A backbench Labour TD has called into question her own leader’s decision to give a close party associate a State board job outside of the normal public appointments process.

Up to 100 Syrian refugees are expected to begin arriving in Co Waterford over the next few months, with 25 expected to land before the year end.

Labour leader Joan Burton has said her party is “ready for an election at any time” amid ongoing speculation that Taoiseach Enda Kenny may be about to call a snap November vote.

Rising tensions between the coalition parties over the date of the election have forced Tánaiste Joan Burton to declare she is “not a quitter” and is confident the Government will run its full term.

Children’s Minister James Reilly yesterday defended a decision by the Child and Family Agency, Tusla, to pay a company over €120,000 to review the organisation six months after it was established.

Campaign seeks improved pay and Government investment in the development of early education

Hearings on potential legislation to allow for terminations for fatal foetal abnormalities are to be considered by the Oireachtas Health Committee following the latest Dáil row on abortion.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny was accused of condemning women to inhuman torture as the Coalition voted down proposals to allow terminations for fatal foetal abnormality cases in Ireland.

Clare Daly's amendment on abortion in the case of fatal foetal abnormalities has been defeated in the Dáíl this afternoon.

A TD and his mother narrowly avoided becoming victims of Ireland’s ambulance crisis after phone calls for help were met with major delays — a year after his wife’s brother died in circumstances where there had been a delay in the arrival of an ambulance.

Aodhán Ó Riordáin tweeted a pictured of his office door this morning, after it was sprayed with curry and vandalised with the words "scum" and "traitors".

Waterford is a safe and welcoming city. It has the lowest rate of recorded crime of any comparably-sized urban centre in the country and does not have a particularly widespread problem of street crime and anti-social behaviour as some commentary around the recent night-time assemblies has suggested.

Leading politicians, local authority chiefs, and a Garda chief superintendent have defended Waterford’s reputation in the light of the recent harassment of residents in the city.

Waterford’s political leaders, local authority chief and most senior Garda have combined in response to recent anti-Roma protests in the city.

A Labour TD has said that anyone concerned about illegal activity in Waterford should contact Gardai - and not take the law into their own hands.

Some of Ireland’s top health professionals have called for a ban on slick advertising campaigns promoting sugar sweetened drinks to children.

Sharon Ní Bheoláin did it and it made the Nine O’Clock News.

Pressure is growing on the Coalition to pave the way for a referendum on whether the constitutional ban on abortion should be lifted or not.

The Irish State is still treating women as "second class citizens" according to a Labour Party TD, who said the restrictive nature of abortion laws passed last year is putting women through "torment".

AFTER the Nazi medical experiments on human beings, the Nuremberg code was drawn up to prevent such barbarity happening again. At its core was that anybody being subjected to medical experiments must give their consent.

The heroic actions of a garda who has saved the lives of two people over the past two weeks have highlighted the need for better water safety in Ireland.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny is facing a backlash from backbenchers after his decision not to promote any female Fine Gael TDs to junior ministerial posts.

People living in Ireland’s worst skin cancer blackspot risk not being immediately checked for signs of the potentially life-threatening condition, because of chronic HSE recruitment problems.

Labour’s new deputy leader Alan Kelly has insisted that he expects a Cabinet seat in next week’s reshuffle.

A former Fine Gael minister has suggested that Ireland’s EU Commissioner nominee should be scrutinised by the Oireachtas so the position is not used as "a political football" between the Coalition.

The Labour leadership candidates will go head-to-head in one final round of debates behind closed doors today in front of the party’s lawyers society ahead of this week’s vote for a new leader.

I’VE decided how I will vote in the Labour leadership elections. All these years a rank-and-file member, and now I have a say in who should lead my party.

Labour’s leadership candidates have clashed on cutting a post-election deal with Sinn Féin, as Joan Burton accused Gerry Adams’s party of still being in a "nexus" with the IRA.

The State’s health watchdog has admitted feeling "slightly hamstrung" in dealing with cases where an elderly nursing home resident is in physical danger.

Former Labour deputy leader Barry Desmond has backed Joan Burton to head the party, while also saying the Coalition needs to survive its full term.

Two people have put themselves forward to be the new leader of the Labour Party.

Joan Burton remains favourite to lead Labour into the next general election as nominations draw to a close.

Alex White has refused to rule out going into government with Sinn Féin, if he is elected Labour leader.

Nominations for the Labour leadership and deputy leadership contests will close at midday today.

The Waterford TD Ciara Conway is set to join three other Munster-based candidates to contest the deputy leadership of the Labour Party, but will not take a ministerial position if elected.

Candidates hoping to secure the top job as leader of the Labour Party have until tomorrow to submit their nominations.

Junior health minister Alex White’s late bid to lead Labour has been weakened after party TDs yesterday indicated their support for Social Protection Minister Joan Burton.

The junior health minister Alex White has confirmed he will run for the leadership of the Labour Party.

Alex White is expected to announce his bid for the leadership of the Labour Party later.

"The senior people get the senior positions. It’s the nature of politics," Labour’s chief whip, Emmet Stagg, mused on RTÉ radio the night of his party leader’s resignation. "The younger generation have to serve their time."

As senior Labour ministers took to the airwaves on Saturday to defend their party’s record and leader, conversations started taking place between its young turks on what to do about Eamon Gilmore.