Tánaiste expresses sympathy to Buckley family

Tánaiste Joan Burton has expressed her sympathy on behalf of the Government to the family and friends of Karen Buckley.

Speaking in the Dáil, Ms Burton expressed particular sympathy with Ms Buckley's parents John and Marian and her brothers.

She said: "It's every parent's nightmare what has unfolded in the past few days."

The Tánaiste added that Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan, Minister of State Sean Sherlock and the Consulate office in Scotland are doing everything they can for the family.

Her sentiments were echoed by Sinn Féin's Mary Lou McDonald and Fianna Fáil's Éamon Ó Cuív.

Mr Flanagan earlier expressed his sympathies to Ms Buckley's family after police searching for the missing student found remains on a farm near Glasgow.

He said he was greatly saddened by the news emerging from Scotland.

"All of our thoughts and prayers are with Karen's parents, John and Marian, and with all of her family and friends at this tragic time."

The Glasgow Caledonian University released a statement saying the university community was deeply saddened by the news.

The 24-year-old, who had worked as a nurse, began studying occupational therapy at the university in February.

The university said thoughts are with Ms Buckley's family, friends and classmates at this very difficult time.

Support services have been made available for students.

Ms Buckley had previously studied nursing at the University of Limerick and it also expressed its sadness about the developments.

It said: "Karen was a very valued member of the UL Community as well as the wider nursing and medical communities in Limerick, having spent time working in both the University Hospital Limerick and the University Maternity Hospital.

"The thoughts of the entire UL community are with her parents and family and her wide circle of friends as well as her UL classmates and medical colleagues."

Meanwhile, a fundraising page for Ms Buckley's family has raised more than £40,000 (€55,000) since it was set up yesterday.

More than 2,000 people have so far donated to the 'Help Find Karen' gofundme.com page, many of them anonymous.

The page, which had an initial target of £5,000, will close at 9.30pm tonight.

It was set up by Ms Buckley's University of Limerick classmates "in the hope of raising funds to help Karen's family in any way possible during this difficult time".

The funds will be used to pay for the family's accommodation and travel expenses, and for the upkeep of their farm in Cork.

This morning, police in Glasgow searching for Ms Buckley discovered human remains on a farm north of the city.

This afternoon they confirmed that the body was that of Ms Buckley.

A 21-year-old man has been arrested in connection with her death.

Ms Buckley, from Mourneabbey near Mallow in Co Cork, moved to Glasgow earlier this year.

The local community and people elsewhere have been responding to the developments in Scotland.

A special prayer service was arranged in Ms Buckley's home village in north Cork last night for people to show support for the family.

The Mass of Hope was held at the Church of St Michael the Archangel in Mourneabbey.

Bishop of Cloyne William Crean led the prayers.

"On my own behalf and on behalf of the faithful of the Diocese of Cloyne, I wish to offer prayerful support to the family of Karen Buckley at this painful time as they await the safe return of Karen," he said.

Mourneabbey Community Council has said its thoughts and prayers are with the Buckley family.

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O'Donnell application to annul bankruptcy refused

The High Court has refused the applications of Brian and Mary Patricia O'Donnell to annul an adjudication of bankruptcy.

The O'Donnells accepted that they borrowed in excess of €65m over a period of years in the 2000s.

However, they argued that their borrowings were with Bank of Ireland Private Banking and not Bank of Ireland.

Ms Justice Costello said in her judgment: "There was no fraud or abuse of process by the bank at any stage ... I refuse the applications in each case."

Mr O'Donnell said they will be appealing the ruling.

The O'Donnells have been living in the former family home in Killiney since the end of February.

The Court of Appeal ruled yesterday that they must vacate the Gorse Hill property, but it granted a stay on the order to allow the couple to appeal.

They were also ordered to pay the costs of their case. The couple owes more than €71m to the bank.

The O'Donnells argued that Bank of Ireland was not a creditor of either of them, they said all their borrowing were with Bank of Ireland Private Banking.

They also said that BOIPB was not a licensed bank and that it was a criminal offence for BOIPB to carry on the business of a bank.

Ms Justice Costello said she rejected the submission that the bank concealed the true identity of the lender from the O'Donnells and said she found it extremely difficult to believe that people borrowing such very substantial sums would not consider very carefully all documentation.

She said in any event they clearly had an obligation to do so and cannot escape the consequence of their own failure in that regard.

She said there was no fraud or abuse of process by the Bank at any stage in the various hearings in courts here and in England, where the O'Donnells first petitioned for bankruptcy.

The application to annul their bankruptcy was rejected.

Before Ms Justice Costello finished delivering her judgment Brian O'Donnell stood up telling the High Court that he had to be at another court hearing and excused himself, before telling the court he would be appealing the judgment.

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Possible supplementary budget for free GP care

The Government has not ruled out a supplementary budget to implement the proposal for free GP care for all children under the age of six towards the end of the year.

Speaking in the Dáil this morning, Minister of State at the Department of Health Kathleen Lynch said a supplementary budget may be needed. 

She was responding to Fianna Fáil's Billy Kelleher, who asked where the money would come from as it had not been identified in the original estimates.

Minister Lynch said: "We may need a supplementary budget towards the end of the year - right now we don't need it".

She assured the house that any supplementary budget would not come out of any other area of health.

The Irish Medical Organisation reached an agreement last week on free GP care for children under six.

However, the Executive Council of the National Association of General Practitioners has decided to reject the GP contract, that was agreed between the Department of Health and the IMO.

It is now up to individual GPs to accept or reject the new contract.

Meanwhile, Minister for Health Leo Varadkar has called on Hospital Managers and Chief Financial Officers get a grip of budgets.

Speaking in the Dáil this morning, he said in January and February this year, the number of people attending Emergency Departments reduced.

"What happened", he said, "was that hospitals spent more money, hired more staff and saw fewer patients."

Minister Varadkar said such a situation was not acceptable.

"It's important that hospital managers and chief financial officers understand and get a grip on that over the next few months", he said.  

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41 missing in new Mediterranean boat tragedy

As many as 41 migrants drowned after a small boat carrying refugees sank in the Mediterranean, Italian media have reported, days after up to 400 were lost in another shipwreck.

Four survivors told Italian police and humanitarian organisations that their inflatable vessel sank not long after leaving the coast of Libya for Europe with 45 people on board.

According to the men picked up by the Italian navy vessel "Foscari" after they were spotted by an aircraft, the old inflatable boat quickly began losing air forcing the migrants into the water.

The four- a Ghanaian, two Nigerians, and a man from Niger- arrived in Trapani in Sicily today with 600 other migrants picked up by the Italian navy and coastguards as they tried to make the perilous crossing.

The new tragedy happened as Italian police said they had arrested 15 African Muslim migrants after witnesses said they had thrown 12 Christian passengers overboard following a brawl on a boat heading to Italy.

The victims were "of Christian faith, compared to their attackers who were of Muslim faith," police said in a statement, saying the 15 people arrested were accused of "multiple aggravated murder motivated by religious hate".

An estimated 10,000 migrants have been brought into Italian ports in recent weeks.

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Jury in Nash trial retires to consider verdict

The jury in the trial of a 42-year-old man accused of murdering two women eighteen years ago has retired to consider its verdict.

Mark Nash, who has last addresses at Prussia Street and Clonliffe Road in Dublin, has pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court to the murder of 60-year-old Sylvia Shields and 61-year old Mary Callanan between 6 and 7 March 1997.

The trial has heard the two women were living in sheltered accommodation in a house attached to St Brendan's Psychiatric Hospital in Grangegorman at the time.

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Police confirm Irish student's remains found

Police have confirmed the remains found at a farm in Glasgow are those of missing Irish student Karen Buckley.

A 21-year-old man arrested following the disappearance of the Cork student is due to appear in court in the city tomorrow.

Officers and firefighters searching for Ms Buckley, who was seen leaving a nightclub at the weekend, found the remains at the farm outside the city in the early hours of this morning. 

It remains sealed off this afternoon.

Specialist police divers, a helicopter crew and search dogs were all involved in the search for the qualified nurse from Mourneabbey in Co Cork.

She had moved to Glasgow in January to study occupational therapy at Glasgow Caledonian University.

Yesterday, the focus of the search moved from Dawsholm Park in Glasgow, where Ms Buckley's handbag was found on Tuesday, to High Craigton farm, to the north of the city.

Officers cordoned off land around the farm and near Windyhills Golf Club on a country road between Milngavie and Drymen and a number of support vehicles and fire engines were moved to the scene.

Earlier yesterday, officers had been searching a flat in Dorchester Avenue in Glasgow where the student was reportedly last seen.

Detective Superintendent Jim Kerr, who is leading the hunt for Ms Buckley, has said it is his "absolute priority" to find her.

Ms Buckley's family travelled to Scotland on Tuesday.

At a press conference, her mother Marian Buckley, 61, said: "We just want Karen home safely, we are desperate. She is our only daughter, we love her dearly.

"If anybody has any information, please come forward, we would dearly appreciate it."

Ms Buckley arrived at The Sanctuary nightclub with friends at around 11.45pm on Saturday and at around 1am she told them she was going to the toilet. 

She failed to return and did not take her jacket.

Her father John Buckley, 62, said the disappearance was "so out of character".

He said: "We are extremely concerned for her. We are desperate to get her back and safe with her family. She is our only daughter, we love her dearly and just want her to come home safe and sound."

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Criticism of establishment of SUSI grant system

The Comptroller and Auditor General has recommended that the Department of Education revise its approach to planning for change, especially when it comes to complex and large-scale projects.

In a report published today, the C&AG is critical of aspects of planning prior to the establishment of third level grant application system SUSI.

It said more testing should have been conducted prior to its setting up and a deferral of its launch may have resulted.

Grant applicants experienced significant problems and delays during the first year of SUSI's operation.

