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Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 18 Feb 2004

Vol. 580 No. 2

Adjournment Debate.

Job Losses.

Thank you, a Cheann Comhairle, for allowing me to raise this important matter on behalf of the people of south Tipperary. In the past six weeks, two companies, Sram Corporation in Carrick-on-Suir and Continental Promotion in Tipperary town, shed 66 jobs and 21 jobs respectively, a devastating blow to both towns. I understand there are major difficulties in the current market, particularly the markets the companies were supplying.

I implore the Tánaiste to make Carrick-on-Suir and Tipperary town her number one priority in terms of finding replacement industries. If the Government is serious about taking action on behalf of south Tipperary, finding replacement industries will be the key. An advance factory is being built in Tipperary town and proposals have been made for an advance factory for Carrick-on-Suir. Both towns merit job replacement and I ask the Tánaiste to do everything in her power in the coming months to convince IDA Ireland and all other relevant bodies that this is a priority.

Regarding the current difficulties in south Tipperary, the towns of Carrick-on-Suir and Tipperary have long-standing high unemployment levels. As Deputy Hayes stated, we had two recent closures, Continental Promotion in Tipperary town and, more recently, Sram Corporation in Carrick-on-Suir. I ask the Tánaiste to find replacement industries and to ensure the completion of advance factories in both towns.

I ask that the Tánaiste to examine urgently the possibility of extending decentralisation to Carrick-on-Suir, in particular. The town, which was overlooked in the Budget Statement on decentralisation, has a population of 5,000, of which 1,000 are on the live register. This unemployment level of approximately 20% is unheard of elsewhere in the country. The Minister for Finance has an opportunity to decentralise to the town some of the 1,300 jobs — 500 in the health sector and 835 in the information technology sector — which have not yet been allocated. I urge him to decentralise 300 of these jobs to Carrick-on-Suir, which needs an employment boost to create further jobs and investment. Thankfully, Tipperary town was on the list of towns to benefit from decentralisation and I hope the 200 jobs due to transfer from the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform will materialise quickly.

I thank the Deputies for raising this matter on the Adjournment and apologise on behalf of the Tánaiste who is unfortunately and unavoidably unable to attend the debate. I understand the Deputies' concerns and the Tánaiste is conscious of the adverse effects on workers of recent job losses in south Tipperary, including 66 redundancies at Sram Corporation in Carrick-on-Suir and 21 job losses at Continental Promotion in Tipperary town. Unfortunately, lack of competitiveness was a key factor in the decision to downsize both plants.

Finding alternative employment for the workers affected is a priority for FÁS and the State development agencies. FÁS has contacted the companies concerned and is making available its full range of support services, including skills analysis, jobs placement. guidance and counselling interviews and identification of training needs and courses.

In continuing to improve the attractiveness of Tipperary as a location for inward investment, IDA Ireland is upgrading the Tipperary town business park which is expected to be completed in April 2004 and is in the process of constructing a BES advance technology building of 17,000 sq. ft. on the site, to be completed by June this year. IDA Ireland is actively marketing the new park and advance technology building through its network of overseas offices. In addition, the former Namco building in the town is being marketed by IDA Ireland.

The Tipperary town working group, a sub-committee of the South Tipperary County Development Board, was established following the announcement of redundancies at Pall Ireland in March 2003. The objective of the group was to bring together relevant stakeholders from the county development board to stimulate a number of local development initiatives, which would have the effect of promoting new community and enterprise developments in Tipperary town. The Tánaiste understands that it is proposed to extend the remit of the group to include Carrick-on-Suir.

IDA Ireland is an active participant in the group, with FÁS, Enterprise Ireland. Tipperary Town Council, the South Tipperary Development Board, the county enterprise board and the Tipperary Institute. The group is focusing on a number of employment and community proposals, including a development zone, incorporating Tipperary town and Limerick Junction; a logistics hub or theme park; a rejuvenation fund for existing community projects; and telecommunications enhancement.

