Three out of four mental health centres inspected failed to reach acceptable standards of cleanliness and maintenance, the inspector of mental health services has revealed.

GardaI investigating the death of a woman who went missing over 30 years ago are to lead an excavation of land around the psychiatric institution where she had been an in-patient.

IF Mary O’Leary ever runs short of reasons to be cynical about the planning system, she casts her mind back to January 2004 to restock.