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TRAPPED WITH TORMENTORS: How can we protect people from abuse and violence during the pandemic?
Ireland
During this pandemic, home is a place of refuge and safety for most of us. But for thousands of women, men and children, home feels like the most dangerous place they could be.
10 Backers raised €455 of €700
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New
CARING FOR CARERS: What’s life like for care workers in the coronavirus crisis?
Ireland
As Ireland grapples with the fallout from Covid-19, we want to see how one group of frontline workers - home carers - are faring, particularly when it comes to their pay and conditions.
2 Backers raised €40 of €1375
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Open
LIVING IN THE SHADOW: What is the impact of wind farms on local communities?
Ireland
The government’s Climate Action Plan aims to increase reliance on renewables from 30% to 70%. Part of this drive would involve increasing renewable onshore wind energy capacity to a level that equates to introducing over 2,300 more wind turbines to the landscape.
0 Backers raised €0 of €2060
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Open
UNLUCKY FOR SOME: Is bingo causing gambling addiction?
Ireland
Last year, the Government proposed to reduce the amount of bingo proceeds that go to bingo operators from 40% to 25%. After a protest at the Dáil by around 50 bingo players who said that the new laws could lead to the closure of bingo halls around Ireland, the proposal was abandoned. A different version of the Gaming and Lotteries Bill was ultimately passed by the Oireachtas.
0 Backers raised €0 of €1510
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Open
HEALERS OR QUACKS: Are we protecting cancer patients from fake cancer cures?
Ireland
Every hour in Ireland, a person dies from cancer. The disease is the biggest killer in the country, accounting for one in four of all deaths.
1 Backer raised €20 of €1890
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Open
ASSESSING AUTISM: Is a delay in getting a childhood diagnosis of ASD fuelling a private industry?
Ireland
Research shows that early diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) leading to early interventions and treatment can have major long-term positive effects on symptoms and later skills.
4 Backers raised €60 of €2100
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Open
NOWHERE TO TURN: Have Irish people died because they can't access out-of-hours mental health care?
Ireland
Acute mental health services are under increasing pressure across Ireland with out-of-hours care being identified as a major issue in many reports.
1 Backer raised €20 of €2200
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Open
HEAD IN THE GAME: Is the GAA doing enough to tackle concussion?
Ireland
Concussion was highlighted as a “big issue” by the previous director general of the GAA in 2017 when he raised concerns that no medical personnel are present at most local games.
1 Backer raised €10 of €2060
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Open
PARKING PRESSURE: Why are patients and families still paying high rates to park at hospitals?
Ireland
Patients, visitors, and staff of Irish hospitals are forking out over €60,000 every day to park at hospitals around the country. In 2017, €22.4 million was raised by hospitals from parking, making it an important source of funding for them.
1 Backer raised €10 of €1400
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Open
SELLING OUR GENES: Should the Government be funding a private company to collect 400,000 Irish people’s DNA?
Ireland
Personal data is big business - and nothing is more personal than our genetic blueprint.
29 Backers raised €840 of €2300
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Open
RISK TO BABY: Why were Irish women not told for decades about an epilepsy drug that causes birth defects?
Ireland
Sodium valproate is an epilepsy medicine commonly sold under the name Epilim. It was known since its availability in the 1970s that it may cause birth defects if used in pregnancy yet for decades many women across the world were prescribed this drug without being warned of this risk by their doctors.
1 Backer raised €30 of €1500
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Open
PATH OF UNCERTAINTY: How has JobPath impacted the mental health of Ireland’s unemployed?
Ireland
Minister Regina Doherty has called it “the most successful [jobs] activation programme” in the history of the state.
3 Backers raised €20 of €750
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Open
ADDICTION BY PRESCRIPTION: Why are so many anti-anxiety medications prescribed in Ireland?
Ireland
In September, the Irish Medical Council warned doctors about over-prescribing of a range of highly addictive drugs.
