Further inquiry into priest's death not warranted

An independent examination of a garda review into the death of a priest 30 years ago in Co Offaly has found a further inquiry would not be warranted.

Fr Niall Molloy was found dead in the home of Richard and Therese Flynn in Clara on 8 July 1985.

Mr Flynn was subsequently acquitted of manslaughter.

The Garda Serious Crime Review Team carried out a review of the case following a report in the Irish Independent in 2010 that witnesses who had information were not properly investigated and the trial had been irregular.

A file was sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions who directed no prosecutions were warranted.

Following continued concerns expressed, the Government commissioned Senior Counsel Dominic McGinn to review the latest garda investigation

The Minister for Justice today published that report which recommends that a further inquiry is not warranted.

Frances Fitzgerald said in a statement that she acknowledges the tragic death of Fr Molloy "who was loved by family and community".

She said she accepts the report may come as a disappointment to the Molloy family but said it is not always possible to find answers for families whose loved ones die in violent circumstances.

Mr McGinn concluded in his report that although questions remain unanswered, the precise events surrounding Fr Molloy's death cannot now be ascertained. 

He said that given the passage of time, the death of many of the pertinent witnesses and the reluctance of others to give evidence, further inquiry would unlikely have a reasonable prospect of establishing the truth.

The McGinn Report concludes that there are extremely unusual if not unique features of the case, many of which are disturbing and would merit in depth inquiry.

Among the questions that remain unanswered are the time of death and the interval between Fr Molloy sustaining his injuries and death with estimates varying from three to as much as 24 hours.

The report also says the significant delay in calling the authorities also remains unexplained and it appears that the only people who could offer credible evidence in order to explain the delay are either dead, too infirm to speak about it or are unwilling to divulge what happened.

It also says the calm attitude of Mr Flynn when gardaí arrived at the Flynn's home - Kilcoursey House - is a feature which many would find inexplicable.

The report says the fact that the business dealings between Fr Molloy and the Flynns were not revealed to gardaí at the outset of the investigation is suspicious and points out that in light of the confession made on a number of occasions by Mr Flynn to inflicting violence on Fr Molloy, the directed acquittal of Mr Flynn at his trial was extraordinary.

That decision is not subject to review, the judge has since died and it is highly unlikely that any concrete conclusions could be reached.

The garda file relating to Fr Molloy's death was stolen from the DPP's office in 1987 but the report says there is no evidence that it was targeted; it may serve to fuel speculation but the actual consequences of the theft seem less dramatic.

The report also refers to anonymous letters which it says give rise to a huge amount of conjecture - some of the matters in them have been shown to be unreliable, the remainder suffer from lack of corroboration. 

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Kenny says he has complied fully with commission

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has said he has complied completely and fully with the Fennelly Commssion.

Responding to Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin in the Dáil, Mr Kenny said he complied with his responsibility as far as the commission was concerned, and that he would publish the Fennelly report when he gets it.

Former Supreme Court judge Nial Fennelly was appointed in 2014 to investigate the secret recording of phone calls at several garda stations, the implications of that for the Sophie Toscan du Plantier garda investigation, and events leading up to the sudden retirement of former garda commissioner Martin Callinan.

Deputy Martin asked the Taoiseach why he "consistently refused to give a straightforward account of the circumstances of the resignation of the former garda commissioner" and why he sent the then Secretary General of the Department of Justice to Mr Callinan's house.

Mr Kenny said the terms of reference of the commission were very clear and included the sequence of events leading up to Mr Callinan's retirement.

The Taoiseach reiterated to the House that he would publish the report as soon as he got it and that it wouldn't be left "sitting on a shelf".

Earlier, Mr Kenny said that it is a matter for Judge Fennelly when his report is published.

Speaking on his way into Cabinet this morning, Mr Kenny said he had heard a comment by the commission's spokesman that a draft report was being prepared and would be circulated to those mentioned before publication.

He described the process as "perfectly normal".

The conclusion of the Ian Bailey case was the last major hurdle before the Fennelly Commission could publish its interim report.

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Government to buy Moore St 1916 Rising site

The Government has said it is to acquire the national monument site at 14-17 Moore Street. 

The site was the location of the final council of war of the Leaders of the 1916 Rising, and is where the decision to surrender was made.   

Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Heather Humphreys brought the proposal to Cabinet this morning.

It is planned to develop the monument as a commemorative centre.

The buildings were also used by 1916 rebels as they tried to break out through British lines. 

Relatives of the 1916 rebels have welcomed today's announcement, but some have questioned if the planned commemorative centre can be ready in time for next year's centenary celebrations.

John Conway of the 'Save No 16 Moore St' group has said that his members welcome the fact that 14-17 Moore Street and the rear buildings are now in public ownership.

He said his group always wanted to strike a balance between preserving what was historically important and allowing the commercial renewal of the area.

But Mr Conway questioned whether it would possible to have it renovated in time for 2016.

He said relatives had been told if a deal had been agreed six weeks ago it would have required works 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  

Patrick Cooney of the 'Save Moore Street' campaign who wants the entire terrace preserved or reinstated from Henry St to Parnell St, has welcomed the announcement but said it is only a first step.

Mr Cooney said: "It has taken the government 14 years to wake up. What is needed immediately is a full architectural and archaeological assessment of the whole battlefield site".

Developers Chartered Land who have planning permission for a massive shopping centre development in the area had offered to build the commemorative centre at 14-17 Moore Street in return for ownership of two sites on the terrace owned by Dublin City Council.

But last November Dublin City Council voted to reject the land swap deal which would have involved the demolition of the rest of the terrace.

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Turkish prosecutor taken hostage in Istanbul

A far-left Turkish group has taken an Istanbul prosecutor hostage and threatened to kill him, prompting special forces officers to enter the courthouse and police to evacuate the building.

The Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C) published a picture of the prosecutor with a gun to his head and said it would kill him unless its demands were met.

The prosecutor is leading an investigation into the death last March of 15-year-old Berkin Elvan, who died after nine months in a coma from a head wound sustained in anti-government protests.

The DHKP-C said on its website it wanted the police officer it blames for Elvan's death to confess on television.

The group also want the officers involved to be tried in "people's courts", and charges against those who attended protests for Elvan to be dropped.

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu met with the current and former interior and justice ministers at the ruling AK Party headquarters in Ankara to discuss the hostage taking, officials in his office said.

Television footage showed special forces officers entering the courthouse and officials being escorted out.

Armed police officers, many wearing flak jackets, surrounded the building and fire engines were positioned outside.

Istanbul's police chief said negotiations are under way with two hostage takers inside the courthouse.

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Man found guilty of murder of homeless man in Cork

A 28-year-old man has been found guilty of the murder of a homeless man whose body was found in a refuse chute of an apartment block in Cork city.

David O'Loughlin, with an address at Garden City Apartments, North Main Street in Cork, had denied murdering 59-year-old Liam Manley at the building on 12 May 2013.

The jury of seven women and five men returned the guilty verdict after this morning visiting the apartment building to see the chute for themselves.

They returned to the courthouse and returned a unanimous verdict of guilty.

Mr Justice Paul Carney handed down a mandatory life sentence.

Mr Manley's family said he should not have had to endure dying in such horrific and frightening circumstances.

In a victim impact statement, his sister Kay Murphy said her brother was a kind, caring and quiet man who loved life.

She said it was distressing to hear how he was left to die afraid and alone.

The family, she said, wake up at night thinking about his last thoughts.

Throughout the eight day trial, O'Loughlin, who is originally from Co Clare denied murdering Mr Manley.

He admitted punching Mr Manley and  wanting him to leave his apartment after he heard a story about the homeless man and a girl - a story, he said, he now knew to be untrue. 

He said he put Mr Manley into the rubbish chute outside his four floor apartment claiming he thought he "would slide down into the rubbish and go about his business".

Mr Manley's body was found by a maintenance man later that day following complaints from residents that the rubbish chute was not working.

The court was told he had died from asphyxia and a lack of oxygen by ending up headfirst in the chute.

Just before sentencing, defence senior counsel Brendan Nix said his client deeply regretted how Mr Manley died.

He said he never intended to hurt or kill him - he simply wanted him to leave his apartment.

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Hep C patients clear virus after new treatment

Around 80 patients with the Hepatitis C virus who were seriously ill with advanced liver disease, have cleared the virus from their blood after receiving new treatment under an early access programme introduced in December.

Of the patients who received the treatment, 95% have been found to have no evidence of the Hepatitis C virus in their blood.

Dr Suzanne Norris, Professor of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, TCD and St James's Hospital described the results as "transformative".

She said the patients will remain in follow-up over the next 12-24 weeks, to determine the durability of the response.

The cost for the 12 course treatment is between €45,000 and €55,000.

The combination of drugs were made available following negotiations between the Health Service Executive and the Department of Health and four drug companies.

The patients chosen for the therapy were deemed to have an urgent need for treatment and previously licensed drug treatments had not worked for them.

The therapy programme is being managed by the Irish Hepatitis C Outcomes and Research Network (ICORN), based at St James's Hospital and treatment has been provided across the seven specialist centres in Ireland.

The Department of Health has set up an advisory group to make recommendations about extending access to the new drugs, to more patients.

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Talks on future of bus routes break down

The risk of industrial action at Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann has increased after talks on the future of 10% of their bus routes broke down.

Talks have been continuing at the Labour Relations Commission for months between SIPTU, the National Bus and Rail Union, the National Transport Authority and the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport.

