Residential housing plans
More land needs to be zoned as residential for house building, Minister for Housing Darragh O'Brien has said.
Mr O’Brien said the Government is reviewing the National Planning Framework (NPF) to assess how much zoned residential land is needed across the country.
His comments come after a report from Savills Ireland which described the NPF as "fundamentally flawed", adding it "will only exacerbate the housing crisis" if left unchanged.
Concrete levy
The Government’s proposed concrete levy will put the “burden and pain” on homeowners rather on those responsible for construction defects, the Dáil has heard.
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald called on the Government to scrap the controversial measure during Leaders’ Questions on Tuesday.
The Dublin Central TD said the levy will hit ordinary people in the pocket as they struggle with “sky-high” housing costs.
The levy on concrete blocks, pouring concrete and certain other concrete products was announced by Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe in last week’s budget.
Enoch Burke appeal
Jailed teacher Enoch Burke has formally lodged an appeal against a High Court injunction preventing him from attending or teaching at the school where he is employed.
Mr Burke was committed to prison last month to stay there until he agrees to obey the court order not to attend or attempt to teach any classes at Wilson's Hospital School in Co Westmeath.
The school obtained an order committing Mr Burke, who had been suspended pending a disciplinary hearing into allegations of misconduct against him, to prison over his failure to comply with the injunction.
Arising out of his refusal to purge his contempt, he has been in Mountjoy Prison since early September.
Browne receives warm Galway welcome
Former rugby player Damian Browne has arrived in Galway to a hero’s welcome after rowing more than 3,450 nautical miles from New York.
Hundreds of people gathered on Tuesday to see him become the first person to row from New York to Galway.
It marked the end of a 112-day journey on his boat, called Cushlamachree.
The journey came to a dramatic end when his boat came ashore on the rocks at Furbo Beach, just short of the port of Galway.
