Buncrana Town Council is calling on local businesses to cooperate with the setting up of a website to promote the town by providing up to date information about the services they provide.

A website to promote the town was established last year, but after a poor response to a questionnaire that was sent around businesses last year, there’s very little information on the site.

Now, a special information gathering session is taking place tomorrow night in the Inishowen Gateway Hotel at which information will be gathered and collated.

Town Engineer Donal Walker says it’s in everyone’s interests to participate, particularly as there is a budget to ensure the website is kept up to date.

Derry’s Jason Smyth created a double-dose of history at the European Championships in Barcelona on Tuesday Evening. The Irishman became the first paralympic athlete to compete in the championships and then went one better by qualifying for Wednesday evening’s semi finals of the 100 metres. Smyth looked strong finishing 4th in Heat 5 in 10.43 seconds. The City of Derry athlete who won Gold in the 100m and 200m at the 2008 Paralympics suffers from a disorder that causes significant loss of eyesight.

Jason spoke with Will Downing after his fantastic performance…
 

The HSE is denying that any staff at Letterkenny General Hospital have been told their jobs are to go.

Earier today, a number of staff members on temporary contracts contacted Highland Radio to say they had been told their jobs would go at the end of this month.

However, in a statement this afternoon, the HSE says staff have been briefed in relation to the overall budgetary situation and to what is being proposed to address the deficit. However, nothing is agreed ahead of discussions between Hospital Management and union representatives on Thursday morning.

The HSE says no temporary contracts have been terminated, but the staff on temporary contracts have been informed that a reduction in their working hours is a possibility if proposals put forward are accepted.

However, unions have already indicated they will not accept widespread cuts. Richie Carruthers of IMPACT says if necessary, they will ballot on industrial action, warning that cutting the hours of temporary contract staff will not be accepted…..

The HSE statement reads in full -

Letterkenny General Hospital is projecting a budget overspend by year end and measures are being considered that will bridge the gap. The Hospital is obliged to live within its allocated budget and at this stage it is not likely that all the savings can be made from non-pay areas. Therefore costs associated with staff pay also needs to be considered.

Staff have been briefed in relation to the overall budgetary situation and to what is being proposed to address the deficit, but nothing is agreed as yet. Hospital Management plans to meet union representatives on Thursday morning.

No temporary contracts have been terminated, but the staff on temporary contracts have been informed that a reduction in their working hours is a possibility if proposals put forward are accepted. While a reduction in some services within the Hospital is inevitable, we are endeavouring to keep them to a minimum and to ensure that the impact on service users will be kept to a minimum.

At Monday nights County Committee Meeting in Ballybofey Jim Mc Guinness was ratified as the new Donegal Senior Team Manager on a four year term. Guinness who was the only nomination for the job will also be staying in his role as Under21 Manager. The Glenties man has named his backroom team with Peter Mc Ginley and Pat Shovlin part of his Under21 set up coming on board, Maxi Curran will be on video analysis and County Development Officer Michael Mc Menamin will act as logistics official. Mc Guinness will also named another member of the backroom team at a later date. It’s believed the person for that job will come in with an experienced background.

A number of temporary staff at Letterkenny General Hospital have been told this morning that they are to lose their jobs.

Staff where told that they would be let go at the end of August.

Yesterday evening reports were circulating among staff that two wards would close from September 1st and that up to 100 workers on temporary contracts would be let go.

While there’s no confirmation from the HSE that two wards are to close, details of a document outlining proposed cuts have been published by Fine Gael Deputy Dinny Mc Ginley.

He says the document outlines a series of proposals to save €9 million over the next 4 months.

Amongt the proposed measures are, 57 staff nurses to go – with anyone with less than 4 years service to be made redundant. 12 Care Assistants will also be let go, with two wards closing until January 2011 ; the
37 Bed Orthopaedic ward and the 19 bed Medical Re-hab Unit in St. Conals, which will be either severely curtailed or closed completely.

Transport for patients will be cut back, and radiography services in Community Hospitals in Ballyshannon, Donegal Town, Killybegs and Dungloe to be downgraded for the rest of the Summer.

Deputy Mc Ginley says these cuts are savage, horrendous and inhumane, and will cause untold suffering and pain. He’s calling on all public representitives to unite to have these proposals scrapped.

There are fears that Donegal Airport could face closure under Government plans to stop funding it in its capital spending programme for the next five years.

It along with airports at Galway, Kerry and knock are subsidised by the government as they are not profit making.

Under the revised 39 billion plans for the country’s infrastructure, the Government dropped a number of ambitious transport

However contained with in the document the Government said it will “reconsider the policy” of providing financial assistance to help the country’s regional airports.

The €2 million operational grant for six airports along the west coast, including Donegal, is up for renewal at the end of this year.

The state also provides €15m a year to regional airports through what it calls Public Service Obligation routes, mostly operated by Aer Arann.

The ending of the PSO routes was recommended by Bord Snip last July and Transport Minister Noel Dempsey said in February last year the subsidies could “no longer be justified”.

At Monday nights County Committee Meeting in Ballybofey Jim Mc Guinness was ratified as the new Donegal Senior Team Manager on a four year term. Guinness who was the only nomination for the job will also be staying in his role as Under21 Manager. The Glenties man has named his backroom team with Peter Mc Ginley and Pat Shovlin part of his Under21 set up coming on board, Maxi Curran will be on video analysis and County Development Officer Michael Mc Menamin will act as logistics official. Mc Guinness will also named another member of the backroom team at a later date. It’s believed the person for that job will come in with an experienced background.

The new Senior Team Manager is in no doubt of the task ahead.
 

McGuinness is now weighing up who will be available for his first year in charge. He  added that belief within a squad will be key to move on.
 

Hear more from Jim Mc Guinness on Wednesday Nights GAA Programme with Tom Comack at 8.30pm

The HSE says there will be no delays for people who feel they need help or counselling in the wake of the tragic road traffic collision near Clonmany in which 8 men died and one was seriously injured.

Agencies involved in responding to the Inishowen Road tragedy earlier this month met in Buncrana yesterday to review their strategy, with another meeting planned for September.

There had been concerns there would be long delays for people wishing to avail of the HSE services in the comming weeks and months.

However the HSE’s Local Health Manager, John Hayes, says that is not the case:

Unions are being called to a briefing at Letterkenny General Hospital on Thursday morning amidst concern that two wards may be closed in the coming weeks.

Last evening, reports started circulating among staff that two wards would close from September 1st, elective surgery would be cancelled for the remainder of the year, and up to 100 workers on temporary contracts would be let go.

Richie Carruthers of IMPACT says he’s not aware of any planned closures, and the protocol would be to tell the unions before making any announcements.

He says whatever emerges at Thursday’s briefing, the unions will be fighting to maintain services and staffing levels:

Donegal County Councillor Frank McBrearty has called on the Minister for Justice to hold a public enquiry into the Garda Investigation of the Carrigans Post Office robbery.

The Labour Councillor brought a motion on the matter before Donegal County Council yesterday afternoon.

Cllr McBrearty claims access to CCTV footage of the robbery which shows three masked men entering the post office with the face of the driver of the getway visible.

Cllr McBrearty says he cannot understand how no-one has been arrested a year and a half on from the robbery which he says has had a massive impact on the postmistress: