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LMFM presents The Agenda - Your Current Affairs Podcast with presenter Adrian Kennedy
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Louth TD, Paula Butterly, has said that the Government’s Accelerating Infrastructure Action Plan will deliver more homes, better transport as well as the critical infrastructure Ireland’s growing population needs.Deputy Butterly told the Dundalk Democrat that "these reforms mark a turning point in cutting delays, streamlining planning approvals and ensuring that major infrastructure projects the country needs don’t stay on paper.“Families need homes, commuters need better transport, while businesses need certainty. This plan will deliver on all three.”The plan, which was published this week, has 30 time-bound actions that the Deputy Butterly said will cut red tape, reduce regulations, and remove barriers, and Deputy Butterly joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Wage rises and competition for staff may be a tipping point for some smaller nursing homes next year, a new recruitment agency analysis warns.Excel Healthcare 2026 Salary Guide said costs for private nursing homes are increasing by 10pc.Pay alone is not enough to attract and retain staff, and sign-on bonuses and recognition that more want greater work-life balance will be features for employers next year, the report said.Martina Young, director of Excel Healthcare, said: “Several smaller homes have closed in recent years due to the Fair Deal Scheme’s failure to keep pace with inflation.“The ESRI has projected a requirement for 60pc more long-term care beds and home support hours by 2040.”Chief Executive of Nursing Homes Ireland, Tadhg Daly, joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We were joined on The Agenda this morning by Labour Health spokesperson Marie Sherlock said the overcrowded Irish health system is now facing a major flu crisis.Speaking today, Deputy Sherlock said:“We understand that some hospitalisations could have been prevented if the enhanced flu vaccine had been made available. The Minister of Health must account for this appalling penny pinching which will have a serious cost to life, quality of life and to scheduled care within hospitals.“Across a series of studies, the enhanced flu vaccine outperforms the standard vaccine. In one sample of 512 persons, the enhanced vaccine was assessed to be 59.2% more effective on average.“The serious rise in the incidence of flu this winter will play havoc with the health service in terms of in-patient bed days, GP vists, medication and on the length of recovery. HIQA tell us that, based on 2010-2022 data, the average number of bed days for an older person with influenza was 9 days," Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The number of people over 65 who are renting their homes has doubled since 2011, sparking new concerns about their financial security.There has been a big increase as well in the number of people in their 40s and 50s who are renting, analysis of the rental market by life insurance and pensions firm Royal London Ireland has found.The findings reveal the stark reality behind the housing crisis.Having so many older people renting is a ticking timebomb as most renters have little security of tenure and soaring rents leave them vulnerable to losing their tenancies.The study showed that soaring rents and the increase in older renters is leaving an increasing number of Irish households exposed in the event of a hit to their personal finances.Assistant professor in social policy at UCD, and member of UCD’s Ageing Network , Nat O’Connor, joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
There have been more than double the number of deportation orders signed this year than confirmed departures from the State by failed asylum seekers.Junior immigration minister Colm Brophy has also confirmed just 28 of 267 people detained in prison before being deported from the State had criminal convictions.The details were provided in response to a parliamentary question from Fianna Fáil’s Cork North-Central TD Pádraig O’Sullivan, who questioned where those who had been detained were held.In response, Mr Brophy confirmed 344 people had been the subject of an “enforced deportation”.We wre joined on The Agenda this morning by CEO of Doras, John Lannon, who gave us his thoughts on this. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sinn Féin TD for Meath East, Darren O'Rourke, has called on the government to act decisively to address the severe shortage of GPs in Meath following analysis of new HSE figures was reported today and showed many parts of Meath are very poorly serviced including in East Meath which has 1 GP for a population of 5,090 people - the highest in the state.Teachta O'Rourke said; "In Meath, the picture is very bleak, there is a severe shortage of GPs. The ratio of population to GPs is 2,676:1 in south-west Meath; 2,518:1 in central Meath; 2,272 in North Meath and, incredibly, 5,090:1 in east Meath. Communities feel the impact of this crisis directly. Many families struggle to register with a GP, face long waits for appointments, and see practices closing their lists. This forces people towards already overwhelmed emergency departments, exacerbating the crisis in our hospitals”.Deputy O’Rourke joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Recently the Irish Refugee Council Marks Two Years of Homelessness for International Protection ApplicantsNick Henderson, CEO of the Irish Refugee Council, said:“Today is a grim milestone: two uninterrupted years of the policy of non-accommodation of people seeking protection. Since 4 December 2023, people are forced to sleep rough, at real risk to their health and safety, to demonstrate their need for accommodation. This is a policy that Minister O'Callaghan has the power to end today.Over 10,000 people have been refused accommodation since January 2023. Around 3,100 people have been refused accommodation so far in 2025.Nick Henderson joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
