Fianna Fáil to take over finance portfolio when Varadkar becomes Taoiseach
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the cohesion of the Government depends on parity of esteem, and as agreed, Fianna Fáil will take over the finance portfolio when Tánaiste Leo Varadkar becomes Taoiseach later this year.
When asked what portfolio he will have in the revamped Cabinet, Mr Martin told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland that after the budget the three party leaders would discuss such details.
He said his focus for now was the cost-of-living crisis, but he repeated that “parity of esteem” must be maintained.
When the agreement was reached “we didn’t get into personalities,” he said when asked if Michael McGrath would be the next Minister for Finance.
Under the agreement, if one party has the Taoiseach the other would have the finance portfolio. “That was clear and understood,” Mr Martin said.
Gardaí believe man lay dead for more than five days in Dublin flat
A murder investigation has been launched into the death of a man found in a flat complex in Dublin.
Gardaí believe the body of a man found in a flat complex in Dublin was there for more than five days.
The body was discovered in a flat at Kevin Barry House on Coleraine Street at around 6pm on Monday.
Britain's King and Queen Consort arrive in Belfast
Britain's King Charles III and the Queen Consort have arrived in Belfast – the next leg of their tour of the UK nations – where they will receive a message of condolence from the people of Northern Ireland.
Charles and Camilla left Edinburgh for Northern Ireland after the new British monarch and his siblings staged a vigil around their mother’s coffin on Monday evening at St Giles’ Cathedral.
The couple’s jet touched down at George Best Belfast City Airport, where Britain's new Northern Ireland secretary Chris Heaton-Harris was waiting to greet the king and his wife.
Energy supplier Panda Power leaves Irish market
Energy supplier Panda Power is leaving the Irish market in the face of soaring wholesale gas and electricity prices.
The supplier has around 50,000 electricity customers and 10,000 gas customers in the Republic.
Panda is the largest Irish-based energy supplier to collapse as a result of the current crisis.
The firm is now the fourth supplier to exit the Irish market in the space of a few months following Iberdrola, Glowpower and Bright Energy.
The news comes at a time of huge volatility on energy markets, with gas and electricity prices close to record highs.
Car traffic volumes in Dublin close to pre-pandemic levels
Car traffic volumes at the end of August in Dublin were close to pre-pandemic levels. This is according to the latest figures released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
CSO figures show car volumes were just 3 per cent lower than the same week in 2019. While public transport journeys remained below pre-Covid levels.
For regional traffic, a similar pattern occurred, with the value for week 34 being 6 per cent lower than the same week in 2019.
The figures show that 13 people lost their lives on Irish roads last month, compared with 22 in the same month last year.
