A major surge is expected in bad loans as many businesses go under and homeowners struggle to pay their mortgage.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said that extra legislation may be needed to strengthen employment and social laws to protect those who have to self-isolate in response to Covid-19.

The vote was thrown into doubt following the death of a candidate.

The northside of Cork City has been neglected by its recent political representatives with one Government TD not even bothering to show up for work, said Labour’s general election candidate for Cork North Central.

Leo Varadkar's running mate in the upcoming General Election also criticised the move.

Veteran Labour TD Brendan Ryan has decided to stand down from the party's General Election ticket in Dublin Fingal, to allow his parliamentary assistant Duncan Smith to stand in his place.

Creches are to be given a financial bailout after the Government bowed to pressure to intervene in the insurance crisis that is threatening childcare providers.

Mary Williams from Tallaght joined other bingo players outside Leinster House to protest against proposed gambling legislation.

His department had previously released figures including the individual payments to barristers acting on its behalf in the Apple case, but stopped after the introduction of new European data rules, known as GDPR.

Locals in Fermoy were left shocked after the only hotel in the town announced its sudden closure over the weekend.

"RTÉ is a national public service broadcaster and not a Dublin public service broadcaster," said TD Jan O'Sullivan.

Detections for possession of drugs for sale or supply locally have increased 14% on last year, rising from 325 to 474, according to the latest local garda crime statistics.

Fianna Fáil’s Declan Breathnach claimed that differentials in VAT and taxes on commodities will drive people to buy cheaper alcohol across the border.

The Dáil's public accounts committee has agreed to take the step after discussions between it, Cork Institute of Technology, the University of Limerick and Waterford Institute of Technology.

The government has been told to adopt radical solutions to tackle the country's rental market or face a worsening of the housing crisis.

Garda commissioner, Drew Harris, and senior officers have been accused of putting road users' lives at risk after it emerged that they are failing to stop nine out of every 10 disqualified drivers from continuing to drive on Irish roads.

Children in Dublin 15 have seen men with guns less than 100 yards from their school gate.

Schools are effectively teaching children that “it's OK to disrespect and discriminate” by continuing to unfairly treat its non-teaching staff, according to one of those workers' unions, Fórsa.

A vermin infestation, broken showers, a leaking roof, and unsecured ceiling fittings are just some of the alleged problems with a Cork sports hall, leading to claims that Coláiste Stiofáin Naofa (CSN) students are being treated like “second-class citizens”.

Former Minister of State for Housing and Planning, Labour TD Jan O’Sullivan says that Rebuilding Ireland is not fit for purpose and she is calling on the Government to admits its housing policy is failing.

The Government has been told to "do the right thing" and engage without preconditions with striking nurses.

Free smear tests announced by the Government during the CervicalCheck crisis are set to cost €10m, the Public Accounts Committee has been told.

Former Labour TD, Michael McNamara told the district court that he was “utterly and completely shocked” when pepper-sprayed by a Garda outside his home in December 2016.

Members of the Scally Review team will return to the US shortly to try and establish how many smear samples were outsourced to laboratories with whom CervicalCheck had no contract.

An Garda Síochána possibly handed over the names of victims and suspects in serious crimes to the Central Statistics Office (CSO), breaching the Data Protection Act, the Dáil has been told.

An ‘utter lack of transparency’ around the funding process was behind the decision of two board members of a perinatal research clinic to quit. It was the only one of seven centres whose bids for funding failed, writes Catherine Shanahan

Update 9.30am The cost of Michael D Higgins’ presidential term is set to be examined by an Oireachtas committee next week - despite being warned doing so may be "unconstitutional".

The cost of Michael D Higgins’ presidential term is set to be examined by an Oireachtas committee next week despite fears that the investigation will damage the integrity of the presidential election.

At least 23 developers put into Nama because of their part in the economic crash are still receiving salaries of €100,000 a year.

At least 57 women are now taking legal action over the cervical cancer tests scandal, after 17 previously unknown cases against hospitals, individual doctors and laboratories were revealed by officials.

The Government has been sharply criticised for breaking a significant promise on online safety for children.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has described as highly unsatisfactory that examination of 3,000 smear tests have not yet begun, despite promises they would be complete more than a month ago.

The HSE’s interim director general denies that officials are trying to delay the Scally cervical cancer tests inquiry by failing to provide searchable records, amid growing fears that the State investigation is being blocked.

Gardaí have used private email accounts to send and receive messages relating to their work, and the force has no record of these correspondences, an Oireachtas committee has heard.

Competing bids by University College Cork was a factor in Cork Institute of Technology paying €300,000 over the asking price for a city centre property.

Department of Health chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan has ignored calls to resign over the cervical cancer tests scandal by controversially claiming he would not be doing his job if he informed ministers of every health crisis.

Thirty five of the country’s top health officials need to be removed from their posts while an inquiry takes place into the smear tests scandal, terminally ill mother Vicky Phelan has said.

Calls have been made for the resignation of HSE director general Tony O’Brien in the wake of the CervicalCheck scandal or for the Taoiseach to remove him.

‘I didn’t look at the legalities... they came to me for practical help’

The independent child protection expert who helped uncover the Cloyne clerical abuse scandal should be asked to help the Oireachtas uncover the full extent of the Scouting Ireland scandal.

An Garda Siochána has just 24 hours to confirm it is tax compliant to the Dáil’s Public Accounts Committee amid an ongoing Revenue examination of its accounts in response to the Garda College financial scandal.