In the context of the increasing antisocial behaviour in urban Dublin, a proposal to install additional CCTV cameras in these zones will be presented to Cabinet. The initiative is a part of the North Inner City Strategic Plan 2024-2027, which is scheduled to be released on Thursday.
The initiative aims to thoroughly analyse the potential of providing subsidies to primary school students for participation in after-school programmes and clubs, alongside pushing for the formation of additional clubs dedicated to the same age group.
Within a fortnight, Taoiseach Simon Harris intends to present the conclusions of the Dublin city taskforce to the Cabinet.
Various sections of the text touch upon business-related subjects like Minister of State addressing the issue of delays in the Belfast-Dublin train services and calling for the discontinuation of the new early-morning service; concerns about Phil Hogan’s consulting work violating lobbying regulations, feared by the European Commission; Leo Varadkar’s call for a collective effort to realise Irish unity.
Specific plans to expand and augment housing adaptation grants are being led by Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien. A review held recently after several years proposed increased grants and income limits.
The proposals developed in partnership with the Minister of State Alan Dillon suggest a 30% increment in grant boundaries and a 25% rise in income thresholds. Furthermore, amendments to the means-testing mechanism will only assess the recipient and their spouse rather than every adult in a household.
The report also advises easing the load on local authorities by decreasing their funding contribution from 20% to 15%.
Separately, a pending ban on the XL Bully crossbreed dogs in the aftermath of several brutal attacks on humans will be discussed by the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys. The regulations, which are to be signed, will implement the ban in two stages.
Importing, breeding, selling or rehoming XL Bully dogs will become illegal from Tuesday, October 1st. By February 1st, 2025, owning an XL Bully will be considered illegal without a certification of exemption, which can be obtained at no charge from local authorities.
It appears that the XL bully dogs, one of Ireland’s most feared breeds, may see their reign end. Dog owners can acquire certificates if their pet is licensed, neutered, and contains a microchip. Health Minister, Stephen Donnelly, is predicted to update his team on the progress of additional funding, enabling the State to finance 187 new top-of-the-line drugs which have been used to treat patients since 2020. Among these medications, 61 are geared towards the battle against cancer, while 54 are labelled as “orphan drugs”, targeting rare conditions. Mr Donnelly plans to explain how the Health Service Executive intends to launch its online progress tracker in the imminent weeks. The tracker is designed to enhance transparency for patients and their groups eagerly awaiting new drugs. It will also help hold the industry and the government accountable for any delays. The HSE aims to provide projected timelines to allow the public to track the stage of a drug during its approval process.