Health

The ISPCC has said the State guidelines on reporting child sexual abuse are not working. The criticisms of the Children First guidelines are contained in the ISPCC's submission to the Office for the Minister for Children. In the aftermath of the Ferns report, the Minister for Children, Brian Lenihan, announced a review of the guidelines. The Children's Rights Alliance, representing over 80 organisations, also said the guidelines were not working in their submission to the office.

Emily Logan talks to Emma Browne about how the Irish Government has failed children by rushing through legislation that discriminates between girls and boys and that allows child victims of abuse to be cross-examined in court

Health Service Executive figures show that 1,144 female victims of domestic violence were turned away from HSE Eastern region accommodation centres in 2004. The situation has changed little in the Eastern-region since 2001 when 1,104 domestic violence victims were unable to be accommodated by the HSE. The refusals were due to a lack of available space. The latest figures available are from 2004, however it is likely that there was a similar situation in 2005 as there have been no additional spaces in the centres since then.

Missing files, altered registers, suspicious removal and returns of charts. All were part of a conspiracy of obstruction encountered during an inquiry into Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda. Gardaí may open a new criminal investigation based on the findings. Sara Burke reports

The INO disputes Tánaiste's claim, reports Scott Millar

Public health leaders in the Philippines are warning that their health system is on the brink of collapse due to health workers abandoning the Philippines for higher salaries in Ireland and other rich countries.

Mary Harney, the Minister for Health, will not address the Irish Nurses Organisation (INO) on Friday 5 May due to her prior commitment to lecture US health industry professions, business leaders and journalists on "Fostering Innovation: A Government Perspective". That day nurses are expected to vote for a motion of no confidence in her management of the current accident and emergency crisis.

^Denise Grady and Gina Kolata answer some common questions about the deadly bird flu virus

Problems are already occuring with private home help in the Dublin area. Scott Millar reports

Repeated promises on A&E have been broken by Mary Harney and there is still no eivdence that her declaration of a 'national emergency' will solve the A&E crisis. By Sara Burke