Author name: highlandnews

An Inishowen councillor says the delay in starting work on a new Town Plan for Buncrana is affecting the prospect of addressing the town’s housing shortage, not to mention the crisis caused by Mica. Work on a new plan should have started two years ago, but was delayed because of Covid. Now, Cllr Rena Donaghey

A phased return to the workplace is now underway. Covid restrictions on workers have been lifted and staff can return to the office on a phased basis from today. But trade unions and opposition parties are calling for staff to be given the option to work remotely into the future. Bernard Harbor from the Forsa

  Donegal TDs are being urged to redouble their efforts to fast track the new Mica Redress Scheme. Last week it emerged that it could be September before homeowners see any real progress, dashing hopes that the scheme would be up and running in the coming weeks. Taking to social media, Mica Action Group PRO

  Donegal County Council is being urged to reassess a junction in the Letterkenny area, after a multi-car crash at the weekend. Three cars collided at the Killyclug-Killylastin junction on Friday evening, with Gardaí saying three young men required hospital treatment following the crash. Cathaoirleach of Letterkenny-Milford Municipal District Jimmy Kavanagh has raised safety concerns

  Funding of up to one million euro is being offered for coastal upgrade projects over the next two years. Local authorities in coastal areas are being encouraged to apply for government funding to improve pier and harbour infrastructure. The scheme will cover up to 85 percent of a project’s cost. The Department of Agriculture,

  Sinn Fein is putting forward a Dail motion this week on recommending a hybrid model for the Leaving Cert. It wants to see a mix of written exams and accredited grades this year, ahead of further talks with the Education Minister. It comes after similar calls from other stakeholders who met Norma Foley last

  Workers can return to offices on a phased basis starting today, while pubs, restaurants and nightclubs are already open at their usual times. Social distancing has been scrapped and there are no restrictions on live events or gatherings in the home. In person prison visits are also set to resume this week. Trade unions

Unions are calling for remote working to continue to be an option for workers as public health restrictions are lifted. Tomorrow sees the gradual return of staff to workplaces, for those who had been working from home. Forsa and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions are among those calling for businesses to continue to facilitate

The Restaurants Association of Ireland is describing the lifting of restrictions as ‘very positive’ for hospitality. Almost all covid restrictions have been removed, with pubs, restaurants and nightclubs allowed return to normal hours. Digital Covid Certs will only be needed for international travel and the need for social distancing has been scrapped. Restaurants Association Chief

The Department of Health has announced a further 8,126 new cases of Covid-19 in the Republic of Ireland today. Of those, 4,731 cases were confirmed by PCR test, with a further 3,395 positive antigen tests registered online. While today’s daily case number continues the downward trend seen in the last two weeks – Professor Anthony

The Health Minister says the emergency powers like the Covid Cert are ‘very serious’ and have been dropped because there is no longer a public health rationale. Stephen Donnelly has admitted that the passes had ‘secondary benefits’ – like encouraging people to get vaccinated and boosted. However he says those were never the primary aim

People across the Island have expressed ‘interest and enthusiasm’ in a public consultation about an All Island Rail Review. That’s according to the North’s Infrastructure Minister, who says about 3,500 responses have been gathered from both sides of the border, as the public consultation period on the review ended yesterday. The review will now examine

The Tánaiste has claimed that today is the beginning of the end of the Covid pandemic. As of this morning there’s no requirement for social distancing, restrictions on hospitality have lifted and there are no caps on gatherings in the home. Live events can go ahead at full capacity, with Minister Catherine Martin confirming there

A Donegal Deputy is calling for the compulsory purchase of the site for the new National Maternity Hospital site as soon as possible. There are questions as to why the State would invest €800 million of public money into the new hospital and not establish ownership. Despite a motion being brought forward to the Dail

Residential property prices in Donegal rose by 12% last year, one of the higher rises in the country according to an analysis carried out by the Irish Independent. The paper says prices will continue to rise in 2022, particularly in Letterkenny as LYIT attains technological university status. However, according to Residential Property Editor Mark Keenan,

A South Donegal Deputy is pushing for guarantees from government that the Rescue 118 Search and Rescue helicopter will continue to be based at Sligo Airport. Currently there are four SAR bases, Sligo, Shannon, Waterford and Dublin, but a new pre-tender document published by the Government recently states that it requires “at least three bases”