However, today the two unions suspended their involvement in the talks.

They said the department and the NTA had failed to give them assurances on what will happen to staff if routes are transferred to private operators.

The routes are subject to an open tendering process at the moment.

The issue has become increasingly important to unions, as the deadline for the receipt of tenders for routes is 7 April.

SIPTU Divisional Organiser Owen Reidy said SIPTU and the NBRU would be talking to their respective committees.

SIPTU had sought clarity on issues including whether staff would be forced to transfer to private operators, and what would happen if those operators breached employment rights rules.

They also wanted labour costs to be removed from the tender criteria to avoid bidders putting downward pressure on pay and conditions.

Meanwhile NBRU General Secretary Dermot O'Leary said his union intends to initiate High Court proceedings against the NTA's implementation of  the Government's privatisation policy.

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Team to conduct Portiuncula Review chosen

A nine-member independent team has been named to review maternity services at Portiuncula Hospital in Galway, after a number of babies died and others were seriously deprived of oxygen.

The team will be chaired by Dr James Walker, Professor of Obstetrics at the University of Leeds.

The terms of reference were previously announced and the review is expected to begin in a few weeks, taking around five months.

The review will look at cases already identified and additional cases, while some extra cases may be dealt with through separate independent reviews, or the complaints process.

Other members of the review team are:

Rachel Conaty, assistant Director of Midwifery and Nursing at the National Maternity Hospital, from 2008-2015

Professor Sean Daly, former Master of the Coombe Women's Hospital

Professor Eugene Dempsey, consultant neonatologist Cork University Hospital

Dr Adrienne Foran, consultant neonatologist, Rotunda Hospital

Dr Paul Hughes, obstetrician and gynaecologist, Kerry

Dr Elaine Madden, head of midwifery and gynaecology, South Eastern Trust, Belfast

Breda Shiel Kerans, service user and member of the Maternity Services Steering Group

Cora McCaughan, head of the HSE's National Incident Management and Learning Team

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Bailey loses High Court case for conspiracy

The journalist Ian Bailey has lost his High Court case for conspiracy against An Garda Síochána and the State.

An 11 member jury found that certain gardaí had not conspired to obtain statements from the witness Marie Farrell to implicate him in the murder of Sophie Toscan Du Plantier in 1996.

Ian Bailey had sued the gardaí and the State for damages, saying he was wrongly arrested on suspicion of the murder of French woman Ms Du Plantier in west Cork in 1996.

However, most of his claims were struck out in the closing stages of the case because the judge ruled they had not been made within the six year time limit required by law.

His claim for conspiracy by certain gardaí was allowed to proceed.

Mr Bailey ,57, and from the Prairie, Schull in west Cork sued the Garda Commissioner, Minister for Justice and the Attorney General for damages.

He told the High Court his life has been destroyed for the past 19 years because gardaí blamed him for a crime he did not commit.

Mr Bailey had originally sought damages for conspiracy, unlawful arrest, false imprisonment, assault, battery, trespass, intentional infliction of emotional and psychological damage and a breach of his constitutional rights.

However, the bulk of his claim was struck out in the closing stages of the case last week, a day after lawyers for gardaí and the State argued they had not been made within the six year time limit required by law.

The judge said the application had been made at the very latest stage in the case by counsel for the State but said they were entitled to make the application.

Mr Justice Hedigan ruled the claims were statute barred as a matter of law.

However, he also said the claim for wrongful arrest would not have succeeded as it appeared from the evidence that gardaí had reason to suspect Mr Bailey and would have been derelict in their duty if they had not arrested him.

He also ruled that Mr Bailey could not pursue a claim for damages arising out of his arrest under a European Arrest Warrant as nothing unlawful had occurred during that process.

However, the judge ruled that his claim for conspiracy could continue and go before the jury.

He said the statements by Ms Farrell were still on file and still hanging over Mr Bailey in what gardaí had said was an ongoing investigation.

Therefore the existence of these statements, which the judge said gardaí had stood over in evidence, provided Mr Bailey with an ongoing cause of action.

The judge said it was appropriate that this part of the case be decided by a jury.

The questions the jury was given at the end of the case were:

Did gardaí Jim Fitzgerald, Kevin Kelleher and Jim Slattery or any combination of them conspire together to implicate Ian Bailey in the murder of Sophie Toscan de Plantier, by obtaining statements  from Marie Farrell by threats, inducement or intimidation, which purportedly identified him as the man she saw near the scene of the murder at Kealfadda Bridge on the early hours of the morning of 23 December 1996 when they knew they were false?

Did the Garda Jim Fitzgerald and Detective Sgt Maurice Walsh conspire by threats, inducements or intimidation to get statements from Ms Farrell that Mr Bailey had intimidated her when they knew they were false?

After around two hours of deliberation, the jury returned and answered "no" to both questions.

The issue of costs has been adjourned to a later date.

The judge said a transcript of Ms Farrell's evidence will be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions. 

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Judgment reserved in NI cake row case

Judgment has been reserved in the case against a Christian bakery accused of discrimination because it declined to make a cake carrying a pro gay marriage slogan.

District Judge Isobel Brownlie told Belfast County Court she wanted to give full consideration to the evidence which was presented over three days.

The judge said: "It is not a straightforward area of the law.

"Obviously this is a case in which I propose to reserve my judgement."

The Equality Commission for Northern Ireland took the case against Ashers Bakery on behalf of the gay rights activist whose cake order was refused.

Gareth Lee, a volunteer member of the LGBT advocacy group Queer Space, claimed he was left feeling like a lesser person when his order, which had been paid in full, was turned down two days later.

Ashers, which is run by the McArthur family, declined the request for a cake with an image of Sesame Street puppets Bert and Ernie below the motto Support Gay Marriage.

It had been ordered for a private function marking International Day Against Homophobia last May.

The Equality Commission, which has a statutory obligation to monitor compliance with equality laws, had initially asked for the bakery on Belfast's Royal Avenue to acknowledge it had breached legislation and offer "modest" damages to the customer.

When Ashers refused, the commission, a publicly funded watchdog, proceeded with the court action.

Earlier Robin Allen QC, representing Mr Lee, claimed that the word gay had been the cause of the problem.

The barrister said: "It is clear that if the word gay had been replaced by the word heterosexual, the order would have been accepted.

"It is clear that if the word gay had been missing it would have been accepted."

The high-profile case has divided public opinion across Northern Ireland and beyond and the public gallery was packed with Christian and gay rights campaigners.

It had been scheduled to finish last Friday.

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Alps co-pilot treated for 'suicidal tendencies'

The Germanwings co-pilot suspected of deliberately crashing a plane in the French Alps last week had been treated in the past for suicidal tendencies, German state prosecutors have said.

"Several years ago, before obtaining his pilot's licence, the co-pilot was in a long period of psychotherapeutic treatment with noticeable suicidal tendencies," the prosecutors' office in Duesseldorf said.

Andreas Lubtiz lived in Duesseldorf, which is where the flight from Barcelona was heading.

The prosecutors' office added that since then he had not shown any signs of suicidal behaviour or aggressive tendencies towards others in visits to doctors.

Meanwhile, French investigators hope to speed up identification of the 150 people killed in the crash by digging a road track that will allow direct access to the disaster zone high on a remote Alpine mountainside.

Earthmovers are ploughing a track to the remote crash area that should be completed by tomorrow or Wednesday.

The Germanwings flight crashed last Tuesday, breaking up on impact and leaving not a single body intact, according to police working at the scene.

Body parts with 78 different DNA prints have so far been discovered.

Up to now, a team of around 15 military police with the task of combing through debris have had to be helicoptered into the rocky Alpine ravine or make their way there on foot.

However, bad weather has hampered helicopter drops, slowing the process.

The second of the plane's "black box" flight recorders has yet to be found.

It is hoped that will build on the information from a first flight recorder which is what led judicial investigators to believe the plane was deliberately driven into the mountainside by Mr Lubitz.

Last minutes of ill-fated Germanwings plane

Australia adopts 'rule of two' for cockpits

Australian airlines must ensure that two crew are on the flight deck at all times, Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss said this morning in response to the Germanwings disaster.

Investigators believe Lubitz locked his captain out of the cockpit of Flight 4U 9525 and deliberately steered the Airbus A320 into a French mountainside last week.

"The government has been in discussion with the airlines over the last couple of days and there has been an agreement that airlines in Australia will move immediately to adjust their flight operation procedures to ensure that there are always two people on the flight deck," Mr Truss told reporters.

"The airlines will be acting immediately to implement this change and we'd expect to see this policy in place within hours on our major airlines."

Last week the European Aviation Safety Agency recommended that at least two people be present in the cockpit of planes at all times following the loss of Flight 4U 9525, which French officials say appears to have been a case of suicide and mass killing.

Many European airlines have since moved to implement the so-called "rule of two" which is already standard in the United States, while Canada has also ordered its airlines to impose the regulation.

In Australia, Mr Truss said the new arrangement would apply to all aircraft which can seat 50 people or more, and would mean that a flight attendant must sit in the cockpit if one of the pilots needed to leave the flight deck for any reason.

"There are now quite a number of cases, perhaps more than a dozen over the last 30 or 40 years, which are thought to be aircraft crashes resulting from pilot suicide," Mr Truss said.

"It's very, very difficult to intervene in all of these circumstances because they are different in every case but we certainly need to be sure that we're taking every possible step to make sure there isn't an incident of this nature in Australia and that global aviation is as safe as possible."

