Paul McGrath Media Centre

Job Losses at William Hill, Athlone
Speaking in the Dáil last week on the Adjournment Debate, Deputy Paul McGrath said: "The loss of 300 jobs is a major blow to the economy of any town and the families involved. The recent announcement by William Hill that it was to close its facility in Athlone came as a great shock. UK betting tax which had stood at 9% compared to a rate of 5% here was abolished with effect from 1 October and it had to be expected that companies such as William Hill would leave Ireland. The workforce at the centre comprised 150 permanent and 150 temporary staff. The Minister of State can imagine the devastation suffered by those employees and their families. Many of them left other jobs to join the William Hill organisation in the hope they would be in secure employment with a major player in the betting industry. Unfortunately, everything has crashed around them. These employees were part of a happy, competent workforce, but they do not know what the future holds for them.
The William Hill organisation is putting forward meagre redundancy packages for the workers. I ask the Minister of State to intervene in this regard to ensure they receive a reasonable pay out. The job losses constitute a double blow for Athlone because the premises used for the centre was established under a business expansion scheme. This had been established by the chamber of commerce and a local builder developed the site.
Consequently, many investors may also lose out. Recently 30 jobs were lost at Mallinckrodt Laboratories while Ericsson announced the loss of 22 jobs. However, the workers who leave these two companies will be able to avail of voluntary redundancy. Whenever somebody loses his or her job, it is blow to the individual and his or her family.
I ask the Minister of State to examine the possibility of establishing a task force to review the provision of additional or replacement jobs in Athlone".
The Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Mr. T. Kitt replied: "I express my sympathy to the employees who are to lose their jobs at the William Hill telephone betting call centre in Athlone. The centre was set up in Athlone in January 2000 to process bets for customers in Britain and Europe. The establishment of the centre created 150 permanent and 150 temporary jobs in the town. The decision to close the facility came after the British Chancellor of the Exchequer recently announced the abolition of a 9% betting tax in favour of a new system based on tax on gross profits. This company did not receive grant aid from the industrial development agencies.
FÁS was in contact with the company on Monday last, 15 October 2001, to advise it of the full range of support services it could offer employees, including skills analysis, jobs placement, guidance and counselling interviews, identification of training needs and suitable training courses. The company indicated that discussions are still ongoing between the management of William Hill Athlone, and William Hill UK, regarding the expected number of lay-offs and the timeframe involved.
IDA Ireland is committed to securing 50% of all new greenfield jobs for the Objective One area, of which Athlone is part. This involves doubling the proportion of greenfield jobs negotiated for these regions. IDA Ireland initially reorganised its internal structures in an effort to ensure the objective will be achieved. This restructuring included allocation of additional staff to its regional offices and allocation of regional responsibilities to key executives in its headquarters project divisions. The IDA further intends to build on this strategy by focusing in the medium term on three regional economic centres: Athlone, Sligo and Waterford. Up to one third of all IDA staff will be based in the regions.
The headquarters for IDA regional development has been moved to Athlone from where the new IDA divisional manager, regions and property, will direct the new regional strategy. The regional director for the midlands and west is based in the new Athlone office in addition to the midlands regional manager. The IDA's healthcare and property divisions have also been transferred to the town. The purpose is to drive growth from within the region and develop this centre as a magnet for growth for the region. These changes will bring the IDA staff complement in Athlone to between 25 and 30 in the coming months.
Athlone has an industrial base of 2,569 people employed in overseas companies and is home to many leading international companies such as LM Ericsson, Elan, Mallinckrodt Laboratories, Lund and Alcatel. The town is also home to the national polymer development centre, which is a £3.8 million development located in an 18,000 sq. ft. IDA unit at the business and technology park, Garrycastle. Recent positive developments include the announcement by ICT Eurotel in July 2000 of its plans for a 100 person operation in the newly constructed advance office facility in the business and technology park. This project is progressing well ahead of target and the company already employs 135 people. The company was approved for a 77 job expansion by the IDA in June 2001. IO Systems Limited was approved for a 34 person expansion of its Athlone facility in July 2000 and MSL also announced an expansion totalling 100 jobs in Athlone last year.
IDA Ireland has indicated, assuming that the William Hill facility is of a suitable quality and the owner's permission is forthcoming, it would be happy to promote the building to overseas investors with a view to securing a new tenant. Enterprise lreland is working closely with its client companies and regional partners in developing and sustaining businesses in the area, enhancing the business environment, encouraging new start-up companies with strong growth potential and assisting Dublin based companies to locate their business expansions in the BMW region. Assuming that the facility becomes available it can be actively referred to by Enterprise Ireland to encourage Dublin based development companies to locate in Athlone.
The development agencies will continue to market Athlone for investment and every effort will be made to secure alternative employment for the workers affected by this closure".

