireland3, also stated that SME adoption of digital technologies is low. Ireland has a digital skills deficit in comparison with the EU average (OECD, 2018) and there are instances of a lack of awareness among SMEs of digitalisation opportunities and their benefits (European Investment Bank, 2018).

This slowness to adapt to the digital standard was largely based on a pervasive misconception by some SME business owners that using a website, using data analytics tools, or accepting online payments are difficult, timeconsuming tasks that require specialist expertise. This is not the case anymore.

There are now many affordable (and sometimes free) online tools that allow SMEs to build modern, e-commerceready websites quickly without any knowledge of coding or web design.

Digital supports The SME Digital Health Index also revealed that only one in 10 Irish SMEs have availed of digital skills training supports (like a Local Enterprise Office grant) over a 12-month period. The Trading Online Voucher Scheme run by the Local Enterprise Offices has recently

.ie is the preferred online digital government report

address for Irish businesses .ie is SMEs’ online identity of choice in Ireland, having overtaken .com in terms of market share. 80% of all been expanded in response to Covid-19 and is a great support for microbusinesses looking to make the move online, improve their e-commerce abilities or use digital tools, such as Zoom, to stay in touch with local customers, clients or international suppliers.

infrastructure upgrades in smaller towns

registered .ie online

and regions with high growth potential.

addresses are businesses,

These areas will be the most likely to quickly generate economic and social

which proves they recognise

returns on investment. This will also help

the value of having a .ie.

rejuvenate Ireland’s ailing main streets, keep local talent in the community and

Many of the Local Enterprise Offices around the country have also moved their training events online. Now might be a good opportunity for business owners and their staff to consider improving their digital skills. There are many courses from training organisations that can be completed online. Sector and representative organisations also offer useful training and supports so it’s worth SMEs exploring all the options available to them.

unlock stagnating or isolated areas to

As Ireland becomes more

larger markets. As the country looks

globalised and the internet

beyond Covid-19, providing SMEs with the tools to digitally boost their

connects consumers to more

businesses will set them on the road to

international businesses, it’s

recovery.

essential that our businesses

In places like Sligo town and Gorey,

have the means to identify

County Wexford, where there are targeted digital activation campaigns and

themselves online as familiar,

physical digital hub co-working spaces,

local, and Irish through the

citizens and businesses have benefited

Regional digital hubs

from job creation, increased revenue for

We believe that lasting, substantive change in Irish SMEs’ adoption of and attitudes towards digital technology can occur only with large-scale action. We recommend that the Government takes a ‘regional digital hub’ approach to its national digitalisation initiatives and the National Broadband Plan.

main street shops, and new ways of

While total inclusive digitalisation of Ireland should be this country’s ultimate aspiration, it is not practical in the immediate term. We need to prioritise digital skills training and internet

T: + 353 (1) 236 5400

trusted .ie brand.

learning at local schools and education institutions. With reduced commuting distances and time-saving digital tools, overall quality of life is better. The rest of

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Ireland needs to follow their example.

E: marketing@iedr.ie W: www.iedr.ie

1 W olfgang Digital2018 Irish Online Econom y Report 2 CSO RetailSales Index Dec 2019 3 OECD (2019),“Overallassessm entand recom m endations”,in SM E and Entrepreneurship Policy in Ireland

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digital government report

The ‘No Excuses’ campaign Andrew Payne, Ministerial Liaison Officer for the Department of Justice and Equality, talks to eolas about the ‘No Excuses’ campaign, targeted at combatting sexual violence, and how the public’s digital reaction to the campaign has become an aspect of the advertising itself.

“Our vision as a Department is to create a safe, fair and inclusive Ireland,” Payne says. “Our campaign against sexual violence and harassment touches on all three of those; it’s about making an Ireland that is safer, fairer and more inclusive for everyone who lives here.

The Department has recently completed a transformation process and we hope that will allow us to better communicate digitally with the public as we go forward.”

The ‘No Excuses’ campaign is the second half of a six-year campaign, which is part of the National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence. “Normally, when you work in government departments, you have very little budget when it comes to putting out some of your messages, so we’re very privileged that we’ve been given the 60

opportunity by the Government to get funding for a six-year campaign,” Payne says.

The first half of the initiative was a domestic violence campaign called ‘What Would You Do?’, which Payne calls “a good learning experience”. ‘What Would You Do?’ ran for three years between 2016 and 2018 as a so-called “bystander campaign”. Its most notable ad featured a woman babysitting for her sister. When the sister and her partner return from a night out, the sitter wishes them well and the couple go to bed. On the baby monitor, she hears a domestic abuse situation happening. The question put to the viewer was: what would you do in that situation?

“One of the criticisms people have made over time is that we have criticised the

victim, so the aim here was not to do that and likewise some offenders can be reached by campaigns,” Payne says, explaining the rationale behind the campaign. “Other offenders have more deep-rooted issues and a social media campaign isn’t going to touch on that, but something we can all do is consider what we would do if we come across it.

“We took some criticism for that and it’s something we tried to learn from in this [current] campaign in terms of not solely looking at the bystander approach.

Overall, we felt we had good cut through with the campaign; 72 per cent of the population recalled seeing the campaign, nearly double the norm for a public awareness campaign.”

The terrain of public and online discourse around sexual harassment and

violence has been altered significantly in the time since the beginning of the Second National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence in 2016; the #MeToo movement and the Belfast rape trial are two examples Payne cites as having challenged entrenched thinking and opened people’s eyes to the prevalence of such crimes.

Payne then goes on to explain how ‘No Excuses’ has been carried out thus far in three targeted online bursts: an initial one upon the launch of the campaign in May 2019, one at the end of autumn into the Christmas season and a final one from St Valentine’s Day, through the Six Nations, to St Patrick’s Day. “People think of Valentines’ Day, a very romantic day, but there are difficulties in some relationships, and we thought it was an opportune time to reflect on that.

Likewise, when it comes to the Six Nations, lots of us are sports fans and we had the trial, which brought up questions about sporting culture. It also means that more people will be out in the pub and it is the occasions when people have had a lot of alcohol that sometimes these instances happen. It’s the same with St Patrick’s Day, for a lot of people it’s a time of heavy intoxication.

“Something we were thinking of at the end of our last burst at the end of autumn was the Christmas party season.

This is obviously a time when inappropriate behaviour happens. That gave us an opportunity to zero in on our key demographics and hit them with targeted messages through social media advertising that we thought would be relevant on days we identified like the last few Fridays before Christmas that we thought would be the time of most work Christmas parties.”

Before undertaking the campaign, the Department (in conjunction with stakeholders such as the Rape Crisis Network, the HSE and Gardaí) carried out a baseline survey in order to determine where attitudes were and what groups required special targeting

across the intersections of age, region, class and gender. “There were different attitudes across the population, a lot of what we found was reassuring. A lot of people do think what we consider unacceptable is unacceptable,” Payne says.

“We did notice a difference with all people under 35, but particularly males under 35. We don't just stand back and say these males are a problem, we have to consider why there are problematic attitudes there and ask what we can do as a society.

“The most worrying trends we found were that men under 35 were more likely to agree that women exaggerate claims, we showed them a series of actions and they were less likely to rate any of them as severe sexual abuse. That age group were the least likely to rate a series of behaviours as sexual violence or abuse.

They were also more likely to agree that there are certain situations where sexual intercourse without consent is justified.”

The Department have now strengthened their laws around sexual offences and each unit of the Gardaí is now rolling out a divisional detective services unit of staff specially trained for these offences, Payne says. The CSO is currently undertaking the National Sexual Violence Prevalence Survey, in order to update the national data concerning these offences, and it will be built into the CSO’s work programme that it is repeated every 10 years. A review of the experiences of people who have been vulnerable witnesses in the prosecutions of these offences is also being carried out in order to improve such

digital government report

“I think that [#MeToo] would have existed without social media, but I’m not sure it would have quite the impact without the way people started talking about their personal experiences online,” he says.

“That was something we really had to think about with this campaign, likewise the Belfast rape trial. It’s something we tried to reflect on in our digital work.”

“I think that [#MeToo] would have existed without social media, but I’m not sure it would have quite the impact without the way people started talking about their personal experiences online.” experiences.

The focal piece of the second half of the campaign was an ad featuring both male and female perpetrators and victims in scenarios such as sexual harassment in the work place, unwanted physical attention at a bar, an attempt to expose someone in a locker room, an attempt to coerce a partner into unwanted sexual activity and an attempt to prey on someone not in a position to give consent. The ad was focus grouped before its release, preparing the Department for some of the criticism that was to come online; in order to combat this line of thinking, the ad was released in its original form on a Friday and then again the following Monday, with some of the focus group’s excuses for the behaviour overdubbed as the situations unfold.

“Something else we have done is taken some of the comments we have seen online, both positive and negative, and collate them. We put them up in bars and cinemas, where we overlaid pictures of the ads with some of the comments.

The intention was for this to be jarring and make people think: ‘would I tweet something like that?’,” he says.

“We don’t want to just throw things out there and not monitor it, we have a campaign advisory group and strategy monitoring group looking at how our digital reach is progressing. At the end, we’ll repeat the baseline research and see if there has been a difference, hopefully there will be,” Payne concludes.

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High-performance computing: A key driver for digital government

digital government report

SME Accelerator, a key component of the European Commission’s EuroHPC Competence Centre across 30+ participating States. ICHEC is also a founding partner of the North East Digital Innovation Hub which will provide an incubator for the organic growth of projects across many technical themes and training programs to upskill people currently working in the region.

Digital Twins Prof. J.C. Desplat, Director of ICHEC spoke to us about HPC and what this means for digital governance. Dr. Venkatesh Kannan, Technical Manager at ICHEC, described recently receiving over €1.3m in funding for a number of national and European projects in Quantum Computing, and winning a competitive bid to organise the second European Quantum Technologies Conference (EQTC), which will bring over 500 experts in Quantum Technologies to Dublin. Originally scheduled for 2020 this event will now take place in November 2021.

The Irish Centre for High-End Computing (ICHEC), on behalf of the State, manages the national high-performance computing (HPC) infrastructure and provides essential data analysis to public sector bodies. It also works across the third-level research community in breakthrough and transformative coding through its expertise in code optimisation, AI, machine learning, data science and quantum technologies.

ICHEC supports SMEs through optimising their data challenges.

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Exploring ICHEC’s domestic role in providing national HPC for the third-level and research sector in Ireland, Prof.

Jean-Christophe (“JC”) Desplat, Director, ICHEC said: “Since its establishment, ICHEC has supported over 2,000 research projects many of which have commercial relevance or significant scientific value. In line with more advanced computational capabilities, we are seeing evidence that the scale and complexity of research projects is escalating, placing more demand on our HPC capacity. For now, we have adequate capacity however this is timelimited as more sophisticated demands are coming in the form of AI and quantum.”

Moving the discussion to focus on the 62

growing relevance of HPC in government policy, he outlines: “At government level, complex data modelling for policy information is already happening. The application of HPC is widespread, from improving land use for housing, water management, energy generation and distribution and environmental sustainability, to public health improvements, such as, faster, more accurate and cheaper diagnostics through AI and a reliable and secure data resource for medical research. We are proud to have directly contributed to a number of government policies as well as being well positioned to assist future governments in addressing some of the key issues arising from our last election.”

On ICHEC’s role in supporting the SME sector, Desplat emphasises: “SME support is one of ICHEC’s key strategic objectives. Increasing demand for data modelling advice and services is evident across the SME sector. We are seeing particular interest in big data-intensive projects. SMEs realise that big data analytics and artificial intelligence offer improvements in processes and services which improves their overall competitiveness. Our activities in support of the SME sector will be ramped up this summer with the establishment of an

The ICHEC Director elaborates on his organisation’s vision of a ‘digital twin’ approach to strategically position Ireland for the coming technological advances.

“We are in a period of rapid change not only at the technological level, but also globally as indicated by the financial crisis, climate crisis and more recently, the Covid-19 pandemic. These are international issues requiring international collaboration and decisive and timely responses. For these challenges, a digital twin approach will enhance our ability to process data effectively, and at scale. This will have a direct impact on service provision and the type of innovation within Ireland’s reach.

“Digital twins are a digital representation of complex ‘systems’, such as a country, linking its various components and how they interact with and impact each other.

A digital twin allows organisations to model the behaviour and build ‘what-if’ scenarios for processes, facilities and policies that they wish to change before you actually put real-world resources into implementation.”

Quantum computing: A new horizon Venkatesh Kannan, Technical Manager at ICHEC, described recently receiving over €1.3 million in funding for a number of national and European projects in quantum computing, and winning a competitive bid to organise the second European Quantum Technologies Conference (EQTC) in Dublin, which brings over 500 experts in quantum technologies in November 2021.

“Presently, quantum computing platforms are at a nascent stage and yet quantum computing is foreseen to solve complex problems that are beyond the capabilities

of classical supercomputers in key application areas including drug design, material science and financial services.

ICHEC coordinates and runs the national Quantum Programming Ireland (Qπ) Initiative, under which all projects are in close collaboration with a number of national and international partners from industry and academia,” Kannan explains.

Earth observation: Eyes in the sky ICHEC also established and operates the national Satellite Platform for Ireland (SPÉir) which hosts satellite data from the EU Copernicus programme for use by the Irish public sector, academic and enterprise organisations. The significance and impact of this platform has been demonstrated through its utilisation by several Irish public sector and European agencies. For instance, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) monitors the quality of coastal and inland water bodies using Sentinel-2 high-resolution imagery in collaboration with ICHEC. The European Space Agency (ESA) and its partners use SPÉir for global access to the Sentinel-5P satellite data for validation studies.

“The sustainable development of earth observation data management services offers a growing opportunity to Irish industry in the global context.

Commercial applications of the satellite data are increasingly important for Ireland in sectors including smart agriculture, marine, and planning,” Kannan says.

Climate Science: Informing the UN IPCC ICHEC recently completed a large ensemble of global climate simulations which comprise Ireland’s contribution to the international Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6). The research will be included for assessment in the next report of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) due for completion in mid-2021.

“ICHEC has the modelling capabilities, high-performance computing resources and international reach to ensure Ireland can participate in CMIP select groups.

This research ensures Ireland remains at the forefront of global climate change research and continues its involvement with the CORDEX and CMIP6 projects and IPCC AR6 reports. Our models, combined with those of the international community, will inform global climate policy over the coming years,” says Paul

Nolan, Climate Science Programme Manager at ICHEC. Commenting on the future for ICHEC, J.C. Desplat said, “As Covid-19 has shown, with inter-agency cooperation much can be achieved in a very short time-frame. We do not need to wait for an emergency to address significant social issues or ensure the appropriate readiness of Ireland’s disaster management capabilities. Ireland, through ICHEC has the technology and the expertise to exploit it at our disposal already. HPC can play a key role in Ireland's recovery.”

digital government report

ICHEC’s focused and coordinated approach in such an emerging and highimpact technology area has placed the nation as a pioneer in the global arena in collaboration with several organisations around Europe and the world. “Ireland develops the software ecosystem and expertise for investigating practicallyrelevant applications in a quantum future.

This is where the huge opportunity is for Ireland,” he adds.

“As the volume of earth observation data continues to grow, these big datasets are invaluable for data-intensive techniques, such as AI, for extracting useful information and decision-making.

Consequently, ESA and ICHEC are working on creating standards for AIready earth observation datasets.

ICHEC 7th Floor, Tower Building Technology & Enterprise Campus Grand Canal Quay, Dublin 2 D02 HP83, Ireland Peter Woods, Business Development and Public Sector Manager peter.woods@ichec.ie +353 1 529 1000

ICHEC was established at NUI Galway in 2005 and its core funding is provided by the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation (DBEI) and the Department of Education and Skills (DES).

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digital government report

Robotics and the future of healthcare McGinn, CEO of Akara and Assistant Professor at Trinity, had contacted the HSE to offer its services in tackling the pandemic.

It is said that the robot could reduce hospitals’ dependency on the use of chemical-based solutions, which, while effective, require rooms to be vacated for hours at a time, an impracticality given the fact that hospital capacities are being pushed to their limits by the virus outbreak. Violet is also said to be useful in the treatment of high-tech equipment that is unsuitable for disinfection using deep chemicals and typically requires manual cleaning.

(L-R) Tony McCarthy and Mick McCarthy, two test users who live in ALONE-administered housing in Dublin, with Stevie II. Credit: Trinity College Dublin.

Two robots designed in Trinity College Dublin have been receiving international attention, providing an insight into the future of what robotics and artificial intelligence could offer to the fields of pandemic response, hospital hygiene and social care for older and disabled people.

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In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, a start-up founded out of Trinity College Dublin’s Robotics and Innovation Lab has unveiled a bacteria-fighting robot that is being used in the fight against the spread of the coronavirus.

and rid them of the Covid-19 virus. The

Robot Violet emits ultraviolet light (UVC) and has the ability to disinfect hospitals

robot has been tested in an acute

robot, developed by Akara Robotics, has been clinically proven to kill viruses, bacteria and germs and it is claimed that it can do so in a time shorter than the typical cleaning of hospital rooms. The hospital in the Dublin area after Conor

Violet operates using ultraviolet germicidal irradiation at short wavelengths to break down DNA in microbes, stopping them from replicating.

With viruses, this means that the spread of infection can be stopped. This technology has been used in other countries, but Violet is the first instance of its use in Irish medicine. In medicine, the cleaning of equipment and areas is often a time intensive process. For example, a CAT scan takes just a few minutes to complete, but roughly an hour to clean in the aftermath; a hospital room can also take up to five hours to sterilise, but Akara have expressed their hope that Violet can halve that time. They have also said, however, that the washing out of a room using UVC bathing is best done as a compliment to other methods.

While UVC is known for the damage it can do to the skin and eyes of people, Violet has a ranger of safety features that allow it to be utilised in human trafficheavy places such as hospitals. For instance, it uses artificial intelligence to shut down if a human unexpectedly appears in front of it while it is operating.

Akara, currently employing seven people after growing out of the Robotics and Innovation Lab at Trinity, have said that they are capable of producing up to 50 Violets for the fight against Covid-19, with

Credit: HSE

the first said to be ready for deployment if test results from the trial run carried out prove its usefulness.

Stevie the Robot

Stevie the Robot has recently finished a pilot trial in a residential community in Washington DC and was featured on the cover of TIME Magazine’s health innovation issue. Unveiled in May 2019 at the Science Gallery Dublin, Stevie, currently in its second iteration as Stevie II, is Ireland’s first socially assistive robot.

Where the original Stevie served as a proof of concept that a socially assistive robot could be deployed in a long-term care environment, Stevie II builds on that with technological upgrades and advanced AI capabilities.

Stevie II is said to be “considerably more mobile and dexterous” and uses advanced sensing technologies such as laser rangefinders, depth cameras and tactile, inertial and vision sensors in order to interact with its surroundings.

Wireless connectivity functions such as WiFi and Bluetooth, paired with a series of onboard computers, allow Stevie II to diversify its potential uses. Along with these new technical capabilities, Stevie II also possesses enhanced expressive abilities.

Speaking at the time of Stevie II’s launch, McGinn said that Stevie being so expressive “helped to humanise the technology” and that the insights provided by this “lead us to believe that a robot like Stevie can have a wide range of high-impact uses, which may involve performing numerous assistive tasks, helping caregivers, and may even provide new interfaces to existing technologies like video calling, smart sensors and social media, that can be inaccessible to many older adults”.

Trinity have partnered with ALONE, an organisation that uses technology in order to facilitate people ageing at home and remaining independent and socially connected. They have also partnered with the US-based non-profit Army Distaff Foundation, which operates the

digital government report

Before the outbreak of Covid-19 and the deployment of Violet, Akara had been drawing international headlines for its work in the social care field with Stevie, a robot designed for deployment in retirement communities and homes for the disabled.

Violet, Akara’s cleaning robot, emitting UVC.

Preliminary findings suggest that the Violet robot could disinfect rooms faster and more effectively than traditional chemical-based methods – this has the potential to protect staff and could go a long way to restoring capacity of critical front-line hospital equipment.”

Conor McGinn, assistant professor in Trinity’s School of Engineering and co-founder of Akara Robotics.

Knollwood Retirement Community, where Stevie II conducted its pilot programme with staff and residents and was profiled

by TIME. Videos from the community show residents attempting to have Stevie perform the YMCA dance moves during a karaoke night, but also how the 4’7” robot glides through halls and answers to “hey Stevie” similar to the Alexa and Siri AI systems. Though capable of moving around unassisted, Stevie is never unaccompanied due to insurance and safety reasons.

Stevie recognises resident complaints such as “I’m sick” (to which he responds: “I’m sorry to hear that” with a frown on

his LED screen face) and can also react to potentially dangerous situations. For instance, if Stevie is fully integrated into a community’s IT system, a patient saying “help me” to the robot can alert staff in the area that a potentially life-threatening situation is developing.

For now, more trial periods are planned for Stevie II, with an extended stay in Knollwood and a UK trial in Cornwall as part of the EU-funded EPIC project pencilled in. As people live longer and the capabilities of AI progress, all eyes will be on Stevie’s ability to marry the two worlds and usher in a new era of social care.

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digital government report

Build to Share: Bringing citizen services online beyond 2020 “better outcomes and efficiency through innovation and excellency in ICT”.

All Public Bodies ultimately use similar systems to carry out core day-to-day work, whether that be internal or public facing. Power suggests: “What B2S offers is obvious in terms of cost saving but what is more implicit is that it standardises best practice and ultimately provides a better service to citizens.

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In keeping with the Government’s commitment to share capability of applications that are common across public bodies, Annertech has been helping local government bodies reduce costs by implementing citizen-centric, digital platforms using a common code base. Stella Power, Managing Director of Annertech, speaks with eolas Magazine.

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In 2015, the Irish Government’s five-year ICT Strategy espoused a common applications delivery approach as part of its Build to Share (B2S) initiative. This aims to rationalise disparate systems, thereby decreasing the ICT cost base.

Part of this strategy includes sharing infrastructure and application code for both internal and public-facing digital platforms.

“Our mission is to help companies to embrace open-source technology to deliver ambitious digital experiences for their customers. Our philosophy is to never hoard our knowledge, but share it – with clients, partners, and the opensource community. So, Build to Share is a natural fit for us,” Managing Director Stella Power explains.

Annertech is Ireland’s leading open source digital agency, with its core areas of business being the delivery and maintenance of websites and web applications that are developed using the Drupal platform.

Build to Share: A cornerstone for the Public Service Strategy As part of the Government’s Public Service ICT Strategy, B2S aims to deliver

“Though there is a myriad of application solutions in place throughout the Public Service, it makes total sense to harmonize these based on a single technology or code base as scheduled replacements occur. What we believe in is, by sharing code that has been tried and tested, it brings not only cost and time savings, but it offers the opportunity to focus on innovative ways to deliver services to Irish citizens. In effect, the heavy lifting has already been done.”

As a case in point, Annertech has been working with some of Ireland’s local authorities in the roll out of their services online.

Sharing the wealth: Limerick City and County Council share code base with Fingal County Council One notable example has been the work Annertech completed for Limerick City and County Council which was subsequently shared with Fingal County Council.

This began in 2016 when Annertech undertook the redevelopment of the Limerick City and County Council website using Drupal 8, including a new responsive design and the migration of existing content from the old website to the new platform.

“Limerick City and County Council has adopted open source solutions for almost a decade to drive better value in the

delivery of digital public services not only because the code is free to use but also because of the excellent performance of these solutions,” says Mihai Bilauca, Head of Digital Strategy for Limerick City and County Council.

digital government report

More recently, Fingal County Council appointed Annertech and asked them to implement its new website using the Limerick.ie platform as the base. In keeping with the B2S initiative, Limerick City and County Council duly signed off on sharing this with Fingal.

From the outset of this engagement, there were significant savings in terms of price and development timelines, thanks to the reuse of the core code base.

Bilauca adds: “Sharing the codebase behind the award winning Limerick.ie platform with Fingal County Council and other councils made absolute sense from all points of view: reuse of IP; reuse of designs; and building a larger knowledge base as more councils share their knowledge on how to use this platform.

Also, the codebase has been developed using public money, so avoidance of cost duplication is a real benefit derived from code sharing. It really demonstrates in practice the power of the build to share principle as included in the ICT Strategy.”

Although there were nuances between the Limerick and Fingal projects, in terms of user experience and user interface design, as well as certain functionality, by complying with B2S, Annertech has transferred valuable IP while also building on the code base for Fingal and possible future local government assignments.

What next for Build to Share/ICT Strategy?

“It is evident that B2S must be a main tenet of the next Public Service ICT Strategy. Through the delivery and support of shared technology and infrastructure, public bodies can realise further internal efficiencies while continuing to innovate and look at new ways of meeting the needs of Irish

Dominic Byrne, Head of IT, Fingal County Council. citizens,” asserts Power, adding: “Annertech is fully behind this strategic imperative and welcomes the dissemination of fit for purpose, shared applications that engender such obvious benefits.”

Coupled with this, is another pillar of the existing strategy: Digital First. “This initiative should be further built upon as citizens now expect to be able to interact with the Public Services online.

“This will become even more pertinent as high-speed broadband is rolled out

across the nation and many rural areas become more digitally enabled, as well as many more businesses embracing remote-work and work-from-home practices and online services. We need to share existing best practices while developing new ways to surpass the expectations of our citizens,” Power concludes.

T: 01 524 0312 E: hello@annertech.com

Annertech’s public sector reach Founded in 2008, Annertech has grown to become the ‘go to’ Drupal experts in Ireland and works with a range of clients in both the private and public sectors.

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“All code developed by Annertech is done so in a modular manner. This allows us to integrate code from one project into another project, saving our clients’ money and time. It also allows us to make that code available on Drupal.org – with permission from the client – so other agencies can benefit from our work in the same way that we benefit from the collective resources of the Drupal community,” Power outlines.

“Fingal Council is fully onboard with Build to Share and we were delighted to work with Annertech and Limerick City and County Council to use Limerick.ie’s core code base in our project. Fingal is ready and willing to share ours with other Councils as we all look to serve all our citizens.”

It specialises in developing enterprise Drupal solutions for clients, usually where there are complex requirements such as integration with external systems, multilingual functionality, editorial workflows and large-scale content migrations, including projects where performance, scalability and security are of the utmost importance.

Annertech is currently engaged with other local authorities to update their digital presence, including Dublin City Council, Cork County Council and Meath County Council, and anticipate much more engagement in the Build to Share sphere in the coming years as more local authorities come on-board.

W: www.annertech.com

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digital government report

Social citizen engagement Head of Digital and Content, Scottish Government, James Coltham, discusses meaningful citizen engagement through social media.

Coltham manages a team responsible for the Scottish Government’s main website, its blog platform, online consultations platform and its various social media channels.

The social content hub was established in September 2018 bringing together many of the various talents in video and social content within the Government to form a central hub planning and producing content throughout the various channels. However, the hub is not responsible for all of the over 100 accounts linked to the Scottish Government and instead acts as a centre of excellence in selling the benefits of doing social well and training communications staff on key skills for success and mitigating against risk.

The Scottish Government boasts an average monthly reach across its channels of 3.4 million, including almost

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100,000 engagements. Twitter remains its largest channel with 168,000 followers, above Facebook (73,000) and Instagram (16,000).

Coltham outlines an understanding of the balance between engaging content and important content. Ensuring that important messages are also engaging facilitates a broader reach.

“With everything that we put out, we know that it’s important. It can be life and death sometimes. But is it engaging? Our role is to ensure that we make it as engaging as possible, so that it reaches as many people as possible,” he explains.

To this end he outlines the five key principles for content from the Scottish Government through social media: Think audience first. Coltham highlights that often items are brought to his team

regarding new policy, new research or an announcement, for example. His team’s role is to assess its importance to the general public through key questions such as, who is the main audience, what are their preferred communication channels and what time are they most likely to engage. An example he points to is a recent short video on LGBT inclusive education policy. In recognising the right channels for engaging with an interested audience, the video reached some 2.5 million people. He also points to an education role in things such as the Budget, recognising that while the mainstream media might cover the key points of any announcement, the Government have a means to offer a greater understanding of what an decision will actually mean, through social channels.

Have a plan. With any campaign or

“We develop across the organisation and across a mix of topics, recognising that some topics will prove more interesting to our audience, however, we also have a duty to cover all aspects of what government does. To this end, planning ensures we are talking about the various policy areas equally and recognising how that will feed out to the various channels,” says Coltham.

Learn as you go. Coltham explains that this is a philosophy highly valued by his team and one that they try to share across the organisation. Constant evaluation and analysis of the content it produces means that it can better understand those features that have worked and those that have not. “We’re a team that loves figures and data. We recognise that if other parts of government are not asking us for those

figures then something is wrong. To this end, we try to create an appetite for data, numbers and insight across government and embed that culture of learning across all channel output,” he explains.

An example pointed to by Coltham is the use of captions on video content. 73 per cent of the Scottish Government’s Facebook followers watch videos without audio and with this knowledge the team work to create videos with “snappy” scripts. An additional upside that correct use of font in this regard also improves accessibility for a wider number of people. Similarly, most of their audience watch their content on their phones and so templates have been created that best suit the various channels and bringing with it a greater level of consistency in output.

Show don’t tell. The Scottish Government never posts content without a visual tool, explains Coltham. This means fully utilising an existing bank of images and video to communicate key message. In its experience, video also increases the level of engagement through online conversation by bringing topics to life and so has been utilised as a vital tool when seeking responses around things such as consultations Staying on brand. Coltham explains the necessity for all of the Government’s

social media channels to exhibit three core elements of consistency, approachability and responsiveness. “If any one of those channels strays from that formula, then there is a loss of trust and confidence because it introduces risk to the organisation. An important role of my team is to keep everyone on brand,” says Coltham.

“Although we only directly manage the primary @scotgov channels, there is only one Scottish Government in the view of the general public. We represent the whole organisation, so it’s really important that we present a consistent and recognisable brand on social.”

digital government report

launch, marketing and social teams of the Government use SUSSED (scope, understanding the research, set objectives, strategise and test ideas, execute the campaign and debrief and evaluate). Coltham explains that planning and scheduling is a huge part of his team’s role to ensure a constant stream of engaging content across the week and weekends. As well as staying on top of the daily news agenda, the team looks ahead three months and prepares content well in advance to ensure no backlog occurs.

He explains that one of the first things his team did was create social media branding and style guide, adding: “Branding is key to letting people know that what they’re seeing is official Scottish Government content.”

Similarly, another important change was the introduction of a “tone of voice”.

Coltham explains: “A consistent tone helps us seem approachable online, which is particularly important if you’re trying to get people to engage or act on your content. Something as simple as saying, ‘We are launching a new grant for…’ instead of ‘The Scottish Government is…’ has made a huge difference in how we present the organisation online.”

“A consistent tone helps us seem approachable online, which is particularly important if you’re trying to get people to engage or act on your content.”

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Covid-19 response: An opportunity for transformation The response to the Covid-19 pandemic presents an opportunity to accelerate the digital transformation of public services.

Gemserv’s Head of Digital Transformation, Edward Williams, writes.

The digital transformation of public services has taken on a fresh impetus during the coronavirus pandemic; not only is there a need to dampen transmission by reducing the number and length of face-to-face interactions between citizens and government officials, but there’s also a requirement behind-the-scenes to keep members of staff apart too. Delivering services digitally also frees up staff from routine activities to support the special measures introduced to tackle the Covid-19 outbreak.

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That drive to deliver digital transformation existed long before the lockdown though.

In this digital era, the goal of many central and local governments is to be customer-focused and to deliver the best possible public services. To achieve the widespread digital transformation that’s required to drive these aims, it’s vital to invest in the necessary capabilities to ensure expenditure is concentrated on the appropriate services and systems – and to make sure they’re aligned to a digital vision and strategy. It is also critical to identify ways of achieving transformation at an accelerated pace, now more so than ever during the response to Covid-19.

Indeed, historically this technology-led change and, more recently, digitalisation have been viewed as the answer to many of the challenges facing 70

governments, including: engaging with their citizens and ensuring their services are actively used; automating often timeconsuming and paper-based processes; breaking free of contractual obligations and legacy systems that were not designed for digital; and working with ever-reducing budgets to achieve more services or the classic mantra of ‘deliver more with less’.

Gemserv has observed all these trends during its work with many governments and public sector organisations as together we’ve strived to achieve their digital ambitions. Our work in Ireland has included partnering with Bord na Móna, ESB and the Commission for Regulation of Utilities. Across the Irish Sea, we’ve also worked with the Cabinet Office, Crown Commercial Services, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, the Department for Work and Pensions; the Scottish Government and Highlands and Islands Enterprise; and the governments of Jersey and the Isle of Man.

Focus on change, not just solutions There is often a tendency to focus on the technology aspects of the process; this can achieve a degree of digitalisation, but no meaningful transformation. It only delivers solutions, not change. Gemserv’s

experience has shown that consistency is king; citizens care little about the internal organisation of government but instead want good digital services that will often cut across existing government departments.

Citizens require their public services to be as good as their digital experiences in the private sector. After all, why should filing a tax return or paying car tax not be as slick and easy as picking a series on Netflix or selecting a tune on Spotify?

These are the benchmarks that members of the public now expect, and they’re prepared to simply shop elsewhere if they don’t like what is on offer. While they cannot readily go elsewhere to consume public services, civil servants and public officials are still subject to rigorous scrutiny and accountability, and the final sanction against their political bosses comes at the ballot box.

Many citizens interact with their governments infrequently; for some, it maybe comes just once a year, when they submit their tax return, or even less frequently if they are simply changing their home address. No-one wants to change their address multiple times with different departments. Simply telling the Government once should be enough to allow information to cascade to all departments.

Leading from the front Achieving this consistency for infrequently used services is a challenge, and so governments require digital champions and strong leadership. Some administrations focus on creating crossdepartmental agencies, such as the Government Digital Service (GDS) in the UK or the Chief Operating Office (COO) in Jersey.

In Ireland, a department such as Public Expenditure and Reform could champion cross-government initiatives.

Delivering digital technology in government can be achieved through developing services inhouse, building them to meet stringent standards across user experience, performance, privacy and cybersecurity. The Estonian Government is recognised as a world leader in this regard.

WE ARE AN EXPERT PROVIDER V OF PROFESSIONAL SERVIICES IN A WORLD DRIVEN BY DA D TA AND TECHNOLOGY

digital government report

In Jersey, Gemserv’s work focused on designing a digital platform capable of supporting government services online. This involved a set of reusable components, including a digital identity, a systems integration capability to allow legacy applications to be utilised, and corporate data assets accessible across government.

Contact Gemserv to find out more

An alternative is to work with existing service providers and commercial off-the-shelf products to achieve the same goal. This allows digital services to be more easily recognised by citizens, as they use them in more regular environments, from banks to supermarkets. Gemserv has experience in supporting governments in both regards.

Cadence and ‘fail fast’ benefits +44 (0)20 7090 1022

A predominant feature of digitalisation is cadence, which is created by iterating through several small releases, and adopting a ‘fail fast’ approach, just like the best technology start-ups. It can be difficult to discern the final requirements at the start of a programme. Any approach needs to be adaptable and attuned to an agile delivery or it can lead to poor decisions being made about value or to a decision to buy a solution too early. One answer is to focus on procuring capability, such as service design, rather than the more traditional approach of buying a solution. Gemserv’s work with the Scottish Government on its digital identity programme took such an approach.

Gemserv has been at the forefront of the digitalisation of regulations in the Great Britain energy market. It delivered a platform that allowed the codes for which it is responsible – including the Smart Energy Code, to which all parties involved in the smart meter industry must adhere – to become available online. This work went beyond simply making the code available through a website; to be truly digital, the regulations needed to be available when required, personalised, contextualised, and pushed when relevant.

All this work may involve technology but, more importantly, it’s all about people, both the end-user and the customer. Gemserv always engages with its customers regularly to ensure that its work is achieving their objectives. Without this, our company cannot be sure it has delivered a successful solution – one that is truly digital.

Perhaps one of the lasting legacies of the Covid-19 response will be the shift to digital services. Working from home has proved to many employers that digital technology can be trusted to allow

bd@gemserv.com

their employees to be productive outside the office; the next step will be for governments to embrace the digitalisation of public services to offer similar benefits and efficiencies.

For more information: T: +353 (0) 86 044 1458 E: Sarah.fuller@gemserv.com

Edward Williams, Head of Digital Transformation Edward has over 30 years’ experience working with leading edge and innovative technologies to realise business benefit. He leads Gemserv’s digital services practice and works with clients to

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To achieve these goals, Gemserv turned the code regulations into easy-to-access, machine-readable formats to make them available when needed. A metadata model based on the industry requirements was added, which allowed for personalised delivery to particular parties.

+353 (0)1 669 4630

define and deliver their digital strategies, ensuring they align with the goals of their business.

He has held many enterprise

architecture roles, leading teams to deliver business, technology and security architectures, on varied projects in the government, health, energy, transport, financial and legal sectors.

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digital government report

Data Protection Commission’s PSC enforcement appealed Following the Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) ruling that the Government had no legal basis to operate the Public Services Card (PSC) as widely as they had been, the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection has lodged an appeal against DPC

The DPC launched proceedings against the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection after it concluded that the expansion of the PSC programme had no legal basis and that while the Department was free to continue to require the use of the card for some of the services it provides directly, other departments could not do so.

In challenging the formal enforcement measure that came as a result of these findings, Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection Regina Doherty, now operating in an acting capacity after losing her seat in February’s General Election, said that her department had “strong legal advice that the existing social welfare legislation provides a robust legal basis for my department to issue PSCs for use by a number of bodies across the public sector”.

The widespread use of the PSC is now free to continue unabated while the appeal is being considered. The Department only took the decision to

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legally challenge the DPC following the issuing of the enforcement notice, which came in December 2019 after the three month judicial appeal period, where the Department could have challenged the findings of the DPC’s initial report published in August 2019, elapsed.

The PSC had been required for people seeking to avail of a wide range of government services such as taking the written driver’s test, applying for citizenship or obtaining a first passport.

The DPC report stated that there were “obvious and significant deficits in terms of logic and consistency” in the use of the programme. It also reported serious issues with transparency surrounding the PSC and required changes in how the operation was carried out, but did allow for the continued use of the PSC in social protection operations. While the Government challenges the enforcement measure, it has been reported that both the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection and the Department of Public Expenditure and

Reform, two of the PSC’s most prevalent users, have shelved their usage of the cards in line with the DPC’s findings.

It is not the DPC’s findings that the Government is challenging, but rather the legality of the formal enforcement notice. There is a possible loophole that would allow the Department to avoid complying with the notice given that the DPC’s investigation into the usage of the PSC began before the implementation of GDPR worldwide. It is thought that it could be argued by the Department that the notice has therefore retrospectively applied the standards of a post-GDPR world to a pre-GDPR programme.

Taking the appeal to the Circuit Court also means that any subsequent appeal will be heard in the High Court, rather than the Supreme Court, which has shown particular interest in privacy cases in recent times. For now, the PSC continues as it had before the DPC’s findings were published.

Transformation Realised

Health and care services report

Sponsored by

Transformation Realised

health and care services report

Optimising Health Outcomes: Five trends driving the emergence of the personalised health ecosystem As health care becomes more data driven, EY has explored how organisations globally can create a personalised health ecosystem, to optimise health outcomes to meet growing health needs. Justine McCarthy, Director, Head of Healthcare, EY Ireland, writes.

By Justine McCarthy, Director, Head of Healthcare, EY Ireland.

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Long before the Covid-19 pandemic had arrived both global and Irish health sectors had identified the need to transform services to meet the growing demands of an older and chronic disease population. With the continued emergence and reliance on data-based tools and technologies, a more personalised approach to health and wellness is being created. In recent weeks, we have seen how the emphasis on data driven decisions has guided our country to make decisions to safeguard and protect Irish citizens. While companies and organisations long recognised the potential of new tools to capture and use data to transform health, they lacked the “burning platform” to fuel this change. The Covid19 pandemic – and the global disruption it has caused – has demonstrated that organisations have the opportunity to become more resilient, agile and innovative if they shift to digitallyenabled business models with data at the core.

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For global health organisations, the crisis highlights systemic challenges related to care, including spiralling costs, inadequate infrastructure and older populations. Tackling these challenges – like tackling the pandemic – requires close stakeholder collaboration, identification of shared goals and a commitment to create interoperable systems for data sharing and usage. This pandemic has shown how organisations have reconfigured quickly to meet these

unforeseen demands and have implemented new systems, virtual health etc., in a matter of weeks rather than years. Further progress is needed, and the following are five areas where organisations must focus their efforts to build this potential data-driven future.

Trend 1: The explosion of health care data requires a new ecosystem, built around the individual, that will accelerate affordable, accessible care.

We are witnessing an unprecedented explosion of health data: in 2018, the sector generated an estimated 1,218 exabytes of data. Yet, with these data scattered across multiple siloes, all they show is a series of isolated “snapshots” of a person’s health. Integrating these data can turn the fragmented snapshots into a continuous movie, giving us a richer, fuller understanding of the patient’s health outlook, challenges and needs. It is possible to envisage a future system built around using that richer data to deliver better outcomes.

In the recent pandemic, the HSE has worked hard to break down silos quickly; demonstrated in the data driven decisions to successfully guide our path out of this crisis. The best way to accelerate innovation that can improve patients’ lives and health is not to take a protectionist attitude to data. Instead, we need to think in terms of an entirely new ecosystem for health care, which could allow us to integrate all personal health

data around the individual patient in a safe manner. Standing at the centre of the future ecosystem, the individual will become the focus for a hyperpersonalised approach to health and wellness.

To build this new ecosystem, organisations must: •

Give individuals ownership and control over their data so they have more power over their care;

•

Understand data is no longer an asset to be owned, monetised and siloed, but rather, curated and shared to drive better outcomes; and

•

Recognise that personalising health also has the potential to make it more affordable and accessible.

Trend 2: With sensors in, on and around us, 5G and artificial intelligence will create a new network transforming health care.

At the heart of the coming data revolution will be complementary technologies with the potential to transform health care. These technologies played a crucial role as the Covid-19 pandemic accelerated: across the globe, sensors tracked people’s movements in order to monitor social distancing; 5G powered telehealth and virtual triage; and AI assisted drugdiscovery efforts.

These recent applications are only a preview of the radical potential the

Transformation Realised technologies hold for health care. The emergence of 5G is accelerating the transport of these data, while AI algorithms are increasingly offering the analytical power needed to convert data into insights at high speed and scale.

To realise the full potential of sensors, 5G and AI organisations must: •

Collaborate outside the traditional health sector to extract and combine data;

•

Work alongside other stakeholders to help develop the AI-based solutions that can deliver hyperpersonalisation; and

•

Recognise and exploit the potential for anytime, anywhere care delivery enabled by the combination of these technologies.

Together, these technologies offer a powerful emerging new network that will form a key part of the future ecosystem for health care.

Trend 3: To personalise health, organisations must use data to understand and influence behaviour.

There is universal consensus that behaviour is a critical factor in health outcomes. Recognition of the vital role of behaviour has drawn many digital startups to attempt to analyse and influence behaviour patterns. These efforts have yielded some success over the past year: Virta Health in the US, for example, recently reported that its remote coaching programme was effective at reversing type 2 diabetes.

To use data to enable behaviour change, organisations must: •

Collaborate to design health outcome-based models that reward for better management of health and wellness;

•

Incorporate behavioural science into the design of products and services; and

•

Work to build patient engagement with behaviour change solutions.

Building trust will be vital in the future for organisations hoping to gain both regulatory approval and patientconsumer buy-in. For example, cyber protection is currently a serious unmet need across the sector. Organisations that want to win trust should move now to show they are taking steps to secure their products and the data they generate, hold and share.

In 2019, the FDA issued guidance with a new approach to regulating AI: trusted companies will be permitted to launch unlocked algorithms and collaborate with the FDA on monitoring these products’ performance. The companies that can thrive in this kind of collaborative, trustbased environment will be best placed to create the future “trusted intelligence” systems that will give the individual the secure, convenient tools to engage confidently with the broader ecosystem.

efforts across a range of different approaches.

Breakthrough innovators will develop new approaches to unmet medical needs, from cancer to dementia. With clinicians and health systems capacityconstrained, healthcare managers will play fundamental roles in the ecosystem, especially by delivering care to individuals with chronic diseases.

For all health organisations, the challenge post-Covid-19 will remain to identify what business model they can best employ, and to acquire the data that will make them most effective in this area.

To make the future business model work, organisations must: •

Identify and focus on their own core value to the broader ecosystem;

•

Secure access to the right data, and in the right way, to optimise and

To build a trusted intelligence system, organisations must:

validate their own business model; and

•

Design products and solutions with a focus on generating data and securing it;

•

Work proactively with regulators to create more robust and trustworthy framework for data exchange; and

•

Work with regulators to enable fully powered algorithms to reach the market.

•

Work to build the services and customer engagement expertise to deliver value more effectively.

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To realise its potential behaviour change needs to be treated not as a separate field within health sciences, but as an integral aspect of the way health care is personalised and managed. Future products and services need to be delivered within an influencing environment where AI and sensors can enable a continuous “judge and nudge” assessment of patient behaviour and steer them toward better health.

Trend 4: A trusted intelligence system is needed to secure the participation of the patient-consumer and other stakeholders.

health and care services report

“With the global economic impact of the Covid19 pandemic, organisations are facing evertighter capital constraints. These constraints make it imperative to move toward more focused business models rather than spreading their efforts across a range of different approaches.”

T: 01 475 0555 E: Justine.McCarthy@ie.ey.com W:www.ey.com/ie

Trend 5. Organisations must be decisive in the business model they choose to pursue in the future.

With the global economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, organisations are facing ever-tighter capital constraints.

These constraints make it imperative to move toward more focused business models rather than spreading their

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health and care services report

Transformation Realised

State of

health

Health Minister Simon Harris addresses a media pack outside Government Buildings.

In recent years, the oft-quoted ‘Angola’ quip attributed to former Taoiseach Brian Cowan in reference to the health portfolio has never seemed so prescient.

Incumbent Health Minister Simon Harris TD has leapt from one ‘unexploded mine’ to the next and is now managing a health crisis unparalleled in the history of the State. Ciarán Galway overviews the current status of Irish healthcare.

In 2017, the Oireachtas Committee on the Future of Healthcare’s Sláintecare Report was published and subsequently adopted by government. The following year, the Government approved the Sláintecare Implementation Strategy, setting a direction for the decade-long plan and detailing actions for the first three years. The Sláintecare Programme Implementation Office was also established in 2018 and refined the strategy into an action plan for 2019.

Costed at €5.8 billion, Sláintecare envisages a reorientation of the healthcare system “to ensure equitable access to a universal single tier system, and that the vast majority of care takes place in the primary and social care settings”.

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The Sláintecare Action Plan Year-End

Report for 2019, marking the first full year of implementation, indicates that of 138 projects, 112 were on schedule, 24 were progressing with minor challenges and two with major challenges.

Overall, during the outgoing government’s term (from May 2016), the health budget increased from €14.6 billion in Budget 2017 to €17.4 billion in Budget 2020 (a 6.3 per cent or €1 billion increase on 2019). Despite this increase, there have been annual health overspends necessitating supplementary estimates.

In late 2019, additional funding totalling €338 million was sought, down from €655 million in 2018. Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Paschal Donohoe TD told the Dáil that the 2019 supplementary estimate in health was

required to meet costs relating to “demand-led pressures in key service areas, primarily in acute hospitals, in both pay and non-pay areas, disabilities, older persons, high-tech drugs, State claims and pensions budget lines”.

Concurrently, over the lifetime of the outgoing government, staffing levels have also increased and according to Department of Health figures, this includes: •

a total HSE workforce increase of 9,559 from 110,258 (December 2016) to 119,817 (December 2019);

•

an increase of 389 consultants to 3,250;

•

an increase of 2,369 nurses and midwives to 38,205;

•

an increase of 1,410 health and

Transformation Realised social care professionals to 16,774; and •

an increase of 2,079 HSE management and administration staff to 18,846.

In January 2020, a new record was set when on two consecutive days, 760 patients were left waiting for a bed in Irish hospitals. INMO General Secretary, Phil Ní Sheaghdha wrote to Minister Harris, urging him to “grasp the nettle and declare a major incident, cancel electives, and immediately approve recruitment for the worst-hit hospitals”.

Similarly, the Government failed to meet hospital waiting list targets in 2019. For instance, at the end of December 2019, there were 553,434 people on the outpatient waiting list, 43,434 above the Government’s target of ‘under 510,000’ last year.

While significant government spending on the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) had begun to ease outpatient waiting lists, through the purchase of private treatment for public patients and the validation process (removing the non-responsive and those receiving treatment elsewhere), the combined total of people on hospital waiting lists (including both inpatient and outpatient) peaked at 677,344 in January 2020. The total number of outpatients waiting for longer than 18 months to be seen by a specialist increased from 102,924 to 107,040. The advent of Covd-19 has exacerbated waiting lists as hospitals are forced to operate at 20 per cent below capacity as a precaution against a future surge.

General Election 2020 Ahead of the planned late January tabling of no-confidence motion in then Health Minister Simon Harris by the Rural Independents grouping, then Taoiseach Leo Varadkar triggered a snap election. The rationale behind the move, as expressed by Michael Collins TD, was the “unprecedented crisis” in the healthcare system.

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Regardless, the outgoing government leaves a legacy of annual trolley crises and interminable waiting lists. According to Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) figures, 2019 was a record year for overcrowding in Irish hospitals with 118,367 patients forced to wait for a bed after hospital admission, an increase of 9 per cent on 2018.

The new National Children’s Hospital is due for completion in Q3 2022.

With internal Fianna Fáil dissent on the matter of abstention, it seemed likely that the Government would lose the motion, potentially forcing its collapse.

Minister Harris had survived a previous motion of no-confidence, triggered by the National Children’s Hospital budgetary overruns and tabled by Sinn Féin, in February 2019 when it was defeated by 58 votes to 53, with 37 abstentions.

During the subsequent General Election 2020 campaign, healthcare policy escaped the level of rigorous scrutiny that maybe have been expected of a major election battleground. Cross-party consensus on the 2017 Sláintecare Report became politically convenient.

This unanimity materialised across the election manifestos of the main parties which, for example, each pledged support for the recruitment of 1,000 additional consultants.

However, there was some variance elsewhere. For instance, Fine Gael proposed 5,000 additional nurses and midwives, Fianna Fáil 4,000, Sinn Féin 2,500 and Labour 4,000. Meanwhile, Fine Gael projected an additional 2,600 hospital beds, Fianna Fáil 2,600, Sinn Féin 1,500 and Labour 2,600. Although, given the recruitment and retention difficulties within the health system, this may transpire to be easier said than done.

Primary care expansion is a key recommendation of the Sláintecare report and vital to this is universal GP care without charge. Currently, this is confined to those under the age of six

and over the age of 70. Sláintecare proposes extending free access to GP care to the entire population in phases of 500,000 people per annum on a means basis. This is projected to cost €455 million over five years.

While Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and Labour promised free GP treatment for under 18s over the term of the next government, Sinn Féin and the Social Democrats propose universal expansion in five years.

