Correspondence Noel Dempsey

8/9/2019 Correspondence Noel Dempsey

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SCANLAN Veronica


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congratulate themselves. Huge swathes of the country have been isolated and literally frozen out."With commuters going back to work and schools back this week, it is vital that something is done now. It'snot good enough for the NRA to annou nce that additional gritting material will be provided ov er the nexttwo weeks. The Government should immediately: Put one body in charge of overseeing the national response;* Conduct an immediate audit of all grit supplies;* Assess the state of all significant roads, both n ational and regional, on an ongoing basis; Plan ahead for the next w eek and month."In the longer term the G overnm ent should ensure that local authorities stoc kpile sufficient quantities of gritto deal with future emerge ncies."It's only January, yet this type of weather could potentially continue until March. Constructive plans need tobe put in place to k eep all road users safe and allow them to go ab out their business. Ab ove all, we need aMinister for Transport who's on top of his job."

K i nd R ega r ds ,S u z a n n e A l tm a nPre ss Off iceEmai l : s u z a n n e a l t m a n @ t r a n s p o r t . i ePhone: (01) 6041190
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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P ige I o f

SCANLAN VeronicaFrom : SCANLAN VeronicaSen t: 07 January 2010 10 04

I f l H H H H i BSu bjec t: FW: Attached statement from Aer Lingus. United Airlines Code ShareAgreem ent - 7thJanuary 2010Impor tance: H igh

A e r L i n g u s G r o u p p i c

ISE: EIL1 LSE : AERLUnited Airlines Code Share Agreement

Dublin, 07 January 2010: Aer Lingus Group pic ("Aer Lingus") today formalized i ts code-share agreementwith United Airlines to jointly operate scheduled service between Washington Dulles and Madrid, Spain. Theservice will launch March 28" and it Is anticipated that additional routes may be made available for saleduring 2010 to commence operation in Summer 2011.Both carriers will equally 3hare the commercial and operational benefits and risk, with Aer Lingus managingthe operational aspects of the new partnership services and United Airlines taking responsibility forman aging revenue generation. The Partnership route structure wiH be sold under both Aer Lingus an dUnited Airlines codes and will leverage both parties' network capabilities.

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Email' -ihe>'t jah an- Jog jl Vy co mbnan tel l ^ogrfvy com

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Victoria Palmer-Moore/Matthew FletcherPowerscourtTel: +44 207 250 1446Email; v ictor [email protected] iMtcher@ppwerscourtmedig).com

Inves tor Re la t ions :Oeclan MurphyAer LingusTel; +353 1 888 2228Email ; investor.relations@aerl lr igus.com

Jonathan NeilanFD K Capital SourceTel: +353 1 863 3883Email; jpnathan.nejlamgjtt.corn

..For low fares and great deals on hotels, car hire and travel insurancevisit http://www.aerlingua.comtt1t*tttftttttirtt*tt*rtit*ttt*ttttttttt


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100X Dubl in-Dundalk101 Dubl in-Drogheda109 Cavan-Dubhn

163 - Dubl in-Donors182 - Drogheda-Ardee! % Droghed3-Togher139 - Dublin-Clogherf 73 - Drogheda Town ServiceKill.j.: . in-Dubhn

1)1 P.! i s l s


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T h u r s d a y 7th January 2 0 1 0Dublin Bus are operating a full service on Thursda y 7th January. How ever there are a number of areaswhere conditions are still poor and curtailments are in place, these are listed below.Last Updated 08:05

Curtailments currently in place;3 - terminating at Viscount Pub, Swords Road7 - from City Centre to Cherrywood only11/a/b - not serving W adelai, terminating at DCU13 - only using main roads, not serving Ikea, Sillogue, Poppintree and Coultry13a - only using main roads, not serving Poppintree, Shangan and Ikea14/a - from City Cen tre to Dundrum only15 - to Spawell Roundabo ut only16/a - not serving S antry/Beaumont terminating at Omni and going to Nutgrove Avenu emstead of Grange Road17a - not serving Clonshau gh18 - From Sandymount to Cherry Orchard Hospital19/a - not serving Tolka E state and terminating at Walkinstown Roundabo ut20b - not serving terminus at Man/field25 - not serving Dodsboro, Lucan25a - from C ity Centre to Penny Hill Pub Outer R ing Road27 - not serving Coolock/Darndale27b - not serving Castletimon and Clonshaugh29a - not serving Raheny and St. Annes31/b - to Howth Station only32/b - not serving Abbey Park37 - not serving Blackhorse A venue38 - not serving Mulhuddart, Ballycoolin and Castleknock using Castlecurragh Road40/a - using Mellowes Road and Fingias Road and termina ting at 17a terminus40d - not serving Blan chards town Corporate Business Park, terminating at shops on mainroad at Tyrellstown Estate.42 - not serving Seabury42b - via Malahide Road to Blunder! Drive not serving Gracefield Road. Harmonstown Roadand fongfegee Road.44 f rom C ity Cen tre to D u n d r u m o n l y44b to B lue C hurch in Ki l ternan only


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151 - to Wa lk instown Roundab out only185 - from Bray to E nniskerry V il lage only

220 - to ladyswell not serving Mulhuddart using Castlecurragh Road238 - using Ballycoolin Road

O r i g i n a l M e s s a g eF r o m : H U M P HR E Y S J i mS e n t : 0 6 J a n u ar y 2 0 1 0 0 9 : 3 5T o : S C A N L A N V e r o n i c a ; F T T ZP A T R IC K S e a m K E A N E Y D o r e e n ; M U R P H Y J o a nS u b j e c t : R e : B u s s e r vi c e s

B u s Eireann Serv ice Update 6th Jan 2010 7.30amThe majority of Bus Eireann services are operating as normal this morning with somedelays.However due to continuing adverse weather and road condit ions, the following servicesare affected:In Leinster, 103 not operating between Ashbourne and Ratoath. Route 111 not servingKildakey and not operating between Granard and Castlepollard. Route 163 Dublin-Donoreis cancelled for the morning. Dublin-Clogher (189) is also cancelled this morning. 166Dundalk-Cavan wil l operate to Carrickmacross only. 175 Monaghan-Cavan 0800 servicewil l not serve Coothil l .In Cork, there are diversions on some services operating from the city to the county.Bus Eireann wil l continue to monitor this situation closely and have advised customers tocontact their local travel off ice for information on individual se rvices or visitwww.buseireann. ie.