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Ian Bailey's civil case comes to an end

RTÉ's courts reporter Vivienne Traynor looks at the detail behind Ian Bailey's case against the State.

It was described in court as a case that goes to the heart of our democracy.

The question: whether or not we could trust the forces of law and order to uphold the law on our behalf.

The jury was told some gardaí conspired to implicate Ian Bailey in the murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier and set out to blame him for a crime he did not commit.

The key witness, Marie Farrell, told the court she was pressurised into identifying Mr Bailey as the man she had spotted near the murder scene and later to make false claims of intimidation against him.  

Years later, when her relationship with gardaí had soured, she decided to tell the truth.

Her evidence was dramatic, not least for its allegations about the sexual conduct of two gardaí.

At one point she walked out of the witness box, refusing to answer questions. Later she was warned by the judge about the penalties for perjury.

Another witness, Martin Graham, said he was offered cannabis and cash by gardaí to get information.

Mr Bailey spent nine days in the witness box, most of those under cross-examination.  

He said his life had been destroyed by gardaí who branded him as a prime suspect. He had lost all his friends and his career. 

His lawyers said gardaí approached the case with tunnel vision, concentrating on anything that pointed to his guilt while ignoring everything to support his innocence.

But the investigating gardaí said he was treated like any other suspect.

They had many reasons to suspect him quite apart from the evidence of Ms Farrell.

He had a history of violence, he had given differing accounts of his movements, he had scratches on his hands. He had also told people he had done it and he seemed to have knowledge of the murder that he should not have had.

Counsel for the State Luán Ó Braonáin said it did not matter now if that information was true or false, right or wrong.

That was not part of this case and it did not have to be, but taken together that information gave gardaí reasonable grounds to suspect Mr Bailey and a necessity to arrest and question him.

But, in a dramatic development at the end of the case, Mr Bailey's claim for wrongful arrest, along with most of his other claims, were struck out.  

Lawyers for the State argued they were statute barred - they had not been made in the six-year time limit required by law.

The judge said the application had been made at the latest possible stage but he agreed and ruled that most of Mr Bailey's case was out of time.

However, he allowed the claim for conspiracy to remain.

The statements from Ms Farrell were still on file, gardaí had said in evidence the investigation was ongoing.

Because these statements were still hanging over him, he had an ongoing cause of action.

The entire case was then reduced to key questions which the judge said was the central plank of the case.

The jury was asked to decide if gardaí had conspired to implicate Mr Bailey by getting statements from Ms Farrell using threats, inducement or intimidation.

Today, the jury answered those questions, ending the longest running civil case to be heard before a jury. 

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Virgin to raise Aer Lingus concerns with EU

Virgin Atlantic is set to raise its concerns with the European Commission next week about the possible sale of Aer Lingus to the International Airlines Group.

The Oireachtas Transport Committee will decide in the coming days if it will allow the airline to make its case in Leinster House.

For the second time in seven days Virgin has written to an Oireachtas Committee. This time it was responding to a request for information from the Transport Committee.

Politicians wanted to know what exactly Richard Branson's airline's fears about the possible merger of Aer Lingus and British Airways were.

Virgin said it wanted legally binding commitments on the total number of Aer Lingus and BA flights from Ireland to the UK.

It is calling on the European Commission to make sure it can continue to compete with BA for Aer Lingus passengers connecting to long haul flights from the UK.

This can be done through something called a special prorate agreement.

The airline said it would discuss this with the committee next Thursday, however, Government TDs are not so sure that now is the time to hear from them.

On the prospect of the sale of the Government's stake in Aer Lingus, Minister for Communications Alex White said he would look at any proposals "in the round".

"This will be done properly and carefully in the interests of the country", he said.

Sinn Féin's Brian Stanley said his party remained opposed to a sale: "We are opposed to the selling of the 25% and the pity is that we don't have a larger stake that we can veto this going ahead."

He said it was a pity that it has taken Virgin to come in and say what Government back benchers should be saying.

Fianna Fáil transport spokesperson Timmy Dooley said Virgin must have its concerns heard in Leinster House very soon.

Talks between IAG and the Government's interdepartmental group on the bid for Aer Lingus will continue next week. 

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Trial of Dublin teen in Egypt delayed

The family of Ibrahim Halawa has confirmed that his trial in Cairo, which was scheduled for today has been put back until 26 April.

The Dublin teenager has been detained in Egypt for over 18 months.

Amnesty International has designated him a "Prisoner of Conscience".

The 19-year-old, from Tallaght in Dublin, has been detained since his arrest 18 months ago at a demonstration in Cairo.

Ibrahim and his sisters were arrested in the al-Fateh mosque after taking part in a protest related to the ousting of former Egyptian president Mohammed Mursi in Cairo.

His sisters were released after three months in prison.

Mr Halawa and 493 others are facing charges of murder, attempted murder and participating in an illegal protest.

But Amnesty International, which has investigated the case, says he has no case to answer and has declared him a prisoner of conscience.

His sisters yesterday said that all other foreign prisoners from the UK, US, Turkey, Canada and Australia have been released following pressure from their respective governments.

Over 70 people demonstrated yesterday calling for the Government to secure his release from prison.

A Government spokesperson tyesterday said the Taoiseach was fully aware of the case of Ibrahim Halawa.

The Egyptian government is well aware of Ireland's position. 

The Embassy of Ireland in Cairo has been in sustained and direct contact with the Egyptian authorities in relation to the case.

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'Strong case' for Six Nations being free-to-air

Minister for Communications Alex White has said he will be holding consultations on the prospect of making the Six Nations rugby tournament free-to-air.

Minister White told RTÉ's The Week in Politics that a list of free-to-air events was reviewed every three years.

"I think there is a case if you look at the Six Nations - the question I have to ask is does it have a distinct cultural significance or importance for Irish people? I think there is a strong case for it."

Mr White said no decision had been made yet and the legislation required him to consult with sporting bodies and broadcasters on the matter. He said RTE, TG4, TV3 and UTV will all be part of the discussions.

Asked about the IRFU's stance on the issue, he said he respected what the IRFU had to say and he looked forward to meeting them.

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IPHA claims 500 jobs lost due to drug-pricing

The pharmaceutical industry claims that 500 jobs have been lost as a result of the Government's drug-pricing policies.

The Department of Jobs, Enterprise, and Innovation said there is "no evidence" for the claim, which is contained in correspondence between the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association and the Department of Health seen by RTÉ's This Week.

On 12 December 2014 the IPHA's Director of Operations wrote to a senior official in the Department of Health to outline the association's concerns about Government moves to reduce medicine prices.

The letter states: "Given the price reductions which have taken effect through the 2012 Framework Agreement and other instruments such as the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013, we now find ourselves at price levels which existed in 2001/2.

"This has resulted in significant job losses in the commercial part of the industry, with an estimated reduction in headcount of about 500 people over the past five years".

The IPHA said the estimate was based on a survey of the top-10 companies in the sector.

A spokesman for Jobs Minister Richard Bruton told RTÉ's This Week "there is no evidence that 500 jobs have been lost in the pharma sector as a result of health policy.

"It is important to note that despite the well-publicised difficulties in the life sciences sector in recent years, with the patent cliff and global consolidation, more than 5,000 extra jobs have been created in multinational companies in this area."

IPHA Chief Executive Oliver O'Connor told This Week the losses are "a fact" and the jobs were lost over the past five years.

The letter from the IPHA to the Department of Health, which RTÉ's This Week accessed under Freedom of Information, was written as the two parties are currently negotiating a new Framework Agreement for the pricing and supply of medications.

Negotiations around the last agreement in 2012 also saw high level representations to Government about the potential fallout for employment of price reductions. However, the December 2014 letter appears to be the first time the industry has given Government an estimate of the amount of jobs lost.

Commenting on the letter, a spokesman for the Department of Health also told the programme: "The Government is determined that the State will have the funds to ensure patient access to effective new therapies. This requires savings in the existing cost of medicines. The Government wants to achieve this in co-operation with the industry".

Mr O'Connor told This Week: "We are looking forward to concluding a new agreement which will take effect from November".

He said he hoped an improvement in the economy would result in more resources being allocated to the supply of medicines.

Concern over impact of austerity on pharmaceutical sector

In a separate Freedom of Information request to the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, This Week has also seen correspondence to the Taoiseach and the Jobs Minister by global, European and Irish representatives of the pharmaceutical industry expressing concern over the impact of austerity on the sector.

The correspondence dates from spring 2012 when the industry felt its negotiations on a Framework Agreement with then health minister James Reilly were, in the opinion of the IPHA's Chief Executive, "going backwards".

The HSE was seeking savings of €112m in its drugs bill in 2012 and estimated that approval of new medicines for the Drugs Payment Scheme that year would cost a further €30m.

Several of the letters sent to the Taoiseach stress the importance link between economic growth and new drugs being approved by the Government for inclusion in the HSE Drugs Payment Scheme.

Letters from a global pharmaceutical representative body (IFPMA) as well an association in Europe (EFPIA) and the US (Pharma) contain the phrase "The recent jobs announcement in your own constituency in Mayo is a good illustration [of the link]."

The letters also contain warnings that the Taoiseach's aim to "make Ireland the best small country in the world in which to do business by 2016" may be threatened by Government "austerity", a reference to attempts to make savings on drugs by the HSE.

Individual companies also wrote to the Taoiseach; Swiss-based Novartis, which employs around 100 people in Ireland, wrote to Enda Kenny to express its alarm that a new product for treating MS was not approved for the drugs reimbursement scheme.

