The Agenda

A “shift in gangland, rural and drug crime” across Louth must be met with action” according to one Louth TD. Deputy Paula Butterly welcomed the news this week that Local Community Safety Partnerships are to be launched across the country, including one new LCSP for Louth.It will replace the former Joint Policing Committee, wound up in 2024 following recommendations that multi-agency structures are put in place to bring together key stakeholders including An Gardai Siochana, local residents, businesses, state agencies and community groups.Deputy Butterly spoke to us this morning on The Agenda about this.

People in rural Ireland are travelling for hours in order to minimise the risk of being spotted getting tested or treated for STIs. Last month, the Government launched a National Sexual Health Strategy 2025 – 2035, which aims to ensure that everyone “has access to high quality sexual health information, education and services throughout life”. However, consultant Dr Aisling Loy warned that “shame and stigma” around STIs are very much still hindering her work, and Aisling spoke to us this morning on The Agenda about all of this.

Louth Labour TD, Ged Nash has slammed the government and the HSE for what he said is a growing crisis in providing orthodontist services for children in Louth.Deputy Nash said: “It is clear to me that there is a crisis in Drogheda and Dundalk and across the county, in terms of the provision of orthodontic services forchildren.“After a number of complaints to my office from constituents on the issue, I submitted a Parliamentary Question to the Minister for Health.“While I am waiting on a more comprehensive reply from the HSE, the Minister for Health has told me that there is no consultant orthodontist or specialist orthodontist working in Louth, currently.”Deputy Nash joined us on The Agenda this morning to tell us more about this.

The court of Appeal has said it intends to refer Conor McGregor’s application to withdraw “fresh evidence” that he had sought to introduce as part of his civil case appeal to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). Lawyers for Hand had asked the court to make the referral after seeking to introduce material related to the matter to the court today.The three-judge court confirmed this afternoon that it intended to refer the matter to the DPP.In November last year, McGregor was deemed liable for sexually assaulting Hand in the Beacon Hotel on 9 December 2018 following a three-week civil trial at the High Court, with the jury in the case awarding Hand over €248,000 in damages.Legal Affairs Correspondent at The Irish Independent, Shane Phelan, spoke to us this morning on The Agenda about this.

A portrait of President Michael D Higgins was removed from display in Belfast City Hall and placed in storage at the request of DUP Lord Mayor Tracy Kelly, Belfast City Council has said.It emerged at a council meeting on Tuesday evening that the picture of the President, which used to hang alongside a similar portrait ofKing Charles in the Lord Mayor’s parlour, was no longer there.In a statement, Belfast City Council said the “decoration of the parlour is a matter for each individual Lord Mayor throughout their term inoffice”.Peter McVerry from U105 in Belfast is on the line with us now to talk to us some more about this.

The Chair of the Meath on Track group, Peadar Tóibín TD, has asked members of the public to lobby government TDs in the comg days and weeks to ensure that the funding allocations under the National Development Plan review prioritise a Navan-Dublin rail line. In response to a Parliamentary Question from Deputy Tóibín, the Minister for Public Expenditure has said that in allocating funding under the NDP, "Government will berequired to make decisions on strategic project selection and prioritisation, to align with national priorities and make the maximum use of State resources". Deputy Toibin spoke to us on The Agenda this morning to tell us more. 

There was a 23% increase in the cost of settling motor insurance claims during the first half of last year compared to the second half of 2023, according to latest figures from the Central Bank's National Claims Information Database (NCID).It shows the cost of motorclaims settled between January and June 2024 was €414 million, with the Central Bank attributing the higher cost to an increase in damage claims.Commenting on the NCID figures, the Alliance for Insurance Reform said they "make clear the Government’s looming increasing personal injury awards couldn’t come at a time for policyholders".Brian Hanley, CEO of the Alliance for Insurance Reform, spoke to us this morning on The Agenda about this.

Patricia Devlin - Investigative Reporter with The Journal

Padraig Maguire