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Adopted given greater rights

LEGISLATION to provide access for adopted people to records and their birth certi cates has been published by the Minister for Children.

Minister Roderic O’Gorman said the legislation aimed to allow people born in institutions and others to get access to their records.

It follows pre-legislative scrutiny of the general scheme of the Birth Information and Tracing Bill by the Oireachtas Committee on Children last year.

It presented its nal report to the minister in December.

Over six months, the committee heard from survivors, legal and data protection experts and agencies that has information to which many are seeking access.

Questions and concerns were raised over aspects of the Bill, such as the need for a mandatory information session between a social worker and an adopted person seeking their birth information. ere were diverging views on the interpretation of GDPR and the committee found there was a disconnect between the language used in the heads of the Bill and lived experiences of adopted people.

Terminology around whether the term ‘birth mother’ or ‘natural mother’ should be used in the nal Bill was also subject of debate.

It is understood this has been addressed in the legislation which comes a year to the day that the Commission of Investigation Report into 14 Mother and Baby Homes and four sample County Homes was published.

Meanwhile, the co-founder of the Adoption Rights Alliance, Susan Lohan, has said she welcomed changes to legislation to allow adopted people the legal right to access birth certi cates and to seek fully information about their early life.

However Susan Lohan warned that if any sort of mandatory information session remains, that the legislation would be “extremely discriminatory” because no other Irish citizen making a similar application would be obliged to go through with an information session with a social worker.

Online charity has something to get dressed up about ...

ONLINE charity website riftify are toasting what was a successful 2021 for the startup, both in terms of sales and for the good of the climate. e e-commerce site works with Irish and UK charities, enabling them to sell their donations online and not just in physical shops, with the company’s smart tech then advertising these items on the riftify website as well as via other e-commerce sites such as eBay and Facebook (Meta) Marketplace.

e most popular items in 2021 were: • Out of all the clothing donated in 2021, the ‘dresses’ category accounted for the most popular items on the site. ere were 9531 dresses listed for sale on the site in 2021, with more than half of these selling (5705 in total sold). • In second place came the

‘jumpers and cardigans’ section of the site, with 3099 uploads via listed charities, and 2954 of these

items selling to preloved fashion fans. • In third place came the

‘accessories’ category with 2636 uploads on the site in total, and 1931 of these pieces selling. • In fourth and fth places were the ‘coats and jackets’ category (total sales 3257) and ‘shirts and tees’ with 926 sales in total. A spokesperson said riftify were proud to say that the Irish charities signed up to sell on the site really got on board in 2021, using the smart tech to upload 56,538 items in total.

Out of these there was a total of 23,026 orders from shoppers who are embracing the circular economy and love a bargain. e most expensive item sold on the site went for €414.37 which was a vintage Gucci dress. e beauty of riftify is that the shopper can also opt to donate to their chosen charity at the checkout. In 2021, generous shoppers kindly donated €5803.69 whilst checking out of the site. ese donations go straight to the customers chosen charity, so it really is goodwill shopping! riftify CEO and climate activist Rónán Ó’Dálaigh said: “ riftify is fast becoming a household name, up there with the likes of Depop and Etsy. We are hoping to keep growing in 2022 and encouraging people to opt for second hand when they can.”

Pandemic ‘rethink’ will see Irish salaries rise

SALARIES are expected to rise between 5-10% this year in certain sectors, according to the latest Irish salary guide by Morgan McKinley.

As part of the research, the Irish owned global professional recruitment consultancy analysed pay across a range of professions and sectors.

For jobs with certain niche skills, it expects salary increases of between 15-20%. e report states that upward pressure on salaries has been driven by the restricted movements of international talent and the increased demand for those already in the country. e company said it expects normal in ationary gures of between 2-5% to come back into play in a post pandemic world as countries open up and the ow of external candidates into Ireland takes the pressure out of an overheated employment market.

e report also reveals that over 80% of people are considering a career move in the next 6-12 months.

Trayc Keevans, Global FDI Director at Morgan McKinley Ireland, said the so-called ‘Great Resignation’ of the past year appears to still be in full swing.

“ e experience of the sustained public health emergency has prompted countless workers to re-evaluate their work options, ne-tuning a better work-life balance and making deliberate choices as to where their careers are heading next,” she said.

“ ey’re looking for opportunities that give them the right pay, bene ts, and work arrangements in the longer term.

“New opportunities opened up by remote work means workers can now access roles that previously were geographically o limits,” she added.

Ms Keevans said they are seeing the return of counter o ers, because of the strong demand to ll roles.

“For some organisations, the Great Resignation is an unparalleled threat, creating organisational challenges around skillsets and resources, and a ecting everything from quality of work and time-to-completion to bottom-line revenue.

“For others, it’s a golden opportunity to secure accomplished talent that will add value for years to come,” she said.

Put your school in national picture!

FOLLOWING a successful programme in 2021, the National Gallery of Ireland will bring art to classrooms across the country again this year with Your Gallery at School, an innovative education initiative supported by SMBC Aviation Capital. e gallery is committed to breaking down barriers that prevent young people from engaging with art in Ireland. Your Gallery at School provides an opportunity for students to take part in a series of informative workshops that are designed to teach through art and spark an interest in culture. ese workshops are of particular bene t to students who may not be in a position to visit the Gallery itself and they can be carried out in schools or online. anks to the continued support of SMBC Aviation Capital, the Your Gallery at School project will once again develop new partnerships outside the gallery walls and work with four primary and four postprimary schools over the course of 2022.

Your Gallery at School began in January 2021, running workshops, sensory sessions and a Creative Careers programme, where students had the opportunity to learn about a variety of arts careers. ese workshops ran in primary schools in Dublin, Sligo and Donegal and post-primary schools in Limerick, Clare and Kildare.

Schools across the country are invited to participate via the National Gallery of Ireland website. ere will be two windows of opportunity for primary and postprimary schools to apply, January 24– February 18 and 29 August 29 – 15 September 15, giving schools the option to choose what time of year suits them best to take part. * For further details, please visit www.nationalgallery.ie.