A round-up of today's other home news in brief ...
State urged to save disability services
The further erosion of services for people with an intellectual disability will not be tolerated, a conference was told last night.
William Shorten, chairman of Inclusion Ireland, the national association for people with an intellectual disability, called on the Government to ensure services were protected in the forthcoming budget.
Speaking at the opening of the organisation’s annual conference in Monaghan last night, Mr Shorten outlined how services had been eroded.
He said the Disability Act 2005 incorporated the introduction of assessment of needs for children up to five years old, but though the needs were identified, in a lot of cases the resources were not available to address them.
A cut in the funding of services of up to 5 per cent had been introduced in 2009 “across the board” without analysing what the effect would be, he said.
Minister for Education Batt O’Keeffe announced in February that he was closing 128 classes for pupils with mild intellectual disabilities and this would affect 534 pupils, Mr Shorten said.
Outrage over young smugglers
Anti-tobacco groups have accused the Government of complacency over the use of children by organised crime gangs to smuggle cigarettes into Ireland.
Ash, the Irish Cancer Society and the Irish Heart Foundation said they were shocked and outraged at the investigation aired this week by RTÉ’s Prime Time, which found children as young as 14 were being used to sell illegal and counterfeit cigarettes.
Smuggled cigarettes were on sale openly in casual markets.
Chief executive of the Irish Heart Foundation Michael O’Shea said the organisation was angered by the Government’s “apparent inability” to control the smuggling of illicit tobacco products into Ireland.
Call for personal protection guns
The DUP has pressed the PSNI Chief Constable to allow former and serving officers personal protection weapons in light of the increased dissident republican threat.
A party delegation, led by First Minister Peter Robinson, met Sir Hugh Orde at PSNI headquarters yesterday to raise the issue.
“The worrying trend of refusing personal protection weapon renewals or applications for people at risk needs to be reviewed as a matter of urgency,” Mr Robinson said after the meeting.
Man’s ear bitten off during attack
A Ballymena man had his ear bitten off during what appeared to be a sectarian attack in the Co Antrim town, police said yesterday.
The 21-year-old, wearing a Rangers FC top, was walking his dog when he was targeted by two men – one of whom was wearing Celtic colours of green and white stripes.
The PSNI said the victim was assaulted. During the struggle his left ear was bitten off, said police.
Doctors managed to sew the ear back on.