"Government rejects Disability Bill," says Deputy Paul McGrath
Fine Gael Deputy Spokesperson for Finance, Paul McGrath urged the Government to re-consider its rejection of Fine Gael's Disability Bill which would have enshrined the rights of over 350,000 Irish people with disabilities in law, by promoting and protecting their rights and by securing the fair, simple, speedy and efficient resolution of complaints relating to infringement of those rights.
"The Fine Gael Bill provides for the appointment of a Disability Commissioner with responsibility for drafting a code of disability rights and for the promotion, respect for and observance of those rights. The commissioner will also investigate breaches of the code, among other responsibilities.
"The Bill also seeks to establish one substantive right - that of an assessment of needs and to the services which will be required to fulfil those needs.
"This Bill emerges from frustration at almost five years of hollow Government promises. Regretfully, the Fine Gael Bill was voted down in Dáil Éireann on Wednesday last by the Fianna Fáil led Government. In the aftermath of the Sinnott Case, Government promises came thick and fast.

The Minister promised a Disabilities (Education and Training) Bill - where are the plans? What progress has been made on this bill - NONE.

The Minister promised to recruit 70 additional psychologists to assist in removing bottlenecks in needs assessment - NONE have been recruited to date.

The Government announced the establishment of a Special Needs Education Forum to 'contribute to the elements which will make up the State's comprehensive response to the needs of people with disabilities.' The first meeting was to be held in September 2001 yet so far nobody has received an invitation to participate.

"A Government report cites the Department of Finance as saying that it 'cannot accept…underpinning by law of access to and provision of services for people with disabilities as a right…This right …would be prohibitively expensive for the Exchequer…and could lead to requests from other persons….without regard to the eventual cost of providing these services.'
"These financially virtuous sentiments are chilling in the extreme. People's rights can be vindicated if they are cheap. Value for money, not quality of life, not fulfilment, not independence, not the achievement of personal goals, is the by-word. This is the very challenge of democracy…that finance knows best. Do we really know the price of everything and the value of nothing?
"I wish to pay tribute to the National Parents and Siblings Alliance, to the Irish Wheelchair Association, to the Centre for Independent Living, to the Carers Association and to the many groups and individuals who provide daily care for people with disabilities. Their initiative and dedication on this issue of rights for people with disabilities is to be applauded," says McGrath.

Pensioners' payments slashed by Department's 'periodic review' - McGrath
Many old age pensioners are having their payments slashed due to a 'periodic review' carried out by the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs, warned Fine Gael.
"The vast majority of Ireland's 110,000 non-contributory old age pensioners, who are also receive British pensions are suffering drastic cuts in their Irish pension. There are 10,300 such pensioners getting British Retirement Pensions and approximately 200 of these are in Co. Westmeath. While many pensioners received significant increases in the last budget, these have been systematically reduced due to currency exchange rates with weekly payments being cut by up to £30 per week in some cases.
"This is a cruel and heartless way to treat our elderly Irish citizens who have retired to their homeland and are being penalised twice in their lives, after first being obliged to emigrate in their youth due to lack of employment opportunities at home and now having their pensions reduced.
"It is unacceptable that old age pension rates should be at the mercy of the vagaries of international currency exchange rates. I do not recall the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs actively compensating pensioners when the value of sterling was lower than our Punt.
"It is a traumatic experience for any pensioner to have their already meagre income reduced by £20-£30 per week. The Department and the Minister must adapt a more humane approach when conducting their so called 'periodic reviews', " says McGrath.

