In Short

A round-up of today's other stories in breif...

Minister urged to tackle  'fuel poverty'

The Labour Party has urged the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources to introduce a strategy for reducing "fuel poverty".

Liz McManus TD said that with the constant rise in fuel prices over recent months, more and more low-income families were experiencing real difficulty in meeting basic requirements for heat and light. Announcing plans for a private member's Bill on the issue, she said: "Fuel poverty refers to the inability to heat one's home to an adequate level. People living in fuel poverty are living in cold, damp, energy-inefficient housing." Ms McManus said it had been estimated that around 60,000 Irish households live in persistent fuel poverty.

Man's death investigated

Gardaí in Galway are investigating the death of a man in his mid-20s in the city.

Gardaí were alerted to the man's death on Sunday evening and they investigated the scene at a house in the city's Westside area. The man, understood to be aged 24, died suddenly and a postmortem has been carried out at University Hospital Galway. The outcome of the postmortem will not be known for some time.

© 2008 The Irish Times

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times