Author name: highlandnews

The Government’s being accused of sitting by and doing nothing about rising energy costs. The latest price hike from Electric Ireland will see electricity bills rise by 10.9 per cent and gas prices go up by 29.2 per cent. The increases will take effect from the 1st of August for over 1.2 million households. Consumers

A Donegal Deputy has asked for better protections and supports for all refugees fleeing war. Thomas Pringle was speaking during a Dail debate on the extension of special measures for Ukrainian refugees yesterday. According to Deputy Pringle – citizenship shouldn’t matter when you’re fleeing war:

There could be a ‘substantial reduction’ in petrol and diesel prices in the Budget. The government cut excise duty on both fuels in March – but prices have since climbed well above 2 euro a litre again. The date for the Budget will be finalised next week, amid calls for urgent action on the cost

The latest Covid wave is having a ‘significant impact’ on patients in emergency departments, according to the head of the Saolta Hospital Group. There are 812 patients in hospital with the virus – more than twice as many as three weeks ago. Of those, 35 Covid patients are at Letterkenny University Hospital, as it continues

The PRO of the Mica Action Group has called on Government to give more time to table amendments to the new defective blocks bill. Currently an Oireachtas committee discussing the new bill will be restricted to two hours – despite there being 80 total amendments to be discussed, as well as the contents of the

A local councillor says that a beach in Dunfanaghy has been vandalised for the second night in a row. Cllr Michael McClafferty says the beach at Killahoey has had signs pulled down and chairs smashed, with broken glass also being left on the beach.   Cllr McClafferty has appealed to those responsible to be respectful

The Public Expenditure Minister says a number of one-off measures will be put to government, to help tackle the cost-of-living crisis. It comes as the Irish Independent suggests a second 200-euro energy credit will be offered this autumn, as electricity bills grow further. Minister Michael McGrath says his focus will also be helping on those

It’s been revealed that one in every 13 patients walked away from an emergency department in May, without completing their treatment. Throughout the country, over 9,700 people didn’t wait to finish their treatment in EDs in May. Sinn Féin’s health spokesman, David Cullinane, says many people abandon their visits because of long delays…

Some Fianna Fáil TDs will call for significant increases in social welfare payments at a crunch meeting this morning. The parliamentary party is holding a special meeting in Dublin about the cost-of-living crisis. They’ll finalise their priorities for the Budget, which Junior Minister Niall Collins believes will take place in October, as usual. He’s promising

Top public servants earning over 150,000 euro a year will get pay rises of up to 15 per cent today. It affects 4,000 people, including judges and hospital consultants. It’s the last phase of the reversal of pay cuts from the economic crash. Sinn Féin’s public expenditure spokesperson, Mairead Farrell, says it comes during a

Dr Tony Holohan will retire from his role as Chief Medical Officer today. He was due to begin a secondment at Trinity College Dublin, but that was scrapped after a controversy over the payment arrangement. Instead he’ll completely step down today as CMO, which has a salary of 187,000 euro a year. Junior Health Minister,

A Fine Gael deputy has admitted his Government colleagues got it wrong when the sliding scale was introduced to the mica redress scheme last year. Donegal Deputy Joe McHugh was speaking in a debate about the revised defective blocks bill yesterday, where he had pointed criticism for the previous scheme, calling it “plain and simply

A Donegal Deputy has pleaded with the Government to get the defective blocks scheme right this time. Sinn Fein’s Padraig MacLochlainn called on the Housing Minister to address a number of issues with the new redress bill, such as foundations not being included, as well as there being no capacity in the scheme to increase

The CEO of the Mental Health Commission says that patients in areas such as Donegal are being deprived of the best mental health care. This follows the Commission’s annual report that was published today, that show patients are often given a better standard of care in private facilities compared to public ones. Speaking on today’s

The Minister for Housing has defended the Government’s response to the mica crisis. Minister Darragh O’Brien addressed the Dail this afternoon as the Government’s revised defective blocks bill entered the second stage. In a joint statement, homeowners in Donegal as well as Sligo, Mayo, Clare and Limerick say the Government has “…broken all parliamentary process

A child’s education should be a cherished right. That’s according to Donegal Deputy Pearse Doherty who told the Tanaiste that for many parents, the price of education is a cause of concern and anxiety. He says that back to school costs are only adding to the pressure families are facing – mentioning one mother who

A shortage of teachers correcting Leaving and Junior Cert exams is going to put the State Examinations Commission in a difficult position, according to an education expert. The SEC has faced shortages of correctors this year, which has been cited as one of the reasons for the delay in this year’s Leaving Cert results being

A railway campaigner believes a cross border railway would be a massive gamechanger for the county. Consultant Richard Logue believes the rail network in Donegal could be easily reintroduced with a line from Letterkenny, to Derry and leading to Dublin. Speaking on today’s nine to noon show, he says the railway line would link Donegal

Sinn Féin’s proposal for an emergency budget was defeated in the Dáil last night. The party called for urgent action on the cost-of-living crisis, but the government opposed the motion. The government won a counter-motion by 69 votes to 59, which said there’ll be a comprehensive package in October’s Budget. Sinn Féin TD Darren O’Rourke