A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Parents with learning difficulties more likely to have child removed
Parents with learning disabilities are up to 50 times more likely to have their children removed and placed in care than other parents, according to a review of services and support for people with an intellectual disability who are experiencing a crisis pregnancy, writes Aoife Carr.
The review was published yesterday by the HSE's Crisis Pregnancy Programme in conjunction with the National Disability Authority. The review recommended the use of tailored materials and accessible services to help women understand the implications of pregnancy and parenthood.
Boy charged over phone smuggling
A boy aged 16 has been charged with attempting to smuggle a mobile phone into Mountjoy Prison in Dublin.
He was charged yesterday in the Children's Court with possessing €40 worth of cannabis in the vicinity of a prison, and having a mobile phone with intent that it would come into possession of a person in Mountjoy on September 8th last. Judge Smyth remanded him on bail to appear again in two weeks.
Expansion opens at Blackrock Clinic
Minister for Health Mary Harney formally opened a €100 million expansion yesterday at Blackrock Clinic, south Dublin, which will add three new floors to the existing hospital facility
The expansion includes a state-of-the-art daycare unit, an intensive care unit and a newly-constructed central decontamination unit. When completed the expansion will bring the number of hospital beds to more than 160.