Thousands of asylum applications withdrawnJUST UNDER 6,000 applications for asylum have been withdrawn since changes were introduced in immigration law five years ago.Mon Nov 17 2008 - 00:00
Call for C&AG to inquire into settlementsA CALL has been made for the Comptroller & Auditor General (C&AG) to investigate awards and settlements arising from …Mon Nov 17 2008 - 00:00
State investment in banks ruled out 'at this time', says TánaisteTÁNAISTE MARY Coughlan has ruled out Government investment in the banking sector "at this time", amid concerns that one of the…Fri Nov 14 2008 - 00:00
Many diabetics at 'risk of blindness' over tests delayMANY OF Ireland's 200,000 diabetics are at risk of blindness because of a decision to postpone a screening programme, the Dáil…Fri Nov 14 2008 - 00:00
TDs paint picture of police force under pressureDÁIL SKETCH: The House heard of 'guys rolling up to the dole office in 4x4s' among other realities of life on Limerick's streets…Fri Nov 14 2008 - 00:00
Harney brings nursing home Bill to DáilLONG-AWAITED legislation to provide for a "fair sharing" of the cost of nursing-home care has been introduced in the Dáil by …Fri Nov 14 2008 - 00:00
DPP must make cuts, Cowen reaffirmsPEOPLE IN top management positions "must manage their budgetsThu Nov 13 2008 - 00:00
Cowen defends Harney and signals co-location will continueTAOISEACH BRIAN Cowen has staunchly defended Minister for Health Mary Harney against Opposition criticism of her role and has…Thu Nov 13 2008 - 00:00
Hanafin accused of 'kicking the unemployed when they are down'MINISTER FOR Social and Family Affairs was accused of "kicking the unemployed when they are down" in proposals in the Social …Wed Nov 12 2008 - 00:00
Taoiseach rejects claims on gang crimeTAOISEACH BRIAN Cowen has rejected claims that the Government is "defeatist" about dealing with gangland criminals as Labour …Wed Nov 12 2008 - 00:00
Europe candidate criticisedLABOUR'S EUROPEAN election candidate for Ireland South was sharply criticised during a Labour youth conference debate on discrimination…Mon Nov 10 2008 - 00:00
Harney says cervical screening is best choiceCERVICAL CANCER screening rather than a vaccination programme made the best "clinical choice" without additional resources, Minister…Fri Nov 07 2008 - 00:00
State jobs for Minister's family members queriedA FINE Gael TD has questioned the appropriateness of Government Ministers appointing family members to State jobs.Fri Nov 07 2008 - 00:00
Cost of tribunals reaches almost ¬355m, Ahern saysCOSTS FOR tribunals and investigation commissions have reached almost €355 million, according to Minister for Justice Dermot …Fri Nov 07 2008 - 00:00
Harney accused of burying bad news on cancerMINISTER FOR Health Mary Harney was accused of "an act of despicable cynicism" by announcing the "scrapping" of the cervical …Thu Nov 06 2008 - 00:00
Need to address tax issue in US, says TaoiseachTAXATION ISSUES in the US would have to be addressed regardless of who had won the presidential election, Taoiseach Brian Cowen…Thu Nov 06 2008 - 00:00
HSE manager queried 'patriotic' request for pay cutA HEALTH Service Executive (HSE) manager could not understand a request by an employee to have his salary reduced by 5 per cent…Thu Nov 06 2008 - 00:00
O'Keeffe says 1,000 teaching posts will goMINISTER FOR Education Batt O'Keeffe has conceded that there will be 1,000 fewer teachers than planned from next September.Wed Nov 05 2008 - 00:00
School building project prices are now 20% lessPRICES FOR school building projects are up to 20 per cent less than before the economic crisis, according to Minister for Education…Wed Nov 05 2008 - 00:00
Retention of Protestant schools' grant 'would be unfair'LEGAL ADVICE that the retention of a €2Wed Nov 05 2008 - 00:00
Minister retracts 'fascists' commentsMINISTER OF State Conor Lenihan has retracted comments referring to “fascists” which he made in the Dáil during sharp exchanges…Fri Oct 31 2008 - 00:00
Government changed banks' terms - LabourTHE LABOUR Party has claimed that the Government has changed the terms of the bank guarantee scheme from what was agreed in the…Fri Oct 31 2008 - 00:00
TD removals criticisedTHE TAOISEACH has rejected opposition claims that the Government is using Oireachtas committees as “the private property of Fianna…Thu Oct 30 2008 - 00:00
Cowen denies banks exempt from paying if others defaultTHE TAOISEACH Brian Cowen has rejected reports that Allied Irish Banks and Bank of Ireland will be exempt from having to make…Thu Oct 30 2008 - 00:00
Measure to tackle bullying a 'cop out'MINISTER FOR Communications Eamon Ryan was accused of "copping out" by dealing with mobile phone bullying through criminal legislation…Thu Oct 30 2008 - 00:00