Enterprise Ireland has arranged for the South East Business Innovation Centre, Waterford, to conduct workshops and clinics during 2004 for existing tenants of the Tipperary town business and technology centre and any other interested small or medium size enterprises. The workshops will cover aspects of setting up business and developing existing business and the clinics will provide a one-to-one business counselling service for small businesses. The Tipperary enterprise and technology centre is now fully operational and ten micro-enterprises have set up there to date. The Carrick-on-Suir enterprise development group is currently in the process of delivering a high-quality training facility in the new community resource centre in the town. Support for the centre is being provided by the enterprise group, the Waterford Leader Partnership and the Barrow, Nore and Suir Leader Company.

The setting up of the Blarney wool retail outlet at the old Tipperary Crystal premises is a positive development for the area with employment of over 30 people and plans for further expansion. The South Tipperary County Enterprise Board has also been very active in supporting the enterprise centre and other community initiatives and projects in Carrick-on-Suir. With respect to the Sram redundancies, the enterprise board has been in contact with management with a view to offering one-to-one, in-house clinics and a pre-enterprise training course for workers looking at self-employment as an option.

The major decentralisation package announced in the budget includes 200 jobs to be relocated to Tipperary town. This move demonstrates the Government's commitment to balanced regional development and will provide a further boost to enterprise development in south Tipperary.

As regards the decentralisation of other jobs to Carrick-on-Suir and elsewhere, the Tánaiste understands that her colleague, the Minister for Finance, Deputy McCreevy, has already dealt with this matter in a written response to Deputy Healy today indicating that decisions have yet to be taken on this issue. The case for Carrick-on-Suir will of course be considered in this process.

The Tánaiste is satisfied that the combined efforts of the State development agencies under the aegis of her Department, in co-operation with south Tipperary development board and the county council and other local interests, should provide an adequate framework to deal with job losses and job creation in the area. I fully understand and appreciate the concerns of the Deputies and the trauma and concerns of the families concerned. I will ensure that the Deputies' contributions will be brought to the attention of the Tánaiste.

Cross-Border Incursions.

I am grateful for the opportunity to raise this matter. The Ceann Comhairle has been in the House for a number of years and will know that this was a regular issue on the Adjournment in past years. We thought the question of incursions across the Border was now part of history and would not be repeated.

Unfortunately on 11 February 2004, there was an incursion of British army personnel into the townland of Carnamocklagh on the Border and between Omeath village and Newry town. There are indications that PSNI personnel were establishing a checkpoint at some point along the flagstaff. The implications are obvious and serious. It is very undesirable to have people coming into an area on a winter's night where there are quite a number of elderly people. Army personnel prowling around in the dark give rise to very considerable unease among the families who are living there. It causes offence to the people and to the area and to people in the Republic generally. It serves as a reminder that the British army is present on the streets and across the Six Counties. Despite the significant progress being made in the political arena, it is a reminder to us that the British army is present and that there is some distance to go before we have the institutions and the political harmony in place in the North.

I hope the Department of Foreign Affairs and its Ministers will avail of the first opportunity to have a one-to-one discussion with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland about this issue, to put their concerns on record and seek assurances that there will be no recurrence of this activity. Incursions can inflame passions in any area and I hope the Department appreciates the sensitivities that exist in Border areas.

It is to be hoped that the political institutions in the North can be put back into a functioning state as quickly as possible. The result of the last election in the North has caused a stalemate. It is the earnest desire of all right-thinking political people to restore the functioning institutions as quickly as possible. We have come a long way in the last ten years and it is important that the momentum of that progress is maintained. I exhort the Minister and the Minister of State to avail of the first opportunity to discuss the matter with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

I thank Deputy Kirk for raising this important matter. The Government regards unauthorised incursions by both the British military and the Police Service of Northern Ireland into this jurisdiction as a serious matter. On each occasion on which the Department is notified of an incident, the matter is immediately raised with the British authorities and a report is sought from the Garda Síochána.

The facts as I am informed as follows. At approximately 7.30 p.m. on Wednesday, 11 February, a large patrol consisting of officers of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, accompanied by members of the British army, allegedly made an unauthorised incursion into this jurisdiction in the area of Ferryhill, Omeath, County Louth. Details of this unauthorised incursion were brought to my attention on the morning of 12 February. My officials raised this matter with the relevant British authorities through the offices of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Secretariat in Belfast. Our serious concern regarding this incident was conveyed and an immediate and detailed explanation sought. Officials also asked the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform to seek a report into the circumstances of this incident from the Garda Síochána. This preliminary report states that at 7.30 p.m. on 11 February 2004, a telephone call was received at Omeath Garda station. It was reported at this time that 15 to 20 British soldiers and PSNI officers were in this jurisdiction at Carnamocklagh, in Omeath, near Davey's public house, between Border crossing points Nos. 1 and 2. In addition to this telephone call, several local people also made similar reports detailing the incursion, some of whom have now made statements to that effect to local gardaí.

