DOCSLIB.ORG

The Developmental Welfare State No

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Developmental Welfare State No The Developmental Welfare State no. 113 may 2005 National Economic and Social Council Constitution and Terms of Reference 1. The main tasks of the National Economic and Social Council shall be to analyse and report on strategic issues relating to the efficient development of the economy and the achievement of social justice. 2. The Council may consider such matters either on its own initiative or at the request of the Government. 3. Any reports which the Council may produce shall be submitted to the Government, and shall be laid before each House of the Oireachtas and published. 4. The membership of the Council shall comprise a Chairperson appointed by the Government in consultation with the interests represented on the Council, and • Five persons nominated by agricultural and farming organisations; • Five persons nominated by business and employers organisations; • Five persons nominated by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions; • Five persons nominated by community and voluntary organisations; • Ten other persons nominated by the Government, including the Secretaries General of the Department of Finance, the Depart- ment of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, the Department of Public Enterprise, the Department of Social and Family Affairs, and a representative of the Local Government system; 4. Any other Government Department shall have the right of audience at Council meetings if warranted by the Council's agenda, subject to the right of the Chairperson to regulate the numbers attending. 5. The term of office of members shall be for three years. Casual vacancies shall be filled by the Government or by the nominating body as appropriate. Members filling casual vacancies may hold office until the expiry of the other members' current term of office. 6. The numbers, remuneration and conditions of service of staff are subject to the approval of the Taoiseach. 7. The Council shall regulate its own procedure. The Developmental Welfare State May 2005 Published by the National Economic and Social Council Copies of this Report may be obtained from The National Economic and Social Council, 16 Parnell Square, Dublin 1 or the Government Publications Sales Office, Sun Alliance House, Molesworth Street, Dublin 2 Price: c15.00 Students: c5.00 Pn. A5/0621 ISBN: 0-7557-7079-X ii Membership of the National Economic and Social Council Chairperson Nominated by Business Nominated by Community and Employers Organisations: and Voluntary Organisations Mr. Dermot McCarthy Secretary General, Ms. Aileen O’Donoghue Fr. Sean Healy Department of the Taoiseach and IBEC CORI Secretary to the Government Mr. Brian Geoghegan Mr. Dónall Geoghegan IBEC NYCI Deputy Chairperson Mr. Liam Kelleher Ms. Deirdre Garvey Ms. Mary Doyle CIF The Wheel Assistant Secretary, Department of the Taoiseach Mr. Brendan Butler Mr. John Mark McCafferty IBEC SVP Government Nominees Mr. John Dunne Mr. John Dolan Dr. Sean Barrett CCI DFI Professor Brigid Laffan Nominated by the Irish Secretariat Professor John Fitzgerald Congress of Trade Unions Dr. Rory O’ Donnell Professor Eithne McLaughlin Mr. Dave Begg Director ICTU Dr. Peter Bacon Mr. Noel Cahill Mr. Tom Considine Ms. Sally Anne Kinahan Economist Secretary General, ICTU Mr. Bill Thompson Department of Finance Mr. Manus O’ Riordan Economist Mr. Sean Gorman SIPTU Dr. John Sweeney Secretary General, Mr. Peter McLoone Economist Department of Enterprise, IMPACT Trade and Employment Ms. Jill Matthews Mr. Jack O’Connor Served as a Mr. Brendan Tuohy SIPTU Social Policy Analyst in the Secretary General, Secretariat until March, 2005 Department of Communications, Nominated by agricultural and Ms. Aoife Halligan Marine and Natural Resources farming organisations Research Assistant Mr. John Hynes Mr. Seamus O’ Donohue