🏗The Crisis is the FFG Housing Policy. Leading housing providers told to limit number of new homes ✍️Wayne O'Connor Sinn Féin hits out at ‘ludicrous’ directive amid fears that middle earners will be hit hardest These bodies largely provide housing for people who cannot afford to buy a home, but earn too much to get social housing supports. It will restrict them to building 5,000 units annually from next year. “We have the highest level of homelessness in the history of the State. Why you would confine any social housing landlord from providing more homes makes no sense whatsoever.” - @EOBroin The country needs 60,000 homes a year to keep up with demand, but is expected to miss this target by more than 20,000 this year. Sources in the sector believe the move is part of a political shift, with the Government concerned that enough homes are not appearing for sale on the private market. #AHBs #HousingDisaster #FFG #HowIrelandWorks independent.ie/irish-news/le…

Garda Whistleblower Scandal FORMER Garda Maurice McCabe who was subiected to a smear campaign after he alleged widespread malpractıce within the force - believes 'nothing has changed' when it comes to the State's treatment of gardaí who come forward and disclose wrongdoing. ✍️John Lee Mr McCabe was referring to revelations in the MoS about the treatment of Garda whistleblowers whose identities were exposed by former justice minister Helen McEntee after they made separate protected disclosures to her office. Ms McEntee has insisted she always followed whistleblower legislation but is refusing to bow to mounting political pressure to answer questions about her handling of the disclosures in the Dáil. Mr McCabe was visibly emotional as he recounted his experience of trying to expose wrongdoing. #Garda #Whistleblower #HelenMcEntee #ProtectedDisclosures #HowIrelandWorks

👀Garda Whistleblower / Protected Disclosures Scandal The Garda reforms promised a fresh start. So why are whistleblowers still being failed? ✍️Mick Clifford Allegations over defective holsters, mishandled disclosures and the treatment of whistleblowers have renewed pressure for an independent investigation. An inquiry is the last thing the current justice minister Jim O’Callaghan would want, and it’s easy to understand why. What has emerged is particularly concerning because it has occurred at a time when a brand new day was starting for the force. Following the fallout from the Maurice McCabe whistleblower case and the Disclosures Tribunal report in 2018, there was general agreement that a new way forward had to be found. In 2019, a garda member in the force’s armoury section, Luke Rochford, made a series of protected disclosures regarding issues that concerned him. A whole range of other issues emerged during this period. The Garda Technical Bureau determined under laboratory conditions that the holsters represented a danger to gardaí. No fault or complaint was made about the testing done by the Technical Bureau. Notwithstanding that, a second opinion was sought by garda management, which returned the verdict that the holsters were flawed but not dangerous. A short time later, the holsters were withdrawn from use. Some of these matters were investigated fully, others not. There has been no sanction applied to anybody within the force as a result of these investigations. In 2023, Luke Rochford was charged with criminal matters related to possession of ammunition. His trial has not yet taken place. Brian O’Reilly, who headed up the Technical Bureau and made disclosures about the holster and other matters, went out on sick leave. His pay has been stopped. Donal Corcoran was head of the protected disclosures unit, where disclosures were processed and set up for investigation. He was so frustrated at what was happening with the disclosures that he ended up making one himself about the process. He is out on sick leave. His colleague, Rose Sweeney, a civilian member of An Garda Síochána, is also out after she highlighted major problems in the system. Retired army commandant Alan Kearney was effectively hounded out of the Defence Forces on charges for which, it was ultimately found, there was no evidence. His problems began after he was contacted by Luke Rochford in 2019 for advice on what he was seeing in the garda armoury. Before joining the guards, Rochford had been in the Defence Forces, where Kearney was his superior officer. Kearney is convinced all his woes are directly as a result of his communication with Rochford. #HowIrelandWorks #Garda #Whistleblower #ProtectedDisclosures irishexaminer.com/news/spotl…