Aside from such differences of emphasis, politicians of all shades in the State are fundamentally committed, on paper at least, to expansion and the establishment of a universal healthcare system. As such, whatever government is subsequently formed, it must be rigorously held to account by the opposition and others to ensure the full implementation of this vision.

Framework Document Post-election, the Framework Document agreed between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael “to facilitate negotiations with other parties on a plan to recover, rebuild and renew Ireland after the Covid-19 Emergency” lists universal healthcare as the second of 10 “new missions for a new government”.

According to the document, lessons from the pandemic can be used as a learning curve to improve the future of healthcare provision in Ireland. It lists seven actions to do so: 1. Expand our health infrastructure and

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ongoing omnishambles, construction at the National Children’s Hospital has ground to a halt due to the Government’s proscription of all ‘nonessential’ building in late March 2020.

While construction is set to resume in late May 2020, contractors must ensure social distancing by staggering the number of workers on site among other measures. This is set to further delay the National Children’s Hospital project which is due for completion in Q3 2022.

Initially estimated at €650 million, the project is now likely to consume over €1.73 billion, making it one of the most expensive hospitals in the world per bed.

Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan.

accelerate the implementation of a universal healthcare system as per Sláintecare.

2. Expand universal access with paediatrics and women’s health a priority.

3. Increase bed capacity and staff numbers to improve access to both primary and acute care.

4. Ensure that all new consultant contracts in the public health service are public only.

5. Prioritise primary care.

6. Invest in public health infrastructure to mitigate future threats.

7. Promote health living and good mental health.

Prior to General Election 2020, the Social Democrats indicated that the implementation of Sláintecare was a red line for the party and more recently coleaders Róisín Shortall and Catherine Murphy expressed concern over its financing. In a joint response, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael intimated a willingness to ringfence the funding, projected to total €5 billion, required to implement the policy over the lifetime of the next government. Manifesto pledges for additional annual health spending over the coming five years had ranged from Fianna Fáil’s €2 billion to Sinn Féin’s €4.5 billion and Fine Gael and Labour’s €5 billion. Meanwhile, the Green Party committed to “to adequately funding healthcare reform”.

Covid-19

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Now into his fifth year as Health Minister, Simon Harris has hyperactively utilised his social media presence (160,000

Twitter followers) to promote the Government and the HSE’s messaging on the pandemic. Having navigated the CervicalCheck scandal, championed the successful repeal of the Eighth Amendment and weathered the worsening health crisis more generally, he now spearheads the response to Covid-19. In doing so, Harris appears to have successfully manoeuvred from a near untenable position to careerdefining performance as Minister for Health.

Meticulously managed media performance aside, the Minister has come unstuck somewhat in addressing the testing and tracing capacity and the grave scenario still unfolding in Irish care facilities, the residents of which now account for over 60 per cent of Covid-19 related deaths.

Questions have also been raised regarding the transparency of the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET), chaired by Tony Holohan, which oversees the State’s pandemic response. “Constructive tensions” between NPHET and political decisionmakers have been alluded to HSE CEO Paul Reid and the absence of minutes from twice weekly meetings queried in the Dáil.

Now, a new 19 member Oireachtas Covid-19 Committee has been established to comprehensively scrutinise the State’s pandemic response.

National hospital developments Simultaneously, already the subject of an

They delays caused by new safety measures being implemented on construction sites could further increase this cost. Appearing before the Oireachtas Covid-19 Committee, Construction Industry Federation Director General Tom Parlon initially suggested told the costs could increase by as much as 40 per cent. Parlon later claimed his misspoke, stating: “What I meant to say was that productivity could be reduced by up to 40 per cent on those very complex projects while the very severe current regulations are in place.”

Meanwhile, the Religious Sisters of Charity confirmed the planned transfer of their shareholding in St Vincent’s Healthcare Group to St Vincent’s Holdings CLG, a new and independent charitable body. In transferring the associated lands, with a total value of around €200 million, it is hoped that a final major obstacle to the construction of a new National Maternity Hospital alongside St Vincent’s University Hospital at Elm Park, Dublin has been removed.

Thanking the religious order for their contribution to Irish healthcare, Minister Harris asserted: “Today’s announcement by the Sisters will remove any remaining concerns that a religious influence might be brought to bear on the governance of the new National Maternity Hospital at Elm Park.

“The announcement will also pave the way for the finalisation of the legal framework which will protect the State’s investment in the new hospital and ensure that the new National Maternity Hospital will have clinical and operational, as well as financial and budgetary independence.”

Low-code: Up to 7 times faster delivery of change functionality when it is required and not present in the platform.

health and care services report

Peter Rose, CIO TEKenable Ltd Harmony Court, Harmony Row, Dublin 2 T: +353 87 271 2660 E: peter.rose@tekenable.ie W: www.tekenable.ie

Project Jumping Bean Nick Connors (MD) and Peter Rose (CTO), TEKenable Ltd.

platforms, are battle proven and offer faster delivery at

TEKenable’s Innovation Hub has benchmarked the delivery of a typical business application using low-code versus writing lines of code. The outcome is illustrated above.

lower risk with more user functionality per euro spent than

•

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any other approach writes Peter Rose, CIO of TEKenable.

•

Between three and seven times faster to develop

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25 per cent shorter testing time

•

30 per cent fewer bugs

The latest approach to IT systems delivery, low-code

The rapid onset of Covid-19 created an extreme example of a normal organisational need for rapid software application delivery to support new and changing business processes. Working with the HSE’s Emergency Response Team and the National Crisis Management Team, we have helped to deliver contact tracing, lab daily activity tracking, admission and discharge, offers of assistance and much more.

Whether need for change is driven by Covid-19 or not, no organisation wants to be told that the change it requires cannot be delivered rapidly because of how long it takes to deliver the supporting software systems. 70 per cent of C-level executives say technology debt reduces their ability to innovate1. We have 18 years of heritage in delivering systems by writing thousands of lines of software

Enabler of change Low-code does not mean low powered.

With the capability to connect to hundreds of other applications, business systems, and databases, IT teams can use it to tackle in-depth and complex challenges, making application development much more efficient for professional developers.

Applications built using low-code platforms are largely built using visual design tools to assemble data capture forms, process flows, business rules and reports etcetera, using drag and drop based visual designers. Typically, few lines of software code are required, and applications can be built very rapidly with a high degree of functionality provided out of the box such as auditing and security, identity management, search, dashboards and self-service reporting. All platforms have limits to their low-code capabilities but all the platforms that we work with can also be extended using bespoke software (applying our heritage of nearly 20 years) to provide

A similar study of a major project conducted over three years by Forrester indicates a 70 per cent reduction in development effort and 38 per cent reduction in ongoing management and maintenance.

Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and among businesses more generally, the latest approach to IT systems delivery – low-code platforms – has been battle proven and offers faster delivery at lower risk alongside enhanced user functionality per euro spent than any other approach.

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Projects that ordinarily might have taken months to complete were delivered and live in weeks for the HSE and local authorities who responded at the community level. The systems enabled a rapid and effective response to the crisis and helped to deliver against the constantly changing business needs during this period.

code in the traditional manner. If you need rapid delivery the approach that truly stands out is a low-code one.

The opportunity for business savings and efficiency is huge. On average, only 50 per cent of business processes are digitalized2. Imagine what we could achieve together.

2. McKinsey, 2017.

1. Accenture’s “In the Blink of an I.T.” report, 2018 79

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Transformation Realised

Covid-19: “Turning the final page of this story” As the lockdown begins to ease, Ciarán Galway discusses the adequacy of Ireland’s public health response to Covid-19 and the necessity of all-island coordination with Gabriel Scally, President of the Epidemiology and Public Health section of the Royal Society of Medicine.

Belfast-born public health specialist Gabriel Scally entered the wider Irish public consciousness having led the Scoping Inquiry into the CervicalCheck Screening Programme. Commencing in May 2018, the work of the Scoping Inquiry concluded in June 2019. Prior to this, in the North, Scally assisted as an expert witness and advisor to the chair of the Inquiry into Hyponatraemiarelated Deaths, the report of which was published in January 2018.

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More recently, throughout the Covid-19 crisis, Scally has been a ferocious critic of the British Government’s lethargic response to the pandemic. In March, reflecting on the lessons learnt from the

Ebola outbreaks and applied in the context of Covid-19, WHO Executive Director Mike Ryan advised: “Be fast.

Have no regrets. You must be the first mover… If you need to be right before you move, you will never win.”

Echoing Ryan’s sentiments, Scally asserts: “In traditional public health terms, you respond to an infectious disease outbreak with urgency and you make all possible attempts to get ahead of the virus as soon as you possibly can.”

The public health ‘toolbox’ in such scenarios includes: testing to identify the disease if it isn’t immediately obvious;

tracing the infection backwards in an attempt to identify the index case; contact tracing to follow spread beyond an infected individual; quarantining as an ancient method of preventing further spread; and disseminating information to tell people that you have found it, thereby raising awareness and determining a potentially wider pattern.

Scally indicates that the countries that have been most effective in their public health response are those that have taken note of, and learnt from, the experience of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), the zoonotic viral respiratory disease, and thus acted swiftly to introduce social restrictions,

Credit: City Swift.

Transformation Realised

“Interestingly, many of the locations that have dealt well with it have been islands, not unlike Ireland. New Zealand has done well, Australia has done extremely well, as has Taiwan. Greece has done amazingly well which is interesting given how much its reputation suffered because of its response to and full engagement in creating the economic crisis that affected so many European countries,” Scally says.

Adequate Acknowledging that it has not been “as good as one would have wanted”, the public health expert regards Ireland’s response as having been “adequate”. In particular, he highlights the failure to halt movement at Irish seaports and airports.

“In some ways we are victims of our geographic position and connections.

Pursuing some of those measures is countercultural, certainly in a political context, even if it is on public health grounds,” he says.

Another specific criticism Scally makes relates to Ireland’s data systems.

Suggesting that some of the Covid-19

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shutdown transport systems and introduce border controls, as in South Korea and Vietnam. Most crucially, exemplar countries adopted the principle of finding the virus, tracking it down and killing it.

“Consider the shortages of PPE in care facilities. If that’s shielding, then it’s not so much a shield as a sieve.” data produced here has been “first class” and describing the daily briefings as accessible and transparent, he is critical of the guidelines in respect of death registration.

“The length of time within which a death must be registered is three months which is astounding,” he says, adding: “Most people think that deaths should probably be notified to someone official slightly sooner than three months. In the Northern Ireland, England and Wales the equivalent figure is five days and in Scotland eight days.”

Consequently, data is very slow in emerging and it was originally thought that Ireland’s performance was much better than the reality. EuroMOMO, a website that provides monitoring for infectious disease outbreaks, initially portrayed Ireland’s excess deaths as remaining flat, for instance. A notification on the site now indicates: “In Ireland, as a result of very significant delays in

death registrations during March and April 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, weekly z-scores of excess all-cause mortality do not reflect current Covid-19 (and non-Covid-19) excess mortality in Ireland.”

Lamenting this failing, Scally regards excess mortality comparisons – the number of deaths greater than the average of the previous five years – as the acid test for public health performance.

Care homes Similarly, Scally is critical of the high mortality rate in Irish care homes, a trend that has been mirrored in several countries. “It is a terrible indictment of the way in which we treat elderly people.

Not just the numbers of deaths but the fact that some people are dying, I suspect, without adequate medical and nursing care because the care homes cannot provide it,” he says.

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“Unless we take control of that situation, we will end up like China where we import many new cases and run the risk of undoing all our efforts. It’s not hard to do. It just requires investment of time and money in quarantining people one way or another. It must be rigorous and universal.

“Otherwise, it makes a nonsense of everyone on the island practising social distancing. People from all parts of the world crammed cheek by jowl in metal tubes for hours and breathing recirculated air and then dispersing all over Ireland upon arrival is just crazy. I recognise fully the problems of having that discussion within the island and with the neighbouring island, but that must be had if we don’t want this to go on, cost more lives and necessitate more disruption,” he says.

North/south harmonisation Scally has been a vocal proponent of allIreland harmonisation of the public health response to Covid-19. He praises the memorandum of understanding (MOU) on public health cooperation on an all-Ireland basis co-signed by Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan and the North’s Chief Medical Officer Michael McBride as “saying all the right words”.

Under normal circumstances, Scally suggests, many of the people dying in care homes would have been admitted to hospital. That didn’t happen.

“Personally speaking, in such circumstances, I would like to be very well looked after by expert nurses and doctors who have access to some fairly powerful drugs to help me through that.

“That’s one of my concerns and a second concerns the language used which was about ‘shielding’ and ‘cocooning’ people. In fact, rather the opposite seems to have happened.

There seems to have been very little done. Consider the shortages of PPE in care facilities. If that’s shielding, then it’s 82

not so much a shield as a sieve.”

Easing lockdown At the same time, the public health specialist is satisfied that Ireland has met the criteria set by WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus as a guideline for easing lockdown. “We are heading into the final phase now in terms of eradicating the virus from the island, or we should be, if it wasn’t for the North. Just imagine that: if we had no cases on the island, for a few weeks, we could unlock everything. After that, we must be vigilant to pick it up when it pops up. The phases of ending restrictions could be undertaken in an orderly but relatively swift fashion,” he says.

However, Scally is still troubled by the issue of inadequate border control.

However, Scally is doubtful whether the Department of Health in the North can deliver on the MOU. “It’s not like normal government in Northern Ireland. I do get the feeling that although there is a First Minister and a deputy First Minister, that they don’t have any control over the Health Minister.

“To use my old-fashioned NHS language, it’s not quite clear what the performance management regime is in the North. How can the whole population there and indeed across the island be sure that Northern Ireland’s Department of Health is going to do the job, particularly given some of the ways in which it has been behaving. It has been a very unfortunate episode, I think.”

Single epidemiological unit Ireland cannot be regarded as two distinct epidemiological units because of the nature of the 499 km-long mile border, Scally contends. “The virus does not respect borders and there are people

Transformation Realised

who live and work on a cross-border basis. We treat Ireland as one epidemiological unit for animal health purposes, so why does it not make sense to treat it as a single unit for human health? To avoid doing so is throwing away our advantage,” he says.

“The decision that really struck me was made jointly by the heads of the special schools in Belfast to close, irrespective of what the British Government said. It’s a good example of the public leading on the handling of this outbreak and the politicians catching up belatedly,” he reflects.

the entire island of this virus. It doesn’t matter whether you’re in Ballycastle in County Antrim, Ballina in County Mayo or Bandon in County Cork, it’s in everyone’s interest that there are no cases anywhere on the island.”

Following the lead of Westminster, community testing and contact tracing in the North had also been abandoned on 12 March, a decision Scally regards as a fatal departure for many people. With the Northern Ireland Executive recently publishing its strategy for easing lockdown and announcing a revival of testing and tracing, he proposes that a perfect opportunity for mutual assistance has arisen.

Ireland, as a whole, now faces a choice.

“We will either get to zero cases on the island and relax many restrictions or, if we don’t have effective border controls and a good testing regime, we will have to wait for a vaccine,” he contends.

CervicalCheck Inquiry, Scally advises

“I haven’t made a big public deal about this next issue because it’s not quite the time, though the time is approaching.

There will be a moment when we get through this and there will be a great deal of rejoicing at that time alongside a great deal of grieving for all the people who have died unnecessarily. Personally, I have lost a friend and I hate that. I’m in public health because I hate preventable death. That’s what my career has been; trying to stop people dying unnecessarily. However, as we emerge from this, we must remember how we got here in the first place.”

this never happens again in Ireland,” he

There is a constant risk from the emergence of new novel viruses and there are always new combinations and strains. Only a single virus needs to get it ‘right’, finding some vulnerability and bypassing our defence mechanisms.

Paraphrasing a famous quip, Scally states: “The risk hasn’t gone away you know. It’s still there and will still be there in the future.”

the organisation and delivery of health

From the first day that follows this crisis, the public health expert asserts, planning

final page of this story at the same time,

“In the Republic, case numbers are falling and much of the contact tracing capacity isn’t being used. That has been well described in the press. As the numbers decrease, there will be much more intensity in tackling new cases, but there will be spare capacity, for example, in laboratories.

“Meanwhile, the North is trying, without visible evidence of success, to put a case finding, testing, contact tracing and isolation policy in place, with limited laboratory capacity. Here we have a fantastic opportunity for cooperation.”

Overall, Scally feels that very little is standing in the way of an effective allIreland response to the ongoing challenges posed by Covid-19. “It merely requires the will on behalf of some people to lay aside their long and no doubt dearly held principles, prejudices and beliefs, focusing instead on ridding

Looking ahead

health and care services report

While emphasising that there is only one outbreak on the island of Ireland, the public health expert distinguishes between the responses in either jurisdiction. Following the announcement of school closures in the Republic on 12 March, Scally watched closely over the following weekend as reports filtered in from all across the North of people either closing schools unilaterally or refusing to send their children to school.

“We will either get to zero cases on the island and relax many restrictions or, if we don’t have effective border controls and a good testing regime, we will have to wait for a vaccine.” must begin for future pandemics. Once the data has been finalised, Ireland, he suggests, must ask itself why its response was not as robust as countries such as Greece, Denmark, Norway or Finland.

Leaning on his experience from the against scapegoating individuals. “It’s an awful response. Rather than doing the hard learning and getting the system right. It’s easy and it’s wrong. We have a fantastic chance to get make sure that insists.

Optimism Conceding the inevitability of occasional Covid-19 outbreaks as are being experienced elsewhere such as South Korea, Scally emphasises the importance of vigilance alongside the preservation of some degree of social distancing while necessary and relaxing it when possible.

The experience, he believes, opens opportunities to pursue new thinking in services. This includes consideration of UK 1948-type action in terms of bringing private hospitals into public ownership.

“I’m very optimistic and I’ll be delighted to see the end of this. It can be done, and the all-Ireland coordination is vital in achieving an organised end to this episode. A joint end. We have to turn the north and south,” Scally concludes.

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The value of vaccines in Ireland infants against smallpox within six months of birth.

health and care services report

Deaths caused by smallpox began to fall, from 7,550 for the decade from 1871 to 1880 until the last reported death from smallpox in Ireland was reported in 1907.

Smallpox vaccination stopped in Ireland in 1972. WHO declared smallpox eradicated worldwide in 1979.

1930-1940s Diphtheria, ‘the strangling angel of children’, was a terrifying disease that suffocated a child. Diphtheria was a very common cause of death among children until the 1940s in Ireland.

In 1938, there were several thousand cases of diphtheria with 318 deaths reported. With the introduction of diphtheria and tetanus vaccine, the number of deaths fell year on year during the 1940s. In 1950 there were five deaths from diphtheria. The last death notified from diphtheria in Ireland was in 1967. Deaths still occur in unvaccinated children in Western Europe.

1950s Pertussis (Whooping cough) vaccine was added to the diphtheria/tetanus vaccines and offered to all children from 1953.

Vaccination is one of the most cost-effective health interventions available, saving millions of people from illness, disability and death each year. The World Health Organization (WHO) states a comprehensive vaccination

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programme is a cornerstone of good public health in any country.

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In Ireland today, vaccines are offered to children to protect against 13 diseases: diphtheria, haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), hepatitis B, HPV infection, measles, meningococcal disease (types A, B, C, W & Y), mumps, pertussis (whooping cough), pneumococcal, polio, rotavirus, rubella and tetanus. These diseases may result in serious complications including death.

Outbreaks of these serious infectious diseases occur if children are not vaccinated.

extremely rare. All of the recommended vaccines used in Ireland are licensed by the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) or the European Medicines Agency. They are licensed for use only when they have been shown to be both safe and effective.

Vaccines have an excellent safety record. All medicines can cause side effects, vaccine side effects are usually mild, like a sore arm or leg where the injection was given, or a slight fever.

Serious side effects to vaccines are

1800s

Though vaccination is often presented as a very modern development, there have been government funded Public Health vaccination programmes in Ireland for 180 years.

In 1863 vaccination against smallpox was made compulsory for all children born in Ireland. Parents were given responsibility to ensure vaccination of

Prior to the introduction of a whooping cough vaccine there were up to 5,000 cases of pertussis and up to 200 deaths each year from whooping cough.

Following the introduction of the vaccine, cases and deaths from whooping cough fell rapidly.

Today, due to an increase in whooping cough cases, pregnant women are recommended to receive the vaccine between 16 and 36 weeks of pregnancy to protect their baby from this serious disease when they are too young to be fully vaccinated.

Polio has existed for thousands of years and epidemics were first reported in the 1800s. Polio maimed, rather than killed and mainly affected children under 3 years of age causing long term paralysis.

In Ireland, polio infection became more common after 1920 with major polio epidemics during the 1940s and 1950s.

The last and most severe polio epidemic took place in 1956 when there were 500 cases reported, mostly children, with 220 cases from Cork.

In 1955, Dr Jonas Salk produced a vaccine for poliomyelitis. The Salk vaccine was introduced in Ireland in

1957. A few years after introduction of universal childhood vaccination, polio infection was almost eliminated. The last reported case of polio here was in 1984. However, over 7,000 people still suffer from post-polio syndrome in Ireland and cases of polio still occur in other parts of the world.

1970s

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During the 1950s and 1960s up to 5,000 cases of rubella were reported during epidemics. Rubella vaccine was introduced here in 1971. Rubella infection in early pregnancy has serious effects on the foetus causing cataracts, congenital heart disease, hearing impairment and developmental delay.

Prevention of these abnormalities (congenital rubella syndrome) is main aim of rubella vaccination. In 2016, a WHO declaration stated that following vaccination rubella is no longer endemic in Ireland.

1980s Before 1984, an average of 5,000 cases of measles were reported annually in Ireland. In 1948 there were 63 deaths from measles and due to advances in hospital care by 1985 there were 5 deaths reported. The number of cases of measles declined dramatically after introduction of measles vaccine in 1985, from 10,000 cases in 1985 to 201 cases in 1987. MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine was introduced to Irish childhood immunisation schedule in 1988.

However, measles outbreaks still occur in Ireland. The largest in recent years occurred in 2000, when more than 1,600 cases were reported and three children died.

1990s to present day In 1999, there were 536 cases of meningitis caused by meningococcal infection and two cases of meningitis caused by haemophilus influenzae type b reported. More than 100 cases of meningitis caused by haemophilus influenzae type b were reported most years before introduction of haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine in 1992. The meningococcal C vaccine was introduced in 2000, and meningococcal B vaccine was introduced in 2016. Cases of meningococcal meningitis have dropped more than 80 per cent since these vaccines were introduced.

In 2010, HPV vaccine was introduced for girls to prevent cervical cancer and in 2019 this was extended to include first year boys to protect them against cancers and genital warts caused by HPV virus.

The rotavirus vaccine was introduced in 2016 to prevent severe diarrhoea in children. Reported cases of rotavirus infection fell by more than 70 per cent in 2018.

Why do we still have outbreaks?

More Information W: www.immunisation.ie Twitter: @hseimm

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The World Health Organization recommends a target uptake of 95 per cent for childhood vaccines to protect the entire population. Ireland has reached the target uptake for some childhood vaccinations including diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, and hepatitis B vaccines. However, the target uptake for measles, mumps, rubella, meningococcal, Hib and rotavirus vaccinations have not been reached.

Vaccination provides the best protection against these serious diseases.

As the Covid-19 pandemic has shown, infectious diseases are only a plane ride away. So if a visitor to Ireland has a measles infection, an outbreak of measles can easily occur because 95 per cent of all children are not vaccinated.

Almost 200 years of vaccination campaigns delivered to millions of people have greatly reduced the burden of infectious diseases that killed and maimed children and adults in Ireland, however it is important to remember that other than smallpox these diseases have not gone away yet.

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Transformation Realised

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

health and care services report

Who’s who Ministers Simon Harris, Minister for Health First elected to the Dáil in General Election 2011, Minister Harris TD was reelected in the 2016 General Election and subsequently appointed Minister for Health in May 2016. He was recently re-elected in February 2020 and currently serves as the caretaker Health Minister.

The Minister leads the Department of Health in serving the country, its people and the Government.

Finian McGrath, Minister of State with special responsibility for Disability Issues Finian McGrath was first elected as an independent TD in in 2002 and was subsequently re-elected in 2007, 2011 and 2016. Minister McGrath did not contest General Election 2020.

The Minister of State with special responsibility for Disability Issues is accountable for developing and articulating government policy on improving the lives of people with disabilities and their carers, the country, its people and the Government.

Catherine Byrne, Minister of State with special responsibility for Health Promotion and the National Drugs Strategy

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Jim Daly, Minister of State with special responsibility for Mental Health and Older People

Catherine Byrne was first elected to the Dáil in 2007 and was re-elected in 2011 and 2016. Byrne lost her Dublin South Central seat in General Election 2020.

Jim Daly was first elected to Dáil Éireann in 2011 and subsequently re-elected in 2016. Daly did not contest General Election 2020.

The Minister of State with special responsibility for Health Promotion and the National Drugs Strategy is accountable for developing and articulating government policy on improving the health and wellbeing of the people of Ireland by promoting healthier lifestyles within society and encouraging people to make healthier choices around drug and alcohol use.

The Minister of State at the Department of Health with special responsibility for Mental Health and Older People is accountable for developing and articulating government policy on improving the lives of older people, and on building and fostering positive mental health across the entire community, providing accessible, community-based, specialist services for people with mental illness.

Transformation Realised

Senior Management Paul Bolger, Director, Resources Division

Jim Breslin, Secretary General of the Department of Health

The Director of the Resources Division is responsible for:

The Secretary General of the Department of Health is responsible for:

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development and implementation of government policies on health expenditure, pay, employment levels, pensions and terms of employment in the public health service.

Teresa Cody, Assistant Secretary, Corporate Division The Assistant Secretary of the Corporate Division is responsible for: •

strategic HR;

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corporate services;

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ICT;

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parliamentary affairs and ministerial support;

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legal unit;

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communications unit; and

•

governance functions including business planning, risk and PMO.