Secretary General, ICOS Ms. Catherine O’Brien Department of Social Ms. Tracy Curran and Family Affairs Mr. Ciaran Dolan ICMSA Ms. Sheila Clarke Mr. Niall Callan Secretary General, Department Mr. Damian McDonald of Environment, Heritage and Macra na Feirme Local Government Mr. Michael Berkery IFA Mr. Con Lucey IFA Table of Contents Abbreviations viii Preface ix Acknowledgements xi Executive Summary xiii Chapter 1 Reasons for Revisiting and Reforming Ireland's Welfare State 1.1 Introduction 1 1.2 Social Challenges 2 1.3 Improving Responses 4 Chapter 2 Economic Performance and Social Protection 2.1 Introduction 9 2.2 Improving the Synergy Between Social and Economic Policies 11 2.3 Building a Social Model on High Levels of Employment 24 2.4 Conclusions 32 Chapter 3 Social Protection in Ireland — a Hybrid System 3.1 Introduction 35 3.2 The ‘Welfare Society’ and the Welfare State 36 3.3 A Broad View of Social Protection 39 3.4 Income Support Arrangements 44 3.5 Services Providing Social Protection 60 3.6 Public Capital Spending and Social Protection 75 3.7 Tax and Social Protection 78 3.8 A Provisional Balance Sheet 83 Chapter 4 Ireland's Social Protection in a Comparative Context 4.1 Introduction 95 4.2 Welfare State Differences in Practice 95 4.3 The Adequacy of Public Social Spending in Ireland 104 4.4 Public Social Spending and Outcomes 117 4.5 Conclusions 136 iv Chapter 5 The Structure of Ireland’s Welfare State and the Principal Strategies Advanced for Reforming it 5.1 Introduction 139 5.2 Ireland’s Welfare State as Differentiated 141 5.3 The Case for More Universalism 143 5.4 The Case for a Stronger Insurance System 146 5.5 The Case for more Targeting 150 5.6 The European Context 152 Chapter 6 Re-conceptualising Ireland’s Welfare State 6.1 The Developmental Welfare State in Outline 155 6.2 Service Delivery in the Developmental Welfare State 159 6.3 Income Supports in the Developmental Welfare State 172 6.4 Activist Measures in the Developmental Welfare State 186 Chapter 7 The Developmental Welfare State: A Framework for Reform 7.1 Introduction 197 7.2 The Argument of This Report 197 7.3 The Essential Framework 201 7.4 Strategic Requirements for Effective Reform: How 205 7.5 Operational Requirements 211 7.6 Getting There: Priorities and Time Frame 214 7.7 Towards a More Comprehensive Approach 226 7.8 A Successful Society 228 References 232 National Economic and Social Council Publications 236 contents v List of Tables Table 2.1 Total Taxes (including Social Contributions) as a per Cent of GDP 14 Table 2.2 The Proportion of The Population Living in Working-Aged Households (Head aged under 60) Whose Equivalent Income is Below 50 per cent of Median Equivalent Income 21 Table 2.3 Educational Profile of Employment in the Irish Economy 25 Table 2.4 Employment/Population Ratios, Total Population and Defined Sub Groups, Selected Countries, 2002 29 Table 3.1 Public Current Expenditure on Social Protection In Ireland, 2002 41 Table 3.2 Population Dependent on Social Assistance and Social Insurance, 1993 and 2002 47 Table 3.3 Child-contingent State Income Support: Number of Child Beneficiaries and Expenditure Totals, 1993 and 2002 52 Table 3.4 Approved Consultant and NCHD Numbers, 1990–2003 64 Table 3.5 Projected Costs of Health Care and Pensions 67 Table 3.6 Students (Full-time Equivalents) and non-capital Public Expenditure per Student, 1985 and 2002 69 Table 3.7 Costs of ALMPs and Numbers of Participants, 1998–2002 73 Table 3.8 Public Capital Expenditure on Social Protection in Ireland, 2002 75 Table 3.9 The Taxation of Earnings in Ireland 79 Table 3.10 The Distributive Impact of Budgets 80 Table 3.11 Estimated Cost of Tax Allowances and Tax Reliefs for Social Purposes, 1993/94 – 1999/2000 (dm) 82 Table 4.1 Service Effort and Transfer Effort in European Welfare States, 1993 and 2001 97 Table 4.2 Service Emphasis and Reliance on Means-Testing in European Welfare States, 1993 