DUBLIN BUSWednesday 6 th Janua ry 2010Dublin Bus are operating a full service on W ednesday 6th January. However there are a number ofareas where conditions are still poor and curtailments are in place, these are listed below.Last Updated 08:50Curtailments currently in place;

> - terminating at Viscount fab . Sw ords R oad" - from i t \ Cent re to Che ny wo ud onlyII a. b - not sen mu W jJe lai . terminalit i i i at DC! *! - iwf ser\ mu Ikeaf C - not .--cr. am Shanuan .tikf Ikca1 o . n,,( ^cp mo I oik.i Co,tie
http://www.buseireann.ie/http://www.buseireann.ie/


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15 1 - not serving A dam stown , at Griffeen turning right and going to Superquinn Lucan185 - from Bray to N l 1 not serving Enniskerry and Shop River220 - not serving Ballycoolin Industrial Estate using Ballycoolin Road238 - using BalKcoolm Road


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SCANLAN Veronica

Current actions on weatherBased on responses for a number of local authorities collated by the Office fo r

Carlow Have hired, through their plant hire contractor, these trucks also to treat black spots that would notordinarily be on the grid Have acquired bag salt (which is more expensive than the regular salt) in 20 kg bags and this has been

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SCANLAN Veronica

Comments by Taoiaeach on Savers WeatherThe Taoiaeach and Ministers were briefed thia morning on the reaponae tothe saver weather situation. Th Taoiaeach haa asked the Minister for theEnvironment, Hsritag and Local Government to arrang that hia Departmentwill lead th coordinated respona through the National Emergency Responacommittee.Weather of thia severity and duration haa not been seen since 1963 in manyparta of Ireland. The principal problem ia compacted ice. Significantthaw is not forecast by Met aireann for at laaat 6 or 7 day, and there la ariak of further snowfall in the west today and in the eaat and south fromSunday onwarda.aince th weather deteriorated three weeks ago, local authori tlea haveicbiIifed their t a f f to


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Some local authorities have already made arrangements to make supplies ofgrit availabl e to local communiti es. All local authori ties are being askedto consider the scope for doing this where it is appropriate to localcircumstances and does not compromise the gritting strategy for nationalroads.Local authorities have confirmed that they are utilising the arrangementsset out in their local emerge ncy plan to address emergencie s, hardship andother difficulties being faced by local communities, particularly in ruralareas. Such arrangem ents should include at least a daily reviewmeeting/conference call of senior local authority, Garda and H3B officials.It goes without saying that people should be good neighbours during thiscontinuing poor weather by visiting elderly and other housebound people andensuring that they have adequate food and heating supplies. Motoris tsshould avoid any unnecessary journeys and heed the RSA's advice on drivingin the snow and ice.The Committee also reviewed the impact on sectors other than transport. Itis a matte r for individual Board s of Management to decide wheth er localweather conditions and other factors, such as road access, availability ofschool transport, etc warrant closure of a school in the interests of pupiland teacher health and safety. Local authori ties and the Garda Siochanaare asked to provide advice to Boards when requested to do so.Other services such as health, water supply etc., while affected by severeweath er are coping well. Any local problems will be dealt with through thelocal co-ordination arrangements.The Taoiseach has asked the committee to meet daily until the severeweather abates, to address emerging issues and ensure whole of Governmentsupport for the local emergency response.

Ta Roinn an Taoisigh meaite ar seirbhls phroifisiunta, eifeachtach aguschuirteiseach a sholathar dar gcustaimeiri go leir. Chun arnharc ar anchairt do Chustairaeirl, cliceail arhttp-://www.taoiseach.gov.ie//Irish/index.asp?doclD=l?6 3Is ie haghaidh an duine no an aonain ar seoladh do/di an t-eolas aseachadadh, agus d'fheadadh abhar faoi run agus/no abhar faoi phribhleid abheith istigh leis. Ta cosc ar aon athbhreith nru, athsheac hadadh,scaipeadh taisneise no aon ilsaid eiie den eolas seo ag aon aonain eileseachas an faighteolr beartait he, na aon ghniotnh a thogail i dtuilleamai aneolais seo. Ma fuair tu seo de bharr earraide, teigh i dteagmha il leis anseoltoi r agus series an t-Sbha r 6 do rfomhaire le do thoil. Is e polasaiRoinn an Taoisigh cosc a chur ar abhar maslach a sheoladh, agus mas rud eanpAnan n ru an hhfuij an r-Abha r isfiab leis an reachtaireachr seo

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SCANLAN Veronica

WJI 2/2019

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Yours sincereiy,

Doreen KearevRoads DivisionDepartment of Transport


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SCANLAN VeronicaFrom:S e n t :To;S u b j e c t :