Student Universal Support Ireland was set up in Autumn 2011 to replace 66 different grant awarding agencies.

A central aim, according to the Department of Education, was to save money by utilising significantly fewer staff and more efficient administrative practices.

However, the Department has told the C&AG it is not possible to evaluate whether or not SUSI has achieved the savings hoped for because both staffing and outsourcing levels required were significantly higher than first envisaged.

The C&AG is also critical of Co Dublin Education and Training Board, which administers SUSI, for departing from guidance and good practice in the outsourcing of work related to the scheme.

Cork-based company Abtran was contracted to provide call centre and document management services.

The report finds that while Abtran commenced work in January 2012 following a tendering process, the contract for service provision was not signed until more than a year later, in February 2013.

The C&AG said the receipt of, and payment for, services without having a signed contract in place exposed Co Dublin ETB to legal and financial risks.

It is recommended that the ETB strengthen its procurement and contracting processes.

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Protester disrupts ECB news conference

European Central Bank President Mario Draghi's news conference was disrupted this afternoon when a woman jumped on the podium.

"End the ECB dictatorship," she shouted as she showered Mr Draghi with what appeared to be confetti.

The woman was then escorted from the building by security staff.

The news conference resumed shortly afterwards.

The ECB earlier left eurozone interest rates unchanged, holding them at record lows as it rolls out a money-printing scheme to lift the economy.

The decision to leave the cost of borrowing at record lows was widely expected after the ECB cut rates to rock-bottom levels last September.

Mr Draghi said at the time that rates had hit "the lower bound".

The ECB left its main refinancing rate, which determines the cost of credit in the economy, at 0.05% at its meeting today.

It also kept the rate on bank overnight deposits at -0.2%, which means banks pay to leave funds at the central bank, and held its marginal lending facility - or emergency overnight borrowing rate for banks - at 0.3%.

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EU charges Google with market abuse

The European Union has accused Google of cheating competitors by distorting internet search results in favour of its Google Shopping service.

The commission also said it is initiating a competition inquiry into its Android mobile operating system.

Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said the US tech giant, which dominates internet search engines globally, had been sent a Statement of Objections - effectively a charge sheet - to which it can respond.

"I am concerned that the company has given an unfair advantage to its own comparison shopping service, in breach of EU antitrust rules," she said.

"If the investigation confirmed our concerns, Google would have to face the legal consequences and change the way it does business in Europe."

Responding in a blog post, the California-based company said that it "respectfully but strongly disagree" with the EU's statement of objections and would make the case that its products have fostered competition and benefited consumers.

It also defended its Android operating system, saying it was "a key player in spurring this competition and choice, lowering prices and increasing choice for everyone".

The commission, whose control of competition matters across the wealthy 28-nation union gives it a major say in the fate of global corporations, can fine firms up to 10% of their annual sales - or a penalty of over $6 billion for Google.

If it finds that companies are abusing a dominant market position, the EU regulator can also demand sweeping changes to their business practices, as it did with US software giant Microsoft in 2004 and chip-maker Intel in 2009.

              
Of the formal investigation into Android, used on smartphones and tablets, Ms Vestager said: "I want to make sure the markets in this area can flourish without anti-competitive constraints imposed by any company."

She announced the moves on the eve of a high-profile visit to the US, following five years of investigation and abortive efforts to strike a deal with Google by her Spanish predecessor, Joaquin Almunia.

However, the focus on the ranking of searches for shopping sites - Google has its own service called Google Shopping - did not address all the complaints lodged with the commission by competitors, large and small, in Europe and the US, who say Google has hurt their business.

Google initially has ten weeks to respond to the charges and can demand a hearing.

A final resolution, quite possibly involving court action if Google does not choose to settle, is likely to take many months and probably years.

Google's critics welcomed the decision to pursue the US giant, though many industry experts believe the action is unlikely to markedly shift existing business their way.

But by firing a hefty shot across Google's bows, it may favour competitors in new areas as technology develops. 

That has been a priority for the new European Commission led by Jean-Claude Juncker, which wants to promote a more dynamic digital market in Europe and foster home-grown enterprises.

Mr Juncker is also pressing for a free-trade treaty with the US to bolster growth and Ms Vestager has stressed she is not seeking to penalise US firms or large companies, merely to avoid abuses of dominant market positions.

US President Barack Obama accused the EU in February of taking a protectionist stance against the US tech industry.

US domination of the internet and other new technology sectors has prompted a mixture of admiration and anxiety in Europe.

Germany, backed by major companies in the EU's biggest economy, has been particularly vocal in pressing the commission to act against Google, although major US rivals including Microsoft and Expedia also lodged complaints.

Google has put forward three proposals to resolve the case.

Most recently, just over a year ago, it offered to give competing products and services bigger visibility on its website, let content providers decide what material it can use for its own services and make it easier for advertisers to move their campaigns to rivals.

Almunia initially accepted that deal, only to reverse his decision six months later and demand more concessions, leaving the ultimate decision to his successor.

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Glasgow police search sheds and canal for student

Police in Glasgow are searching sheds and a canal close to the apartment that missing Irish student Karen Buckley travelled to on Sunday morning.

Specialist teams have searched the area near the canal, which is close to Dorchester Avenue.

They have sealed off an area there and carried out searches between some old wooden sheds.

Police say they are "gravely concerned" for the wellbeing of the 24-year-old from Mourneabbey near Mallow in north Cork.

She has not been seen since the early hours of Sunday.

Detective Superintendent Jim Kerr said: "Our absolute priority is to find Karen Buckley.

"We have a team of specialist search officers from the west and east working in the area as well as additional patrols in the west end and north of the city."

Officers are being supported by the air unit, marine policing underwater unit, specialist crime division, police search dogs and operational patrols.

Ms Buckley's handbag was found inside a bin in Dawsholm Park yesterday afternoon.

A police spokeswoman said inquiries are continuing and there had been a good response from the public to appeals for help.

She said: "However, we are still encouraging people to come forward with any information that will assist in us finding Karen."

A specialist search team has also been examining the garden area of a taped-off block of flats on nearby Dorchester Avenue, where an officer has been standing guard today.

Searches are also continuing in an area called Milnagavie and Drymen, 24km north of Glasgow.

Police are trying to trace a silver or grey car believed to have been in the area between 11am and 3pm yesterday afternoon and inquiries are continuing today in the west of the city. 

They have once again appealed for information and asked anyone who may have seen Ms Buckley or noticed the grey or silver car to contact them.

The qualified nurse moved to Glasgow in February and is a first-year occupational therapy student at Glasgow Caledonian University.

Mass of hope planned for Buckley family

A mass of hope will be celebrated for the Buckley family at the Church of St Michael the Archangel at Analeentha in Mourneabbey this evening.

Parish priest Fr Joe O'Keeffe described the mass as a simple, meaningful celebration.

He said it was an opportunity for the community to support the Buckley family in spirit and prayer.

Ms Buckley's parents Marian and John are in Glasgow and will be joined by their son Kieran, who is travelling from Australia. 

Detective Kerr said: "Karen is a lovely girl, close to her family and popular with her friends.

"She has only been in Glasgow a few months, and if staying out will always let her friends know - hence the real concern here."

Ms Buckley's parents appealed for information at a news conference yesterday.

They said they are "desperate" to get her back and safe with her family.

The 24-year-old arrived at the Sanctuary club on Dumbarton Road with friends at around 11.45pm on Saturday.

At around 1am, she told them she was going to the toilet, but failed to return and did not take her jacket.

She was then seen on CCTV outside talking to a man and then walking westwards away from the city centre towards Church Street.

A Facebook page - Please help find Karen missing in Glasgow - has been set up urging people to look for her.

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O'Donnells must vacate Gorse Hill in two weeks

The Court of Appeal has ruled that Brian and Mary Pat O'Donnell must vacate the house at Gorse Hill, Killiney, Dublin where they have been living since the end of February.

It upheld the High Court's decision that Bank of Ireland was entitled to an injunction directing Mr and Mrs O'Donnell to leave the property.

However, it granted a two-week stay on its order to allow Brian O'Donnell to lodge an application for leave to appeal to the Supreme Court.

The stay extends until midday on 29 April.

Ms Justice Mary Finlay Geoghegan said any further applications for a stay on the order allowing Bank of Ireland to take possession of Gorse Hill must be made to the Supreme Court.

Under new rules, following the establishment of the Court of Appeal last year, an appeal can only be taken to the Supreme Court if the higher court is satisfied that the decision involves a matter of general public importance or it is necessary in the interests of justice that there be an appeal to the Supreme Court.

The issue of costs will be determined later. Mr and Mrs O'Donnell owe the bank more than €70m.

Giving the judgment of the court, Ms Justice Geoghegan said the bank had made out a strong case that Mr and Mrs O'Donnell did not have a right of residence in the house.

She said Mr and Mrs O'Donnell had decided the family home should be acquired by them through an Isle of Man company, Vico Limited. Under this agreement they were allowed to reside there with their children.

But the court ruled that Vico Limited's possession of the house ended on 2 March following a Supreme Court decision on an action taken by the O'Donnell children.

She said the bank had made out a strong case that the right of residence of the O'Donnells did not extend past 2 March.

The judge said in a settlement agreement between the O'Donnells and the bank in March 2011, that the O'Donnells had agreed to give full vacant possession of Gorse Hill if the bank decided to exercise its security.

She said the O'Donnells had independent legal advice when they entered into that agreement.

She said damages would not be an adequate remedy.

The O'Donnells owed €71m and were bankrupt.

She said Mr and Mrs O'Donnell had not lived in Gorse Hill since the end of 2011 and had only returned at the end of February this year.

The judge said there was an inevitable inference that they only returned from the UK to prevent the receiver taking possession of Gorse Hill.

Lawyers for the bank asked the court to give them possession of the house at the earliest possible opportunity.