The Omeath Garda patrol car went to the scene but the soldiers and PSNI officers were not at that time present in the area. Reports have indicated that the soldiers and PSNI officers were all armed and had travelled between 400 and 800 metres south of the Border. In line with agreed procedures, this information was then conveyed to the British-Irish Intergovernmental Secretariat in Belfast.

The British authorities responded to our requests for information on this alleged incursion on the afternoon of 12 February. They confirmed that there was a joint British army/PSNI patrol in the Ferryhill area at around 7 p.m. on the date in question, but advised that at no time did they go within 700 metres of the Border. As eyewitness statements contradict this account of events, this response was deemed to be insufficient to address our concerns. Officials, therefore, made a further request to the British authorities for an explanation of the discrepancy between the two versions of events and for further details of those soldiers and PSNI officers involved. The British authorities have reiterated their response that no incursion took place at Omeath last Wednesday.

The Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform has confirmed to me today information obtained from the Garda to the effect that seven separate witnesses have made statements claiming the opposite to be the case. They allege that the group of soldiers and PSNI officers entered the State at Border crossing point No. 1 and left again at Border crossing No. 2. These crossing points are approximately 550 metres apart. These witness statements appear to be quite detailed with regard to the exact position of the Northern security forces. Consequently, I have further raised the issue with the British authorities and in light of these witness statements have asked them to revisit the issue. Most reported cases involve a relatively small number of troops, police officers or military helicopters briefly crossing the border. They tend to be the result of navigational error on the part of security personnel new to Northern Ireland. The Omeath incident, therefore, was not typical as a relatively large number of soldiers and PSNI officers were in attendance.

I am fully aware of the concerns of people living in Border areas about the entry into the State by the British security forces. As Deputy Kirk has pointed out, it is clear that these incidents are problematic and a cause of anxiety to locals living in Border areas. Some people see such incidents not as mere navigational errors, but as deliberate acts. If they are not thoroughly convincing, the subsequent explanations for such incidents are often viewed with distrust and scepticism, particularly by the local community.

More broadly, progress continues towards full security normalisation throughout Northern Ireland, as envisaged by the Good Friday Agreement and the Joint Declaration. The Government has repeatedly stressed to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland that all aspects of the Agreement, including the reduction in the numbers and role of the security forces deployed in Northern Ireland, need to be fully implemented. The number of security installations should be reduced to a level compatible with a normal and peaceful society.

It should also be noted that, as envisaged in the Joint Declaration in an enabling context of acts of completion, the British Government agreed to the complete normalisation of security arrangements and the reduction, in effect, of British Army levels to those prevalent in 1969. Such a development would reduce the possibility of cross-Border incursions on the part of the British army. Over 40 military installations have been closed, vacated or demolished to date. Troops have been withdrawn from ten police stations and troop levels have been significantly reduced overall. Last week's announced closure of the barracks at Aughnacloy, County Tyrone, and the British army post at Clooney, County Derry, is another positive step towards this normalisation of security personnel and infrastructure. I am sure this development is welcomed, particularly by those living in Border areas.

I will continue to remind the British authorities of the seriousness of incursions by British security forces into this State. My officials will seek to resolve the discrepancies between the official British response and the statements given to the Garda. It is important that the facts are established to guide our responses and to ensure that every precaution is taken to prevent a recurrence of incursions. l assure Deputy Kirk of the unremitting attention of the Department in this matter.

Health Board Allowances.

I appreciate the opportunity to raise this important matter on the Adjournment. I have decided to raise this issue with the Minister of State because I have been approached by a significant number of my constituents who are encountering unnecessarily long delays in having their applications processed. Mobility allowance plays a vital role in enabling disabled people to live as normal a life as possible. In light of the inordinately high levels of unemployment among disabled people, which I highlighted in this House last week, this allowance is particularly important in allowing disabled people to live as normally as possible.