The company's division head David Epstein told Mr Kenny that Novartis wished "to avoid any downsizing [of manufacturing] if possible. To follow this path we however need your support".

In February 2012 pharmaceutical company Merck's Europe & Canada President Bruno Strigini wrote to the Taoiseach expressing concern the Government had contributed to a "sizeable decline" in the pharmaceutical market.

Dr Strigini continued: "I am sure that you understand that International Price Referencing results in pricing impacts in Ireland having links to the pricing of medicines in 11 other European countries and up to a further 37 countries worldwide; this has been reported as having potential implications for the Irish pharmaceutical manufacturing base ... I would be grateful if you could give the concerns outlined above your consideration and advise your colleagues in Government and the HSE accordingly".

The matter was also raised personally with the Taoiseach by Merck representatives at the opening of a facility in Clonmel, Co Tipperary.

When questioned about the tone of some of this correspondence, the Mr O'Connor said: "I hope that it would never be interpreted as a threat" and that "the circumstances of the time dictated how the industry responded".

Mr O'Connor said the Government sought close co-operation with multinationals and that an exchange of views should be seen  in that context.

Correspondence in a similar vein was also sent to Jobs Minister Richard Bruton. In a letter from the pharmaceutical division of employers' group IBEC, Mr Bruton was sent two weblinks to RTÉ's Liveline programme in which patients who were not able to access new medications discussed their cases on air.

The letter reads: "The perception that media and patient pressure is the only way to finally get a resolution regarding access to these products is growing and is potentially very damaging."

Letters of reply issued from the Mr Bruton's department all contained the same wording: "The Minister has asked me to inform you that enquires made of the Department of Health have confirmed that discussions are ongoing with a view to proceeding towards a new and inclusive agreement which will address all outstanding matters ... The Minster wishes to assure you that he greatly appreciates the role played by the pharmaceutical/healthcare companies in creating an sustaining jobs in Ireland and looks forward to a successful outcome of the current round of negotiations".

Representatives of the pharmaceutical industry also met with Mr Bruton in spring 2012 during difficulties in negotiations with the HSE and again in December 2012.

In January 2013, the IPHA wrote to the minister thanking him for meeting with the association's President and Chief Executive as well as Stuart Hurst, a senior European-based lobbyist for pharmaceutical company Elli Lily.

The letter said: "We greatly appreciate the opportunity to apprise you of this important issue [price and supply of drugs] and hope that you will be in a position to support the industry case when discussions of this topic arise. Thank you also for your assistance during 2012 when we experienced difficulties with the reimbursement of new medicines."

In reply to queries by This Week as to the nature of the "assistance" referred to in the letter, a spokesman for the department said: "As part of our efforts to win new investments and jobs, we constantly engage with companies on issues that may affect their ability to invest and expand in Ireland.

"This is a key part of the job of the minister and the department of jobs, in the context of our responsibility to expand employment in Ireland, and on the whole has been successful in recent years, with 25,000 extra jobs created in multinational companies over the past four years.

The Minister provided assistance by agreeing to meet with the IPHA and asking his officials to remain in contact with the Department of Health on all issues and to keep him informed on all issues".

An interim agreement on drugs pricing was concluded in June 2012 by former health minister James Reilly.

However, sources involved with the 2012 negotiations told This Week no pressure was exerted by Government on the HSE during talks with the IPHA and that Mr Bruton's department "played a listening role" and "had not helped [the pharmaceutical industry] in the process".

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World powers intensify nuclear talks with Iran

World powers have intensified nuclear talks with Iran, two days before a deadline for reaching a framework deal, but Israel expressed cautious hope the negotiations would collapse.

The foreign ministers of the United States, France and Germany cancelled their travel plans for the next few days so they can push for the accord.

The accord would lay the foundations for a final settlement with Tehran by the end of June.

US Secretary of State John Kerry's spokeswoman said he would not fly to Boston for a ceremony to honour the late Senator Edward Kennedy, who was his mentor.

Officials close to the talks in the Swiss city of Lausanne also confirmed the French and German foreign ministers, Laurent Fabius and Frank-Walter Steinmeier, had cancelled a planned joint trip to Kazakhstan.

"We're hopeful, but there is still a lot of work to be done", Mr Fabius told reporters.

Iran denies charges from the West and Israel that it wants to build a nuclear weapon, and says its programme is purely peaceful.

It wants the removal of international sanctions that are hurting its economy.

The remarks from Mr Fabius contrasted to a hostile blast from Israel, which is not a party to the talks between Iran and the six powers also including China, Russia and Britain.

"This deal, as it appears to be emerging, bears out all of our fears, and even more than that," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his cabinet in Jerusalem.

Israel, which is believed to have the Middle East's only nuclear arsenal, feels especially threatened by the possibility of a nuclear-armed Iran.

Mr Netanyahu referred to advances made by Houthi rebels allied to Tehran in Yemen, and accused the Islamic republic of trying to "conquer the entire Middle East".

"The Iran-Lausanne-Yemen axis is very dangerous to humanity, and must be stopped," he said.

Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz, the Israeli official who has been spearheading efforts to lobby world powers against the Iran deal, voiced cautious hope that the negotiations would collapse as they have in the past.

"There are still great doubts in the United States as well as in France, even in England", Mr Steinitz told Israel Radio.

In the past, Israel has threatened to attack Iran if it is not happy with an eventual deal and has long described France as the negotiating power with views closest to its own.

The six world powers are seeking a halt to Iran's most sensitive nuclear work, settling a dispute that dates back more than a decade and has threatened at times to trigger a new Middle East war.

Close as the sides have come to the outline of an agreement, they still have deep disagreements on Iran's demands for uranium enrichment research and the immediate removal of all UN and key US and EU sanctions.

Those disagreements could wreck a deal, officials say.

A key point in the framework accord the sides are trying to agree by Tuesday is expected to be the duration of the agreement, which officials from the six-power group said would have to be in place for more than ten years.

The framework accord should be followed by a comprehensive deal by 30 June that includes full technical details.   

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Govt taskforce reviews garda access to PPS numbers

Unprecedented garda access to the PPS numbers of more than two million road users is being considered by a special Government taskforce, according to documents seen by RTÉ's This Week.

Other measures examined by the multi-agency group include the exchange of PPS numbers between private vehicle buyers and sellers.

Also being reviewed is the linking of car-owners' PPS numbers for each new vehicle registration.

Social security numbers being used to block people with unpaid fines from selling or buying cars or from renewing a licence is also being assessed.

The proposals are contained in the official minutes of meetings of the Criminal Justice Working Group.

The group was set up to consider changes to road traffic crime enforcement, in the aftermath of the penalty points controversy.

The prospect of giving gardaí widespread access to PPS numbers was first raised last April.

The proposal was tabled at a meeting of the taskforce, which is jointly chaired by the Departments of Transport and Justice, as revealed under a Freedom of Information request by RTÉ.

The minutes of that meeting state: "Access by An Garda Síochána to PPS numbers would be helpful in identifying offending drivers." 

It said: "An Garda Síochána currently does not have access but further enquiries should be made … in order that penalty points are imposed for all relevant convictions,

the outcome of the Group's deliberations should be to ensure that all information held by the State in relation to a vehicle's ownership should be shared across the system."

Gardaí are not presently included on the list of bodies that are allowed to access citizen's PPS numbers.

Currently they have access to the social security numbers of asylum applicants via the Garda National Immigration Bureau.

The membership of the Criminal Justice Working Group includes the Departments of Justice and Transport, An Garda Síochána, the courts service, the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, and the Road Safety Authority.

The group has not yet issued a final report or made recommendations to Government, although this is imminent.

Access to PPS numbers is primarily the responsibility of Tánaiste Joan Burton's Department of Social Protection.

This Department was not included among the Government agencies making up the membership of the Criminal Justice Working Group.

A handwritten note written by a Department of Transport official last November includes a proposal to "tap into the Department of Social Protection roll-out of the PPSN identification for all individuals".

It goes on to suggest where there is non-payment of fines, the vehicle record could be "locked down" with the parallel proposal that "outstanding fines have impact on other areas - cannot get licence; cannot sell/buy vehicle".

The group has also floated the proposal that all private car sales should include the transfer of PPS numbers between the seller and vendor.

However, at a meeting of the group a month later, on 22 May 2014, it was noted that "requiring the exchange of PPS numbers between private buyers of vehicles could lead to data protection issues".

In another meeting in December, it was noted under "co-ordination of data" that the "solution from a data perspective may not be acceptable from a legal perspective.

A draft report from the sub-group is in hand and will be finalised by January 2015.

There are some co-departmental and sensitive issues to be resolved".

The minutes also record the aspiration that the Data Protection Commissioner is to be consulted on "vision".

However, a spokesman for the Data Protection Commissioner, Helen Dixon, told RTÉ's This Week the commissioner has not had any contact in the last 12 months on this matter.

"The Department of Social Protection in the first instance oversees and regulates the use of the PPSN so queries should be directed to that body in the first instance.

I note from its website that An Garda Síochána is not listed as a registered user of the PPSN," the spokesman said.

"Any such sharing of data would have to be done in compliance with the Data Protection Acts or be specifically provided for in separate legislation, which would have the effect of setting aside the provisions of the Data Protection Acts.

Any proposal of this type would require analysis with a complete set of facts and detailed background available," the Data Protection office spokesperson.

