Highlights from Newstalk Breakfast

The National Women’s Council are today launching their campaign urging the public to Yes and Yes in the upcoming referendum. Speaking to Ciara this morning was Catherine Day was Chair of Citizen’s Assembly on Gender Equality.  

Walking the Walk is a charity event which will take place on the 20th & 21st of April 2024.  Andrew McGinley father of his children Darragh, Conor and Carla told us about this event to honour the legacy of his late children.

The HSE recruitment ban may lead to longer queues, demoralised staff and public money wastage – an internal draft document has warned  Speaking to Shane this morning was Mick Molloy, Member of the IMO Consultant Committee. 

More than 90,000 animals were used for testing in Irish laboratories in 2022. That’s according to the latest figures from the Health Products Regulatory Authority. We spoke to Dr Dan Lyons Policy Consultant at the Irish Anti-Vivisection Society.

Shops and pharmacies must accept notes and coins under new ‘access to cash’ laws approved by cabinet yesterday. We details these new laws with Michael McGrath, Minster for Finance. 

Screen Ireland is launching its 2024 Slate of over 40 Film, TV Drama, Documentary and Animation Projects today!  Louise Ryan, Screen Ireland Spokesperson told Newstalk Breakfast what can we expect.

Around 29,000 homes and businesses are without electricity because of storm damage.  We get the latest on the situation with  Alan O'Reilly of Carlow Weather and also   Brian Tapley is a senior engineer with the ESB.

Donald Trump won the key New Hampshire primary, moving him ever closer to locking in the Republican presidential nomination. We got statside to get the latest from  David Smith, Washington Bureau Chief of The Guardian.

Should a ‘junk food tax’ be introduced to tackle Ireland obesity crisis?  We discuss this with Cormac Lucey, Economics Columnist with Sunday times Ireland. 

The Doomsday Clock which is to be updated for 2024 today .But is it the end the world?  We hear from SJ Beard, Senior research Associate at the Centre for the study of Existential Risk.   

The government should issue a public statement in support of South Africa’s case at the International Court of Justice against Israel. That’s the call this morning from Caoimhe De Barra, Trócaire CEO who told us why on Newstalk Breakfast.

Hurlers on the ditch are clueless, moving Dublin port for housing is nonsensical, those are the words from ex-Dublin Port chief Eamon O’Reilly. Alan Robinson, CEO of Dockland Business forum, gave his reaction to Eamonn’s comments to Newstalk Breakfast.

The new Access to Cash laws will see grocery shops and pharmacies forced to accept cash as part of new plans to keep physical money in the economy  Speaking to Ciara this morning was Michael Healy Rae, Independent TD for County Kerry.  

All Things Considered: Doomsday clock strikes Ciara and discuss discuss.

More than 80% of people want an end to social media companies building up dossiers about their users. So finds a new survey from the Irish Council for Civil Liberties. Speaking to Shane this morning was Dr Johnny Ryan is a Senior Fellow with the ICCL.

The number of vacant properties is down but how do we keep the momentum going? The number of vacant and derelict properties is continuing to drop across the country,  according to a new report by GeoDirectory. Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast was Marian Finnegan, Managing Director of Sherry Fitzgerald. 

Storm Jocelyn is set to cause yet more chaos in the country when it hits later this evening. We askJoanna Donnelly  Meteorologist with Met Eireann how bad is it going to be?  

The number of dogs being surrendered is on the rise, as the cost-of-living is forcing pet owners to make some tough decisions. Those working in animal rescue are appealing to people to think long and hard before purchasing a pet and to always adopt, instead of buying. Our reporter, Josh Crosbie has been meeting with those caring for animals to hear how inflation is affecting pet-owners:

Many of us are counting down the days until the first pay-cheque of the year, and if you’re in the same boat - some good news! Rather than charging fees for streaming services, audiobooks or e-learning - there’s an outlet that offers all of this and more for free!   Newstalk’s Technology Correspondent, Jess Kelly brings us all the details.

Ian Bailey, who became the chief suspect for the 1996 murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier, died suddenly yesterday in west County Cork.  Speaking to Shane this morning was Nick Foster is a Journalist and author of ‘Murder at Roaringwater’ and also Frank Buttimer who was Ian Bailey’s solicitor.

The Taoiseach was wrong to claim the rules are enforced in our immigration system.  So says Michael McNamara, Independent TD for Clare who spoke to Newstalk Breakfast this morning.

Clean-up efforts are to get underway this morning after Storm Isha swept through the country.  We spoke to Keith Leonard is Director of fire and emergency management at the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government.   What can we expect in terms of flights? We heard from Graeme McQueen, Media relations Manager with the DAA with an update.  

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has suspended his campaign for President, as the race for the Republican nomination looks set for an early conclusion.   David Smith, Washington Bureau Chief of The Guardian brought us the latest on this.

Householders are urged to make ‘recycling of household electrical waste’ a new year’s resolution under a new awareness campaign launched today by the government.   Speaking to Ciara this morning was Ossian Smyth, Minister of State with responsibility for Public Procurement, eGovernment and Circular Economy.

Clean-up efforts are to get underway this morning after Storm Isha swept through the country.  We spoke to Alan O'Reilly of Carlow Weather and ask how severe were yesterday’s winds?   Also for an update on the power outages across the country was Brian Tapley is a Regional Manager, ESB Network .