SCANLAN Veron ica07 January 2010 18:44F W : N E C C meet ing 8,01.2010

I m p o r t a n c e : High

2010,01.08 Agendafor Severe W... Ministerfor your informationVeronica7 January 2010

original MessageProm: XILLIAN KaySent: 07 January 2010 18.-38To: ' sean_hoganaenviron. ia ' ' brian_broganaeducat ion. gov. ie ' ;'andy.irvingaagriculture,gov.ia'; '3tephan,ha1lade fence,irlgov.i e';* gerald. f lemingamet. i s 1 , ' j ohn . kennedytaoiseach . gov. ia ' ;'phi 1ip.ha mellat aoiaea ch.gov .ie'; 'fergal_goodmanaheal th.irlgov,ie';ross_hathawayahealth,irlgov.ie'; KEANEY Doreen,- MULLANEY Dominic ; John , tierney-idublincity. ia ' , ' michael. phil 1 ipsadublincity. ie ;' drawoodsa just ice . ie ; FITZPATRICK Sean,- RYAN Caroline,- pmaheranra . ie 'Cc : MANGAN Pat/ ' aokee f f ealgmsb . ie * ; 3CANLAN Veronica,- O'MAHONY TomSubject: NECC meeting 8.01,20X0

Please find attached on behalf of Sean Hogan, DEHLG and Pat Mangan, D.Transport theagenda for next inter-De partme ntal meeting of the severe emergency inter-De partmenta lwhi ch ia taking place on Fri 3/1 at 11,30am in Agric ultu re House .Regards and ThanksKay Killian


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Severe Wt8 January 2010 (5> 11.30 hrsN E C C ,Agr icul ture

& Working

Forecast

4 Extending the Response beyond Nat ional Pr imary Routes?a. Gritting of iced road sb. Foothpathsc. Engaging Comm unity/ Business Sectord. Defence Forces5 Public Informa tion6 Safety Messages7 Recap of Decisions8 A oB


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Roa d condit ions in the east of the country con tinue to be very icy this mo rning. Th e vastmajority of comm uter se rvices in the east of the country into Dublin are currently operatingthis morning with some delays. Local services operating on secondary roads are expectedto be d isrupted.The m ajority of services in the rest of the country are operating with delays in some areas.The following services are cancelled at the moment:D u b l i n - W a t e r f o r d 10.30. The rest o f Dublin-Watefford an d Du blin-R ossla rt services areoperating as normal with some delays.102 A r d c a t h - O u b l i n1 1 8 m e a n - D u b l i n1 6 3 D r o g h e d a / D o n o r e1 3 9 D r o g h e d a / G r a n g e b e l l e w1 9 0 D r o g h e d a / L a y t o w nFhere is a limited service on the 173 Orogheda Town Service {North and South Kfhere ;s disruption and delays to some services -n Cork county Tba 246. 247 248 services


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SCANLAN VeronicaFro m: SCANLAN VeronicaSen t: 08 January 2010 11:54

Subject: FW: 8th Jan update - Driving TestsMinisterfor your information

VeronicaOriginal Message

F r o m ! Noel Brett [mai l to:Noel8ret t@rea. ie lSent! 08 January 2010 08:50Tot MULLEN MauriceCc i sea nfl tzparticksjtransport. ie; SCANLAN Veronica; Declan N aughtonS u b j e c t : F W : 8th Jan update - Driving TestsMaur iceIn case you get any queries we are into our third week of disruption to driving testsPlease f ind attached the update for driving tests today 3 t h January - this wi l l be updated during the day onwww.dr lv lngtest . ie . Thankful ly we instal led new technology In late 2009 and we can no w text customersdirectly. Text messages have been sent to people where tests are defini tely cal led off for tomorrow (i .e. redon the attached spreadsheet).We are deal ing with huge volumes of cal ls but overal l are managing to deal with customer queries.Al l of these cancel led tests wi l l add to the wait ing t ime in the short term. Once the adverse weather clearswe wil l be priori t ising the longest waits and wil l be this back to normal as quickly as possible.Please let me know if you require addit ional information

Regards

Noel Bre t t
mailto:[email protected]://www.drlvlngtest.ie/http://www.drlvlngtest.ie/mailto:[email protected]


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S C A N L A N V e r o n i c aF r o m :Sen t :T o :S u b j e c t :

SCANLAN VeronicaJanuary 2010 18:0$FW: RTE.ie News Update LIVE - Weather 4 transport updates

oa January 2010 17 : 48

I R I S H N E W S1. Warnin g to avoid unnecess ary journeys3. All schools to closs until Thursday3. P3NI officer hurt in car bomb attack4. Man charged in Garda road death case5. Aer Lingua to make cuts at Gatwick base6. St Vinc ent's Hospital hit by vomiting bug7. Robinson financial affairs under scrutinya. Gardai rule out arson in cathedral fire probe9. Number on Live Register up by 3,30010. Waterford Crystal gallery to close

IRELAND'S WEATHER & BUSINESS NEWS

INTERNATIONAL NEWS1, UK firms told to preserve gas supplies2. Portugal MPs approve gay marriageJ. Chr ist mas Day bomb suspect due in court4, Death s enten ces in Burma over document leak5. Israel says no more concessi ons for prisoner

ISI3H NEWS

;.warnin g to avoid unnecessary journeysMoto rist s are again being warned to avoid any unnece ssary journeys because f the cold-a? her. il'.'B Tra vel * Weather updat es hist of :h ;c. cl&s ures AA Road.snch |Dublin Su.-i ; Sus s ire jun | Airports j net I re inn a i i :5 jfaty Auth orir y iti/injiv i i Ph.- -i n . n n ur, J the oruntry - y : ph rt; s ite . e- i j .->I Ivt