Fergal Goodman, Assistant Secretary, Primary Care Division The Assistant Secretary of the Primary Care Division is responsible for: • policy on primary care as a major component of an integrated health service; •

ensuring a cost-effective and sustainable approach to the use of pharmaceutical products in the Irish health system;

•

policy and legislation governing eligibility for health and personal social services;

•

ensuring the appropriate regulation of pharmaceutical products and pharmacy services, medical devices etcetera; and

•

statutory control of illegal drugs and analogous harmful substances.

•

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• ensuring that resources (current expenditure including pay, pensions and non-pay) are managed and planned efficiently and effectively across the health service; and

managing the business generally of the Department;

• implementing government policies appropriate to the Department; • affect the Department;

monitoring government policies that

•

delivering outputs as determined by the Minister;

•

providing policy advice to the Minister on all matters within the remit of the Department;

•

preparing Statements of Strategy for submission to the Minister;

•

providing progress reports to the Minister on the implementation of the Statement of Strategy;

•

ensuring proper use of resources and the provision of cost-effective public services;

•

preparing an outline of how specific responsibilities are to be assigned to other officers down through the Department; and

•

managing matters relating to appointments, performance, discipline and dismissal of civil servants below the grade of principal or its equivalent.

Greg Dempsey, Deputy Secretary, Governance and Performance Division The Deputy Secretary of the Governance and Performance Division is responsible for: • leading the performance dialogue with the HSE to identify priorities across all major policy and service delivery areas and to assess performance against targets; •

coordinating and quality assuring governance arrangements for oversight of all agencies reporting to the Department of Health; and

•

clinical indemnity.

Tracey Conroy, Assistant Secretary, Acute Care Division The Assistant Secretary for the Acute Care division is responsible for: • developing and overseeing implementation of government policy in relation to acute hospital services as key elements of an integrated model of care for the health service.

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Transformation Realised DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

Who’s who

Senior Management health and care services report

Colm Desmond, Assistant Secretary Corporate Legislation, Mental Health, Drugs Policy and Food Safety Division

Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer The Chief Medical Officer is responsible for: • provision of strategic leadership and evidence-based analysis and expert medical advice to the department, Government, broader health system and regulatory and professional bodies; • development of policy and legislation regarding patient safety and quality in health care; and •

The Assistant Secretary Corporate Legislation, Mental Health, Drugs

leading the development and coordination of health and wellbeing policy including the development of policy to address communicable diseases, obesity, rare diseases, non-communicable diseases, smoking, alcohol misuse and bioethical issues.

Policy and Food Safety Division is responsible for: •

developing and overseeing implementation of policy in

Kathleen MacLellan, Assistant Secretary, Social Care Division

relation to mental health and ensuring an appropriate Mental Health Legal Framework is in place; •

overseeing implementation of A Vision for Change in conjunction with the HSE and government departments;

•

The Assistant Secretary of the Social Care division is responsible for:

implementation of Connecting for Life – Suicide Prevention Strategy 2015-2020;

•

• policy development and oversight of the provision of health and personal social services for people with a disability;

overseeing implementation of the National Drugs Strategy – Reducing Harm Supporting Recovery a health-led approach to drug and alcohol use in Ireland including drugs

• residential and community-based care and services for older people; and

and alcohol task forces; •

managing and overseeing the development of an inclusion health policy, and services to address the health needs of

•

palliative care.

socially excluded groups; •

development of policy and legislation to address food

Laura Magahy, Executive Director, Sláintecare Programme Office

safety and environmental health issues in conjunction with other government departments and agencies, including oversight of relevant agencies and transposition of EU legislation; and •

The executive director of the Sláintecare Programme Office is responsible at a deputy secretary level for:

oversight of certain cross-cutting corporate legislation for the Department.

• leading the Sláintecare Programme Office which supports and drives the delivery of the vision outlined in Sláintecare report. Including the development of a strategic and programmatic approach to the implementation and sequencing of reforms and develop detailed action plans, deliverables, costs and timelines for each area of reform.

Muiris O'Connor, Assistant Secretary, Research and Development and Health Analytics Division

Colm O’Reardon, Deputy Secretary, Policy and Strategy Division

The Assistant Secretary of the Research and Development and Health Analytics Division is responsible for:

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•

leading the development of the knowledge management capability in the Department and the wider health services; and

•

ensuring that strategy and decision-making are more fully informed by evidence, research, information and innovation to support it in its health policy and performance oversight roles.

The Deputy Secretary of the Policy and Strategy Division is responsible for: • providing a key whole-ofdepartment focus for policy and legislative reform; • ensuring effective coordination and integration across different Divisions of the Department in the context of framing strategies and policies outside of traditional care settings; and •

consideration of a whole-of-system response to service users when developing policy.

Scan4Safety: The foundations for safer care The opportunities for traceability extend across the hospital in both clinical and non-clinical areas, including catering and asset management, as well as in community healthcare, such as chronic disease management.

health and care services report

The potential of Unique Device Identification With patient safety as the driver, medical device manufacturers are being required to use a regulatory system (the start date for the EU regulation has been postponed by a year until May 2021 due to Covid-19) called Unique Device Identification (UDI) to mark and identify their products. The International Medical Device Regulator Forum (IMDRF), the

Firstly, we at GS1 Ireland would like to give our thanks and

United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European

send best wishes to all frontline staff working hard to keep

Commission (EC) are aiming to optimise

us safe during this crisis. In such challenging times the

harmonised and consistent approach to

need for traceability, and good track and trace processes,

standards. Industry is working with GS1

is even more evident. Siobhain Duggan, Director of

Item Number (GTIN) encoded in a GS1

Innovation and Healthcare with GS1 Ireland, writes.

patient care by proposing a globally UDI through legislation and global to achieve compliance. The Global Trade compliant barcode is the foundation of this.

If the entire healthcare supply chain,

It is widely accepted that more needs to be done to improve traceability processes across the healthcare system.

As we move through the successive phases of this pandemic, these same processes will be critical to ensure the visibility of product supply and the interactions between people. This will reduce the need for manual processes, giving time back to patient care.

Scan4Safety

out administrative tasks; and returns time

from the manufacturer, to the distributor

to front line staff to concentrate on

and to the healthcare provider, continues

patient care. Furthermore, the tracking of

to adopt GS1 as the industry standard

assets and people across the hospital

identifier it will be easier to track

setting means that staff know where

products from manufacturer to patient.

devices are and can follow patient care

This increases supply chain visibility,

pathways, freeing up time for patient

traceability and patient safety.

care and improving patient safety.

Several hospitals in Ireland are looking at implementing Scan4Safety in their operating theatres, where scanning replaces the manual transcription or

Removing paper-based systems and processes and using ‘a simple scan’ of GS1 standard barcodes to cross check and capture patient data reduces; the risk of medical error; the time to carry

per week managing inventory. The

entry of data. Using GS1 Standards to scan products to patients also provides tighter inventory control, with some systems facilitating the auto

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Risk can be designed out of systems using standardised identification and scanning technologies. This means that the incidence of wrong treatment, implant, or device is greatly reduced and helps to ensure that the right product, is in the right place, at the right time and is linked to the right patient.

For more information on Scan4Safety or GS1 standards: Please contact Siobhain Duggan, Director of Innovation and Healthcare T: 01 208 0660 E: healthcare@gs1ie.org W: www.gs1ie.org/healthcare

replenishment of stock. Clinical staff at Tallaght University Hospital (TUH) were spending a large proportion of their time introduction of Scan4Safety in two theatres has meant that scanning a product used in theatre, creates an order for its replacement.

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Transformation Realised

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Comparing Covid-19 on the island of Ireland: Impossible, undesirable or doable?

Facebook reclassified the piece as ‘opinion’ on 01 May 2020.

Reactions to north/south Covid-19 comparisons fall into two broad camps.

First there are those who suggest that it is impossible to compare Northern Ireland with the Republic as the published statistics count different things. Then there are those who say that north/south comparisons are undesirable, although typically this is implied rather than stated outright.

There are two significant obstacles to a comprehensive understanding of the impact of Covid-19 on mortality in Ireland. One is the statistical challenge while the other is an unwillingness to pursue comparative study on a north/south basis. Mike Tomlinson, Emeritus Professor of Social Policy, Queen’s University Belfast, writes.

As the first wave of Covid-19 subsides, I suspect we have lost our appetite for numbers. There is something morally questionable about reducing so many lives cut short to an overall death toll or a death rate, especially when this comes across as an unseemly international league table. Exactly the same sentiment arises over north/south comparisons on the island of Ireland.

The North’s Minister of Health recently described such comparisons as ‘crude and often ghoulish’. But compare we must, as this is the way we learn from others.

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Over a month ago (22 April 2020), The Irish Times published an opinion piece in which I suggested that the Covid-19 death rate in the North was considerably higher than in the Republic: ‘One island with two very different death rates’ ran the headline. Different policies – on the

pace of lockdown and on testing and tracing – appeared to have resulted in different outcomes.

Reaction The response to this was not what I expected. It ranged from the First Minister’s special adviser referring to the piece publicly as “the now widely dismissed report”, to the London-based think-tank Policy Exchange devoting a 15-page pamphlet to the topic. More surprisingly, two days after publication Facebook branded the Irish Times piece as ‘partly false’. This ensured that the article was relegated in the news feed, and distribution reduced. People sharing the content were referred to a report by a third-party fact-checker which had rated the statistical comparison as ‘unsubstantiated’. The false news tag remained in place for a full week until

It is certainly difficult to compare the data on deaths. For the Republic, the reported deaths include those tested positive for the disease and ‘probable’ Covid-19 deaths referred to the Coroner.

No other data will be available until the mortality statistics for the first quarter of 2020 are published later this year, probably in August.

For the North there are four figures to choose from. The lowest of the four is the daily reported number of Covid-19 deaths based on those tested positive for the disease and published by the Department of Health. Then there are three statistics published weekly by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA). Two of these are a count of death certificates which mention Covid-19: by date registered and by date of occurrence. Finally, we have a figure for ‘excess deaths’, a measure of the spike in deaths over and above what would normally be expected at this time of year, based on an average for the preceding five years. This is the highest figure.

Three of these four counts are shown in the graph (Figure 1) below (I am indebted to Chris Giles economics editor at the Financial Times for the design of this graph). The top set of columns represent an estimate of the excess deaths occurring between the weekly published figure.

Comparison Where does this leave us for making comparisons? At the time of writing, the daily reported figures indicate a death

Transformation Realised

The daily counts receive the most publicity and are the most often quoted.

But they are not comparable for two reasons. First the Republic’s daily total includes deaths that have not been tested positive for Covid-19. Secondly the North’s daily figure consists mostly of hospital deaths whereas these are only a minority (about 40 per cent) in the Republic’s daily total. This is a direct result of different testing policies. In the Republic, testing and contact tracing, whatever the difficulties, were expanded from early March. But from 12 March, the British Government decided to stop contact tracing and to restrict testing to hospital patients.

Figure 1: Covid-19 deaths in N Ireland (cumulative)

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rate for the Republic of 31.9 per 100,000 population and 26.3 for the North. How is it that the North, with later lockdowns and more restrictive testing, is recording a lower crude death rate? This is contrary to what one might expect from the international experience where countries following World Health Organisation guidelines and acting quickly, have recorded much lower Covid-19 death tolls.

Figure 2: Excess death rates compared

Within a matter of days, the North fell behind the Republic in the confirmation of cases. By 21 March, the Republic’s case rate was double the North’s and the recent expansion of testing in the North has not as yet changed the overall picture: the Republic’s rate at 494 per 100,000 population (20 May) remains more than double that in the North where it is 235 per 100,000 population.

Put another way, about one in 50 have been tested in the North compared to one in 20 in the Republic.

Excess deaths One way of approaching the comparison is to go for the highest number in Figure 1: excess deaths. This is regarded as the gold standard for assessing the impact of an epidemic or other exceptional event on mortality. As distinguished statistician David Spiegelhalter says, excess mortality “is currently a reasonable measure of the total impact of the epidemic, both the virus and the measures taken against it”.

What about excess deaths in the Republic? While weekly mortality statistics are not published, there is a proxy for excess deaths that several academics are now using to assess the impact of Covid-19. Seamus Coffey, University College Cork, has shown that there is a remarkably close relationship

between the official count of registered deaths and death notices posted on RIP.ie going back over a number of years.

This means we can compare north/south excess deaths using the proxy as shown in Figure 2. The graph compares excess death rates at four dates, based on cumulative totals. At every point the North’s rate is well above the Republic’s, narrowing slightly to 41 per cent higher for the latest date shown.

This is a very similar result to the one provided in my Irish Times article.

As the policy discussion turns to how and when to relax lockdown measures, there is a danger that efforts to suppress

the virus will be undermined if the two jurisdictions do not follow similar policies. Two areas stand out. First, testing, tracing and isolating practices need to be aligned to prevent the infection circulating more freely in the North relative to the Republic. Secondly, as Gabriel Scally and others have argued, health surveillance at points of entry to the island needs to be the same either side of the border.

Ideally in future, the Republic will shorten the time allowed for a death to be registered from three months to five days and will publish mortality statistics weekly as in the North and on a similar basis. The need to compare outcomes does not disappear with the first wave.

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Transformation Realised

Healthcare statistics Before the Covid-19 pandemic, Irish healthcare had already found itself at crisis point in terms of, waiting times capacity and staffing numbers. eolas explores the pre-pandemic statistics for waiting lists, hospital overcrowding and the health service workforce.

Waiting lists The number of people on hospital waiting lists increased in January 2020, putting an end to months of trend reversal after the figures for August 2019 set the State record for the greatest number of patients waiting for treatment.

In August, the number of outpatients stood at 564,829.

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Increased government spending on the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) had begun to alleviate the backlog before figures for January indicated an increase in both inpatient and outpatient waiting list numbers. The

outpatient list grew to 556,770 people for January, an increase of 3,336 on December, while the inpatient/day rate was 67,303 an increase of 740. Longterm outpatient waiting (18 months or more) numbers also rose from 102,924 to 107,040.

There was a large increase in the number of people on waiting lists given scheduled dates for their admissions – a 16.41 per cent increase from 17,211 in December 2019 to 20,033 in January 2020. Overall cases on waiting lists increased from 671,489 to 677,344. This is a significant surge in the context of the decline experienced in the fourth quarter

of 2019, especially in December when the number outpatients waiting fell by 10,000.

The decrease in outpatient numbers was attributed to increased spending on the NTPF, which purchases treatments for public patients, often placing them in private settings. The NTPF’s 2020 budget is €100 million, a significant increase on the 2019 figure of €75 million. The fund has also been placed in charge of validations, the process by which it is determined whether or not people need to still be on waiting lists.

The Irish Times revealed that the NTPF had carried out 75,000 validations in the

Transformation Realised Public health employment, 2010 to 2019 40,000 35,000 30,000

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25,000 20,000 15,000 10,000 5,000 0 Medical/Dental

Nursing

Health and social care

General support staff

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 (Source: HSE Personnel Census)

final three months of 2019 after none had been carried out in the first nine months. 45,270 patients were removed from the outpatient list through this process, the majority of them because they did not respond to correspondence.

Overcrowding Annual figures from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) show overcrowding figures in Irish hospitals in 2019 to be the highest on record, with 118,367 patients left waiting for a bed after they had been admitted to a hospital.

The figures mark a 9 per cent annual increase from 2018, with September, October and November 2019 being the worst months for overcrowding recorded. 1,300 of those recorded waiting for a bed were under the age of 16. University Hospital Limerick was the worst hospital affected, with 14,000 patients left waiting on a bed after admittance there in 2019.

Following on from this, the INMO released figures showing the first full week of 2020 to be the worst across the seven days. A daily record of 760 patients was set during this week on both the Monday and the Tuesday. Once

“In a submission to the Oireachtas Joint Health Committee in November 2019, the INMO said that in the last 10 years the Irish health service has “undergone unprecedented demand and changes have affected every aspect of the service, its clients, patients and staff”, especially during the period of 2009-2014 when health funding contracted by €4 billion in real terms.

They also say that nursing and midwifery levels have not recovered to date from the 2007 staffing moratorium.” again, University Hospital Limerick was the worst affected hospital, with 322 people waiting across the seven days, followed by University Hospital Galway (212), Cork University Hospital and South Tipperary General Hospital (both 210).

The INMO has called for three measures to address the overcrowding crisis.

•

“Restoration of recruitment powers to hospital groups, ending the recruitment freeze.”

•

“Clarity on the 2020 funding for the previously agreed Safe Staffing Framework, which would set nursing numbers based on patient and health service needs.”

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Transformation Realised Public health expenditure in millions of euro, 2010 to 2019 20,000 15,000

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10,000 5,000 0 2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

Public non-capital expenditure

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

Public capital expenditure

Total public expenditure Source: HSE

•

“Rollout of the Sláintecare health reforms, which would offer more alternatives to acute hospitals.”

Workforce In a submission to the Oireachtas Joint Health Committee in November 2019, the INMO said that in the last 10 years the Irish health service has “undergone unprecedented demand and changes have affected every aspect of the service, its clients, patients and staff”, especially during the period of 20092014 when health funding contracted by €4 billion in real terms. They also say that nursing and midwifery levels have not recovered to date from the 2007 staffing moratorium.

The shortage in nursing and midwifery “remains a real and worrying problem for the Irish heath service and for the workforce itself”. The whole time equivalent (WTE) employed at the time of the INMO’s submission stood at 37,843, 1,157 less than pre-2007 moratorium levels. The National Maternity Strategy determined that the minimum level of care for the health and safety of mothers and babies was an extra 200 midwifery WTE to be recruited across 2017 and 2018. However, midwifery WTE in Ireland has actually fallen since 2017 having stood at 1,461 in January 2017 and fallen to 1,399 by September 2019. This figure means that it is now the case that 262 WTE need to be recruited in order to meet the minimum requirements of a 2016 strategy.

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The ongoing construction of the National Children’s Hospital is currently projected

to add the need for 300 WTE children’s nurses, but the INMO points out that children’s nursing undergraduate and postgraduate programmes currently supply 225 WTE per year and will need to increase to meet the increased demands. They also suggest that contracts for these students be guaranteed in order to stem the flow of Irish nursing students emigrating.

Sláintecare identifies the need for a further 900 nurses in the community,

while the Capacity Review says that without reform of the health system, there will still be a need to recruit 700 public health nurses and 500 general practice nurses by 2031. At present, there are 210 undergraduate places for intellectual disability nurses, which the INMO says must increase in order to meet Sláintecare demands and “facilitate the person with an intellectual disability and their families, through all stages of their life, to take their rightful place as an Irish citizen”.

The INMO closed their submission with the inclusion of eight measures to tackle the current workforce shortages.

1. Ending the recruitment pause.

2. In the medium term ensure an increased number of nurses and midwives are educated at undergraduate level.

3. Adequate funding and roll out of the Framework for Safe Nurse Staffing and Skill Mix in General and Specialist Medical and Surgical Care Settings in Ireland (National Framework).

4. Ensure that the growth of nursing and midwifery reflects the health care needs of the population, both now and into the future.

5. Develop clear and deliverable funded recruitment and retention strategies.

6. Develop a workforce strategy which will produce annual funded workforce plans.

7. Ensure that the working environment does not contribute to adverse outcomes for patients and staff alike.

8. Improve the supply of nurses and midwives by increasing undergraduate places and postgraduate places for specific disciplines in short supply.

St John’s Hospital is learning from excellence

(L:R) Martina Ryan and Emer Martin at the Learning from Excellence (LfE) conference in Birmingham on 7 February 2020.

Emer Martin, CEO discusses the leadership model of St John’s Hospital and efforts to adopt and learn a different approach to quality improvement which will enhance patient experience and deliver better clinical outcomes.

St John’s Hospital, a registered charity, was founded in 1780 by Lady Hartstonge and other benefactors as a Fever and Lock Hospital. It was built on the site of an old barracks, part of the historical Walls of Limerick, and opened as the Fever Hospital of Saint John in 1781. It treated epidemics during the Great Famine (1845-1849) such as cholera and typhoid. Little did we think that we would have occasion to return to our originally founded purpose since the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In 1888, the then Bishop of Limerick, Edward Thomas O’Dwyer invited the Nursing Sisters of the Little Company of Mary to the hospital. St John’s was the first site in Ireland where the Little Company of Mary Nursing Sisters came to work. Today, the legacy of the Little Company lives on even though the Sisters are now long retired.

Compassionate, patient centred care underpins all we do.

The hospital also admits scheduled medical patients through the medical

Leadership is a core element to the success of our organisation throughout its years. On 23 February 2004, St John’s made history as the first public hospital to be awarded an accreditation award by the Irish Health Services Accreditation Board in recognition of the hospital’s high standards of patient care and its commitment to quality improvement.

Today, from the board, through the chief executive and to frontline staff, the input of every staff member is encouraged and valued in the setting of goals and standards to achieve the best outcomes for our patients. Our leadership model is one of encouragement, support and empowerment as we believe these principles will motivate, guide and inspire staff to develop as individuals and provide high quality care to patients.

St John’s was delighted to be selected for training, having bid against other UK organisations for this support. It affords us the opportunity to learn a different approach to QI, our aim being to improve patient experience and achieve better clinical outcomes. Furthermore, this opportunity enables us to learn on an international level in a novel learning environment. Skills and knowledge acquired through this initiative can be applied to other QI projects and any other aspect of care delivery, while opening doors to collaborative working, international networking and shared learning experiences.

LfE philosophy believes that studying excellence in healthcare can create new opportunities for learning and improve resilience and staff morale. This is evident in the many examples of compassionate care delivered by our staff during their recent experiences of caring for patients with coronavirus. St John’s is proud of its history and tradition since its foundation of providing kind and compassionate care to the people of Limerick and its environs. We remain faithful to the mission of our founders and we are committed to their pursuit of providing excellent care.

For more information contact Emer Martin, CEO E: emer.martin@stjohnshospital.ie

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Since 2013, St John’s Hospital is one of six hospitals in the University of Limerick Hospital Group. Its relationship with the Health Service Executive (HSE) is as a service provider, as provided for in Section 38 of the Health Act 2004. Under the Smaller Hospitals Framework, St John’s has been designated a Model 2S hospital, a hospital that can carry out intermediate surgery which cannot be carried out on a day-case basis and which requires in-patient overnight stay.

assessment unit and accepts transfers from University Hospital Limerick. Today, the hospital has 89 in-patient beds, 10 day-care beds and an urgent care centre incorporating the medical assessment unit and a local injuries unit, co-led by advanced nurse practitioners and medical staff.

health and care services report

The project is sponsored by myself as CEO and led by physiotherapy manager Martina Ryan. Last June 2019, the hospital submitted a bid to the LfE team based in Birmingham to obtain quality improvement (QI) support from LFEQI, an established Learning from Excellence Quality Improvement team in the NHS whose methodology is based on promoting what is known to work well through an ‘appreciative enquiry’ approach.

An example of this leadership model is found in our multidisciplinary Learning from Excellence (LfE) team who are leading out on promoting early mobility for patients to bring about improved recovery and discharge times. The project is named ‘Get up, get dressed, get moving’ and is delivered under the LfE philosophy (see learningfromexcellence.com for more information).

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Transformation Realised

Care home reform: The key policy questions Since moving on from its nadir in the late 2000s and early 2010s, Ireland’s elderly care sector still faces significant challenges, specifically in relation to nursing homes infrastructure which has been cause for concern long before the coronavirus pandemic brought it to renewed nationwide attention.

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A briefing note sent by Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) chair Pat O’Mahoney to Minister for Health Simon Harris TD in February 2019 warned of the pressing challenges now facing the care home sector. O’Mahoney wrote of “ongoing challenges in relation to the physical premises of some centres”.

can get out of bed and when they can eat a meal”.

The briefing detailed to the Minister prevailing conditions within care centres in Ireland which mean that older people “experience care that is institutional in its approach and follows a medical rather than a social model of care”. Such an experience is antithetical to the stated aims of health care in Ireland in the Sláintecare era. The note also explained how people in centres are living with “little privacy and dignity” due to being in multioccupancy rooms and that “the needs of the service dictate when they

There has been an increase in the number of immediate or urgent judgements handed down to these centres by HIQA since 2015, with 15 being issued in 2016 and 29 in 2018 as the total number of inspections also increased. One-fifth of the 582 total centres in Ireland currently operate with some additional requirements attached to their registrations, typically refractions that require addressing and correction rather than being serious enough to warrant closure.

It is also said that life inside of the centres has, for some, been defined by “living in fear of other residents due to peer-on-peer altercations, higher levels of restrictive practices and limited support to live as independently as possible”.

Overall, the number of seriously noncompliant centres has been on the wane, with O’Mahoney’s note telling Harris that there were seven centres that “owing to such poor regulatory compliance, the chief inspector is not in a position to renew their registration”. HIQA’s last report on the quality of care in nursing homes, published in 2019 and surveying the year 2018, found that 123 of the 444 homes inspected that year were fully compliant with regulations.

This represents a marked changed from the 2000s, when RTÉ’s exposure of institutional abuse occurring at the Leas Cross home in Dublin led to a HSE report into the nursing home sector that found that “the context within which this occurred was that of policy, legislation and regulations”.

Arising from the scandal, the Government founded HIQA and between

Transformation Realised

Population 2019 and Projected Population to 2039 (‘000s) by Age Group 4000 3500 3000

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2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0 0-14

15-64 2019

2024

65-84 2029

2034

85+

2039

Source: CSO

2009 and 2012, the authority closed 14 homes, with a further 18 voluntarily shuttering, most in the face of either extreme scrutiny or the financial pressures of complying with new regulations. Since then, HIQA’s model has changed to that of a co-operation model between facilities and the regulator. While they retain the power to shut down homes if such action is judged to be necessary, the authority now seeks to work with facilities in order to improve standards across the board.