But Mr O'Donnell said they intended to appeal the decision.

The court dismissed an appeal by Mr O'Donnell against the High Court judge's failure to remove himself from the case and allow the proceedings to be heard by another judge.

Mr O'Donnell had claimed that Mr Justice Brian McGovern had complex business arrangements, principally through his wife with Bank of Ireland, and should recuse himself as a result.

The Court of Appeal said it had considered Mr O'Donnell's submissions carefully.

It said a reasonable person would not have had a reasonable apprehension that Mr O'Donnell would not get a fair hearing from an impartial judge and it dismissed that claim.

The court also dismissed a claim by Mr O'Donnell that Mr Justice McGovern should have adjourned the original High Court case and it dismissed his claim that it should not have been admitted to the Commercial Court list.

It also dismissed a claim by Mr O'Donnell that he should have been allowed to cross-examine people who had sworn documents on behalf of the bank.

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Former Bradford chairman linked to fire claims

The chairman of Bradford City Football Club at the time of the Valley Parade stadium fire that killed 56 people in 1985 has been linked to eight other fires and insurance claims resulting in multi-million pound payouts, according to a new book written by a survivor of the blaze.

The claims, made by Martin Fletcher, are contained in a new book, Fifty-Six – The Story of the Bradford Fire, which is being serialised in the Guardian newspaper. 

Mr Fletcher was 12 when he lost his brother, father, uncle and grandfather in the fire.

Mr Fletcher says he never believed that the fire was an accident, and, without making any direct allegations against then-chairman Stafford Heginbotham, asks: "Could any man really be as unlucky as Heginbotham had been?"

An inquiry held shortly after the 11 May fire found the blaze was likely caused by a discarded match, cigarette or pipe tobacco lighting up rubbish that had built up under the wooden stand over a 20-year-period – a conclusion Mr Fletcher does not accept.

The author, after years of research, claims he has been able to link eight fires at businesses connected to Heginbotham, who died aged 61 in 1995.

No-one was prosecuted for the fire, but the coroner for the disaster said he had given serious consideration to bringing a charge of manslaughter after it emerged that the club had received three separate warnings about potential fire hazards. 

Mr Fletcher claims that at the time of the fire Bradford needed £2million to refurbish the ground to the required standards, and Heginbotham was in financial difficulty. 

Mr Fletcher is the only survivor to publicly challenge the official report.

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Appeal by 'desperate' parents of Cork student

The parents of Karen Buckley, who has been missing from Glasgow since the early hours of Sunday, have appealed for information.

At a news conference in Scotland this afternoon, Marion Buckley said: "We just want Karen home safely, we are desperate. She's our only daughter, we love her dearly.

"If anybody has any information please come forward, we would dearly appreciate it."

Her father John added: "We love her to bits and we are devastated."

Karen Buckley's mother appeals for her safe return

Detective Superintendent Jim Kerr of the Major Investigations Team told the news conference they believed they had found the 24-year-old's handbag in a park this afternoon.

Earlier, officers confirmed that a man they were seeking in relation to Ms Buckley's disappearance was assisting them with their inquiries and is not being treated as a suspect.

They said Ms Buckley went with this man to an apartment after leaving a nightclub at around 1am on Sunday and left that apartment at 4am on foot.

She had arrived at the Dumbarton Road Sanctuary club with friends at around 11.45pm on Saturday.

At around 1am, she told them she was going to the toilet, but failed to return and did not take her jacket.

She was then seen on CCTV outside talking to a man and then walking westwards away from the city centre towards Church Street.

Police have also traced a second man who the student spoke to in the nightclub before she left.

Police are also keen to find out more about a grey car that was seen on the roads between Milngavie and Drymen north of Glasgow between 11am and 3pm yesterday.

Mr Kerr said: "The activity of this grey car on the Monday is something that we're a wee bit concerned about. This car has been seen at various locations on these roads and I want to know why."

He added: "We are gravely concerned that Karen has come to some harm, whether that is down to foul play, criminality or she has taken unwell or had an accident is obviously still to be established."

Today is the third day of the search for Ms Buckley, who is from Mourneabbey near Mallow in north Cork.

The Glasgow Caledonian University student is training to become an occupational therapist.

Air and ground searches by police in the area, including in a park and along the River Kelvin, have been continuing.

Her friends raised the alarm on Sunday, saying it was "very out of character" for her not to return home.

A Facebook page - Please help find Karen missing in Glasgow - has been set up urging people to look for her.

Yesterday, Inspector Gavin Smith said: "Friends reported Karen missing on Sunday 12 April after feeling her behaviour to not return home was very out of character.

"Her friends say she would always contact them by text or phone to let them know where she was and she doesn't appear to have contacted anyone.

"We are interested in speaking to anyone who may have seen Karen in the early hours of Sunday morning in the west end of Glasgow in order to help with our inquiries to locate her.

"Karen had been drinking alcohol with her friends but they say she was not drunk and are very worried about her."

Ms Buckley lives with three other student friends in a flat on Hill Street in Garnethill, Glasgow.

She is described as being 1.52m to 1.58m (5ft to 5'2") tall with brown eyes and dark hair, which had long black curly extensions in it.

When last seen she was wearing a black jumpsuit with red high-heeled shoes and was carrying a black handbag.

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Banks raising less money from forced bankruptcies

Banks that rejected insolvency deals and forced borrowers to go bankrupt are expected to lose €100,000 on average, according to the Insolvency Service of Ireland.

The organisation has compared the outcomes of rejected insolvency deals to the funds returned to banks following bankruptcy.

It said three quarters of banks had accepted insolvency proposals.

In cases where they rejected the proposals the banks raised less money, according to the service.

Seven out of ten distressed borrowers who went bankrupt had lost the family home. However, many had volunteered to surrender the property in advance of bankruptcy.

The Insolvency Service today released its figures for the first three months of this year.

They show the number of insolvency agreements, which included writing down the mortgage on a family home, had risen from five cases to 129 cases over the past 12 months.

The figures show the number of bankruptcies increased from 66 cases to 162 over the same period.

Lorcan O'Connor, the CEO of the Insolvency Service, said there had been a "continued upward trend" in the take up of services.

On average the write down on mortgage debt in insolvency agreements was 22%.

The figures show 72% of proposals that included cutting the size of home loans were approved by banks.

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Dublin student dies on kayaking trip in Slovenia

A 20-year-old student from Dublin has died during a kayaking trip in Slovenia.

Conor Keleghan, from Coolmine, Blanchardstown, was on the trip with his college, Colaiste Dhulaigh.

It is understood he got into difficulty while paddling in the Soca River on Sunday afternoon.

The remaining students who were on the trip are expected back in the country tomorrow.

The Department of Foreign Affairs has confirmed it is aware of the incident and said it is providing consular assistance.

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Man remanded in custody over Co Down murder

A 26-year-old man has been remanded in custody in Northern Ireland after appearing in court charged with murdering a man whose body was found in the boot of a car.

Wesley Vance from Church Gate Studios in Comber, Co Down appeared before a sitting of Newtownards Magistrates' Court this morning.

Kyle Neil, 23, was stabbed multiple times at a barbecue in Comber on Saturday night.

His body was put into the boot of a blue Ford Fiesta, which was found in south Belfast on Sunday morning.

Mr Vance spoke twice to confirm his identity and that he understood the single murder charge against him.

Defence solicitor Denis Moloney told the court Mr Vance had admitted his part in the alleged knife attack during police interviews, but claimed he had acted in fear of his life.

He said: "The defendant made full, frank, clear and open admissions with regards to his involvement in this tragedy."

There was no application for bail.

Mr Moloney added: "The defendant has made it absolutely clear that he knows the family of the deceased who was a friend.

"This will hang over him like the sword of Damocles for the rest of his life."

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McDonald refuses to apologise over Dáil statements

Sinn Féin TD Mary Lou McDonald has rejected the finding from the Dáil Committee on Procedure and Privileges that she abused parliamentary privilege by naming politicians who were said to have held Ansbacher accounts.

Ms McDonald named several people in December, including five former ministers, who she said held Ansbacher accounts.

All of those named by Ms McDonald have denied the claims.

The CPP said her utterances were "in the nature of being defamatory" and she should not have named the politicians. 

Speaking on RTÉ's News at One, the Sinn Féin deputy leader said she exercised her Dáil privilege in a thoughtful, responsible and considered way.

She said: "I exercised it with the sole goal of having these matters fully and finally investigated, concluded and laid to rest."

Ms McDonald also said she did not intend to say sorry to anyone over the claims. 

She said she was echoing allegations contained in the dossier and she went to considerable lengths to state that, while they are allegations, the source is a credible one.

Ms McDonald said the core of the issue is that there are allegations contained in the dossier that have not been investigated to their conclusion.

She called on Taoiseach Enda Kenny to institute an inquiry that would fully investigate the claims.

The Minister for Jobs Richard Bruton questioned Ms McDonald's motivation in not accepting that allegations that certain politicians held Ansbacher accounts have been fully investigated.

Mr Bruton said the claim by Ms McDonald that the threat of a motion of censure against her was designed to distract attention from the way the minister's department handled the allegations is totally untrue.

Mr Bruton said the matter has been investigated by the Revenue Commissioners, gardai, two tribunals and the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement.

He said these were important issues and required assessment by the relevant authorities, but this was done in full over 15 years ago.

The minister said all the relevant documentation had been provided to those investigations by his department.

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Ancient East trail aims to boost tourism

A new tourism initiative, Ireland's Ancient East, could increase visitor revenue to €950m by 2020, according to research carried out by Fáilte Ireland.

The initiative aims to promote the east and south in a similar manner to the Wild Atlantic Way.

The cultural and heritage trail will stretch from the Boyne Valley in the northeast, through the midlands, Kilkenny, Waterford and end in Cork.

