Health Minister Leo Varadkar has not ruled out the possibility of introducing childcare tax breaks for struggling families, despite Children’s Minister James Reilly effectively rejecting the move last week.

The Central Remedial Clinic is to cut its CEO’s salary by two thirds as part of sweeping changes.

The defeat of legislation introducing the first women bishops has been described as a “very grim day” by the incoming Archbishop of Canterbury.

Taoiseach Brian Cowen was urged to keep retiring ministers in their jobs until the election, it was revealed today.

GARDAÍ are investigating whether a criminal gang is behind a recent spate of mailbag thefts from postal staff on their rounds and the incidents are part of an organised effort to acquire personal details for the purposes of committing identity fraud.

TOM Cooper (Letters, July 6) cannot understand why members of Reform do not write letters condemning the probable collusion between the British government and loyalist terror groups over the Dublin and Monaghan bombings.

I WELCOME the statement from Robin Bury (Letters, June 30) that the Reform Movement “has been working for better relations between Ireland and Britain for years”.

Former United Nations secretary general Kofi Annan has called for “nothing short of a green revolution” to save Africa from a food crisis already killing many thousands.

FIANNA Fáil backbenchers are due to be promoted to plum committee jobs worth thousands of euro in extra pay in coming days.

An Oireachtas Committee is going on a national tour to explain the EU Reform Treaty to the public.

A FIANNA Fáil senator has said corporal punishment should be brought back in schools in a bid to curb lawlessness.