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Completed
ISLAND NATION: Is enough being done to tackle depopulation of Ireland’s islands?
Ireland
Population decline on the Irish islands was an ever-present threat for island dwellers following the Famine of the 1840s, and is on the cards again with worrying declines in recent years.
0 Backers raised €0 of €0
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Open
RECOVERY FILES: Are billions from Brussels being spent appropriately?
International
The Covid-19 Recovery and Resilience Facility (RFF) is the largest pot of money the European Union has ever set up, with Ireland allocated just under €1 billion.
1 Backer raised €25 of €3020
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Open
PAY IN PERSPECTIVE: Are wages at State bodies in line with public sector standards?
Ireland
Though most State-owned companies reported reduced profits in recent years as the country emerged from the pandemic, some - such as ESB Networks - have nevertheless remained highly profitable.
1 Backer raised €10 of €1340
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Open
DOUBLE DIGITS: Which politicians and public servants get multiple pensions?
Dublin
The public service sector has the highest pension coverage, with many on the upper rungs of the Oireachtas ladder getting two generous State pensions.
6 Backers raised €150 of €1730
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Open
BALANCING THE BOOKS: Are publishers profiting from new school book editions?
Ireland
Despite the Government’s plan to introduce free school books for primary school pupils from September 2023, they continue to be one of the most costly expenses for parents of secondary school students.
9 Backers raised €165 of €1730
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Open
PEOPLE POWER: Is Ireland playing its part in overseas election observation?
Ireland
An average of almost 60 election observers were deployed from Ireland annually between 2013 and 2019, nominated from an overseas election roster. However, during the pandemic this work was suspended with Ireland not nominating observers for 18 months.
14 Backers raised €1005 of €1940
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Open
COURSE OF INACTION: Is animal welfare protected in the coursing industry?
Ireland
The hare is protected under national and EU law. Yet, 60,000 hares were legally captured between 2009 and 2021 for use in the coursing industry where they are chased by trained greyhounds.
74 Backers raised €1740 of €3850
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Open
THE UNPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM: Are we taking women’s sexual and reproductive health seriously in Ireland?
Ireland
Endometriosis is a condition that affects 10% of Irish women and can cause significant pain and disability and yet the first endometriosis clinic in Ireland was only set up in 2021.
14 Backers raised €300 of €2970
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Open
CLASSROOM TO IMPROVE: Why are our children still educated in prefabs?
Ireland
Most students who have come through the Irish primary and secondary school system over the past number of decades will almost certainly have experienced classes in prefabricated buildings.
3 Backers raised €50 of €2035
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Open
ECONOMY CLASS: Why do schools still rely on parents to pay for essentials?
Ireland
Children in Ireland are entitled to free education yet schools continue to rely on parents to help pay for essentials such as heating, lighting, insurance and classroom equipment. This is due to the ongoing funding gap between running costs and State grants.
6 Backers raised €65 of €2770
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Open
SOIL INVADERS: Are invasive plants spreading out of control in Ireland?
Ireland
Invasive alien species represent one of the main threats to biodiversity and related ecosystem services - especially on islands, according to the European Commission.
23 Backers raised €432 of €2940
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Open
VANISHING PAST: Is Ireland's archaeological heritage at risk of disappearing?
Ireland
Protections for newly discovered national monuments have been radically reduced in the past decade and a half, since a 2004 amendment to the National Monuments Act. This change gave extra power to the State to remove them if they were in the way of certain projects such as motorways.
9 Backers raised €296 of €3420
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Completed
BEATHA TEANGA: An bhfuil coinníollacha pleanála agus deonuithe á chur i bhfeidhm chun cinntiú go bhfásann ceantracha Gaeltachta?
Ireland
Tá líon na ndaoine a labhrann Gaeilge i gceantracha Gaeltachta ag titm, le níos lú ná aon cheathrú de mhuintir na háite ag labhairt Gaeilge go laethúil, dar leis an daonáireamh deirneach.
0 Backers raised €0 of €0
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Completed
LIGHTS OUT: Why are we facing an Irish electricity crisis?
Ireland
As we face the climate crisis, a key strand of the State’s strategy to reduce our emissions is to electrify our energy, heat and transport systems using renewables such as wind and solar.
302 Backers raised €3125 of €2830
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Open
BUILDING BLOCKED: Where has Ireland fallen down on social housing policy?
Ireland
Ireland has become a country where the idea of social and affordable housing has gone from a near certainty to a vague aspiration for many generations of would-be homeowners in the space of a few decades.
14 Backers raised €285 of €4035
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Open
WAITING ROOM: Why is it difficult for many to get access to a local GP?
Ireland
General practitioner services have been under severe pressure since the pandemic resulting in longer appointment waiting times and leaving many struggling to find a GP in their area.
6 Backers raised €240 of €3190
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Open
CROSSING FOR CARE: Is Ireland using a cross border scheme to export its healthcare issues?
Ireland
Irish patients continue to travel abroad for appointments with consultants and for much-needed surgeries in order to avoid long waiting lists here.