Following the success of the Wild Atlantic Way, Fáilte Ireland wanted to create a similarly enticing tourism proposition for the south and east.

Ireland's Ancient East is focused on heritage and history themed along four pillars - ancient Ireland, early Christian Ireland, medieval Ireland and Anglo Ireland.

The route starts at Newgrange and the Boyne Valley, moves through Clonmacnoise, Glendalough and the Rock of Cashel, before finishing in Cork.

The resource will also harness new developments such as Waterford's Viking Triangle and the Medieval Mile in Kilkenny.

Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Paschal Donohoe said the trail would match the Wild Atlantic Way.

"With the great amount of history and heritage in such a relatively compact area, Ireland's Ancient East will allow us to seriously build on the assets we have in the east and south - and the significant investment which has been made in tourism attractions in the region over the last few years," he said.

"While appealing to a different type of a visitor, I am confident that Ireland's Ancient East will prove as effective and popular as the Wild Atlantic Way and will deliver significant additional numbers of visitors, revenue and jobs to the region."

Fáilte Ireland said it has the potential to deliver an increase in visitor spending of almost 25% by 2020 and could deliver an extra 600,000 visitors a year.

The initiative will target tourists over the age of 30 who are interested in history and culture. 

Fáilte Ireland said the east and south currently only account for 20% of international tourist nights in paid accommodation in Ireland.

It said Ireland's Ancient East is a community project and its encouraging people and businesses in areas near the selected tourism zones to get involved.

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Mandate to step up action at Dunnes Stores

Dunnes Stores workers belonging to the Mandate trade union are to escalate their dispute over low-hour contracts and union negotiating rights.

The move was decided at a meeting of the union's National Disputes Committee today, but a date has not yet been set for further industrial action.

Assistant General Secretary Gerry Light said members were angry that the retailer had not yet come to the table, adding that they were now determined to escalate their campaign.

He said in the next two weeks a mass meeting of around 100 shop stewards will fix a date for further industrial action.

They will also discuss holding a public event, such as a march or a protest, to highlight their campaign.

Mandate has said it will be taking legal advice on proposed new collective bargaining legislation.

It will also look at potentially taking individual cases on behalf of workers allegedly victimised after taking part in the one-day strike on 2 April.

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Search for Cork student missing from Glasgow

Police in Scotland are searching for a Cork student who went missing from Glasgow over the weekend.

Karen Buckley, a 24-year-old student at Glasgow Caledonian University, has been missing since the early hours of yesterday.

Police said that Ms Buckley and her friends arrived at Sanctuary nightclub in Dumbarton Road, Partick about about 11.45pm on Saturday.

At 1am, she told friends she was going to the bathroom but never returned.

She left her jacket in the nightclub and was later seen on CCTV outside the club on Dumbarton Road talking to a man.

Police say they want to speak to this man.

Ms Buckley was then seen walking westwards along Dumbarton Road away from the city centre towards Church Street.

She is 1.55m-1.6m tall, has dark hair and brown eyes. On Saturday, she was wearing hair extension and had long black curly hair.

She was wearing an all-in-one black jumpsuit with red high heels and a black handbag.

Inspector Gavin Smith said that Ms Buckley's friends reported her missing, saying that her behaviour to not return home was very out of character.

He said: "Her friends say she would always contact them by text or phone to let them know where was and she doesn't appear to have contacted anyone.

"We're particularly keen to get in touch with the gentlemen who Karen was seen talking to around 1am on Sunday morning outside the Sanctuary nightclub as he may be able to help us."

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Man jailed for repeated rape of partner's daughter

A Dublin man has received a 12-year sentence with the final two suspended for the repeated rape of his partner's then 11-year-old daughter in her Galway home.

Henry Crowe, 57, of Blackditch Road, Ballyfermot pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to five sample charges of raping Majella Cahill on dates between 23 November 1988 and 31 December 1992.

She was aged between 11 and 15 years old at the time.

Ms Cahill indicted in her victim impact report that she wished to waive her right to anonymity so that Crowe, who also has an address of Tirellan Heights, Galway city, could be named.

Mr Justice Paul Carney declared Crowe a sex offender and said he was taking into account the gross breach of trust, the victim's age and the multiplicity of offences when passing sentence.

The judge also took into account that Crowe took advantage of his victim's dysfunctional upbringing.

Speaking to journalists outside the court, Ms Cahill thanked the gardaí in her case and said she was "very happy and grateful for Judge Carney's decision".

"I want to thank the family who did support me and I just want to go home now to my own family," she added.

Mr Justice Carney backdated Crowe's sentence to March 2013 and suspended the final two years taking into consideration his early guilty plea, genuine remorse and previous good character.

He ordered Crowe undergo 18 months post-release supervision and stay away from Ms Cahill on his release from prison.

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Bus services face disruption on 1 May

Bus services face disruption ahead of the bank holiday weekend as the National Bus and Rail Union will hold a day of action on Friday 1 May.

The union's day of action is in protest at plans to open 10% of bus routes to private sector tendering.

It said 92% of drivers in Dublin Bus and 91% in Bus Éireann voted to back industrial action, up to and including strike action.

Last week, SIPTU members in the two companies also voted overwhelmingly to back strike action over the same issue.

SIPTU shop stewards are due to meet today to decide on how to proceed with any action.

Unions fear that the opening of 10% of bus routes to private operators will drive down pay and conditions.

The National Transport Authority said it is disappointed the trade unions have chosen to take this action following their withdrawal from on-going talks at the Labour Relations Commission.  

In a statement, the NTA said public transport customers will be greatly inconvenienced as a result.

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Man gets 12-year sentence for Cavan manslaughter

A 30-year-old Dublin man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison, with the final two suspended, for the manslaughter of another man in Co Cavan almost two years ago.

Kevin Moran, with an address at Lodgeview, Cootehill, Co Cavan, but originally from Shankill in Dublin, had denied murdering 32-year-old Emmet Connolly on 29 September 2013.

The widowed father-of-three had pleaded not guilty of murder but guilty to manslaughter, but the plea had not been accepted by the Director of Public Prosecutions.

During the trial, the Central Criminal Court heard Mr Connolly had been stabbed 17 times, receiving injuries to his upper body.

Mr Connolly's family left the Central Criminal Court this afternoon saying they were relieved the process was over.

However, they said the death of their son and brother was a huge loss and they had a long road ahead of them.

The archaeologist had only returned to Ireland in September of 2013 after a year-and-a-half in Australia.

He was out for a night at Lodgeview in Cootehill when he was killed.

The men did not know each other and Moran told gardaí that he had panicked and stabbed Mr Connolly after a fight, but later said he attacked him in a rage.

The widowed father-of-three was found not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter.

He has five previous convictions, including two for assault and possession of a knife.

Mr Justice Paul Carney said he was taking into account the effect of the killing on the Connolly family and Moran's guilty plea to manslaughter.

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Ten-year sentence for Mayo manslaughter

A 23-year-old man has been sentenced to ten years in prison, with the final two suspended, for killing a mother-of-two in Co Mayo in December 2013.

Ray Gralton, with an address at Mount Prospect, Roscommon, had pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of 28-year-old Sara Staunton at her home at Portagh, Mayo Abbey, Claremorris, Co Mayo on 13 December 2013. 

The accused and the victim had been in what was described in court as a "turbulent relationship" in the 12 months before the killing.

The Central Criminal Court heard previously that there had been a "strong culture of alcohol abuse and intoxication on both sides".

The court also heard from Detective Sergeant Gary Walsh that Gralton was an "accomplished boxer" with 12 previous convictions, including public order offences.

Mr Brendan Grehan SC, counsel for the accused, read out a letter written by his client, which described Ms Staunton as a "kind, funny and beautiful person".

In the letter, Gralton said he would "never forgive" himself and he "prays to her, often in tears for forgiveness".

"We had a few arguments but the time we spent together was the happiest I have been," read Mr Grehan.

"I don't expect Sara's family to ever forgive me and this was a tragic event that will haunt me for the rest of my life."

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Four die in separate road crashes

Four people have died in separate road crashes since yesterday evening in counties Mayo, Meath and Tyrone.

A man died after he was hit by a car on the N2 at Balrath in Co Meath at 1.30am.

He was pronounced dead at scene and his body has been removed to Navan Mortuary.

A post mortem examination is due to be carried out.

An hour later, at around 2.30am, a woman in her 50's was killed in a single vehicle road accident in Cookstown in Co Tyrone.

A man in his 30s died after the car he was driving hit a fence at Knockanour, Castlebar, Co Mayo, shortly before 7.30pm yesterday.

The driver and sole occupant of the car was seriously injured when his car hit a fence.

He was removed to Mayo General Hospital but died later.

Elsewhere, in Co Tyrone, a man was arrested following the death of a man in a collision involving a lorry and a van in Strabane at around 10pm.

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DUP could work with Conservatives or Labour

A leading member of the DUP has confirmed the party will be prepared to work with Labour or the Conservative party after next month's Westminster elections.

Nigel Dodds said an inconclusive election result would leave the DUP in a position to assess which administration would provide the better option for Northern Ireland.

The DUP currently holds wight of the 18 Northern Ireland Westminster seats, and in next month's elections it is expected to retain its position as the North's strongest party.

It is hoping that an inconclusive result would leave it in a position to haggle with both Labour and the Conservatives over the best possible deal for Northern Ireland.

Mr Dodds said: "We think it's important for Northern Ireland that we have the maximum possible leverage in the next parliament in which there's not likely to be any majority Government," he said.

"The DUP with anywhere between 8 to 10 seats could prove absolutely pivotal.

"We are not in the pocket of either the Labour party or the Conservative party in London, we have worked with both parties in the past, we can work with either parties in the future and what we will judge is what is the best deal for Northern Ireland," Mr Dodds said. 