There is no agreed measure of living standards or wellbeing in economics, at least one that allows for an ironclad conclusion one way or the other.That said, the latest comparative analysis of the island’s two economies, Northern Ireland and the Republic, published by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), is about as unequivocal as it gets. In nearly every metric worth considering – wages, disposable income, productivity, labour market participation, educational attainment, hospital waiting lists, life expectancy – there is a gap between the North and the South in favour of the Republic. And it’s a gap that, in most cases, is growing.Associate Research Professor at the ESRI & co-author of the report, Adele Bergin, joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Drogheda “deserves better” than faulty Christmas lights going out during the annual switch-on ceremony, the December meeting of the Borough District heard on Monday night.Mayor Michelle Hall said councillors wanted answers on why the lights went dark just moments after they had been launched for the festive season."It was a bit embarrassing,” said the Mayor. “The lights went off straight away.”Mark Johnston, Senior Engineer at Louth County Council, told the meeting that the matter had “fallen between two stools” at the council, but it is being looked into.Councillor Declan Power said faulty Christmas lights presented a poor picture of Drogheda, and councillor Power joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
It is 100 years since the final decision was made on exactly where the border would divide the island of Ireland.On 3 December 1925 the Boundary Commission plan to adjust the border and take some places out of Northern Ireland, including Crossmaglen in south Armagh, was ditched at the last minute in a British-Irish deal.Historian Cormac Moore says "it gave of lot of certainty that had not been there before, particularly if you lived on the border and you were living in Fermanagh or Tyrone… you were not sure up until late 1925 that you were going to be in Northern Ireland or the Free State, and Cormac joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We were joined on The Agenda this morning by Fianna Fail Councillor in Dundalk, Shane McGuinness, who wants to make his position “absolutely clear” regarding the proposed coastal Greenway from Dundalk to Carlingford. Councillor McGuinness says he fully supports the people of Cooley, and that he wants to see progress, investment, and a high quality coastal Greenway delivered for their community. But he also says that a greenway in his mind in Cooley is a coastal Greenway where tourists visit the county to view the beautiful coastal scenery that the Cooley Peninsula has and that what he can see from the route (which was released this week) is that 75% of it seems to be running along a main road nowhere near the coastline. He also says that he does not support any design that mixes cyclists or walkers with vehicles.Councillor McGuinness joined us in-studio this morning to talk to us some more about this. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dundalk was “disproportionately affected” by the legacy of unfinished estates after the Celtic Tiger era, according to a Louth councillor.Unfinished or so-called “ghost estates” emerged largely as result of the economic crash in 2008, with work on a significant number of developments not complete.A total of 65 estates across Louth were designated in 2011 as “unfinished”, but the fall out from the property crash remains a problem to this day.Speaking at Louth County Council’s Budget 2026 meeting, Cllr. Marianne Butler welcomed plans for further investment in ‘Taking in Charge’ estates.Councillor Butler joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us about this. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ireland will not participate in next year’s Eurovision Song Contest, and RTÉ will not broadcast the event, after the organiser cleared the way for Israel to partake. Public broadcasters in Spain, the Netherlands and Slovenia confirmed they too will boycott the event.In a statement on Thursday, RTÉ said it would be “unconscionable” for Ireland to partake in the event given the “appalling loss of lives in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there”.We were joined on The Agenda this morning by People Before Profit TD, Paul Murphy, who fully supports RTE's decision to boycott the Eurovision Song Contest next year.We were also joined by Independent Councillor in Navan, Alan Lawes, who brought forward a motion earlier this year calling on Meath County Council to consider all lawful sanctions it can take against the apartheid state of Israel in order to put pressure on them to stop the Genocide and forced starvation of the Palestinian people - Councillor Lawes also proposed that the council boycott all Coca Cola products because of their affiliation with Israel Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