“There is a lot to do, but today is a good day” The words of Taoiseach Michael Martin this evening as he confirmed the lifting of most restrictions from 6am tomorrow morning. The requirement for social distancing will be scrapped along with all restrictions on the hospitality sector. Attendance caps at indoor and outdoor events

The Housing Executive is being urged to come up with a plan for the future of the former Travellers site on Derry’s Letterkenny Road. Foyle MLA Padraig Delargy says the site has been lying derelict for a number of years, and it’s become a scar on one of the main arterial routes into the city.

The vast majority of Covid restrictions will end at 6am tomorrow morning under plans gone to the Cabinet this afternoon. Taoiseach Michael Martin is expected to confirm at 6 o’clock this evening that the curfew on hospitality will be scrapped, capacity limits at live events and sports fixtures will end, and social distancing will non

A site has been identified for the provision of a new bottle bank in Carndonagh. While there is a recycling centre in the town, it does not operate on a 23 hour a day basis, and there are no facilities for recycling bottles, cans and other materials outside of opening hours. Cllr Albert Doherty has

  It’s widely anticipated that Culdaff businessman, Johnny McGuinness will replace his late father Bernard as Councillor for the North Inishowen area. Mr McGuinness has already been nominated by the Culdaff and Malin Fine Gael branches, and he is expected to be ratified by the party at a virtual convention to be held on Thursday

  A Donegal Deputy is calling for flooding mitigation measures planned for Donegal Town to be urgently progressed. The area is susceptible to numerous types of flooding over the years with many businesses and residents frequently impacted. A major flood relief scheme for the town has been identified with the project currently at preliminary stage.

  There are fears that it could be late summer before there’s any significant progress on the Mica Redress Scheme. The news will come as a hammer blow to the many affected homeowners who had been expecting the scheme to get off the ground in the coming weeks. Cllr Martin McDermott attended yesterday’s meeting with

The phased easing of restrictions in Northern Ireland begins at midday today. The requirement for table service in hospitality will be removed, and the cap of six per table will be scrapped. Any number of households can meet indoors, and nightclubs can reopen next Wednesday. Donegal man Declan Jordan runs Rosie Joe’s bar and nightclub

  Andrew McGinley is suing the HSE, St Patrick’s Hospital in Dublin and a consultant psychiatrist over the care of his wife. Deirdre Morley killed their three children in Co Dublin two years ago, but was found not guilty of their murder by reason of insanity. Mr McGinley lodged the High Court action on Wednesday

An Inishowen Councillor is urging the Education Minister to instruct her department to begin discussions with the owners of the land earmarked for the Three School Campus in Buncrana. The site was identified last year, with the department saying it would proceed by way of a Compulsory Purchase Order. In December, a formal Notice to

The Irish Second Level Students Union is describing a meeting with the Education Minister as a ‘really positive discussion.’ Norma Foley met stakeholders last night, on planning the format for this year’s Leaving Cert – no decision was made, with further talks in the coming days. The Irish Second Level Students Union is calling for

The Dail has been told that failings in the regulation of the construction sector led to the Mica disaster in Donegal and elsewhere, and also the the Pyrite crisis in the east of the country. Deputy Padraig MacLochlainn was speaking during a debate on the proposed Regulation of Providers of Building Works Bill. Deputy MacLochlainn

The Brandon Report has been discussed in the Dail during Topical Issues, with the recent publication of inspection reports by HIQA one of the issues raised. Minister of State Anne Rabbitte said while the HSE had published the executive summary of the Brandon Report in December, it did so on the last day the Dail

Nightclubs will reopen in Northern Ireland next Wednesday. The Stormont Executive has also agreed dancing and indoor standing events can resume on that date. There will also be no need for vaccine passports in bars, restaurants and hotels – but they will still be needed in nightclubs. Other restrictions will ease tomorrow at 12 noon,

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has told the Dail that updated Mica Redress legislation will be published before Easter. The issue was raised by Deputy Thomas Pringle, who said the ongoing delays are “completely unacceptable”. He called for the legislation to be published immediately, and also for the scrapping of the controversial sliding scale…………