The Irish Emigrant - Mar 11: Tallaght Hospital shortcomings worsen

The media, RTÉ in particular, seems to have expended all its indignation on the failure of Tallaght Hospital to have a consultant radiologist review all X-rays. A lower key approach is being adopted to the report that up to 30,000 referral letters from GPs were never opened when they reached the hospital.

Professor Tom O'Dowd, a general practitioner in Tallaght and public health specialist at Trinity College Dublin, told RTÉ the he had written to hospital chairman Lyndon MacCann last April informing him of 30,000 unopened GP referral letters over a two year period and also referring to the X-ray problem. He did not receive a reply but Mr McCann says that although the letter was stamped as received by the office of the hospital CEO on April 27, 2009 it only reached him yesterday.

Tallaght Hospital has now issued a statement saying that there are no unopened GP referral letters at the hospital.

Extension of detention for seven in Waterford

Five of the seven people taken in for questioning in Waterford and Cork over an alleged plot to kill a Swedish cartoonist have had their periods of detention extended after a special sitting of Waterford District Court last night. This morning gardaí will apply in court for extensions for the remaining two, a Croatian man and an American woman. The seven can be held for a further 72 hours from this morning.

New financial regulator to outline plans

New head of financial regulation Matthew Elderfield, formerly chief executive of the Bermuda Monetary Authority, will today outline his plans for increased supervision of banks. Among proposals will be larger teams of supervisors for the banks, an increased scrutiny of lending to big customers and guidelines of salaries paid to senior bank staff. . He is expected to take on 150 additional staff to carry out his reforms.

Fire in Sligo ‘head shop'

Sligo Fire Brigade last night fought a fire at a ‘head shop' on Sligo's Connolly Street which destroyed the building. This was the second attack on this type of shop yesterday; in Athlone two viable explosive devices were discovered outside ‘head shops' at Mardyke and Sean Costello Street. No one was injured in any of the incidents. Last month two shops in central Dublin were also damaged in a fire.

Aer Lingus cabin crew to lose jobs

Following rejection by Aer Lingus cabin crew of the conditions of the €97m cost-cutting proposals, all 1,200 are to be made redundant next month and around three-quarters will then be offered new contracts with changed work practices and lower salaries. The cabin crew workforce is to be cut by some 230 members.

Redundant cabin crew are to be offered the statutory redundancy of two weeks per year of service, while the 440 who are leaving under a voluntary redundancy scheme will receive six weeks pay per year of service.

Third time lucky for new ferry service

The Fastnet Line, the new ferry service between Cork and Swansea, comes into service today after two false starts. Originally scheduled for March 1, the service had to be postponed for a week due to technical problems. A second date also passed while certification and safety checks were completed by the International Safety Management Code but the vessel, Julia, arrived into Cork this morning and will take its first passengers on board this evening for tonight's sailing.

Thursday's Papers

The three Southern papers remain focused on the developing story of Tallaght Hospital. The Irish Times has "Pressure mounts on Tallaght board over X-rays debacle"; the Irish Examiner leads with "Call for Tallaght hospital chairman to consider his position"; and the Irish Independent goes with "Managers ignored warnings over X-rays".

The Irish News lead story reports on the remarks of a case against a man who removed a loyalist flag from a lamp post last July. The headline reads "Commend man who removed flag: judge".