and 2001 99 Table 4.3 Implicit Tax Rates on Consumption and Labour in European Welfare States, 1995–2002 101 Table 4.4 Implicit Tax Rates on Capital and Business Income and on Corporations in European Welfare States, 1995-2002 103 Table 4.5 Social Spending per capita and GNP per capita, d, constant 1995 prices 105 Table 4.6 Social Expenditure per Capita and GDP Per Capita, in PPS, EU 15 Member States, 2001 108 Table 4.7 Expenditure on Social Benefits by Function, 2001, PPS per Head of Relevant Population Sub-group 109 Table 4.8 Taxes and Social Spending in Ireland and Selected Comparator Countries (1997) 111 Table 4.9 Proportions of National Populations Aged 0–19 and 60 plus in 2002, and Changes in Those Proportions 1980–2002 115 vi Table 4.10 Expenditure on Health in Ireland and EU Member States, 2002 119 Table 4.11 Annual Public Expenditure on Educational Institutions in Ireland and EU Member States (2001) 121 Table 4.12 Indicators of Income Poverty for 2001 124 Table 4.13 Trends in Real Household Income at Different Points of the Income Ladder 126 Table 4.14 At-Risk-of-Poverty Rate, People Aged 65 years and over, 1998 129 Table 5.1 Economic Performance: Ireland and Comparator Countries Selected in 1992 145 Table 6.1 Overview of the Shift in Paradigm Governing Service Delivery 169 Table 6.2 Benefit Dependency Rates and Employment Rates among the Working-Age Population, and Unemployment Rates 1999 174 Table 6.3 Benefit Recipiency Rates in the Population of Working Age, by Types of Benefit Received, 1980, 1990 and 1999 176 Table 6.4 Overview of the Shift in Paradigm Governing Income Support Systems for People of Working Age 185 Table 6.5 Overview of the Shift in Paradigm Governing Activist Measures 195 Table 7.1 Monitoring Progress Towards the Development Welfare State 227 List of Figures Figure 2.1 Total Tax As Percentage Of GDP, 1965- 1997 13 Figure 2.2 The ‘Golden
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Impact of Cattle Access to Watercourses
    Report No. 260 Impact of Cattle Access to Watercourses: Literature Review on Behalf of the COSAINT Project Authors: Paul O’Callaghan, Mary Kelly-Quinn, Eleanor Jennings, Patricia Antunes, Matt O’Sullivan, Owen Fenton and Daire Ó hUallacháin www.epa.ie ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Monitoring, Analysing and Reporting on the The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for Environment protecting and improving the environment as a valuable asset • Monitoring air quality and implementing the EU Clean Air for for the people of Ireland. We are committed to protecting people Europe (CAFÉ) Directive. and the environment from the harmful effects of radiation and • Independent reporting to inform decision making by national pollution. and local government (e.g. periodic reporting on the State of Ireland’s Environment and Indicator Reports). The work of the EPA can be divided into three main areas: Regulating Ireland’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions • Preparing Ireland’s greenhouse gas inventories and projections. Regulation: We implement effective regulation and environmental • Implementing the Emissions Trading Directive, for over 100 of compliance systems to deliver good environmental outcomes and the largest producers of carbon dioxide in Ireland. target those who don’t comply. Knowledge: We provide high quality, targeted and timely Environmental Research and Development environmental data, information and assessment to inform • Funding environmental research to identify pressures, inform decision making at all levels. policy and provide solutions in the areas of climate, water and sustainability. Advocacy: We work with others to advocate for a clean, productive and well protected environment and for sustainable Strategic Environmental Assessment environmental behaviour. • Assessing the impact of proposed plans and programmes on the Irish environment (e.g.