2 Backers raised €40 of €2715
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Open
REHAB WAIT: Why are people waiting up to two years for a drug detox bed?
Dublin
A rising demand for drug treatment is recognised in the current Government drug strategy, yet thousands continue to wait for months, and sometimes years, to be admitted to a detox bed.
8 Backers raised €430 of €2230
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Completed
BREAKING THE BANKS: Are Irish riverside habitats under threat from over-maintenance?
Ireland
Clearing of vegetation from waterways is a regular occurrence across the country as part of the mandated maintenance of over 11,500km of channels and 800km of embankments.
82 Backers raised €3130 of €3100
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Open
GENERATION REGENERATION: Will Limerick city ever get the chance it was promised to eliminate deprivation?
Limerick
Cuts, revisions and delays have resulted in under delivery of housing and controversy over the regeneration of Limerick, over a decade after a plan was launched to transform the city.
13 Backers raised €385 of €3320
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Completed
ACROSS THE BOARD: Are rural grants being distributed equally under the LEADER scheme?
Ireland
Since 2014, €220 million worth of rural projects have been funded through the LEADER programme which are administered by Local Action Groups (LAGs).
19 Backers raised €3124 of €3120
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Completed
SYSTEM OVERLOAD: The public health system was creaking before the pandemic - has Covid-19 broken it?
Ireland
At the start of 2021, Ireland had a backlog of thousands of positive Covid-19 tests awaiting validation.
52 Backers raised €1840 of €1840
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Completed
REVOLVING DOOR: What influence do former politicians have in Leinster House?
National
In recent years, several former ministers and other politicians have also ended up working as lobbyists across a range of business interests.
57 Backers raised €1605 of €1605
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Completed
HOLY LAND: How much money are religious orders pocketing from lucrative property sales?
Ireland
Properties worth millions - and offered by religious congregations for redress in institutional child abuse cases - have yet to be handed over to fulfil that promise.
43 Backers raised €1640 of €1640
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Completed
SILENT TREATMENT: Are people with eating disorders being failed by the public health system?
Ireland
The HSE is currently implementing a national clinical programme for eating disorders but there have been significant issues with its roll-out, with just a small fraction of money allocated to improve supports and treatment actually spent on this since 2018.
34 Backers raised €1065 of €1065
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Nearly Funded
BIRTH PLACE: Why does the Irish health service offer so little choice for expectant mothers?
Ireland
The National Maternity Strategy states that “there is a lack of choice for expectant mothers”. It proposed a model of care that “represents a fundamental overhaul of services” which are currently “largely consultant-led and hospital-based”.
55 Backers raised €1713 of €2030
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Completed
FUELLING RETIREMENT: Are Irish pensions contributing to the climate crisis?
Ireland
In 2019, Ireland became one of the first countries in the world to divest its investment fund away from companies that make substantial profit from fossil fuels. However, the majority of private Irish pension funds still include companies involved in oil and gas exploration, extraction and refinement.
46 Backers raised €1240 of €1240
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Completed
FUNDING FERTILITY: Has the delay in publicly funding IVF destroyed people’s chance to have children?
Ireland
Around one in six couples in Ireland experience difficulty when trying to have children and will face thousands of euro in costs if they seek fertility treatment.
28 Backers raised €950 of €950
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Completed
ACADEMIC UNCERTAINTY: How are universities and institutes of technology allowed to employ so many researchers and lecturers on precarious contracts?
Ireland
In Ireland, we hold academics in high esteem but are they being treated properly by their employers and the Government?
44 Backers raised €1300 of €1300
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Completed
WATER UNDER THE BRIDGE: How much did a controversial road scheme in Kilkenny City actually cost and has it delivered what it was supposed to?
Kilkenny
It was one of the most controversial road developments of recent years in Ireland, a plan to build a new bridge across the River Nore in Kilkenny.
46 Backers raised €1371 of €1350
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Completed
THE CONSTRUCTION NETWORK: Connecting the dots between the government and lobbyists for developers and the construction industry
Ireland
From the nearly 1,900 lobbyists registered in Ireland, many lobby on behalf of the construction industry and property development companies keen to see the Irish property market expand.
128 Backers raised €3200 of €3200
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Completed
LYING IDLE: How many state properties are lying vacant around the country.
Ireland
The Office of Public Works manages over 2,500 properties around Ireland on behalf of the state.
9 Backers raised €360 of €350
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Completed
CUT DOWN TO SIZE: Why are Ireland's local authorities so keen to chop down trees?
Ireland
Across Ireland, locals have been dismayed to see trees and bushes chopped down by public bodies.
47 Backers raised €1100 of €1100
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Completed
POLITICAL PENSIONS: How much is paid out each year in political and ministerial pensions?
National
Until last year, the Department of Finance published details of how much it paid in pensions to former ministers, taoisigh, presidents, judges, and other ex-officeholders.
2 Backers raised €110 of €100
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Completed
COMPO CLAIMS: Does Ireland really have a ‘compensation culture’?
National
The government minister responsible for the insurance industry has said there are 'clusters' for compensation claims in Ireland.
8 Backers raised €1260 of €1250
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