In 2016, a five-year grace period was introduced for non-compliant homes to come up to the standards originally laid down in 2007. After this grace period, the homes will be legally obliged to meet the improvement targets set down to them by HIQA, but O’Mahoney’s briefing of Harris that by February 2019, it was “becoming apparent that that agreed plans for particular centres are either not happening at all or are not advancing at the required pace”. Aside from the seven centres already failing to meet standards, a further 45 were told that they would not meet the 2021 deadline, leaving the sector facing future censure especially with regard to HSE managed facilities. “In the main, our problem with environmental compliance is with the HSE,” HIQA chief executive Phelim Quinn told the Irish Times last year.

The legislative constraints and policy challenges that have hamstrung meaningful reform in the sector were the focus of an Oireachtas Spotlight report

“Aside from the seven centres already failing to meet standards, a further 45 were told that they would not meet the 2021 deadline, leaving the sector facing future censure especially with regard to HSE managed facilities.” in January 2018. Home Care for Older People: Seven Policy Challenges honed in on the seven most pressing issues with regard to delivering the kind of legislative change that HIQA has been pushing for. They are:

1. Determining eligibility and entitlement There is currently no statutory entitlement to publicly funded home care, a position that the report says causes “a lack of clarity and consistency about who is eligible for services, and how services are allocated”.

2. Selecting a funding model Publicly funded home care currently operates on a supply-led basis, which will come under pressure with demand forecast to increase. Options the report proposes for the increased funding that will be necessary include “general taxation, care insurance, and applying a similar model to the Nursing Home Support Scheme (NHSS)”.

3. Finding the right mix in service provision Determining what portion of home care

4

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Transformation Realised be a consideration”. This does come with the caveat however that “tensions may arise between the rights and claims of workers and the demand for affordable care”.

7. Developing alternatives to nursing home care

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A key component of modern health care strategies including Sláintecare, the “policy challenge here is to develop stronger services and supports across a spectrum (such as sheltered/supported housing and reablement interventions)”.

One stumbling block here could be the need to bridge typically disparate professional and sectoral boundaries.

should be delivered by public, private and voluntary sectors.

4. Introducing effective regulation There is currently no regulatory regime for home care and no external regulation for private homes. The report calls for a regulatory system that “balances successfully the benefits of regulation (such as improved quality) against costs (e.g. a potential loss of choice, and direct and indirect financial costs to the State (taxpayers), industry and individuals as users of services)”.

5. Sustaining informal care “A combination of employment supports, income supports, and health and social care supports is likely to be considered” in order to support those who make up the bulk of at-home carers in Ireland, unpaid family and friends.

6. Securing a care workforce Given the challenges involved with the recruitment and retention of care staff, the report suggests that moving “all care into the formal labour market is likely to

With the grace period in which homes were to bring their facilities up to standard now severely disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic which simultaneously exposes the total unsuitability of multioccupancy rooms, given the alarmingly high death rates within homes.

The sector now stands at a crossroads.

The Spotlight report of 2018 concluded: “With the development of a statutory scheme on the horizon, policymakers must consider the significant challenges presenting in this dynamic sector – such as decisions about who should care, what type of supports are required, the oversight of care quality and how to secure the funding of care into the future – many of which raise key ideological questions.”

Over two years later, those questions have acquired even greater significance.

Dependency ratio, 2019 and projected to 2039 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 2019

2024

2029 0-14

65+ Source: CSO

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2034 All ages

2039

Transformation Realised

Rising to the challenge health and care services report

new approaches to facilitate the changed work environment. New ways of managing people and measuring performance were found while existing strengths were maximised.

For example, the public service has long been a leader in offering family-friendly working hours. That flexibility has really come into its own in facilitating staff to manage their working days to accommodate family life and caring responsibilities.

The response of the Irish public service to the Covid-19 crisis has been nothing short of magnificent. People and organisations have had to adapt with extraordinary speed and agility to completely new ways of working at the same time as contending with massive upheavals in the society they serve, writes EY’s Director of Government and Health, Gary Comiskey.

As recently as February, if anyone had said the public service would be operating with the great majority of its staff working from home and with most of their offices closed, their sanity would have been questioned. More to the point, it would have been argued that such a change was simply not possible.

The world changed suddenly and drastically with the onset of the pandemic and the way we operated within it had to change as well. As transformation consultants, EY looks at the public sector through three key lenses – technology, innovation, and people – in order to create new ways of

While organisations like EY have come to take remote working pretty much for granted over recent years, the public service faced a number of particular challenges. Not least of these was the fact that the great majority of staff were working from desktop computers, with laptops in short supply. Furthermore, the organisational structure was not set up to accommodate mobility.

In others, some of the learnings from remote working will be applied to improve efficiency and make the office a better place to work. In others still, there will be a complete transformation in the way things are done as organisations within the public service adapt to the new world of work which will almost certainly emerge in the aftermath of this crisis.

These changes will have the added benefit of making the public service more attractive to potential employees.

The flexibility and agility which it has demonstrated during the crisis will make it more attractive to the Millennials and Gen Z who value these things ahead of traditional financial benefits and are also looking for careers with a purpose. And what higher purpose is there than public service?

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Procedures were of course in place to deal with emergencies such as a fire or flood forcing staff to move out of a building, but nothing on the scale of the Covid-19 pandemic was envisaged by anyone anywhere.

working, respond effectively to the crisis and build more flexible resilient organisations in the longer term.

In my belief, this experience will result in a stronger and more resilient public service when staff are able to return to work in their offices. In some cases, that will mean going back to the way things used to be with a few minor changes.

That may be completely appropriate depending on the nature of the work being done.

T: 01 475 0555 E: gary.comiskey@ie.ey.com W: www.EY.com/ie

We have worked with a number of public service organisations to assist them in addressing the immediate technical and organisational issues presented by remote working and saw at first hand the remarkable ways in which they rose to the challenge.

Old ways of working were transformed almost overnight, to be replaced with

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Transformation Realised

Minding the care gap With the Irish population set to increase and become older on average, the demand for at-home caregivers is predicted to increase while the number of family carers is predicted to decrease.

Such a scenario threatens to open a significant care gap in Ireland.

Family caregivers are the main source of care provision in Ireland for those in need due to long-term illness, disability, or frailty. A care gap could “increase markedly” in Ireland by 2030 unless government policy addresses the oncoming crisis, according to Family Carers Ireland.

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In its submission to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health, Family Carers Ireland said that “for the current level of ‘co-production’ of home care to be sustained, the ratio of family carers will have to increase from one in 10 to one in five by 2030”. In his Spotlight report for the Oireachtas, Mind the care gap: Exposing the healthcare system’s vulnerability to the gap between family care provision and anticipated demand, Diarmaid O’Sullivan, Senior Parliamentary Researcher, Social Science writes that the “demand for care

at home is likely to increase dramatically due to a rising ageing population, the shift away from institutional care for people with disabilities and an increased emphasis on home-based care”.

The ESRI has also predicted a sharp increase in future demand for home care in Ireland. In its Projections of Demand for Healthcare in Ireland, 2015-2030 report, its indicates that demand for home care (and by proxy, family care) will increase between 48.4 per cent and 65.9 per cent, while also predicting that the supply of family carers will be limited by a number of demographic, political and social factors such as a decline in fertility, the delay in the average age of starting a family and increased labour force participation by women.

The estimation of the value of family care to the State varies depending on the method of valuation used and the

source, but estimates range from €2 billion to €10 billion, a valuation that O’Sullivan says serves “to underscore the dependency of the health system on family care and its vulnerability to any future shortage in family carers”.

O’Sullivan suggests that there are a range of policy factors that must be considered when it comes to the demand for and provision of home care, specifically “factors affecting women” given that the majority of care in Ireland and the world generally is carried out by women. He also points to a concerted effort within the Irish health system to shift care delivery to the home and the community while calling the National Carers Strategy “ambitious” but noting that it has been “constrained through lack of dedicated funding”. In her foreword to the strategy, then Minister of State for Primary Care, Mental Health

Transformation Realised and Disability Kathleen Lynch specifically mentioned that many measures had been chosen due to their being “cost neutral”.

In November 2019, the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health published their Report on the Provision of Homecare Services. Coming after the March 2019 publication of the Oireachtas Spotlight report, this report has further served to illustrate the challenges facing the provision of home care and family care in Ireland. Committee Chair Michael Harty TD writes within the report that evidence given to the committee “detailed a system that is under much pressure”.

Pointing to the lack of autonomy for recipients who struggle to access homecare packages and the changing systems and silos that they have to access, Harty also acknowledges that “as homecare is provided in a private setting, many of these problems are unseen and have received less public attention”.

While the EU population is projected to increase out to 2080, the proportion of children within the population is predicted to decrease, meaning that the provision of care will be all the more important as Ireland’s population becomes older on average. The total dependency ratio is already on the rise in the country, with the rate rising from 45.8 per cent in the 2006 census to 52.7 per cent in 2016, with older dependency standing at 20.4 per cent for the State.

The Department of Health estimated in 2018 that there would be a 70 per cent

1.

The enactment of legislation underpinning the provision of homecare.

2.

The regulation of homecare by HIQA or another independent body.

3.

That family carers are provided adequate support to incentivise informal homecare support.

4.

That formal care should be delivered by appropriate qualified service providers.

5.

That the recommendations published in the Report of the Independent Review Group established to examine the role of voluntary organisations in publicly funded health and personal social services be fully implemented to improve and drive the relationship between the HSE and voluntary homecare service providers.

6.

That the HSE records and publishes details of the number of people on waiting lists for homecare and that such lists are updated and published on a regular and continuous basis.

7.

That the Single Assessment Tool is implemented.

8.

That the HSE engage in an open and transparent discussion with the voluntary sector in relation to planning and providing for current and future demand of homecare services and the financial capacity of the voluntary sector in providing homecare services.

9.

That an analysis be undertaken by the Department of Health and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, to examine the financial challenges of the voluntary sectors and their ability to provide homecare services.

increase in demand for homecare over the following 15 years, including a 46 per cent demand increase for primary care and a 39 per cent increase in the need for long-term residential care. In 2019, it was estimated that a further one million hours of care would be needed to meet 2020 demands in Ireland.

healthcare as a whole, they have not

The Joint Committee report acknowledges this impasse, that while staffing numbers have increased within

services” and acknowledges that the

health and care services report

Disability policy is also mentioned within the report, with emphasis that it too “seems to be in tension with carer policy potentially to the detriment of implementing both”. Another issue is the fact that the majority of family caregivers combine their care role with paid employment. Irish legislation for temporary care leave is said to be “progressive compared to other European countries” but take up of the leave is low compared to those countries. This has been blamed on a number of factors including low awareness of the scheme, unsuitability between the structure of the scheme and people’s care needs, fear of negative career consequences from taking an extended leave and the personal and economic costs of doing so.

The report also carries with it nine recommendations for how to address the predicted care gap crisis.

increased to the level required to satisfy demand and noting “the increasing number of unmet hours for homecare services despite additional funding”. The report also says that the current system is “too reactionary in how it provides work and actions set out within Sláintecare will address these issues.

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How to unlock the value of cloud for local government? We’ll show you 5 Steps to Success…

Local government report

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How to unlock the value of cloud for local government? We’ll show you 5 Steps to Success…

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Cloud 2020: Advantages of being a late adopter in our report, ‘From Cloud Migration to Digital Innovation’. The report outlines five recommendations for public organisations considering their next move to cloud:

1. Build a smart strategy Early adopters who migrated without a transformation strategy haven’t yet maximised the value of cloud. In our survey, 43 per cent believed cloud migration had over-promised and underdelivered.

As a new wave of cloud migration takes off for Ireland in 2020, Capita’s Ed Brown, Head of Growth, Ireland, discusses why now might be the best time to make your move and how to ensure its success.

The move towards cloud economies is escalating. As cloud becomes more central to generating competitive advantage and delivering customer and citizen outcomes.

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The global public cloud services market is expected to become fully mainstream in 2020, growing 17 per cent to $266.4 billion in a single year2. Largely focused on digital disruption and business innovation3, this new wave of enterprise cloud migration offers Ireland’s public sector organisations a unique opportunity to avoid the same mistakes.

Digitisation is core to survival in the modern world. By 2022, says Gartner,

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public cloud services will be essential for 90 per cent of business innovation.

Some organisations are much slower to adopt digital technologies. And this caution could turn out to be an advantage, offering unique insight into the experiences of early adopters. But to get that insight, you need to really examine those early cloud journeys and see how they have lived up to expectations in terms of vision, cost and projected outcomes.

That’s exactly what Capita’s recent cloud survey of 200 UK IT decision makers has done. The results, backed up by industry analysts Bloor and Ovum, are published

1 Ovum: Trends to Watch 2020 – Cloud Computing report 2 Source: Gartner (November 2019).

3 Gartner – Predicts 2019: Increasing Reliance on Cloud Computing Transforms IT and Business Practices.

To succeed in the cloud, you’ll need a sound strategy that’s aligned to your organisational goals. The good news is, not everything has to be transformed at once. Most government organisations will find hybrid IT a much more reasonable goal. Indeed, 90 per cent of organisations will be running a hybrid infrastructure by 20204.

2. Identify and close any skills gaps early on One of the first things to get right is to ensure you have the right skills for the journey. In our research, 90 per cent of IT leaders encountered one or more unforeseen factors in the cloud and up to 60 per cent felt they lacked sufficient cloud skills and/or expert guidance. This illustrates how important it is to have the right expertise available at each stage of the process to help manage and mitigate risk.

The sheer number of product and feature announcements from public cloud providers means it is imperative to develop a range of specialist skills, which can be very time-consuming. Indeed, organisations that have managed to stay agile and respond quickly to new innovations are finding that the best approach is to outsource.

How to unlock the value of cloud for local government? We’ll show you 5 Steps to Success…

3. Build a culture of collaboration

A successful migration project needs to draw together people from across the organisation and beyond, combining diverse skills, specialisms and experience into an ecosystem for transformation.

The first step is to get everyone engaged and ignite the deep conversations that can point the way to real change. With a fully integrated multidisciplinary transformation team you can integrate goals and priorities from across the organisation and explore different solutions to complex problems.

4. Govern your organisational spend in the cloud Many organisations are shocked to find that, following migration, spend goes through the roof, quickly diminishing the value of cloud. 72 per cent of respondents in our survey were still waiting to see the cost reductions that drove them to cloud in the first place.

What’s more, it’s predicted that by 2020, 80 per cent of organisations will overshoot their cloud IAAS budgets by as much as 40 per cent5.

“I am delighted to be part of this insight initiative by Capita to help refocus IT leadership on the strategic priories of their individual cloud journeys.”

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Migrating to cloud, even if it’s one digital project at a time, is much more than a change of technology; it’s a change of culture. In the traditional model, IT made all the technical decisions, and service units stuck to solving ‘business’ problems. But when it comes to cloud, it’s crucial to ensure IT is closely aligned with other departments, so you can work collaboratively and set realistic goals.

Paul Bevan, Research Director, IT Infrastructure, Bloor

The problem is, the speed and flexibility of cloud platforms can encourage indiscriminate application spin-ups and increased spend across the organisation.

What’s needed is a focus on governance from the beginning, both to maintain control and dramatically increase the value you gain from cloud.

business life; technologies such as AI, RPA, IoT, big data analytics and more.

Yet to enable iterative innovation in the cloud era requires a change of mindset, organisational culture, and even leadership style to ensure you stay open to new ways of thinking, working and

5. Adopt an innovation mindset

bringing ideas to life.

Digital transformation is about much more than just technology. It’s about creating valuable experiences, social transformation and changing lives. Public sector organisations in Ireland are shifting their whole idea of cloud towards being an enabler for more engaging citizen experiences, better ways of working and improved productivity.

As Ireland’s public service gets ready to

Cloud is the foundation for the stream of emerging technologies that local and central governments, city councils and district authorities are increasingly using to transform urban, community and

take its biggest ever leap towards cloud, what can public and local government organisations do to ensure their transformation is a success? The simple answer is to focus on getting the foundations right. Consider these five steps and you’ll start to see transformative value in your migration efforts, with faster development cycles, improved cost-efficiencies and quality citizen services as your reward.

For more insight on your transformation journey, download the research report.

W: www.capita.com/powering-localgovernment

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“The findings in this report by Capita resonate with some of the messaging in our Cloud Computing Trends to Watch research1 and I am pleased to share my views on cloud adoption, and why we need to start thinking differently.” Roy Illsley, Ovum 4. Gartner Predicts 2017: Infrastructure Services Become Hybrid Infrastructure Services 5. Gartner, How to Identify Solutions for Managing Costs in Public Cloud IaaS, 2019

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local government report

How to unlock the value of cloud for local government? We’ll show you 5 Steps to Success…

Covid-19: Coordinating the civil society response As communities provide grassroots responses to the Covid-19 crisis, local government authorities across the country have been doing their part in both supporting and organising action to help their residents.

One of the most notable measures across all of the local authorities has been the coordination of food drops in their localities. This was especially important in the two-week period in March when all over 70s were advised to cocoon within their homes.

Local support networks were set up around the country and overseen by the local authorities, who coordinated 106

various agencies and voluntary groups to arrange the supply of food, medicine and other essentials to those in need. These actions were often carried out with the help of local GAA clubs, many of which have taken it upon themselves to arrange volunteer committees to assist in the delivery system.

GAA clubs have also been noted for teaming up with their local authorities

and health boards in offering the use of facilities, completely shut to members since March. Club grounds such as Tinryland GFC in Carlow and St Eunan’s GAA in Letterkenny have been converted into local Covid-19 testing centres through this tripartite cooperation.

Given the financial impact of the crisis, councils have also been forced to react in an economic sense for the

Wexford County Council, where onethird of public tenants are employed under normal circumstances, announced that they would be reducing rents in public housing for families who had lost jobs due to the pandemic.

Limerick City and County Council have rolled out a number of responses to the pandemic, notably the establishment of a call centre by their Limerick Covid-19 Community Response Group. Operated in association with public and community organisations such as An Garda Síochána, Limerick GAA, Munster Rugby, the FAI, HSE, Liveable Limerick, various religious orders and volunteer groups, the call centre connects those in need with volunteers across the county.

The 3D printers of Limerick City and County Library have also been made available for the near-constant production of face masks for healthcare workers. While the arts may seem an afterthought in such times, the Council Arts and Culture Office have pivoted to an online submissions system for grant applications, allowing them to pilot a remote assessment panel process.

Councils around the country have also been active in practical measures such as the erecting of sings on public walkways and other popular leisure spots advising the public on how to observe social distancing. Normal council business has y been significantly curtailed at best and ground to a halt at worst during this time.

Council communication strategies have been tested of late and they have, where possible, continued to operate services remotely, much like other public services such as general practice health have been forced to in this extraordinary crisis.

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safeguarding of their communities and the businesses within. Leitrim County Council serve as one example of a council who announced the deferral of business rates, as had been agreed between the Government and the County and City Management Association. Leitrim County Council announced that they had agreed that “local authorities should defer rates payments due from businesses most immediately impacted by Covid-19, primarily in the retail, hospitality, leisure and childcare sectors for at least a three-month period”.

Cuala Chairman Declan Cronin collects groceries for the club’s community initiative.

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Case study: Cuala GAA Like many sports clubs, the Cuala GAA club has been central to its community’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic. As part of the Club Together initiative developed by the GAA, Centra and Supervalu, the Dalkey-based club, with members drawn from Blackrock to Shankill, put together its own volunteer committee. The club’s local council, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown then created a dedicated helpline in order to support the initiative and connect those in need with the volunteers.

Over 90 club volunteers were involved in the initiative, delivering groceries and undertaking other household tasks for those unable to leave their homes, such as walking dogs, wheeling out bins and providing socially distanced company to those who were left isolated by the crisis.

Speaking on the club’s website, Cuala Chairman Declan Cronin says: “A number of people that we have engaged with over the past 10-weeks would not have had any human contact from one end of the day till the next until their Cuala volunteer calls, so it’s a moment that they look forward to, if only to have a few minutes of friendly chat and to hear some reassurance that everything will get back to normal soon.”

By late May, the club had made over 1,000 deliveries in their local areas.

Michael Jackson, club champion for the initiative said that the experience had been “very humbling” especially given “the level of co-operation that we get from Supervalu, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council and the cooperation of An Garda Síochána, but more than anything else it’s the obvious appreciation shown by the person anxiously waiting at their hall door when you turn up with those groceries.”

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Credit: William Murphy

Cycling infrastructure A new report by the Road Safety Authority (RSA) says that the vast majority of cyclist injuries occur on urban roads. The report also found that Ireland is “lagging behind” other European countries in the construction of dedicated cycle tracks.

RSA analysis of leading causes of cyclist injuries from 2006-2018 found that 85.4 per cent of cyclist injuries occurred on twoway single carriageways and 86.7 per cent were on urban roads. 51.4 per cent of injuries occurred at junctions in 2016, with 24.7 per cent happening at a T-junction.

Commenting on the research, RSA CEO Moyagh Murdock says that it “reveals the majority of collisions involved a cyclist and a vehicle” and that it also reveals the “need to remove the potential for conflict by providing more dedicated and better cycling infrastructure”. Murdock asserts that Ireland is “lagging behind many of our European counterparts in introducing dedicated cycle tracks” and that Ireland needs “separate infrastructure for vehicles and bicycles that remove danger points from our roads and reduce conflict between road users”.

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In the 10-year period from 2006-2016, there was a 52 per cent increase in the number of people commuting to and from work, school or college via bicycle; the number of reported cycling injuries per year increased from 211 in 2006 to 1,056 in 2018.

Moves have been made in local government of late to improve the cycling infrastructure in the country, with Dublin City Council notably approving plans for a trial run of the Liffey Cycle Route along the city’s quays in early March. Under the recommendation of council Chief Executive Owen Keegan, a temporary route will be implemented along both the north and south quays on a phased basis. Simultaneously, bike lane protectors, consisting of wands and orcas, have been installed on cycle routes across the city.

infrastructure due to the introduction of

It is estimated that the temporary route should be completely rolled out by August 2020, with work on implementation continuing amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. The cost of the trial is estimated at €800,000. The Liffey Cycle Route was first proposed in 2011, with designs or a 5km route from the Tom Clarke Bridge to Heuston Station unveiled in April 2019. The Council estimates the earliest completion date for a permanent scheme to be 2024.

Local government authorities constructed

In Cork, a city once considered ahead of the curve in terms of its cycling

point in Ireland’s ailing cycling

segregated counterflow cycle lanes in the city five years ago, a recent survey has found the city to be squandering the progress it had made. The survey done

by Cork Cycling Campaign found that only 5 per cent of respondents found the city’s cycling infrastructure to be fit for purpose, with 75 per cent of respondents also saying that safety concerns were the biggest obstacle toward them cycling in the city more often.

14,000 bicycle parking spots and 1,500km of segregated cycle lanes between 2011 and 2018. With the nearempty streets caused by the Covid-19 pandemic allowing people to envision swathes of cities being car free and other notable projects in the offing such as the €20 million Clontarf to Dublin city centre cycle track currently out to tender, there is potential for this year to mark a turning infrastructure.

Coordinating Louth’s Covid-19 response: Community Call Helpline

marshal the volunteering energy of the county with a focus on the elderly and most vulnerable.

In March 2020, Louth County Council, along with all other local authorities across the country, answered the call of the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government; the Department of Rural and Community Development; the Department of Health; and the Department of the Taoiseach, to implement a national framework to ensure that vulnerable members of our community would be appropriately supported as the country moved through the various stages of the Covid-19 response.

Louth County Council’s Community Call Helpline call centre was set up on Monday, 30 March, comprising four dedicated phones located in the Community Section Offices, and a basic data recording system. Since then, the process has been fine-tuned and augmented. Using the ESRI ArcGIS Online and Survey 123, Louth County Council developed applications to facilitate the recording of information from helpdesk calls. Data dashboards have also been developed to facilitate the identification of appropriate volunteer resources, and to capture statistics to monitor the flow and trends of calls into the helpdesk.

Initially called Community Response, the initiative links local and national government with the community and voluntary sectors to coordinate community activity, direct community assistance where it is needed, and

The Community Call Helpline is open seven days a week from 8am to 8pm and is operated by Louth County Council. The initiative has seen staff from across the Council’s various departments working together for the benefit of the community.

Louth County Council has committed considerable resources from across the organisation to make the Community Call helpline a reliable and helpful resource for elderly and vulnerable members of the local community at a time of great uncertainty. Over the years, we have built strong collaborative relationships with statutory organisations, NGOs and groups in the community and voluntary sector, and these relationships have been invaluable to the smooth running and success of the Community Call in Louth.

Our mission at Louth County Council is to provide leadership and deliver highquality, citizen-focused responsive and effective services, and our work in managing the Community Call helpline is reflective of this.

T: 1800 805 817 E: covidsupport@louthcoco.ie

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‘We’re in this together’ has been the refrain of Irish society as people have seen their way of life altered dramatically in a bid to contain the spread of Covid19. This sense of community togetherness has carried so many of us through; and is an essential component of Louth County Council’s Community Call Helpline.

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Local authorities have been at the heart of the country’s battle against Covid-19, working to support the most vulnerable members of the community. Chief Executive of Louth County Council, Joan Martin writes about her organisation’s response through the Community Call Helpline.

portal, and provides advice, where appropriate. Working on the information secured by Team One, the members of Team Two then activate the on-theground assets, such as the GAA, An Garda Siochána or the Irish Red Cross, for example, to carry out the caller requests. The members of Team Two also link back with the caller to let them know who will be getting in touch with them. Since 30 March, we have received more than 678 calls, providing assistance to people who need practical supports such as shopping, collecting prescriptions, and providing transport to non-Covid-19 related appointments. Our team also put callers in touch with other organisations, such as the HSE, Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection, and ALONE.