    [Show full text]
  • IRELAND New Developments, Trends and In-Depth Information on Selected Issues
    2006 NATIONAL REPORT (2005 Data) TO THE EMCDDA by the Reitox National Focal Point IRELAND New Developments, Trends and in-depth information on selected issues REITOX ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This report is very much the result of collaborative work within and outside the Drug Misuse Research Division. We would like to thank very sincerely those people working in the drugs area who gave generously of their time to inform us about recent developments in their areas of work. It is not possible to name all these people but the agencies with which they are affiliated are acknowledged as follows: An Garda Síochána Central Treatment List Coroner Service Customs Drug Law Enforcement of the Revenue Commissioners Department of Health and Children Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform Department of Social and Family Affairs Department of Education and Science Garda National Drugs Unit Forensic Science Laboratory Health Service Executive Health Protection Surveillance Centre Addiction service managers, drug treatment facilities and general practitioners General Mortality Register Voluntary and community groups and academic researchers. We would specially like to thank the following: Mr Eddie Arthurs, Dr Joe Barry, Mr Mel Bay, Ms Deirdre Begley, Ms Carmel Brien, Ms Joan Byrne, Ms Caroline Comar, Mr Michael Conroy, Ms Caroline Corr, Dr Des Corrigan, Mr Niall Cullen, Ms Aoife Davey, Ms Aileen Dooley, Ms Cepta Dowling, Dr Brian Farrell, Ms Mary Johnston, Ms Kerry Lawless, Mr Joseph Keating, Dr Eamon
    [Show full text]
  • An Examination of the Potential Costs of Universal Health Insurance in Ireland
    An Examination of the Potential Costs of Universal Health Insurance in Ireland Maev-Ann Wren, Sheelah Connolly, Nathan Cunningham RESEARCH SERIES NUMBER 45 Report prepared for the Department of Health by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) September 2015 Available to download from www.esri.ie © Economic and Social Research Institute and the Minister for Health, September 2015 ISBN 978-0-7070-0392-4 The ESRI The Economic Research Institute was founded in Dublin in 1960, with the assistance of a grant from the Ford Foundation of New York. In 1966 the remit of the Institute was expanded to include social research, resulting in the Institute being renamed the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI). In 2010 the Institute entered into a strategic research alliance with Trinity College Dublin, while retaining its status as an independent research institute. The ESRI is governed by an independent Council which acts as the board of the Institute with responsibility for guaranteeing its independence and integrity. The Institute’s research strategy is determined by the Council in association with the Director and staff. The research agenda seeks to contribute to three overarching and interconnected goals, namely, economic growth, social progress and environmental sustainability. The Institute’s research is disseminated through international and national peer reviewed journals and books, in reports and books published directly by the Institute itself and in the Institute’s working paper series. Researchers are responsible for the accuracy of their research. All ESRI books and reports are peer reviewed and these publications and the ESRI’s working papers can be downloaded from the ESRI website at www.esri.ie The Institute’s research is funded from a variety of sources including: an annual grant-in-aid from the Irish Government; competitive research grants (both Irish and international); support for agreed programmes from government departments/agencies and commissioned research projects from public sector bodies.
    [Show full text]
  • European Congress, Dublin Different Paths to Success? The
    A Service of Leibniz-Informationszentrum econstor Wirtschaft Leibniz Information Centre Make Your Publications Visible. zbw for Economics Roper, Stephen; Frenkel, Amnon Conference Paper Different Paths to Success: The Growth of the Electronics Sector in Ireland and Israel 39th Congress of the European Regional Science Association: "Regional Cohesion and Competitiveness in 21st Century Europe", August 23 - 27, 1999, Dublin, Ireland Provided in Cooperation with: European Regional Science Association (ERSA) Suggested Citation: Roper, Stephen; Frenkel, Amnon (1999) : Different Paths to Success: The Growth of the Electronics Sector in Ireland and Israel, 39th Congress of the European Regional Science Association: "Regional Cohesion and Competitiveness in 21st Century Europe", August 23 - 27, 1999, Dublin, Ireland, European Regional Science Association (ERSA), Louvain-la- Neuve This Version is available at: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/114376 Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen: Terms of use: Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Documents in EconStor may be saved and copied for your Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden. personal and scholarly purposes. Sie dürfen die Dokumente nicht für öffentliche oder kommerzielle You are not to copy documents for public or commercial Zwecke vervielfältigen, öffentlich ausstellen, öffentlich zugänglich purposes, to exhibit the documents publicly, to make them machen, vertreiben oder anderweitig nutzen. publicly available on the internet, or to distribute or otherwise use the documents in public. Sofern die Verfasser die Dokumente unter Open-Content-Lizenzen (insbesondere CC-Lizenzen) zur Verfügung gestellt haben sollten, If the documents have been made available under an Open gelten abweichend von diesen Nutzungsbedingungen die in der dort Content Licence (especially Creative Commons Licences), you genannten Lizenz gewährten Nutzungsrechte.
    [Show full text]
  • CONTENTS Public Health Report
    Public health report / Midland Health Board Item Type Report Authors Midland Health Board (MHB) Rights MHB Download date 30/09/2021 13:01:31 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10147/42893 Find this and similar works at - http://www.lenus.ie/hse Public Health Report CONTENTS Preface to the Public Health Report 2 Glossary of terms 4 Chapter 1 - Demography 5 Chapter 2 - Population Health 11 Chapter 3- Cancer 16 Chapter 4 - Smoking 22 Chapter 5 - Heart Health 26 Chapter 6 - Injuries and Poisonings 31 Chapter 7 - Mental Health 34 Chapter 8 - Infectious disease 39 Appendix 48 1 Public Health Report PREFACE TO THE PUBLIC HEALTH REPORT This report documents the Health Status of people living in the Midland Health Board area, in terms of internationally accepted health indicators. With the exception of a peri-natal mortality rate which is higher than average for the country as a whole, there are no significant differences in health status between those living in the Midlands and those living elsewhere in Ireland. Health Status is now at an all time high in this country with average life expectancy for birth at 74 for men and 79 for women. All the indications are that the health of the population will continue to improve in the foreseeable future. However, we have unacceptably high rates of premature death from cardiovascular disease, cancer and injury. While death rates from heart disease have been falling steadily in this country for the last few decades, the twin epidemics of diabetes and obesity have the potential to slow-up and perhaps even reverse this favourable trend in the future.
    [Show full text]
  • Suicide in Ireland 2003-2008
    SUICIDE IN IRELAND 2003-2008 Kevin M. Malone MD, FRCPI, FRCPsych Foreword uicide is the leading cause of undertaken by Prof Kevin Malone and his team at of a high quality throughout the land to afford best death for young men in Ireland. UCD. This is the most comprehensive programme of suicide intervention and prevention efforts. Training Whilst we have made great research to date into suicide in Ireland, which includes and sustained support at all levels will be required to strides in research into such a systematic tracing of suicide around Ireland, assisted ensure that this goal is reached. Effective and sensitive conditions as diabetes, heart by the testimony of suicide bereaved families. It has a communication is essential by all statutory agencies disease and cancer - research particular focus on suicide in Youths and Young Adults, with bereaved families in both the immediate aftermath into suicide in Ireland is scarce. where the bulge in Irish suicide statistics is observed. of a suicide death, and also in the longer term. Without knowledge, it is The research results are both enlightening and This includes all 1st responders, coroners and impossible to make progress challenging for our understanding of suicide in Irish healthcare professionals. The proposal for a “confidential and suicide persists unabated in society at many levels, and we - Society and Government inquiry” approach could bring about a positive change to the Irish knowledge gap. 3Ts (Turn The Tide of Suicide) is - must sit up and take notice. We must understand more the prevailing defensive healthcare position which needs a registered charity founded in 2003 to raise awareness about our “teens in trouble” and we must ensure that to change.
    [Show full text]
  • Groundwater in the Celtic Regions
    Downloaded from http://sp.lyellcollection.org/ by guest on September 30, 2021 Groundwater in the Celtic regions N. S. ROBINS 1 & B. D. R. MISSTEAR 2 1British Geological Survey, Maclean Building, Wallingford, Oxjordshire OXIO 8BB, UK 2 Department of Civil, Structural & Environmental Engineering, University of Dublin, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland Abstract: The Celtic regions of Britain and Ireland have a complex and diverse geology which supports a range of regionally and locally important bedrock aquifers and uncon- solidated Quaternary aquifers. In bedrock, aquifer units are often small and groundwater flow paths short and largely reliant on fracture flow. Groundwater has fulfilled an important social role throughout history, and is now enjoying renewed interest. Groundwater quality is generally favourable and suitable for drinking with minimal treatment. However, many wells are vulnerable to microbiological and chemical pollutants from point sources such as farmyards and septic tank systems, and nitrate concentrations from diffuse agricultural sources are causing concern in certain areas. Contamination by rising minewaters in abandoned coalfields and in the vicinity of abandoned metal mines is also a problem in some of the Celtic lands. At the close of the Hallstatt period the Celts soils. Land use includes grassland characteristic occupied much of central and western Europe, of much of lowland Ireland, upland pastoral and Britain and Ireland were home to the Gaels, farming typical of much of central Wales and the Picts and the Britons. Nowadays, the land of arable cultivation in eastern Scotland. Forestry the Britons is divided between England and is also extensive. Many lowland coastal areas Wales, and the Celtic regions are considered support the highest population density as well as principally as Wales, south-west England (the traditional heavy industry, manufacturing and Cornish peninsula), Northumbria, Scotland and service industry, and mining has left its impact Ireland.