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start u sing a mixture of sand and sale to grit roads in a bid to preserv e suppliesthat are running low. The major ity of Bus Birearm services in the east are operatingwith some delays, while some local services operating on secondary roads aredisrupted. The majority of services in Che rest of the country are operating with

delays in a few areas . Dubli n Bus is running a full service today but there arecurta ilmen ts on some routes, Dublin Airport is open but a number of flights havebeen cancelled, AA Roadwatch says there are no major delays or cancellations at Corkor shanno n Airports , Passengers are advised to check relevant website s beforetravel ling. Pedestrians are also being warned to be extra careful as footpaths inmany parts of the countr y remain untreate d. school closures Many schools willremain closed today because of the weather. The Irish Primary Principals' Networkestimates, based on research conducted yesterday, that about 2,500 of the 3,200pri mary schools in the country will be closed again today. That amounts to mors than75% of the total number of schools, IPPN spokesperson Larry Flanagan says this is acons ervat ive estimate. The IPPN says more than half of post-pr imary schools remained open yesterda y. Continuing adverse conditions mean that schoolclosu res could continue into next week. The Dublin Institute of Techno logy said ithas postponed all exams that were due to take place on Monday because of the badweat her. A. spokesp erson for the college said the decision had been made because of

the uncertainty surrounding the availability of public transport and because anincreasing number of students were contacting them expressing concern about theirabil ity to get to exam centres. The rest of the exam schedule is due to proceed asplanned but DIT will review the timetable on Monday. The postponed exams will beresch edule d for a date at the end of current exam sequence. 10,000 students attendDIT colleges around Dublin making it one of the largest third-level institutions inIrelan d, The Irish Blood Transf usion Service has meanwhile warned that it may not beable to continue to meet hospital demand for blood because the weather has hit attendance at blood donation clinics, A number of special clinics will be setup this weekend in a bid to replenish supplies. Operation s Directo r Paddy Bowlersaid that the sustained shortfall in collection has reduced supply to five days of oposit ive and just three days of o negative. Limerick Water supplies Watercollection points have been set up at various points around Limerick city for anyonewhose supply has been affected by the freezing weather conditions. Some propertie sare continuing to experience low water pressure or in some cases a full interruptionto supply. Some service pipes are still frozen and Limerick City council say thecity may have to wait for a rise in temperatures before there is a resumption ofnormal suppl y. In a statement the Council said it was supplying a rotating hydrantstandpipe operator to provide water to people who wish to collect it in containers.It is warn ing that the wat er will still need to be boiled before use as a precauti on. Carlow to request Army assistanc e Carlow county Council isset to formally contact the Defence Forces to get help with transportation. Inaddition to normal salting and gritting with lorries. Director of Services forTransportation with Carlow county Council Dan Mclnerney said the council has acquired'a number of small fertiliser spreader units' to spread salt and grit from the back ofpick-u ps, in some cases 'using unsalted grit on seconda ry roads to preserve stocks ofsalt'. They have mobilise d both the civil defence and the fire service, which arehelping out with four-wheel drive vehicles to provide back-up for ambulance servicesand help to deliver medical attention. Salt shipment Work ers at Foyn.es port havebegu n handlin g a 4,000 tonne salt cargo on board the MV Jumbo chat arrived from TeesPort in the northeast of England overnigh t. The shipment, which arrived at the

shan non E stuary at 3am, was due to be handled at Limerick Port at m

A ' /D i : Trelir.T: ;rit supplies run l.-w .is try tdee^esr o r iyu 3"Uew-; ,;ne ; .; . rt e . : e iv

; - < > i ;?resh snow : i i s In r he - o: r p : , .lynao

p r i v a t e r i : - r s


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http: //dynamic,rte.ie/av/267 3681.smilOne News: Temperatures plummet to -20C in Britainhttp : / /dynamic . rte . ie/av/267cj781, smilOne News; Freezing temperatures affecting rest of Europehttp://dynamic.rte,ie/av/2 67 as a 5.smi1

2,All schools to close until Thurs dayAll national and secondary schools are to remain closed until Thursday 14 January,Mini ster for Educati on Batt O'Keete announced this afternoon . The decision wastaken following a review of the weekend weather forecast at a meeting of theGove rnmen t's Emergency Response Committee , The Minister accepts that the closureswill cause inconvenience but said the safety of student, teachers and parents was moreimportan t. The decisi on comes amid growing fears among school princi pals and boardsof management about the impact of further severe weather on school communities. Itwill be widel y welcome d by them, schools have been telling RT News of strong healthand safety concerns, centred on footpaths and roads in their wider areas. decisionon whether Ireland's 4,ooo schools will remain closed or re-opened later next weekwill be made following a review by the Committee at a meeting on Tuesda y.

