I've never seen such frustration at the doors before. People are angry at the 'Do nothing' Stormont parties not delivering. The delivery of housing, health & education is falling apart under the SF/DUP coalition. There is an #Alternative# #Aontú#

I've never seen such frustration at the doors before. People are angry at the 'Do nothing' Stormont parties not delivering. The delivery of housing, health & education is falling apart under the SF/DUP coalition. There is an #Alternative# #Aontú#

VBT at @CHI_Ireland is a clear example of why governance and oversight in children’s spinal surgery matter. • Vertebral Body Tethering (VBT) is a non-fusion scoliosis surgery using screws and a flexible tether to correct the spine while preserving growth and movement. • CHI itself described VBT as an “experimental technology”. • CHI identified no research papers relating to VBT conducted at CHI. • At least 10 VBT procedures were performed. • VBT surgery was facilitated through Straight Ahead, a @CHI_Ireland charity, raising questions about the governance and funding pathway through which an experimental procedure was provided. • VBT had not been discussed at CHI’s Ethics Committee. • There were no minutes of the weekly clinical indications meetings. • CHI held no records relating to adverse events or internal reviews of VBT outcomes. • There was no VBT-specific patient information leaflet or consent form. • There was no specific procedure code for VBT. It was coded as a spinal fusion, despite VBT specifically being a non-fusion procedure. • There was no spine register to separately track these children and their outcomes. • No records were identified of strategic planning, meeting minutes or Board-level discussions on the future use or evaluation of VBT. • In April 2025, Clinical Lead David Moore was asked Parliamentary Questions about these very issues, including regulation, coding, audit and how VBT outcomes were being tracked. He did not substantively answer them and described the questions as “sudden and ambiguous”. • These issues do not appear to have been identified or examined in the published @HIQA report into paediatric spinal surgery. We now also know that uncertified spinal springs were implanted in children at CHI. These are not unrelated governance questions. They show why proper medical-device oversight, coding, registers, documentation, audit and independent scrutiny matter. When those safeguards are missing or inadequate, how do you know what is happening to children? 🚩 And how did the HIQA report not identify this? @CarrollJennifer @AnneOConnorIRL @npsoIRL @CHI_Ireland

Figures compiled by the Department in response to parliamentary questions to Deputy Peadar Tóibín show almost €1.3 billion in public funding was provided to NGOs between 2020 and 2024. The recipents were also listed.

Why is the government telling parents how to live? Raising children in the home is a noble choice that some parents make. The recent referendums reflected this. The government should worry about real issues like building homes for families.

Irish government expenditure has basically doubled in the last 10-12 years. But has anything it delivers doubled in quality? Speed of delivery or any other meaningful metric? If you believe 'yes' then comment, if not retweet and see if anybody else knows.

What are the government doing with your money? State pays Deloitte Ireland €10.45m in consultancy fees to assist with the response to the International Protection (IP) accommodation crisis.

Irish people voted 74% to keep mothers in the constitution. There are diverse ways that motherhood is now practiced. Most juggle it with work. Some go all in. Why is one way a problem to be solved? @NormaFoleyTD1 @FineGael

Our Dungiven office is open and already busy, just the way we like it! This week we’ve helped with many issues as mentioned. Whatever you’re facing, you’re not on your own. Drop in, message, or call — we’re here to help. #ofthepeopleforthepeople# #Aontú#

In response to a Parliamentary Question from Aontú, the Minister for Justice, confirmed that international protection applicants currently make no financial contribution towards the cost of their accommodation

Revenue said it had recovered the payments where individuals were found not to qualify for the scheme. It did not specify the reasons, according to the Independent. Some applicants fail to declare they already own property, including homes overseas.