A garda spokesman said the group had not yet finalised its report or made recommendations, and they could not comment at this stage.

The Department of Transport said that correspondence in relation to the committee's work should be directed to the Department of Justice.

The Department of Justice said it was not in a position to outline further details of the group's work this weekend, due to the unavailability of key personnel who are involved in the group, but that it would so at the earliest opportunity.

The Department of Social Protection did not respond to a query from RTÉ in relation to whether Ms Burton was in favour of allowing gardaí to have more widespread access to citizens' PPS numbers.

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UN urges Arab leaders to resolve Yemen crisis

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has urged Arab leaders to resolve the Yemen conflict peacefully after a Saudi-led coalition launched a military intervention against Shia rebels.

He was speaking at a summit that was expected to back a Saudi-led offensive against Yemeni rebels and approve a joint military force has begun.

Yemen President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi was present along with King Salman of Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Arab leaders in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia's navy began an operation to evacuate dozens of Saudi and foreign diplomats from the southern Yemeni port city of Aden, state television has reported.

Yemen's Houthi rebels made broad gains in the country's south and east yesterday despite a second day of Saudi-led airstrikes meant to check the Iranian-backed militia's efforts to overthrow President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

Shia Muslim Houthi fighters and allied army units gained their first foothold on Yemen's Arabian Sea coast by seizing the port of Shaqra 100km east of Aden, residents told Reuters.

Saudi-led air forces attacked a convoy of Houthi armoured vehicles, tanks and military trucks travelling on the coastal road from the Arabian Sea town of Shaqra towards Aden in southern Yemen, residents said.

The Iranian-backed Shia Muslim Houthi rebels yesterday opened a new front in their drive to topple Western and Saudi-allied President Hadi, capturing Shaqrain and preparing to march on Aden from the east.

Residents said war planes from the Saudi-led coalition struck the convoy early today on the al-Mukalla-Aden road, hitting a number of vehicles.

There was no immediate comment from the Houthis on the strike and no details on any casualties were available.

Saudi-led forces began operations against the Houthis onThursday after its forces closed in on Aden and appeared poised to capture it.

The air strikes have bolstered local militias defending the city but had not blunted the offensive completely.

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Protest rally over Halawa detention

Around 70 people have gathered for a protest outside the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin urging the Government to demand the release of Ibrahim Halawa from detention in Egypt. 

Among the protesters are Ibrahim's sisters Fatima, Somaia and Omaima who were detained for three months in Egypt after being arrested along with their brother in August of 2013.

They told the crowd that members of the family had visited Ibrahim today in prison but could only see him through a wire barrier.

She said her brother shouted to relatives that he was being tortured and beaten.

Somaia called on Taoiseach Enda Kenny to phone the Egyptian Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab and demand her brother's release.

The 19-year-old, from Tallaght in Dublin, has been detained since his arrest 18 months ago at a demonstration in Cairo.

His family say the teenager feels he is being treated as a second-class citizen by the Irish Government and has called for more to be done to secure his release.

Mr Halawa faces a mass trial with 493 others tomorrow on charges of murder, attempted murder and participating in an illegal protest.

But Amnesty International, which has investigated the case, says he has no case to answer and has declared him a prisoner of conscience.

Yesterday his sisters held a press conference urging the Government to do more to secure their brother's release.

They point out that all other foreign prisoners from the UK, US, Turkey, Canada and Australia have been released following pressure from their respective governments.

Somaia said Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan has called for a separate and fair trial for Ibrahim Halawa and has also applied for a presidential pardon through the prosecutor's office.

But Fatima Halawa says the pressure must be made directly to the Egyptian government to have any effect.

However a spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs said "an enormous amount of work" had been done in the case.

The spokesperson said that the minister had met with the Egyptian Foreign Minister on several occasions and as recently as earlier this month in Geneva.

The minister had asked his Egyptian counterpart for a review of the case, that Mr Halawa be released and allowed home to resume his studies.

Irish consular officials have also visited Mr Halawa in prison on 30 occasions.

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Germanwings co-pilot 'planned a place in history'

An ex-girlfriend of the co-pilot who deliberately crashed a Germanwings plane, killing all 150 on board, has told how he vowed to "do something" history would remember him by, according to reports.

Andreas Lubitz, 27, had hidden a sick note declaring him unfit to work on the day of the disaster before boarding the Dusseldorf-bound Airbus A320 and flying it into a mountain in the southern French Alps.

According to German newspaper Bild, an ex-girlfriend of Mr Lubitz, identified only as Mary W, 26, said he had told her last year: "One day I will do something that will change the whole system, and then all will know my name and remember it."

She added: "I never knew what he meant, but now it makes sense."

And the flight attendant Mary W said the pilot, who took a break in his training due to reported "burnout-syndrome", had suffered nightmares and his behaviour had scared her.

She told the paper: "At night, he woke up and screamed: 'We're going down!', because he had nightmares. He knew how to hide from other people what was really going on inside."

The comments came as some families of the victims gathered for a church service and as Germanwings parent company Lufthansa said it would offer immediate aid of up to €50,000 per passenger to relatives of those who died in the crash.

Family briefings are planned for later today at its family assistance centre in the French city of Marseille, the airline added.

The extent of Mr Lubitz's health problems became apparent after German prosecutors poring over his medical history found the torn-up sick note among items discovered when police searched his Dusseldorf apartment.

The prosecutors' office said: "Documents with medical contents were confiscated that point towards an existing illness and corresponding treatment by doctors.

"The fact there are sick notes saying he was unable to work, among other things, that were found torn up, which were recent and even from the day of the crime, support the assumption based on the preliminary examination that the deceased hid his illness from his employer and his professional colleagues."

Germanwings confirmed that the sick note was not submitted to the company.

The prosecutors also said the search found no suicide note or confession, "nor was there any evidence of a political or religious background to what happened".

Germany will hold a national memorial ceremony and service for victims of the flight on 17 April, regional authorities have said.

The ceremony will be held at Cologne Cathedral in western Germany, a region from where many of the victims originated.

Families and friends of the victims, as well as representatives from other countries affected by the air disaster are invited, she said, adding they also wanted to enable anyone wishing to express their condolences to take part.

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Four held after Dublin drugs find

Four men have been arrested after cannabis herb with an estimated street value of €150,000 was seized in Dublin.

Gardaí carried out a planned search of a residence in Larchill, Santry shortly after midnight and during the search the cannabis herb was seized.

Four men in their 20s and 30s were arrested at the scene and are currently being held at Swords and Ballymun Garda Stations.

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Green Party votes to repeal Eighth Amendment

The Green Party has voted in favour of repealing the Eighth Amendment at its annual conference in Kilkenny city.

The delegates also voted to advocate for abortion legislation in case of rape, incest and fatal foetal abnormalities if the Eighth is repealed.

The conference narrowly failed to get the required two-thirds support for abortion where the health of a woman is endangered.

Other motions passed included supporting the establishment of local public banks, dealing with derelict sites and supporting a referendum to ensure water ownership remains public. 

The delegates are also discussing topics including housing, community, digital rights and public banking.

Kilkenny was chosen for the conference as the by-election to replace Phil Hogan takes place in May and Green Party candidate Councillor Malcolm Noonan is already canvassing for votes.

There will also be a session today focusing on electoral strategy for both the by-election and the next General Election.

Party leader and former minister for communications Eamon Ryan will give his address at 5.30pm in which he is expected to outline why the Greens are once again needed on the national political stage.

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Independents publish agreed principles

A group of five Independent TDs, one Independent Senator and more than 50 Independent councillors have published an agreed set of principles and priorities at a meeting in Tullamore. 

The priorities include the abolition of the party whip, the radical revival of rural Ireland, stripping politicians of the power to make political appointments, protecting the vulnerable and ruling out privatisation of banks without reform. 

At a press conference Independent TD Shane Ross said it was "early days" and decisions had yet to be made.

He said he would not rule out going into Government with any democratically elected representative, including Sinn Féin, but he added that others may have different views. 

TD John Halligan stressed that they were not forming a party and they would take the views of the 50 councillors who attended today's meeting before deciding on whether or not they would present a manifesto.

He confirmed they would be announcing a name for the alliance in due course.

TD Finian McGrath said they had not yet decided if they would seek ministries or support a minority government if they had the numbers to do so.

The group also said they had not yet decided if they would pool their Independent leaders' allowance. 

The group are holding the meeting behind closed doors, but for the first 20 minutes the speakers in the media room were left on. 

During this period members of the media heard Mr Ross say that this was an opportunity and some would accuse them of opportunism.  He said he would take that. 

The group have also decided that they would support a government if the agreed to their set of priorities, but Mr Ross told the meeting they would not be in favour of passing all legislation with a blank cheque.

He was also heard to tell the meeting that they were not interested in poaching big names.

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Trial of Sean FitzPatrick set to begin on 13 April

Former Anglo Irish Bank chairman Sean FitzPatrick will go on trial on 13 April on charges of failing to disclose loans from another bank.

Mr FitzPatrick, 66, of Whitshed Road, Greystones, Co Wicklow is charged under Section 197 of the Companies Act 1990.

He was charged in the District Court with 12 counts of failing to disclose to auditors Ernst & Young the true value of loans worth at least €139m given to him, or people connected to him, by Irish Nationwide Building Society from 2002 to 2007 while he was an officer of Anglo Irish Bank.

Today Judge Mary Ellen Ring heard that preparations are still ongoing. 

