6
The Kilkenny Observer Friday 5 May 2023
kilkennyobserver.ie
News
€14,000 to let council room
Up to 28,000 homes across the country are hoped for by the Government allowing council tenants to rent out rooms in their houses for up to €14,000 a year, tax-free. Under the current Renta-Room scheme, property owners can rent out rooms in their houses and apartments for €14,000 tax-free a year. Senior ministers agreed at Cabinet to extend the scheme to all housing types, includ-
ing local authority homes. For the first time, council tenants will also be able to rent out their spare bedrooms as increasing numbers of landlords sell up and the rental market shrinks. There are currently around 140,000 council-owned homes across the country, of which between 14,000 and 28,000 are “under-occupied,” the Department of Housing believes.
HSE residents in Kilkenny paying €1,025 more under Fair Deal An average €1,025 more is payable on behalf of HSE residents in Co Kilkenny under Fair Deal as cost of care crisis persists for private and voluntary nursing homes. Recently published figures show HSE nursing homes receive an average 69% more (€744) a resident, a week, under Fair Deal fees payable by comparison with private and voluntary counterparts. In Co Kilkenny, the average fee payable on behalf of an individual nursing home resident in a HSE nursing home is now €1,025 above that payable to counterparts in private and voluntary nursing homes. In January 2022, the disparity was €812. HSE nursing home fees for resident care are double those payable to private and voluntary counterparts. Tadhg Daly, NHI CEO, said: “In January 2022, the average difference was over €600 per resident and it is now approaching €800. Fees payable
to HSE nursing homes signify the reality of nursing home care costs. There are multiple analyses of Fair Deal finding the fee setting process, which is not applicable to State nursing homes, is not commensurate with the reality of nursing home resident care costs. HSE nursing homes are provided with fees that are commensurate with resident care costs. “The chasm in how the State funds its own nursing homes represents discrimination against nursing home residents and those entrusted in meeting their health and social care needs. It is discriminatory use of public funding and private and voluntary nursing homes are forced to close while HSE nursing homes receive multiples in funding,” he said. A Value for Money Review commissioned by the Department of Health pointed to the discrimination in fees payable.
This means that there are a number of empty bedrooms in them... for example, in homes where pensioners live alone or where there were families but the children have grown up and moved out. Local authorities cannot compel council tenants to move out or downsize. The Government now hopes to encourage those rooms to be rented out as
part of moves to best use existing housing stock. “The idea is to incentivise people living in those homes – between 14,000 to 28,000 of those – to take up the Rent-aRoom scheme, open up their homes,” according to one source. “A lot of them are in good locations in towns and cities across the country, and that they wouldn’t be penalised and they are allowed do it.”
The great mortgage escape
Mortgage holders are turning to an equity-release provider to get their loans away from vulture funds. Spry Finance said it was experiencing strong growth in the number of customers using its product as a way to switch from a mortgage held by an investment fund. It experienced a 40% increase in mortgage switching in the first three months of the year compared with the same period last year. This was from borrowers taking out an equity-release mortgage and using some or all of it to pay off their existing mortgage.
Our Surabhi’s science first!
We are thrilled to share the incredible achievements of Surabhi Gunjur Sathish, a student from Loreto Secondary School in Kilkenny, who has won 1st place in Ireland’s future innovators at SciFest4STEM regional event at South East Technological University in Waterford. Surabhi’s project focused on an innovative automated waste sorting system, called IRIS: the Intelligent Recycling Sorting system. Her project was exceptional and extremely innovative, especially considering that
she had no previous experience in computer programming. Using an AI model created with Python, Surabhi’s IRIS system identifies and classifies rubbish into three categories: organic waste, general waste, and recyclables, using Convolution Neural Networks (CNN) with an accuracy of 96%. Her model was then run on a Raspberry Pi, with a pi camera attached. The item being classified was put up to a camera, where the AI would identify the bin the item goes into.
Based on its output, she wrote a python program where certain servo motors would move, to push the item into the correct bin (the item would either be pushed to the right, left, or downwards). She built a working model with basic materials like cardboard and bamboo sticks, and electronics borrowed from the local coderdojo club, and the computer science department in Loreto. Surabhi’s project impressed the judges at the regional SciFest event, and she has now qualified for
the National Final in November. Surabhi’s achievement is a testament to her hard work and dedication, and it is truly exceptional what she has accomplished with the resources available to her. We are incredibly proud of Surabhi and wish her all the best in the National Final. SciFest is an excellent opportunity for second-level students to showcase their scientific investigations and promote STEM education, and to be involved in Ireland’s largest second-level STEM fair program.
Free school books for local children Children attending primary and special schools in Kilkenny and Carlow are set to benefit from free school books from September, Fine Gael TD, John Paul Phelan has said. Deputy Phelan outlined details of a hugely significant funding package which will eliminate the cost to families for all school books, workbooks and copybooks at all primary and special schools
within the free education scheme. “This is a landmark funding package, totalling €50 million, which was secured in Budget 2023 and fulfils Fine Gael’s commitment to have a first class education system, which was contained in the Fine Gael 2020 General Election manifesto,” Deputy Phelan said. “I am delighted that the de-
livery of this promise to ease the burden of back to school costs for families has come to pass today. The scheme will benefit more than 558,000 pupils nationally, who are attending approximately 3,230 primary schools, including over 130 special schools. “Grant payments are being made this week, which means schools will now have the funding required to cover
the costs of providing all these items well in advance of the start of the next school year. It’s important to also acknowledge that this provision, as well as easing the Cost of Living burden of families, means that every child will be equal in the classroom, with access to all the required materials which can and will only enhance their educational experience.”
