Other News In Brief

Man Charged With Trespassing In Cork Murder Probe

Gardaí probing the murder of 55-year-old Paul Jones in Cork have charged a man with trespassing with intent to commit assault.

Keith O'Hara of 27 Cahergal Avenue, Mayfield, was charged at Cork District Court for entering an address with the intention of committing the offence of assault.

It comes amid the investigation into the murder of Paul Jones who lived on Brandon Road in the south side of Cork city. Mr Jones' body was found at the weekend after his son became concerned that he had been unable to contact his father for a number of days.

Mr O'Hara was remanded in custody.

Public Service Pay Rise Announced

Civil and public servants will see their pay increase by 1.75% from this month.

The rise will also go to staff in non-commercial semi-state companies and 'section 38' organisations, including large voluntary hospitals.

Backdated from 01 September, the increase was negotiated by Fórsa and other unions as part of the Public Service Stability Agreement (PSSA).

This is the second pay adjustment to be implemented this year. The pay of public servants who earn less than €30,000 a year went up by 1% in January, while those earning over €30,000 benefited from a reduced contribution to the 'additional superannuation contribution,' which replaced the so-called 'pension levy' under the PSSA.

There were also two increases – each worth 1% – in 2018. Next year will see a further adjustment to the additional superannuation contribution in January, and a 2% increase is due in October 2020.

The PSSA expires at the end of next year.

New Playground Opens In South Dublin

A new playground chosen and voted on by local people has opened in Palmerstown, Dublin.

Mayor of South Dublin County Council, Councillor Vicky Casserly visited the site at Waterstown Park earlier this month to launch the playspace.

Speaking at the event Mayor Cllr Casserly said: "The new playground incorporates natural play, which has been proven to have benefits for children in terms of increasing well-being, developing imagination and allowing children to assess risk and develop their coping abilities. In addition, the playground was designed and audited to ensure access is possible for children of all types of abilities and an accessible picnic table has been installed on request following the audit."

The project was funded by South Dublin County Council through the '300K have your say' Public Participatory Budget where projects were chosen and voted on by the communities of Lucan and Palmerstown.