A Sinn Féin TD who is one of nine not to have made an expected contribution to the party over the past three years says that how a TD spends their money is “their own business”.

Party stipulates that Oireachtas members donate €2,500 of salary.

Michelle O’Neill has survived a challenge to her position as the vice president of Sinn Féin, after she was re-elected following a ballot of party members.

The Chair of Tusla has said the organisation will “have to examine” the case of a whistleblower who was left without income after he was led to believe he was on unpaid leave.

Potential whistleblowers will be “alarmed” at the treatment of a Tusla employee who made a protected disclosure, a TD has warned.

Ireland’s child protection watchdog can give no “cast iron guarantee” the RTÉ creche scandal is not being repeated in other services after it emerged 37 other creches are on a high-risk safety register.

President Michael D Higgins was among the mourners at the funeral Mass for former Ceann Comhairle and 46-year veteran of the Dáil Seamus Pattison who was buried in his native Kilkenny this afternoon.

Calls have been made for the establishment of a €20m, ring-fenced fund to abolish school voluntary contributions.

Some of the staff involved in the care of the intellectually disabled woman known as Grace are still employed by the Child and Family Agency, Tusla, it has emerged.

The impact of Brexit is to be debated by Irish and British politicians at a meeting next week.

John McGuinness has been nominated as chairman of the Finance Committee after being passed over for a position on Fianna Fáil’s front bench. The Kilkenny TD who was not selected as a party spokesman by leader Micheál Martin is now set to chair one of the most high-profile Oireachtas Committees.

Sinn Féin TD Kathleen Funchion last week gave a character reference in court to a man who was convicted for assaulting a Garda and behaving in an abusive and threatening manner, the Irish Examiner can reveal.

Department of Social Protection officials came under fire when they told a Dáil committee community welfare officers are helping thousands of distressed tenants by providing rent advances and help with deposits.

It was a mad dash from the count centre to the dance floor and back again for new TD Kathleen Funchion.

Fianna Fáil were trounced here in 2011, their vote slumping from 47.7% to 28.1%.

Sinn Féin and Renua Ireland have both insisted they are in pole position to claim the fifth seat in the general election after positive showings in the Carlow Kilkenny byelection.

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin has finally won a by-election at the seventh time of asking in a badly needed victory that has relieved pressure on his leadership position.

Selecting the right candidates for the general election is a big problem, writes Gary Murphy

Fianna Fáil’s Bobby Aylward is the country’s newest TD after winning the seat in the Carlow Kilkenny by-election.

Fianna Fáil may not be far enough ahead on first preference votes to see off a transfer-based challenge from other parties in the Carlow-Kilkenny by-election.

The first tallies from the Carlow-Kilkenny by-election are starting to roll in.

Counting is well underway in the by-election in Carlow-Kilkenny.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has predicted that the Carlow- Kilkenny byelection will be decided on transfers.

“I’m not really sure where he’s canvassing, but he’s certainly not canvassing in Carlow-Kilkenny if that’s the response. Water is definitely coming up, and it’s crazy for him to say it isn’t,” said Sinn Féin candidate Kathleen Funchion yesterday.

Officially, Friday’s Carlow/Kilkenny byelection is all about replacing former Fine Gael TD Phil Hogan, who was ‘promoted’ to Europe after the Irish Water debacle.

Comments made by Finance Minister Michael Noonan about people on the dole has provoked a backlash from social and unemployment groups and opposition parties.

Renua Ireland’s first attempt at winning a Dáil seat has already been hit by controversy, after it was claimed the party’s newest candidate considered joining Sinn Féin just weeks ago.

Former IFA President John Bryan has confirmed he will seek a Fine Gael nomination to run in the Dáil by-election in Carlow/Kikenny.

The 24-hour picket mounted by opponents of the controversial new bridge in Kilkenny is likely to end today although there is now speculation a legal challenge will be taken against the project.

The son of the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, Deputy John McGuinness looks set to top the poll in his electoral area.

Sinn Féin delegates lined up to attack the Coalition and claimed there had been no political reform as promised and cronyism was alive and kicking.

More than 10,000 people have taken part in a march in Waterford protesting against health cuts.

No candidate has been elected in Carlow-Kilkenny after the latest count.

Fine Gael's John Paul Phelan tops the poll in Carlow Kilkenny with 10,929 votes but has not reached the quota of 12,291.