The Agenda

This morning on The Agenda we spoke to Fianna Fail TD for Louth, Erin McGreehan, who gave us her thoughts on the controversial €335,000 Dáil bike shed value-for-money assessment findings.

A Fianna Fail TD has said he believes learner drivers should be allowed to drive without being accompanied in the car by a licensed driver. Since 2018, it has been an offence for an unlicensed person to drive a vehicle unaccompanied. Under the law, gardaí can seize a vehicle if a learner driver is discovered to be driving without a qualified driver present.This morning on The Agenda we spoke to road safety campaigner Leo Lieghio, whose daughter was killed in a hit-and-run. Leo is disgusted by the comments by Cathal Crowe and believes it would absurd to allow this to go ahead.

This morning on The Agenda we spoke to Aontu TD for Meath-East, Peadar Toibin, who highlighted the fact that he budget for providing accommodation for asylum-seekers this year will reach €1.2bn.The figure will be about €100 a day per individual, according to new figures provided in the Dáil by Deputy Tóibín.

The voluntary committee which has organised and run the Dundalk St Patrick’s Day parade for the last eight years has announced that it is standing down.The decision was made earlier this year but the committee had waited until all outstanding invoices were paid and the accounts had been properly completed.This morning on The Agenda we spoke to Sinn Fein TD for Louth, Ruairi O'Murchú, who was also a member of the Dundalk St Patrick's Day Parade Committee.

TRIGGER WARNING: SOME LISTENERS MAY FIND AUDIO UPSETTING/DISTRESSINGThis morning on The Agenda we spoke to Social Affairs Correspondent at the Irish Times, Kitty Holland, who spoke to us about the inquest into the death of Daniel McAnaspie and the verdict of unlawful killing being returned in Trim Court yesterday.We also spoke to Daniel's aunt, Sabrina, who gave us her thoughts on the inquest and the verdict.

This morning on The Agenda we spoke to the National Coordinator of the Ukraine Civil Society Forum & Migration/Integration/Human Rights Advocate, Brian Killoran, about the impending closure of Ukrainian accommodation centres all across the country (including centres in Meath), which will impact 2,400 people.

The ability of companies to make applications for exempted development for properties they don't own has raised concern in light of recent exemptions sought for IPAS centres in the county.Following news last week that a company called Erin Park Ltd had made an exempted development application to transform the unit in the Oak Tree Business Park into a facility for international protection applicants, the owners of the unit said they would not be selling it to any entity that wishes to use the property as an IPAS centre.Sinn Fein TD for Meath-West, Johnny Guirke, raised serious concerns regarding the application being made despite the applicant not owning the property, and he spoke to us on The Agenda this morning about this.

This morning on The Agenda we spoke to Minister of State with responsibility for International Development & Diaspora & Fine Gael TD, Neale Richmond, about the news that promised tax cuts in the budget may not happen if the EU Fails to Secure Tariff Deal with US.

This morning on The Agenda we spoke to Labour’s workers’ rights Spokesperson Senator Nessa Cosgrove about her calls for the Government to give every worker a legal right to flexible and remote work, following comments from a prominent business figure who dismissed working from home as “a load of nonsense”. Senator Cosgrove says it is time for the Government to step into the modern world of work and support workers with real rights, not outdated opinions.