The Agenda

A Meath councillor has hit out at a loophole in the SEAI Warmer Homes Scheme, which she says is 'inexplicably discriminatory'.Aontú's Emer Tóibín says she is baffled by confirmation from the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment Darragh O’ Brien that the Deserted Wife’s Allowance/Benefit is not a qualifying payment.With almost 4,500 women in Ireland currently in receipt of the payment, she says they’re being deserted by the Government and are literally being left out in the cold.It closed to new applicants in 1997 and Councillor Tóibín says she will write to the Minister to seek absolute clarity on eligibility criteria, and she wants to know if women who receive another qualifying payment, for example Fuel Allowance, might qualify.Councillor Toibin joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.

New legislation aimed at strengthening school responses to medical emergencies is to come before the Dail this week.Labour TD Eoghan Kenny, who introduced the bill said he hopes it will help protect school communities and the overall health of students.A former teacher, Deputy Kenny, who lives with epilepsy, described the Bill as both professionally and personally significant.He said: "Having worked in our classrooms and having experienced epilepsy in my own life, I understand how important it is that schools are prepared for medical emergencies."Awareness is important, but awareness must lead to action. Every student and every staff member deserves to feel safe and supported in their school community."Deputy Kenny joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.

Over 19.2pc of homes offered to Louth’s social housing tenants through the Choice Based Letting (CBL) system have been turned down, according to new figures released by Louth County Council.The statistics emerged at the local authority’s January meeting, following a question submitted by Independent Councillor, Ciaran Fisher, revealing that over the last eight years the rate of tenant refusals was highest in Dundalk followed by Drogheda and Ardee.Councillor Fisher asked for a breakdown of the percentage of refusals the council have received yearly since the introduction of the CBL system, which is the portal used by tenants to bid for social housing when it is advertised by Louth County Council.The meeting heard the CBL system is designed to give tenants the freedom to bid on social houses in areas “they actually want to live in.”Councillor Fisher joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.

Every public swimming pool in Meath currently has a waiting list for lessons, according to a new report, prompting calls for “greater investment” in swimming facilities.The Swimming Pool Gap Analysis report, funded by the Department of Sport and published by Swim Ireland found that Ireland has just one public pool per 81,000 people, compared with one per 14,000 in Scotland.Meath’s eight public swimming pools serve a population of more than 220,000. Three of these pools are hotel-based, while the remaining five operate on a pay-as-you-go basis. All eight currently have waiting lists for lessons, highlighting the pressure on existing facilities.Sinn Féin TD for Meath East, Darren O’Rourke, said the findings confirm what many parents across the county already experience first-hand, and Deputy O’Rourke joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.       

We were joined on The Agenda this morning by Independent Councillor in Navan, Alan Lawes, who took to social media last night to highlight the horrendous challenges that homeless people are facing during weather warnings like the current one we are under. Councillor Lawes posted a picture of a homeless man from Meath named Patrick, whose tent, sleeping bag and clothes were all destroyed in the torrential rain and is calling on Meath County Council to make homeless people the priority during weather warnings. We were also joined by Patrick himself, the Navan man who councillor Lawes posted about, and Patrick told us his story and about how the weather has affected him and destroyed all of his possessions.

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.