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Industry led schemes to eradicate the endemic cattle disease bovine viral diarrhoea involving government legislation represent a new type of biosecurity governance. This paper explores the governance of schemes to eradicate bovine viral diarrhoea in the UK and Ireland, using the concept of the institutional void. The institutional void describes the devolution of responsibility from central government to devolved administrations and industry. In addition, our research took place within the context of uncertainty over Brexit and how this will affect biosecurity governance within the UK, and the UK's relationship with EU countries, particularly Ireland. The paper draws on interviews with key stakeholders involved in the design and administration of the schemes across the UK and Ireland. The paper identifies three institutional logics that motivated the development of the schemes and their design to ensure successful disease eradication. The key findings from the paper were that though the schemes had a novel industry led design, novel governance mechanisms for ensuring compliance other than national government enforcement do not yet exist. The most common response to threats to the schemes' logic was to call for a scaling up of responsibility – from industry to government and from government to the EU. This may allow for the harmonisation of schemes and enforcement of compliance but may also open up fresh legitimacy challenges as control of the scheme is also scaled up from industry to government and government to the EU. While past research has shown that international biosecurity regulation can become depoliticised by the actors involved and is treated as a risk calculation exercise, this was not the case with BVD eradication schemes where the meaning of 'BVD free' was a politicised concept. The schemes represented a new departure in biosecurity governance and so raise the need to rethink what compliance means in an industry-government hybrid scheme – is it compliance with epidemiological advice or compliance with the law and how can these two meanings be best harmonised? • Schemes eradicating BVD in UK and Ireland are novel forms of biosecurity governance. • Schemes are industry led and involve industry-government partnerships. • Despite novel partnerships government seen as having responsibility for compliance. • Disagreements about role of government and whether BVD is public or industry good. • Harmonising schemes between countries was about scaling up responsibility to the EU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of grazing in dairy farming has become increasingly contentious. Dairy farming is still widely identified with imagery of cows grazing on grass, but grazing is a declining practice in Europe. The UK and Ireland make for interesting case studies to explore the politics of grazing as both countries are seen to have suitable conditions for supporting grazing but their dairy systems are very different. This paper explores the sociotechnical imaginaries of a high welfare, environmentally sustainable and economically viable dairy farming in the UK and Ireland, as described by key industry, academic, non-governmental organisation and government stakeholders in both countries. Document analysis and interviews with key UK and Irish stakeholders revealed different sociotechnical imaginaries within and between countries. The dominant imaginary in Ireland was of a unified low cost grass based production system seen as high welfare because animals have access to pasture and inherently natural and environmentally sustainable. The dominant sociotechnical imaginary in the UK by contrast is that no system is better, but the success of a system depends on quality management and stock keeping. The paper shows how the sociotechnical imaginaries are co-created by policy, market conditions and commitments to particular conceptions of economic viability, high welfare and sustainability. The different sociotechnical imaginaries can also be seen to pose a challenge to the other to the extent that science is held up as producing objective and value free truths about the best form of dairy production. • Grazing is increasingly contentious in debates about dairy farming. • Visions of sustainable, high welfare and economic systems differ in UK and Ireland. • The dominant imaginary in Ireland is of a low cost grass based grazing system. • The dominant imaginary in the UK eschews system differences. • Imaginaries are based on current systems but also conflicting scientific claims. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Adoption rate of PA technology on grassland farms is still relatively low. • Many new technologies are not yet at an appropriate technology readiness level. • Technology research, development and application needs to be grassland-specific. • Collaboration is required between farmers, researchers and technology providers. Abstract Grass growth and utilisation on grassland farms across the UK and Ireland are below their potential, and nutrient management is sub-optimal. Excessive soil phosphorus concentrations are an issue, contributing to eutrophication of waterways, while sub-optimal soil pH due to a reduction in lime use is seen in many areas. This paper discusses the potential for introducing technology onto grassland farms, and implementing sensible farm-specific management decisions as a means of enhancing productivity and minimising the environmental impact of livestock farming. The adoption rate of Precision Agriculture (PA) technology by grassland farmers in the UK and Ireland is still relatively low, and significantly lagging behind the advances that have taken place within the arable farming community. With rapidly advancing technology and investment in