Author name: highlandnews

Dissident republicans claim they have access to PSNI information which was the subject of a data breach. The Chief Constable has held what he describes as a constructive yet challenging meeting with the North’s Policing Board. Sensitive material was accidentally published online and, in another incident, a laptop was stolen from a car. Chief Constable

The availability of rental properties nationwide remains extremely limited. On August 1st, there were fewer than 1,200 homes available to rent across the country. The latest report by Daft.ie shows rents in Donegal are up over 22% when compared to the second quarter of this year to €1,077 which is 122% above its lowest point.

A union representing primary teachers says the Government should increase spending rather than relying on voluntary contributions from parents. The INTO trade union says capitation grants paid by the State to schools should be increased. It has emerged that parents, across primary and secondary schools, paid 28 million euro in voluntary contributions during the 2020-2021

More people planning to go to college are deferring, in hopes to save for another year in order to be able to afford it. St Vincent de Paul say they are seeing a rise in Donegal families availing of their Education and Training Bursary Fund in order to cope with the financial strain of the

Concerns are rising regarding the availability of housing for college students in Letterkenny as the academic year approaches. Barry Breslin, President of ATU Letterkenny SU, says the Student Union has gone to new efforts in order to find accommodation. He says the ‘Rent-a-room’ scheme can be a great option for students and locals with a

SIPTU says “the silence from Government” has forced firefighters to escalate their strike. On-call members of the fire service first started industrial action on June 6th in a dispute over the low level of pay and restrictive conditions of the job. In an escalation of that strike, all retained fire stations will “go dark” from

Support for a Donegal Minister has fallen while an overwhelming number of farmers say they would vote for a new farmers’ political party if one was formed. A survey by the Irish Farmers Journal shows 72% of farmers would give their first preference vote to a farmers’ party. Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue’s ratings among

The Chief Constable of the PSNI is set to come under pressure at an emergency meeting of the Northern Ireland Policing Board after it emerged a data breach impacted 10,000 PSNI officers and staff. It comes after personal and employment information about every officer was released online on Tuesday. Its the second such breach as

There has been a second security breach affecting police in Northern Ireland. A laptop with the names of more than 200 officers and staff was stolen from a private vehicle last month. It comes after personal and employment information about every officer was released online yesterday. PSNI officers have been the target of republican paramilitaries

This year’s MacGill Summer School will focus on global issues. The 43rd summer school will get underway next Wednesday in Glenties. Discussions will centre around Ukraine, the role of China, the future of Russia, Ireland’s future, climate change and AI. Guest speakers include; Congressman Brendan Boyle, European Commissioner, Mairead McGuinness, the Ukrainian Ambassador to Ireland

Research will be carried out by the Electoral Commission which could determine whether 16-year-olds can vote in Ireland. The independent group will look at reducing the voting age, something which is included in the programme for Government. In Scotland, people aged 16 and over have been able to vote in referendums and some elections since

Students are being urged to be vigilant when it comes to searching for a place to rent during the college year, amid an increase in scams. Gardaí say there has been a 65% rise in accommodation scams since 2019. The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has released a guide against being scammed, where it says

The Garda Commissioner says he’s going nowhere amid ongoing anger among rank and file Gardaí. Members of the Garda Representative Association are being balloted on whether they have confidence in Drew Harris. It’s over a dispute about rosters. Commissioner Harris says he’s staying on, regardless of the result of the ballot:

The Cathaoirleach of the Glenties Municipal District has condemned incidents of littering in the area. Cllr. Micheal McClafferty urged the public that in cases where a bin is not available to be responsible and take rubbish home. He added that there are frequent occurrences of fast food packaging being thrown out of car windows. Speaking

There’s been a record level of philanthropic donations made to causes in Ireland. Community Foundation Ireland’s annual report shows grants of 27.2 million were given out to communities here last year. Over 7.5 million euro was used in direct response to the war in Ukraine, while funding was also used for causes working on climate

If the Government doesn’t hold a referendum on the right to housing, it will be in breach its own programme for government. That’s the view of the head of the Simon Communities in Ireland. It says while the Government has done a lot of work tackling homelessness, it’s not enough. Wayne Stanley, Executive Director at

Personal information about every serving police officer and member of police staff in Northern Ireland has been published online in a major data breach. The PSNI itself made the sensitive material public in what it’s calling a “human error”. It’s believed identities of officers were contained in a spreadsheet published in connection to a Freedom

Plans are in motion to establish a Community Cardiac First Responder Group in Buncrana. It’s proposed the CFR group will cover the general Buncrana area as well as Fahan, Illies, Drumfries and Desertegney. Volunteers will be trained to respond to certain emergency calls. A public meeting will take place on Monday August 21st at 8pm

The Housing Minister wants to extend the Help To Buy scheme for two more years. Darragh O’Brien has outlined some of his Budget 2024 demands in an interview with the Irish Independent. The minister is also looking to give a renter’s tax credit of almost €800, the average monthly rent. But Sinn Féin’s Housing Spokesperson,

The government will consider deferring an increase to toll charges in its budget negotiations. Junior Transport Minister Jack Chambers say his department is conscious of the impact it will have on people already struggling with living costs. In recent days, it was reported that from January trips on the M50, M4, M7 and M8 will

Alcohol-related liver disease has risen in most counties across Ireland, including Donegal. That according to the Health Research Board. Speaking to Donal Kavanagh on this mornings Nine ’til Noon show, CEO of Alcohol Forum Ireland Paula Leonard says people who are struggling with drinking are leaving it late before seeking medical assistance. However she added

Victims of domestic violence are to receive full pay and five days leave if they need to take time off work. The Minister for Children, Equality, and Disability said the decision comes following talks with employer representatives, trade unions and domestic violence support organisations. Speaking on this morning Nine ’til Noon show, Minister O Gorman

Two road traffic collisions occurred in Buncrana over the week. The first took place on Cockhill Road on Tuesday evening last between two vehicles. The driver and passenger of one of the vehicles involved were taken to Letterkenny University Hospital for non life threatening injuries. The second collision took place when three parked vehicles were