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BREATHING UNEASY: How exposed are children to pollution on the school run?
Dublin
Cars idling at school gates, heavy emissions from traffic at peak times: children in urban areas are facing toxic fumes as they make their way to school.
16 Backers raised €435 of €1440
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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
BACKYARD BURN: Are authorities failing to crack down on private waste burning?
Ireland
It is illegal to burn waste in your garden as it releases harmful chemicals into the air we breathe, contaminates surrounding vegetation and can cause uncontrolled fires.
6 Backers raised €145 of €1930
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Open
LIFE AND DEATH: Are lives at risk from ambulance delays?
Regional
Long response times and delays at emergency departments are ongoing issues with the ambulance service, with the longest delays occurring in rural Ireland.
3 Backers raised €35 of €2780
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THE UNPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM: Are we taking women’s health seriously in Ireland?
Ireland
Women’s health in Ireland has been historically under-resourced. This has led to demand far outstripping supply and gynaecological services unable to adequately treat patients.
17 Backers raised €420 of €2970
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Completed
DELAYED DELIVERY: Is the rollout of Progressing Disability Services leaving children and teens in limbo?
Ireland
The provision of services for children and teenagers with a developmental delay or disability has historically been a patchy affair in Ireland.
23 Backers raised €580 of €580
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Open
OFF LEASH: How can we bring loose dogs under control?
Ireland
While dog ownership has exploded since the pandemic, with an estimated 800,000 pet dogs now in Ireland, there are also calls for increased control of dogs.
12 Backers raised €335 of €2340
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SPECIALIST CARE: Are we looking after our intern doctors and specialist trainees?
Ireland
During their years of training, doctors often work excessive hours and experience poor work environments in the Irish healthcare system.
40 Backers raised €1115 of €2430
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Completed
STATE OF EMERGENCY: Why is overcrowding in University Hospital Limerick still so acute - and what does that mean for patients?
Limerick
Over the past five years, University Hospital Limerick (UHL) has been the most overcrowded hospital in Ireland, with the most people waiting for a free bed year-on-year.
3 Backers raised €60 of €60
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Open
PUSHING PILLS: Is there an overprescription problem in our nursing homes?
Ireland
The inappropriate prescribing of drugs to residents of nursing homes is a global problem and Ireland is no different.
20 Backers raised €500 of €3770
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Completed
IN THE WEEDS: How toxic is our use of weedkillers at home and by public authorities?
Ireland
There is ample scientific evidence that herbicides used to kill weeds can cause long-term damage to pollinator insects. There are now emerging links to impacts on human health.
84 Backers raised €2420 of €2420
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Open
UP MANURE CREEK: Why is traditional slurry spreading happening when it’s bad for human health?
Ireland
Slurry is one of the most popular fertilisers on farms as the manure and water mix offers a cheap boost of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium to boost grass and crop growth.
25 Backers raised €745 of €2310
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Open
UP IN SMOKE: What role does domestic wood burning play in Ireland’s air pollution problems?
Ireland
Each year, 1,300 people die prematurely due to air pollution from solid fuel burning, including wood. The practice has come under the spotlight for its role in poor air quality in our towns and villages.
9 Backers raised €265 of €2340
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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.
9 Backers raised €480 of €2230
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Open
LOST FOR WORDS: Why does Ireland not have any quality standards for vital service interpreters?
Dublin
Those who need the services of a language interpreter in Ireland may find their voices unheard, as a number of reports in recent years highlighted the ‘uneven quality’ of this service and lack of training standards.
8 Backers raised €170 of €2630
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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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Open
GOING TO BED HUNGRY: Is the State tackling food poverty?
Ireland
People go to bed hungry in Ireland every day with almost one in ten households here experiencing food poverty - being unable to get healthy affordable food.
24 Backers raised €581 of €1950
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Completed
TOUGH START: Is the opportunity gap for Traveller children ever going to close?
Ireland
Children in the Irish Traveller community are at a disadvantage from the moment they are born. Infant mortality is over three times higher, suicide is six to seven times higher and life expectancy is over a decade lower than the general population.
69 Backers raised €2130 of €2130
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Completed
FACTORY FARM: Are we prioritising profits over animal welfare and human health?
Ireland
The traditional image of the small Irish family farm is slowly slipping away with many farms growing more industrialised in response to ambitious production targets set by the State.
87 Backers raised €2730 of €2720
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Open
POSTCARDS OFFER: Give the gift of investigative journalism
Ireland
Have you enjoyed our award-winning reporting? This is your chance to share the gift of investigative journalism - and receive a set of limited edition Noteworthy postcards.
20 Backers raised €543 of €5000
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Open
RED FLAG: Is swimming off Ireland's coast under threat from pollution?
Ireland
While almost 80% of our bathing water was classed as excellent in 2022, a wave of swimming bans have hit beaches across the country in recent years due to water quality issues linked to pollution problems and our changing climate.
65 Backers raised €1690 of €2600
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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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Completed
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”.
57 Backers raised €2030 of €2030
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Completed
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.
16 Backers raised €720 of €700
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Completed
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.
20 Backers raised €1375 of €1375
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Completed
ASSESSING AUTISM: Why are children left waiting for years for support?
Ireland
Research shows that early diagnosis of autism leading to early interventions and treatment can have major long-term positive effects for children.
29 Backers raised €710 of €710
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Completed
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, for example, €22.4 million was raised by hospitals from parking, making it an important source of funding for them.
2 Backers raised €20 of €20
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Completed
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.
74 Backers raised €2300 of €2300
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Completed
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.
16 Backers raised €580 of €580
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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
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.
48 Backers raised €1440 of €1410
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Completed
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.
24 Backers raised €751 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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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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