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Drumm warns A&Es may be closed in cutbacks
THE CHIEF executive of the Health Service Executive (HSE) Prof Brendan Drumm has warned that a number of smaller accident and emergency departments around the country may have to be closed if expenditure cannot be brought under control by other means. p
Lenihan to bar officials from role in TV shows
THE DEPARTMENT of Justice is to bar senior State officials from
featuring in television documentaries following controversy over a
TV series centred on State Pathologist Marie Cassidy. p
Libel appeal sees Traveller get €90,000 of record award
THE MAN who was awarded a record €900,000 libel damages by a High Court jury over a newspaper article describing him as a "Traveller drug king" is to get €90,000 of that amount pending the outcome of a Supreme Court appeal against the award. p
Mansergh and Morgan clash over private hospitals
DÁIL REPORT: THE REPUBLIC was described as
"this little semi-statelet" by Sinn Féin finance spokesman
Arthur Morgan when he condemned a Government proposal to give tax
breaks for the development of private hospices. p
Other Stories
Opposition to seek Dáil debate on alleged cover-up of cancer care warning in 2002
THE MAIN Opposition parties are to seek a Dáil debate next week over what Fine Gael has described as a cover-up of a warning provided to the then minister for health, Micheál Martin, six years ago about cancer services at the Midland Regional hospital in Portlaoise. pCancer centre delays could increase risk - O'Higgins
Further delays in introducing centres of excellence for cancer treatment could increase the risk of other misdiagnosis scandals, the author of the Government's cancer strategy has said. pTax break may save Cork hospice up to €8m
CONTROVERSIAL TAX breaks introduced yesterday by the Minister for Finance, Brian Cowen, in the face of bitter Opposition attacks may save one of the country's leading hospices up to €8 million. pAlcohol a key factor in suicides, study finds
FAILURE TO implement measures which reduce alcohol consumption in Ireland meant that "we are not dealing with a known and preventable factor in suicide", Dr Dermot Walsh of the Health Research Bureau (HRB) has said. pGovernment pays €22m compensation to wild salmon fishermen
THE GOVERNMENT has approved approximately €22 million in compensation payments for more than 900 netters of wild Atlantic salmon. pGroups welcome decision on child detention facility
IRISH YOUTH JUSTICE SERVICE CONFERENCE: CHILDREN'S RIGHTS campaigners have welcomed a Government announcement to build a new national child detention facility for young offenders which will finally remove children from the adult prison system. pCall for closer co-operation to tackle social problems
GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS, State agencies and health services need to work much more closely together to help tackle social problems that can result in young people getting involved in criminal behaviour, former Dublin city manager John Fitzgerald said yesterday. pFG seeks to give victims the right to read statements in court
FINE GAEL will present new legislation in the Dáil later this year to give victims or their families the automatic right to give a victim impact statement in court. pFormer Olympian Coghlan to lead out St Patrick's Day Parade
FORMER OLYMPIC athlete Eamonn Coghlan is on his marks and
getting set to lead the 2008 St Patrick's Festival Parade in
Dublin. pBishops urged to comment on child protection delays
IRELAND'S CATHOLIC bishops have been asked to comment on the fact that, while they took out insurance against liability for clerical child abuse in 1987, no child protection measures were put in place by them until 1996. pCasey suspension 'a disgrace' - priest
THE CONTINUING suspension by Catholic Church authorities of Bishop Eamon Casey (81) from saying Mass in public has been described as "a disgrace and a scandal" by Fr James Good. pMinister admits end of order has not cut food prices
THE ABOLITION of the Groceries Order has not succeeded in reducing food prices, Minister for Enterprise and Employment Micheál Martin has conceded. p100 evacuated in Waterford city centre fire
MORE THAN 100 people were evacuated from their apartments in Waterford city last night as a fire destroyed buildings in the centre of town. The fire was still burning late last night and there were fears a historic local pub may be damaged. pPriests' forum mooted
HOW THE concerns of Catholic priests could best be represented was the subject of a meeting in Maynooth involving the Catholic primate Cardinal Seán Brady, senior bishops, and chairmen of most of the 26 diocesan councils of priests on the island. pTD seeks rezoning for 36 acres he and his brother own
A FINE GAEL TD is seeking to have 36 acres of land that he and his brother own zoned for the construction of a retirement village outside his home town. pCo-op takes Leader revamp case to European Commission
SOLICITORS ACTING for the Cavan Monaghan Rural Development Co-operative have lodged extensive documentation with the European Commission in its case against Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Éamon Ó Cuív. pIndustries may get carbon credit windfall
EMISSIONS TRADING allocations announced by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) this week could be a boon for industries in an economic downturn, it has been claimed. pLabour calls for action on gender imbalance
THE LABOUR Party has called for legislation that would address the gender imbalance in Irish politics and increase the number of women elected to government. pPresident praises 'formidable network' of Irish diaspora at launch of RTÉ series
THE FIVE million or so inhabitants of this island have over 75 million human connections worldwide whose lives form part of our past, present and future, according to President Mary McAleese. pCall for Byrne to be replaced as head of RSA
A MEDICAL doctor and former junior minister has called for Gay Byrne to be replaced as the chairman of the Road Safety Authority (RSA). pEquality body to challenge ruling on exam disability
THE EQUALITY Authority is to launch a High Court challenge against a decision to overturn its finding that two dyslexic students were discriminated against when their Leaving Certificates carried special explanatory notes. pOscar winners to headline stage on closing night
OSCAR WINNERS Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová are to headline a stage on the closing night of the Oxegen music festival in their only confirmed gig in Ireland so far this year. pMCD seeks licence for Prince gig at Croke Park