Our helpline operates with a two-team system. Team One takes the calls, records the callers’ details via an online 109

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How to unlock the value of cloud for local government? We’ll show you 5 Steps to Success…

Local government and climate action The Climate Action Plan, Ireland’s blueprint to net zero emissions by 2050, requires public sector bodies, including local authorities, to lead on deliveries. A new report looks at how they had already been doing so before the introduction of the Plan in 2019.

The January 2020 report, A Profile of Local Government Climate Actions in Ireland, was conducted by Darren Clarke and Bernie O’Donoghue-Hynes for the Local Government Management Association (LGMA). Through their research, they found that between the years 2011 and 2018, “the local government sector has been proactive in many areas” and has “delivered positive climate action” across Ireland by “providing a range of services to the public, including critical infrastructure, flood risk management and water resources, as well as nature-based solutions and public engagement”.

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In the context of infrastructure, the report found that actions taken by local authorities from 2011-2017 had cumulatively prevented 60,000 tonnes of CO2 from being produced, the equivalent of the emissions of roughly 11,000 Irish homes per annum. Some local authorities are also reported to

have converted their vehicle fleets, with some having up to 15 per cent of their fleets comprised of electric vehicles.

Cycling infrastructure has also been expanded upon, with 14,000 bicycle parking spots and 1,500km of segregated cycle lanes having been provided by year end 2018.

Flood risk management became of particular concern for local authorities in the last decade with an increase in extreme weather events and flash flooding. These concerns led to local authorities collaborating with the Office of Public Works on 21 major flood defence schemes between 2014 and 2018 and delivering a further 228 smaller schemes. Local authorities invested an estimated €12.4 million in these measures and a further €101 million in emergency responses to extreme weather events.

Local authorities across the country were

also estimated to have planted 74,000 trees from 2017-2018 and also provided 2,400 allotments and 97 community gardens for public use in 2018. It is also noted within the report that local authorities supported 884 areas through Tidy Towns projects, “many of which undertook specific climate actions such as increasing biodiversity and tree planting”. The authors of the report also found that their “study highlighted that many local authorities are also training employees, communities and social housing residents to reduce their climate change impact and save energy as part of the sector’s commitment to encourage public action”.

The report also says that “to date, local authority activities that support climate actions have not been recorded or collated at a national level” and that the research has “demonstrated that local authorities prioritise different needs and therefore implement different climate

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Recycling rates in local authority public buildings 2017-2018 100% 90% 80%

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70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20%

2017

rd W ex fo

th W es tm ea

R

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ly ffa O

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re Ki ld a

C

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k

C

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10% 0%

2018

(Source: LGMA)

actions based on prevailing climate change risks in their jurisdictions”.

The breadth of these different measures is covered in the report’s case studies, which range from Cork County Council’s establishment of a Special Projets Team to embed “mitigation measures into frontline operations”, to Louth’s energy efficiency projects that save 10.7GWHrs of energy from 2015-2018, Tipperary’s use of solar PV on public buildings to cut 70 tonnes of CO2 emissions per annum, and Wexford’s embrace of new hydropower technologies, which allowed them to reduce the carbon being emitted by their water production methods.

Local authorities now operate under the Local Authority Adaptation Strategy Development Guidelines, issued by the Government in order to assist local authorities in the groundwork of how to put together an effective climate action strategy for their locality. Released in the winter of 2018, the guidelines gave the authorities the time and space to develop an understanding of the work that would be expected of them once the Climate Action Plan was released in the summer of 2019.

The guidelines are “primarily intended for the use of the local authorities required to prepare adaptation strategies under the National; Adaptation Framework”.

They are broken down into six chapters, the first being basic background information and the following five concerning “distinct phases of the process of developing an adaptation strategy”.

LED lighting using funding awarded by

The five steps for the preparation of a strategy within the guidelines are: preparing the ground; assessing the current adaptation baseline; identifying future climate impacts, vulnerabilities and risks; identifying, assessing and prioritising adaptation actions; and drafting, implementing and monitoring the strategy.

The research does however come with

the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland through their Better Energy Communities grant scheme, allowing for the impressive saving.

the caveat that it “is not possible to provide a complete picture of all local government responses and initiatives” due to both the range of policies that either directly or indirectly affected by climate change and the amount of actions that are currently underway across different authorities. It does note

The LGMA report also notes that local government driven projects such as the Public Lighting Upgrade Project, where streetlighting will be converted to energy efficient sources, is expected to save 31,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year. Kilkenny’s participation in a similar project, the Intelligent Energy Europe Streetlight Energy Performance Contract, focused on the energy efficiency of public lighting, saved Kilkenny County Council 68 per cent in energy spending, proving such a small step to not only be environmentally necessary for councils to undertake, but economically prudent as well. With streetlighting accounting for 50 per cent of the council’s energy spending, the project replaced 1,300 bulbs around the county with efficient

that the research does “serve as a useful baseline of climate actions for local authorities at 2018-year end”.

The end of 2018 serving as the end of the aggregated data is fitting in a way, with the introduction of the Climate Action Plan in 2019 allowing us to understand where local authorities stood as the Plan shifted a large amount of the climate action responsibility toward them. The report shows where Ireland, long a laggard in the European climate action context, sat when it began its most concerted attempt yet to tackle the impeding climate disaster and reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

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Credit Shawn Harquail

Post-Covid tourism Kilkenny Castle from the River Nore.

Tourism has long been a cornerstone of the Irish economy, but the economic slowdown necessitated by the Covid-19 pandemic has threatened an industry that relies on the free movement of people.

As domestic travel restrictions begin to be lifted, the tourism strategies of local authorities will take on renewed importance.

The travel restrictions introduced in response to the Covid-19 pandemic mean that it is unlikely that there will be international tourists visiting Ireland en masse in the foreseeable future.

However, the gradual lifting of travel restrictions might facilitate a surge in domestic holidaying and an opportunity for the local councils to utilise their tourism strategies to aid the recovery of local economies, many of which rely heavily on tourism.

With limits on capacity at events also likely to be curtailed in one way or another for the foreseeable future, it is likely that the councils with more evolved, less event-dependant strategies will prosper the most as Ireland emerges slowly from lockdown. Kilkenny serves as a prominent example of a local government area where correct planning 112

could enable tourism to restart the local economy and play a role in recovering a portion of the jobs lost to the shutdown.

Kilkenny A popular destination for its nightlife and festivals such as The Cat Laughs and Kilkenomics, Kilkenny underwent significant transformation in the 2010s that allowed it to broaden and enhance its offering for tourists and make the city and county less dependent on its successful summer calendar of festivals and events.

The most notable of these changes has been the construction of the Medieval Mile in the town centre, from Kilkenny Castle to St Canice’s Cathedral, emphasising the city’s history as a Norman merchant town with several of

its historic buildings still intact. Kilkenny County Council’s Tourism Statement of Strategy and Work Programme 20172022 refers to Kilkenny as a “heritage destination” that has “a large number of visitor attractions associated with heritage, both built and natural”.

In the strategy, it is noted that tourism was worth €76 million in revenue to the Kilkenny economy in 2015, with the general uptick in economic growth and the naming of the Kilkenny Parklands (locally known as the Castle Park) as the most visited free attraction in Ireland in 2018, it is fair to assume that this figure is now higher.

Kilkenny also transformed itself into something of a culinary destination in the last decade, with the council’s tourism strategy indicating that the 350 food and

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In the council’s strategy, an emphasis is placed on enhancing the visitor experience, with seven actions outlined specifically for this goal. The most suitable to the near future now seem to be two measures which call for Kilkenny to “improve the visitor experience and business capability of outdoor activity providers active in tourism” and for the county to “continue the development of the Medieval Mile and develop an action plan that links complementary visitor attractions across the county”. As people ease their way back into tourism as restrictions are relaxed but still in place, such offerings in abundant space may allow for a socially distanced type of tourism that could begin the recovery of local tourism.

Limerick Limerick is another example of an Irish city that underwent significant transformation as a tourism destination in the 2010s, buoyed by its status as both the European City of Sport in 2011 and the National City of Culture in 2014.

The Limerick Tourism Development Strategy Action Plan 2019-2023 estimates overseas and domestic tourism to have generated over €307 million in revenue for the county in 2017.

The strategy, which predicted revenue generation of €360.6 million and the creation of an extra 1,500 jobs by 2023 (figures which will certainly have to be revised), outlines four key themes, which echo those seen in Kilkenny: Into the Blue, development of Shannon blueways; Energy Unleased, development of outdoor activities; Vibrant History, promotion of local heritage, e.g. King John’s Castle and Desmond Banqueting Hall; and Alive and Kicking, promotion of the local art scene.

Actions designated within the Limerick plan such as the development of a Blueways Masterplan and the completion of the Great Southern Greenway, Limerick could act as the blueprint for how a council adjusts to the post-Covid-

“The ability of the industry to retain its accommodation capacity and skilled workers will depend on an ambitious local government report

accommodation businesses across the county account for 16.7 per cent of all employment by businesses in the county.

The abundance of natural trails, particularly along the River Nore, has served the county well in terms of leisure activities, which could be particularly amenable to the post-Covid-19 ’new normal’.

and coordinated plan from public and private stakeholders.”

Yannick Cabrol and Simon McAllister

19 reality and refocuses on the avenues within its control in order to have people visiting their county and partaking in their local economy.

A similar type of focus could be the blueprint for Galway, already one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country, which would have been expecting an even better year than usual given their status as 2020 European City of Culture. However, the pandemic outbreak on the eve of their opening of festivities has left a hole in tourism revenue predictions for the county that could be in some way bridged by an even bigger embrace of the county’s natural amenities such as their coastline and the Wild Atlantic Way. A recent paper by Yannick Cabrol and Simon McAllister of EY Ireland has said that “a coordinated plan is needed” at the national level for Irish tourism to recover from the economic and psychological shock of the pandemic.

Cabrol and McAllister write: “The ability of the industry to retain its accommodation capacity and skilled workers will depend on an ambitious and coordinated plan from public and private stakeholders.” They recommend four measures, two short-term and two longterm, including: “[A] considerable, rapid and sustainable financial support package”; responsive operational support to tourism businesses; a longterm plan to address the challenges and capitalise on the opportunities created by the pandemic; and a “coherent ‘Team Ireland’ approach to keep building” on the work previously done in the sector.

Although nothing official has come from

the Irish tourism industry as yet, the sectormay look to a paper sent to the British Cabinet by Visit Britain as an example of what to demand of government for assistance in the recovery. In the paper, Visit Britain suggests that securing the long-term health of the visitor economy requires: •

seed funding for a Tourism Data Hub to build information that will support the recovery, especially for SMEs;

•

to use the crisis as an opportunity to drive innovation and improve productivity;

•

encouragement for travellers to holiday at home with a major marketing campaign focused on domestic travel;

•

international visitor visas to be extended automatically to make it easier for them to take visits postponed due to the pandemic; and

•

to use the reset in consumer behaviour forced by lockdown to consider wider questions like sustainability and longer-term consumer behaviour.

These demands are a useful step-bystep guide to secure the future of the industry as countries across the world begin to implement quarantine restrictions at ports and airports. It is essential that Ireland develops a coherent and holistic response so that local authorities might capitalise on the trend of ‘stay-cationing’ which seems likely to dominate holiday plans in Summer 2020.

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Credit: William Murphy

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Limerick’s directly elected mayor: rethinking local government King John's Castle, Limerick city.

Through a plebiscite held in 2019, the citizens of Limerick voted to directly elect their mayor. Diarmuid Scully, lecturer at the Department of Government and Politics, University College Cork and former mayor of Limerick explores the potential implications for local government across Ireland.

The democratic decision of the people of Limerick in May of 2019 to opt for a directly elected mayor with executive powers was not just an important one for Limerick. The potential reconfiguration of powers and functions now being discussed with regard to Limerick provides a unique opportunity to reform and overhaul local government throughout Ireland.

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The starting point for any such discussions must be the recognition that local government in Ireland is very much an outlier in a European context. In terms of relative powers and functionality, Ireland is ranked in last

place among the EU27 and 43 out of the 44 countries on the continent of Europe (represented in the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities). Only in Moldova does local government have a less exalted position than in Ireland.

Unsurprisingly, given the few powers and functions held by local government, funding is amongst the lowest in the EU. According to the OECD’s Key Data on Local and Regional Governments in the EU, only in Greece, Cyprus and Malta does local government receive a lower share of national expenditure than in Ireland.

Local government in Ireland is an outlier in two other respects. We have the fewest elected representatives per head of population in Europe and we are the only country in the EU that uses the council-manager system (outside of the EU the only places in Europe to still use this system are Scotland and Northern Ireland). Every other country has either long vested executive power at local level in elected representatives or has recently moved strongly in that direction.

Aside from the democratic deficit at the heart of our local government system, the other idiosyncrasies might not matter so much if our highly centralised state

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could effectively deliver the services that people need, but the evidence of almost a century of independence is very much against that idea. Many of the perceived underperformances of the Irish State, from housing to public transport, to healthcare to crime prevention, are in areas that elsewhere fall within the remit of local government.

Limerick was also the pilot local authority for the rolling out of the Housing Assistance Payment programme. Through all these changes, councillors and management have demonstrated an ability to work with one each other, with national government and with the wider community. In that regard the Limerick Charter initiative, undertaken by former CEO Conn Murray, bringing the three universities, the port company, the airport and the local authority together to revitalise the city centre, serves as model for what can be achieved locally.

The guiding principle of the work currently being undertaken by the Independent Advisory Group on the Directly Elected Mayor for Limerick is that, in the words of our Chair, Tim O’Connor, all of the proposed changes should “add value”.

They should: •

add value for the citizen in terms of improved delivery of public services;

•

add value to Limerick City and County Council as an organisation;

•

add value to the office of mayor;

•

add value to the office of CEO; and

•

add value to the role of councillors.

Though it is not a part of our remit, it is hoped that if successfully implemented, the proposed reforms will also add value to the work of ministers and civil servants by freeing them from making

decisions that are better made at local level and allowing them to concentrate their time and efforts on their national responsibilities.

In seeking to achieve these often disparate goals the Working Group has been conscious of Ireland’s obligations in the European Charter of Local Self Government, which we formally adopted in 2002 (Council of Europe). This charter obliges all signatories to ensure that local government is properly funded, and in so far as practicable, that local authorities are free to make their own decisions.

Much of the reform agenda in local government in Ireland over the last two decades, including Constitutional recognition and payment for councillors, has been driven either by the obligations we were required to meet before signing the charter, or by the recommendations made as part of the regular inspection reports carried out since 2002 by the Council of Europe under the charter. In 2013, the latest inspections found that although Ireland has made progress, it has not yet met its obligations and must devolve further powers, functions and funding to local government in order to do so.

Accordingly the Working Group is undertaking an analysis of all those functions performed and public services provided by the State at national level to see which, if any, would be suitable for

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The scope for reform, therefore, is immense, but reform is possible, and Limerick is the ideal place to trial such reforms. Limerick and the mid-west have a history of state-led innovation stretching back to the establishment of Shannon Development in the 1950s, the event that kick-started Ireland’s foreign direct investment headed industrial revolution. In more recent times the local authority has managed the successful merger of Limerick city and county councils, city and county development boards, the northside and southside regeneration companies and the city and county enterprise boards.

“Limerick and the mid-west have a history of state-led innovation stretching back to the establishment of Shannon Development in the 1950s, the event that kick-started Ireland’s foreign direct investment headed industrial revolution.”

Diarmuid Scully devolution to local level. Bringing these functions within the remit of the local authority provides an immense opportunity for coordinated service delivery across departmental areas and provides a chance to end to the silo mentality that has frustrated both public and public servants for decades. It is vital that the devolution of power, when it happens, is real, and that is accompanied by both the mandate to take decisions and the money to implement them.

The European Charter of Local Self Government acknowledges that not all public services that people avail of in their localities can be provided at local level, but where this is impossible, the State must put in place a formal process of consultation with local authorities to ensure that their voice of is clearly heard in matters affecting them. Proposals for how such a process of formal consultation could be implemented will form part of our report.

The Working Group is currently undertaking a comparative study of similar combined urban and rural authorities such as Limerick in other advanced democracies and will soon embark on a process of widespread public consultation. Limerick is setting out on an exciting journey. Hopefully it is one the rest of Ireland will soon embark on.

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conference report

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Irish Renewable Energy Summit Speakers: William Walsh, SEAI; Finn Mortensen, State of Green; Kevin Collins, Pinsent Masons; Marie Donnelly, Renewable Energy Ireland; Paul Cooley, SSE Renewables and David Connolly, Irish Wind Energy Association.

The 2020 Irish Renewable Energy Summit, via a panel of expert speakers, examined the practical implications of the Climate Action Plan to 2030 and how renewables will develop across electricity, heat and transport. The Summit took place in February and saw record numbers of attendees – reflecting the huge growth in this sector. To stay up to date with next year’s event, email info@energyireland.ie

Renewable Energy Summit delegates.

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Aoife MacEvilly, Commission for Regulation of Utilities with Jim Scheer, SEAI.

Sarah Keating, Tobin Consulting Engineers and Katie McDonald, Department for the Economy Northern Ireland.

Ainsley Heffernan, Beauchamps Solicitors and Noel Cunniffe, Irish Wind Energy Association.

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John Aston, AstonEco Management with Diarmuid Torney, Dublin City University.

Justin Moran, IWEA with Ann Marie Doherty, Bord na Mona.

IWEA exhibition stand.

Brian Gormley, Bioverda Power Systems Ltd with Iryna Muraschenko, Deloitte Ireland.

Jim Gannon, Commission for Regulation of Utilities and Johnny Shine, Greenlink Interconnector Limited.

Sponsored by

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Barry Doherty, Rachel Plomp and Catherine O’Brien from Accenture.

Etim Asuquo, TU Dublin and John Hanley, FDT Consulting Engineers.

In partnership with

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Off the Cuffe Ciarán Cuffe leaving Dublin via ferry on route the European Parliament.

Having held seats in the Dáil, Dublin City Council and now the European Parliament as well as being member of the Green Party since 1982, Ciarán Cuffe is a veteran of green parliamentary politics in Ireland. He talks to Odrán Waldron about the ‘green wave’, the Covid-19 pandemic and the rebuilding potential in the European Green Deal.

“The party grew out of concerns about the environment in the 1970s and early ‘80s,” Cuffe says. “Back then, the concerns that we highlighted were around the air pollution threat and the destruction of our heritage. Since then, the priorities have changed, and the party has grown. What’s interesting is that environmental and social concerns are now mainstream. While we still are criticised by the mainstream parties, I see a much greater willingness to engage with the issues that the Greens highlight.”

Having joined the party in its fledgling status in 1982, Cuffe has witnessed and participated in the transformation of the party multiple times, from its first TD to coalition government, the subsequent electoral oblivion of 2011 and its return as

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a force across the 2019 local and European elections and the 2020 general election. Its success has taken place against a backdrop of ever-increasing vigilance regarding the environment.

“Things we highlighted 30 years ago are now at the heart of the transformation society is trying to make,” he says. “To be more specific, climate change is one of the greatest challenges we’ve faced and in the European context, the Green Deal is an attempt to reduce the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions and at the same time achieve a just transition that provides jobs to those who most need them.”

Europe Having served as a TD from 2002-2011 and as a Minister of State during that

tenure, Cuffe could have been expected to hold his mettle for the general election and return to Leinster House, but having served as a Dublin City Councillor since 2014, he ran in both the locals and the European election, winning a seat in both and becoming the Green Party’s first MEP since 2004 along with Grace O’Sullivan. Owing to dual mandate rules, Cuffe’s council seat was co-opted, but the question remains, for a man with so many options, why Europe?

“The policies enacted in Europe are crucial to the changes that we make in Ireland,” he explains. “Prior to being elected to the European Parliament, I was a lecturer at Technological University Dublin. I ran a master’s in

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“I think this is a watershed moment; there’s a lot of anti-EU sentiment in Italy, as there was in Greece a few years ago. Ursula von der Leyen and her colleagues in the commission will have to show their resolve at providing solidarity and a helping hand to the countries that have been hardest hit.”

urban regeneration and the issues that we tackle are so influenced by Europe, be it planning law, environmental protection, social protection, the big decisions are often made in Brussels.

For me, it seemed like a logical progression to effect change on that stage.”

Cuffe has been attempting to cut his carbon footprint while travelling from Dublin to Brussels and back again for his work. “One of the ways I do that is often spending every weekend in Brussels so I’m not flying over and back,” he says.

“On every fourth journey, I try to go by ferry and train, taking the slow travel route, which reduces my footprint by about a quarter and I think if I can show how I can carry out my work effectively with a 25 per cent drop, then it makes it a bit easier to talk about the changes that we as a society have to make over the coming years. I enjoy that journey, it’s a chance to clear the head and get a bit of reading or writing done.”

Recovery Cuffe’s first year in Europe has been a remarkable one, first with the publication of the European Green Deal in December 2019 and then with the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

Criticism of the deal existed before the pandemic, with many claiming that the much-vaunted €1 trillion figure involved was a simple reshuffling of funds and

that only the €7.5 billion just transition fund is new funding. In this new socioeconomic landscape, shaped by the pandemic and the need for economic recovery afterwards, Cuffe sees both opportunity and danger.

“There are different figures floating around at the moment and there have been some ambitious maths involved in calculating the final figure in what is needed in the multi-annual financial framework and other instruments that are available to us. It is a real challenge, in particular with the Covid-19 pandemic, to forge agreement between the northern states and the southern states on what is needed. The EU states that are more focused on fiscal constraints would argue that there should not be a giveaway to southern or eastern countries. However, some of the Mediterranean and eastern states are arguing that they have been hard hit and their economies were in difficulty beforehand and they need all the help they can get.

“I think this is a watershed moment; there’s a lot of anti-EU sentiment in Italy, as there was in Greece a few years ago.

Ursula von der Leyen and her colleagues in the commission will have to show their resolve at providing solidarity and a helping hand to the countries that have been hardest hit. This is a huge challenge and even before the pandemic, the cracks were apparent in Project Europe but the pandemic has

brought them to the surface and it is a Herculean task for the commission to forge a common purpose that will bring the EU through the rocky months that lie ahead.”

Cuffe is keen to stress that the argument must move on from the nature of payments, arguing that there is not “a huge difference” between loans and grants as the financial markets currently stand given the historically low interest rates currently in operation. “I think if the debate moves on to the actual payments that will be required over the next five to 20 years to stimulate the economy, we can get away from this polarisation of pigeonholing nations into their fiscal outlook,” he says.

“The lesson we’ve learned from the global financial crisis of 10 years ago is that too much austerity is counterproductive, and stimulus can be a better approach in the short term.

That’s why people are looking back to the New Deal in the 1930s United States, they’re looking at the Marshall Plan that helped Europe rebuild after World War II. There are historical precedents for recovering from a crisis in a different way than we did 10 years ago.”

For Cuffe, who is a member of the European Parliament’s Energy and Transport committees, the hope that things can be done differently this time around lies in the European Green Deal.

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“The Greens have to reach beyond our traditional base and cultivate new voters in areas not regarded as Green strongholds. We need to form new alliances with industry, with agriculture and with the people who regard the green agenda as an opportunity, not a threat.”

“The promise of the European Green Deal can result in cleaner air, safer communities and new jobs in the sunrise industries,” he says. “I would focus on four key areas: energy, construction, transport and agriculture.

“In energy, the investment in renewables has been extraordinary and the reduction in price has been transformative. We need demand management for activities and high power uses that can shift use depending on availability and we need to invest in long distance transmission. People talk about the European Super Grid; we’re already seeing an interconnector in France moving towards construction and we will need similar projects around Europe to ensure clean energy gets to where it’s needed most. In transport, the shift to clean mobility needs investment in rail, public transport, walking and cycling. To date, the EU’s efforts have been focused on the trans-European networks, many of which are roads. We need stronger maritime corridors, stronger investment in rail and public transport.

“In construction, we need a massive investment for renovation of our existing building stock. I’ve just completed a

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draft of a report for the Energy Committee of the European Parliament on the renovation wave. In a nutshell we’re saying that the EU needs to spend about €75 billion a year to help us on the path to zero carbon from our building stock by 2050. That will offer huge opportunities to tackle energy poverty and create employment in areas that are undergoing the transition from polluting industries to a low carbon future.

“In agriculture, which is often contentious in the Irish context, there is the possibility of reforming the Common Agricultural Programme. This is a real opportunity to move away from intensive agriculture that favours multinationals and move to a low carbon future where funding is directed more at communities and farm families instead.”

Green wave Turning away from Europe and to the revived fortunes of the Green Party, who now have more elected officials than ever, Cuffe’s experience comes to the fore. “I’ve been around long enough to see perhaps three green waves build and break. For any small party, your existence and support are precarious at

the best of times. Looking to the future, the Greens have to reach beyond our traditional base and cultivate new voters in areas not regarded as Green strongholds. We need to form new alliances with industry, with agriculture and with the people who regard the green agenda as an opportunity, not a threat.”

Cuffe says that “with my 12 colleagues in the Dáil and two in the Seanad, we have to show how the green agenda offers opportunities” and that “there is still a lot of understanding needed to see what the prospects of Greens in government can deliver for every place in Ireland”.

“The Greens have always been driven by an agenda of change and transformation of society. What I’ve learned over the last almost 40 years as a member is that change happens incrementally and slowly. That can be a source of huge frustration for my colleagues but often incremental change is all you can get and you have to simply focus on changes that over time build up to the transformative change that we are all looking for,” he concludes.

