Good morning. Here’s everything you need to know before you start your day.

Against the wider trend, Longford-Westmeath is one area where the Government stronghold is likely to remain.

There must be a general election in the air…..as TDs’ attendance for votes in the Dáil has dropped significantly in recent months.

Unions and representative bodies have been called upon to disclose the salaries of senior staff.

Politicians have called on the World Health Organisation (WHO) to appear before an Oireachtas committee to answer questions on a report linking cancer to processed meats.

A Fine Gael TD has warned against a plan to “export” or rehouse homeless Dubliners in rural areas and claims they will bring criminal behaviour to the Midlands.

A Fine Gael TD has paid tribute to his “exceptional secretary and loyal friend” who died in a road crash in Co Longford.

Fine Gael Longford/Westmeath TD James Bannon said the woman killed in a road accident today was his secretary Bernie Kelly.

Government TD James Bannon has accused the Ceann Comhairle of "losing his cool" over his running of the Dáil.

The elderly may be granted a special security allowance to pay for telephone costs linked to panic alarms following concerns raised about cuts in the budget.

The Government is making last-minute changes to the abortion legislation emphasising the need to protect the unborn in an attempt to keep dissident Fine Gael TDs onside.

Another Fine Gael TD has said he cannot give a firm commitment on the Protection of Life during Pregnancy Bill.

Fine Gael is learning the political price of tackling the abortion issue, writes Political Correspondent Mary Regan.

The initial debate on the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill gave a good indication of just how big a revolt the Taoiseach faces over the issue.

Around 200 pro-life protesters jeered and heckled Taoiseach Enda Kenny as he unveiled a statue in Longford yesterday.

All TDs have been warned about accepting “sponsored” travel and accommodation after concerns were raised about several Oireachtas members who visited the US recently as guests of a pro-life group.

Finance Minister Michael Noonan has taken a swipe at TDs who he said have holiday homes in Spain and France but are opposing property tax here.

IT was a dreary evening in 1983 when a woman knocked on the door of a Labour activist in a Dublin housing estate and asked him to drive her to the polling station.

A Fine Gael backbencher is demanding a referendum on abortion.

Michael McNamara, Labour, Clare: “I do hope that Fine Gael support this [X case legislation] as it is in the Programme for Government.

A Fine Gael minister has backed proposals by the Church to lobby politicians over abortion, further widening the gulf between the coalition parties on the contentious issue.

IN 1992, a Fianna Fáil senator and chairman of the Pro-Life Trust, reacting angrily to the X case judgment, thundered: “It is wholly unacceptable, and a deep affront to the people of Ireland, that four judges who are preserved by the Constitution from accountability can radically alter the Constitution and place in peril the most vulnerable section of our society.”

Government TDs have urged Defence Minister Alan Shatter to revisit the decision to disband the army’s Western Brigade.

JOBS Minister Richard Bruton is coming under pressure from TDs within his own party to force the Industrial Development Authority (IDA) to tackle unemployment in counties with some of the highest rates of joblessness in the country.

Independent candidate Seán Gallagher's poor showing in the polls is widely being blamed on his performance during a TV debate last Monday night.

BORD na Móna has warned that approval for the development of a massive man-made reservoir in the midlands to store water drained from the Shannon is essential to guarantee future water supplies for the greater Dublin area.

With all bar four of the 43 constituencies in the General Election finished counting, the country’s political scene has undergone a sea change.

Former Minister for Tourism Mary Hanafin has failed to retain her seat in Dun Laoghaire. Richard Boyd Barrett won the seat, bringing the haul of seats for Independents and others to 17.

The election of Fine Gael's Mary Mitchell O'Connor in Dun Laoghaire brings to 141 the total number of seats filled so far (from a total of 166).

James Bannon of Fine Gael has won a seat in Longford-Westmeath after the sixth count this morning.

BOTH sides in the Fine Gael street fight promised they would deliver the decisive blow throughout yesterday.

ANYONE seeking proof of Ireland’s record as the most indebted country in Europe should probably avoid Punchestown.

HARD times on farms have left agricultural students out of pocket.

ENVIRONMENT Minister John Gormley has not ruled out an independent inquiry into the response to the torrential flooding and severe weather conditions that crippled the country in recent months.

PATIENTS at a Midlands hospital are still being sent appointments to see a consultant who no longer works there.

FINE GAEL has rebuffed criticism by former party leader Alan Dukes over its plans for a “good bank”, calling his opinion “nonsense”.