Other News In Brief

Nursing Strikes Disrupt Nine Mental Health Service Sites

The Health Service Executive has confirmed that mental health services across nine facilities have been affected by the current industrial action by the Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA).

6,000 members of the union are refusing to work any overtime hours as part of a campaign against low pay and staff shortages.

Six facilities in the greater Dublin area are believed to be affected, while two in the south and one in the southeast have also experienced disruption.

The strike on overtime will continue tomorrow and on 05, 06 and 07 February, with the potential of further stoppages to coincide with the INMO strike if a compromised is not reached.

Farmers To Be Compensated For Price-Drops In No-Deal Brexit

It has emerged that farmers will receive compensation to help them adjust to price changes in the case of a no-deal Brexit.

The development is according to Agriculture Minister Michael Creed who said that agri-food and fisheries are the sectors expected to be the worst hit, and the money will hopefully lift their burden if the UK crashes out of the EU.

Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe said earlier this week that there could well be job losses in those sectors.

"What our ambition would be is to compensate farmers for whatever price drop happens so that the industry can continue to supply that product into the market and that obviously will depend on the market reality in the UK," said Minister Creed.

He added that the beef sector, in particular, was very open to shocks.

"In this department, I'm worried about the entire range of products from the agri-food sector whether it's beef, pork, dairy, sheep meat, the drinks industry, the tillage sector.

"They all have a degree of exposure. The unfortunate reality is that there is no upside, it's all downside in agri-food."

Bill To Outlaw Ticket Touting Proceeds Through Dáil

A bill to outlaw ticket touting is making it's way through the Dáil.

Business Minister Heather Humphreys appealed for cross party support for the Private Members Bill and said that tickets for concerts and sporting events shouldn't always go to those with the "deepest pockets".

The proposed legislation would ban the above-face value resale of tickets for events in designated venues with a capacity of 1,000 or more.

The bill will also prohibit the use of software to purchase tickets in excess of the number permitted by event organisers.

Sinn Féin TD Maurice Quinlivan, who proposed his own legislation to ban ticket touting in 2017, criticised the pace of progress on the bill. 



(JG/CM)