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GOOD EVENING

The 5 at 5 5 stories, 5 minutes, 5 o’clock.

EVERY WEEKDAY EVENING, TheJournal.ie brings you up to speed with the five things you should know as you head out the door.

1. #ROSCOMMON: The Psychiatric Nurses Association has dismissed Enda Kenny’s claims that a major staffing crisis at Roscommon County Hospital’s psychiatric unit was caused by staff shortages. The PNA says only one member of staff from the unit is out on sick leave at the moment – and it’s because she’s recovering from a serious assault by a patient two months ago. The Taoiseach had earlier blamed sick leave for an incident where one young mother took her own life in the unit.

2. #COILLTE: The Government has abandoned its plans to proceed with the sale of Coillte’s felling rights – and will instead look to merge the forestry body with Bord na Móna to create a more effective commercial state company in the bio-energy and forestry sectors. The sale of forestry rights from Coillte land had been proposed as a way of helping Ireland escape the EU-IMF bailout.

3. #ABORTION: A Fine Gael TD has become the third member of the parliamentary party to say he won’t vote in favour of the abortion legislation. In an email to his party colleagues, Brian Walsh said he would only remain a member of FG’s Dáil ranks if members were given a free vote on the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill, which begins its passage through the Dáil tomorrow. He says he’s one of ten members who’ll leave FG over the bill.

4. #PIMPS: United Left TD Clare Daly launched a blistering attack on the Government and the media for its coverage of the Obama family’s visit to Ireland, telling the Dáil that Enda Kenny had “showcased us as a nation of pimps – prostituting ourselves in return for a pat on the head”. Enda Kenny described Daly’s claims as “disgraceful”.

5. #GRANTS: SUSI authorities have revealed that 118 people who applied for college grants last year are still awaiting a decision on whether they will receive it – even though the college year has long ended. The students are among almost 70,000 people who applied to SUSI for a grant last year – and are now stuck in limbo, as most colleges won’t give out exam results until a student’s fees have been settled.

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