THE ORGANISERS of the upcoming Prince concert, the fourth gig planned for Croke Park this year, have applied for a licence to stage the event, as the stadium has planning permission for only three concerts a year. pM&S picketed by union over meat factory workers
MEMBERS OF the Unite trade union picketed Marks and Spencer's Grafton Street store in Dublin yesterday in a protest over the treatment of meat factory workers and labelling of foreign meat products. pIn Short
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Ahern has chance to modify treaty to Ireland's benefit, says Lisbon critic
FORUM ON EUROPE: A VETERAN Danish MEP who is a leading critic of the Lisbon Treaty said yesterday that Bertie Ahern will have an extraordinary opportunity next week to improve the treaty in Ireland's interests. pTreaty Bill has Dermot dumbfounded and Dick dumb
TREATY SKETCH: IN THE spirit of Europe, yesterday's launch of the Lisbon Treaty referendum Bill was held in The Trapattoni Room of Government Buildings, writes Miriam Lord pLISBON TREATY BILL: EDITED EXTRACT
The main provisions of the 28th Amendment of the Constitution Bill, 2008, read as follows: pReferendum: vote to be held within 90 days, with June 5th likely date
The referendum on the Lisbon Treaty will have to be held not less than 30 days and not more than 90 days after the Referendum Bill is enacted. p
EU agriculture must not be sacrificed, says Coughlan
EU AGRICULTURE must not be sacrificed for the sake of achieving a World Trade Organisation (WTO) deal, and EU negotiators must "stiffen their backs in negotiations", Minister for Agriculture Mary Coughlan has insisted. pCancer files tampered with, FG claims
FINE GAEL leader Enda Kenny claimed that the file on Portlaoise hospital breast cancer service appeared to have been tampered with after a letter in 2002, warning of the situation at the hospital, emerged when its existence had previously been denied. pNeville warns on state of 19th century school
STUDENTS IN a primary school that was last refurbished in 1909 still have to cope with outdoor toilets, putting children at the school at risk, the Dáil was told. pSF back to basics with Morgan's 'semi-statelet' comment
DÁIL SKETCH: SINN FÉIN'S Arthur Morgan exuded anger. Glaring at Tánaiste and Minister for Finance Brian Cowen, he heaped scorn on the Soldiers of Destiny, writes Michael O'Regan p
Irish translation sought in criminal trial
A DUBLIN man seeking to have his criminal trial simultaneously translated into Irish made legal history yesterday. pSolicitor claims ownership of house he shared with ex-partner
SOLICITOR THOMAS Mannion yesterday claimed absolute ownership of the house he had shared with Yvonne Donnelly for nearly 20 years. pGilligans must be notified of property spending
THE FAMILY of convicted drug dealer John Gilligan must be notified of any expenditure exceeding €10,000 incurred in the maintenance and letting of their properties, now under the control of the Criminal Assets Bureau (Cab), a High Court judge ruled yesterday. pEx-soldier withdraws his action for damages
A FORMER Army private has withdrawn his High Court action for damages for post-traumatic stress disorder and injuries over an incident in which his post in Lebanon came under mortar attack, causing the death of one soldier and injuries to others. pState to oppose Livingstone claim over inquiry on death of wife
THE STATE has indicated in the High Court that there is "a major issue" over the entitlement of a former senior inspector of taxes with the Revenue Commissioners to claim damages over the conduct of the Garda investigation into the still unsolved murder of his wife in 1992. pInquest told deceased had syringe in his arm
A NEW Age Traveller who collapsed in a toilet cubicle of a Dublin city centre pub on a busy Saturday night was there for up to six hours before he was discovered, an inquest has heard. pIn Short
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Wright says £15,000 was political donations
FORMER FIANNA Fáil TD GV Wright has denied that payments totalling £15,000 he received from lobbyist Frank Dunlop and Cork developer Owen O'Callaghan were anything other than political donations. p
Paisley jnr denies role in father's decision to resign
IAN PAISLEY jnr has retaken his place on the North's policing board, denying that his reappointment was a factor in his father's decision to resign as DUP leader and First Minister. pRobinson warned not to pick fights with Sinn Féin
THE MAN tipped to succeed the Rev Ian Paisley as Northern Ireland's First Minister has been warned not to pick "artificial fights" with his Sinn Féin partners in an effort to appease unionist hardliners. pMajor Belfast retail and leisure centre opens
NORTHERN IRELAND'S largest commercial project, the £400 million (€523 million) Victoria Square retail and leisure development in central Belfast, has been formally opened. pMissing prisoner rearrested in Belfast
A CONVICTED rapist and life-sentence prisoner who absconded while on a pre-release scheme this week was rearrested by the PSNI in west Belfast yesterday. pPSNI chief says investigations into past killings are draining resources
"POLICING THE past" is draining resources from the PSNI at a time when it is facing a £100 million (€131 million) shortfall over the next three years, the Chief Constable has warned the Policing Board. p
Plans unveiled for €1bn project to regenerate Cork docklands
A PLANNING application will be lodged today for the largest ever
single development project in Cork. pFormer doctor remanded on bail
A FORMER Co Clare doctor was yesterday returned for trial in relation to 44 separate charges of larceny, deception and getting money by false pretences arising from his treatment of cancer patients for cash payments. p€34m Kilpedder interchange to open today
A COMPLEX saga of road-building, in which a dual-carriageway ended in a field and the National Roads Authority (NRA) refused to fund a link to the N11, comes to an end today with the opening of the €34.6 million Kilpedder interchange in north Co Wicklow. pHoctor day care facility claim disputed by Lowry
MINISTER FOR Older People Máire Hoctor has announced a day care and bed facility for the elderly in her North Tipperary constituency - but local Independent TD Michael Lowry claims he delivered the multi-million euro project under his deal with Taoiseach Bertie Ahern. pIn Short
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