A constituent who raised this matter with me has suffered from multiple sclerosis for 22 years, is housebound and cannot walk any distance. She applied to the North Eastern Health Board for mobility allowance in August 2002. After waiting over 12 months for the area medical officer to assess her medical eligibility, she finally received a brief letter from North Eastern Health Board, dated 9 September 2003, stating that she was not considered eligible. She had to wait for over a year to receive a simple letter of acknowledgement. No reason was given for the decision, but the letter stated that an appeal could be made to the appeals officer, a process she immediately commenced. Almost six months later, following frequent contact between the North Eastern Health Board, my constituent and my constituency office, the woman in question was told that she must wait for an unknown length of time for her appeal to be considered by the appeals committee and the area medical officer. The woman is housebound and under considerable emotional and financial stress.

I have also encountered the case of an infant, under the care of a children's foundation in County Louth, who suffers from cerebral palsy and other distressing problems. The child, who is under five years of age, had to wait for a considerable period of time to be assessed. The child was refused mobility allowance, but a right to appeal was granted. The appeals body has indicated that it is so overwhelmed by its appeals waiting list that it will probably be 22 months before the child's case can be heard.

Many people who apply for mobility allowance are turned down initially, but are then granted the allowance after going through a lengthy appeals process. People suffer extraordinary difficulties because they have to wait for a considerable number of years. Many people who are clearly entitled to the allowance give up during the process because they become weary. It sometimes happens that they do not receive enough advice from State agencies, which should be much more user-friendly and helpful. Although the sums of money involved may not be significant for the health boards, they are extremely significant for the parties involved. A relatively small amount of money can be critical for those who are totally dependent on State pay-outs. Those to whom I refer do not have an opportunity to earn money in the black economy. They invariably have relatives who are financially burdened, having assisted them financially over many years. It is critically important that such people are dealt with quickly.

How can the Department of Health and Children allow the problems I have outlined to continue to prevail? Is it just or reasonable that the most vulnerable people in society should be exposed in such a manner? Can the Minister of State stand over the lack of assistance to people who are clearly in need? Can he do anything to lessen the difficulties encountered by such people? It is clear from the cases I have mentioned that many difficulties exist. The people need be assured that problems such as those I have outlined will not continue. I hope the Minister of State will assure the House that all such applications will be processed in a timely manner in the future. This is a difficult matter, involving vulnerable people, and I hope something can be done to alleviate this serious problem. I am sure it does not exist in my constituency only, as I have no doubt that it prevails in other health board areas as well. I ask that the problem be examined at departmental level to try to alleviate it.

I thank Deputy Morgan for raising this matter and giving me an opportunity to respond. He asked a straight question — is it just or reasonable that those he mentioned in his presentation are denied the allowance even though they qualify for it? It is not just or reasonable that people are refused their entitlements. I am pleased to remind the House that many of the schemes under discussion were introduced by Fianna Fáil administrations. Many of the measures introduced by Fianna Fáil, particularly while in office, have been designed to improve the quality of life of certain groups of people, such as those with restricted mobility. It would upset me to think that people who clearly qualify for this allowance drop out of the applications process in the manner outlined by the Deputy. The Government has not put in place a mobility allowance structure to facilitate such difficulties, but to ensure that those who qualify are able to access the allowance.

I read with interest some comments expressed at a recent meeting of the North Eastern Health Board. I am sure Deputy Morgan would have contact with a number of the board members. I read with interest some of the comments made. One of them expressed the view that, with the abolition of the health board, a better service will be provided to the people in the region. As the Deputy is aware, structural changes are being made because of variances in the regions and gaps in the services. In the North Eastern Health Board, this may be one area that warrants address.

Mobility allowance is payable by the health boards, subject to a means test, to persons with a severe disability. There are certain criteria to qualify for the allowance. The current maximum amount is €142 per month. It is a matter for the senior area medical officer in the relevant health board to decide whether the medical criteria are satisfied in each case.

It is not working due to the lengthy waiting lists.

Allow the Minister of State to speak without interruption.