"Nursing shortages an indictment of Government failure," says McGrath
Deputy Spokesperson for Finance, Paul McGrath said today (Friday 12th October) that the Government's four years of failure to tackle nursing shortages will seriously compromise any future Government's ability to deliver improved services and will further delay the implementation of a new health strategy.
McGrath accused the Government of seeking to use its long-delayed and yet to be published health strategy as a platform for re-election and not a blueprint for reform.
"The recent ESRI report showed that over the lifetime of this Government, 4,000 administrators and managers were recruited, but only 2,000 nurses. In percentage terms, there are less nurses working in the health service than there were in 1990.
"There are no beds closures because of lack of managers. There is no cancellation of surgery because of too few administrators. This proves, if proof were needed, that this Government has failed to appreciate that without nurses, there is no health service.
A few simple facts will illustrate this:

In 2000 there were cumulatively 1,810 bed closures countrywide resulting in the loss of 83,323 bed days. 38% of the bed closures were due to nursing shortages. That means that 687 beds were closed in the course of the year because there were not enough nurses to care for the patients.

In the Midland Health Board area 22 orthopaedic beds were closed in late June because of nurse shortages. While some of these beds reopened in early September and the last of them in early October - nonetheless there was a total loss of 1,787 bed nights in this Orthopaedic unit because of nurse shortages. This is particularly disappointing when we note the very long waiting time (up to 2 years for hip replacement) in this unit.

The acute shortage of midwives means that mothers and their babies have to leave hospital after only one or two days.

The recruitment of highly qualified nurses from overseas is the only thing preventing meltdown in our hospitals.

Nurses working in the health services are under increased pressure because of the nursing staff shortages, because of lack of beds, and because of increased attendance at hospitals. Stress levels increase. Nurses - such as those in Clonmel and elsewhere - refuse to compromise on high standards of patient care. They hear that the health budget has doubled but they perceive no improvement in the management of the health services.

"The Government's four year failure to plan, failure to read the signs, the failure to make contingency plans and the failure to tackle the nursing shortages in time will seriously damage the ability of this, or any other Government to deliver reform of the health services."
"The grand strategy, promised by the summer, much leaked of late, but still not unveiled, seems to promise great changes. The fact is that that is all it can do - promise, not deliver. The next Government, and the Government after that will implement it. This is a three Government strategy. The current Government have proved themselves incapable of action. They will attempt to disguise their incapacity by cynically using the unveiling of the grand plan on the eve of a general election. The sole objective of this delay is to garner publicity. Their actions owe more to opportunism than to excellence or equality."
"The junior partners in Government have not been immune to the growing crisis. Fearing that they will implode in the Fianna Fáil vacuum, the Progressive Democrats discovered patients only recently and made a hasty run for cover with a one-size fits all solution to the hospital waiting lists."
Delaying the preparation of the Health Strategy until it can form part of next year's manifesto, is, McGrath said, a classic case of Fianna Fáil role reversal - putting politics before people, and particularly before patients.