She put the case in for 13 April in the hope that any outstanding issues can be dealt with over the Easter break.

The judge told counsel that the court will be available to hear any issues that arise during the vacation and remanded Mr FitzPatrick on continuing bail. 

Mr FitzPatrick was in court for the short hearing. The trial is expected to last around eight weeks.

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€241m seafood sector development plan announced

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney has unveiled a plan €241m on a development programme for the seafood sector for the period up to 2020.

The European Union is providing almost €150m of the money with the remainder being provided by the Government.

The new programme is subject to adoption by the European Commission and a period of public consultation in relation to the proposal will run until the start of May.

Mr Coveney said the seafood sector is worth €800m annually to the Irish economy, with exports growing by 70% since 2009 to €540m.

He said it has the potential to grow to €1bn by 2020. 

The investment package will provide the capital to assist seafood enterprises to sustainably grow their production, add value to our seafood exports and create employment in coastal communities.

The minister said he recognised at the outset that there will be many views on how these funds would best be invested and on which particular areas should be prioritised.

His proposal is to invest €42m in implementing the new Common Fisheries Policy, including measures for developing more selective fishing gear, and supporting the new discards ban. 

A further €6m to sustainably grow our inshore fisheries, €30m to sustainably develop the aquaculture industry and implement a new national plan for aquaculture, €12m to grow the seafood based economies of our coastal communities through community led Fisheries Local Action Groups, and €41m to grow markets for Irish seafood products, develop the seafood processing industry and develop new value added products for those markets. 

The minister said he looks forward to considering all views and discussing them with stakeholders.

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At least seven dead in Somali hotel siege

At least seven people are believed to be dead after suspected Islamist fighters stormed a popular hotel in the Somali capital Mogadishu.

Police have said a dozen people were wounded in the attack, while militants have trapped government officials inside, meaning the death toll is expected to rise.

The Al-Shabaab militants group has taken responsibility for the attack, with a spokesman saying that fighting is still ongoing inside the building.

A huge blast was heard near the gate of the hotel and gunmen were seen inside and on the roof of the building, Major Ismail Olow, a Mogadishu police officer at the scene, told Reuters.

"The hotel is now fully under the control of the militants," he said.

"Al-Shabaab fighters are on the top of the building and inside the hotel. It is not easy for us to go in."

A Reuters witness saw two destroyed cars at the gate and at least one dead body.

The Somali Islamist militant group Al Shabaab did not make any immediate comment but has regularly attacked hotels before. 

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Some Ulster Bank customers not receiving payments

Ulster Bank has apologised on Twitter to a number of customers who reported that their pay had not appeared in their accounts this morning. 

The bank's customer care account, @UlsterBank_Help, told one Twitter user: "We're aware that a number of customers are experiencing delays in receiving credits this morning, our tech team are working on this at the moment."

It told other users that the problem was being investigated as a matter of "urgency".

A spokesperson for the bank said the issue was only affecting customers in Northern Ireland.

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Co-pilot hid sick note for day of Alps plane crash

German state prosecutors have said they had found evidence that Andreas Lubitz, the Germanwings co-pilot who is suspected of deliberately crashing a passenger plane in the French Alps, had hidden an unspecified medical condition from his employers.             

"Documents with medical contents were confiscated that point towards an existing illness and corresponding treatment by doctors," said the prosecutors' office in Duesseldorf.

The pilot lived in the city, which is where the flight from Barcelona was heading.             

"The fact there are sick notes saying he was unable to work, among other things, that were found torn up, which were recent and even from the day of the crime, support the assumption based on the preliminary examination that the deceased hid his illness from his employer and his professional colleagues," they said.             

The prosecutors said in a statement that the documents were found in searches of Mr Lubitz's homes in Duesseldorf and in the town of Montabaur in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate.

The office said no suicide note has been found, and there has been no indication of any political or religious motives.

It added that evaluation of documents found in his home will take some days.

Dusseldorf University Clinic has said that Mr Lubitz attend the hospital in February and March of this year, most recently 10 March.

The hospital said that Mr Lubitz was there for diagnosis but would not give further details because of privacy rules.

The hospital also said that the media reports of Mr Lubitz being treated for depression are wrong.

German newspaper Bild earlier reported that Mr Lubitz received psychiatric treatment for a "serious depressive episode" six years ago, German newspaper Bild has reported.

Citing internal documents and Lufthansa sources, Bild said he Lubitz spent a total of one-and-a-half years in psychiatric treatment.

It reported that the relevant documents would be passed to French investigators once they had been examined by German authorities.

Lufthansa Chief Executive Carsten Spohr has said: "The co-pilot interrupted his training for six years, I would be interested to know why.

"I cannot tell you anything about the reasons of this interruption, but anybody who interrupts the training has to do a lot of tests so the competence and fitness would be checked again."

Mr Lubitz had been employed as a flight attendant when he first tried to become a pilot in 2008 after waiting for eight months.

However, he did not start working as a first officer (co-pilot) for Lufthansa until September 2013.

A Lufthansa spokeswoman said this morning that the airline would not comment on the state of health of the co-pilot.

Bild also reported that the pilot used an axe to try to force his way back into the cockpit.

The cockpit flight recorder showed that the pilot repeatedly knocked and tried to get back in as the plane went into its fatal descent, French prosecutors said.

However, Bild reported that he also tried using an axe to break down the cockpit's armoured door.

This could not be immediately confirmed, but a spokesman for Germanwings confirmed to AFP that an axe was on board the aircraft.

Such a tool is "part of the safety equipment of an A320," the spokesman said.

Meanwhile, investigators took evidence, including a computer, from the home of Mr Lubitz's parents in his hometown of Montabuar.

A man covered with a jacket was also escorted out of the house.

Police also searched the co-pilot's apartment in Duesseldorf and removed a number of boxes. 

Police said they had made a significant discovery at one of the homes but gave no details of the find.

However, a police spokesman said there was "no smoking gun" among the evidence recovered so far.

Investigators are focusing on Mr Lubitz's "personal, family and professional environment" to try to determine why he locked his captain out of the cockpit and reset the autopilot.

Duesseldorf's public prosecutor said in a written statement that searches in Duesseldorf and other places were aimed at "the discovery and securing of personal documents" to help clarify the situation.

German airlines adopt two-person cockpit rule

Lufthansa said it will introduce new rules requiring two crew members to be in the cockpit at all.

Lufthansa had said yesterday that it did not see any reason to hastily change its procedures, but many other airlines swiftly changed their own rules.

"The passenger airlines of the Lufthansa Group will put this new rule into place as soon as possible in agreement with the relevant authorities," Lufthansa said in a statement today.

The Lufthansa Group also includes Germanwings, Austrian Airlines, Swiss Air and Eurowings.

The rule has been agreed by all German airlines, aviation association BDL said in a statement. Air Berlin had announced plans yesterday to introduce the new procedure.

Scandinavian airline SAS also said that it had changed procedures to ensure two people are in the cockpit at all times.

Lufthansa also said it was creating a new role of group safety pilot, who will check and develop flight safety procedures and report directly to Chief Executive Carsten Spohr.

Currently, each airline has its own safety pilot.

The group safety pilot role will be held by Werner Maas, currently the safety pilot for the Lufthansa brand.

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Dwyer jury seeks guidance on ingredients of murder

The jury in the trial of Graham Dwyer for the murder of Elaine O'Hara has sought guidance from the judge about the ingredients of murder.

They have now been deliberating for just over seven hours.

Mr Justice Tony Hunt told the seven men and five women that two things have to be present to prove murder - a state of affairs and the appropriate mental intention.

He said the prosecution alleged Mr Dwyer was guilty of murder on the basis of the causation of stabbing.  

He said they had to be satisfied the accused had stabbed Ms O'Hara and they had to be satisfied the stabbing caused her death.

They also had to be satisfied that at the time the stabbing was carried out, the accused had the intention of either killing or causing serious injury to the deceased.

If they were satisfied the stabbing was performed with the requisite intention, thereafter they have to be satisfied the stabbing contributed to her death. 

He said it did not have to be the sole cause of death, just a contribution.

The judge asked the jury foreman if that answered their question.

The jury foreman said yes, it did.

The jury earlier asked the judge in the case if it is possible to finish at 4.30pm today.

Mr Justice Hunt said yes and that it was entirely in the jury's hands.

The jury earlier resumed its deliberations.

After deliberating for almost five hours yesterday, the jury foreman said the seven men and five women had not yet reached a verdict.

Mr Dwyer, 42, of Kerrymount Close, Foxrock in Dublin has denied murdering 36-year-old Ms O'Hara on 22 August 2012.

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Germanwings co-pilot 'wanted to destroy plane'

The co-pilot "voluntarily" initiated the descent of the Germanwings flight that crashed into the French Alps and refused to open the door to the pilot who was outside the cockpit, the lead investigator said.

Marseille prosecutor Brice Robin said the co-pilot - named as 28-year-old Andreas Lubitz - seemed to "show a desire to want to destroy the plane".

"The co-pilot is alone at the controls," said Mr Robin, recounting information gathered from the "black box" recorder.

"He voluntarily refused to open the door of the cockpit to the pilot and voluntarily began the descent of the plane."

Mr Robin told a press conference he had received the information late last night.

He said: "The co-pilot uses the flight monitoring system to start the descent of the plane. This can only be done voluntarily, not automatically.

"We hear several cries from the captain asking to get in. Through the intercom system he identifies himself - but there is no answer.

"He knocks on the door and asks for it to be opened - but there is no answer."

