'Cynical' confidence vote
The Taoiseach has said he is “confident” the Government will win a confidence vote in the Dáil on Tuesday.
Micheál Martin branded the vote a “cynical exercise” by Sinn Féin, and said the Irish people did not want a general election.
Asked if he was confident the Government would win the confidence vote, Mr Martin said he believed the majority of TDs wanted to deal “constructively” with the challenges facing the nation.
Lisa Thompson murder
Gardaí have arrested a man and a woman, both aged in their 30s, in connection with the murder of Lisa Thompson.
The arrests took place on Monday and both the man and woman are now detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984, at separate Dublin Garda stations.
Ms Thompson’s body was discovered on May 10th of this year at her home in Sandyhill Gardens, Ballymun, Dublin 11.
Hottest day of the year
Today has been the warmest day of the year so far.
A temperature of 27.4 degrees was recorded at Phoenix Park in Dublin this afternoon.
The latest forecast suggests there will be a divide in the weather for the rest of this week. Connacht and Ulster are due temperatures of 18 to 20 degrees, whereas highs in the south and east could reach 25 degrees.
Covid patients
The number of patients in hospital with Covid-19 has increased to the highest level since April as Ireland finds itself in another wave of infections.
On Monday morning, data from the HSE showed there were 1,055 people in hospital with the virus, up from 987 on Sunday.
The last time Covid hospitalisations were over the 1,000-mark was on April 12th, when there were 1,004 people in hospital with the virus.
Back-to-school payment
Tens of thousands of households across the country will be able to receive a one-off back-to-school payment from today.
Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys confirmed the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance (BSCFA) will be paid to 124,000 families from Monday morning.
With recent cost-of-living increases, an extra €100 payment, announced last week and originally scheduled for August, has also been brought forward. This payment will be available from next Monday, July 18th.
