According to details released under the Freedom of Information Act, 59 people qualified for the scheme this year and 135 last year.

Ryanair expects the vast majority of its flights to go ahead next week, despite a two-day strike.

Some of Ryanair's Irish pilots have voted to join their British counterparts and participate in industrial action later this month over pay and working conditions.

Ryanair pilots based in Ireland have voted in favour of taking industrial action.

School secretaries, represented by Fórsa trade union, have outlined their experience of poor pay and uncertain short-term contracts to a hearing of the Oireachtas Education Committee.

Ryanair will today announce details of a further 16 flights which are to be cancelled next Tuesday due to a third 24-hour strike by a number of its pilots here.

Holiday-goers are facing a summer of potential travel chaos as Ryanair cabin crew will today warn that they could join pilots in strike action, which could ground hundreds of flights.

Further crippling strikes at Roscommon County Council are planned for next Tuesday and Thursday as management and 160 staff members remain completely at odds over flexi-leave.

New data from the HSE shows that just one quarter of assessments of need for children were completed within the regulation timeline last year.

The union which represents the country’s driving testers says it has reached agreement with the Road Safety Authority to establish a panel with up to 100 extra testers to meet a predicted surge in demand.