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newsexaminer                                                                                     3




              Housing Minister                                                                                                   Almost   50,000
         Eoghan Murphy says a        Mitchell Urges Northern                                                               counterfeit cigarettes have  IRISH
         new complex for home-                                                                                             been seized in the past
         less people in Dublin is                                                                                          week.
         an example of how his       Leaders To Deal With                                                                     It follows searches in  EXAMINER
         department    can   take                                                                                          Cavan and Dublin.
         action against climate      Problems In ‘A Realistic                                                                 Following the search of a
         change.                                                                                                           home in Cavan on Tuesday   |
           It comes after Ireland                                                                                          evening, Revenue officers  May
         declared a climate emer-    Fashion’
         gency, becoming just the                                                                                          unstamped cigarettes.
         second country in the
                                                                                                                           seized just over 41,000 15th,
         world to do so.                                                                                                   NZ, West, and Pall Mall
           Focus Ireland has ren-                                                                                          have a retail value of
                                                                                                                              The cigarettes branded 2019
         ovated a previous home-                                                                                           €26,000.
         less hostel into a 31 unit                                                                                           The detection was made
         development for over 70                                                                                           with the help of Revenue
         individuals and families.                                                                                         detector dog Bill.
           They were handed the                                                                                               Meanwhile,    Revenue
         keys to their new homes                                                                                           officers at Dublin Port
         at John’s Lane West in                                                                                            seized cigarettes and alco-
         the city center on Friday.                                                                                        hol worth almost €10,000
           Those moving in will                                                                                            during a routine search last
         also be given additional                                                                                          Friday of a vehicle which
         support to make sure they                                                                                         came from Romania via
         can live as independently                                                                                         Holyhead.
         as possible.                                                                                                         An additional 165 liters
           Focus Ireland says that                                                                                         of alcohol comprising of
         it is on track to deliver                                                                                         vodka, beer and wine was
         750 homes by 2020 as                                                                                              also seized from the vehi-
         part of its five-year plan                                                                                        cle. C
           It comes as homeless           very effort should be  accepting the principle of   not have opportunity, are
         figures are higher than          made    to  avoid   a  non-violence in Northern     unable to care for their chil-  24 protected disclosures
         ever, going over 10,000     Ereturn to violence in      Ireland.                     dren, unable to get their chil-  by staff or members of the
         for the first time, includ-  Northern Ireland, former      He helped produce the     dren off to the good start in  gardaí  were  made   to
         ing almost 4,000 chil-      senator George Mitchell     1998   Belfast  Agreement,   life that they want, there lie  GSOC last year and over
         dren.                       has said.                   which    he   has   always   the ingredients for violence.  400 criminal investigations
           Minister Murphy has         The     Good      Friday  described as part of a peace   “Whether there are reli-   were opened.
         come in for criticism after  Agreement negotiator urged  process which needs constant  gious differences or not,     The garda watchdog’s
         the number hit record       Stormont’s  politicians  to  maintenance.                whether there are territorial  annual report shows almost
         highs and admits that the   address their problems in a    The veteran Democrat      disputes  or  not,  human    2,000 complaints detailing
         number is unacceptable.     realistic fashion.          said: “We have to encourage  beings need hope, they need  almost 3,000 allegations
           However, he believes        Journalist Lyra McKee, 29,  the  political  leaders  of  opportunity, they need self-  were made against officers,
         the new development has     was shot dead by dissident  Northern Ireland, in a realis-  esteem if they are to be suc-  a slight drop on the previ-
         made good use of an         republicans opposed to the  tic way, to deal with their  cessful, contributing mem-   ous year’s figures.
         existing building and out-  peace process during unrest  problems, but not to create  bers of society and happy in   Of 1,921 complaints
         lines how his department    in Derry last month.        the impression that Northern  their own lives.            received against gardaí
         will be involved in the cli-  Mr Mitchell said: “We     Ireland is unique or distinct  “That is critical here in  last year - most related to
         mate action plan.           should not ignore the fact  or alone among democratic    Northern Ireland today, just  abuse of authority, neglect
           “It’s a site within the   that significant progress has  societies in having social  as it was 21 years ago, and I  of duty, discourtesy and
         city where we’ve be able    been made in many areas,    problems and political diffi-  suspect 50 years ago and 75  allegations  of  assault,
         to   provide   31   new     most notably in the absence  culties.                    years ago.                   harassment or false impris-
         homes, but also looking     of, or a sharp reduction in,   “You cannot ignore the      “No one should lose sight  onment.
         at things like zero-ener-   political violence in recent  issues but you cannot dwell  of that fact.”                74   sanctions   were
         gy buildings, those regu-   years and we have to be con-  on them to the point where   Miss McKee died in Derry,  imposed    on   individual
         lations come into force     scious of the fact that a return  you render yourself incapable  one of the most deprived  members of the force while
         this year and next for      to violence continues as a  of dealing with the issue.   areas of the UK, which has   415 criminal investigations
         residential homes but       possibility  not  just  in     “Division over identity in  traditionally suffered from  were opened.
         also commercial homes,      Northern Ireland but in every  Northern Ireland does remain  high unemployment.          Gardaí   received  15
         and   then   looking   at   society.”                   a threat to the stability of the  A rallying call for action by  referrals where the alleged
         things like retro-fitting     He added: “We have to     institutions and addressing  a  priest  at  her  funeral  conduct of an officer result-
         existing housing stock -    take all steps, whatever is  those issues must be a clear  prompted renewed negotia-  ed in a fatality and 17 pub-
         all of those things are     necessary, to reduce the like-  commitment by all of the  tions by political leaders at  lic interest investigations
         going to be addressed in    lihood of a return to violence.  political parties and all of the  Stormont.          were opened by GSOC.
         the climate action plan       “Here it is particularly  leaders in Northern Ireland.”  The British and Irish gov-    The DPP directed that
         coming    from Minister     acute of course because there  Mr Mitchell said economic  ernments are leading a bid to  four cases be prosecuted
         Bruton and we’ve been       has been a long history of  deprivation underlay sectari-  secure a resurrection of the  while another four were
         working very closely with   political violence here.”   anism and violence.          devolved institutions, which  awaiting a decision at the
          him on that.” C              Mr Mitchell chaired nego-    He said: “Where men and   have been suspended for
                                     tiations which led to all sides  women do not have hope, do  around two and a half years. C  end of last year. C


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