Following a request from the Department of Health and Children, the national health board review group on the Department of Health and Children disability allowances-grant schemes was established by the health boards towards the end of 1999 to review allowances and grant schemes which come under the remit of the Department but are administered by the health boards. The mobility allowance was included in this review.

The Department, in consultation with the Department of Finance, is considering the review group's analyses and recommendations for changes in each of the schemes. The Department has, since 2000, increased the rate of mobility allowance from a maximum rate of €57.90 to a current rate of €142 per month. The Department recognises the benefits people gain from the allowance.

With regard to the "details supplied" raised by the Deputy, responsibility for the provision of services is a matter for the relevant health board. From inquiries made by the Department to the North Eastern Health Board, I understand that there have been some delays in processing mobility allowance applications in Louth community services. Deputy Morgan referred to the processing period. I understand that, since 2003, the service pressures within Louth community services have eased with an increase in the number of area medical officers in Louth. Backlogs have been addressed in the past two months and there is now a reasonable waiting time for medical assessments for mobility allowance. There is one case of mobility allowance being initially refused, and the appeal is due for consideration on Monday 23 February. If that is not a true reflection of the prevailing situation, the Deputy can bring further information to my attention.

Mental Health Services.

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me to raise this matter. Approximately 436,000 people are over the age of 65 years, which represents 11.1% of the population, and 67.8% of these are female. It is projected that, within 30 years, this figure will double to 858,000 people or 18% of the population. While Ireland has the lowest percentage of older people within the EU, the life expectancy of older people is also the lowest in Europe. It is important to note that older people are not a homogeneous group. Their experiences and needs vary over cross-cutting determinants such as social, economic or cultural circumstances.

A 1996 study, Mental Disorder in Older Irish People: Incidence, Prevalence and Treatment, estimated that 20% to 25% of people over 65 years have a mental health problem of some severity at any one time. While approximately 5% of older people suffer from some form of dementia, 15% to 20% experience other mental health problem such as depression and anxiety. Up to 13.1% of older people living in the community experience from some form of depression at any one time. Research has found higher levels of psychological distress in women than men and a definite age progression in distress levels. Similarly, a 2001 study of older people living at home recorded 20% of women reporting clinical or borderline scores for anxiety or depression compared with 15% of men.

An increase in the level of suicide in older males has been observed in Ireland, as throughout the world. It has been advised that: "The factors associated with suicide by older people include declining physical health, chronic pain, loss of independence, bereavement , alcohol and drug abuse and loneliness". A 1999 study, Income Deprivation and Well-Being among Older Irish, examined data from the 1997 Living In Ireland survey on income deprivation. It found that more than a quarter of older households fell under the 50% poverty line and more than half fell below the 60% line, figures described as extremely high and of great concern by the National Council on Ageing and Older People. Up to 10% were found to experience income poverty and basic deprivation which, according to the NCAOP, is unacceptably high and shows much needs to be achieved. It found that one in ten older persons were at risk of combined income poverty and basic deprivation. It noted a high reliance of older people on social welfare pensions.

There is an indubitable link between poverty and mental ill health. A 1999 study found that older people with incomes below the 60% relative poverty line had almost 1.5 times the risk of experiencing psychological distress, and those in basic deprivation had twice the risk of suffering psychological distress. The UN's international plan advises that mental disorders could often be prevented or modified by means that do not require placement of the affect in institutions. It also recommends:

Health and health-allied services should be developed to the fullest extent possible in the community. These services should include a broad range of ambulatory services such as day-care centres, out-patient clinics, day hospitals, medical and nursing care and domestic services. Emergency services should also be available for the elderly.

For some older people admission to in-patient mental health facilities will be necessary. In 2001, there was a total of 3,274 admissions of persons aged 65 years and over to psychiatric facilities. Concern has been expressed for older long-stay in-patients, many of whom were admitted at a younger age and have grown old in institutions. The Inspector of Mental Hospitals observed in his report in 2002 that the majority — 55% — of patients in hospital at the end of 2002 were long-stay, being continuously hospitalised for more than one year, with more than one third of them hospitalised for more than five years, and the majority of long-stay patients being over 65 years of age.