"Moate water supply improvements are delayed by Minister," says Deputy Paul McGrath
Deputy Paul McGrath expressed his disappointment that the Minister for the Environment has still not yet approved proposals to augment the Moate water supply.
"The people of Moate have suffered long enough because of a poor water supply and it is totally unacceptable that further delays in improving the supply are being experienced because the Minister for the Environment is delaying approving new proposals," says Deputy McGrath.
"A consultant's report has already recommended that an interim solution to the Moate water shortage is to provide a new pipeline connected into the water supply at Ballymore.
"This proposed pipeline running from Ballymore via Moyvoughley to Moate would carry additional water to the Moate system as well as being capable of supplying additional households along the route of this pipeline," says Deputy McGrath.
"The consultant's report has been approved by Westmeath County Council and has been with the Department of the Environment since April 2001. I understand that these proposals received technical approval within the Department very quickly and we now wait for Ministerial approval to start the job," says Deputy McGrath.
"It is disgraceful that valuable time is being lost in providing this approval (and hence bringing the new water supply 'on tap' quicker), while this Government prepare for a grand, stylish announcement - no doubt with photo opportunities - of this project. No doubt, with an election looming, such a suitable photo opportunity to announce this scheme will be planned," says McGrath.
"The people of Moate have tolerated this erratic water supply (which is more akin to that of a Third World Country than a thriving economy) and delays caused by the inaction of this Government will not be tolerated," stressed Deputy McGrath.
"I have again raised this matter in the Dáil last week by way of a Parliamentary Question and again received a disappointing response. I will continue to pursue this matter vigorously," says McGrath.
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	Job Losses at William Hill, Athlone Speaking in the Dáil last week on the Adjournment Debate, Deputy Paul McGrath said: "The loss of 300 jobs is a major blow to the economy of any town and the families involved. The recent announcement by William Hill that it was to close its facility in Athlone came as a great shock. UK betting tax which had stood at 9% compared to a rate of 5% here was abolished with effect from 1 October and it had to be expected that companies such as William Hill would leave Ireland. The workforce at the centre comprised 150 permanent and 150 temporary staff. The Minister of State can imagine the devastation suffered by those employees and their families. Many of them left other jobs to join the William Hill organisation in the hope they would be in secure employment with a major player in the betting industry. Unfortunately, everything has crashed around them. These employees were part of a happy, competent workforce, but they do not know what the future holds for them. The William Hill organisation is putting forward meagre redundancy packages for the workers. I ask the Minister of State to intervene in this regard to ensure they receive a reasonable pay out. The job losses constitute a double blow for Athlone because the premises used for the centre was established under a business expansion scheme. This had been established by the chamber of commerce and a local builder developed the site. Consequently, many investors may also lose out. Recently 30 jobs were lost at Mallinckrodt Laboratories while Ericsson announced the loss of 22 jobs. However, the workers who leave these two companies will be able to avail of voluntary redundancy. Whenever somebody loses his or her job, it is blow to the individual and his or her family. I ask the Minister of State to examine the possibility of establishing a task force to review the provision of additional or replacement jobs in Athlone". The Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Mr. T. Kitt replied: "I express my sympathy to the employees who are to lose their jobs at the William Hill telephone betting call centre in Athlone. The centre was set up in Athlone in January 2000 to process bets for customers in Britain and Europe. The establishment of the centre created 150 permanent and 150 temporary jobs in the town. The decision to close the facility came after the British Chancellor of the Exchequer recently announced the abolition of a 9% betting tax in favour of a new system based on tax on gross profits. This company did not receive grant aid from the industrial development agencies. FÁS was in contact with the company on Monday last, 15 October 2001, to advise it of the full range of support services it could offer employees, including skills analysis, jobs placement, guidance and counselling interviews, identification of training needs and suitable training courses. The company indicated that discussions are still ongoing between the management of William Hill Athlone, and William Hill UK, regarding the expected number of lay-offs and the timeframe involved. IDA Ireland is committed to securing 50% of all new greenfield jobs for the Objective One area, of which Athlone is part. This involves doubling the proportion of greenfield jobs negotiated for these regions. IDA Ireland initially reorganised its internal structures in an effort to ensure the objective will be achieved. This restructuring included allocation of additional staff to its regional offices and allocation of regional responsibilities to key executives in its headquarters project divisions. The IDA further intends to build on this strategy by focusing in the medium term on three regional economic centres: Athlone, Sligo and Waterford. Up to one third of all IDA staff will be based in the regions. The headquarters for IDA regional development has been moved to Athlone from where the new IDA divisional manager, regions and property, will direct the new regional strategy. The regional director for the midlands and west is based in the new Athlone office in addition to the midlands regional manager. The IDA's healthcare and property divisions have