    [Show full text]
  • HRB Overview Series
    Social consequences of harmful use of alcohol in Ireland. Item Type Report Authors Mongan, Deirdre;Hope, Ann Publisher Health Research Board Download date 30/09/2021 22:24:04 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10147/86973 Find this and similar works at - http://www.lenus.ie/hse HRB Overview Series Social consequences of harmful use of alcohol in Ireland 9 Improving people’s health through research and information HRB Overview Series Social consequences of harmful use of alcohol in Ireland Deirdre Mongan, Ann Hope and9 Mairea Nelson Health Research Board This work may be cited as follows: Mongan D, Hope A and Nelson M (2009) Social consequences of harmful use of alcohol in Ireland. HRB Overview Series 9. Dublin: Health Research Board. Published by: Health Research Board, Dublin © Health Research Board 2009 ISSN 2009-0161 Copies of this publication can be obtained from: Administrative Assistant Alcohol and Drug Research Unit Health Research Board Knockmaun House 42–47 Lower Mount Street Dublin 2 t (01) 2354 127 f (01) 6618 567 e [email protected] An electronic copy is available at: www.hrb.ie/ndc Copies are retained in: National Documentation Centre on Drug Use Health Research Board Knockmaun House 42–47 Lower Mount Street Dublin 2, Ireland t (01) 2345 175 e [email protected] About the HRB The Health Research Board (HRB) is the lead agency supporting and funding health research in Ireland. We also have a core role in maintaining health information systems and conducting research linked to national health priorities. Our aim is to improve people’s health, build health research capacity, underpin developments in service delivery and make a significant contribution to Ireland’s knowledge economy.
    [Show full text]
  • The Ageing Workforce in Ireland: Working Conditions, Health and Extending Working Lives
    A Service of Leibniz-Informationszentrum econstor Wirtschaft Leibniz Information Centre Make Your Publications Visible. zbw for Economics Privalko, Ivan; Russell, Helen; Maître, Bertrand Research Report The ageing workforce in Ireland: Working conditions, health and extending working lives Research Series, No. 92 Provided in Cooperation with: The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), Dublin Suggested Citation: Privalko, Ivan; Russell, Helen; Maître, Bertrand (2019) : The ageing workforce in Ireland: Working conditions, health and extending working lives, Research Series, No. 92, ISBN 978-0-7070-0504-1, The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), Dublin, http://dx.doi.org/10.26504/rs92.pdf This Version is available at: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/230302 Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen: Terms of use: Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Documents in EconStor may be saved and copied for your Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden. personal and scholarly purposes. Sie dürfen die Dokumente nicht für öffentliche oder kommerzielle You are not to copy documents for public or commercial Zwecke vervielfältigen, öffentlich ausstellen, öffentlich zugänglich purposes, to exhibit the documents publicly, to make them machen, vertreiben oder anderweitig nutzen. publicly available on the internet, or to distribute or otherwise use the documents in public. Sofern die Verfasser die Dokumente unter Open-Content-Lizenzen (insbesondere CC-Lizenzen) zur Verfügung gestellt haben sollten, If the documents
    [Show full text]
  • Groundwater in the Celtic Regions
    Downloaded from http://sp.lyellcollection.org/ by guest on September 27, 2021 Groundwater in the Celtic regions N. S. ROBINS 1 & B. D. R. MISSTEAR 2 1British Geological Survey, Maclean Building, Wallingford, Oxjordshire OXIO 8BB, UK 2 Department of Civil, Structural & Environmental Engineering, University of Dublin, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland Abstract: The Celtic regions of Britain and Ireland have a complex and diverse geology which supports a range of regionally and locally important bedrock aquifers and uncon- solidated Quaternary aquifers. In bedrock, aquifer units are often small and groundwater flow paths short and largely reliant on fracture flow. Groundwater has fulfilled an important social role throughout history, and is now enjoying renewed interest. Groundwater quality is generally favourable and suitable for drinking with minimal treatment. However, many wells are vulnerable to microbiological and chemical pollutants from point sources such as farmyards and septic tank systems, and nitrate