3.PSNI officer hurt in car bomb attackDissi dent republican s have been blamed for a car bomb attack in North ern Ireland inwhich a Catholic police officer was critic ally injured. The 33-year-o ld marriedconsta ble was undergoing em ergenc y surgery in hospital after the device detonatedunder his vehicle in Co Antrim as he drove to work early this morning . The Irishspeaki ng o fficer, wh o is a Gaeli c games enthusiast, was on his way to work in westBelfast when the bomb went off at around 6.30am about half a mile from his home inMi 11town Road, near Randalstown . Appealin g for anyone who saw anything suspici ous inthe area last night to come forward, Detective Chief Superintendent Derek Williamsonbran ded the attackers 'faceless cowardly thugs'. 'They skulked under the cover ofdarkness to try and kill or injure this officer, * he said. 'It's too early to knowexactly who was responsible but it's likely to have been dissident republ icans.' Thecar bomb went off just miles from Antrim town, where two Britishsoldiers were murdered outside the Massereene barracks by the Real IRA last March.Putting his current personal prob lems to one side, Northern Ireland First Ministe rPeter Robinson joined Deputy First Minister Martin McGuiness to condemn the attack.Democr atic Unionist Party leader Mr Robinson said: 'This is a cowardly, evil actagains t a man committed to defending the free society we all enjoy. 'I have said inthe past that those who perpetrate such attacks will not succeed in returning NorthernIreland to the dark days of the past. I remain stead fastly co mmitted to upholding thatpromi se. There is only one path forward - that of peace and democra cy.' Sinn Feinrepresentative Mr McGuinness added: 'The man injured today in this attack contributespos iti vel y to the community. 'He is an active member of the Gftft and an Irishspeaker. He serves the community as a mernoer of the P3MI . 'The peopIe who carriedout this attack make no contribution. These actions serve nopurpose and will not further any cause. 'My thoughts are with the injured man andhis family. I oray he makes a full recovery. ' The Taoiseach, 3rd an fnwon. als" hit

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Garda Gary McLough lin last month, Garda MoLough lin died at Lisfannon, Burt, CoDonegal, on 13 Decemb er 2009. Martin McDermott of Castlegrov e, Raphes, Co Donegal,was charged with the offence at Letterke nny District court today. He 'was arrested atthe court this morning by Sgt Martin Egan of Buncrana Garda Station. Sgt Egan toldthe court that Mr McDermott made no reply when charged. He was remanded in custod yto appear at Harristown Court on 16 January.

5, Aer Lingus to make cuts at Gatwick baseAer Lingus has confirmed that it will make cuts at its London Gatwick base as a resultof weak consumer demand for air travel. In a trading up-date, Aer Lingus said itwould cut the number of planes it has at Gatwick from five to three from the end ofMarch. The three planes will continue to operate three existing routes to Dublin,Knock and Malaga as well as a new route to Cork. The airl ine also said that itexpec ts to report a small trading profit - excluding once-off costs - for the secondhalf of 2009. Aer Lingus said this was due to cost cuts and capacity changesimpleme nted during the year, as well as higher than expected average fares. It iscurr entl y negotiating with staff on a restructurin g plan to save 9?m a year Theairline removed some of its long-haul services in September and also cancelled someroutes in Novembe r. It said that demand for air travel will remain weak for thefirst half of 2010.

6.st Vincent's Hospital hit by vomiting bugAn outbreak of Norovirus com monly referred to as 'Winter Vomiting Bug' is currentlyaffec ting 34 patients spread over 10 wards at St Vincent' s Un iversit y Hospital and 27staff members . To help curtail the spread of the virus within the hospital, StVinc ent' s is appealing to the public to attend the Emergenc y Department on ly ifneces sary, not to visit patients unle ss it is absol utely esse ntial, not to enteraffec ted wards, and not to bring children to the hospital. Members of the publicwho have symptoms such as 'upset stomach' should not attend the hospital, but contacttheir GP in the first instance if they have serious concerns. Bill Maher, Directo rof Operation s at St Vince nt's Univ ersity Hospital, stated, 'We are taking allappropriate steps to combat the spread of this infection and these visitingrestrictions are essential for the health and safety of patients, visitors and staff.'The virus appears to be coming in from community and we know from past experienee that without the cooperation of the public this virus can spread very quicklythrough out the hospital, causing disc omfort to patients and further disru ptingservi ces. 'Prospective visito rs should not undertake pote ntial ly futile journeys,part icula rly in these weather c ondition s.'

7.Robinson financial affairs under scrutinyA BBC programme last night made a number of serious allegations about Iris Robinson,the Westminster and Stormont Assembly politician and wife of Northern Ireland FirstMinis ter Peter Robinson. Among the claims was that Mrs Robinson got 650,000 from twoBelfast property developers and crave the money to a then 19-year-old man. Kirk


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arned from Spotlight for the first time some alleged aspects of my wife's affair andher financial a rrangem ents, I will be resolutely defendin g attacks on my character andconte sting any allega tions of wrongd oing, 'To that end, I will be addressing themedia today after I have taken legal advice.* Sinn Fein Deputy First Minister Mart inMcGu inne ss has reacted saying: 'I was shocked at the financial revela tions made inlast night'a Spotlight programm e. 'I have sought an urgent meeting with the FirstMini ster to discuss the implications for the office of the First Minis ter and DeputyFirst Minister,* Speaking on RTfi's Morning Ireland, SDLP leader Mark Dutkan saidthe posi tion of Peter Robinson as First Minister was questionab le. He also believedthat Iris Robinson should resign from her public offices because of the nature of theissues raised in the program me. Ulster Unionist Party leader Reg Empey said It wasclear Iris Robinson's continuing position as an MP, HLA and Council lor was utterly untenable. He said she should resign ail herposi tion s with immediate effect. Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams said that he isvery, very sympathetic to the plight that the Robinson family have found themselvesin'. He -went on to say that there 'may be cons equences ' to the offices of the firstand dep uty minis ters. Speaking on RTfi's Mews At One, Mr Adams said: 'MartinMcGu inne ss has asked a departm ental solicitor for a legal opinion.' Mr Adamsconfirmed that Sinn F4in has temporarily postponed the Ard Comhairle meeting due totake place tomorrow because he said serious matters are on the agenda and the badweather meant that full attendance could not be guaranteed.AUDIO:Morning Ireland: Mark Durkan, SDLP leader, says Iris Robinson should resign from herpublic offices because of the nature of the issues raised in the BBC Spotlightprogramme - http://dynamic.rte.ie/av/267354Q.smilMorni ng Ireland: Fion nuala O'Connor, The Irish Times, says Iris Robinso n is alleged tohave got 50,o0o from two developers to help her young lover purchase a cafehttp://dynamic.rte.ie/av/2678543.srailMorning Ireland: Tomraie Gorman, Northern Editor, reports that Peter Robinson is torespond to allegat ions made in the BBC's Spotlight programm e last nighthttp://dynamic.rte.ie/av/2678563.smilNews At One.- Gerry Adams, President, Sinn Fein, says Peter Robinson's difficultieshave become a distr action from the main issue of policin ghttp://dynamic.rte.ie/av/2678745.smilVIDEO:One Mews: Mich ael Fi sher reports on allegations ma de by a man that Iris Robinson hadan affair with - http://dynamic.rte.le/av/26 78 7 8 3.smilOne News: Tommie Gorman, Northern Editor, reports that NI's First Minister PeterRobin son has said he completely rejects allegations made in a BBC programmehttp://dynamic.rte.ie/av/26786 90.srail

