A senior census official has admitted this year’s version of the vital national questionnaire will be unable to keep up with developments in Irish society because it was not given enough funds to examine potential population change issues.

The construction industry says the Coalition is considering bringing in a British-style home purchase help package for first-time buyers which would see the Government fund 20% of mortgages.

Senior managers at AIB were getting €100,000 annual bonuses during the property boom, despite the fact the lender was breaching financial regulator rules.

Health unions have insisted they will fight any moves to cut their pay or conditions — despite Health Minister James Reilly confirming unspecified Croke Park changes are on his agenda.

A judge has today ordered the arrest of a 17-year-old boy accused of trespassing on Government buildings on Merrion Street in Dublin.

Books of condolence will open at Government Buildings and at the civic offices in Athlone today for the late Brian Lenihan.

FINANCE Minister Brian Lenihan said he looks back with pride on how he handled the economic crisis since he took office. He said he has done what none of his predecessors had to do and the Irish people were on his side.

Security has been increased around Government Buildings today, with a number of Budget protests getting underway outside.

The Taoiseach Brian Cowen and the Finance Minister Brian Lenihan are to hold a press conference at Government Buildings shortly to announce whether or not the talks with public sector unions have resulted in an acceptable agreement.

Talks between the Government and public sector unions over cutting €1.3bn from the public pay bill were set to resume at Government Buildings this afternoon.

THE most demoralising, and unfortunately one of the most common, statements an industrial relations reporter hears while interviewing trade unionists entering pay talks at Government Buildings is, “it’s early days”.

ABOUT 4% of the population have been infected with swine flu, the country’s public health watchdog has confirmed. And it looks as if the initial wave of the pandemic has peaked, the Health Protection Surveillance Centres said.

THE bulk of the country’s 310,000 public servants, including teachers and nurses, are planning a 24-hour strike in the last week of November in protest at Government plans to cut 6.5% off the public sector pay bill.

There are no other cases of swine flu in this country, health experts said tonight.

Employers and trade unions are expected to resume talks on an economic recovery plan at Government Buildings in Dublin today.

The social partners are expected to be presented with a draft agreement for a national economic recovery plan this afternoon.

THE first formal engagement between the Government and social partners on a new economic recovery plan took place at Government Buildings yesterday.

FINANCE Minister Brian Lenihan last night pledged an investment of €7 billion in the country’s two biggest banks.

WATERFORD Crystal workers have spent a fourth night occupying the company’s visitors centre in Kilbarry waiting for news of whether 300 jobs will be saved by a new buyer.

Talks aimed at agreeing a plan for economic recovery are due to resume at Government Buildings in Dublin this afternoon.

Talks aimed at agreeing €2bn worth of public spending cutbacks are due to continue at Government Buildings in Dublin today.

TAOISEACH Brian Cowen paid warm tribute to the work of Irish peacekeepers yesterday, as he became the first Taoiseach to pay a Christmas visit to members of the defence forces abroad.

Social partners entered talks at Government Buildings this afternoon to begin a final two-day push aimed at reaching a resolution on a national wage agreement.

PRIVATE sector unions are to press ahead with pay claims in excess of 5% in spite of the moderate fall in the rate of inflation to 4.3% announced yesterday.

Talks aimed at securing a new national pay deal are to resume at Government Buildings today.

Efforts to resume talks on a new national pay deal are to get underway today when unions and employers meet the Taoiseach at Government Buildings in a bid to break the deadlock between the social partners.

THE national pay talks dragged on into the early hours of this morning with indications that they will be adjourned until September.

Farmers are protesting at Government Buildings in Dublin today to voice their opposition to a proposed deal on beef at the World Trade Organisation talks.

The social partners are due to meet at Government Buildings again today for more talks on a new national pay deal.

Negotiations on a new national pay deal are due to get underway at Government Buildings in Dublin later today.

Crisis talks between nurses and health employers will resume at Government Buildings tomorrow.

Talks between nursing unions and the National Implementation Body, over improved pay and conditions, will resume at Government Buildings later today.

Farmers groups will be back in Government Buildings next week in a bid to reach a deal on the agricultural element of the new social partnership agreement.

NEGOTIATIONS on the farming agenda in the social partnership talks continued at Government Buildings in Dublin yesterday for the second successive day.

The social partners are back in talks at Government Buildings today, after a pay deal was struck last week.

There has been no progress so far at talks on a new national agreement as unions and employers continue their meeting at Government Buildings tonight.

Pay talks are underway this afternoon at Government Buildings in Dublin.

Talks on a new social partnership agreement will resume at Government Buildings at 2pm on Sunday after adjourning without agreement last night.

TALKS on a new national agreement were continuing at Government Buildings last night as negotiators sought to end the longest-ever set of negotiations in almost 20 years of social partnership.

DEVOLVED Government in Northern Ireland could be back up and running again by the autumn, the Taoiseach said yesterday.

TODAY is D-Day for a new national pay deal as talks between unions and employers enter their most crucial phase.

Students have posted 5,000 postcards through Government Buildings letterboxes, calling on Bertie Ahern to hold a weekend election.

Striking teachers have accused Taoiseach Bertie Ahern of upping the ante in their pay row by claiming their union has been hit by a power struggle.