A total of 17,477 dogs and puppies entered the system last year.

Donegal County Council has been told its allocation from the Local Government Fund is to be cut by 13% to reflect the number of people in the county who have not paid the Household Charge.

THOUSANDS of people are waiting for social housing in Kerry in what has been described as “a housing crisis” in the county.

PATRICK Honohan is the new Michael O’Leary.

Tens of thousands of homes face water shortages today as the big thaw burst pipes and threatened flooding around the country.

KILLARNEY’S jarveys have lost their bid to lift a court order which bars them from entering Killarney National Park until they agree to attach dung catchers.

FORMER government communications consultant Monica Leech has secured an apology and a final settlement figure believed to be in the region of €125,000 including costs as part of a libel action settlement against Associated Newspapers — publishers of the Irish Mail on Sunday and the Daily Mail.

IT’S a reflection of how low agricultural income is that annual payments for land acquisition by the National Roads Authority (NRA) are equivalent to 15% of farmers’ earnings in Ireland.

OPPONENTS of a planned five-storey hotel in Cashel on a site previously earmarked for a town park are holding a public meeting tonight in a bid to step up their campaign.

CORK CITY has the highest rate of rubbish going to landfill, Mayo has provided the least Traveller accommodation and Carlow has the longest public library opening hours, it emerged yesterday.

Cork City has the highest rate of rubbish going to landfill, Mayo has provided the least Traveller accommodation and Carlow has the longest public library opening hours, it emerged today.

CORK County Council has identified the need to house 153 Traveller families in the next five years, according to a report compiled by its officials.

THE Government's affordable housing scheme received a welcome boost yesterday when Bank of Ireland launched a new lending product with the aim of making it easier for qualifying customers to take part.

SEASIDE communities swept the boards in a major anti-litter competition last night, with one winning the title for the second year in a row.

CARMEL FIELDS, press officer, Department of Social and Family Affairs (Irish Examiner letters, August 11) takes me to task for my efforts on behalf of families in dire need of housing prior to the introduction of the rent supplements scheme.

Ireland is on course to meet the EU target of 50% recycling after a leap in the amount of materials recycled in 2003.

The Government has advised people with a physical illness or disability that they have just one week to get their ballot for the June 11 elections transferred to a more convenient polling station.

Repak, the industry-funded used packaging compliance scheme, has slammed the Vintners' Federation of Ireland call on the Minister for the Environment to introduce a levy on non-returnable containers and packaging as unworkable and self-serving.

A west of Ireland community is drafting a scheme to bring back and house people who emigrated to Britain over a period of decades.

The Chambers of Commerce of Ireland (CCI) has called for the prioritisation of infrastructural development in the Mid-Term Review of the National Development Plan (2000- 2006).

I REFER to the article in the Irish Examiner of May 29 under the heading “Councils break law over failure to file accounts.”

THE number of houses in Ireland will have doubled by the year 2020 from 1992 figures, according to Department of the Environment projections.

By Tommy Barker

THE number of planning objections lodged by the Government are expected to drop following the scrapping of Dúchas, the State heritage service.

New figures from the Department of the Environment and Local Government show that almost 50,000 families are waiting for local authority housing.

Repak, the industry funded waste packaging compliance scheme has today launched its recycling hints and tips campaign in an effort to recycle over 300 tonnes at 60 special Green Christmas Centres throughout Ireland.

THE release of dioxins from incineration plants will increase 100 fold if the Government’s plans for new incinerators proceed, figures released today predict.

Minister for Environment and Local Government, Martin Cullen, is urging all those who are not yet registered to vote to do so before October's Nice Treaty referendum.

STUDENTS are to build and sleep in a makeshift house in front of Government offices from today to highlight the crisis facing students seeking affordable accommodation.

IT services firm ICL has signed a three-year, €17m deal with the Department of the Environment and Local Government.