Author name: highlandnews

The nursing home sector is facing its worst ever crisis, according to an Independent TD. 16 private nursing homes have closed so far this year and 450 beds are gone. The cost of living crisis is being partly blamed for the problems in the sector. South Donegal Deputy, Marian Harkin, says the Fair Deal programme […]

Taoiseach Micheál Martin will travel to Brussels today for a two-day meeting of the European Council. EU leaders will discuss the energy crisis and how to offset the impact of high energy on households and businesses. The council will also discuss Ukraine, economic issues and the upcoming climate change conference, Cop 27, in November. Minister

A Donegal TD has claimed the Department of Agriculture and the Marine is working against the Irish fishing industry rather than for it. Speaking ahead of a two day European Summit which begins today, Deputy Padraig MacLochlainn urged Minister for Europe Thomas Byrne and Marine Minister Charlie McConalogue to start fighting for Irish fishing communities

The Dail has been told there’s an urgent need for more Community Welfare Officers to meet the increased demands for the service in Donegal. Deputy Thomas Pringle told the Taoiseach that many more people are applying for exceptional needs payments due to the energy crisis, and that’s creating a backlog in the system. Deputy Pringle

A Midlands North West MEP is backing a European Parliament’s call for the rollout of car charging stations every 60km on main roads in the EU by 2026. MEPs backed the proposal during a vote in Strasbourg this week, urging to present plans on hjow to achieve this by 2024. Fine Gael’s Colm Markey says

Taoiseach Michael Martin has told the Dail he believes the National Rail Strategy may provide some answers to the connectivity issues being highlighted in the North West. He was responsing to Sinn Fein President Mary Lou McDonald, who asked if the government would provide support to City of Derry Airport, given that 40% of its

The Foreign Affairs Minister’s been criticising paramilitaries on his latest trip to Belfast. It’s now seven months since Simon Coveney’s last visit to the Houben Centre was cut short by a bomb-scare, which involved a van hijacking. The UVF later claimed responsibility – and in a statement said Irish politicians were ‘not welcome in Northern

Planning permission for an extension to a wind farm in West Donegal has been refused. Maas Wind Limited had applied to Donegal County Council to erect an additional 3 wind turbines in the Loughderryduff area of Ardara. There has been much opposition in the locality to the plans with thousands previously signing a petition against

Sexual abuse of under 18s by other children in Donegal is a pandemic. That’s according to the Manager of the Donegal Sexual Abuse and Rape Crisis Centre. In the past week alone, five 15 year old girls who were sexually abused by a peer were referred to the centre. Marina Porter says there seems to

A Donegal cancer patient has hit out at the HSE over the lack of resources at Letterkenny University Hospital to deal with patients undergoing treatment. Roseena Toner was diagnosed with leukemia in 2021, receiving treatment in Galway and St James’ Hospital, Dublin. She says she was shocked when she began her care at Letterkenny University

The Dail has been told that households must be protected from electricity and gas disconnections this winter. Donegal Deputy Pearse Doherty says many people are having sleepless nights as they fear how they are going to keep on top of mounting energy bills. He says the Government has refused to provide certainty to homeowners in

The defective block issue affecting thousands of homeowners in Donegal has been described as a ‘humanitarian crisis’. Donegal Deputy Padriag MacLochlainn was speaking during topical issues in the Dail last night during which he challenged the Minister on the need to resource emergency temporary accommodation for affected homeowners now living in dangerous properties. Neither the

The Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney will return to Belfast today to complete a speech that was cut short by a hoax bomb threat in March. Simon Coveney was speaking at a peace-building event at the Houben Centre on March 25th and had to be escorted from the building due to a suspected UVF

Over 58,000 people have been waiting over a year for a vital scan to diagnose a medical problem. They include MRIs, ultrasounds and CT scans. A total of almost 239,000 people are waiting for an outpatient scan in a hospital. GP Martin Daly says the delays are completely unacceptable:

Donegal TD Thomas Pringle, has asked the Taoiseach how long he will leave mica-affected homeowners in limbo. Addressing Michael Martin in the Dail chamber, Deputy Pringle said the Mica Action Group has been in existence since 2014, and the last eight years have brought nothing but stress and heartbreak to them. Deputy Pringle claimed the

The concrete block levy will be cut to 5 per cent and its introduction has been delayed. Finance Minister Pascal Donohoe’s confirmed it will now take effect from the first of September next year. The money raised by the levy is designed to contribute towards meeting the cost of the Mica redress scheme. There had

Over €1.1 million has been raised to date in the Creeslough Community Support Fund. The fund was initiated almost immediately in response to the Creeslough tragedy by the Irish Red Cross in cooperation with An Post and Applegreen. Emergency distribution of funds has commenced in the village. Liam O’Dwyer, Secretary General of the Irish Red

Gardaí have renewed their appeal for information on a fatal crash in Carrigart last week. Seamus Rodgers, who was in his 40s was the sole occupant of the vehicle involved in the collision just before 8am on Friday last. He died as a result of his injuries. Garda Grainne Doherty is urging anyone with information

Routine door to door enquiries are continuing in Creeslough. Gardai are expected to continue their enquiries in the area over the coming weeks as part of investigations into the explosion on Friday October 7th. Garda Grainne Doherty says the road is expected to remain closed for a number of weeks yet:  

An international conference on the science and societal impacts of defective concrete blocks is being held next month in Letterkenny. The event will be co-hosted by the ATU, Ulster University and Midlands North West MEP Luke Ming Flanagan on November 15th at the ATU’s campus in Letterkenny. The conference will see leading international experts in

The Construction Industry Federation says building levies to fund the Mica redress scheme should be aimed at manufacturers. Cabinet ministers are due to discuss changes to a proposed 10% levy on concrete announced in Budget 2023. Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe has re-iterated this morning it will be going ahead despite pressure from backbenchers to change

€40 million is to be provided for the Summer Programme initiative to assist children with special needs. 45,000 children took part in the programme this year in over 1,000 schools across the country. The Department of Education says it’s hopeful all schools will run a programme for children who need additional learning support. Minister of