Author name: oisinkelly

  The Attorney General is looking at ways to penalise quarries which sold defective mica blocks. Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien has said he believes those responsible should play a role in fixing the problem. The Minister hasn’t ruled out a 100 per cent redress scheme, despite a report last week advising against it. Minister O’Brien

  A Donegal Deputy has moved to clarify questions on local property tax forms. It’s after the tax forms were said to be causing some confusion locally. In the forms, Revenue is asking people to use Revenue’s online property valuation tool and to add the band number the online tool generates to their payment form.

  The Government’s being accused of sleepwalking into an energy crisis. The Dail has been debating a People Before Profit motion on the rising cost of electricity, gas and fuel prices. The party says many people won’t be able to heat their homes this Winter as a result. TD Jennifer Whitmore from the Social Democrats

Donegal County Council has adjourned its reconvened July meeting which had been taking place the the Aura Leisure Centre, and will reconvene the meeting online this afternoon, with Cllr Frank McBrearty excluded. It follows heated exchanges during a discussion on whether the council can legally refuse to do business with companies who have supplied blocks

The Housing Minister has reiterated again that nothing is off the table as a revision of the Mica redress scheme continues. Minister Darragh O’Brien has confirmed that the removal of upfront costs, including rent and planning exemptions has been agreed while significant progress is also said to have been made on a guarantee on second

Former Housing Minister Damian English says a 100% Mica Redress Scheme is very close. He says a Government decision on a revised Mica Redress Scheme, and a solution, he believes can be secured which addresses the deficiencies in the current scheme. While admitting the 90/10 scheme was not fit for purpose, Minister English told today’s

An onsite meeting has been held over whats been described as several road traffic issues in the Bogside area. Constant gridlock at peak times is leading to parking issues for residents while air pollution is also said to be worsening. Despite a ‘keep clear’ box being installed in the area two years ago, problems are

Sinn Fein are to table a motion calling on the government to reduce childcare fees by delivering a state childcare system in Budget 2022. The Private Member’s Bill, set to be introduced in the Dáil today (WED), will also provide fair wages for staff and provide a sustainability fund for providers. Fees in Donegal cost

The Central Bank is expecting the domestic economy to grow by over 5% this year – more than previously thought. It’s also revised upwards its projections for GDP growth – which includes multinationals – to over 15%. The unemployment rate is forecast to fall to around 7% next year – with wage growth of around

Hotel and guesthouse operators in Donegal are urging the government to maintain Covid supports for the sector until June of next year, and to make the 9% VAT rate permanent. Paul Diver, the Irish Hotels Federation Donegal Chair says while the past four months have been positive, 2021 as a whole will see occupancy rates

Derry City and Strabane District Council has voted to give its full support to Donegal families affected by Mica. A motion was passed this week, calling on the Council to offer its support to affected homeowners in their fight for 100% redress. Derry City and Strabane District Council is now to write to Housing Minister

The Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau is warning that anyone is only one click, tap or swipe away from being the victim of a cyber crime. There’s been a noted increase in the number of cyber crimes in Ireland since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. Gardai say there has been a rise also in

The Association to Improve Maternity Services (AIMS) is calling on the Minister for Health to publish the risk assessments underpinning the continuing maternity care restrictions for partners in labour. It says that some units have ensured the continuous support of a nominated birth partner all the way through labour but other units are not compliant

  Met Eireann has issued a weather advisory for wet conditions along western coasts until Saturday morning. The alert is in place for Clare, Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Donegal and Connacht. The forecaster is predicting a band of rain to come in from the Atlantic, which is expected to stall over western counties on Thursday and

Donegal Joint Policing Committee has become the first in Ireland to launch Cyber Awareness Week. As part of the initiative a number of social media campaign adverts have been developed to highlight to children and parents, the dangers of social media. Chair of the Donegal JPC, Councillor Gerry McMonagle says all in society need to

The Chair of the Cross Border Group says the National Development Plan has the potential to bring real progress to the North West but there is an onus on all public representatives and others to ensure pressure is kept up on the government and state bodies to progress proposals. Cllr Ciaran Brogan says this is

  Ireland should not support Brexit retaliation over fisheries – that’s according to Colm Markey. The UK has rejected the majority of applications by French fishermen to fish in British inshore waters. Now France has appealed to EU governments, including Ireland, to take revenge. But Fine Gael MEP, Colm Markey, says we should not get

Cyber Awareness Week gets underway in Donegal today. The campaign by the Joint Policing Committee which runs for a week, aims to inform people of how to stay safe online. Sergeant Eunan Walsh says at present, there are many scams doing the rounds:

Gardai in Donegal have issued a warning over the illegal use of fireworks. As Halloween approaches, parents are being asked to speak to their children about the risks associated with fireworks. Igniting an illegal firework, throwing an ignited firework at a person or a property and possessing illegal fireworks with intent to sell can incur

A member of the Defective Blocks Working Group doesn’t believe the document submitted by Department of Housing Officials represents the hard work of the homeowners on the working group. Officials have recommended a 100% Mica Redress Scheme is not granted to Mica affected homeowners. Speaking on the Nine til Noon Show this morning, Eileen Doherty,

The Cathaoirleach of Donegal County Council is urging people in the county to show their support for Mica affected homeowners in Dublin on Friday. Thousands of people are expected to take to the streets of Dublin for the second time on Friday in a call for a 100% Mica Redress Scheme. Councillor Jack Murray is

A Donegal Deputy has described the new National Development Plan as more of the same which won’t go far enough in solving the many outstanding issues in the county. The Government launched its €165 billion revised National Development Plan yesterday, setting out spending to 2030 across all sectors of society. Deputy Padraig MacLochlainn says clarity

There are urgent calls for new safety signage at the bridge in Doochary. It’s after a crash there last week resulted in some fencing being damaged in the area. The bridge is said to be quite narrow while it’s also thought that there is currently not enough signage in place to alert motorists to decrease

The leader of the DUP says he’s feeling “increasingly confident” about the UK government’s approach to scrapping the Northern Ireland Protocol. At an event in Manchester, Jeffrey Donaldson said he was encouraged by a meeting with the British Prime Minister yesterday. Unionists want rid of the post-Brexit agreement – they claim checks on goods are

Gardaí and mobile phone networks are working closely to try reduce the volume of scam calls and texts. Network providers say they have invested significantly in IT systems and staff to try crack down on the issue. They admit it’s impossible to trace the calls that are using software to appear like they’re coming from