In a previous report he stated:

Many, but not all, of these older persons now show little sign of behavioural disturbance related to psychiatric disorder and, among the more elderly of them in particular, their needs and disabilities relate to their age rather than to any psychiatric disorder. Their continued residence in long-stay psychiatric facilities is neither appropriate nor best suited to their needs. Their remaining on the psychiatric register is neither helpful clinically nor appropriate from a civil rights point of view. The inspectorate has been urging the transfer of their care either to community residences where that is possible or to suitable in-patient continuing care facilities for older persons or, when they remain in psychiatric structures, their de-designation from the psychiatric register to the provision of their medical care by general practitioners.

I thank Deputy Neville for raising this matter on the Adjournment.

As Minister of State with special responsibility for older people, I can assure him that this Government is fully committed to the development of services for the elderly, including psychiatry of later life services. The Deputy was quite right to say there are now more than 60 million people in the European Union aged 65 years or over. One in five of the population of the European Union is an older citizen and the ratio is set to rise to one in four quite rapidly. In Ireland, estimates suggest that by 2011 our population aged 65 years and over will have grown by 25%. Each year our over-65 population increases by approximately 6,000 and the number of people aged 80 and over goes up by 1,500. This will give rise to an increase in the number of older people suffering from mental illness and will present a major challenge to our mental health services in the coming years.

The Ceann Comhairle was responsible as Minister for Health for some of the pioneering and innovative work in the late 1980s which brought us a long way from the time when older psychiatric patients were locked up in gloomy old buildings. Planning for the Future integrated people into the community along the lines raised by the Deputy. Congratulations are due to the Ceann Comhairle and others involved in the work undertaken at that time.

The Inspector of Mental Hospitals has noted that 40% of in-patients in psychiatric units and hospitals are over 65 years old and, in some instances, particularly among long-stay patients, this figure exceeds 50%. According to the inspector, many of these show little sign of behavioural disturbance related to psychiatric disorder and, among the more elderly of them in particular, their needs and disabilities relate to their age rather than to any psychiatric disorder. The inspector has stressed the need to transfer their care either to community residences, where that is possible, or to suitable in-patient continuing care facilities for older persons. Health boards are pursuing this policy and significant progress has been made in providing care and treatment in more appropriate settings including, of course, continued provision of long-stay beds. Care in psychiatric units will also be required.

Due to the increase in the number of people living to advanced old age, I am determined to ensure that specialised mental health services to meet their specific needs will be in place. The psychiatric needs of older people include specialist services for those with functional mental illness and services for those with dementia and associated behavioural problems, including Alzheimer's disease. Some of our services are sadly lacking in this regard. I am working very hard with several service providers to enhance, improve and in some instances, to put in place services. I am doing my utmost to ensure that we provide adequate services.

In 1996 the National Council for Ageing and Older People published the results of a study on mental disorder in older people in Ireland which was undertaken by the Health Research Board. The report focused on the mental health of older people and examined the treatments available to those with mental disorder. In line with the results of that study, psychiatric services for older people have been expanded in recent years and the integration of community and hospital-based psychiatric services with geriatric medicine is progressing.

Deputy Neville has a particular interest in this area. Like me, he was a member of a health board and had the opportunity to visit several of these services. We all concur that in certain areas significant developments are under way particularly with regard to community services. Over €7 million additional revenue funding has been committed since the publication of the report to provide for the establishment of specialist services for the elderly mentally ill in health boards where no such service had heretofore existed. There are now 21 consultant-led teams around the country specialising in psychiatry of later life which is a great development. I have great regard for people working in this area and I work closely with several people in my own area such as Dr. Margo Wrigley and Dr. Mary Cosgrave and others who are doing wonderful work. It is important that we have the appropriate supports and structures in place to ensure that they, and the other consultants, continue this work.

The future direction and delivery of all aspects of our mental health services, including psychiatry of later life, is being considered in the context of the work of the expert group on mental health policy which was established last year. It is expected that the group will report in 2005. If I get that report any earlier I assure the Deputy I will want to roll it out to ensure that a comprehensive service is in place. As the population of older people in Ireland increases, we should not forget that our elders have been instrumental in building the Irish State to the prosperous level we enjoy today. This Government is fully committed to improving all aspects of their lives by focusing on issues that affect their well-being, including mental health.

The Dáil adjourned at 9.45 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Thursday, 19 February 2004.
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