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Brexit talks enter fourth round continue to operate in Northern Ireland, leading in turn to reduced choice and higher costs for Northern Ireland consumers, thus undermining Northern Ireland’s economic model, its future prosperity and, potentially, its political stability,” the report says.

Preparations for the post-Brexit reality have been disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic. From London to Belfast to Dublin to Brussels. The threat of no deal once again coming around has made the future of the North a central worry of those watching the negotiations. The House of Lords’ report also stated that “the combination of uncertainty, lack of momentum and lack of time, compounded by the shock of the Covid19 pandemic, is a potent threat” to the stability of the region.

Speaking on the BBC’s Andrew Marr

As Brexit negotiations enter their fourth round with little cause for optimism, the risk to Ireland is being stressed while the UK has been warned to stick to the commitments it has previously made.

Show, First Minister Arlene Foster said that what was needed were moves to “minimise” the checks on goods coming into the North from Britain in order to “make sure that they do not damage the economy of Northern Ireland”. Foster further said that the maintenance of minimal checks between the North and Britain was “the best way to protect the Belfast [Good Friday] Agreement”.

What is certain in such an uncertain time

The fourth round of talks began in the first week of June, with the 1 July deadline for the UK to seek an extension looming. In the weeks leading up to the resumption of talks, there had been increasing reports of stalemate and a limited hope for progress, prompting many commentators and politicians to argue that another extension was the only method to ease the pressure.

Despite this, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly ruled out the idea of applying for one, leaving Europe and the UK staring into the latest of a seemingly perpetual series of Brexit crossroads. Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator, has in the meantime warned that the UK must stick to previous commitments, saying that

Brussels will not be forced into “agreement at any cost” as the time limit and new coronavirus-related pressures places even more onus on the importance of the sides reaching an agreement that is mutually beneficial.

is that any extension will be applied for

Irish eyes will be watching as any failure to reach an agreement will have its greatest impact in the North, which will follow EU rules on agriculture and manufactured goods, including checks on some shipments from Britain. A recent report by Westminster’s House of Lords’ European Union committee said that the uncertainty could discourage British businesses from investing in the North.

“There is a real danger that businesses based in Great Britain could conclude that it is economically unviable to

opposed by the DUP and UUP, but its

with the support of the Stormont Assembly. An SDLP motion calling on Westminster to apply for the extension was passed with support from Sinn Féin, Alliance, and the Green Party was passage will put pressure on the British Government, given that the Assembly is uniquely recognised within the Withdrawal Agreement as a named party.

Given that the last round of talks were most notable because of a war of words between Michel Barnier and UK chief negotiator David Frost, something will need to change quickly in order to avoid the extension or lack thereof becoming the Brexit story of the summer.

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Credit: Bernd Thaller

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Green stimulus: Aligning economic recovery and climate Lough Leane, Killarney, Co Kerry

The opportunity for Ireland to pursue a green stimulus post-pandemic is both significant and achievable but the window of opportunity is small. Brian Ó Gallachóir, Director of MaREI the SFI research centre for energy, climate and marine research, writes.

Three distinct and unprecedented processes are happening in parallel.

Firstly, in our battle against the coronavirus pandemic, public funds are being used in Ireland to subsidise salaries, the State is controlling private hospitals and citizens are staying at home and practicing social distancing.

Secondly, our two political parties that were divided by the civil war nearly 100 years ago have agreed a framework to form a coalition government. Thirdly, the European Commission is proposing a €750 million Next Generation EU recovery plan. I don’t think anyone would have imagined any of these three developments six months ago, let alone all three happening together

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What are the implications for climate action?

The scale of the coronavirus response from the Government and particularly from the public shows the significant capacity for transformative change that has been dormant and untapped. The climate change crisis is very different but there are clear parallels in terms of the scale of response and the need for innovative politics and societal buy-in is common to both.

Part of the government formation discussions are on climate action. The Government’s Climate Action Plan targets an average annual reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of 3.5 per

cent per annum between now and 2030.

The Green Party is seeking this ambition to be increased to 7 per cent per annum and has made this a red-line government formation issue.

While the EU is discussing the recovery plan, the European Green Deal, a plan for the EU to become carbon neutral by 2050 is also a core focus. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen introduced Next Generation EU saying: “The recovery plan turns the immense challenge we face into an opportunity, not only by supporting the recovery but also by investing in our future: the European Green Deal and digitalization will boost jobs and growth, the resilience of our societies and the

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health of our environment. This is Europe's moment.”

How can economic stimulus and climate action be aligned?

Here are my top seven suggestions for economic stimulus measures that can be used to form a key part of Ireland’s recovery while also increasing Ireland’s capacity for climate action.

1) A grant support and soft loan retrofit scheme for building owners and 2) a fully funded deep retrofit programme for local authorities.

Improving the insulation and heating systems in our homes and nonresidential buildings can have significant benefits in terms of reducing fuel bills, improving the health and well-being of families and providing employment opportunities while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This measure will provide the necessary impetus for home owners and landlords to invest. The local authority programme will have an additional benefit of also addressing energy poverty.

3) A community development fund for communities to develop and deliver climate action projects.

The scale of the climate challenge requires a significant investment programme across all sectors of society.

One critical but too often neglected aspect of this is the need to increase the societal capacity required for climate action. Recent research by the MaREI Centre has demonstrated that much needed supports are emerging to provide technical supports but the core funding necessary for the groups to recruit the community development expertise is lacking, despite being essential for these projects to progress.

It is important that the approaches to support community energy should be developed that respond to the varied capacities of different communities 4) Infrastructural investment Public and private nvestment in infrastructure to enable low carbon technologies will provide short term employment benefits and enable a long term return in enabling climate action.

“The scale of the coronavirus response from the Government and particularly from the public shows the significant capacity for transformative change that has been dormant and untapped.”

Infrastructure investment should initially focus on electric vehicle charging infrastructure, upgrading the electricity network to accommodate increased wind and solar energy and renewable gas injection facilities into the gas network. Infrastructure plans related to renewable diesel and hydrogen should also be developed and implemented.

5) Increased research funding A significant increase in research funding is required, focusing on the largely neglected societal aspects of the energy transition, as well as the technology and engineering aspects. We also need a better understanding on the necessary business models and policy measures. The urgency surrounding climate action is growing, but the barriers and system inertia to change remain evident and strong.

6) Remote working Encouraging more remote working is a low cost measure that will reduce emissions, reduce traffic congestion and deliver improved physical and mental health benefits. We can build on the learnings gained during the pandemic.

There are nearly 250,000 commuters, whose distance from work is more than 25km. Further beneficial initiatives in transport include increased investment in public transport and cycling and walking. Record numbers of bicycle sales have been recorded in Ireland during the pandemic and it is important to respond to this public statement with sufficient and safe cycling lanes and other infrastructure.

7) ‘Staycations’ Another stimulus could focus on

encouraging Irish families to holiday at home, economically supporting the badly hit tourism sector, while also reducing emissions associated with air travel.

8) Flagship climate action projects Supporting flagship climate action projects can be structured around research, business, administration and civil society jointly developing transition plans, monitoring the transition, developing policy responses and coproducing integrated solutions tailored to the local situation. Some of the benefits include local capacity building, providing the evidence base, monitoring the transition and developing adequate policy responses.

Areas such as the midlands, where there is a dependence on peat harvesting, parts of cities with energy inefficient buildings, or rural areas with intensive agriculture can point to where these flagship transition projects should be focused. This approach aligns well with the goal to align climate action with social justice. They can draw on existing targeted transition initiatives in Ireland such as the Dingle Peninsula 2030 project, where concentrated energy efficiency and renewable energy efforts are underway.

Many further green stimulus options in addition to these are required to address the climate crisis. The opportunity is large at this time but the window of opportunity is small. Our experience from previous disruptions tells us that the time for corrective action after a disruption is limited as social memory of the event fades, political priorities readjust and old habits resume.

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Run like Mike: Four-time Paralympic champion Michael McKillop A four-time Paralympic gold medallist and a serial winner in the World Para Athletics Championships, middle distance runner Michael McKillop is still hungry for more. Ciarán Galway discusses success, setback and ambition with one of Ireland’s all-time most successful athletes.

Michael McKillop has a mild form of cerebral palsy and competes in the T37 and T38 disability sport classifications.

However, growing up as a child immersed in running and able-bodied sport in general, he never perceived himself to be disabled.

McKillop’s parents were both athletes themselves. His father, Paddy, represented Ireland and his mother, Catherine, was an all-Ireland champion at age group level. “When I was growing up, my parents utilised sport as physiotherapy for my disability. I really fell in love with running. It was more personal to me because it was a way of being independently competitive,” McKillop says, explaining his running origins.

Alluding to his continued dedication to

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the sport, he credits his early success. “I guess when you taste victory from a young age, it’s always easier to enjoy,” he quips.

sports, including GAA with Naomh

Father and coach

“Dad instilled in me a sense that

One interesting dynamic of McKillop’s athletic career is his relationship with his father. “I know it sounds cliched, but he’s been my coach from the day I was born. He was the one who had to take on board the fact that his son has a disability and he took on the responsibility of helping me to be as able-bodied as possible,” he explains.

Having started coaching me in athletics

Paddy McKillop, a Cushendall-native and former fitness coach with Ruairí Óg GAC, ensured that his son had opportunities to participate in various

Éanna in north Belfast. Indeed, alongside his running, Michael remains an Arsenal fanatic and a keen golfer.

anything was possible with his backing. from the age of 11 or 12, there was only one person who was going to coach me when I broke into the international scene.

He still coaches me now and I trust his ability and expertise.

“Beyond athletics, he’s been influential in a lot of areas of my life and having him by my side gives me a sense of security.

I know that I stand beside him as his son but also his athlete,” McKillop reflects.

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Beijing 2008 In 2008, McKillop won his first Paralympic gold medal, placing first in the Men's 800m T37 Final in Beijing at the age of 18. Much has changed since then, both in his own career and in parasport generally. Prior to the Summer Paralympics in 2008, he was young and unshackled by expectations or pressures.

“After I had won in Beijing, though, I had a greater sense of what a full-time athlete is. I entered the public eye and gained respect for what I had achieved.

At such a young age, for me anyway, it can be difficult to accept people’s perception of you as a role model,” he acknowledges.

Admitting that he subsequently missed out on aspects of early adulthood by prioritising his athletics, McKillop maintains that he wouldn’t do anything differently a second time around.

Pinnacle While travelling to Beijing to participate in the Paralympics for the first time and running in front of 91,000 people ranks highly in McKillop’s career highlights, the standout moment came four years later in London when he retained his gold medal in the 800m and also won the 1,500m race.

“Running in front of 60,000 people in the Olympic Stadium, winning the 800m and breaking the world record was fantastic.

Then, on the night of my 1,500m win, my mum presented me with my gold medal. That created history and she was the first parent to do so in either the Olympic or Paralympic Games. That was a night in my athletics career that will live in my memory forever.

“Having the opportunity to run in and win two different events in the Paralympics is special. It doesn’t happen all the time.

It was nice to do that in London, which is so close to home, and with so many friends and family in the stadium watching me. For me, that’s what I regard as the pinnacle of my career,” he recalls.

Michael McKillop wins gold in the Men’s 1,500m Final at the 2017 Para Athletics

World Championship in London.

“On the night of my 1,500m win, my mum presented me with my gold medal.

That created history and she was the first parent to do so in the Olympic or Paralympic Games. That was a night in my athletics career that will live in my memory forever.” world record holder and having already won a Paralympic gold medal. “Most athletes are in their 20s before they achieve even one of those successes,” he emphasises, adding: “For me to do it so early on in my life, required a recalibration of my goals.”

Motivation

Having won the 800m in the 2006 World Para Athletics Championships, his ambition was to win 1,500m and break the world record in 2011 at Christchurch.

He finished first in the 800m that year but was denied a medal for the 1,500m, despite setting a world record, because of a lack of entries.

At 18, McKillop could have retired having already been world champion,

After that, having been unbeaten since 2006, McKillop wanted to retain his

streak and secure as many medals as possible. In 2017, he retained gold in both the 800m and the 1,500m at the World Para Athletics Championships in London. “I wanted to create history and become one of the most successful Irish sportspeople ever. That’s what kept me going for a few years,” he reveals.

Green vest An Antrim-native, McKillop is a member of an elite cohort of athletes who represent Ireland on the world stage.

Regarding it as “a privilege and an honour” to do so, he articulates his pride. “Undeniably, it’s an amazing feeling to pin your name and number onto that green vest the night before a

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Team Ireland homecoming: Michael McKillop and Jason Smyth exhibit their medals

competition. It’s then that you appreciate that you’re running for everyone at home.

“You feel different in a way. When you work so hard for something and you achieve it, having that vest distinguishes you. Pulling it on, I have a special moment of respect for what it is, what it means and the people I’m representing.”

Team Ireland Famously, McKillop and Derry’s fivetime Paralympic gold winning sprint runner Jason Smyth are close friends.

“He has been a massive part of my journey and I think I’ve been a massive part of his journey too. The reason being we went to our first World Para Athletics Championships together in 2006 and we had both been unbeaten from then until I lost in 2019. There is a deep sense of camaraderie between us,” McKillop notes.

To some extent, the middle-distance runner attributes the shared hunger for success to the healthy rivalry that exists between Smyth and him. “Jason has been influential, and I’ve learnt a lot from him because he’s not only a talented para athlete, he’s an exceptional ablebodied athlete as well. He’s the second fastest man across 100m in Irish history

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in Dublin Airport after the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro.

and he just missed out on competing in the Olympic Games. When you see people like him excelling at such a high level, you can only admire it,” he asserts.

McKillop also pays tribute to his wider team, including his physiotherapists, strength and conditioning coaches, nutritionists and sponsors. “I have to regard them all as stakeholders in a business pursuit. We need to be on the same page and trust one and other. If it wasn’t for everyone’s knowledge and expertise, it wouldn’t succeed,” he contends.

Winning gold Describing winning gold as “the most amazing feeling”, McKillop reflects on his desire to repeat this success and prove himself as having been a major motivating factor. However, 2012 was a turning point for the young athlete, who was by then already a veteran of the sport.

“Up until 2012, it was pure excitement and such an amazing feeling coming across the line first and running a victory lap. By 2013, that changed, and it became more of a pressure to win. That came from the expectations I put on myself.

“There was an element of wanting to disprove the people who didn’t regard me or parasport as elite. Pressure crept in. This is my job and it felt like it then.

There wasn’t the same sense of enjoyment and it was a case of getting the job done. It became a relief more than anything else. I still had a buzz when I won, but it was more of a box ticked so that I could go into the next year,” the four-time Paralympic champion explains.

Adversity In 2018, a long-term groin injury almost forced McKillop’s premature retirement.

A full 18-month absence from competitive running brought physical and mental obstacles. The athlete is no stranger to adversity, however, battling to overcome mental ill health in the past.

“I have openly talked about my mental health, the struggle that I’ve had with it and the impact on my career. I was successful at such a young age and I didn’t understand what expectation really was until it hit home. I became a public figure and I was expected to win gold medals.

“Initially, I hid my emotions, my stresses and my strains. My mental wellbeing was something that I didn’t respect. I

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palmed it off and assumed I would be fine. I hid my struggles for so long that I blew out. I became flat and demotivated to the extent that I couldn’t leave my room at times. That was down to the lack of excitement in my life. Everything was athletics and there was no focus outside of that. When you focus on only one element of your life, then you really lose all sense of what life is about.

“I know now that athletics is just one part of who I am. It’s an interesting part, but the most important thing is being healthy.

There are so many people out there who struggle with opening up and being honest. The sooner people can reach the point of understanding that they aren’t the only one who feels that way and that they aren’t abnormal, the better,” he suggests.

Winning mentality Refusing to hide his mental struggles any longer, McKillop sought medical help before opening up to his friends and family. This, he says, was the moment in which he relaxed and took stock of those around him who were only too willing to help.

“As much as having a mental health issue can negatively impact upon you, in some ways it also makes you more resilient. When you recognise it and understand how low you can feel, then you can better manage the steps to overcome a mental health slump.

“Many people operating at a high-level of athleticism fear negativity. In reality, it’s important to embrace the negativity and change it into positivity. Mindset is everything to me now. I focus on daily training without getting down on myself if a session doesn’t go to plan. I still put in the maximum effort and train as hard as possible. If I don’t hit my targets, at least I know I gave it my all. It means I can relax and enjoy my training more. I think of myself as being more than simply the sporting aspect of my identity,” he says.

Recognition Exploring the importance of parasport, McKillop believes that it demonstrates that while a person may have some form of impairment, it doesn’t stop them from being successful, whether in sport, education or any other sphere.

“Undeniably, it’s an amazing feeling to pin your name and number onto that green vest the night before a competition. It’s then that you appreciate that you’re running for everyone at home.”

Referencing the growing visibility of Paralympic stars in British media, including entertainment shows, he indicates that while Ireland is beginning to change, it has some way to go before disabled sportspeople achieve recognition as equals.

“Para athletes are elite, we eat, sleep and train seven days a week like anyone else competing at this level. However, I feel that there is an inconsistency in the respect afforded to my achievements and those of able-bodied athletes. That’s the gauge for parasport,” he argues.

While recognising the fickle nature of media interest in athletics in general, McKillop appreciates the recognition he receives and suggests: “If I can be the one of the people driving the belief that what emerging Irish para athletes are doing is worthwhile then I’m honoured to do so.”

Pandemic postponement The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted sporting events across the globe, not least the Summer Olympics and Paralympics which had been due to take place in Tokyo this year. While acknowledging that the postponement was devastating for many people, athletes and spectators alike, from a personal perspective, the Irish Paralympian regards it as “probably the best thing that could have happened”.

The surgery he underwent in 2018 has affected his ability to train and to build his endurance. McKillop finished fourth in the 800m at the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships in Dubai, the first time he had not returned home with a medal since 2005.

Discussing his current mentality and visualisation of victory, McKillop now knows what success and happiness look like from the outside. “I use it as motivation for Tokyo. Having an extra year between now and when the games go ahead will allow me to build everything further. I’m in better shape now than I was in July 2019 and I have another year to get fitter and more conscious of my competitors. I’m really excited about it,” he adds.

Indeed, the pandemic has had negligible impact on McKillop’s training capacity.

Having installed a strength and conditioning gym at his house and continued to run local country roads, the only major impact is the inability to meet with his physiotherapist.

Tokyo 2021 ambitions Looking ahead to the postponed Paralympics in Tokyo, McKillop’s primary ambition is to get back on the podium. “There is a newer and younger version of me in the race. He’s exceptionally talented and seven years younger than myself. However, I know that no one is unbeatable. I’m focused on getting as fit as possible and manoeuvring into a position whereby I can compete for the top spot.

“I’m the veteran of the race now and probably the most experienced. I also know how it feels to lose and it’s still fresh in my mind. Whenever it gets hard, I know that I must dig deep to win again.

We can prepare as much as we want, but when it comes down to the moment of truth, you find out how hungry for that win you really are. That only reveals itself on the track,” he concludes.

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Credit: The National Library of Ireland

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Facial recognition technology: A human rights perspective St Mary’s University College Belfast Senior Lecturer in Politics, Birgit Schippers speaks to eolas about the pertinent subject of law enforcement, facial recognition technology (FRT), and the debate it has sparked, from its profiling of minority communities to fears around the sharing of biometric data between public bodies and private corporations.

“Facial recognition technology is a biometric technology that records and analyses our facial images. It uses biometric data – our faces – in a wide variety of contexts,” Schippers explains.

“For example, our faces can work like a password: we have phones that can be unlocked with facial recognition technology. It is used in the home and increasingly in businesses such as shopping centres, bars, and leisure centres. It is also used in the provision of public services or in policing and border control. But while a password can be changed fairly easily, our biometric data is highly personal and sensitive. That’s what makes this issue so pertinent.”

Facial images can be collected and analysed live, in near-real time, often without our knowledge or consent, which, as Schippers contends, is a problem. FRT also works with historical

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images that are held for example by private corporations or state agencies.

Once these images have been captured and processed, they can be used to match individuals against an image database, such as passport or driving license pictures, police watchlists, or even against images scraped from our social media accounts.

These days, FRT is rarely out of the news. For example, attempts have been made recently to introduce FRT into schools. Already prevalent in the Chinese education system and increasingly widespread in the United States, schools in France and Sweden have sought to introduce the technology.

A secondary school in Kilkenny was forced to scrap a scheme intending to use FRT to monitor attendance when it was informed by the Irish Council for Civil Liberties that such a scheme may

be in breach of European data protection regulations.

The analysis of facial expressions can also be used for emotion recognition.

“Technology that claims to establish our emotional states from our facial expression is becoming popular in China and its deployment is deeply worrying,” Schippers says.

The academic’s work focuses on the human rights arena, and FRT’s impact on human rights. “Human rights are interrelated and interdependent. This makes it impossible to identify a single right that is not affected by the deployment of FRT,” she says. “The debate has focused on the right to privacy, but this technology impacts across the whole spectrum of civil, political, social and economic rights. For example, there are persistent concerns over its accuracy rates, which

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are lower when analysing darker-skinned and female faces. This gender and racial bias stems from the predominantly white, Asian, and male images that populate the data training sets used to develop FRT.” Worries over the gender and racial bias of FRT are compounded if public agencies, especially those working in sensitive areas such as the police, are unduly influenced by this technology.

This is contrary to the right to human review over decisions that affect our lives and not to be subjected to algorithmic decision-making systems. “It would be hasty and ill-considered for any police force to use a technology that produces biased outcomes, and whose efficacy and accuracy remains an issue of concern,” Schippers argues. “The discriminatory effects of FRT could undermine trust in the fairness of policing, and will leave the police vulnerable to accusations of bias and discrimination.”

The invasive impact of FRT remains a key worry. “Deployed in public spaces, FRT leads us on a path towards automated blanket surveillance, very often without our knowledge. It is a blunt instrument that violates the principles of necessity and proportionality; as the UK Information Commissioner’s Office has argued, the collection and processing of data with FRT must be targeted, specific, intelligence-led, and time-limited. Also, the use of live FRT by the police in spaces frequented by the public denies citizens the opportunity to give informed consent to the recording and analysing of their images.”

The capacity for mass surveillance also threatens our democratic right to freedom of expression and assembly, Schippers says. “FRT has a chilling effect on our democratic culture and on our rights as citizens in a democratic society. Blanket surveillance facilitated

by FRT can deter individuals from attending public events, and it can stifle participation in political protests and campaigns for social change. We already have evidence that suggests that citizens, especially people from black and ethnic minority backgrounds, and younger people, are reluctant to participate in public protests if their faces are recorded and analysed by FRT,” she says.

Birgit Schippers

While FRT enables mass surveillance, it can also be used selectively. FRToperated police body cameras and handheld mobile with a FRT app are one example Schippers cites to illustrate how biometric data “can be used to target specific communities, very often ethnic minority communities who are already over-policed and whose relationship with the police is already fraught. I do not see FRT as a useful tool for policing, quite the opposite,” she says. “It raises the spectre of enhanced racial profiling at the street level.”

There are additional fears over data security and data breaches, but a particular concern relates to the sharing of our facial images between public agencies and private corporations. “We simply don’t know what happens to our images, where they are stored, for how long, and why, or who has access to them,” Schippers says. “But there are also worries over the sharing of sensitive biometric data between public bodies and private corporations. Recent evidence from the United States attests to the close relationship between the business interests of private corporations that develop and sell FRT, for example Amazon, and its use by state agencies, such as the controversial US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Amazon also collaborates with US police departments to promote its home-security cameras.” The sharing of biometric data happens on this side of

the Atlantic, too. “Last summer, the Metropolitan Police admitted that it gave images to the privately owned, but publicly accessible King’s Cross Estate between 2016 and 2018.”

The Scottish Parliament Justice SubCommittee on Policing has recently rejected plans to invest in live FRT, a decision that Schippers welcomes. “FRT is often presented as a useful policing tool, but I do not think that it is particularly helpful to the police. I have serious concerns that it will undermine relationships between the police and the communities it is meant to serve.”

Human rights and civil liberties activists are warning that the development and deployment of FRT should be halted until its compliance with national and international human rights law can be fully ascertained. As Schippers explains, there is a growing movement calling for a moratorium on the use of FRT, and a UK Private Members’ Bill, which seeks to prohibit the use of automated FRT in public places, is currently being debated in Westminster. Schippers also says that there is a need for a “much wider ranging public conversation and debate” on the topic than there currently is.

“What we need is sufficient and independently verifiable evidence that this technology is fully compliant with national and international human rights and equality obligations and standards,” she concludes.

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Credit: Cityswift

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Covid-19 and Ireland’s great trade reset Ireland has experienced significant technological advancements over recent decades. What revolutionary changes may be in store for us over the next 10 years, with or without pandemics? John Whelan, former CEO of the Irish Exporters Association, writes.

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Significant new technological developments and societal shifts occurred during the past decade. Many of these developments became so quickly engrained in our daily lives that they often went relatively unnoticed. By good fortune as much as good policy, many of the global leaders driving the adoption of these new technologies decided on an Irish base from which to develop and promote their technologies across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

meaningful advancements are expected

Over this next decade, similar rapid and

exporting economy.

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to occur in the post-Covid-19 era, but will global tech giants continue to favour Ireland?

The early years There has been a dramatic shift in what we work at in Ireland since we turned into the new century. In the last 20 years Ireland has shifted from being a producer of manufactured goods and agri-food to a high-end services

Increasingly services sold internationally have become the main driver of Irelands export growth over the past two decades, rising from â‚Ź19 billion in 2000 to â‚Ź213 billion in 2019.

For the period 2000-2004, Financial Services exports were the main driver of growth as the IFSC expanded in Dublin.

