Monkeypox case identified in Northern Ireland
The first case of monkeypox on the island of Ireland has been detected.
It is in Northern Ireland, according to the Press Association with a briefing of the North's health officials expected later.
A number of countries in Europe have reported cases, while Wales announced its first case this morning.
The virus causes mild-flu like symptoms and a chicken-pox like rash.
Monkeypox 'inevitable' in Republic
The Tánaiste has said it is “inevitable” that monkeypox will be detected in the Republic.
Leo Varadkar was speaking after health officials in Northern Ireland confirmed on Thursday that a case of monkeypox has been identified in the region.
The Tánaiste said: “We’re not aware of any cases in the Republic of Ireland as of yet but it’s almost inevitable – in fact, it is inevitable – that there will be cases in the Republic of Ireland.”
He said the HSE has set up a group to monitor the situation.
Average emergency department waiting time of 14 hours for over-75s
The Health Minister has admitted emergency department waiting times of up to 14 hours for over-75s are unacceptable.
It comes after a parliamentary question to Sinn Féin's David Cullinane revealed people over 75 are waiting on average almost 14 hours for emergency department admission.
The average wait was 28.8 hours in Cork University Hospital and 26.8 in Cork's Mercy Hospital.
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said the Department of Health is working to alleviate wait times by taking action including enhanced primary care services.
Number of employed people rises to highest on record
The number of people in employment in Ireland has jumped to more than 2.5 million – the highest on record.
There are now 2,505,800 people aged 15 to 89 in employment, an increase of 12.3 per cent.
The unadjusted employment rate for people aged 15 to 64 is 72.8 per cent, according to new figures released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) as it issued results from the Labour Force Survey for the first quarter of the year.
Employment increased across most economic sectors, with the largest rise in the accommodation and food service industry at 62.2 per cent.
More than half of households that rent receive State supports
More than half of households that rent are in receipt of State supports, new research by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ERSI) has found.
In 2020, there were 293,673 households receiving supports for renting, up from 134,973 in 1994.
The difference between figures from 2020 and 1994 was attributed to "a shift away from the direct provision of support – through local authority and approved housing body owned accommodation".
Over the last number of decades there has been a move towards "indirect subsidisation of housing costs in the private rental sector", with the introduction of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP), Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) and Rent Supplement (RS).
State supports are being availed of by one-in-three renters at present, compared to one-in-five in the early 1990s.