research, there are now a range of soil sensors available along with technology for grass growth monitoring, yield mapping, remote sensing, satellite imagery, and devices for tracking animal movement, behaviour and feed intake. In this review paper we examine the latest technology developments specific to grassland farming and we question their suitability and 'readiness' for adoption by farmers. The review identifies the challenges that are specific to grassland such as complex soil, vegetation and climatic variables along with economic barriers that may be preventing change within the farming community in these areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study highlighted significant cultural differences and complexity in travel behaviour associated with travel to university across the UK and Ireland. This paper examines university travel behaviours and the implications for emissions, across the 2012–2013 academic year, based on responses from 1049 students across 17 universities in Ireland and the UK. Surveys were analysed to examine the trips of students both during term time and when accessing the universities each year. The data analysis in this paper examines three aspects of the transport implications of travel to and from university. Firstly the journey between university and term time address (or permanent address if the respondent does not have a separate term time address), secondly the journey between the university area and a separate permanent address where relevant; and thirdly implications for emissions resulting from university-related travel. The study found that student car users were more likely to be female, older students, or studying part time; male students were more likely to use active modes. The study indicated interesting differences between students living in different parts of the UK and Ireland. For example, it was found that there was a higher level of car dependence amongst Northern Irish students compared to other areas; and a greater variability in travel distances in Scotland and Northern Ireland. In England, car use was more pronounced when students travelled from their permanent address to term time address, and, as in Ireland, there was evidence of more car sharing on such trips. Public transport usage was more pronounced amongst Scottish students. The effect of these transport choices on emissions is significant and demonstrates the importance of education related trips to the development of a transport policy response. The analysis shows that annual emissions are highest for regular travel to and from university when a student has a permanent address rather than a separate term time and permanent address. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The IMPACT (Improving the Management of Patients with Advanced Colorectal Tumours) initiative was established by the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland in 2017 as a consortium of surgeons (colorectal, hepatobiliary, thoracic), oncologists, radiologists, pathologists, palliative care physicians, patients, carers and charity stakeholders who will work together to improve outcomes in patients with advanced and metastatic colorectal cancer. To establish this initiative, better information is required to establish how further intervention is focused. This paper details the approaches used, and outcomes generated, from a priority setting exercise to inform the design of the IMPACT initiative. A mixed method approach was employed to set the priorities of patients, clinicians and other key stakeholders in the delivery of optimal care. This consisted of two patient centered consultation events and a questionnaire. A total of 128 participants took part in the consultation exercise; 15 patients, 5 carers/family members, 5 charity representatives and 113 healthcare professionals. Nine key themes for focus were identified, these were: current service provision, specialist services, communication, education, access to care, definitions and standardisation, research and audit, outcome measures, and funding of specialist care. These future priorities will be developed with collaborative engagement in a systematic manner to produce an overall cohesive programme which will deliver a sustainable and efficient clinical and academic service to improving the management of patients with advanced colorectal tumours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland have distinct, siloed child protection and welfare systems. • Disability features differently across different child protection and welfare policy regimes. • Our comparative policy content analysis of disability in child protection and welfare policies within Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic demonstrates many similarities between the settings. • When comparing Irish policy on an international liberal welfare playing field, more differences become evident. The isle of Ireland is both socio-politically and geographically divided. Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland have distinct, siloed child protection and welfare systems owing to political severance in the early 1900 s. Meanwhile disability, as a contested concept with speculative borders and boundaries, features differently across different child protection and welfare policy regimes, in ways that have real effects on everyday practice at a grass-roots level. This paper presents findings of a comparative policy content analysis of disability in child protection and welfare policies within Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic. To embed criticality, findings are presented and then contextualized against similar data for child protection and welfare systems within the international liberal welfare regime present in the United States of America. Findings reveal a relatively progressive policy slant across Ireland insofar as international policy standards go. Even so, pervasive international traditions such as associating disability with vulnerability and risk, remain unfortunate and prevalent across the sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper aims to contribute to media studies on climate change through a study of the ways in which the adequacy of transnational measures of tackling climate change are represented in media outlets in the UK, Ireland, Sweden and Finland. Media texts on the European Union Energy and Climate Package, introduced in January 2008 and approved in modified form in December 2008, are analyzed in-depth. Through an exploratory cross-societal comparison of media representations, the paper traces some of the dynamics of contemporary environmental debates. We argue that the adequacy of proposed transnational measures for tackling climate change becomes a relative concept in the media: measures are not adequate or inadequate per se, but contingent upon social context and relative with regard to time and to the comparisons made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Schools of Nursing have witnessed an increase in the number of nursing students who struggle with learning difficulties. Support and accommodations are available in academic settings. Because nursing is a practice profession students also learn in clinical settings, which may not have similar support and accommodations. The compatibility of the clinical setting for the education of students with learning difficulties has not been studied. Staff nurses responsible for the clinical education of students and new nurses receive little preparation for their role as educator, and may not feel supported to meet the needs of those with learning difficulties. This is part one in a series of articles about the clinical education of nursing students with learning difficulties. This paper provides a framework and literature review for the development of a study (part 2) exploring the issue from the perspective of the nurse preceptors who educate students and new graduates with learning difficulties. Highlights • There is an increase in the number of students in school of nursing with learning difficulties. • The literature on nursing students with learning difficulties can be understood from the perspectives of nursing schools, faculty, and students. • Nurse educators have a role in preparing the learning environments for students with learning difficulties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Food poverty is an important contributing factor to health inequalities in industrialised countries; it refers to the inability to acquire or eat an adequate quality or sufficient quantity of food in socially acceptable ways (or the uncertainty of being able to do so). Synonymous with household food insecurity, the issue needs to be located within a social justice framework. Recognising the clear interdependence between the right to food and the right to health, this paper explores how international human rights obligations could inform approaches to addressing food poverty and insecurity with specific reference to Ireland and the UK. Little attention has been paid to how countries should meet their obligations to respect, protect and fulfil the right to food in developed countries. The paper contributes by examining the social and policy circumstances which inhibit poor households from obtaining sufficient food to eat healthily, along with strategies and interventions from State and civil society actors in the two countries. In practice, problems and potential solutions have largely been directed towards the individual rather than at social determinants, particularly as research on environmental factors such as distance to shops has produced equivocal results. Other key structural aspects such as income sufficiency for food are broadly ignored by the State, and anti-poverty strategies are often implemented without monitoring for effects on food outcomes. Thus scant evidence exists for either Ireland or the UK meeting its rights to food obligations to date, in terms of roles and responsibilities in ensuring access to affordable, available and appropriate food for all. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Given the raised profile that parenting support and education is currently receiving on government family policy agendas in many nations, this paper reviews the ways in which parenting support and education policies are embedded within eight OECD countries. Drawing out the similarities and differences of policy and practice, and comparing the financial support each country affords to parenting support, it assesses the effectiveness of parenting support programmes in relation to national expenditure and links parenting policy to child outcomes. The paper concludes with some recommendations for policy makers and programme developers. The countries reviewed are: The UK, Netherlands, Canada, Ireland, the US, Finland, Australia and New Zealand. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Over several decades the major thrust in the school sector of countries across the world has been the search for ways in which teachers can be convinced that ICT should be an integral part of their teaching strategy. Various approaches have been tried including the dissemination of good practice and the investment in infrastructure and equipment. Prominent among the strategies are training programmes designed to raise skill levels and foster positive attitudes to computers among teachers. This paper takes the latter of these and considers teachers'' perceptions of computers and one specific national initiative, i.e., the New Opportunities Fund (NOF) training for all UK teachers. This initiative, costing £230 million overall, provided training in all four countries of the UK. In the research reported here, a sample of 900 teachers from primary (5–11 years) and secondary (11–16/18years) schools in Northern Ireland was surveyed and yielded over 450 responses. The survey sought their views on a number of educational technology-related issues and this paper deals specifically with their responses on items relating to NOF training. The data included narrative commentaries from the teachers on their experiences with an attitude scale that allowed comparisons of the different types of respondents, e.g., male/female and secondary/primary. A selection of the results is presented in this paper along with a discussion of their implications for policy and practice. In summary, the results suggest that NOF training has had a measure of success in increasing teachers'' confidence in using computers in their teaching but that this has been tempered by a considerable degree of negative reaction to form and content of the training. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper aims to assess the vulnerability of coastal areas to sectoral pressures from maritime-related socio-economic activities. To do this, a DEA-based method is proposed to construct a synthetic index of anthropogenic vulnerability with which to rank European Atlantic Area countries and regions down to a regional scale below the national level. The set of indicators selected for this index focuses on five important vectors: marine spills, port activities, tourism, protection of natural areas, and water quality and waste management. The paper shows that, overall, the United Kingdom has the most vulnerable coast in Atlantic Europe, with Ireland showing the most resilient coast of all. Furthermore, the proposed method also allows one to identify peer groups with the same vulnerability pattern. Thus, policies aiming to reduce the vulnerability of a target region may be devised by focusing on the least vulnerable regions within the relevant group. The detailed analysis presented may help regional policy makers as a diagnostic tool to detect and assess vulnerability weaknesses so that they can design and carry out appropriate actions in line with integrated European coastal management policies. • Data Envelopment Analysis-based method allows for flexible weights. • Synthetic index scores rank regions according to maritime-related coastal pressures. • United Kingdom has the most vulnerable coast and Ireland the least. • Index identifies peer groups with the same vulnerability pattern. • Regional policymakers can use it as diagnostic tool to design management actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current status of forensic toxicology in the United Kingdom is discussed with an emphasis on professional training and development. Best practice is proposed using a blend of modular foundation knowledge training, continuing professional development, academic study, research & development and ongoing analytical practice. The need for establishing a professional career structure is also discussed along with a suggested example of a suitable model. The issues discussed in this paper are intended to provoke discussion within the forensic toxicology community, industry regulators and other government bodies responsible for the administration of justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers a process through which the wind costs the agricultural industry hundreds of millions of pounds per year - crop lodging. Lodging is the displacement of crops by wind (and rain) that can result in either stem breakage or uprooting. In particular this paper builds upon recent work to develop a generalised model of the lodging process and presents the results of several experimental campaigns to identify dynamic and aerodynamic parameters that are required as inputs to the model in order to estimate lodging wind speeds. These experiments were carried out at various sites in the UK and the Republic of Ireland to determine the natural frequencies, damping ratios and drag areas of maize, oats and oil seed rape. The experimental methodology, which was based upon the tracking of plant displacements, was shown to be robust, and consistent values of the parameters were obtained, albeit with much larger experimental uncertainties than would normally be expected in wind engineering applications. The values of these parameters were also consistent with those of earlier measurements for wheat. The generalised model was then used to determine lodging wind speeds for the three crops, and an assessment was made of the effect of experimental uncertainties in dynamic, aerodynamic and agronomic variables on the predicted values. In broad terms the generalised lodging model was shown to well describe the crop behaviour for isolated crops, and it was shown that it could be used in a simplified form for interlocked crop canopies. It was also shown that uncertainties in the aerodynamic parameters resulted in uncertainties of around an order of magnitude in lodging risk, whilst typical variations between plants in some crop parameters (notably stem strength and radius) could result in lodging risk uncertainties of two orders of magnitude. • Experiments to measure crop dynamic and aerodynamic parameters in high winds, to calibrate analytical lodging model. • A novel method of plant displacement measurement using video tracking of individual plants. • A comparison of natural frequencies, damping ratios and drag are for oats, maize, oil seed rape, and wheat. • Determination of lodging wind speeds and lodging risk for the different crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The term 'capacity' has come to assume a variety of meanings in the law of England and Wales, and the failure of statutes and judges to