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GP body executive rejects proposed contract

The Executive Council of the National Association of General Practitioners has decided to reject the GP contract, that has been agreed between the Department of Health and the Irish Medical Organisation in recent days. 

It is up to individual GPs to accept or reject the new contract, which would provide free GP care to all children under the age of six. 

On RTÉ's This Week programme, Chairman of the National Association of General Practitioners, Andy Jordan said the contract would not solve the problems in General Practice and he did not accept it was even a start.

He said his Association would ballot its 1,200 members on the matter.

The IMO says it expects the contract will be sent out by the HSE in three to four weeks time and it will run to 40 pages.  

The NAGP has previously rejected the concept of free GP care for under sixes, on the grounds that other patients with greater need would be effected, general practice is being underfunded across the board, and GPs are already working to capacity.      

Incoming president of the IMO, Dr Ray Walley said that if there is any tweaking of the contract to be done, as stated yesterday by the Minister for Health Leo Varadkar, the IMO will have to engage again with the HSE and the Department of Health.    

He said the IMO will conduct a meeting of GPs nationwide to explain the new contract. 

Speaking at the IMO conference in Kilkenny yesterday, Minister Varadkar said that from around June, parents would be able to register their child online, giving their PPS number, basic details but no documentation would be needed.

He said the under sixes scheme and deal was the widest extension of eligibility in health since the medical card scheme was introduced almost 50 years ago.

Minister Varadkar said GPs were doing the right thing for general practice and for patients and history will remember them for it.

Mr Varadkar also said the GP deal cost the Government more than it was thought it would.

During questions from the floor, GPs said a little was being given but not enough. Some said it was a first step.

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Woman arrested over fatal Dublin stabbing

A 36-year-old man has died following a stabbing incident in Phibsboro in Dublin yesterday.

The attack happened at a house on Phibsboro Road at around 10.30pm.

The victim was taken to the Mater Hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

A woman, in her 40's, has been arrested in connection with the incident.

She is being held at Mountjoy Garda Station. The scene is being preserved for a forensic and technical examination. 

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Dunnes workers plan to escalate industrial action

Angry workers are preparing to ratchet up industrial action against the Irish owned supermarket chain Dunnes Stores, RTÉ News has learned. 

Mandate - the union representing almost two-thirds of workers at the company - will hold a special 'disputes committee' meeting in Dublin on Monday. 

The committee, made up of shop stewards from branches of the chain all over the country, will vote on the next phase of industrial action at the meeting. 

Further industrial action could include one day strikes or even an all out dispute. 

John Douglas, Mandate General Secretary, told the 'This Week' programme on RTÉ Radio today that "members will decide what action they'll take". 

"We'll be deciding that tomorrow," Mr Douglas added. 

"We will be considering what next step we can take. It may be a series of further actions or one-day disputes or we may escalate it. But, that's up to the members to decide", Mr Douglas said. 

Mr Douglas also confirmed the union is seeking legal advice about members it alleges were "targeted" by Dunnes Stores management for striking. 

The union, he said, has compiled a dossier of reports from 20 striking workers who claim their working hours, shifts patterns and job responsibilities changed in the aftermath of industrial action on Holy Thursday. 

Mr Douglas has also written to Dunnes Stores calling for an end of what he claims is the victimisation of union members.

He also called for workers allegedly dismissed since the strike to be reinstated. 

One worker, Tony Malone, who Mandate alleges was dismissed after the strike from Dunnes Stores at Marshes Avenue in Dundalk, told the 'This Week' programme on RTÉ radio he would choose to go on strike again if he was still working at the company. 

Asked if his dismissal could scare other workers from further industrial action, Mr Malone said: "It may scare the ones that never striked, but for the ones who did strike, I think, it will just add some fuel to the fire". 

Muireann Dalton - a shop steward at Dunnes Stores in Newtownmountkennedy - who alleges she was moved from her job as a food safety officer to work on the tills at the county Wicklow store, after she appeared on RTÉ's Six One News, is also supporting further strike action. 

Ms Dalton, who is a member of  Mandate's 'disputes committee' who will meet on Monday, told RTÉ's 'This Week' programme: "We can't take this anymore, and we won't take this anymore, and if we don't do another strike day head office will come down hard on us". 

"I myself personally will be pushing for another strike day. This will all go to a vote because the intimidation in stores around the country has been terrible," Ms Dalton added.  

She added she feels there is support amongst Dunnes workers for further strike action.

Mandate is also calling on Jed Nash, Minister for State at the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, to tackle the issue by addressing collective bargaining and anti-victimisation legislation. 

"There is a need for legislation. There's a promise by Minister Nash that the victimisation legislation, which is coupled with the collective bargaining legislation, will be in before June. But, there is also legislation required that gives workers the right to have contracts which reflects actually what they actually do - and that's what's needed and there is a possibility for this government to do that," Mr Douglas told 'This Week'. 

RTÉ news attempted to put a series of questions to Dunnes Stores but nobody was available.

Listen to Mandate workers and its General Secretary John Douglas here.

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Two held in Belfast after body found in car boot

A man and a woman in their 20's have been arrested on suspicion of murder following the discovery of a man's body in the boot of a car in Belfast.

The remains were found this morning in the Windsor Road area, south of the city.

The PSNI are also currently examining a scene at Church Gate apartments in the Mill Street area of Comber.

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Eamonn Lillis released from Wheatfield prison

Eamonn Lillis, who was jailed in 2010 for killing his wife Celine Cawley, at their Dublin home, has been released from Wheatfield prison this morning.

Mr Lillis emerged from a door in the prison complex at 9.40am and got into a waiting taxi, which brought him to Dublin Airport. 

He was dressed in black trousers and a grey top and carried with him one small bag.

As the taxi was leaving through the prison gate, Mr Lillis was sitting upright in the back seat with his seat belt on.

He made no effort to conceal his face from waiting photographers and journalists.

The Prison Service does not normally release prisoners at the weekend, so the 57-year-old was supposed to be let out yesterday, a day early.

However, Lillis refused to leave, reportedly because of the large media presence outside the prison.

Mr Lillis left jail today after serving five years and about two months for killing Ms Cawley,

He was originally sentenced to six years and 11 months but is entitled to 25% remission on the sentence for good behaviour. 

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Dog cancer detection 98% reliable - study

Dogs have been found to have 98% reliability rate in sniffing out prostate cancer in men, according to newly-published research.

The Italian study backs up tests carried out by the charity Medical Detection Dogs, which is based in Buckinghamshire.

Its co-founder Dr Claire Guest said its own research had found a 93% reliability rate when detecting bladder and prostate cancer, describing the new findings as "spectacular".

The latest research, by the Department of Urology at the Humanitas Clinical and Research Centre in Milan, involved two German shepherds sniffing the urine of 900 men - 360 with prostate cancer and 540 without.

Scientists found that dog one got it right in 98.7% of cases, while for dog two this was 97.6%.

They said the dogs are able to detect prostate cancer specific volatile organic compounds in the urine but said an important question remains of how a dog would find it in daily practice.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK, with more than 40,000 new cases diagnosed every year.

Dr Guest said: "These results are spectacular. They offer us further proof that dogs have the ability to detect human cancer.

"It is particularly exciting that we have such a high success rate in the detection of prostate cancer, for which the existing tests are woefully inadequate."

She said there is currently a "reluctance to embrace this tested, time-old technology" but dogs can pick up a scent in a dilution of one to a thousand parts.

There is no single test for prostate cancer, but the most commonly used are blood tests, a physical examination or a biopsy.

"Over the years, millions of pounds of NHS funding has been poured into the traditional test methods, and yet there has been little improvement in their reliability," Dr Guest added.

"This has caused a huge waste of resources, not to mention the distress to the impacted individuals.

"Moreover, the detection dogs provide alternative solution that yields consistently accurate results. If our detection dogs were a machine, there would be huge demand for them."

Medical Detection Dogs, which is based in Milton Keynes, trains specialist canines to detect the odour of human disease.

They also train Medical Alert Assistance dogs to help people with life-threatening health conditions go about their daily lives.

The research is published in the Journal Of Urology.

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Killarney National Park gorse fire extinguished

A gorse fire that was threatening thousands of acres of Killarney National Park has been extinguished.

The fire at the foot of Mangerton Mountain had been burning since Thursday.

The fire had spread over several kilometres due to the dry conditions.

A spokesperson for Kerry Fire and Rescue told RTÉ News the fire was extinguished at 9.30pm last night. 

Around 20 firefighters deployed from Killarney and nearby towns Kenmare and Castleisland had been fighting the gorse fire.

An air corps helicopter also assisted in fighting the fire, which is believed to be one of the largest to ever take hold inside the National Park.

Hundreds of trees have been scorched by the fire and there has also been major loss, temporarily, of important habitats, according to the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

In a statement, Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphreys said she expects to receive a detailed report on the damage caused to the woodlands and wildlife from the NPWS next week.

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Cork man wins competition for iPhone photo

A photograph taken by a Cork man on his iPhone has won an international competition for images taken and edited with mobile devices.

Brendan Ó Sé's photograph of a park in Copenhagen captures twisting white lines on a pavement as four people go across it. 

The image, taken with an iPhone 6, won the Mira Mobile Prize, which saw more than 1,000 submissions from all over the world.

Earlier this year, the same photograph was featured by Apple in a global campaign promoting the iPhone 6 camera.

Mr Ó Sé also spoke about 'smartphoneography' at the RTÉ Mojocon event in Dublin last month.

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Free GP care relief to many families - Varadkar

Minister for Health Leo Varadkar has said it will not be easy to convince all GPs to sign up to the new €67 million euro deal for free GP care for under six-year-olds.

He told GPs at the Annual General Meeting of the Irish Medical Organisation, in Kilkenny, that the overall deal would be a relief to many young families and pensioners.

