Soaring house costs that push people further away from their places of work due to unaffordable property prices are causing a form of “involuntary social engineering”, according to a brokers’ body.

FULL details emerged yesterday of the sequence of events that led to the suspension of breast radiography services in Portlaoise last August and the placing of a consultant radiologist on administrative leave.

The numbers signing on increased from 156,300 in June to 158,900 in July, an increase of 2,600.