GOOD MORNING.
Here’s all the news that you need to know as you start your day.
1. This morning Órla Ryan reports that Dublin’s homeless authority is to seek greater regulation of organisations providing services for homeless people in the capital as soon as possible in the wake of the Inner City Helping Homeless (ICHH) controversy, according to Dublin City Council’s deputy chief executive.
Brendan Kenny, who has responsibility for the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive (DRHE) in his role, said that due to the high number of informal homeless organisations set up in recent years there is “currently no vetting, no controls, on many people who are actually interacting directly with homeless people”.
Kenny said he doesn’t want “over-regulation” to lead to certain groups disbanding but added: “At the moment there’s nothing and that’s not good enough.”
2. Gardaí will take no further action in response to a St Patrick’s week party that took place at a Co Kildare castle owned by pandemic campaigner Dolores Cahill.
This website reported earlier this year that gardaí had launched a probe into an event at Athy’s White Castle alleged to have taken place on the evening of Tuesday 16 March, going on into the early hours of St Patrick’s Day.
At the time of the party, Ireland was at Level 5 of Covid restrictions and there were strict guidelines around indoor gatherings.
3. A police officer who strangled Sarah Everard with his police belt after kidnapping her under the guise of a fake arrest for breaking lockdown rules is facing a whole life sentence.
Wayne Couzens (48) used his Metropolitan Police-issue warrant card and handcuffs to snatch Ms Everard as she walked home from a friend’s house in Clapham, south London, on the evening of 3 March.
4. The pop singer’s father has been removed from his controversial role as his daughter’s guardian by a Los Angeles judge, ending a long and bitter legal battle.
Jamie Spears was suspended with immediate effect and replaced with a temporary conservator “in the best interests” of the singer, said Judge Brenda Penny, calling the present arrangement “untenable.”
“Mr Spears is ordered to turn over all the conservatorship assets,” said Penny.
Spears’ father has controlled her life for the past 13 years, under a legal arrangement the 39-year-old US singer has slammed as “abusive.”
5. A Status Yellow rainfall warning for Galway, Mayo and Donegal will remain in place until 9pm tonight.
The warning kicked in at 9pm yesterday with Met Éireann forecasting a cloudy day ahead with scattered showers and more persistent rain at times in the west and northwest.
Although there will be some bright and dry spells today mainly in the east and south, rain will turn heavy in Atlantic coastal counties this evening, extending eastwards, with some heavy falls in Connacht and west Ulster.
Highest temperatures will range between 13 to 16 degrees with moderate to fresh southwesterly winds, strong at times in coastal areas.
6. The pharmaceutical company has settled its €1.6 billion tax bill with the Revenue Commissioners for under €300 million.
The Irish-registered firm — formerly known as Elan before it was acquired by Perrigo in 2013 — was hit with the revised tax assessment by the Revenue in 2018 over alleged underpayment of tax relating to a transaction with rival pharma company Biogen.
The revised assessment related to Perrigo’s tax treatment of income generated by the sale of its intellectual property rights to a multiple sclerosis drug called Tysabri.
7. Gerard ‘The Monk’ Hutch has appeared before an out-of-hours sitting of the non-jury Special Criminal Court tonight charged with the murder of Kinahan gang member David Byrne at the Regency Hotel in 2016.
Defence counsel for Hutch, Brendan Grehan SC, told the three-judge that he was reserving his client’s position in relation to the lawfulness of his arrest, the charge brought against him and in respect of the jurisdiction of the court.
A date was also set at the Special Criminal Court this evening for the trial of Hutch.
8. The Government’s bonus payment for frontline workers will not be announced as part of the Budget in October, Taoiseach Micheál Martin has confirmed.
Speaking to reporters in Dublin, he said details of the bonus and who will get it “won’t be one for the Budget”, adding it is “not a Budget day issue”.
Public Expenditure Minister Michael McGrath and Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe have been working on the bonus measure, which will take the form of annual leave and in some cases a monetary payment.
9. Mica-affected homeowners will protest outside Leinster House again today calling for 100% redress.
Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien last night met with homeowners to update them on Government proposals.
Campaigners are seeking 100% redress for damage to their homes which was caused by the use of mineral mica in concrete building blocks.
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