The Minister said the under sixes scheme and deal was the widest extension of eligibility in health since the medical card scheme was introduced almost 50 years ago.

Mr Varadkar said that some elements of the new GP under sixes contract have to be 'tweaked' but it will issue shortly.

From around June, parents will be able to register their child online, giving their PPS number, basic details but no documentation will be needed.

Mr Varadkar said that the cuts imposed on doctors will be reversed.

But he said it will not be a return to the status quo and in return, doctors will have to give on productivity and practices.

The two hour debate, which was held in closed session, included a presentation on the details of the deal announced by the IMO on Thursday.

There will be no ballot of GPs on the contract; each doctor will have to decide on whether or not to accept it. 

Minister Varadkar said GPs were doing the right thing for general practice and for patients and history will remember them for it.

Mr Varadkar said the GP deal cost the Government more than it was thought it would.

During questions from the floor, GPs said a little was being given but not enough. Some said it was a first step.

Mr Varadkar is to meet GPs on a one to one basis today.

Speaking to RTÉ News earlier, IMO President, Dr Ray Walley said the union had the right to go into closed session and insisted it had nothing to hide.

He also said he was respecting members.

The AGM conference brochure did not indicate that the national GP meeting session would be partly shut to the media.

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Obama and Castro meeting for talks at Summit

US President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro  are holding talks at the Summit of the Americas in Panama today.

President Obama is expected to raise the issue of political reforms in Cuba.

President Castor is seeking an end to the US trade embargo and the removal of Cuba from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism. 

Yesterday, the leaders shook hands a symbolically charged gesture as the pair seek to restore ties between the Cold War foes.

A photograph showed President Obama and President Castro, both wearing dark suits, chatting in a small group of leaders at the summit's opening ceremony.

A White House official confirmed the two men  shook hands and spoke briefly.

"This was an informal interaction and there was not a substantive conversation between the two leaders," the official said.

President Obama and President Castro are meeting again today to talk about their efforts to restore full diplomatic relations and boost trade and travel between the two countries.

Their rapprochement, first unveiled in a historic policy shift in December, is the central issue at the Summit of the Americas meeting in Panama.

"As we move towards the process of normalization, we'll have our differences government to government with Cuba on many issues. Just as we differ at times with other nations within the Americas, just as we differ with our closest allies," President Obama said.

But President Obama, who was not even born when Fideland Raul Castro swept to power in Cuba's 1959 revolution, also said the United States is no longer interested in trying to impose its will on Latin America.

"The days in which our agenda in this hemisphere so often presumed that the United States could meddle with impunity, those days are past," he said.

Apart from a couple of brief, informal encounters, the leaders of the United States and Cuba have not had any significant meetings since the Castro brothers toppled US-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista and then steered their Caribbean country into a close alliance with the Soviet Union.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos hailed President Obama's push to improve relations with Cuba, saying it was helping to heal a "blister" that was hurting the region.

However, Cuban dissident Guillermo Farinas said civic groups in Cuba have been sidelined from talks and appealed to President Obama to support their push for more democracy.

"The Cuban government is showing no goodwill ... They don't want to make any kind of concessions," he told Reuters.

President Obama, who met with activists from across Latin America, including two Cuban dissidents, appears to be close to removing communist-run Cuba from a US list of countries that it says sponsor terrorism.

Its inclusion on the list brings a series of automatic US sanctions and Cuba is insisting it be taken off as a condition of restoring diplomatic ties.

Washington imposed trade sanctions on Cuba from 1960 and broke off diplomatic relations with Cuba in 1961, but the ensuing freeze did it no favours, said Ben Rhodes, President Obama's deputy national security adviser.

"Our Cuba policy, instead of isolating Cuba, was isolating the United States in our own backyard," he noted.

The two countries have maintained contact through interests sections in Havana and Washington since 1977, and in recent years they have increasingly cooperated on issues such as migration and drug trafficking.

The State Department has now recommended that Cuba be taken off the terrorism list, a US Senate Foreign Relations Committee aide said.

President Obama is expected to agree, although it is not clear whether he will announce it during the summit.

He has already used his executive authority to ease some trade and travel restrictions, and is seeking to encourage small businesses in Cuba by allowing more exports there.

But only Congress, controlled by Republicans, can remove the overall US economic embargo on the island.

The rapprochement by President Obama, a Democrat, has met some resistance in Washington and among some influential Cuban-Americans.

Critics say Cuba should not be rewarded unless it changes its one-party political system.

While President Obama's policy has been widely praised around Latin America, this was tempered last month when his administration imposed sanctions on Venezuela, Cuba's closest ally and main benefactor.

That controversy now hangs over the summit this weekend.      

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Over 400,000 waiting for outpatient appointment

New waiting list figures from the National Treatment Purchase Fund show there were over 405,000 people waiting to be seen at an outpatient clinic for the first time at the end of March.

The number of adults and children waiting for a day-case or inpatient treatment is also up to 66,800.

A contributory factor is emergency department overcrowding, which has led to cancelled planned operations.

The IMO has said that 1,630 acute hospital beds have been closed since 2007.

At its annual conference in Kilkenny today, it called for an end to rolling theatre closures, aimed at saving money but which drive up waiting lists for procedures.

It also said that it is not fair or right for patients to be waiting a year or more to be seen at an outpatient clinic for the first time.

IMO President Professor Trevor Duffy said these patients have been referred by their GP and are waiting at home with an unanswered question about their health, which causes them worry.

Professor Duffy said outpatient waiting lists passing 400,000 is a concern and that a loss of doctors from Ireland was a factor.

Speaking on RTÉ's News At One, he added that the attempt to deal with the crisis in the emergency departments in recent months had made matters worse.

"What tends to get cancelled to deal with the pressures in the emergency department are patients who've had an appointment and are waiting for a procedure and they've had a procedure timetabled and then that gets cancelled on them.

"So yes when there is only so many staff around and you put them to work in one area, the other areas suffer and it's robbing Peter to pay Paul."

An IMO plan, 2020 Vision for Health, being published today calls for five years of investment in health. It also seeks measures to retain and recruit staff.

Minister for Health Leo Varadkar has said he had mandated the HSE to ensure that no one was waiting longer than 18 months by this June and to reduce the maximum waiting time to 15 months by the end of the year.

Mr Varadkar said that should be achievable with the exception of a few specialities. He will addresses the conference tomorrow.

The new waiting list target times compare with the previous more onerous targets of no adult waiting longer than eight months and no child longer than 20 weeks for inpatient or day treatment.

Meanwhile, Mr Varadkar has described the deal on free GP care for the under-sixes as "a significant breakthrough".

The IMO announced yesterday that it reached an agreement on a contract for the provision of free GP services to children under six.

It said the agreement includes enhanced services for children with asthma.

The Government is increasing its investment in providing GP services to children under the age of six to €67m. Doctors will be paid an annual fee of €125 per child.

Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Mr Vardakar said: "It's the first visible step people will see on the road to universal health, and it is only a first step, we are phasing that in over the next number of years."

He said the Government would begin negotiations on the next phases and he hoped to extend the model to more children and a "whole bundle" of chronic diseases.

Mr Varadkar said it was important to point out that it was an enhanced primary care system for all children under six, which included services such as welfare checks.

The minister said the major beneficiaries would be young parents with a lot of bills and the number of "millionaires" who would benefit would be relatively small.

He said he did not know if GPs could opt-out of the under-sixes measures and opt-in to the over-70s cover.

He said to the best of his knowledge it was possible because the over-70s was an existing contract.

Mr Varadkar said GPs could not be forced to sign-up to a contract but parents would have the option of seeing their doctor as a private patient.

He said the next step he wanted to see was the inclusion of primary school and then secondary school children in the scheme, but said he would not set a date on this.

The minister said it was very unlikely this would happen before he left office.

The deal on free GP care for children under six and hospital waiting lists are set to dominate the annual conference of the Irish Medical Organisation, which officially opens today.

The Government wants the deal operational by July.

But doctors will first want to examine the 30-page contract, when it is issued by the Health Service Executive in a few weeks, before deciding whether to sign up.

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15 years of direct provision 'regrettable'

Minister of State with responsibility for New Communities, Culture and Equality Aodhán Ó Ríordáin has said the 15th anniversary of direct provision today is not an occasion to be proud of and marks a regrettable period in Irish history.

He said a working group examining the area would report at the end of next month and an overhaul of the system would follow, which would represent the biggest change in a generation.

He would not give precise details but said speeding up the process was the number one priority.

The minister was speaking at the Convention Centre in Dublin where 2,700 people are due to become Irish citizens today during three ceremonies.

To date, 85,000 people from 161 countries have had Irish citizenship conferred at such ceremonies.

Last year 4,300 people were housed in direct provision centres.

One-third of those were children.

More than one-in-five had been there for over seven years.

A protest is planned in Dublin today highlighting conditions in the centres.

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John Joe Nevin charged with public order offences

Olympic silver medalist John Joe Nevin has appeared in court charged in connection with a row outside a pub in Mullingar, Co Westmeath, on Monday. 

The 26-year-old boxer, with an address at St Anthony's Cottages in Mullingar, was charged with public order offences, including being intoxicated in a public place and engaging in threatening and insulting behaviour. 

Nevin was remanded on bail to appear back in court again on 21 May when further charges may be brought. 

He must obey a number of conditions including a curfew from 11pm to 8am. 

The court heard however, that because of Nevin's commitments as a professional boxer, this will not apply when he is outside the jurisdiction. 

Earlier the court heard how a row broke at the Stillery pub on Dominic Street in Mullingar at around 11.20pm on Monday. 

Sergeant Damien Connaughton told the court that CCTV showed up to 25 people were involved in the row. 

He said gardaí were called to the disturbance and made a number of arrests.

Four other men also appeared in court charged in relation to the incident.