specify its meaning and application across the civil and criminal law leads to problems. Nowhere is this perhaps clearer than in the law relating to sexual capacity. This paper begins with an overview of two streams of law on sexual capacity in the civil and criminal law. The first stream traces through the criminal law provisions of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, the work by the Law Commission which led to its enactment, and the ways in which its provisions have been applied by the courts in practice; and the second examines the Mental Capacity Act 2005 ('MCA 2005') and its parallel application by the civil courts. We illustrate how the case of A Local Authority v JB [2021] UKSC 52 brought these problems to the fore, as the Supreme Court was at last confronted with the differences between the definition and use of the term 'capacity' by the civil and criminal law on sexual capacity. We suggest that the decision made by the Supreme Court in JB has left open terrain which ought to be used to reframe, or perhaps even replace, the concept of 'capacity' within the criminal law on sexual capacity.1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

No single solution currently exists to achieve the utopian desire of zero fossil fuel electricity generation. Until such time, it is evident that the energy mix will contain a large variation in stochastic and intermittent sources of renewable energy such as wind power. The increasing prominence of wind power in pursuit of legally binding European energy targets enables policy makers and conventional generating companies to plan for the unique challenges such a natural resource presents. This drive for wind has been highly beneficial in terms of security of energy supply and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, it has created an unusual ally in natural gas. This paper outlines the suitability and challenges faced by gas generating units in their utilisation as key assets for renewable energy integration and the transition to a low carbon future. The Single Electricity Market of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland and the British Electricity Transmission Trading Agreement Market are the backdrop to this analysis. Both of these energy markets have a reliance on gas generation matching the proliferation of wind power. The unlikely and mostly ignored relationship between natural gas generation and wind power due to policy decisions and market forces is the necessity of gas to act as a bridging fuel. This review finds gas generation to be crucially important to the continued growth of renewable energy. Additionally, it is suggested that power market design should adequately reward the flexibility required to securely operate a power system with high penetrations of renewable energy, which in most cases is provided by gas generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To identify the patient classification systems used to classify nursing intensity in the assessment of nursing staffing resources currently used in home health care, with a special emphasis on validity, reliability and staff allocation. Scoping review of internationally published and grey literature, based on a methodological framework by Arksey and O'Malley. Searches of the electronic databases Cinahl, Medline, Embase and SweMed, the websites Google and Google Scholar and hand searches of reference lists occurred. Eligibility criteria included (A) a focus on patient classification systems measuring nursing intensity and workload in home health care and (B) published in English between January 2007 and March 2019. In level one testing two team members screened titles and abstracts, in level two testing two team members determined which papers should undergo a full text review. Data were extracted using structured extraction by one team member and verified by two other members. Thirteen peer-reviewed articles and grey literature documents were identified, from Canada, Ireland, the UK, the USA, Scotland, Turkey and the Netherlands. Four patient classification systems had been tested for both validity and reliability. Validity was tested through face validity, predictive validity, concurrent validity or content validity index. Reliability was tested through stability, internal consistency, observer agreement or inter rater reliability. One patient classification system had been tested only for reliability, through interrater reliability and observer agreement. Two patient classification systems had been evaluated through summative evaluation; one qualitatively through focus group interviews and one through semi-structured interviews. Only one patient classification system had been validity and reliability tested and evaluated. Overall, the patient classification systems in the included papers (13) were considered to have benefits and to be appropriate for the measurement of patients' needs, workload and allocation of staff, although specific information was not always given. Little has been published on validity or reliability tested patient classification systems linked to staffing allocation in home health care in the past decade. Limited research was seen where a patient classification system was considered to be fully operational in home health care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The vegetation of Europe has undergone substantial changes during the course of the Holocene epoch, resulting from range expansion of plants following climate amelioration, competition between taxa and disturbance through anthropogenic activities. Much of the detail of this pattern is understood from decades of pollen analytical work across Europe, and this understanding has been used to address questions relating to vegetation-climate feedback, biogeography and human impact. Recent