First-time buyers and young families are to get a grant to renovate vacant properties as part of a scheme to revitalise rural towns and villages.

Fianna Fáil has called on the government to put aside an inter-departmental “turf war” and clarify which department has ultimate responsibility for the National Broadband Plan after recent comments added to confusion over the issue.

Developers will breathe a sigh of relief when EU-designation status to protect the freshwater pearl mussel in Co Cork is lifted.

Rural Affairs Minister Heather Humphreys’ specific role in the delivery of the State’s €275m National Broadband Plan is yet to be determined.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny’s decision to grant responsibility for the roll-out of “rural broadband” to the newly created Department of Regional Development, Rural Affairs, Arts, and the Gaeltacht looks to have created considerable inter-departmental confusion over the delivery of the National Broadband Plan (NBP).

Edinburgh 13  Gloucester 19

Bandon are seeking an unusual Irish cup double this weekend as they descend on Belfield for the women’s Irish Junior Cup and men’s Irish Hockey Trophy finals.

The Government has an “absolute commitment” to providing €12m in funding towards Cork’s new event centre, a spokesperson for Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney said yesterday.

Leicester’s already remote hopes of making the European Champions Cup quarter-finals were finally extinguished as Ulster ended their own disappointing campaign with a 26-7 bonus point win in Belfast.

Scarlets 22 Ulster 13

The Republic of Ireland is the only ‘liberal democracy’ to have as its foundation the brute force of an insurrection carried out by an elitist private army against the will of the people. 

Munster 21 Ulster 20

When Arts Minister Heather Humphreys said she couldn’t say who told her to appoint John McNulty to the board of the Irish Museum of Modern Art as it was a "Fine Gael matter", she revealed the very line of thinking that has landed her Government in the trouble it’s in.

A second person appointed by Arts Minister Heather Humphreys to the board of the Irish Museum of Modern Art (Imma) has links with Fine Gael.

The Taoiseach’s apology doesn’t mean an end to the McNulty controversy, says Political Editor Mary Regan.

IT IS the little things that find you out, as Enda Kenny is now realising with his spectacularly botched attempt to promote someone we have never heard of to a nothing organisation.

Cardiff Blues 9 Ulster 26

Ulster 33 Zebre 13

I nominate the Minister for Arts and Heritage, Heather Humphreys, to undertake the ice-bucket challenge and get a drenching.

THE unresolved issue of protecting a bird prey will land on the desk of the new Arts and Heritage Minister, Heather Humphreys.

1 SELECTION

IT’S nearly two weeks since psychologist Tony Humphreys sparked outraged by saying children on the autism spectrum were shutting down because of an “absence of expressed love” from their parents.

Health Minister James Reilly has described recent comments made by clinical psychologist Dr Tony Humphreys about autism as “utterly outrageous”.

The Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI) has described as “unhelpful and likely to cause upset” comments by clinical psychologist Tony Humphreys that inferred parents of children with autism were to blame for their child’s condition.

I am extremely disappointed with the response of your paper to the calls for a retraction and apology regarding the wildly inaccurate article written by Dr Tony Humphreys (Feelgood).

I was astounded at the controversy which Tony Humphreys has caused by his article on autism (Feelgood, Feb 3).

I am the proud (and loving) parent of a child with autism and the chairperson of Galway Autism Partnership.

More research is needed into autism, not bringing up wrong theories that were popular decades ago, argues Kevin Whelan

The publication of an article on autism in last Friday’s Feelgood supplement in this newspaper by Dr Tony Humphreys has caused an outpouring of hurt, anger and concern among readers, a selection of whose comments are published today.

I have never written to a newspaper before but Mr Humphreys’ article on February 3 entitled ”Core connection” was so horrendously insulting and hurtful that I feel compelled to respond.

Ulster 33 Munster 17

Ulster 24 Scarlets 17

Ulster 16 Clermont-Auvergne 11

Ulster 20 Cardiff Blues 3

Ulster 27 Connacht 16

AN internationally acclaimed artistwho has spent more than a decade painting on an idyllic island retreat has decided to auction his entire studio collection in an effort to beat the recession.

MUNSTER manager Shaun Payne last night described the clubs as the “lifeblood” of the game in the province in the wake of criticism of the provincial set-up by officials at grassroots level.

Ulster 32 Benetton Treviso 13

ULSTER scored 15 points in a four-minute spell midway through the second half to end a run of seven straight defeats at the hands of Cardiff Blues.

Cardiff Blues 15 Ulster 37

ULSTER got their first Magners League win of the season over a Scottish side and in the process took five points to make sure that they will stay ahead of Connacht and earn a Heineken Cup place next season.

Glasgow 25 Ulster 18

ULSTER came out of cold storage to strangle the life out of Edinburgh and take their outside chances of reaching the knockout stages a step further.