concentrations from diffuse agricultural sources are causing concern in certain areas. Contamination by rising minewaters in abandoned coalfields and in the vicinity of abandoned metal mines is also a problem in some of the Celtic lands. At the close of the Hallstatt period the Celts soils. Land use includes grassland characteristic occupied much of central and western Europe, of much of lowland Ireland, upland pastoral and Britain and Ireland were home to the Gaels, farming typical of much of central Wales and the Picts and the Britons. Nowadays, the land of arable cultivation in eastern Scotland. Forestry the Britons is divided between England and is also extensive. Many lowland coastal areas Wales, and the Celtic regions are considered support the highest population density as well as principally as Wales, south-west England (the traditional heavy industry, manufacturing and Cornish peninsula), Northumbria, Scotland and service industry, and mining has left its impact Ireland.
    [Show full text]
  • Essays on the Irish Labour Market
    Essays on the Irish Labour Market Nóirín McCarthy Thesis submitted to the University of Sheffield for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy May 2016 Abstract The objective of this thesis is to explore issues in the Irish labour market from both the enterprise and employee perspective over the period 2005-2013. We draw on literature from the areas of job flows, displacement and monopsony. Our analysis is primarily based on the unique P35 linked employer-employee dataset, containing almost two million employee observations annually. We also link this dataset to the Census of Industrial Production survey in Chapter 3.1 The first chapter introduces the thesis by detailing its main goals, the importance of this work, as well as summarizing the following chapters. In Chapter 2, we provide an overview of the Irish labour market. Evidence suggests the economy experienced a significant increase in unemployment during the period. We also explore aspects of the resulting policy response. We investigate job flows in the labour market in Chapter 3. Results indicate that job destruction increased significantly between 2006 and 2010 while job creation declined. When examining the impact of changing export intensity on job creation and destruction, our results suggest a small effect. In Chapter 4, we estimate the earnings losses of displaced workers. We focus on two displacement events; mass-layoff and closure. Results indicate that workers who experience a mass-layoff incur greater losses relative to those displaced following a closure, as do those who switch to a new sector to secure re-employment following displacement. 1 Both sources are available from the Central Statistics Office, Ireland.
    [Show full text]
  • Children's Rights and the Family
    United Nations UNESCO Chair in Education for Pluralism, Educational, Scientific and Human Rights and Democracy Cultural Organization UNESCO Chair in Children, Youth and Civic Engagement children’s rights and the family. A Commentary on the Proposed Constitutional Referendum on Children’s Rights in Ireland. 2 the children and youth programme. The Children and Youth Programme (CYP) retain academic independence; and to ensure the is an independent, academic collaboration voice of children and youth is present. The between the two UNESCO Chairs in Ireland objectives of the Programme are: at the University of Ulster and National University of Ireland, Galway. Using a 1. to focus on a topical issue considered to affect the well-being of children and youth; p multidisciplinary framework the Programme will draw upon the knowledge and expertise 2. to examine the impact of selected policy and of researchers from a wide range of practice interventions on human rights and disciplines on issues affecting children well-being; and youth. 3. to gain an understanding of the processes of This Commentary is part of a series of implementation; outputs and reports addressing the well-being of children and youth in Ireland and Northern 4. to share learning that will enable duty holders Ireland. It corresponds with three key to better meet their commitments to children’s UNESCO aims: to strengthen awareness rights and improved well-being; of human rights; to act as a catalyst for 5. to share learning that will enable rights regional and national action in human rights; holders to claim their rights. and to foster co-operation with a range of stakeholders and networks working with, or The Children and Youth Programme will work with on behalf of, children and youth.
    [Show full text]