“I’m advised that we are operating within the law, I believe we are operating within the law.”

The head of the department with primary responsibility for the Public Services Card project has agreed that it would have been “preferable” if a full business case had been prepared for it at its inception.

Social Protection Minister Regina Doherty has been urged to explain why money is being spent on public service card "facial matching software" despite repeated assurances the Government has no plans to use the tool.

The Government’s public service card price tag has surged by another €8m in the past two years, with figures showing the total cost of the project has hit €67.8m

The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection has no legal basis for the imposition of self- employed status on many workers, its Oireachtas committee is expected to hear today.

The controversy over the Public Services Card appears to be unspooling on a public relations basis, rather than a legal one, writes Cianan Brennan.

The Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Regina Doherty, faced calls for her resignation last night as the fallout from the Data Protection Commissioner’s investigation into the Public Services Card continued.

The Dail's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is demanding answers from NUI Maynooth over the decision to write-off a €750,000 loan to a failed subsidiary company.

It is a long time since an Irish Taoiseach - Charlie Haughey – was able to boast about the country’s youthful population, about the fact that half of us were aged under 25.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar’s controversial ‘welfare cheats cheat us all’ campaign was a mistake, the new head of the Department of Social Protection has said.

The head of the Department of Social Protection is emphasising that women who have been subjected to domestic abuse do not have to make attempts to contact their attacker in order to receive the lone parent’s allowance.

The Government’s “welfare cheats cheat us all” campaign ignored the fact the majority of its claimed 2% welfare fraud rate was due to Department of Social Protection errors and not those of recipients.

It’s a photograph that may have been seen by millions over the last 100 years – but how many people other than Pádraig Pearse did they all recognise?

The High Court has ordered that an Irish-registered mining and exploration business be wound up after it failed to repay loans of £18.6m (€26m).

Dublin-headquartered oil and gas company, San Leon Energy has reached agreement to sell the bulk of its Irish assets to Ardilaun Energy — a vehicle controlled by exploration investor, John McKeon — for $3m (€2.2m).

Dublin-headquartered oil and gas company, San Leon Energy has reached agreement to sell the bulk of its Irish assets to Ardilaun Energy — a vehicle controlled by exploration investor, John McKeon — for $3m (€2.2m).

DOWN kept their championship season motoring along at Páirc Esler on Saturday but there was little to suggest the journey through the scenic route will be as rewarding as last year.

Down 1-16 Leitrim 1-08

Leitrim manager Mickey Moran has made five changes in personnel for the Down clash to the team that lost the Connacht semi-final to the Rossies a month ago.

THE Irish-backed investment Niche Group has reached initial agreement to buy a 5% stake in Arar Petrol ve Gaz — one of the leading exploration companies in Turkey.

The 20-year-old son of Roman Abramovich, the billionaire owner of Chelsea Football Club, has followed in his father’s footsteps by taking a multi-million pound stake in a London-listed firm.

Leitrim manager Mickey Moran has made six changes in personnel to his team for Saturday's All-Ireland SFC second round qualifier against Kildare in Newbridge (throw-in 7pm).

Roscommon 1-13 Leitrim 0-11

Donal Shine burst onto the scene in 2006 as a fresh-faced 17-year-old, playing an integral part in the All-Ireland success of the Roscommon minor football team - their first title at that grade since 1951.

Leitrim manager Mickey Moran has handed Wayne McKeon and Ray Mulvey their Championship debuts for Sunday's Connacht SFC semi-final against Roscommon at Dr Hyde Park (throw-in 3.30pm).

Leitrim 2-9 Roscommon 2-13

The Leitrim team was announced last night in advance of the Connacht Senior Football Championship encounter against Galway in Pearse Stadium on Sunday.

CIRCLE OIL, the international oil and gas exploration and development company listed on London’s AIM, has reported a potential oil find in the first well drilled by the group in Tunisia.

Defender John McKeon has been declared fit to start for Leitrim in Sunday's Connacht SFC semi-final against Galway (Pairc Sean Mac Diarmada, throw-in 2pm).

Leitrim head across the Irish Sea this weekend with a near full-strength team for their Connacht SFC opener against London in Ruislipthis Sunday, throw-in 3pm.

IT WAS the jersey of an Irish away strip worn by Farah Swaleh Noor on the day he died that provided the vital clue in helping gardaí to identify the victim whose headless torso and other body parts were found floating in the Royal Canal on March 30 last year.

Louth 3-14 Leitrim 1-11

Sligo have booked their place in the third round of the All-Ireland SFC qualifiers, winning their north-west duel with Leitrim by 1-07 to 0-09.

Connacht manager John O'Mahony has selected a 23-man squad for tomorrow night's floodlit M Donnelly Interprovincial semi-final clash with Leinster at Parnell Park (throw-in 7.35pm).

A garda superintendent drafted in to investigate false expenses claims in the Donegal division today denied vital evidence was covered up in a conspiracy to frame a junior officer.

A garda superintendent drafted in to investigate false expenses claims in the Donegal division today insisted he played no part in a conspiracy to frame a junior officer.

THE final day of Leaving Certificate 2005 began with engineering papers yesterday morning.

EXAM students got stuck into their second maths exams yesterday morning and the general feeling was that Leaving Certificate papers were fairer than those of last Thursday.

THERE were angry reactions from some teachers to yesterday’s higher level Leaving Certificate maths Paper I.

Dublin face Leitrim in the second round of the All-Ireland SFC qualifiers today at Carrick-on-Shannon

ALL-IRELAND champions Tyrone have again replaced goalkeeper John Devine with Pascal McConnell for tomorrow’s Bank of Ireland qualifier with Down at Newry.

Leitrim manager Declan Rowley has rung the changes for Saturday's daunting All-Ireland football qualifier against Dublin in Carrick-on-Shannon.

Roscommon 1-9 Leitrim 0-5

THE examiners who set the papers for the State exams obviously do so much earlier in the year than when the thousands of students receive them.