S.Garda! rule out arson in cathedral fire probeGarda1 in Longford say that a forensic examination of the burnt out remains of StMel's Cathedral have now been cornelsted and they are satisfied that there are nos .-:! v l .- - r >o - l :o ii.u t n . . 1 r it - /;- ) " --h -v," ,iy' . :. 1 . t J v ~ i - * * " , o i ' ' . i * - : - ' " -

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Statistics Office show that the number's signing on last month stood at almost 427,000- http://dynamic,rte.ie/av/2673698.smil

lO.Waterfcrd Crystal gallery to closeThe waterfor d Crystal galle ry is to close to the public next month. Worker s at thevisito r centre received letters this morning telling them that their employment wouldcease on 5 Febr uary. Up to 20 work ers at the gall ery were on three - month fixedcontracts and it is now thought that this announcement ends these contracts ahead oftime. It was announ ced earl ier this week chat the manufa cturin g plant at Rilbarry isto be sold.

IRELAND'S WEATHER

Nationwide - TonightVery cold, frost y this evening and tonight with widespread icy surfaces and somefreezing fog.Some hail, sle et and snow at times in parts of the nort hwes t and west this ev ening,w i l l move down the Atlantic seaboard tonight, but should clear later. A few light hailor snow showers are possible on eastern coasts also.Temperat ure lows ranging from -io to 0 Celsius (14 to 32 Fahrenhei t)Nationwide - Tomorrowvery cold and frosty with ice and fog persisting in places. Mo stly dry and bright withsunny spells, but a few hail and snow showers may well push onto parts of the eastcoast at times.Temperatu re highs ranging from -3 to 3 Cel sius (27 to 37 Fahren heit)Business News

On the currency markets, the euro traded at US$1.44, AUS $1.56, 133.14 yen and 90 pencesterling. The ISEQ Index figures at close were 3080.75, up 10.28.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

1.UK firms told to pre ser ve gas suppl iesAs the cold wea the r con tin ues , in Brit ain nea rly 100 firms were told t".o c_ui"n of f t.ii9ir:ias yesterday to help conserve suppl ies, The National Grid, which operates Britain ' s


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Northern Ireland if they are unable to reopen amid the continuing cold spell.Thousands of homes across southern England remain without electricity after fallen trees and heavy snowfall affected power lines. Train routes across manyparts of the country are disrupted by ice and snow, with rail operators First GreatWestern, Northern Rail, Virgin Trains, south West Trains and First Capital Connectamong those announcing delays and cancella tions to services. Eurost ar said it wouldbe running a restricted service today and over the weekend due no the severe weather-conditions, and asked passengers to cancel or postpone their trips where possible.

Major airports such as Heathrow and Gatwick remain open, but delays and cancellationsto flights continue with operators advising passengers to check with their airlinesbefore travelling to the airport.VIDEO:One Mews: Brian O'Conneil, London Editor, reports that temperatures dropped to as lowas -20C in parts of Scotland overnight - http://dynamic.rte.ie/av/2678 78 2.srail

2,Portugal MPs approve gay marriageThe Po rtuguese parliam ent has approved at first reading a bill to legalise gaymarria ge but rejected proposals to allow same-sex couples to adopt. The vote wentmainly on party lines, with the left-wing majority backing the measure proposed byPrime Minister Jose 86-crates and the right-wing opposit ion voting against . It willnow be reviewed in committee before coming back for a final vote in parliam ent. MrSocrates said the aim was to remedy decades of injustice towards gays, recalling thatas recently as 1982 homose xuali ty was a crime in Portugal. Parliament also defeat eda demand backe d by the right for a referendum following a petition which collectedmore than 90,000 signatures.