Asked whether he believed the crash that killed 150 people was the result of suicide, Mr Robin said: "People who commit suicide usually do so alone....I don't call it a suicide."

He also said the cockpit voice recording suggests that passengers' screams began just before the final impact.

The Airbus A320 hit the mountainside at 700km/h and the passengers died "instantly", he added.

Flight 4U 9525, which was en route from Barcelona to Dusseldorf, crashed in the French Alps on Tuesday morning.

Mr Robin told a press conference in Marseille that the German co-pilot was not known as a "wanted terrorist".

He said the sounds on the "black box" suggest Mr Lubitz was alive and breathing until impact and "was breathing normally, it wasn't the breathing of someone who was struggling".

Lufthansa chief executive Carsten Spohr said he was "stunned" by suggestions the co-pilot of the jet operated by its Germanwings subsidiary had deliberately crashed the plane.

Mr Spohr told a news conference there was "no indication what might have led" to the actions of Mr Lubitz.

He said that Mr Lubitz had passed all psychological tests required to begin training and underwent regular physical examinations.

Lufthansa said Mr Lubitz had been on the job since September 2013 and had 630 hours of flying experience.

Before that he had been trained as a pilot at Lufthansa Flight Training in the German city of Bremen.

The pilot had more than ten years experience and 6,000 hours of flying the Airbus A320 model.

No distress signal was sent from Flight 4U 9525 and the crew failed to respond to ground control's desperate attempts to make contact.

Mr Robin said there are currently no grounds to consider the crash as a "terrorist incident".

He added: "I believe that we owe the families the transparency of what the investigation is pointing to and what is going on, we owe it to them to tell them what happened.

"The families have been informed of everything I just told you."

The prosecutor said the cockpit voice recorder gave information from the first 30 minutes of the flight.

For the first 20 minutes the two pilots talked in a normal fashion and were as courteous as two normal pilots would be.

Then the captain is heard asking the co-pilot to take over and the sound of a chair being pushed back and a door being closed is heard.

"Not in our worst nightmare could we imagine something like this happening," said Germanwings following the description of the plane's last moments.

Earlier, the New York Times reported that the voice recordings showed one of the pilots left the cockpit and could not get back in before the plane went down.

"The guy outside is knocking lightly on the door and there is no answer," an unnamed investigator told the Times, citing the recordings.

"And then he hits the door stronger and no answer. There is never an answer."

"You can hear he is trying to smash the door down," the investigator added.

The families of some of the victims have arrived in France and were taken to the area of the crash site today.

The retrieval of one of two cockpit recordings came as French President Francois Hollande, Germany's Angela Merkel and Spain's Mariano Rajoy travelled to the crash site yesterday to pay tribute to the 150 victims, mostly German and Spanish.

The last words of the pilot to the ground confirmed the next navigational waypoint, ending with a call-sign and "thank you".

The Lufthansa spokesman said that since the 11 September 2001 attacks, cockpit doors cannot be opened from the outside, in line with regulations.

The second data black box has not yet been found.

Germanwings said 72 Germans were killed in Tuesday's crash, the first major air passenger disaster on French soil since the 2000 Concorde accident just outside Paris.

Spanish officials said 51 Spaniards were among the victims.

As well as Germans and Spaniards, victims included three Americans, a Moroccan and citizens of Britain, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Colombia, Denmark, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Iran and the Netherlands, officials said.

However DNA checks to identify them could take weeks, the French government said.

Police and forensic teams on foot and in helicopters investigated the crash site about 100km north of Nice.

"When we go to a crash site we expect to find part of the fuselage. But here we see nothing at all," pilot Xavier Roy, coordinating air operations, said of the confetti of debris.

Mr Roy said teams of investigators had been dropped by helicopter onto the site and were working roped together at altitudes of around 2,000 metres. 

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Portlaoise maternity services 'not up to scratch'

Minister for Health Leo Varadkar has said that to the best of his knowledge, no one in his department is disputing the draft HIQA report into the Midland Regional Hospital at Portlaoise.

He also said that everyone realised that maternity services in Portlaoise were "not up to scratch".

The draft report has led to a major dispute between the HSE which runs Portlaoise hospital and the health service safety watchdog HIQA.

The HSE alleges that the draft report is unfair and inaccurate, and has considered legal action to prevent publication of the report in its current form.

The draft report is also understood to contain criticism of the Department of Heath.

Asked whether his department accepted the findings of the draft report, or whether it shared the same concerns as the HSE, Mr Varadkar said that draft reports by their very nature include inaccuracies and the process now under way is a process of checking the facts before it is published.

He said that contact was ongoing between the HSE and HIQA to check the facts, but he anticipates it being published in the next couple of weeks.

He also noted that there was no criticism of him in the report.

He said the most important thing for the families affected and the people who live in Laois and the surrounding counties was that they were not waiting around for yet another report on Portlaoise to take action to strengthen the hospital.

Mr Varadkar said he had just come from a meeting where a Memorandum of Understanding had been signed between the Coombe Maternity hospital and Portlaoise for the Coombe to take over governance of the services in Portlaoise.

Asked whether this was effectively a vote of no confidence in Portlaoise, he said it was a recognition that maternity services in Portlaoise were not up to scratch, and everyone realised that.

He said the reality was that shutting down a smaller maternity service and trying to squeeze an extra 200 births into an existing hospital was not a solution.

He said the solution was for a lot of smaller maternity hospitals to integrate with hospital groups and bring them under the governance of a larger centre.

He said the memorandum of understanding between the Coombe and Portlaoise was the first step in a process to bring widespread improvements in maternity services.

Asked about the poll, he described it as encouraging, but cautioned that the election is a year away, and that there would be many ups and downs between now and then.

Mr Varadkar said the important thing was to concentrate on governing the country well and hopefully putting some money back in people's pockets.

He said that draft reports by their very nature include inaccuracies and the process now underway is a process of checking the facts before it is published. 

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Refusal to make gay cake 'unjustifiable' - lawyer

A baker's refusal to make a cake bearing a pro-gay marriage slogan is as unjustifiable as a postman declining to post a letter, a lawyer for the customer has told a court.

Northern Ireland's Equality Commission is supporting a legal action against family-run Ashers bakery on behalf of gay rights activist Gareth Lee, whose order was declined.

Belfast-based Ashers, which is owned by the McArthur family, refused to make a cake with an image of Sesame Street puppets Bert and Ernie below the motto "Support Gay Marriage".

Ashers considered the order but refused to bake the cake on the grounds that it went against their strongly-held Christian beliefs on marriage.

Opening the case, Robin Allen QC, representing Mr Lee, said the baker's objection on religious grounds was not lawful.

He said baking a cake did not mean the bakers supported any message the cake might carry.

The barrister highlighted that the proposed design would not have had an Ashers logo on it.

He then compared the baking of a cake to a postman delivering a letter or a printer printing a poster.

"A postman taking a letter to the door or a printer carrying out a printing job - nobody would say that involved promoting or support," he said.

"It's simply a functional relationship, a working relationship."

The lawyer also noted the publicity around the case and highlighted that politicians, church figures, bloggers and others had expressed opinions on the matter.

But the barrister insisted the case must be judged on the facts alone."Law must not be determined by those who shout loudest," he said.

"This is a case about commerce and discrimination," he said.

The case is being heard at Belfast County Court by district judge Isobel Brownlie.

The commission, which monitors compliance with equality laws in the region, has alleged that the stance of the company was in breach of legislation.

In the wake of the bakery's refusal to provide the service last May, the commission, a state-funded watchdog body, took on the case on behalf of Mr Lee.

Initially, the commission asked the bakery to acknowledge that it had breached legislation and offer "modest" damages to the customer.

When the Ashers refused, the commission proceeded with the legal action.

Arriving at court ahead of the hearing, Daniel McArthur, said he was putting his trust in God.

The hearing is expected to run for two days. 

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Dwyer jury asks to see knives, bondage exhibits

The jury in the trial of Graham Dwyer for the murder of Elaine O'Hara has resumed its deliberations at the Central Criminal Court.

The jurors have asked for a number of exhibits.

They have asked for all the knives that were exhibited in the case, the runner found at the scene where Ms O'Hara's remains were discovered, the rucksack found in the Vartry Reservoir and the spade found near Ms O'Hara's remains.

They have also asked for the hoodie, white vest and bondage mask that were found in the Vartry Reservoir.

They asked for tracksuit bottoms found with Ms O'Hara's remains and for a letter related to smoking from Mr Dwyer's adult son, Sennan McShea found in Mr Dwyer's home in Foxrock.  

They were told they could not have the letter as it had not actually been shown to any witness in the case.

The jury has resumed deliberations after. 

Earlier, Justice Tony Hunt told the jurors he had no surprises for them, nasty or otherwise.  

He asked them to work on towards a verdict and return to him if they had a verdict or a query.

Mr Dwyer, 42, of Kerrymount Close, Foxrock in Dublin has denied murdering 36-year-old Ms O'Hara on 22 August 2012.

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Man shot dead in Dublin gun attack

A man has been shot dead in Drumcondra in Dublin.

The incident happened at around 11.30am near Church Avenue near The Cat and Cage pub.

It it believed the man was in a car when he was shot.

It is understood the car was rammed from behind by another car.

Two gunmen then got out of the second car and fired several shots at the driver of the first car.

He was hit a number of times and died at the scene.

Gardaí have sealed off the area as a crime scene and have closed off parts of Ormond Road, Church Avenue and Grace Park Road.