also been transferred to the town. The purpose is to drive growth from within the region and develop this centre as a magnet for growth for the region. These changes will bring the IDA staff complement in Athlone to between 25 and 30 in the coming months. Athlone has an industrial base of 2,569 people employed in overseas companies and is home to many leading international companies such as LM Ericsson, Elan, Mallinckrodt Laboratories, Lund and Alcatel. The town is also home to the national polymer development centre, which is a £3.8 million development located in an 18,000 sq. ft. IDA unit at the business and technology park, Garrycastle. Recent positive developments include the announcement by ICT Eurotel in July 2000 of its plans for a 100 person operation in the newly constructed advance office facility in the business and technology park. This project is progressing well ahead of target and the company already employs 135 people. The company was approved for a 77 job expansion by the IDA in June 2001. IO Systems Limited was approved for a 34 person expansion of its Athlone facility in July 2000 and MSL also announced an expansion totalling 100 jobs in Athlone last year. IDA Ireland has indicated, assuming that the William Hill facility is of a suitable quality and the owner's permission is forthcoming, it would be happy to promote the building to overseas investors with a view to securing a new tenant. Enterprise lreland is working closely with its client companies and regional partners in developing and sustaining businesses in the area, enhancing the business environment, encouraging new start-up companies with strong growth potential and assisting Dublin based companies to locate their business expansions in the BMW region. Assuming that the facility becomes available it can be actively referred to by Enterprise Ireland to encourage Dublin based development companies to locate in Athlone. The development agencies will continue to market Athlone for investment and every effort will be made to secure alternative employment for the workers affected by this closure".
	"Government rejects Disability Bill," says Deputy Paul McGrath Fine Gael Deputy Spokesperson for Finance, Paul McGrath urged the Government to re-consider its rejection of Fine Gael's Disability Bill which would have enshrined the rights of over 350,000 Irish people with disabilities in law, by promoting and protecting their rights and by securing the fair, simple, speedy and efficient resolution of complaints relating to infringement of those rights. "The Fine Gael Bill provides for the appointment of a Disability Commissioner with responsibility for drafting a code of disability rights and for the promotion, respect for and observance of those rights. The commissioner will also investigate breaches of the code, among other responsibilities. "The Bill also seeks to establish one substantive right - that of an assessment of needs and to the services which will be required to fulfil those needs. "This Bill emerges from frustration at almost five years of hollow Government promises. Regretfully, the Fine Gael Bill was voted down in Dáil Éireann on Wednesday last by the Fianna Fáil led Government. In the aftermath of the Sinnott Case, Government promises came thick and fast. The Minister promised a Disabilities (Education and Training) Bill - where are the plans? What progress has been made on this bill - NONE. The Minister promised to recruit 70 additional psychologists to assist in removing bottlenecks in needs assessment - NONE have been recruited to date. The Government announced the establishment of a Special Needs Education Forum to 'contribute to the elements which will make up the State's comprehensive response to the needs of people with disabilities.' The first meeting was to be held in September 2001 yet so far nobody has received an invitation to participate. "A Government report cites the Department of Finance as saying that it 'cannot accept…underpinning by law of access to and provision of services for people with disabilities as a right…This right …would be prohibitively expensive for the Exchequer…and could lead to requests from other persons….without regard to the eventual cost of providing these services.' "These financially virtuous sentiments are chilling in the extreme. People's rights can be vindicated if they are cheap. Value for money, not quality of life, not fulfilment, not independence, not the achievement of personal goals, is the by-word. This is the very challenge of democracy…that finance knows best. Do we really know the price of everything and the value of nothing? "I wish to pay tribute to the National Parents and Siblings Alliance, to the Irish Wheelchair Association, to the Centre for Independent Living, to the Carers Association and to the many groups and individuals who provide daily care for people with disabilities. Their initiative and dedication on this issue of rights for people with disabilities is to be applauded," says McGrath.
	Pensioners' payments slashed by Department's 'periodic review' - McGrath Many old age pensioners are having their payments slashed due to a 'periodic review' carried out by the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs, warned Fine Gael. "The vast majority of Ireland's 110,000 non-contributory old age pensioners, who are also receive British pensions are suffering drastic cuts in their Irish pension. There are 10,300 such pensioners getting British Retirement Pensions and approximately 200 of these are in Co. Westmeath. While many pensioners received significant increases in the last budget, these have been systematically reduced due to currency exchange rates with weekly payments being cut by up to £30 per week in some cases. "This is a cruel and heartless way to treat our elderly Irish citizens who have retired to their homeland and are being penalised twice in their lives, after first being obliged to emigrate in their youth due to lack of employment opportunities at home and now having their pensions reduced. "It is unacceptable that old age pension rates should be at the mercy of the vagaries of international currency exchange rates. I do not recall the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs actively compensating pensioners when the value of sterling was lower than our Punt. "It is a traumatic experience for any pensioner to have their already meagre income reduced by £20-£30 per week. The Department and the Minister must adapt a more humane approach when conducting their so called 'periodic reviews', " says McGrath.