1 Backer raised €40 of €1450
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Open
LAST RESORT: Why can't Irish hospitals get the most dangerous superbug under control?
Ireland
A public health emergency was declared by the Health Minister Simon Harris over years ago to control the spread of a superbug, CPE, resistant to the most powerful last-resort antibiotics. In spite of this, the number of patients with the bug has continuously increased.
0 Backers raised €0 of €1050
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Open
VAPING NATION: Are teenagers being targeted by the vaping industry in Ireland?
Ireland
Although a relatively new phenomenon, almost 200,000 Irish people regularly vape with another 600,000 having tried an e-cigarette at some stage. Globally, the number of adults who vape is expected to reach almost 55 million by 2021.
0 Backers raised €0 of €2250
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Open
SCALES OF JUSTICE: Does the justice system work for wards of court?
Ireland
When a person is deemed incapable of making decisions for themselves, they can be made a ‘ward of court’.
2 Backers raised €150 of €1150
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Open
POSTCODE LOTTERY: Does where you live in Ireland determine what kind of healthcare you receive?
Ireland
Access to healthcare in Ireland can vary depending on where in the country you live. Local HSE and hospital budgets often determine whether people have access to medical treatment, equipment and other specialist services.
1 Backer raised €100 of €1900
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Open
FUNDING FERTILITY: Has the delay in publicly funding IVF destroyed people’s chance to have children?
Ireland
Around one in four couples in Ireland experience difficulty when trying to have children and will face thousands of euro in costs if they seek fertility treatment.
5 Backers raised €200 of €950
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Open
A BITTER PILL: Why are medicines so expensive in Ireland and how much are we paying for them compared to our EU neighbours?
Ireland
The Government spends almost €3 billion on medicines every year which makes up 13% of the entire health budget.
2 Backers raised €40 of €1350
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Open
SOMETHING IN THE AIR: Why is the air we breathe in Ireland getting more polluted?
Ireland
In the 1980s, Dublin choked beneath a cloud of smog with pollution seven times higher than the levels considered dangerous by the World Health Organisation. As smoky fuel began to be phased out, the black pall lifted and the city’s air returned to some semblance of normality.
5 Backers raised €100 of €1350
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Open
SPEAK OR SURVIVE? Are survivors of sexual abuse properly supported when they come forward?
National
At least one in four people experience sexual abuse in childhood. About 80 per cent are abused by a person known to them; most often, a family member.
31 Backers raised €990 of €2150
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Nearly Funded
PARENT RIGHTS: Why are same-sex couples and other parents still in legal limbo with their own children?
Ireland
Half a decade after Ireland’s historic marriage equality vote, many same-sex couples and so-called ‘non-traditional families’ still face discrimination when it comes to their rights as parents.
18 Backers raised €610 of €750
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Completed
PRICE OF BEAUTY: Are people taking a risk when they opt for dermal fillers?
National
Dermal fillers have become one of the treatments of choice for people in Ireland wanting to rid themselves of wrinkles.
1 Backer raised €900 of €900
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Open
OFF OUR TROLLEYS: Why does Ireland seem to get such poor value for the money it spends on healthcare?
National
Ireland’s hospitals and health system are plagued by long waiting lists and poor patient outcomes, even though we are told we spend more for healthcare per person than the vast majority of countries.
11 Backers raised €191 of €1750
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Completed
FOLLOWING THE HERD: Why are Meningitis C vaccination rates so far behind target in parts of Ireland?
National
For many parents, the word meningitis is enough to send shivers down their spine.
2 Backers raised €353 of €350
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Completed
LATE INTERVENTION: Why does it take over two years to get early intervention appointments for some children?
Ireland
Across the country, there are thousands of young children in need of early intervention.
9 Backers raised €1100 of €1100
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Completed
PROTECTING THE PROTECTORS: The mental health crisis in the Defence Forces.
National
Almost a year ago, the only psychiatrist working in the Defence Forces retired from his post.
2 Backers raised €252 of €250
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