Education Minister,
John O’Dowd, has officially opened Gaelcholáiste Dhoire, Dungiven, the North’s
second post primary Irish Medium school.
Speaking at the
event, the Minister said: “I am delighted to be here to officially open
Gaelcholáiste Dhoire. The Irish language is an integral part of our rich and
shared heritage and I take great pride in being part of a sector that continues
to grow and thrive educationally, socially and economically.”
Continuing the
Minister said: “I have no doubt about the benefits that Irish medium
education offers our children and I am committed to protecting, enhancing and
promoting our language and cultural heritage for future generations.
“I always enjoy
visiting schools and meeting with the staff, parents and pupils and I want to
take this opportunity to congratulate all those who have worked hard over the
last number of years to establish this college. Strong community connections
play an integral part in creating any school environment and it is through your
determination and dedication that more children of the Derry area can explore
and learn through the medium of Irish language.”
In conclusion the
Minister commended Principal Diarmaid Ua Bruadair, the governors led by
Niall O’Kane and everyone connected with the school for their hard-work and
determination in delivering a school which will benefit everyone in the Derry
area.
Principal Diarmaid Ua
Bruadair said: "The courageous decision that Minister O'Dowd took to
approve the development proposal for Gaelcholáiste Dhoire has meant that
children in Irish Medium schools in Derry and Tyrone can now progress to a
post-primary provision tailored to their needs. Our young people have
flourished in Gaelcholáiste Dhoire and with enrolment figures more than
doubling for September 2016 it is clear that the minister's confidence has been
well placed and that there is a huge demand for IM education in the area.
“Ó dhearcáin bheaga a
fhásann an Dáir! From small acorns grows the mighty Oak! The Irish
Language, Gaelic games and culture is in the DNA of County Derry so it is
indeed a proud day when the Oak County celebrates the opening of its very own
Gaelcholáiste."
Thursday, 10 March 2016
Sunday, 6 March 2016
Another £30m for tackling waiting lists – Hamilton
Health Minister Simon
Hamilton today announced a further £30m of additional funding to go directly
towards tackling waiting lists.
This follows on from the investment of £40m at the end of 2015 and an extra £2m recently announced to assist autism waits. Mr Hamilton has also revealed that provisional waiting list times for February 2016 show that the number of people waiting for inpatient and outpatient appointments is falling.
The Minister said: “It is unacceptable that people are waiting too long, and dealing with these waiting lists is one of my key priorities.
“That is why for the early part of 2016/17 I am allocating a further £30m to continue tackling waiting lists. This additional funding will support up to 25,000 additional assessments and some 12,000 additional treatments across a wide range of specialities including orthopaedics, gastroenterology, neurology and ENT.
“Importantly it will see a £10m investment in diagnostic services, building capacity to support up to 50,000 additional tests to help meet increasing demands as well as supporting seven day services.
“Our Trusts already provide 600,000 inpatient and day case admissions, and 1.5 million consultant-led outpatient attendances each year. But it is clear that it will take time and significant non recurrent and recurrent investment to bring waiting lists back to an acceptable level whilst simultaneously increasing capacity to meet increasing demand. My commitment today to an additional £30m is an important step to ensuring continued progress.
“This further £30m follows the Executive’s earlier allocation of £40m. The combined £70m will ensure in the region of 150,000 extra assessments, tests and procedures. Also many children awaiting assessment for autism will benefit from the £2m I recently allocated for this specific area.
“Provisional figures for February 2016 show that those waiting more than 18 weeks for an outpatient appointment have fallen by 6% and those waiting longer than 26 weeks for an inpatient day case has fallen by 13%. It is clear that the investments we are directing towards waiting lists are making a difference. Slowly but surely we are getting to grips with waiting lists.”
Notes to editors:
Media queries to DHSSPS Press Office on 028 9052 0074, or out of office hours contact the Duty Press Officer via pager number 076 9971 5540 and your call will be returned.
This follows on from the investment of £40m at the end of 2015 and an extra £2m recently announced to assist autism waits. Mr Hamilton has also revealed that provisional waiting list times for February 2016 show that the number of people waiting for inpatient and outpatient appointments is falling.
The Minister said: “It is unacceptable that people are waiting too long, and dealing with these waiting lists is one of my key priorities.
“That is why for the early part of 2016/17 I am allocating a further £30m to continue tackling waiting lists. This additional funding will support up to 25,000 additional assessments and some 12,000 additional treatments across a wide range of specialities including orthopaedics, gastroenterology, neurology and ENT.
“Importantly it will see a £10m investment in diagnostic services, building capacity to support up to 50,000 additional tests to help meet increasing demands as well as supporting seven day services.
“Our Trusts already provide 600,000 inpatient and day case admissions, and 1.5 million consultant-led outpatient attendances each year. But it is clear that it will take time and significant non recurrent and recurrent investment to bring waiting lists back to an acceptable level whilst simultaneously increasing capacity to meet increasing demand. My commitment today to an additional £30m is an important step to ensuring continued progress.
“This further £30m follows the Executive’s earlier allocation of £40m. The combined £70m will ensure in the region of 150,000 extra assessments, tests and procedures. Also many children awaiting assessment for autism will benefit from the £2m I recently allocated for this specific area.