Gardaí say the incident appears to be gang-related.

Speaking in the Dáil, Fianna Fáil justice spokesperson Niall Collins said the shooting is another example of how crime is out of control in Dublin. 

He said it is out of control on a number of levels, from organised criminality to lower-level petty crime and he said the statistics in Dublin are going the wrong way.

He said the Government's reaction and response has been far from adequate.

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Victims' families to visit area near crash site

Families of victims from the Germanwings plane that crashed into the French Alps have travelled to the France to meet with the prosecutor leading the investigation.

A plane chartered by Lufthansa left Barcelona this morning for Marseille carrying around 60 relatives on board.

Other families travelled by bus as they did not want to fly.

Prosecutor Brice Robin said the family of the co-pilot had arrived in France for a tribute alongside other those of the victims, but was being kept apart from the others.

The relatives were to be taken by bus to the area of the crash in the Alps following the meeting.

The spot where the plane crashed is hard to access and remains closed off while rescuers search the debris, but reception centres have been set up nearby.

French police pushed news media back away from an area in the Alpine village of Le Vernet ahead of the arrival of the victims' families.

Meanwhile, Taoiseach Enda Kenny has signed a Book of Condolence at the Mansion House in Dublin in memory of the victims.

All 150 people on board the Airbus 320 operated by Germanwings, Lufthansa's low-cost subsidiary, died when it crashed on Tuesday en route from Barcelona to Duesseldorf in Germany.

At least 72 Germans and 51 Spaniards were among those on board, according to various tolls given by Spanish authorities and the airline.

"The families don't want any images of them as they pay their respects. We ask you to respect their privacy," one police officer said as he ordered journalists away.

A Booz Allen contractor, her daughter and a third US citizen were among 150 people killed in Tuesday's crash.

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Yvonne Selke and her daughter, Emily (pictured), were on the flight along with a third US citizen whose name was being withheld "out of respect for the family."

Booz Allen said Ms Selke was a contractor with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, which analyses imagery from spy planes and satellites.

"Booz Allen and our employees are mourning the sudden and shocking death of Yvonne Selke, an employee of nearly 23 years,and her daughter, Emily," Betty Thompson, Booz Allen executive vice president, said in a statement.

"Yvonne was a wonderful co-worker and a dedicated employee,"she said.

Barcelona's Liceu opera house said two singers, Kazakhstan-born Oleg Bryjak and German Maria Radner, died while returning to Duesseldorf after performing in Wagner's 'Siegfried'.

Other victims of the crash include 16 German students and two teachers travelling back to Germany from a Spanish language exchange programme and a newly-married couple from Morocco heading for a new life in Germany.

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Elderly couple targeted in Galway burglary

Gardaí in Co Galway are appealing for witnesses following an aggravated burglary at the home of an elderly couple in the Craughwell area last night.

Three men entered a house in the Cregg Mulgreaney area at around 10pm.

They assaulted an 80-year-old man and locked him into a room, while they ransacked the house.

The men escaped with a sum of money.

Gardaí say one of the attackers was around 6ft tall and of medium build. He was wearing dark coloured clothes.

A second assailant was smaller and is said to be in his early 20s.

He was wearing a white or cream coloured jacket.

The male occupant of the house was taken to Galway University Hospital where he was treated for his injuries.

They are not believed to be of a serious nature.

An 80-year-old woman who was also in the building at the time of the robbery was not injured.

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BBC drops Top Gear presenter Clarkson

The BBC has dropped one of its most popular presenters, Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson, two weeks after he was suspended over an altercation with a producer.

A BBC investigation found Mr Clarkson carried out a physical and verbal attack on producer Oisin Tymon.

He was struck, which caused swelling and bleeding to his lip.

The physical attack lasted around 30 seconds and was halted by the intervention of a witness.

North Yorkshire Police today said it had asked the BBC for its report on the incident and said action will be taken "where necessary".

In a statement, BBC Director General Tony Hall said: "I cannot condone what has happened on this occasion.

"A member of staff – who is a completely innocent party – took himself to Accident and Emergency after a physical altercation accompanied by sustained and prolonged verbal abuse of an extreme nature.

"For me a line has been crossed. There cannot be one rule for one and one rule for another dictated by either rank, or public relations and commercial considerations."

"This has obviously been difficult for everyone involved but in particular for Oisin.

"I want to make clear that no blame attaches to him for this incident. He has behaved with huge integrity throughout. As a senior producer at the BBC he will continue to have an important role within the organisation in the future."

The BBC said it would look to renew Top Gear for 2016. 

In a statement this afternoon, Mr Tymon said he was grateful to the BBC for its thorough and swift investigation.

"I've worked on Top Gear for almost a decade, a programme I love. Over that time Jeremy and I had a positive and successful working relationship, making some landmark projects together," he added.

"He is a unique talent and I am well aware that many will be sorry his involvement in the show should end in this way."

The controversial star of the motoring show, which draws more than 350 million viewers around the world, will not have his contract renewed when it expires at the end of the month.

Clarkson had told fans on Twitter this morning: "Just to keep everyone up to date, I haven't heard a thing."

Top Gear earns around €70m each year for the broadcaster's commercial arm, BBC Worldwide.

But Mr Clarkson was already on his last warning from the BBC, for whom he has worked since 1988, after drawing fire over a string of inflammatory remarks.

Most damaging for Clarkson have been accusations of using the N-word while reciting an old nursery rhyme in leaked footage, something the presenter denied.

He was also accused of making a racially offensive comment about an Asian man.

Top Gear has regularly been criticised over its depiction and jokes at the expense of Albanians, Romanians and Germans among others.

Last year, the team fled Argentina after residents hurled stones at a Porsche Clarkson was driving whose licence plates appeared to make reference the Falklands War.

The BBC was also forced to apologised to Mexico after the show described Mexicans as "lazy" and "feckless".

Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond today said on Twitter that he was "gutted at such a sad end to an era".

He added: "We're all three of us idiots in our different ways but it's been an incredible ride together."

A Trip Through Some Clips | A Timeline of Trouble
 

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Irish Water to send thousands of incorrect bills

Irish Water has confirmed that it plans to send out water bills to more than 1.7 million households in the full knowledge that hundreds of thousands of those bills will be incorrect.

The company said it has to operate on the basis of incomplete information and that households will receive the bills over an eight-week period starting in the first week of April.

More than 700,000 households who are not registered will receive a bill.

This includes more than 150,000 households, which the company says are not customers of Irish Water, but who will receive a default bill because they have not yet provided information or registered.

The bills, which are quarterly, will ignore the Government's €100 water conservation grant.

For the first quarter they be will capped at just over €39 for a single adult household and €64 for a household with two or more adults.

All those who have not registered with the company are likely to receive a default bill of €64 for the quarter.

Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Irish Water's Head of Communications Elizabeth Arnett said the bills covering the period from 1 January to 31 March would come over an eight-week period.

She said some people would receive bills in April, some in May and some in June.

Ms Arnett added "while the charge is €260 and €160 - the bill that you will receive will be just under €65 for a two-adult household with both water and waste water and just under €40 for a single-adult household with both water and waste water services".

Regarding meter readings, which will take place ahead of billing, Ms Arnett said at least a third of households, who have a meter, will pay less than the €65 or the €40 charge.

She said it was well worth having the meter and it is certainly well worth doing the meter reads.

People issued with incorrect bill should contact Irish Water 

Irish Water urged all those who receive incorrect bills to contact them to have the matter corrected as soon as possible.

It warned, however, that with such a new billing system many thousands of people are likely to receive incorrect bills.

For example, Irish Water knows how many people are on boil water notices and so should be entitled to some exemptions, but it does not have the names and addresses of the people in those areas.

It also says that thousands of people live at non-unique addresses where water meters have been installed but that it is very difficult in such cases to be accurate about how much each individual household should be charged.

In addition the company is warning that many households who have their own septic tanks could still receive bills that they should not get.

It said its call centre will be staffed by 750 people at its peak, and that it will remain open 24 hours-a-day to deal with the expected response to the bills in the coming months.

For billing queries the call centre will operate only between 8am and 8pm Monday to Friday and between 9am and 5.30pm on Saturday. Lines are closed on Sundays and bank holidays.

New deadline for registering for conservation grant

Minister for the Environment Alan Kelly announced in the Dáil last night that people will have to register with Irish Water by 30 June in order to qualify for the €100 water conservation grant, which is being administered by the Department of Social Welfare.

Last week, the minister signed a statutory order enabling Irish Water to verify customer addresses with An Post and housing bodies that supply social housing.

It can also get information to develop its household data base from Local authorities, the Private Residential Tenancies Board, the Property Services Regulatory Authority, the Local Government Management Agency, the Revenue Commissioners, and the Minister for Social Protection.

Despite this the company believes a lot of problems will still arise as a result of inaccuracies in the bills, and it expects its call centres will be busy dealing with the issue for many months to come. 

Questions about Irish Water were raised in the Dáil this afternoon.

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams called on the Government to "scrap the charges".

Socialist TD Paul Murphy said Minister Kelly has been "swaggering around like Nelson from the Simpsons threatening to rob people's lunch money".

Mr Murphy said people deserved clarity regarding water charges, "not more waffle".

Enda Kenny said it was not fair that the Socialist TD was putting out a view that will result in people building a debt for the future.

The Government would not be rowing back on water charges, he said.

"We're gone beyond the point of not facing into this", he added.

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