Sinn Féin has put forward a motion in the Dáil calling for all pay rises for all politicians to be stopped.

The Health Service Executive (HSE) tonight conceded that no official apology was given to the intellectually disabled victim of rape and abuse in a foster home, despite earlier claiming it was.

Expenses to TDs have cost €24.4m since the last General Election.

The TDs who were expelled from Fine Gael for voting against the abortion bill have again denied that they are planning to set up a new party.

The Supreme Court has refused to let five TDs join businessman David Hall's appeal, as part of his challenge to the Government's payment of promissory notes.

Joe Higgins has said that he will seek independent legal advice after the Houses of the Oireachtas confirmed this evening that TDs' travel expenses should not be used for travel outside a deputy's constituency.

Three TDs involved in a travel expenses furore over the use of Dáil expenses to attend anti-household charge events, could be forced to pay back the money.

Legal advice is being sought on the use of travel allowances by TD's Joe Higgins and Clare Daly.

Minister for State at the Department of Finance Brian Hayes has defended the expense claims of TDs, saying politics is not a cheap business.

Today is the last day of parliamentary work for TDs, who begin a seven-week holiday from today.

The major parties today set out their proposals for reform of Ireland's political system with the abolition of the Seanad and changes to renumeration of ministers and TDs taking centre stage.

TDs are to be issued with new elecronic devices to allow them to clock in to work so they can claim their expenses.

The Minister for Finance is coming under pressure to speed up the reform of TDs' expenses following the news that the auditor charged with overhauling the system resigned because he was being ignored.

The Government was today accused of presiding over a feast and famine in the difference between a TD’s salary and maintenance grants.

THE State would not benefit if it abolished the controversial tax exemption scheme for artists, an Oireachtas committee heard yesterday.

A PROPOSAL to scrap the current €14 million expenses regime for TDs and senators in favour of a new vouched-only system will result in far higher expense claims, it emerged yesterday.

FIRST day of the new term and about 40 of the 166 TDs had made it into the chamber to listen to Bertie Ahern read out an unremarkable pro forma speech on the ambitions of Ireland’s EU presidency.

MORE aggressive policing? Did I understand that right? Reading my Irish Examiner yesterday, it was revealed that the gardaí, apparently with the support of Fine Gael, want stun guns to deal with “violent protests and public disorder”. These stun guns, it seems, are capable of causing temporary paralysis with a 50,000 volt electric shock.

NINETEEN civilian American aircraft have transported weapons through Shannon Airport in the past week alone.