A junior minister and his wife have consented to judgment for €2.47m being entered against them at the Commercial Court over unpaid loans.

Refuse charge defaulters still owe Cork County Council over €3m in unpaid bills — despite the local authority employing a private debt collection agency to help recover the arrears.

Cork’s county manager Martin Riordan has defended a controversial decision to employ a private debt collection company to recoup €1.8m owed to the county council in refuse collection charges.

Cork County Council has appointed a debt collection agency to chase down nearly 7,000 people who owe €1.8m in unpaid refuse collection bills.

Talk of widespread Labour anger towards Eamon Gilmore is misplaced, the general sense is battles are part of politics, writes political editor Paul O’Brien

The leader of Fine Gael on the country’s largest local authority said he was “working on a repayments process” with Revenue after his business got into difficulties.

What a difference a year makes.

As a political public relations event, yesterday’s announcement that the Health Service Executive will cease to exist in 2014 turned out to be something of a PR disaster for beleaguered Health Minister James Reilly.

OH GOD.

It is Dr James Reilly’s handling of Health that looks most likely to inflict long-term political damage, writes political editor Paul O’Brien

In 2000, 13 people including James Reilly came together to invest in the Greenhills nursing home in Carrick-on-Suir, Co Tipperary.

The old adage suggests there may be no such thing as bad publicity.

Health Minister Dr James Reilly says he has handed over power of attorney to his solicitor in relation to his business interest in a Co Tipperary property..

MULTI-MILLIONAIRE Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary has taken a horse racing enthusiast to court over a debt of €24,772.

CONSUMERS are increasingly being hauled before the courts for failing to pay their debts as banks, the taxman and firms get tough during the economic slowdown.