3.Chri stmas Day bomb suspect due in courtThe Nig eria n man accused of trying to bomb a US airli ner is to make his first courtappearance today as President Barack obama ordered a sweeping overhaul of flawedintellig ence. The arraignm ent in Detroit follows the grand jury indictment of UmarFarouk Abdul mutalla b, 23, on six counts - including attempted murder and trying to usea weapon of mass destructio n aboard a us plane - arising from the botched al-Qaedaplot to blow up Northwe st Airlines Plight 253 with 290 people aboard. Mr obamayesterday declared that 'the buck stops with me' over intelligence shortcomings thatled to the thwarted attack, and he unveiled measures including strengthening US watch-lists and boosting airport screening as part of broad orders to close us securitygaps. Releasing two reports on the Christmas Day bomb attempt, President obama saidspy agencies did not proper ly connect and und ers tan d 1 disparate data that could havedetected the plot as it was planned by an al-Qaeda affiliate in Yemen. He said the investigati ons revealed that US analysts knew MrAbdulmutailab was an extremist and knew al-Qaeda in Yemen was plotting an attack, butcould not connect the two strands of intelligenc e. As critics charged that hisadministration has been too soft on terror and slow to act after the attack, Mr obamasaid the US was 'at war with al-Qaeda' but promised terrorists would not forcem 3 / ;; ri a r r\ ,-p-. r a 1 e i ; rn ea n f~ a 1 i t./ ' T m ! sea > n o r- o ar o r| i n p a s; c j. p . , s h. 1
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and called on other nations to do their part to safeguard their own citizens as wellas us secur ity, Ms Napoli tano promised to speed up the deployment of 300 bodyimaging machines at airports and said the government would aggressively seek todevel op new detec tion technology. More canine security teams will comb airports, andadditional uniformed and undercover detection officers will be deployed, includingmore federal air marshals on planes. Mr ob am a 1s Direct or of National intelligenceDennis Blair said in a letter to employees of the 16 US Intelligence agencies that hewould push for a 'fresh and penetrating look at strengthening both human and tec hnicalperfo rmanc e' in the field. The Central Intelligence Agency said it planned toincrease the number of analysts looking at Yemen and Africa. MrObama has faced a barrage of criticism since the attack. But in his speech, heattem pted to address his critics. 'We are at war against al-Qaeda, a far-reachingnetwork of violence and hatred that attacked us on 3/11, that killed nearly 3,000innocent peop le, and that is plotting to strike us again,

whatever it takes to defeat them,'he said. 'We will do

4.Death sentences in Burma over document leakA court in military-ruled Burma, also known as Myanmar, passed death sentences on twopeople and sentence d another to 15 years in prison for leaking confidential docum ents.The offence concerned pictures and documents relating to overseas trips by senioroffic ials, including one by a junta member to China and North Korea. China is amongMyanmar's few diplomatic allies. According to some reports, North Korea has beenhelping Myanmar devel op nuclear facilities. Northern Yangon District courtsentenced retired Major Win Naing Kyaw and Foreign Ministry clerk Thura Kyaw to deathunder a wide-ranging security law, the Emergency Provision Act, the legal source toldReuters , declining to be identified by name. A civilian named as Byan Sein got 15years in jail for offences under the Electronic Act, and the other two defendants werealso given jail terms under the same law by the court, in a special session insideInsein central Prison in Yangon. This law bans the use of the internet to send material deemed harmful to the country. The leakedphotographs and documents included records of a visit to North Korea and China byGener al Thura Shwe Mann, the third most powerful figure in the regime. Pictures of

Shwe Mann and his entoura ge visiting m ilitary facilities in North Korea and China werepubl ished on websites run by Burmese exiles in the middle of last year. The threedefen dants were arrested in July. The death penalt y is rarely carried out inMyanmar, with sentences normally commuted to life imprisonment.

5.Israel says no more concessi ons for prisonerIsrael will not make any more concessions to Hamas in negotiati ons for the exchange ofhundreds of Palestinian prisoners for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, captured by Gazamilit ants in 2006. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told his negotia tor to makeit clear Israel will not retreat from its position that some of the prisoners Hamaswants freed cannot be released, radio and several newspa pers reported. He alsoinsists some of the prisoners cannot be released In the occupied West Bank as thiswould jeopardise its security, public radio said. 'Netanyahu sent a clear signal to

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To subscribe or unsubscribe from Update please go to the email page on the RTE websiteat http:/I www.rte.ie/ema11s/
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SCANLAN Veronica


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National Emergency Response Committee Meeting8 t h January 2009 - 11,30amAgriculture House, Kildare Street

Attendance - see attached.

The meeting was chaired by Mr, Sean Hogan (Chairman of the Emergency PlanningCommittee), Mr Hogan was assisted by Mr. Pat Mangan, Assistant Secretary,Department of Transport.Minister Gormley attended the meeting.The Chairman emphasised that the Committee had been mandated to coordinate theresponse at national level to the extreme weather situation. As there was no immediateend in sight to the severe weather an inter-agency approach was necessary in order toassist the work at local level in the challenging and deteriorating situation. LocalAuthorities wo uld remain the key players. The re were a number o f issues to beconsidered ranging from salt stocks to clearing footpaths to school closures etc. Hewas proposing to have daily meetings and would be seeking short concise responsesfrom individual agencies and Departments under a 24-hour deadline and in a shortertimeframe in certain cases.Minister Gormley noted the excellent work carried out to date and emphasised thatthe Comm ittee w ould act for C entral Government in supporting the local authoritiesunder the Emergency Framework and in conjunction with the Gardai and the HSE.Key Points arising from meeting:Met Eireann:Mr Gerald Fleming stated that last night was bitterly cold. Casement Aerodromerecorded temperature o f-1 2 C. Toda y's temperatures are - 3C to + 2C,Below ground temperatures to significant depth on roads are exceptional for Irelandand will result m frozen road surfaces even if air temperatures rise a little.Forecast is very cold weather for over the w eekend with significant risk of snow inLeinster and the southern half of the coun try on Sunday. Temperatures are expected toincrease slightly towa rds the end of next week but the wind chill factor will make itappear colder. Accurate forecasts can only be given for one week ahead. Mel Eireannprovides forecasts in line with standa rds agreed at Europ ean level. Met Eireann willprovide note on the European Meteorological organisation.TransfioiliMr Pat Mangan said that local authorities w ere continuing to focus on the arterial roadnetwork (10% of total road network). W here resources permit the\ are extendingco\ erage. However the shortage of salt is a key problem.