advances in modelling the relationship between pollen and vegetation now make it possible to transform pollen proportions into estimates of vegetation cover at both regional and local spatial scales, using the Landscape Reconstruction Algorithm (LRA), i.e. the REVEALS (Regional Estimates of VEgetation Abundance from Large Sites) and the LOVE (LOcal VEgetation) models. This paper presents the compilation and analysis of 73 pollen stratigraphies from the British Isles, to assess the application of the LRA and describe the pattern of landscape/woodland openness (i.e. the cover of low herb and bushy vegetation) through the Holocene. The results show that multiple small sites can be used as an effective replacement for a single large site for the reconstruction of regional vegetation cover. The REVEALS vegetation estimates imply that the British Isles had a greater degree of landscape/woodland openness at the regional scale than areas on the European mainland. There is considerable spatial bias in the British Isles dataset towards wetland areas and uplands, which may explain higher estimates of landscape openness compared with Europe. Where multiple estimates of regional vegetation are available from within the same region inter-regional differences are greater than intra-regional differences, supporting the use of the REVEALS model to the estimation of regional vegetation from pollen data. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Competing demand for land is driving biofuel and bioenergy research in various directions including macro-algae (seaweed). This paper reviews the main issues for the marine environment of cultivating and harvesting UK and Irish seaweed for biofuels/bioenergy, informed by stakeholder interviews. These showed stakeholders were sceptical of an offshore cultivation industry developing but generally considered inshore cultivation possible, while noting various practical obstacles and conditions. Views on expansion of seaweed harvesting were more divided, with research scientists being relatively cautious. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: With the UK Marine Bill promoting the creation of a network of marine protected areas and similar commitments in other countries there is a need for tools to assist in their design and management. Although physical science often drives designation, the implementation of marine protected areas also encompasses political and socio-economic issues. This paper focuses on one tool in the armoury of decision-makers: choice experiments. It illustrates its application to the quantification of aspects of socio-economic value not readily incorporated into the evaluation of the costs and benefits of marine protected areas utilising cold-water deep coral reefs off the Republic of Ireland. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper describes a simple method for comparing airports based on their accessibility to regional, continental or global air transport networks, using a variety of different measures of traffic. The method is applied to all Irish and UK airports for the years 2000, 2003 and 2005 and compares the performance of these airports in serving the UK/Ireland, Western European, Greater European, North American and global air transport markets. The method may be generalised to assess other regional groupings of airports in differing regional contexts, in situations where very limited demographic and socio-economic data are available. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Objectives: This paper compares two indirect prevalence estimation methods that offer protection beyond anonymity and are suitable for self-administration, for investigating the epidemiology of transgressive or socially sensitive behaviours. Design: In this self-report study, 513 participants (58.7% male) from sports clubs across the UK and southern Ireland were asked to complete an anonymous survey containing the recently developed Single Sample Count (SSC), along with a comparative method Unrelated Question Model (UQM), using prohibited performance-enhancing drugs/substances (PED) as sensitive and hormone-boosting herbal supplements (HS) as non-sensitive control questions. Method: The survey comprised of sections of SSC, UQM, social projection and simple network scale up methods. Respondents were asked to indicate whether they preferred the SSC or UQM for more protection and ease of completion. Results: A large discrepancy was observed in prevalence estimates for PED using the UQM (58.4%) and SSC (19.8%), but not for HS (54.9% and 54.0%, respectively). The SSC prevalence estimate for PED was in keeping with the results from social projection (13.8% in own sport; 26.1% in all sports) and network scale up (19.3% for known and suspected doping combined). A clear preference was logged for SSC. Conclusion: SSC, but not UQM, showed good concurrent validity with social projection and personal networks for PED; and good discriminant validity with HS. The observed discrepancy could be explained by strategic responding which can inflate the proportion of ‘yes’ answers in the UQM. Adaptation of the UQM for self-administration may lead to an unwanted upward response distortion via strategic responding. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: As an island nation the Republic of Ireland’s ports and harbours are key to the economic wellbeing of the country as they are the primary transport link to the United Kingdom, mainland Europe and beyond. This paper examines the main aspects of the Irish dredging industry with comparison to international practice and standards, including the source of the dredge material and volumes generated annually, the dredging plant employed and the management processes currently practised. Relevant European and Irish legislation governing dredging, disposal at sea and waste licensing are presented. The potential impacts of disposal at sea are discussed with the implications for the Irish dredging industry of recently introduced European Directives assessed. Beneficial use rates for dredge material and the techniques implemented in Ireland are examined and compared with international practice. Recent notable beneficial use projects for dredge material and proposed innovative dredge material management techniques for specific dredging projects in Ireland are presented. Proposals to encourage greater beneficial use of dredge material and minimise disposal at sea for Ireland are presented including the introduction of environmental credits, tax breaks and a grant system for pilot schemes. An alternative disposal at sea charge fee structure is also recommended to encourage alternative dredge material management practices. Ireland’s management of contaminated sediment is also presented with recent projects described highlighting the current practice of primarily exporting contaminated sediment to mainland Europe. Alternative methods of treatment of contaminated sediment are assessed in an Irish context. Future issues and challenges facing the Irish dredging industry are assessed and a critical analysis of the current approaches to dredge material management is presented. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Background: Drug scenes within several countries have changed in recent years to incorporate a range of licit psychoactive products, collectively known as “legal highs.” Hundreds of different legal high products have been described in the literature. Many of these products contain synthetic stimulants that allegedly “mirror” the effects of some illicit drugs. In 2009–2010, growing concern by the UK and Irish governments focused on mephedrone, a synthetic stimulant that had become embedded within several drug scenes in Britain and Ireland. In April 2010, mephedrone and related cathinone derivatives were banned under the UK''s Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. Setting aside “worse case scenarios” that have been portrayed by UK and Irish media, little is known about mephedrone use from the consumer''s perspective. The purpose of this paper was to (1) explore respondents’ experiences with mephedrone, (2) examine users’ perceptions about the safety of mephedrone, and primarily to (3) examine sources of mephedrone supply during the pre- and post-ban periods. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 23 adults who had used mephedrone during 2009–2010. Data collection occurred in May and June 2010, following the ban on mephedrone. A total of 20/23 respondents had used mephedrone during the post-ban period, and the vast majority had prior experience with ecstasy or cocaine. Respondents’ ages ranged from 19 to 51, approximately half of the sample were female and the majority (19 of 23) were employed in full- or part-time work. Results: Most respondents reported positive experiences with mephedrone, and for some, the substance emerged as a drug of choice. None of the respondents reported that the once-legal status of mephedrone implied that it was safe to use. Very few respondents reported purchasing mephedrone from street-based or on-line headshops during the pre-ban period, and these decisions were guided in part by respondents’ attempts to avoid “drug user” identities. Most respondents purchased or obtained mephedrone from friends or dealers, and mephedrone was widely available during the 10-week period following the ban. Respondents reported a greater reliance on dealers and a change in mephedrone packaging following the criminalisation of mephedrone. Conclusion: The findings are discussed in the context of what appears to be a rapidly changing mephedrone market. We discuss the possible implications of criminalising mephedrone, including the potential displacement effects and the development of an illicit market. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper examines the dramatic improvement in inter-city connectivity by focusing on scheduled passenger air service linking the United Kingdom and Ireland with continental Europe. Between 1996 and 2004, inter-city connectivity as defined by the operation of scheduled non-stop service improved dramatically in two key ways: the number of cities served (increased by 40% from 94 to 135) and the number of city-pairs served (increased by 91% from 224 to 428). A large portion of this increase is attributable to the new generation of low-fare carriers. This improvement in inter-city connectivity benefited a large number of small, provincial towns with no adverse impact on flights out of traditional gateway cities and capitals. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Terrestrial crops for biofuel may make a negligible contribution to net greenhouse gas emissions [1,2] and may cause other environmental impacts such as reducing freshwater resources and food security [3]. In light of these facts there is increasing interest in the production of marine biofuels [4,5], and so the recent paper in Marine Policy by Roberts and Upham [6] reviewing the cultivation and harvest of UK and Irish seaweeds for biofuels is very pertinent and timely. However it contains a number of factual errors that need correcting and raises several issues, which need fuller clarification. These issues centre around three main themes: (1) a confusion between the occurrence and harvest of intertidal and subtidal species, (2) the relative suitability of seaweeds, and their source (wild harvest versus culture) as feedstock for biofuel generation and (3) an appreciation of the scale at which macroalgae would have to be produced to make any impact on biofuel targets. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]