Author name: highlandnews

A new online portal to assist defective block homeowners access the enhanced scheme has gone live today. The Payment Module is now available for all applicants who have received a Remediation Option and Grant Amount under the provisions of the Enhanced Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme. This enables approved applicants to submit their Payment Claims

A Midlands North West MEP says working through the hacking of his X account by a former parliamentary assistant has had an adverse impact on his health. 34 year old Diarmuid Hayes, from Dublin, was convicted in a Belgian court after admitting to posting a tweet referring to then Green Party candidate Saoirse McHugh from

Next week marks the first step in the delivery of a ‘game changing’ project for Letterkenny. Demolition works are set to commence at the former ESB site in the town between Pearse and Port Road in the coming days which will make way for a major innovation and business centre. Once demolition and site clearance

A West Tyrone MLA says delays and uncertainty over a proposed youth centre for Strabane is a kick in the teeth. Education Minister Paul Givan says “due to the severely constrained capital budget, the Education Authority is unable to provide a timeline for the delivery of the scheme.” Daniel McCrossan says he was informed in

Motorists are being urged to reduce their speed this National Slow-Down Day. The campaign aims to reduce the number of fatalities by targeting those driving too fast. Dylan Coady Coleman, a 10-year-old boy from Clare, is the 37th person to die on the roads so far this year. Superintendent Liam Geraghty says small actions can

A number of objections have been made against the proposed transformation of Fort Dunree. The matter is currently with An Bord Pleanála after a member of the public objected to the project going ahead. Donegal County Council has confirmed work is ongoing in the interim in preparation for planning approval being granted. The Council did

An Inishowen councillor says while there is light at the end of the tunnel in the campaign for the restoration of services at Riverwalk House in Carndonagh, the campaign for services at Milltown House has hit another problem with confirmation of the presence of mica in the blocks. At this week’s meeting of the Regional

A Donegal Deputy has called for strong leadership in the face of rising violence towards those seeking asylum. Deputy Thomas Pringle was speaking in the Dáil on a spate of arson attacks in recent months in buildings believed to be linked to accommodating people seeking refuge. One such building was burned in Buncrana back in

  The Government insists it’s taking action to deal with waiting lists for spinal surgeries for children. Sinn Fein has accused the coalition of breaking promises over the issue. In the Dail, the party’s Finance Spokesperson Pearse Doherty highlighted the case of 10 year old Kylie-Anne from Kilmacrennan who is waiting five years for an operation and whose

MEPs have voted not to introduce mandatory regular medical tests for motorists. It had been proposed that car, tractor and motorcycle drivers should be tested every 15 years, and drivers of trucks and buses every 5 years, in an effort to reduce road deaths. The EU is aiming to reduce road fatalities by 50 per

The second phase of a plan to encourage investment in towns across the country by tackling vacancy and dereliction has been launched. 26 new towns were added to the ‘Town Centre First’ scheme today, with each to receive 30,000 euro to fund a redevelopment plan. In Donegal, Glenties has been added to the scheme, which

The Northern Ireland Assembly has passed an SDLP motion supporting the need for an All Island Rail Policy, and seeking to implement the recommendations of the recently published strategic rail review document. The Assembly also accepted a DUP amendment seeking to include a number of areas excluded in that review document, most notably the entire

An Inishowen Councillor believes tourism bodies need to restore the faith of businesses in the area. Councillor Martin McDermott says there is a huge opportunity to expand and promote the tourism offering in the peninsula. To do that however, he says financial assistance and collaboration between Failte Ireland, Go Visit Inishowen and Donegal Tourism is

Those responsible for a recent spate of vandalism on businesses in Buncrana are being urged to reflect on the hurt they are causing. Substantial damage has been caused to properties on the town’s Main Street with the windows of one business smashed. Councillor Jack Murray says efforts of the Tidy Towns group is being hampered

A new organisation representing nursing homes say a new funding model is needed to stop more facilities closing down. The Alliance is hosting a major conference in Limerick today to plan for a viable future for the sector. Over 50 homes have closed over a four year period, despite Ireland’s population growing and getting older.

A legal challenge to the UK’s Troubles Legacy Act will be ruled on today. Belfast High Court will decide whether sections of the law are incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights. The focus will be on provisions allowing an end to police investigations, inquests and civil proceedings into Troubles atrocities, and the potential

The Media Minister claims the former chair of the RTÉ board indicated she would resign last week. Appearing before the Oireachtas Media Committee last night, Minister Catherine Martin said Siún Ní Raghallaigh suggested she would walk away if she received a letter seeking a meeting. Minister Martin was going to send a letter after Ms.

The Changing Places facility at Letterkenny Retail Park is expected to open in the coming months. Funding for the project was secured from the Disability Participation and Awareness Fund after a motion was first brought before Donegal County Council in 2021 by Councillor Jimmy Kavanagh Two other public toilets are also being delivered as part

The CEO of Saolta says the Performance Management Improvement Unit Team which was deployed to Letterkenny University Hospital last November has led to major improvements, but there is still a long way to go. Tony Canavan said as a result of the team’s intervention, coupled with a huge effort by staff and management locally, major

A Glenties councillor says he was disgusted to discover rubbish that had been dumped on the side of the road. Cllr. John Shéamais Ó Fearraigh said he came on the waste while he was driving in the Corveen area. Among the bin bags there was nappies, books and clothing. Cllr. Ó Fearraigh says those at

The Government has been criticised over the lack of mental health supports for defective block homeowners. Speaking during the Mental Health Bill, last night Deputy Padraig MacLochlainn said that the defective block crisis has taken a severe toll on the mental health of families. He says the reality is stark:

Defective block campaigners appeared at the Oireachtas Housing Committee this afternoon. Counties Donegal, Mayo and Clare were represented. In her opening statement Mica Action Group PRO Angela Ward asked the government if they had the empathy to understand the strife experienced by homeowners affected by defective blocks. Deputy Padraig MacLochlainn, from the area of Inishowen

The European Parliament has approved a plan to wild 20 per cent of land and sea by 2030. The Nature Restoration Law is an attempt to increase levels of biodiversity across the bloc, but has been opposed  by farmers’ groups. The Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association says affected members will need financial support make

Almost €120,000 worth of suspected cannabis has been seized in South Donegal. 6kg of the drug was seized during follow-up searches conducted by Gardai in Ballyshannon on foot of the discovery of a grow house in Donegal Town last week. The find brings the estimated total of drugs seized to €751,500 after over €630,000 worth

Gardai are appealing to all car owners to ensure their vehicle is locked while unattended. It’s after a small sum of cash was stolen from an unlocked car in Carrigans in the early hours of Saturday morning last. A short time later, a car in St Johnston was also entered, nothing was taken but damage