John Joseph Nevin, 20, of Grange Meadows in Mullingar, David Nevin, 24, of The Moorings, Ballymahon Road in Mullingar, Paddy Nevin, 20, with an address at St Anthony's Cottages in Mullingar and Christopher Nevin,22, with an address at Grange Park in Mullingar were all charged with public order offences. 

They are all due back in court on 21 May where the court heard they could face further changes.

During today's heading Judge Séamus Hughes expressed concern about the number of disturbances at the pub, now known as the Stillery, but formerly known as the Porterhouse. 

Judge Hughes told Mr Derek Martin, who is leasing the pub, that he had become aware of the fact that locally this pub has become known as "the Slaughter House".

He warned Mr Martin that if he continues to a run a disorderly house, his licence will be taken off him and he ordered the pub be closed for five days. 

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Boy to serve 11-year term for Irishman's murder

A 13-year-old boy who admitted murdering an Irish builder after a row outside a block of flats has been sentenced to detention of at least 11 years.

The child, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to stabbing 53-year-old Christopher John Barry in Edmonton, north London, on 14 December 2014.

Mr Barry was said to have been involved in a row with a group of youths trying to get into a party at another address in the block of flats where he lived.

He was followed into the block in The Broadway by two of the boys before being stabbed in the chest, police said.

Ambulance crews attended but he was pronounced dead at the scene shortly before 8.40pm on 14 December last year.

The defendant's parents and relatives of Mr Barry, who was known as Jack and was originally from Cobh, Co Cork, all attended court when the boy entered his plea last month.

The girlfriend of Mr Barry also attended today's sentencing by Judge Stephen Kramer.

Ms Finn said in a victim impact statement: "I'm back at work now and although I walk, talk and look the same as I did before, inside I'm tired and my heart is broken.

"Jack and I had four happy years together and this young man has taken that away from me. Jack saved my life last year when I had a serious medical condition which required emergency surgery. I could not do the same for him."

In mitigation, the boy's lawyer Michael Turner QC said this was a "unique" case and in all his years as a barrister it was the only time such a young defendant had pleaded guilty to murder.

The boy's mother wept in court as Judge Kramer sentenced her son to be detained for at least 11 years.

The judge told him: "You are only 13 years old but shortly after 7.30pm on the evening of December 14 2014, you were carrying a knife in your bag.

"You wanted to get into a block of flats but you went to the wrong block with tragic consequences for everyone involved."

He took into account the boy's remorse, revealed in a letter from his mother which was not read out in court.

The letter also detailed a "troubled background as well as positive aspects", the judge said.

Judge Kramer refused an application by the press to lift a legal ban on naming the boy, saying there were "exceptional" circumstances.

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Two people collect €10.6m Lotto jackpot

Two people from Co Meath have collected their winnings of over €10.6m from Lotto headquarters in Dublin.

The two won Easter Saturday's €10,650,121 jackpot after buying a €4 quickpick in Trim.

The ticket was bought in Souhan's Filling Station on Haggard Street in the town.

The two have decided not to go public about their win.

"We'll help out our family, pay off our mortgages, get a new car or two, but most of all, we intend to enjoy it," they said.

"We're just so happy. It feels like life has just begun and the possibilities are endless."

One of the winners said they had been reminded to buy a ticket before going shopping on Saturday.

"I might never have bought the ticket if it wasn't for that," they said.

"I was watching Match of the Day that evening and thought, I better check that ticket, so I looked up the results on Teletext.

"That night it was all rolling around in my head and I couldn't sleep but since then I've been buzzing!"

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Appeal for information over missing Dublin woman

Gardaí are seeking the public's assistance in tracing the whereabouts of a woman who is missing from her home in Coolock, Dublin 17.

Annette Finn, who is her 60s, was last seen leaving her home in the Hazelwood Park area at 7am on 7 April.

She was last seen wearing a red/wine ladies anorak, a long grey skirt and brown boots.

She is described as is 1.67m (5'6") in height, of large build, has silver hair and is softly spoken.

There is concern for her whereabouts due to an underlying medical condition.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Coolock Garda Station on 01-6664208 or the Garda Confidential line on 1800-666111.

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Man charged with Anne Shortall murder

A 38-year-old man has been charged with the murder of Anne Shortall in Co Wicklow.

Roy Webster, of Ashbree, Killoughter in Wicklow, was brought before a special sitting of Bray District Court this morning.

The 47-year-old mother of three was found dead near Ashford on Tuesday.

She was last seen alive in Wicklow town on Good Friday.

Detective Sergeant Fergus O'Brien gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution.

The court heard Mr Webster made no reply when cautioned.

The judge remanded him in custody to Cloverhill Prison. He is due to appear in court again on 16 April.

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Man shoots three dead in Milan court house

A man on trial for bankruptcy shot dead a judge, a lawyer and a co-defendant in the Palace of Justice in central Milan this morning, emergency services have said.

Police arrested the man, whom they named as Claudio Giardiello, in Vimercate, a town north of Italy's financial centre, Interior Minister Angelino Alfano tweeted.

Police were holding him at a military barracks nearby, he said.

Emergency services said a fourth person was found dead in the court buildings with no apparent sign of injury. They gave no further details.

Mr Giardiello allegedly shot the judge, Fernando Ciampi, in his office and killed his co-defendant and the lawyer in the courtroom.

The court buildings are just 1km from Milan's cathedral, or Duomo, a major tourist attraction.

Police vans and an ambulance were parked outside the cordoned-off court buildings and the street was closed to traffic.

Security measures across Italy have been tightened following the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris in January and it was not immediately clear how the assailant was able to carry a gun past metal detectors and into the court buildings.

The incident raises questions about security at the city's public venues, less than a month before the Milan Expo opens on 1 May, the first time the city has held the world trade fair for more than 100 years.

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Facebook seeks to halt privacy case in Austria

Facebook has presented a long list of procedural objections to an Austrian court trying to halt a class action lawsuit for 25,000 users that accuses the social media giant of violating their privacy.

The first day of hearings began with a four-hour session in which Facebook's lawyers tried to convince the judge not to admit the suit brought by law student Max Schrems.

The 27-year-old is claiming €500 in damages for each user.

The suit is the latest of several legal challenges in Europe and the United States to Facebook for the way it shares users' personal data with businesses or governments.

Mr Schrems has said this may become a test case for European data protection laws.

"The lawsuit is inadmissible on the procedural level – the court is not responsible," Facebook's lawyer Nikolaus Pitkowitz told the judge.

"It is unjustified in terms of content."

Mr Schrems accused Facebook of engaging in delaying tactics.

"This is a typical strategy, because most consumers will run out of time and money," he said.

The judge said a written decision on whether the court can handle the suit will come before the summer.

In the first hearing, attorneys for Mr Schrems and Facebook battled on technical grounds about whether the student has the status of a private Facebook consumer and if the 25,000 plaintiffs are legally allowed to confer their rights on him.

Mr Schrems is claiming damages for alleged data violations by Facebook, including by aiding the US National Security Agency in running its PRISM programme, which mined the personal data of Facebook users.

"I think we can heighten data protection with this lawsuit," Mr Schrems' lawyer Wolfram Proksch told reporters after the session.

Facebook's lawyers did not address the details of the privacy concerns mentioned in his suit and declined to comment further outside of the court room.

A specialist financier will bear the legal costs if Mr Schrems loses the case and will take 20% of the damages if he wins, meaning users can join the case at no financial risk.

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Agreement reached on free GP care for under-sixes

The Irish Medical Organisation has said it has reached an agreement on a contract for the provision of free GP services to children under six.

It said the agreement includes enhanced services for asthmatic children.

The IMO said it reached agreement with the Department of Health and the Health Service Executive on a number of key issues facing general practice in Ireland.

Under the deal the Government will increase its investment in providing GP services to children under the age of six to €67m.

Doctors will be paid an annual fee of €125 per child.

Under the agreement, children under six will have wellness checks at ages two and five covering their height and weight.

Each child diagnosed with asthma will also have an annual check.

Everyone with 'Type 2' diabetes who has a medical card or GP-only card will be entitled to two visits a year to their GP as part of diabetes care.

GPs will be paid €100 a year for these patients. 

Minister for Health Leo Varadkar and Minister for Primary Care, Social Care and Mental Health Kathleen Lynch welcomed the deal.

They said: "This agreement represents the first step in the phased introduction of a universal GP service without fees.

"The commencement of this service this summer will make a real difference to the lives of the youngest in our society."

Mr Varadkar said: "This agreement is a major step forward in improving access, quality and affordability of health care in Ireland."

He said from this summer, up to 300,000 children and senior citizens who currently have to pay to see their GP will no longer have to do so.

Mr Varadkar said the new enhanced service covers all children under six, including those who have medical cards already.

Adults of all ages will benefit from a new diabetes programme, he said, "meaning they will have their condition managed by the GP who knows them, rather than in the hospital clinic".

CEO of the Asthma Society of Ireland Sharon Cosgrove said the agreement is "a step forward in the better management of this chronic disease."

Deal stops 'cycle of cutbacks' - IMO

Dr Ray Walley, chairman of the GP Committee of the IMO, said: "We have stopped the cycle of cutbacks and begun the process of bringing new investment into general practice.

"We have more to achieve but we believe this is a significant first step."

Speaking on RTÉ's News At One he said the Government, HSE and the department had listened to the haemorrhaging of general practitioners.

The deal is a start to the funding of general practice, he said, adding he is optimistic that more funding will be made available to provide for more chronic care.

There will be no ballot on the agreement and it will be up to each GP to decide if they want to accept the contract.

There will be a special meeting at the IMO conference, which begins today, on the development.

The minister is set to address delegates on Saturday.

Lynch expects most GPs to sign contract

Speaking on the same programme, Ms Lynch said that while some doctors might not sign up to the deal, she believes the numbers will be very few.

