The Agenda

Louth MEP Nina Carberry has called for dedicated funding for 'PEACEPLUS' in the next seven-year EU budget. PEACEPLUS is a €1.1 billion cross-border programme which aims to promote peace and reconciliation between Northern Ireland and the border counties. The Louth MEP acknowledged that there is already an existing €4.7 million in 'PEACEPLUS' funding for the county, which is supporting the delivery of the Louth Local Community Peace Action Plan across 15 projects.Nina Carberry joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.

New research warns that the Government’s proposed restrictions on vape flavours could drive almost 60,000 former smokers back to cigarettes, undoing years of progress in reducing Ireland’s smoking rate.A county-by-county analysis shows that 58,080 adult vapers nationwide would return to smoking if the Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) (Amendment) Bill proceeds with a ban on all vape flavours except tobacco. The findings raise serious concerns about the public-health consequences of the proposed legislation, particularly the risk of ex-smokers returning to cigarettes, which remain the leading cause of 6,000 preventable deaths in Ireland every year.Ken Heffernan, spokesperson for Respect Vapers and former smoker, joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.

The complete ban of sale of scramblers to the general public has not been ruled out, as the Roads Safety Minister said “all issues” are being looked at.Proposals to implement an outright ban on scrambler use in public places, including roads, was approved by Cabinet yesterday Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the legislation will be called Grace’s Law.The ban comes after Grace Lynch, 16, was killed after being struck by a scrambler while crossing the Ratoath road in Finglas on January 25. Transport Minister Darragh O’Brien said the outright ban will make enforcement easier for gardaí, as they will be able to seize any scrambler being driven in a public place.Minister Canney joined us on The Agenda this morning to tell us more about all of this. 

Irish people are more concerned about uncontrolled migration flows than our EU counterparts are, according to a new survey.The latest European Parliament Euro­barometer survey shows 75pc of those surveyed in Ireland said they were “highly worried” about uncontrolled migration flows. This compares with 65pc of those surveyed for the study across the EU.A total of 13pc of Irish respondents were “moderately worried”, while 12pc said they were “not or slightly worried”.More than 1,000 Irish people were interviewed as part of the survey last November, with 26,453 face-to-face interviews conducted with citizens across EU member states for the report.CEO of The Immigrant Council of Ireland, Teresa Buczkowska, joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.

Labour TD for Louth Ged Nash has said government opposition to a bill aimed at protecting the Boyne River left him "bewildered"The Boyne Task Force Bill aimed to co-ordinate efforts from four  councils, government, Uisce Eireann as well as local landowners, NGOs and community activists.Deputy Nash said when he was informed the bill would be opposed by the government he was left "shocked and frankly bewildered". “The government claimed that the River Boyne Task Force, which the Bill seeks to establish, is not needed. It then went on to list dozens of schemes and structures responsible for varying elements of the river’s management." “It is ironic that this is the very problem the Bill seeks to address. None of the structures listed by the government have as their sole priority, the protection and preservation of the Boyne.Deputy Nash joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this. 

Sinn Féin has renewed its call on the Government to sack the chairperson of Bord Bia as a result of his company's role in importing Brazilian beef into Ireland.In a motion in the Dáil last night, the party said that Irish farmers and their representative organisations have lost confidence in Larry Murrin.The party contends that if he continues as chairperson it will undermine public confidence in Bord Bia, and damage Ireland's reputation as a world leader producing food that adheres to the highest standards.The Government has rejected calls to remove Mr Murrin from the prestigious post.Sinn Fein TD for Louth, Ruairi Ó Murchú, joined us on The Agebnda this morning to talk to us some more about this. We also discussed the latest on the Mercosur deal and Deputy Ó Murchús questions in relation to infrastructure after the recent flooding as a result of Storm Chandra.