The Agenda

Sinn Féin TD for Meath East, Darren O'Rourke, says Meath Garda numbers are set to remain the lowest in Ireland as a Parliamentary Reply confirms that the government’s Garda recruitment numbers will be far below target this year.   Deputy O'Rourke was speaking following a response from the Minister for Justice which outlines that Garda recruitment numbers for 2025 will be between 600 and 650, far below the target of 1,000. He says, for Meath, this means a bad picture getting worse.Deputy O’Rourke spoke to us this morning on The Agenda about this. 

The heartbroken family of the late James Ryan - who was killed by his partner after she ‘forcefully’ pushed him - has slammed the two years and nine months sentence that was handed down saying "it’s not the justice he deserved.”Dublin Circuit Court heard last week that Olesja Hertova (49) of Hastings Lawn, Balbriggan, Co Dublin pleaded guilty to one count of the unlawful killing of Mr Ryan on August 11, 2024 at their home address. She has no previous convictions.The mother-of-two forcefully pushed him to the ground, causing him severe head injuries. The 69-year-old was rushed to Beaumont Hospital but died the following day. James’ daughters Karen and Lynn spoke to us this morning on The Agenda.

The Garda Representative Association has called for the training allowance to be doubled. The Department of Justice had hoped to recruit 1,000 new members into An Garda Síochána. However, Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan told the Dáil last week he expects it will be only 600 to 650. Garda Representative Association Assistant General Secretary Tara McManus says there are a “number of things” the Government could do to help address the problem, and Tara spoke to us this morning on The Agenda about this.  

Ireland is struggling to be ready for the EU’s planned overhaul of the asylum system, according to a leading Irish human rights body.The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission has said it fears that the scale of changes – which are supposed to be implemented by next June – are simply not feasible for the government and will result in an asylum system “prone to legal challenge, administrative dysfunction and human rights violations”.The government is proceeding with the fresh legislation to bring Ireland in line with EU requirements under the Asylum and Migration Pact.Liam Herrick, Chief Commissioner of the Irish Human Rights & Equality Commission, said there were particular concerns over the proposals regarding detention of asylum seekers, access to legal representation and counselling, and the treatment of children vulnerable persons give rise to particular concerns.Liam spoke to us this morning on The Agenda this morning about this. 

An “honest” belief that an alleged victim had consented to sex may no longer be a legal defence in rape cases if proposals being considered by the Government become law.The Department of Justice and the Office of the Attorney General are considering the proposal to significantly modify the State’s consent laws.The planned reform is at an advanced stage, has the backing of the Law Reform Commission and is a key part of the Government’s plan to take action on consent laws.Under the proposal, an accused person could not be acquitted of rape if a court found that their belief that the alleged victim had consented was not an objectively reasonable belief.Sarah Monaghan, who is the ‘We-consent’ campaign manager at the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, joined us on The Agenda this morning to tell us more about this. 

Nearly 1,900 inspections have been conducted on rental accommodations in Meath this year as part of ongoing efforts to uphold housing standards.As of the end of May 2025, a total of 1,872 inspections were carried out by Meath County Council. Of these, 589 were first-time inspections, with only 21 properties passing on their initial assessment. The remaining properties will be subject to follow-up inspections to ensure compliance with rental accommodation regulations.These inspections form part of the council’s responsibility to enforce minimum standards in rented accommodation, covering aspects such as heating, sanitation, structural integrity, and fire safety. Properties that do not meet these standards are required to undertake improvements within a specified timeframe.At the July meeting of the Meath County Council, Independent Councillor Alan Lawes welcomed the inspections, and he spoke to us this morning on The Agenda about this. 

Some residents in Ardee and nearby communities are facing water supply disruptions (some since as far back as Friday) following a mechanical fault at the Blakestown Reservoir and a separate burst on the network near the entrance to Sliabh Breagh on the N2.Local Fine Gael Councillor Dolores Minogue joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.

Tánaiste Simon Harris told the Cabinet this morning that threatened trade tariffs of 30% by the US could have a significant impact on the economy and potentially lead to job losses occurring quicker than anticipated. Political Correspondent Sean Defoe spoke to us this morning on The Agenda to tell us more. We also spoke to Economist Austin Hughes to find out about this will affect Irish jobs and the economy. 

More than 400 people have been refused entry at Irish ports in the past five years after trying to slip into the country undetected as stowaways.In contrast to the numbers of migrants arriving by small boats in the UK, the Department of Justice said there have been no “small boat” arrivals in Ireland over the past five years.Marine experts say this is due to the much longer distance from France to Ireland and the rougher seas. John Lannon, the chief executive of migrants rights organisation Doras, said immigration policies force people seeking international protection to make dangerous decisions to board small boats or to hide in containers and lorries making ferry crossings, and John spoke to us this morning on The Agenda about this.