“Provisional figures for February 2016 show that those waiting more than 18 weeks for an outpatient appointment have fallen by 6% and those waiting longer than 26 weeks for an inpatient day case has fallen by 13%. It is clear that the investments we are directing towards waiting lists are making a difference. Slowly but surely we are getting to grips with waiting lists.”
Notes to editors:
Media queries to DHSSPS Press Office on 028 9052 0074, or out of office hours contact the Duty Press Officer via pager number 076 9971 5540 and your call will be returned.
Thursday, 18 February 2016
O’Neill listens to residents’ concerns on proposed gold processing plant in Co.Tyrone
Agriculture Minister Michelle O’Neill today met with the community of Greencastle Co.Tyrone to listen to their concerns about a planned gold processing plant in the area.
Minister O’Neill visited the area at the request of residents and local representatives to discuss how plans by Canadian mining company Dalradian Gold Ltd may impact on local agriculture and environment.
Minister O’Neill said: “The community of Greencastle have been raising their concerns about plans by Dalradian Gold with my party colleague Declan McAleer MLA and I am pleased to have met with residents today to discuss those concerns further.
“Dalradian Gold began underground exploration for gold in County Tyrone in 2014 and has now outlined their intention to locate a mine and processing plant within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty just outside Greencastle.
“The Company has confirmed that it intends to use cyanide at its processing plant to separate the gold from ore. As Minister of Agriculture I share the concerns of local residents regarding the potential negative impact that this process will have on farmers, rural dwellers and our environment."
Sunday, 14 February 2016
Hamilton announces £2m investment in autism services
Health Minister Simon Hamilton has announced that he would be investing an additional £2m per year in Autism Services to tackle waiting lists and improve access to support services.
“Since 2010 the number of referrals for autism assessments has nearly doubled from 1,500 to 2,800 at the end of last year. Despite the hard work of many dedicated professionals, we are struggling to match pace with demand. Many children and young people are waiting more than thirteen weeks for an assessment. This is not acceptable and I am determined to get these waiting lists down.
“That is why I am today announcing increased investment of an additional £2m for Autism services across Northern Ireland. This money will fund much needed new capacity to ensure there is quicker access to diagnostic services and that, crucially, there is more support for young people and their families.”
“This new money will fund expanded teams in each Trust to improve assessment times, including clinical staff specifically trained in assessing Autism. In addition, these resources will be used to expand Autism specific support services, and improve access to wider services such as: Speech and Language Therapy, Community Paediatrics and Occupational Therapy.
“In tandem, I will continue to work with the Board and the Trusts to improve our processes and remodel our services to further drive down waiting lists and improve access to high quality services."
Notes to Editors:
1. Demand for autism assessments currently substantially outstrips capacity to provide diagnostic services. This £2m of new recurrent funding will be invested in Autism diagnostic and post diagnostic services from April 2016.
2. The new funding will be used to increase the capacity of the teams assessing young people in each of the Trusts; this will include recruiting clinical staff specially training in assessing Autism.
3. In addition, teams supporting young people with a diagnosis of Autism will be enhanced; this increased support will ensure improved access to wider support services including: Community Paediatrics, Speech and Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Psychology, CAMHS, Social Services or Educational Psychology.
4. Further to increased investment, work is also underway to improve processes and remodel services, this includes:
“Since 2010 the number of referrals for autism assessments has nearly doubled from 1,500 to 2,800 at the end of last year. Despite the hard work of many dedicated professionals, we are struggling to match pace with demand. Many children and young people are waiting more than thirteen weeks for an assessment. This is not acceptable and I am determined to get these waiting lists down.
“That is why I am today announcing increased investment of an additional £2m for Autism services across Northern Ireland. This money will fund much needed new capacity to ensure there is quicker access to diagnostic services and that, crucially, there is more support for young people and their families.”
“This new money will fund expanded teams in each Trust to improve assessment times, including clinical staff specifically trained in assessing Autism. In addition, these resources will be used to expand Autism specific support services, and improve access to wider services such as: Speech and Language Therapy, Community Paediatrics and Occupational Therapy.
“In tandem, I will continue to work with the Board and the Trusts to improve our processes and remodel our services to further drive down waiting lists and improve access to high quality services."
Notes to Editors:
1. Demand for autism assessments currently substantially outstrips capacity to provide diagnostic services. This £2m of new recurrent funding will be invested in Autism diagnostic and post diagnostic services from April 2016.
2. The new funding will be used to increase the capacity of the teams assessing young people in each of the Trusts; this will include recruiting clinical staff specially training in assessing Autism.
3. In addition, teams supporting young people with a diagnosis of Autism will be enhanced; this increased support will ensure improved access to wider support services including: Community Paediatrics, Speech and Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Psychology, CAMHS, Social Services or Educational Psychology.
4. Further to increased investment, work is also underway to improve processes and remodel services, this includes:
- undertaking a peer led review of referral trends, assessment and diagnostic pathways
- working with Autism clinicians to remodel assessment processes with a view to identifying new methods of assessment that maximises clinical time, but still delivers a high quality diagnosis; and
- exploring opportunities to realign clinical capacity across child development and young people’s mental health service through the development of an integrated care pathway between Child Development Clinics, Autism and CAMHS.
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