Author name: oisinkelly

The head of the HSE says the Delta variant is spreading faster than expected. It comes as a further 994 Covid-19 cases have been confirmed, the highest since February 13th. There are 80 people in hospital with the virus, and 22 in ICU. Paul Reid says officials are concerned about the increase in cases:

Monday July 26th is the planned reopening day for indoor dining. Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has said that’s the day Government hopes indoor hospitality will be able to resume for the first time this year. He says work is under way to finalise the guidelines for that re-opening:

The Finance Minister has been told that the process in place for Mica affected homeowners to apply for property tax exemption doesn’t make sense. Under the current legislation passed in the Dail last night, to qualify for the exemption the homeowner must have had remedial works carried out on their property, remedial works must be

The Malin Head Coast Guard has warned that minutes matter when responding to a rescue call. It comes following a number of recent incidents where rescue services have been delayed launching as a result of cars being parked in a yellow boxed outside the lifeboat station in Downings and Bunbeg. Divisional Controller with Malin Head

Insurance companies and banks could be asked to make a voluntary contribution to the mica redress scheme. The Housing Minister says good progress is being made in talks on changes to the scheme. Homeowners in Donegal and Mayo are looking for scheme to cover 100 per cent of the remediation costs. Minister Darragh O’ Brien

Donegal County Council is being urged to ensure that the necessary infrastructure is put in place to prevent further flooding at the Ashfield Estate in Letterkenny. The issue was raised at the Letterkenny Milford Municipal District meeting this week by Cllr Gerry McMonagle, who was told that Ashfield is a private estate which hasn’t yet

Among a number of issues discussed by the Defective Blocks Working Group yesterday was the scrapping of up front fees, planning exemptions for like for like rebuilds and accomodation fees for families who need to move out of their home while remedial works are underway. A request was also put forward by Donegal County Council

There’s calls for the Irish Government to make a plea to the US President Joe Biden to intervene over the British Government’s plan to grant a de-facto amnesty for crimes committed during the Troubles. It would apply to paramilitaries and British Army soldiers. Last year US President Joe Biden said he would not sign a

Property tax exemption legislation for Mica affected homeowners has passed in the Dail. The move will work similar to how it did as part of the pyrite scheme. The Defective Blocks Working Group who met for the third time yesterday will now consider the practical application of the exemption and the Government will discuss any

A Donegal Deputy has told the Dail that the Marine Jurisdiction Bill which cleared through the Dail last night effectively cedes control of Rockall to the UK, and betrays fishing communities in Donegal who fish those waters. Deputy Padraig MacLochlainn told the Taoiseach he was effectively “waving the white flag” on Britain’s ownership of Rockall

Donegal County Council is to ask Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien to introduce a special HAP subsidy for the county in recognition of the amount of people on the social housing waiting list. The issue was raised at the Letterkenny Milford Municipal District this week by Cllr Donal Mandy Kelly, who says if a special subsidy

The Dáil has passed the legislation allowing indoor dining for fully vaccinated people or those who’ve recovered from Covid, and it will now go to the Seanad. There were no Government rebels on the vote and it was voted through by 74 votes to 68. It will now go to the Seanad and if it

The Head of the HSE has said he expects Covid case numbers to continue to rise in the immediate future. It comes as the Department of Health confirmed a five month high in case numbers yesterday 783 new infections were reported and the Delta variant now accounts for 80% of the cases reported here. The

The British government’s planning to effectively end all prosecutions related to the Troubles. Northern Secretary Brandon Lewis this afternoon announced a series of measures to deal with the legacy of Northern Ireland’s past. He told the House of Commons in London he understands the approach will be difficult for some………. However, Deputy First Minister Michelle

The British Government’s confirmed it is proposing a statute of limitations on Troubles-related incidents. Northern Secretary Brandon Lewis has announced a series of measures to deal with the legacy of Northern Ireland’s past. He told the House of Commons in London he understands the approach will be difficult for some people:  

A Donegal councillor and hotel manager says he will not enforce the government’s proposal to prevent unvaccinated adults from dining indoors. Michael Neachtain says it’s an unworkable and discriminatory policy, particularly in this region, as most guests and visitors are from Northern Ireland. Mr Naughton told Greg Hughes on today’s Nine til Noon Show it’s

The country’s surface and ground waters remain under pressure from human activities. The Environmental Protection Agency is warning Ireland’s in danger of losing its excellent coastal water quality, unless urgent action is taken to reduce nitrogen from farms entering water. Of the over 1,800 river bodies inspected, 43 per cent were deemed to be unsatisfactory.

The Cathaoirleach of Glenties Municipal District Councillor Marie Therese Gallagher says it is unacceptable that Wind Energy policies can’t be incorporated into a County Development Plan. As a result, Councillor Marie Therese Gallagher says its very difficult for planning officers to make decisions and it’s also difficult for the community to make comments or raise

Donegal County Council is being urged to provide basic recycling facilities on a 24 hour basis in Carndonagh. At present, the only bring banks are located within the recycling centre which is only open on a limited basis. Cllr Albert Doherty says that must change……….

Sinn Fein is accusing the Government of ‘ramming’ important legislation on indoor dining through the Dail. The new laws will be raised by politicians today with a large portion of the Opposition against it. It’s expected fully vaccinated people, those who have recovered from covid and their children will be allowed eat and drink indoors

Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis will make a statement to the British parliament today dealing with legacy issues from the Troubles. The British Government’s proposal involves a statute of limitations that would end all prosecutions related to the Troubles prior to 1998. The plan, which has been sharply criticised by the The Irish Government, the

A Director of Services with Donegal County Council has acknowledged that dealing with housing issues, and particularly the Mica crisis, is challenging, and at times frustrating. Liam Ward was speaking as the Letterkenny Milford Municipal District considered a number of motions regarding the provision of housing for people whose homes are being demolished or repaired.

A “lack of transparency” in how local authorities are spending funding for Traveller accommodation is being criticised by a new report from the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission. The study says many councils are not counting the number of Traveller households live in the area. Between 2008 and 2018 two-thirds of funding for Traveller-specific

  Donegal Council is to carry out an audit of all fire hydrants in the Letterkenny Milford Municipal District. The issue was raised by Cathaoirleach Cllr Jimmy Kavanagh, who says he’s been contacted by people from a number of estates who were concerned that they didn’t know where hydrants are. He said he’s discussed the