Deputy Brid Smith has called on the Government and Social Protection Minister Leo Varadkar to return all social welfare payments to 2009 levels.

Anti-water charge TDs intend to utilise the mass support against Irish Water to campaign for fair pay, better housing, and an end to the homelessness crisis.

Cork City Council finally voted last night to fill a vacant council seat after new legal advice said it was the “option of least risk”.

A political party says it has gathered hundreds of signatures backing its “moral claim” to the Cork City Council seat left vacant in the wake of the general election.

The filling of a vacant seat on Cork City Council has been deferred again after councillors got legal advice which said they had no legal entitlement to proceed with the move.

Cork City Council is expected to discuss legal advice tonight after a challenge to the filling of a vacant seat.

The co-option of an Anti-Austerity Alliance (AAA) member onto Cork City Council was dramatically deferred last night after a challenge emerged.

Left-wing group the Anti-Austerity Alliance/People Before Profit will shun Sinn Féin calls to support Gerry Adams’ nomination for taoiseach and put forward their own protest candidate when the Dáil returns next Thursday.

Labour’s Willie Penrose has taken the final seat after six days of counting in the Longford-Westmeath constituency.

A coalition of 50 groups is calling on the next government to hold a Referendum on repealing the 8th Amendment.