ireland.com - The Irish Times

ASTI set to accept €37 supervision offer
The end of the long-running ASTI dispute is in sight last night, after teachers backed the new €37-an-hour supervision and substitution offer. p

Company director in court over UK VAT payments
A company director accused of conspiring to cheat the Revenue authorities of £162 million sterling in VAT payments appeared before West London Magistrates' Court yesterday. p

New pool makes an architectural splash
The Aquatic Centre, perhaps the only element of Sports Campus Ireland that will ever be built, adds some sparkle to a bleak suburban landscape, writes Frank McDonald p

The Flood Tribunal

Lawlor allegedly tried to fix route
Mr Liam Lawlor was involved in an attempt to fix the line of the south-eastern motorway in a manner advantageous to the controversial English company Jackson Way, it has been alleged. p
Dunlop divided #25,000 among nine councillors
A total of £25,000 was paid to nine county councillors in two separate attempts to rezone land at Carrickmines during the 1990s, Mr Frank Dunlop has told the tribunal. p
Councillors named in Frank Dunlop's statement
Senator Don Lydon: Told the Fianna Fáil inquiry which followed Mr Frank Dunlop's initial evidence to the tribunal that he received two separate payments of £420 and £1,000 for election purposes. Supported a number of controversial rezonings but argued the schemes involved were good ones. Told The Irish Times in 1993 he had never been offered inducements beyond "a drink or a lunch". p
Massive amounts of land rezoned against advice
Dublin county councillors rezoned massive amounts of residential and industrial land against the advice of planners during the 1980s and 1990s, the tribunal heard. p
Dunlop was paid #30,000 by three businessmen for advice on rezoning
The lobbyist Mr Frank Dunlop was paid £30,000 by three prominent businessmen for advice that led to the rezoning of land they owned at Carrickmines, Co Dublin in the 1990s, the tribunal heard. p
All former county councillors deny wrongdoing
All former Dublin County councillors accused of receiving payments from Mr Frank Dunlop in return for planning favours in the 1990s have denied any wrongdoing, the tribunal heard yesterday. p
Lawlor had secret stake in land, says Dunlop
Former Fianna Fáil TD Mr Liam Lawlor secretly owned a stake in controversial land at Carrickmines and was centrally involved in attempts to have it rezoned, the lobbyist Mr Frank Dunlop has told the tribunal. p
'Mr Big' emerges again, allegedly pulling planning strings
Analysis: And once again, there is no physical trace of Liam Lawlor's involvement in rezoning, and there are his blunt denials, writes Paul Cullen p

Other Stories

Gardai told 'put community first'
The Minister for Justice warned newly-graduated gardaí not to put loyalty to colleagues before duty to the community yesterday, while promising the Garda new powers to fight crime. p
Commissioner dismissed over 30 gardai since taking charge
The Garda Commissioner has dismissed or constructively dismissed more than 30 members of the force for misconduct since he took charge of the force, he told journalists yesterday. p
Scott Medals
One silver and four bronze Scott medals for bravery were awarded to members of the Garda yesterday. p
Safety concerns over radio system
A communications system that can allegedly distort heart pacemakers and a range of other life-saving medical equipment, is being installed by the Garda. p
Aquatic centre set to attract world's top swimmers
Hard-hat day in Abbotstown, and the media are led round the rain-sodden building site that will soon blossom into the National Aquatic Centre.The managers of Dublin Waterworld, the company with the task of profitably running the swimming facility, expect the first rides on the "Master Blaster" and "The Family Flume Ride" to take place in just over three months. p
70% of HIV cases heterosexual
There were 157 new cases of HIV infection diagnosed in the State during the first six months of this year. Some 70 per cent of them were among heterosexuals, most of them women. p
State urged to 'reshape' housing policy
The Government should not bow to demands from builders to change legislation requiring them to set aside 20 per cent of all new estates for social housing, the country's four leading housing agencies have urged. p
Award for conversion of barracks into museum
The National Museum at Collins Barracks has received the premier award for conservation from the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (RIAI). p
Concerns over taxi industry prompt protest
Taxi-drivers staged a low-key protest in Dublin yesterday to highlight what they say is the hardship caused by deregulation of the industry two years ago. p
Co-author of child reading test disputes study's accuracy claim
One of the State's leading educational psychologists, Dr Eugene Wall, has strongly challenged the conclusions of a study which questioned the accuracy of reading tests used in Irish primary schools. p
RTE hopeful of €43 licence fee increase
The Government is understood to be prepared to look favourably on RTÉ's application for a licence-fee increase of €43 a year. p
Minister rejects call to intervene as postal dispute action hits east Mayo
The Minister for Communications, Mr Ahern, has rejected a call by the Fine Gael leader, Mr Enda Kenny, for him to intervene in the postal dispute. p
Father's neglect led to death of baby, US jury rules
Family and friends in Washington's Irish-American community are to appeal for leniency in the sentencing of a man found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and child neglect after his baby daughter suffocated in the family van during a heatwave last May. p
Single rent allowance freeze deplored
Single people depending on social welfare rent payments will be made homeless by the Government's decision to freeze rent allowances, the Opposition and homeless agencies have charged. p
Documents not released to archives, says council
The failure of some Government departments to release documents to the National Archives was "a scandal", the National Archives Advisory Council has complained in its latest report. p
SSIAs are voodoo economics, say Greens
The Special Savings Investments Accounts should be scrapped, and contributions to the National Pension Fund should be cut by three-quarters, the Green Party has said. p
Amnesty prison refusal explained
The Department of Justice has said it refused permission for an Amnesty International research project in Irish prisons, only because a similar project was already being conducted by an independent body. p
Macabre 'dead dolls' test rules on bad taste
Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment officials are checking whether the State has the power to ban sales of children's toys on grounds of poor taste. p

