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EVERY WEEK, TheJournal.ie offers a selection of statistics and numerical nuggets to help you digest the week that has just passed.
3.75 billion The amount in euros raised by selling Irish bonds this week with investors snapping up the offerings as Ireland dipped into the bond market for the first time since the bailout exit last month.
49,304 – The number of mortgages which have been restructured so far after agreements were reached between financial institutions and homeowners.
20,000 – The approximate number of people who applied for jobs in An Garda Síochána for just 300 positions. It was the first recruitment drive since 2009.
1,058 - The number of people who have been shortlisted to become the first humans to travel to Mars. Astrophysicist Dr Joseph Roche is the only Irish person to make the list.
374 – The number of patients stuck on trolleys in hospitals on Wednesday of this week – the highest figure in almost a year.
80 – The percentage of people killed on Ireland’s roads last year who were men according to figures from the Road Safety Authority.
49 – The percentage of black men in the United States who have been arrested by the age of 23, according to a major new study into racial divides in the criminal justice system.
28 – The number of councillors who have now left the Labour Party over its role in government after two more left this week.
5 – The number of Irish people who made the Forbes lists of 30 under 30, including golfer Rory McIlroy, One Direction’s Niall Horan, and entrepreneurs Patrick and John Collison.
3 – The number of judges appointed to the High Court this week by President Michael D Higgins.
1 – The number of people who have died of avian flu in North America. Canadian authorities confirmed the death this week.
1 – Michael Noonan’s ranking as a Minister for Finance out of all of Europe, according to the Financial Times. Noonan got the accolade for his “extraordinary progress” since 2011.
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There obviously must be some truth to it. I had a new hard drive stolen from my baggage on flight back from Boston years some years ago. I’m still bitter. It happens at every airport along with stealing entire bags from carousels. Hidden cameras + metal detectors for employees entering and leaving together with aggressive prosecution are the best deterrents. You could say that it indicates a lack of trust in the employees but you could also say that locking your front door in the morning indicates a lack of trust in society. It doesn’t mean it’s not the sensible option.
@Sean: All staff in the airport go through security in and out. However it is airport rather than company security.
Cameras are already installed in most locations in the airport. Catering, baggage handling, duty free bind stores, even the trucks bringing the stuff to the aircraft.
The issue wasn’t the cctv installation, it was the insinuation that there are “millions” going missing. Where is this figure from? Over how long a timeframe? How does it compare to other large organizations? 4500 staff, is it 10%, 5% or 1% behaving badly? Let’s say it’s 5%, that’s under 250 ppl responsible for at least Eur4000 pilferage/theft each.
@GinandJetfuel: nobody goes through the same security screening when the leave the airport as they do entering it. Screening bags leaving the airport could make a difference. You can’t go aorund making accusations like this even if they have proof of theft from duty free etc, it’s on an individual basis but it goes on everywhere in every industry. It was a ridiculous comment from management and well handled by the union. Expect a revolt from staff over this and rightly so.
@Peter O Donnell: okay the below is taken from a US story in 2015. Quite clearly not screening all workers is cost driven. How does Ireland compare?
The vast majority of airport employees with direct access to the tarmac and airplanes do not go through any daily security screening, and only two of the country’s major airports have systems in place that require all employees with secure access to pass through metal detectors….
The TSA identified workers with access to secure areas of airports as one of the greatest potential threats to aviation…
The report said costs for full screening of airport and airline employees could range from $5.7 – $14.9 billion for the first year of implementation.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2015/02/02/us/airport-security-investigation/index.html
@Sean: Every single staff member and car/van/truck etc are screened before entering Dublin airport, also bags, cargo etc are all checked. You can’t link an American report for Irish Airports
@Sean: oh dear. Forget America man. This is Ireland. Try get through airport security in Ireland or any European international airport without detection. You won’t get far. Its much easier to bring stuff back in than it is to bring stuff out. Hence my point regarding re screening after duty.
@GinandJetfuel: my bag was delivered out to a another customer and then returned to baggage lock up. An employee of baggage was able to describe my bag to me in detail and told it would be brought to my home next day. 3 days on – no sign of bag. Now told not there. Went to Dublin airport spent one hour trying to talk to baggage dept – you have to call from a phone on a wall in main terminal. No idea where my bag had gone , or which employee had transported to the other customer – my name, address was clearly marked on case. 5 months to get letter from A.L. for my private insurance Co. When you call baggage you are actually talking to someone in India despite the fact they say they are in Dublin. Total shambles of a Dept. Yes call a spade a spade and name the Dept at fault !
@Sean: aerlings staff didn’t steal your stuff
Really shows you the level of respect senior management has for its worker bees ..
@Is Mise jay: well paid worker bees who occasionally steal stuff.
So wait, stuff isn’t going missing?
@Dave O’Keeffe: ah it is yeah but sure few cans be grand
@Dave O’Keeffe: yes all the time- Baggage Dept a shambles !!!
Well done Forsa!
Why is he apologising? He’s the CEO of Aer Lingus, not Independent News & Media. He has no responsibility for what headlines they decide to print.
@jacquoranda: cos it was an internal memo that got leaked which he had presumably approved it should have had some knowledge of i would imagine.
@jacquoranda: the organisation’s executive calls its staff thieves… would you expect an apology, at a minimum, for an unsubstantiated claim like this against yourself?
@Pilib: unfortunately some of are ! Had the experience myself with baggage dept
T’was the Tooth Fairy ..
@Picture This: hey…!!!! I’m innocent..!!!
I left a bag which contained an item of clothing and chocolates for my family on board an Aerlingus flight from Amsterdam to Dublin back in December 2014. I absolutely knew I left the bag in the over head locker and I was certain I would get it back but when I rang the Aerlingus lost and found department there was no sign of my bag. I could not believe it! I was genuinely shocked. Not shocked about this announcement though!
@Geralyn Early: I left a laptop on a plane and got it back no problem! Doesn’t happen all the time.
@Sean Oige: Never said it happens all the time but I was very disappointed that I did not get this bag back as it was Christmas time.
@Geralyn Early: could it have been a fellow passenger who took it?
@Deborah Blacoe: That is possible but I would imagine that rarely happens. Anyway. I only thought about that bag again when this news story broke.
Never had a problem with Aer Lingus. Always a good experience on 100+ flights.
There’s an airport, not in Ireland, that I always have issues with when I transfer around this time of year, no matter which carrier I fly with.
The whole story then was just the senior management flying a kite…
@iComment: expensive kite
Well Santy has to get his goodies from somewhere
all the staff were not responsible only a few, like the time only some staff were smuggling people into the country.
have your say