Pat Rabbitte, Michael Kitt, and Joe Higgins are among the political stalwarts who have taken the opportunity to bid farewell to the Dáil before stepping down.

The "cabal" of senior politicians, bankers, bondholders and developers in place during the economic crash should have been jailed despite the fact "99.9%" of what they did was legal, an ousted ex-bank inquiry member has claimed.

Three anti-austerity TDs are demanding a public statement from Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald following a report of a Garda surveillance operation targetting anti-water charge protesters.

By-election victor Ruth Coppinger took her seat in the Dáil for the Socialists yesterday.