Author name: oisinkelly

  A Donegal Deputy is ‘absolutely convinced’ that pubs should be reopen at this stage. The HSE’s Chief Clinical Officer insisted yesterday the time isn’t right for pubs to reopen, despite only 5 outbreaks of Covid-19 noted in bars since the outbreak began. Tanaiste Leo Varadkar wants pubs that don’t serve food to reopen, saying

  A Government Minister is defending a new rule that requires restaurants and pubs to keep a record of what customers have ordered for 28 days. The measure has faced major backlash with publicans and restaurant owners describing it as an administrative nightmare. Minister Simon Harris admits there’s been a lack of clarity around the

  A patient advocacy group says there should be urgent inquiries to see if high levels of “no-shows” at Covid-19 test centres are down to a “systems failure”. Yesterday the HSE said up to a quarter of those referred by GPs weren’t keeping their appointments at some sites. 95 confirmed cases of Coronavirus infection were

  Redundancies could be widespread when Government Covid-19 supports are dropped. That’s according to one business analyst who says the long term economic impact of the pandemic will disproportionately impact lower-wage workers. The wage subsidy scheme has now been extended until April 2021. Business Analyst with Vox Financial Partners in New York Mark Byrne says

  The North’s Deputy First Minister says it’s hoped progress can be made on the reopening of pubs in the coming days, and they can give an indicative date next week. At a press conference last evening, Michelle O’Neill acknowledged there are anomalies in the situation at the moment, and she’s anxious that they are

A Stay and Spend tax break scheme’s been launched in a bid to increase business in the off-season for the hospitality sector. Anyone who spends up to 625 euro in restaurants, pubs, hotels or B&Bs between now and next spring, will be entitled to a tax credit of 20 per cent. Receipts can be uploaded

Up to 1,000 people a day don’t turn up for their scheduled covid-19 test. The HSE is warning that this is becoming an issue at a number of its sites and is urging people who have been given an appointment to attend. Labs processed 61,950 tests last week, with an average positivity rate of 1.3

A new Regeneration Plan for the Twin Towns has been announced this week. Donegal County Council is work closely with the Ballybofey and Stranorlar Integrated Community Company to identify key priorities and actions that will see the sustainable regeneration of the town up to 2040 and beyond. Work has already been undertaken in the Twin

The Green Party Leader has committed to following up with the Health Minister over calls for recommendations in a review of Gynaecology Services at Letterkenny University Hospital to be implemented. A damning report published last week found that the service provided to some patients was unsatisfactory. In all, 38 women in the past 10 years

  Landowners affected by the planned Ten-T project are being encouraged to make contact with Donegal County Council. Earlier this year, route corridors were confirmed for the three sections of the scheme – the Ballybofey Bypass, Letterkenny to Manorcunningham and Manorcunningham to Lifford/Strabane. Residents who will be impacted were also identified. At this stage, the

  Publicans say the pubs should reopen the minute new Garda powers come into force. Legislation that will allow Gardaí to close pubs on the spot for breaching Covid-19 restrictions was debated in the Dáil last night. The Justice Minister says it paves the way for the reopening of pubs that do not serve food.

  The newly appointed Agriculture Minister has endeavoured to ‘give it his all’. Charlie McConalogue is the first Inishowen man appointed to cabinet in the history of the state. Minister McConalogue has identified the pressing issues facing him to include CAP reform, having the agri-food sector prepared for Brexit and ensuring workers in the sector

  A Donegal Deputy is urging the Government to provide immediate additional resources to Bus Eireann and to private bus operators. Many local families are still trying to secure a place on the school bus for this current academic year with parents having to car pool in the interim and while Bus Eireann is currently

  A Bronze Age urn has been unearthed in Donegal. The object containing cremated remains is said to have been buried 4,000 years ago at the site of the new €21 million community hospital in Ballyshannon. The urn has been taken to Dublin where it will be conserved. Director of the excavation Tamlyn McHugh of

  Donegal Deputy Thomas Pringle has told Minister Charlie McConalogue that in his new role, he cannot forget the farming and fishing sector in Donegal. Minister McConalogue is the first Inishowen man appointed to cabinet in the history of the state. Deputy Pringle took the opportunity in the Dail following Minister McConalogue’s appointment as Agriculture

89 new cases of Covid 19 have been confirmed in the Republic and one further death. The person died in June and nobody has died after contracting the disease in the last two weeks. 53 of the new cases are in Dublin, 15 in Limerick and the rest are spread across 13 other counties. Professor

Charlie McConalogue has been named as the new Agriculture Minister. The Donegal TD, who was previously Fianna Fáil’s Agriculture Spokesperson, succeeds Dara Calleary, who resigned over last month’s Oireachtas golf society dinner controversy. He’s the third person to hold the position since the government was formed at the end of June. Wexford TD James Browne

  Serious safety concerns have been raised over some jet skiers behaving badly at a popular Inishowen beach. Ned’s Point near Buncrana is a hive of activity, particularly at weekends, however its understood that problems with some jet skiers have arisen in recent years. The water is also used by swimmers and there are fears