Four closure orders among measures taken on food outlets last month
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) issued nine enforcement orders on businesses last month.
Four closure orders and five prohibition orders were served in November for breaches of food safety legislation - relating to the FSAI Act, 1998 and the EC (Official Control of Foodstuffs) Regulations, 2010.
Eight of the enforcement orders were issued by environmental health officers in the Health Service Executive (HSE), and one by local authority veterinary inspectors in Mayo County Council.
Can of beer will cost at least €1.95 under new legislation
A can of beer will cost a minimum of €1.95 under new legislation announced today.
Health Minister Leo Varadkar has published laws which set a minimum price for each unit of alcohol.
A bottle of wine will cost around €8.60, while a bottle of beer would cost €1.29.
While a bottle of supermarket own-brand vodka could more than double in price from €13 to €28.
Some 200 Defence Force members deployed to deal with flooding
The Taoiseach Enda Kenny says some 200 members of the Defence Forces are now deployed to eight counties to deal with flooding.
Mr Kenny has also defended delays in delivering relief schemes - such as Bandon in Co Cork - saying legal issues meant "you can't just move in with your bulldozers".
Mr Kenny says there is substantial funding for flood relief works, but they take time to do.
Mick Wallace vows to continue Shannon protests after prison release
The Wexford TD Mick Wallace has been released from prison. The TD had been facing time in prison for non payment of a court fine. Deputy Wallace was arrested in Dublin this morning.
Wallace began his day in the Dáíl chamber but when he visited to Clontarf garda station by appointment at approximately 11.30am he was arrested for non-payment of a €2,000 fine, issued at Ennis District Court for breaching security at Shannon Airport in 2014.
Gardaí then escorted Wallace home to get clothes, after which he was brought to Limerick prison.
Is this the end of minimum card payments in Irish shops?
Consumer rights groups are calling on retailers to pass on the savings made by a government cap on credit and debit card charges to cash strapped consumers in the run-up to Christmas.
From today, the interchange fees banks charge retailers for accepting debit and credit cards will be capped, resulting in savings of more than €36m a year for retailers.
Under the new rules, the maximum fee for domestic debit card transactions is to be set at a weighted average of 0.10% of the transaction value, half the current level.
Meanwhile the maximum for domestic credit card transactions is to be set at 0.30% in line with the Interchange Fee Regulation.