	"Nursing shortages an indictment of Government failure," says McGrath Deputy Spokesperson for Finance, Paul McGrath said today (Friday 12th October) that the Government's four years of failure to tackle nursing shortages will seriously compromise any future Government's ability to deliver improved services and will further delay the implementation of a new health strategy. McGrath accused the Government of seeking to use its long-delayed and yet to be published health strategy as a platform for re-election and not a blueprint for reform. "The recent ESRI report showed that over the lifetime of this Government, 4,000 administrators and managers were recruited, but only 2,000 nurses. In percentage terms, there are less nurses working in the health service than there were in 1990. "There are no beds closures because of lack of managers. There is no cancellation of surgery because of too few administrators. This proves, if proof were needed, that this Government has failed to appreciate that without nurses, there is no health service. A few simple facts will illustrate this: In 2000 there were cumulatively 1,810 bed closures countrywide resulting in the loss of 83,323 bed days. 38% of the bed closures were due to nursing shortages. That means that 687 beds were closed in the course of the year because there were not enough nurses to care for the patients. In the Midland Health Board area 22 orthopaedic beds were closed in late June because of nurse shortages. While some of these beds reopened in early September and the last of them in early October - nonetheless there was a total loss of 1,787 bed nights in this Orthopaedic unit because of nurse shortages. This is particularly disappointing when we note the very long waiting time (up to 2 years for hip replacement) in this unit. The acute shortage of midwives means that mothers and their babies have to leave hospital after only one or two days. The recruitment of highly qualified nurses from overseas is the only thing preventing meltdown in our hospitals. Nurses working in the health services are under increased pressure because of the nursing staff shortages, because of lack of beds, and because of increased attendance at hospitals. Stress levels increase. Nurses - such as those in Clonmel and elsewhere - refuse to compromise on high standards of patient care. They hear that the health budget has doubled but they perceive no improvement in the management of the health services. "The Government's four year failure to plan, failure to read the signs, the failure to make contingency plans and the failure to tackle the nursing shortages in time will seriously damage the ability of this, or any other Government to deliver reform of the health services." "The grand strategy, promised by the summer, much leaked of late, but still not unveiled, seems to promise great changes. The fact is that that is all it can do - promise, not deliver. The next Government, and the Government after that will implement it. This is a three Government strategy. The current Government have proved themselves incapable of action. They will attempt to disguise their incapacity by cynically using the unveiling of the grand plan on the eve of a general election. The sole objective of this delay is to garner publicity. Their actions owe more to opportunism than to excellence or equality." "The junior partners in Government have not been immune to the growing crisis. Fearing that they will implode in the Fianna Fáil vacuum, the Progressive Democrats discovered patients only recently and made a hasty run for cover with a one-size fits all solution to the hospital waiting lists." Delaying the preparation of the Health Strategy until it can form part of next year's manifesto, is, McGrath said, a classic case of Fianna Fáil role reversal - putting politics before people, and particularly before patients.
	"Moate water supply improvements are delayed by Minister," says Deputy Paul McGrath Deputy Paul McGrath expressed his disappointment that the Minister for the Environment has still not yet approved proposals to augment the Moate water supply. "The people of Moate have suffered long enough because of a poor water supply and it is totally unacceptable that further delays in improving the supply are being experienced because the Minister for the Environment is delaying approving new proposals," says Deputy McGrath. "A consultant's report has already recommended that an interim solution to the Moate water shortage is to provide a new pipeline connected into the water supply at Ballymore. "This proposed pipeline running from Ballymore via Moyvoughley to Moate would carry additional water to the Moate system as well as being capable of supplying additional households along the route of this pipeline," says Deputy McGrath. "The consultant's report has been approved by Westmeath County Council and has been with the Department of the Environment since April 2001. I understand that these proposals received technical approval within the Department very quickly and we now wait for Ministerial approval to start the job," says Deputy McGrath. "It is disgraceful that valuable time is being lost in providing this approval (and hence bringing the new water supply 'on tap' quicker), while this Government prepare for a grand, stylish announcement - no doubt with photo opportunities - of this project. No doubt, with an election looming, such a suitable photo opportunity to announce this scheme will be planned," says McGrath. "The people of Moate have tolerated this erratic water supply (which is more akin to that of a Third World Country than a thriving economy) and delays caused by the inaction of this Government will not be tolerated," stressed Deputy McGrath. "I have again raised this matter in the Dáil last week by way of a Parliamentary Question and again received a disappointing response. I will continue to pursue this matter vigorously," says McGrath. Return to Media Centre