EVERY MORNING, TheJournal.ie brings you the nine things you need to know as you begin your day
1. #JILL MEAGHER Police in Melbourne have said they had to move the “overwhelming” number of floral tributes to Jill Meagher as they were “obstructing the local area”. Victoria Police said the wreathes, which were left on Sydney road as a tribute to Ms Meagher, had to be removed – but were not destroyed, with all cards being given to her family.
2. #FINANCIAL PRESSURE Homeless charity the Simon Community says that one in three people in Ireland is concerned about losing their home as they struggle to deal with financial difficulties. That is according to the charity’s latest report, which said that it has seen an increase in the number of people turning to its services for support due to the affect of the recession.
3. #HOUSE PRICES House prices are still falling – except in South County Dublin, a report from Daft.ie shows. The Daft.ie House Price Report shows that the average asking price for a house in Ireland now stands at €167,000, which is a drop of more than 3 per cent from the previous quarter. But house prices in south county Dublin rose by 2.8 per cent in the quarter.
4. #CHILD BENEFIT A report compiled by an advisory group to the Social Protection Minister recommends a “two tier” child benefit system, which would involve child benefit payments being cut to about €100 per month. The report was seen by RTÉ’s The Week in Politics programme, and recommends that the universal payment be cut, which along with other moves would see €200 million saved annually.
5. #HEALTH INSURANCE The Government is to bring in a new set of levies on health cover from January, Charlie Weston reports in the Irish Independent today. He says that insurance companies are now warning that the levies – which are part of a formal risk equalisation scheme – could lead to premium increases, with some experts saying a family of two adults and two children could see their insurance hiked by €200.
6. #COMPENSATION Minister for Education, Ruairí Quinn, has written in the Irish Examiner today to criticise religious orders for not paying their share of the child abuse redress package. Minister Quinn says the response from religious congregations to paying the compensation “remains disappointing” and says the taxpayer is shouldering the brunt of the payment costs.
7. #PRIMARY CARE An internal HSE report seen by the Irish Independent ‘confirms’ part of Health Minister Dr James Reilly’s claim about plans for a primary care centre in Balbriggan, Co Dublin, the paper says today. The report shows that a site purchase had been agreed for this specific centre, with a planning application to be lodged by the end of October.
8. #RECYCLING More Irish people are recycling, according to research carried out for Repak Recycling Week. It shows that the average Irish household recycling rate has increased from 58 per cent in 2011 to 65 per cent this year, with an 8 per cent uptake in recycling in work also being seen.
9. #AFGHANISTAN An explosion in eastern Afghanistan has killed three NATO soldiers and their translator, NATO said. The attack occurred this morning and is believed to have been a suicide bombing against a joint Afghan-international patrol in Khost.
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