In the North

Governments hope talks can create trust
The British and Irish governments hope that the multi-party talks at Parliament Buildings, Stormont today will at the very least create the potential for the parties building trust that ultimately would lead to a political breakthrough. p
British find new files on 1974 bombs
New files have been found by the British government dealing with the 1974 Dublin/Monaghan bombings, the Taoiseach has been told by the Northern Ireland Secretary of State, Mr Paul Murphy. p
3 held after guns, drugs seized
Two women and a man were questioned by police tonight after a weapons and drugs seizure in a north Belfast loyalist housing estate. p
Brigadier did not know plans after Paras sent in
The British army brigadier who ordered the 1st Battalion of the Parachute Regiment into Derry's Bogside on Bloody Sunday has admitted he did not know what the Paras planned to do after he had deployed them. p
Judge refuses bail in SF 'spy' case
The Sinn Féin administration official accused of IRA spying was yesterday refused bail. p

In The Courts

Farmer jailed after importing NI calves
A Co Clare farmer who bought 150 illegally imported calves from Northern Ireland has been sentenced to four months' imprisonment and fined €10,000 at Limerick District Court. p
Creaven kept ties with native county
Mr Dylan Creaven (29), who appeared before a British court yesterday, charged with tax fraud and money-laundering, hails originally from Newmarket-on-Fergus, Co Clare, and retains strong links with his native county. p
Pregnant worker 'refused permission' to go to toilet
A shop manager who refused a pregnant member of staff permission to go to the toilet threw a plastic bag at her and said "get sick in that", a judge heard yesterday. p
Woman says brother kept proceeds of family home sale
An elderly man has sold the childhood home of himself and his sister at Ballyshannon, Co Donegal, without informing his sister, and has kept the proceeds, the High Court was told yesterday. p
€85,000 settlement and tuition costs for parents of autistic boy
An autistic child who "knew nothing of the world" and was like someone "dropped from outer space" has made significant progress since receiving appropriate education, the High Court heard yesterday. p
Accused man informs jury murder charge withdrawn
A man who was charged with double murder has told the Central Criminal Court the charges were dropped without explanation last Monday. p

Dail/Seanad report

Development agency 'by January'
The Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy, aims to establish the National Development Finance Agency by January 1st next year, despite virulent criticism from Opposition deputies who said the agency would create another layer of unaccountable bureaucracy. p
Public safety primary factor in temporary release, says O'Dea
Judges are not handing out realistic sentences to prisoners, Fine Gael has claimed in the Dáil. Its party's justice spokesman, Mr John Deasy, said the sentences they imposed did not correspond with reality and "that has weakened the criminal justice system". p
More Bills promised
The Labour leader, Mr Pat Rabbitte, accused the Government of failing to meet its promise on the introduction of Bills to the Dáil. p
Mansergh wants pay to match power
SEANAD REPORT: The Taoiseach and Ministers should be paid more than top civil servants, rather than the other way round, otherwise it might give a misleading impression as to who was really in charge, Dr Martin Mansergh (FF) said. p

Regional News

Strike to disrupt health services
The Mid-Western Health Board was last night making efforts to put in place emergency cover for health services in Co Clare ahead of a strike due to begin on Monday. p
Talks on return of Chernobyl orphans continue
Uncertainty still surrounded the future yesterday of the seven child victims of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster who were ordered to return to their Belarus orphanage from Ireland almost four weeks ago. p
Research vessel will have anti-pollution capacity
The State's new €32 million marine research vessel has been equipped for limited anti-pollution activities, according to the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Mr Ahern. p
Samaritans send more helpers to Enniscorthy
The Samaritans are to send additional volunteers to Enniscorthy, Co Wexford, as a search operation continues for three of the five young men drowned in the Slaney river in the last two weeks. p
Cork hit hardest in latest downpour
Met Éireann has traced the start of this year's wet weather back to the day of the General Election, so perhaps politicians could be blamed for triggering the rainy spell. p
Relatives of five victims of boating tragedy get report
Relatives of those who died on the Pisces, the fishing vessel which sank 1½ miles off the Wexford coast in July drowning five people, have received a preliminary report on the tragedy from the Marine Casualties Investigation Board. p
College may not recognise hospitals' training plans
The director of surgical affairs at the Royal College of Surgeons, Prof Arthur Tanner, has said that "for years" the RCSI has not recognised the Louth County Hospital, Dundalk, for the purpose of training junior doctors and "there is no way that in five weeks' time they can put structures in place to provide safe training". p

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