She said: "Doctors are independent traders. They will have an opportunity to sign the contract. I've never met a GP that didn't want to deliver the very best of care to [their] patients.

"It is the very first step on a journey and that journey should ensure that no one is in a position where money becomes an obstacle to bringing their child to a GP."

Ms Lynch said while the Government would have to "wait and see" how many doctors would sign up, she would be "very optimistic" that the take-up would be high.

She said it was a good deal for GPs and their practice development, and a good deal for the children of Ireland.

Ms Lynch said interim contracts will be released in the next two weeks and it is hoped the scheme will be operational by the end of June.

The Government will then go into negotiations about a permanent contract.

Ms Lynch said a co-payment, or additional payment by the patient, should not be requested by doctors and she was opposed to it.

She said the legislation does not allow for it under these contracts.

The Asthma Society of Ireland welcomed today's announcement, saying that the agreement is "a step forward in the better management of this chronic disease".

Meanwhile the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP) gave a cautious welcome to the agreement.

In a statement, Dr Mary Sheehan, Chair of the ICGP said: "ICGP supports access to medical care based on need and not ability to pay and views this agreement as a positive move in this direction for all patients."

The statement also says that initial reports of the agreement addresses concerns raised by GPs.

The ICGP says that it remains concerned about the "potential for the provision of universal GP care for all children under six to disproportionately increase demand on an already stretched general practice service, which will have implications for all patients by reducing GP accessibility."

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Greece makes €459m IMF loan payment

Greece has made a €459 million loan payment to the International Monetary Fund, according to an official.

"The payment order has been given," a finance ministry source said.

Greece's precarious finances have been closely monitored since the election of its new government in January.

The government is engaged in difficult talks to renegotiate the terms of its EU-IMF bailout, and as a result has received no money left in the multi-billion loan package.

Later this month, Athens has to make interest payments of nearly €400m and roll over €2.4 billion in six and three-month treasury bills due to mature on 14 April and 17.

The government yesterday raised €1.14 billion in six-month treasury bills.

This morning it announced the sale of another €625m in three-month bills next week.

Greek Prime Minster Alexis Tsipras met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow yesterday, but talk of financial aid was denied by both sides.

Mr Putin, instead, offered moral support and long-term cooperation, leaving Greece to fend for itself in resolving urgent debt problems with its creditors.

"The Greek side has not addressed us with any requests for aid," Mr Putin told a joint news conference after the Kremlin talks.

"We discussed cooperation in various sectors of the economy, including the possibility of developing major energy projects."

Mr Tsipras added: "Greece is not a beggar going around to countries asking them to solve its economic problem, an economic crisis that doesn't only concern Greece but is a European crisis."

Elsewhere, senior eurozone finance officials met in Brussels for an update on slow-moving negotiations between Greece and its creditors on a comprehensive package of reforms they require to release urgently needed remaining bailout funds.

Greece submitted a 26-page reform list last week but negotiators say it was vague and optimistic on revenue numbers and omitted key issues of pensions and labour markets.

A eurozone official said no breakthrough was expected at the meeting, and the crunch was likely to come at a meeting of eurozone finance ministers in Riga on 24 April.

Before then, many of the ministers will have a chance to meet on the sidelines of the IMF's spring meetings in Washington on 17-19 April.

Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis met IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde and US Treasury Undersecretary Nathan Sheets in Washington to seek support for Greece's position.

The Greek finance ministry said Ms Lagarde had pledged the "utmost flexibility" in assessing Greek reform commitments, and the United States had offered to act as an "honest broker".

Greece's jobless rate eased to 25.7% in January from a downwardly revised 25.9% rate in the previous month, statistics agency ELSTAT said today. 

January's reading, based on seasonally adjusted data, is the lowest since October 2014 when unemployment stood at 25.9%. 

The jobless rate hit a record high of 28% in September 2013. 

Greek unemployment has come down from record highs as the economy stabilised last year after a severe slump, but remains more than double the euro zone's average of 11.3% in February. 

Greece's economy grew by 0.7% last year, with recovery expected to gain traction this year.

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McDonald refuses to withdraw Ansbacher remarks

Sinn Féin TD Mary Lou McDonald has refused to withdraw her controversial remarks naming politicians accused of tax evasion.

Ms McDonald named several former ministers in the Dáil last December using privilege, reading from a civil servants' report linking them to Ansbacher accounts.

In a statement today Ms McDonald defended her actions, saying she was acting "in the matter of public interest".

The Oireachtas Committee on Procedures and Privileges has now concluded that she abused her parliamentary privilege.

It said her utterances were "in the nature of being defamatory" and she should not have named the politicians. 

The CPP asked Ms McDonald to withdraw her remarks in the House but she did not indicate that she would do so and she disputed the process. 

Ms McDonald told the investigation that her exercise of privilege was in the public interest, and met the requirements of Dáil rules.

Fianna Fáil TD Seán Ó Fearghaíl earlier called on Ms McDonald to withdraw the allegations.

Speaking on RTÉ's Today with Sean O'Rourke, he said it was the "decent and honourable thing to do" and if she did not the Dáil can reprimand her. 

He said Ms McDonald's behaviour was a clear abuse of privilege, which came with responsibilities. 

Mr Ó Fearghaíl said it was an extraordinary move and was a cynical old-style political stunt to distract from the party's other issues.

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PTSB will not cut variable mortgage interest rates

The chairman of Permanent TSB has said the bank is not in a position to reduce mortgage interest rates for standard variable customers. 

Speaking at the bank's annual general meeting in Dublin, Alan Cook said PTSB is not yet making money but was nearly profitable.

Last year the bank's pre-tax loss was €48m; down from €668m in 2013.

Shareholders were told that the bank does need new capital and is looking to raise €525m from private investors.

It said it had been encouraged by the interest shown by international investors. 

However Mr Cook said the cost of borrowing for PTSB remains high and as a result it would not be able to reduce variable interest rates on mortgages.

He added that the bank has been in contact with both the Minister for Finance and the Central Bank about the issue.

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Minister criticises union ban on teacher training

Minister for Education Jan O'Sullivan has criticised the decision of the teacher unions not to allow members to participate in training for Junior Cycle reforms.

Addressing the Teachers' Union of Ireland conference in Wexford, she said their decision to prevent their members from accessing professional learning sits uneasily with the real commitment she believed they had to an openness to knowledge and learning.

The minister said that she is ready and willing to engage with unions on the range and extent of resources needed to implement the Travers' proposals on Junior Cycle assessment.

However, she acknowledged that those proposals do not contain everything she would have wished for.

She said she had already put in place a team of experienced teachers in the Junior Cycle for teachers service to deliver up to 16 days of professional development.

Meanwhile, the TUI has passed a motion reaffirming its mandate for industrial action over the Government's controversial Junior Cycle reforms.

The motion says the mandate for industrial action should continue until a satisfactory outcome is achieved on external assessment, state certification and capacity at school and individual level.

Another motion urged the union to insist that the setting, supervising and correcting of exams, projects and portfolios for the new Junior Cycle must not form part of a teacher's contract.

Speakers outlined the difficulties facing English teachers who had a lack of clarity about proposed changes, and described the Travers' proposals as "incomplete".

Dr Pauric Travers chaired talks earlier this year between teachers and the Department of Education aimed at resolving the dispute.

Dr Travers backed the minister's view that proper reform required teachers to assess 40% of their own students' work, with a further 60% to be assessed by the State Examinations Commission through a formal written exam.

He suggested that these two aspects should be kept separate, even on the final certificate.

Speakers today noted that the teachers' unions had achieved state certification, without teachers assessing their students for that state certification.

However, they warned that teachers potentially faced more work and a greater encroachment on their time due to additional workload.

In a joint statement issued this morning the Association of Secondary Teachers of Ireland and the TUI said the Junior Cycle dispute was now at a critical stage.

The unions said some teachers had been invited to attend training sessions for the new Junior Cycle English specification.

They said it was vital that the directive against participation in training was adhered to.

Yesterday, Minister O'Sullivan appealed to the unions to allow members to participate in training.

Today's statement confirms that the unions would picket training centres.

Ms O'Sullivan this morning said that every time she has moved to accommodate teachers concerns she has been asked to move again.

Speaking on The Pat Kenny Show on Newstalk, she said this was not acceptable.

The minister said the unions accepted an independent chairperson to adjudicate on concerns and the unions should now listen to this chairperson's proposals.

She said: "These proposals were meant to be the basis for agreement. I had to make some concessions, they had to make some concessions.

"Every time we get to a point where I have moved to some extent having listened to their concerns there's always something more. And that's not acceptable."

"That isn't negotiations. And I'm not going to completely capitulate in the interest of the reforms we need."

She said if unions were to make an election issue out of it in 2016 it would be a big disservice to the students of Ireland.

TUI General Secretary John MacGabhann this morning said his union's priority was pay restoration and to close the pay gap between newer and older teachers.

Speaking ahead of Ms O'Sullivan's address today, Mr MacGabhann said the minister is "on message" for the Government to dampen down expectations of teachers.

He said the TUI wanted the "discriminatory" pension levy scrapped. He also said that a pay gap between older and newer teachers was "unfair and unrealistic".

Mr MacGabhann refused to put a timeframe on the restoration of pay cuts for fear of heightening or dampening expectations.

He said the TUI had "nailed our colours to the mast" when it came to the pay gap between older and newer teachers.

He said: "It should be a matter for the concern of the morale of the profession and a concern for fairness."

However, he said the equalisation of pay would not be prioritised over pay restoration over all.

He said: "Both things should move together. The pay restoration issue for most recently recruited members is a thing in and of itself and needs to be addressed. It should be regarded on its merits and should be remedied as it is discriminatory."

He said it was "cheeky" for the Government to suggest it should get increased productivity for the pay it had already taken.

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