Since then, computer services, and the wider ICT sector has been the dominant sector accounting for over half of the total last year. Business services grew strongly before the financial crisis but has slowed in recent years. Computer

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services has benefitted from businesses moving their IT operations to the Cloud and the explosive expansion of mobile devices by the global population at large.

Pre-Covid-19 boom Pre-Covid-19 services exports from Ireland were at an all-time high and expanding with each new IT device launched onto global markets. The combined growth of all services exports from Ireland according to the United Nation’s Trade and Development Report for last year, ranked the country as the 6th largest global exporter of services and the fastest growing at 15.5 per cent, beating the second-placed UK whose services exports continued to grow (+10.9 per cent) last year despite the financial markets concerns over Brexit.

There is however some evidence that the bumbling Brexit process at Westminster has also been working in Ireland’s favour since their 2016 referendum to leave the EU. More convincing evidence indicates the boom is driven by the growing number of tech and social media companies in Ireland, providing global data processing capacity for Googling, watching YouTube, sending pictures by WhatsApp, using the GPS in your car or buying over Amazon.

There are currently 53 data centres active in Ireland. It is estimates that a total spend of €4.5 billion will go to creating 42 new centres in the period to 2025. Ireland is now recognised as the largest data centre cluster in Europe, retaining its tier one status through its ability to innovate and change to meet the rapid advances in the world of data.

There are however other good reasons why the internet giants have chosen to expand in Ireland rather than in France where President Macron has provoked the ire of US president Trump with his announcement of the Digital Tax on the US internet behemoths or Spain where a digital tax legislation was passed in January, or in the Brexit torn UK which still found time to announce a Digital tax, all of whom present worrying tendencies

to attack the accounting practices of the Silicon Valley giants. Ireland by comparison, has been standing shoulder square with these global players who have settled in Ireland, by pushing for the continuity of the status quo and urging the European Commission to hold back until the OECD comes up with a global solution. As EU tax decisions must be taken unanimously Ireland can for now block any EU level deal.

taking a hammering due to the

The OECD is working on a draft deal, which it officially aims to have ready in 2020, most likely for a summit of the Group of 20 economic powers towards the end of the year. Ireland has committed to accepting the broader OECD deal, which also has the support of the United States, Japan, Mexico and others, as a more balanced approach.

manufacturing industry.

pandemic.

Fortunately, Ireland’s major manufacturing export activity is in areas that tend to be safeguarded from major global shocks, which became evident in the financial crises of 2007/8.

Pharmaceuticals and medical devices continue to be in high demand as does food, two of the major planks of our

Moreover, the lockdown associated with Covid-19 has been driving people to greater online contact and use of internet packages. Companies such as Zoom and Slack which provide work from home technologies, look set to actually benefit from Covid-19 fallout, alongside Twitter, Facebook and Netflix.

Post-Covid-19 expectations

To support this activity, cloud computing

The Covid-19 pandemic is creating a major shock to economies around the world, but already there are strong indications that some sectors have gained, others hit hard and some of them fatally.

extensive datacentres across Ireland are

support companies such as Microsoft, IBM and Amazon (AWAS) who have

The travel and leisure sector has borne the brunt of the downturn so far with sharp declines in airline bookings and various global travel restrictions in place.

Most airlines are now facing technical bankruptcy, with IATA stating that a loss of €230 billion is expected in the industry this year.

However, despite the damage to the travel and leisure industry, Ireland is not exposed to heavy industry sectors, such as the motor industry which are also

reporting a sharp increase in demand.

Despite the undoubted heavy burden created by the Covid-19 pandemic on businesses trading locally across Ireland, there is strong evidence that a smooth passage for Ireland’s main exporters is likely. Additionally, our strong multinational and indigenous tech industry is well placed to benefit from the longer term legacy that Covid-19 is widely expected to leave; of higher home working and greater online consumption, more online networking, more music and video streaming services and more online staffing to manage.

Profile As well as contributing a regular column to the Irish Examiner, John Whelan is a managing partner with Linkage– Partnership.eu, an international trade consultancy, with offices in Ireland, The Netherlands and Switzerland. John is also an export industry adviser to the AIB Group and has previously held positions as chief executive of the Irish Exporters Association and chairman of the Institute of International Trade of Ireland.

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Female representation in the Houses of the Oireachtas While General Election 2020 was anticipated as a historic opportunity to rebalance the gender inequality within the Dáil, a 1 per cent rise in female representation once all votes were tallied has left campaigners disappointed.

For the first time in Dáil history, every constituency featured at least one female candidate on its ballot paper, a fact which raised expectations for the number of female candidates that would be returned. Following the introduction of a 30 per cent quota per party for female candidates for the 2016 election, campaigners had hoped that 2020 could be a boon year, but the election has instead been referred to as a “missed opportunity”.

2016 set the records for both overall number of female representatives in the Dáil, with 35, and proportion of

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representatives being female, 22.1 per cent. The 2020 general election improved these figures, but only slightly, returning 36 female TDs, 22.5 per cent of the 33rd Dáil. Speaking as results began to come through in the immediate aftermath of the election, the CEO of Women for Election, Ciairín de Buis said that the organization was “disappointed that the number of women TDs has not risen significantly since the last election, but this was somewhat inevitable given that the larger parties did not run a balanced ticket”.

The three largest parties in the State all

rolled out candidate slates with female candidates in the 30s percentage wise; Fine Gael, who introduced the 30 per cent quota for candidates, ran the minimum 30 per cent, while Fianna Fáil ran 31 per cent. Sinn Féin, the only main party led by a woman, ran 33 per cent women, with 14 of its 42 candidates across Ireland being female.

The Social Democrats, led by two women, was the only party to run a slate of candidates that was more than half female, with 11 of its 20 candidates, or 55 per cent being female. The only other party to have achieved the goal set by

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According to the National Women’s Council of Ireland, another significant issue in the field of female representation is that of the rural/urban divide, with women making up just 22 per cent of candidates in rural areas, compared with 44 per cent in urban areas. Interestingly, success rates for candidates within the traditional big two parties seemed to vary wildly based on gender, with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael male candidates having success rates of 55 per cent and 51 per cent respectively while their female colleagues had respective success rates of 19 per cent and 24 per cent.

In terms of proportion of females who did win election, the Social Democrats also led the way, with four of their six TDs, 66 per cent, being women. Sinn Féin had the most overall female TDs with 13, also ranking them second in terms of proportion, the 13 making up 35 per cent of the party’s 37 seats won.

The 2016 general election saw a significant jump in terms of women’s representation at Leinster House, with the overall number of women TDs rising while the number of overall TDs was reduced, allowing the proportion of women TDs to breach the 20 per cent mark for the first time since the foundation of the State. The final figure was 35 female TDs out of a total of 158, 22.1 per cent. The 2020 figures mark a

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A number of high-profile women lost seats in the election, including two sitting ministers – Regina Doherty and Katherine Zappone – and two incumbent ministers of state, Catherine Byrne and Mary Mitchell O’Connor. Nongovernment high profile casualties included Solidarity’s Ruth Coppinger, Fianna Fáil’s Lisa Chambers, Fiona O’Loughlin and Margaret Murphy O’Mahony and Labour’s Jan O’Sullivan and former Tánaiste Joan Burton. Of the 31 Labour candidates that contested the election, nine were women, none of whom won election.

General Election 2020: Female candidates and elected representatives by party

A

Women for Election, that 40 per cent of candidates run be women, was the Green Party, whose slate was made up of 41 per cent women. Solidarity-People Before Profit also ranked ahead of the larger parties, with its ticket being 38 per cent women.

Female candidates

Female candidates elected

Female representation in the Houses of the Oireachtas, November 1982 to present 35 30 % 25 20 15 10 5 0

1980

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2000 Dáil

2010

2020

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slight increase, the smallest possible in overall figures, and will come as a disappointment to those who had hoped to continue the progress of 2016.

elections having returned 18 female

Seanad

among the 49 Senators elected. The

Female representation in the Seanad has long outpaced that of the Dáil. With female participation reaching 10 per cent in the upper house of the Oireachtas for the first time in 1977; Dáil figures did not reach double figures in terms of percentage until they hit 12 per cent after the 1992 general election.

filled by the Taoiseach once a

Representation in the Seanad sat at 30 per cent, its highest ever level, for most of the 2010s, the 2011 and 2016

Seanad continue its upward progression

Senators out of 60 each time. As things currently stand after the 2020 Seanad election, there are 15 female Senators remaining 11 seats of the Seanad will be permanent government is formed and while it is impossible to predict who will be appointed to those seats, it is not unreasonable to assume that at least three females will be among their numbers. More than three would see the in terms of representation and continue to outpace the Dáil on this front.

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Does Ireland require caretaker conventions?

Four months have passed since the General Election on 8 February 2020. Yet, the outgoing government has retained a powerful position even in the absence of democratic legitimacy. eolas explores the definition of a caretaker government and how this functions in Ireland.

Across parliamentary democracies, during the interval between the termination of an outgoing government and the formation of an incoming government, a caretaker government operates to ensure that a country is never without an executive. Almost universally, a caretaker government must remain in office from the day a parliament is dissolved until the day a new government is sworn in. It cannot resign.

Conventions However, in the absence of democratic legitimacy, as caretaker governments cannot claim the confidence of a parliament, there are often specific conventions which guide and, to some degree, limit their actions.

Like in the Netherlands and Belgium, conventions can be uncodified.

Alternatively, they can be provided for in

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the nation’s constitution or legislation as is the case in Spain and Portugal, or in codified handbooks of cabinet procedure as in Great Britain and New Zealand. Conventions are defined in the British Cabinet Manual as: “Rules of constitutional practice that are regarded as binding in operation but not law.”

While a caretaker government may retain full executive powers, a core tenet of such conventions is that it avoids making decisions on matters of significance which do not require urgent intervention. New Zealand’s Cabinet Manual specifically outlines that a caretaker government must act with restraint regarding significant or potentially controversial issues; issues with long-term implications that may impede an incoming government; or new policy initiatives/changes to existing policy. Such decisions should either be deferred or made in consultation with the new parliament.

Constitution In Ireland, Article 28.11.1 of Bunreacht na hÉireann states: “If the Taoiseach at any time resigns from office the other members of the Government shall be deemed also to have resigned from office, but the Taoiseach and the other members of the Government shall continue to carry on their duties until their successors shall have been appointed.”

Article 28.11.2 adds: “The members of the Government in office at the date of a dissolution of Dáil Éireann shall continue to hold office until their successors shall have been appointed.”

Unlike countries such as Spain, Ireland has no constitutional time limit on government formation. Therefore, the incumbent Taoiseach and ministers remain in office as a caretaker government, even if not elected to the incoming Dáil (for instance, as is the

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case with Employment Affairs and Social Protection Minister Regina Doherty who was not returned in General Election 2020), until after a new Taoiseach is elected by simple majority (50 per cent plus one) of deputies present and a Dáil vote in support of the proposed government.

Ireland also has no constitutional or legal limit on the powers of a caretaker government. Rather, new legislation as introduced by a caretaker government must pass through the newly elected Oireachtas. However, Article 18.3 of the Constitution does prevent a caretaker Taoiseach from appointing the Taoiseach’s Seanad nominees.

Changes to constitutional provision Despite two successive indecisive general elections, government formation has generally been a relatively simple process. Prior to 2016, the average timespan of a caretaker government was 20 days.

However, while previous Irish caretaker governments have rarely courted controversy, caretaker governments in the 1990s made several politically motivated appointments. After the 2016 General Election, the protracted process of government formation raised increasing concerns about legitimacy and remit. These concerns become increasingly pertinent in a scenario in which an outgoing government has lost the confidence of the citizens, as happened in February 2020.

While in 2003, the All-Party Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution be made recommended no amendments be made to the constitutional provisions for caretaker governments (specifically Article 28.8 to 28.12), as the party system becomes more fragmented and elections more regularly indecisive, Ireland may require a set of caretaker conventions.

As the tenure of a caretaker government becomes prolonged, it becomes difficult to avoid making any policy decisions.

The caretaker government must, therefore, take care with the decisions it does take. The legislature is tasked with scrutinising the executive, even if the

Article 28.11.2 “The members of the Government in office at the date of a dissolution of Dáil Éireann shall continue to hold office until their successors shall have been appointed.”

Bunreacht na hÉireann

executive in question cannot be subjected to defeat in a confidence motion. In these circumstances, crossparty consultation and consensus can be a useful tool to substitute the democratic mandate.

negotiations. As replicated elsewhere, Dáil business has been agreed with parliamentary party consensus, rather than the Government’s Order of Business procedure, and has increased over time.

Parliamentary business

Unlike in 1989, when the only business transacted was the election of the Ceann Comhairle and the Taoiseach, 2016 set a precedent. A number of standing and select Dáil committees were established, including EU Scrutiny and Housing and Homelessness respectively, while statements were taken on several topics, such as Irish Water and mental health.

Likewise, written parliamentary questions were taken, estimates introduced to fund Census 2016 and votes taken on business of the House and the nomination of Taoiseach.

Meanwhile, the Seanad did not meet during this period.

In countries which already familiar with lengthy government-formation periods, a caretaker governments activity often increases in positive correlation with time. As has happened in Belgium, committees can be established, the caretaker government’s legislation reviewed and interpellations (parliamentary debates beginning with a question and potentially ending in a vote) used to ensure that the frequency of legislative activity can be virtually ‘normal’.

Typically, the incoming Taoiseach is elected during the first sitting of the newly elected Dáil. While Sinn Féin’s Mary Lou McDonald received the greatest plurality (45 votes in favour) of votes from TDs, four party leaders (including Fine Gael’s Leo Varadkar, Fianna Fáil’s Micheál Martin and the Green Party’s Éamon Ryan) failed to achieve a simple majority to be elected Taoiseach in the first sitting of the 33rd Dáil on 20 February 2020.

Irish experience The current period marks the fifth extended tenure of a caretaker government since the 1980s. All, except for 1994, have been prompted by prolonged government formation

Conversely, while 2020 has continued the broad trend of a substantial increase in the volume of business executed in the legislature, a key difference has been the introduction of emergency legislation as a response to Covid-19. In 2016, while legislation was published, it was not introduced.

Conclusion Ireland is something of an outlier in that it lacks the caretaker conventions. Postgeneral election, there is a growing trend of extended negotiations between potential government partners. The introduction of caretaker conventions could ensure the continuity in executive power and the facilitation of essential

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TRADE UNION DESK What type of economy do we want after the pandemic? Nevin Economic Research Institute (NERI) Co-director Tom McDonnell looks at the Irish economy beyond the Covid-19 crisis.

The Covid-19 crisis is a major and transformative shock to the global economy that will have profound and long-lasting social, economic and political implications.

The great lockdown has already produced radical economic policy interventions that would have been unthinkable just months earlier. Parts of the economy have been put into deep freeze. Governments around Europe are acting as income sources of last resort and paying the bulk of wages for a significant minority of private sector workers. Further radical measures are possible including billions in grants, tax deferments, subsidies for short-time work, and zero interest loans to private businesses.

Unemployment rates have surged across the globe with some countries reporting record numbers signing on for social welfare. Government deficits will reach double digits in many countries as tax receipts collapse and as governments support household incomes and funnel liquidity to the private sector. The indispensability of basic services and the welfare state are being brought into sharp focus, as is our understanding of essential work.

Eventually the massive public deficits brought on by the crisis will require some combination of tax increases, debt relief, or financial repression through higher inflation. National and pannational policies to minimise borrowing

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and debt servicing costs will be essential.

Unfreezing ‘Rebooting’ the economy will be challenging and in some ways the concept of rebooting is unhelpful.

Instead, the recovery should be more akin to a gradual and differential unfreezing of activity by economic sector, alongside a similar phasing out of government income and liquidity supports. Phasing-out of supports will be necessary to avoid a cliff-edge collapse in demand in the months ahead. When we are confident that the pandemic is under control, or at least in abeyance, then we will need to move from ‘support’ policies to ‘stimulus’ policies.

We are enduring an economic crisis that is qualitatively different to any other recession in modern times. A new type of crisis requires us to consider policies that might otherwise have been rejected as politically impossible.

The scale of financial commitments that nation states will make over the coming months and years may imperil their debt sustainability. In order to prevent financial contagion across the European continent, and to enable individual countries to avoid having to implement austerity policies, it will be imperative that nation states are immune to the dangers of rising bond yields and debt servicing costs. Monetary authorities

need to make a ‘whatever it takes’ commitment to ensure this does not happen regardless of inflationary concerns. We will need to consider all policy options over the months and years to come including debt mutualisation at the Euro area level and a European unemployment reinsurance scheme.

Eventually, we will find a vaccine and a degree of normalcy will return to the global economy. But that will not be the right time to ask ourselves what type of economy we want in the future. The time to consider that question is right now.

The status quo was not working for millions, and is, in any event, an environmentally unsustainable model.

New deal We need a new deal for workers and households that is negotiated through dialogue with government and employers. The Nordic model provides a template for how this could work with its high levels of good quality and well-paid employment along with very strong performance on equality, quality of life and happiness indicators.

We must replace our low-road model of economic development that characterises both economies on the island of Ireland, focusing as it does on cost reduction, low pay and precariousness. This model should be replaced by a high-road model based on high productivity well-paid jobs with a

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“A new type of crisis requires us to consider policies that might otherwise have been rejected as politically impossible.” fair share of income for workers, a right to collective bargaining, and state guaranteed employment for the longterm unemployed and disadvantaged groups such lone parents and the disabled. Equally, the new economy that emerges on the other side of the crisis should be based on the principles of inclusive growth, environmental sustainability, and universal basic services.

The enormous levels of state support for the private sector during the great lockdown highlights the fundamental reliance of business on the State. As during the Great Depression, we have discovered that the State is not only the economy’s income and liquidity provider of last resort – but it is also the insurer of last resort for the entire private sector.

It is therefore clear that the time has come for a fundamental overhaul of the levels of per capita government spending and government revenue. In particular, there should be a significant widening and deepening of employer’s social insurance contributions (the social wage) in order to bring it up to the EU average. The time has also come for the introduction of net wealth taxes and a full review of tax incentives to ensure a focus on sustainable progressive incentives and support for a just transition to a greener more sustainable economy.

Social protection The crisis has forced us to reassess what we mean by adequate levels of social protection and what we mean by essential workers. No longer should any worker have to work for less than the living wage and no longer should we tolerate bogus self-employment. There should be an automatic presumption of employee status. All households should have a minimum and sufficient level of income that enables full participation in society, while all workers should be paid at least a living wage with tapered

income supports to avoid perverse labour market incentives.

The decades-long attack on, and undermining of, universal basic services must end. Crucially, the Republic must transition to a single tier health service over the medium-term. Childcare costs are extremely high in both parts of the island and this acts as an impediment to labour market participation, particularly for women. Childcare workers should be made state employees with the State heavily subsidising childcare costs for parents.

Re-municipalisation There should be an end to privatisation of public transport and a remunicipalisation of key services on both parts of the island. The gradual expansion of free public transport over the medium-term is an important element of meeting our carbon targets and ensuring a just transition. A ‘green new deal’ should form the basis of industrial policy and this deal should be guided by the principle of a just transition for workers and households.

Other elements of the green new deal should include state-led consortia to deliver renewable energy and free upfront home and work retrofitting with repayments linked to income.

The ongoing failures in the provision of housing – an essential public service – points to the need for a major public house building programme undertaken

through public agencies. Such a programme would act as an important stimulus to work creation and community re-development. Legislation should be passed which would make housing provision a basic human right in both parts of the island. No longer should such a basic service be at the whim of private markets.

The Irish economies and societies will both eventually recover from the great lockdown. However, the length and depth of the recession and the extent of human loss will be determined, at least in part, by the policies we choose now.

Now is also the time to consider the type of economy we want in the long run.

This should be an economy based on inclusive, participative and sustainable development.

Profile: Tom McDonnell Tom McDonnell is co-director of the Nevin Economic Research Institute and is based in the Dublin office. He previously worked as an economist at TASC and before that was a lecturer in economics at NUI Galway and at DCU. He has also taught at Maynooth University (MU) and is currently an occasional staff member at MU. NERI is a research organisation supported by the unions affiliated to the Irish Congress of Trade Unions.

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“

�

Meet the

Aoife-Grace Moore

Media

Aoife-Grace Moore is a political correspondent with the Irish Examiner. A graduate of Glasgow Caledonian University, the Derry native previously worked as a journalist for Press Association among others.

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How did you get into journalism?

I'm very much a product of my environment. My family were one of the founding families involved in the Bloody Sunday Justice Campaign, so I was brought to different marches and protests as a child and there were always journalists around asking questions. I grew up in a house where the news was on every night during dinner, and it was always impressed on us that the media was important for challenging the establishment. I was naturally good at English at school and it just came as a logical next step and decided when I was 16 that was what I wanted to do. I've taken every unglamorous job offered to me over the years, but it's paid off.

How do you think the profession is evolving?

Journalism is going through a tough time at the moment, but it's definitely adapting. We're in a 24-hour news cycle now because everything is live streamed or live tweeted. People are constantly scrolling which means facts must be checked in a matter of minutes, but we're seeing some excellent work being amplified by technology too. The New York Times is the greatest example of how good digital journalism can be, paired with podcasts and video. Media companies and newspapers are getting better at knowing their audience and how to reach them in this new era.

What are the challenges of working in print media?

At the Examiner, like most newspapers, we follow a ‘digital first’ policy. So, we ensure all our stories are written for the website first, it has to be this way, or you'll get left behind. The challenge for papers comes when you only have so much space, you're fighting four or five other desks for inches on a page, which means you must have the best possible version of your copy ready to fight it out.

Sometimes the politics desk will think something is a huge story, whereas news mightn’t find it as important. That debate is essential though, as it's easy to get lost in your own bubble.

“The New York Times is the greatest example of how good digital journalism can be paired with podcasts and video.”

Who do you admire most within the industry and why?

The team at TheJournal.ie have continually gone above and beyond. You can tell they support their reporters to follow their passions and think outside the box. Christina Finn, the politics correspondent there, is excellent at what she does. Justine McCarthy is another person who I really admire, and her writing is second to none. Being from Derry, I'm also going have to say Nell McCafferty, for her time she was a trailblazer, Nell was opinionated and loud when women in Ireland were constantly told to be quiet.

What has been your most significant story or project to date?

The murder of Lyra McKee was probably

the one that stands out the most for me.

I was working for Press Association at the time. Being a Derry native, I was commissioned to write an essay for the Examiner the next morning, after being up most of the night covering the shooting. The whole weekend was very intense, a lot of work. I think I appeared on seven radio shows, and the Examiner front page ended up winning an award that year.

How do you spend your time outside of work?

Now we're in a pandemic I can only really say running and reading. I ran off and on beforehand, but now my gym is closed and I've had to get back at it. I'm trying to train for a half marathon.

Outside of pandemics, I would say drinking with my friends, and going to gigs.

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Household savings and a future economic recovery One feature of the Covid-19 crisis has been the exceptional level of government support for Irish households. Unlike the 2008-2012 financial crisis, households are likely to emerge with a stronger balance sheet. Professor John FitzGerald, a research affiliate at the ESRI, explores how household savings may impact economic recovery.

Governments across Europe have taken very extensive action to protect households from the consequences of putting their economies into cold storage. As a result, while some households will be worse off due to the massive rise in unemployment, their losses will be much less than they would be under normal unemployment regimes.

Thus, across the EU, the reduction in aggregate household after tax income will be quite limited this year, in spite of the massive fall in output.

However, because of the lockdowns across the EU, which will continue for much of the year in some form, households cannot spend their income on the goods and services that they would normally do. While it is open to households to spend their money on the much narrower range of goods and services that are still available, this is not what is happening.

As a result, we have seen a massive reduction in spending on eating out, pubs, entertainment, accommodation, and tourism. There has also been a big fall in sales in a range of retail outlets, such as clothing. While the gradual easing of restrictions will see a pick-up in some areas of spending by the end of the year, there will still be a major 140

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reduction in consumers’ expenditure.

The combined effects of dramatic reduction in expenditure and a limited fall in incomes means that, at an aggregate level, households will be saving at an exceptional level this year. The EU Commission forecast a rise in household savings of 5 per cent of GDP this year in the Euro Zone. NIESR in the UK estimate a rise in such savings in the UK of 9 per cent of GDP. The Department of Finance estimate a rise in savings in Ireland in 2020 of 6 per cent of national income.

There have been very few occasions in the past when households have had money but been unable to spend it. One of the few cases I can identify is the experience of Ireland during the Second World War. In that case nearly all imports stopped during the War, while exports of food to the UK continued. The result was that incomes rose, especially of farmers, but they saved much of their incomes when they found that the imported goods they normally bought were unavailable. However, after the War,

The Department of Finance also forecast that household savings will remain substantially higher than normal in 2021, leaving households with a pot of ‘excess’ savings at the end of the year amounting to around 10 per cent of national income or between €15 billion and €20 billion.

there was a consumer boom in 1946 and

As with all forecasts, they should be taken with a grain of salt. However, the fact that this phenomenon of ‘excess’ household savings is affecting all of Europe (and also the US) suggests that it is, nonetheless, real. In the Irish and UK cases it is already showing up in an exceptional rise in household deposits in the banking system.

have never seen before. In spending the

However, what is not clear is what consumers will do with their savings.

place across Europe in 2022 could

1947.

If households behaved as they did after the Second World War, and they spent all of this ‘excess’ savings in 2022, it would result in a consumer boom like we savings they would also generate a substantial tax windfall for the state, helping to put right the public finances, and provide a huge stimulus to the economy. Even if they only spend a fraction of it, it will still be a major factor in driving a recovery. The fact that similar spending by households might be taking provide a great boost to an EU economy.

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