A review of the Child and Family Agency’s involvement with Kyran Durnin, the little boy who was reported missing last August and later presumed dead, will not be published. The review was carried out by the National Review Panel, which is independent of Tusla. Though a number of recommendations have been made public, the Attorney General has determined that the review itself cannot be published as it could prejudice “any potential prosecutions” in the future. We were joined on The Agenda this morning by Sinn Fein TD for Louth, Ruairi Ó Murchú, who has been asking questions in the Dail this week in relation to Tusla. Deputy Ó Murchú spoke to us about the early 200 asylum seekers who were listed as children and given Tusla accommodation later turned out to be adults, and also about a dangerous parking situation going on at a school in Ardee. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Nikita Hand, who won her civil case against former MMA fighter Conor McGregor, has welcomed a decision by the Supreme Court not to allow a further appeal by Mr McGregor against a High Court jury's finding that he raped her.Ms Hand said the Irish civil justice system had afforded her vindication and allowed her voice to be heard, after seven years seeking justice, accountability and peace.Ms Hand said that this was not just a victory for her, but for all who had been treated as she had. She said it was also a victory for the justice system.The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre has welcomed the decision by the Supreme Court, and CEO of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre Rachel Morrogh joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
There is an urgent need to address the housing needs of older people through the development of ‘wrap around’ rather than ‘send around’ services – enabling older people to live in their own homes for as long as possible.These findings are reflected in a new RED C survey (please email for a copy of the survey) commissioned for Mayo Social by Sage Advocacy, the national advocacy service for older people and survivors of institutional abuse.Mayo Social spokesperson, Mervyn Taylor, joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On International Day of Persons with Disabilities, ALONE is urging renewed national focus on ensuring that older people with disabilities can remain safe, well, and independent in their own homes. As disability becomes more common with age, the organisation warns that Ireland’s current supports are not keeping pace with the needs of an ageing population. Recent Census data shows that 22% of people in Ireland (1.1 million individuals) report having a disability. The prevalence increases sharply with age: 41% of people aged 60 and over live with some form of disability, rising to 76% among those aged 85+. Despite this, many older people do not have access to the essential supports that allow them to stay safely at home. Many older individuals are living in homes that were never designed to accommodate mobility challenges or age-related disabilities. Others are struggling to access services due to long waiting lists, inconsistent provision across regions, and the unaffordability of adaptations and assistive technology. Head of Research, Advocacy, and Policy for ALONE, Aileen O’Reilly, joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fianna Fáil TD for Louth, Erin McGreehan has warmly welcomed Minister Michael Moynihan’s launch of the national recruitment campaign for the new Education Therapy Service (ETS), praising it as “one of the most practical advances in special education in recent years.”Speaking yesterday, Deputy McGreehan said:“I want to commend Minister Moynihan for driving this initiative. The establishment of the Education Therapy Service will make a real difference to children who need therapeutic support the most.Deputy McGreehan joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Trump administration is pausing all immigration applications such as requests for green cards for people from 19 countries banned from travel earlier this year, as part of sweeping immigration changes in the wake of the shooting of two National Guard troops.The changes were outlined in a policy memo posted on the website of US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the agency tasked with processing and approving all requests for immigration benefits.The pause puts on hold a wide range of immigration-related decisions such as green card applications or naturalisations for immigrants from those 19 countries the Trump administration has described as high-risk.Law lecturer at the University of Galway and political columnist with The Journal, Larry Donnelly, is on the line with us now to tell us more about this. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Speaking on 'Statements on Energy Costs' in the Dáil, Sinn Féin TD for Meath East, Darren O’Rourke, has today lambasted the Government for its heartless and economically incoherent decision to scrap vital energy credits, despite clear official warnings of soaring arrears and rising billsInternal documents, revealed by Sinn Féin and reported today, prove departmental officials made a strident case for credits in Budget 2026. They warned that without them, households would be hit with an extra €321 in costs, pushing average bills to a crippling €1,877 - higher than at the peak of the energy crisis. Deputy O'Rourke joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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