Seven incidents in one day for rescue crews

SUNDAY, June 10, proved to be a particularly busy day for Wicklow’s two mountain rescue teams as they responded to no less than seven separate incidents.

At 12.30 p.m. both the Glen of Imaal Mountain Rescue Team and the Dublin Wicklow Mountains Rescue Team were tasked to assist a teenager stuck on the cliffs beside Powerscourt Waterfall. He had become crag-fast and was unable to move up or down. The youth was located using Sarloc Rescue technology and a rope system was used to help him reach some steep ground from where he was able to return to his parents waiting for him at the bottom.

A mountain rescue member on their way to Powerscourt came across a motorcyclist who had fallen off his bike after striking a deer. The man was assessed and treated for a suspected spinal, wrist and shoulder injury before being transferred to an ambulance when it arrived.

With the Powerscourt call out ongoing, at 3.08 p.m. mountain rescue personnel were placed on stand-by by the gardaí regarding a casualty on Bray Head. Although personnel responded, their assistance was not required and the casualty was successfully evacuated having been assisted by an ambulance crew.

At 5.10 p.m. the rescue teams came to the aid of a woman who had fallen and hurt her knee on the Spinc in Glendalough. The woman was located using Sarloc technology before she was treated by a HSE paramedic and stretchered from the mountain to a waiting ambulance.

At 6.25 p.m., while responding to the Glendalough incident, the mountain rescue teams were contacted by the gardaí after three people became stuck while traversing the boulder-field near the Miner’s Village. When rescue personnel arrived, one of the party had descended safely, but the other two were still crag-fast. A rope was used to secure the pair and they were assisted to the top of the boulder-field, from where they were able to walk back to the car park.

While en-route to the boulder-field, the volunteer crew came across a man seeking assistance in locating the rest of his party. Crew members drove along the forest tracks, eventually located the group and escorted them back to the upper lake car park. At 10.09 p.m. the mountain rescue teams were again contacted by the gardaí after a male hillwalker failed to return from his walk in the Ballinastoe area. However, it was soon established that he was safe and about to return home.

The incident was stood down at 10.28 p.m. – the end of an extremely busy day for Wicklow’s mountain rescue teams. My partner and I own our home and want to extend it this year. Would we qualify for a tax credit for the work, and if so, how do we apply?

THE Home Renovation Incentive (HRI) scheme lets homeowners, landlords and local authority tenants claim tax relief on the cost of repairs, renovations or improvement works carried out on their main home or rental property.

To qualify for the HRI, you must be paying income tax and be up to date with your Local Property Tax (LPT). The work must be carried out by a contractor who is registered for Value Added Tax ( VAT) and is tax-compliant.

Any repair, renovation or improvement work subject to VAT at 13.5% qualifies for the scheme, so your proposed extension would be covered. Work that is subject to VAT at 23% (such as architect’s fees) is not covered. Neither are items such as furniture, white goods or carpets.

The HRI is paid as a tax credit at 13.5% of the cost, effectively reducing the rate of VAT on qualifying work to zero. The qualifying work must cost at least €4,405 before VAT at 13.5% (€5,000 including VAT). The credit can be claimed up to a maximum of €30,000 (before VAT) of the total cost of works. The work must be carried out and paid for before 31 December 2018. However, this can be extended if you need planning permission. If this is the case, planning permission must be in place by 31 December 2018. You will then have until 31 March 2019 to complete the work.

To apply for the HRI, your contractor(s) must enter details of the work and payments on the HRI online system on revenue. ie. You should access the system to check that these details have been entered correctly. You claim the credit after the end of the tax year in which you have the work done. In general, the tax credit is applied over the two years following the year in which the work is carried out and paid for.

Further information is available from the Citizens Information Service below.