National broadband delivery delayedPLANS TO roll out the national broadband scheme have taken "slightly longer than we would have liked", said Minister for Communications…Thu Oct 30 2008 - 00:00
Cut in grants to Protestant faith schools sparks debateCUTS OF €2.8 million in grants for Protestant faith schools will have the "most serious implications" for the future of the Protestant…Fri Oct 24 2008 - 01:00
Opposition parties question index-linking of medical cardsOPPOSITION PARTIES have challenged claims that medical card income thresholds for those over 70 will be index-linked.Fri Oct 24 2008 - 01:00
Dáil sitting two days next week 'absolutely daft', says GilmoreTHE DÁIL will sit for just two days next week despite Opposition criticism that it was “absolutely daft” not to be in session…Fri Oct 24 2008 - 01:00
Opposition motion on medical card is defeatedTHE GOVERNMENT last night defeated, by a comfortable 81 to 74 votes, a Fine Gael motion calling for a reversal of the controversial…Thu Oct 23 2008 - 01:00
'No more than 5%' will be outside income threshold, says CoughlanTHE GOVERNMENT will introduce whatever legislation is required to ensure that “no more than 5 per cent” of people over 70 are…Thu Oct 23 2008 - 01:00
Under 5% queried loss of personal dataFEWER THAN 5 per cent of people whose personal data was contained on a laptop stolen from the Department of Social and Family…Wed Oct 22 2008 - 01:00
Cowen puts FF ahead of pensioners - OppositionTAOISEACH BRIAN Cowen was accused of putting his party ahead of pensioners in attempts to resolve the medical card controversy…Wed Oct 22 2008 - 01:00
Abuses lie behind back to education scheme delays, says HanafinTHE 12-MONTH delay in allowing unemployed people to access the back to education welfare scheme is because of abuses in the past…Wed Oct 22 2008 - 01:00
Worlds collide as Budget, banks put Dáil in a spinDÁIL SKETCH: In the real world, Government and Independent TDs were convulsed by the disastrous decision to remove medical cards…Sat Oct 18 2008 - 01:00
Firms 'have case to answer' on banks crisisA FORMER minister of state has ridiculed auditors as a “joke and a waste of timeSat Oct 18 2008 - 01:00
'Where is the big stick' for the bankers?IRELAND IS paying the “terrible price” for slavishly following the British model of light financial regulation, Labour finance…Sat Oct 18 2008 - 01:00
SF accuses Ahern of 'gutter politics'SINN FÉIN has hit back at Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern over his Dáil comments about €250 million allegedly held by the party…Fri Oct 17 2008 - 01:00
Legislation required to remove entitlement of over-70sLEGISLATION WILL be required to remove the automatic entitlement to the medical card for over-70s, Tánaiste Mary Coughlan has…Fri Oct 17 2008 - 01:00
'Mealy-mouthed' move criticised by Labour TDTHE "MEALY-MOUTHED" and "panic measure" by the Government to slightly raise the income threshold for medical cards for the over…Fri Oct 17 2008 - 01:00
SF challenged on alleged €250m in USMINISTER FOR Justice Dermot Ahern has challenged Sinn Féin to give the Government "a bit of a hand" by repatriating some of the…Thu Oct 16 2008 - 01:00
Combative exchanges over medical card means testingTHE CONSTRUCTION Industry Federation (CIF) is the only group to support the Budget, Labour leader Eamon Gilmore said as he challenged…Thu Oct 16 2008 - 01:00
State bodies urged to get behind 'renewable' electricity targetGOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS and State agencies have been warned they must "row in" behind a new target that by 2020 some 40 per cent…Thu Oct 16 2008 - 01:00
Taoiseach rejects FG 'wanton waste' claimsBENEFITS TO society over the past decade from Government policies were no "mirage", Taoiseach Brian Cowen has insisted as he …Wed Oct 15 2008 - 01:00
Cowen praises his predecessor's legacy on Northern peace processTAOISEACH BRIAN Cowen has praised his predecessor Bertie Ahern for his role in the peace process and his achievements in government…Mon Oct 13 2008 - 01:00
Justice agencies to merge - AhernMINISTER FOR Justice Dermot Ahern has confirmed that there will be "amalgamations and mergers" of agencies within the remit of…Mon Oct 13 2008 - 01:00
Taoiseach says there is no budget quick fixTAOISEACH BRIAN Cowen has said tough choices will have to be made in tomorrow's budget.Mon Oct 13 2008 - 01:00
Higgins accuses Government of 'rolling over' on Indian nuclear dealMINISTER FOR Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin has staunchly defended the Government's acceptance of a deal on nuclear power between…Fri Oct 10 2008 - 01:00
HSE bonus defended by Cowen on contractual groundsCONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS cannot be interfered with "willynilly", Taoiseach Brian Cowen insisted, as he was challenged not to allow…Thu Oct 09 2008 - 01:00
