THE Government paid out almost €30 million in redundancy payments in the first two months of 2009, latest figures from the department of Social Welfare Department of Social and Family Affairs have shown.

The Progressive Democrats pension proposals amount to nothing more than 'superficial magic numbers' that do nothing to deal with the inequality of our pensions system, according to Green Party Social and Family Affairs spokesperson Dan Boyle TD.

I REFER to the articles in the Irish Examiner headlined ‘Identity fraud: personal ID system is open to abuse’ and “When e is for error”, in addition to the editorial entitled ‘Department brought this one on itself’ (Irish Examiner August 21).

The Irish Refugee Council has criticised Government plans to deny rent allowance to asylum seekers.