Author name: oisinkelly

  The Dail has heard that the Government is keen for the ‘Brandon’ report into sexual abuse in Ard Greine and the Sean O’Hare Unit in Stranorlar to be pubilshed. The report examines abuse perpetrated on adults with intellectual disabilities at the care facilities run by the HSE over eight years and lists 108 instances […]

  The Taoiseach has said difficult details around the new Mica redress scheme will be dealt with in the coming weeks. Proposals for a revised scheme are being worked on with reports a cap on redress is being considered. A number of Government TDs have said they’ll consider their positions in Fine Gael and Fianna

  The parents association at Magherabeg National School is hoping to purchase land for a car park beside the school. The school is on the N13 Letterkenny to Derry Road near Manorcunningham, and the risk posed by passing cars has been highlighted in a number of protests. Parents Association Chair Emmet Murray says they have

The Health Minister says the Government is NOT considering asking people to go back to working from home. 25,000 cases were reported last week, which is the third highest since the pandemic began. There were 513 patients with the virus in hospital last night with 88 in intensive care. At Letterkenny University Hospital, there were

A Donegal Deputy is calling for data centres to pay pollution taxes. A motion on rising costs and supply security for fuel and energy was debated in the Dail yesterday. Speaking in the Dail, Deputy Pringle says has had constituents come to his Donegal office who have been waiting for more than two years to

  A Donegal councillor says the NCT centre at Dromore in Letterkenny is in urgent need of improvement in terms of the facilities offered to those waiting for their cars to be tested. Cllr Donal Coyle says the small size of the reception area has always been an issue, and that’s been exacerbated as a

  The Dail has heard calls on the Government to prioritise the North West as part of the National Development Plan to address regional imbalance. Both Letterkenny and Sligo have been highlighted as key areas which need an injection of opportunities and investment. South Donegal Deputy Marian Harkin says its not about favouritism, its an

  The Health Minister says Government want to roll out antigen testing in schools as soon as they can. Contact tracing and routine mass testing in schools was pulled at the end of September. Teaching unions have been critical of the decision and have requested antigen testing be introduced. Minister Stephen Donnelly says a plan

The Chief Executive of Donegal County Council says the designation of Letterkenny Institute of Technology as a Technological University will help market Donegal abroad. John McLaughlin was speaking after the council signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the college, setting out a number of goals to be achieved through collaboration over the next five years.

74 Covid-related deaths have been reported over the past week. It’s the highest total since NPHET started reporting deaths on a WEEKLY basis five months ago. 2,975 new cases have also been confirmed today. 551 Covid patients are in hospital – the highest since late February – with 89 in intensive care. Chief medical officer,

  There are calls on the Government to work with Bus Eireann to carry out an urgent review into the Donegal Town to Dublin service. It’s after figures revealed that the bus has been cancelled 183 times over the last two years. This has resulted in people missing important appointments and flights in Dublin. The

Letterkenny Institute of Technology and Donegal County Council have renewed a Memorandum of Understanding committing them both to work together to achieve key strategic objectives. The document acknowledges this collaboration is significant for the development of Donegal and the broader North West region, and is based on a close working relationship that has been built

  The Health Minister says office Christmas parties can go ahead, once they’re done safely. Stephen Donnelly is urging people to cut back on social gatherings and reduce their contacts. It comes as the total number of cases confirmed in the last two weeks surpassed 44 thousand. Minister Donnelly says the current guidelines allow for

A Consultant Ear, Nose and Throat Surgeon in the North-West has warned of the long-term impact on patients across the country who face delays of up to 5 years on hospital waiting lists for some of the most common ENT conditions and procedures. Speaking in a special video released today by the Irish Hospital Consultants

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has said any move from Boris Johnson to trigger Article 16 would be a big mistake. It comes as the Government is recommencing planning for a no-deal Brexit scenario. It’s expected the British Government will look to trigger the suspension clause in the Northern Ireland protocol. But Tánaiste Leo Varadkar says that

A Donegal Deputy has clashed in the Dail with Taoiseach Michael Martin after the Environment Minister Eamon Ryan appointed ‘two close colleagues’ as members of the Climate Change Advisory Council. Mr Ryan last month made the appointments of Professor Morgan D Bazilian, who was previously an adviser to him and Dr Cara Augustenborg, who ran

The Chief Clinical Officer with the HSE says it’s frustrating that some businesses aren’t checking covid vaccine certs. 44 thousand cases of the virus have been reported over the past 14 days. Only 11 per cent of the cases are over the age of 65 but 50 per cent of the hospitalisations are in the

Donegal Deputy Joe McHugh has said he will have to reconsider his position within Fine Gael if a Mica Redress Scheme that is not fair and accessible to all homeowners doesn’t get over the line. Details on an enhanced redress scheme following months of discussions were due yesterday but it’s been delayed and now expected

Donegal County Council has confirmed its Roads Team is investigating possible causes of flooding in the Oldtown and Charlie Daly Terrace areas of Letterkenny. The council has also submitted an application to the Department of Transport for Climate adaption funding to carry out assessments of areas of Letterkenny Town where there are repeated issues with

Rental availability in the North West, or lack thereof, has been laid bare in the latest Daft report. Rents in the three Ulster counties rose 17.3% year-on-year, reflecting a sharp fall in availability – just 45 homes were available to rent on November 1, the lowest on record. In Donegal, rents were on average 19.7%

233 medical card holders have been waiting over six months for an initial assessment for counselling. A further 1,610 have been waiting between four and six months. Of those waiting over 6 months, 42 are in Donegal. They’re waiting to access the HSE’s Counselling in Primary Care Service, which is available in over 240 locations

Former Northern Ireland civil rights activist and government minister, Austin Currie, has died. The Tyrone native passed away peacefully at his home in Derrymullen, Co Kildare, at the age of 82. Taoiseach Micheál Martin says he did ‘so much for people, as a peacemaker and in politics’. He was one of the founding members of

The Northern Ireland Protocol will be discussed during a meeting between the European Commission and the US president today. Ursula von der Leyen and Joe Biden will also speak about climate action, health and trade. The UK is threatening to stop implementing parts of the Brexit protocol, by triggering Article 16. Fianna Fáil MEP Barry