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N M iNRA e stima te that 15,000-20 ,000 tonnes of rock salt will be needed ne xt week i.e.approximately 2,500 tonnes required per day across all local authorities.The NRA is involved in contacting embassies abroad to elicit help in securingsupplies of salt. They are also contacting other road authorities. Th e NRA iscontinuing to liaise with the 2 mam suppliers. As fresh su pplies are sourced , there willbe questions co ncerning the distribution of such supplies. It was agreed that thepriority will remain the national and other priority roads.

The NRA discussed the use of other chemical alternatives to salt and said they couldsource 600 tonnes immediately. This was agreed as an exceptional m easure.Use of sea sand on roadsDepartment of Environment marine biologists tested the saline quality of beach sand.A negligible amou nt of salt wa s detected. Therefore the current position in the timeavailable is that beach sa nd is no better that quarry sand. T he benefits assoc iated w ithusing quarry sand are that it can be graded and it its use precludes the necessity forapplying for a fore-shore licence (responsibility for issuing fore-shore licenses iscurrently being transferred from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food tothe Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government).

Use of Gri t :Grit is not an acceptable option to rock salt. It may give some initial traction benefitsassociated with its application (traction benefits are lost when grit com pac ts with new-snowfall). It also gives a false s ense of safety as it is visible to motorists.Two problems associated with grit .ire its capacity to block drains and the impact onroads (after ice melts). Its use should be left to the discretion o f local au thoritieshaving regard to local priorities/expertise etc. NRA will provide note on the usage ofgrit including safety implications.FootpathsDublin C ity Council will spend 4 00,000 to cover overtime for w orkers this eveningand tomorrow clearing the footpaths.De-icing footpaths now is recommended if possible. This will be a m ajor benefit ifsnow falls on Sunday i.e. this will enable snowfall to be simply brushed off.The Comm ittee agreed that an appeal to the public and business to get involved mrelation to tackling footpaths outside hom es and business should be und ertaken.Defence Forces:Fhe Defence Fo rces are currently receiving piecemea l reques ts for assistance. Theyhave a wide range of skill sets but are limited by capacity. They m ay be called uponto assist local a uthorities in the event of a snow fill on Su nday. The pnrna nlvinvolvement wil l be in distribution with a secondary role in transportation i.e. inemergency circumstances.


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ACTION POINTS/DECISIONS All attendees to provide short notes re information supplied to meeting andother relevant data and to respond to queries withm 24 hrs. Met Etreann, NRA and LA reps to engage immediately after meeting toreview impact of snow forecast for Sunday/Mond ay. Priority to continu e to be given to national and other priority routes. Anyextension to other roads or footpaths to be left to the discretion of local

authorities having regard to local expertise and risk assessments. Supply of salt is crucial as it is the most effective metho d of anti-icing and de-icing. NRA to go ahead re purchase of salt alternative identified and to continueefforts to source rock salt. NR A to draft note as to why grit is not a solution to salt and outlining thesafety issues and after event impact on roads and water drains. Adv ice from marine scientists is that amount of salt in beach sand is negligibleand therefore its use is not of any benefit especially as there are adequatesupplies of sand/ grit and beach sand can clog up equipm ent. Also there areconsiderable legal issues where SSIA are concerned. Adverts to be inserted proving public information on key emergency contactdetails in LA's etc/ advice re driver and pedestrian behaviour/ Clothing andfootwear' conserving water (which is an emerging issue), additional bloodclinics etc. Com munity involvement in clearing footpaths to be proposed. Media group to be set and to meet immed iately to agree media strategy. D ET& E and D/A& F to provide information on any em erging foodimportation/distribution issue


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Page 2 of

133 Dublin-Wicklow is operating to Grand Hotel/Monument onlyIn Waterford, 1745 Wa terford-Duncannon will operate to New Ross onlyIn Wexford, the Wexford-Kilmore Quay, and Wexford-Gorey services are cancelled.In Cork, here is disruption a nd delays to some services in Cork county. The followingservices are cancelled at the moment:230 Cork-Ballingeary234 Cork-Stuake246 Cork-Sarsfield Court247 Cork-Glenville248 Cork-Norrie Roche's Cross255 Macroom-KilcrohaneThere are diversions on the 233, 222, 223 and 206 services.In Kerry, the Tralee/Cork service will not operate via Millstreet and Rathmore due to poorroad conditions and will use Ballyvourney/County Bounds Road instead.Services in the Killorglin area remain disrupted in particular on the Tralee to Killorglin RoadIt is hoped that a full service will operate between 10.00 and 16.00 approx.Bus Eireann will continue to monitor this situation closely and we would advise customersto contact their local travel office for information on individual services or visitwww.buseireann.ie.Bus Eireann would l ike to apologise to customers for any inconvenience caused.For information on Dublin Bus services, please visit wwwJyMinbys,ie. For information onrail services, please visit www.irishrail.ie. ENDS

Andrew McLindonM a n a g e r , M e d i a a n d P RB u s f ~ i r e a n r tT e l : 0 1 7 0 3 1 7 5 9 ( d )M o b i l e : 0 8 7 2 8 8 9 6 0 1andrew.nrcl indon@ buseireann.ie
http://www.buseireann.ie/http://www.irishrail.ie/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.irishrail.ie/http://www.buseireann.ie/


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SCANLAN VeronicaF r o m :Sent :To;S ub j ec t :

SCANLAN Veronica09 January 2010 18.14FW: RTE .la News Updat - LIVE - Weather 1 transport updates

09 January 2010 17:50

XRI3H NEWS1. Transport concerns over heavy snowfall2. Body o man found near Dublin Airport3. Decision to close schools welcomed4. Man dies in Kerry house fire5. iris Robinson ousted from DUP6. injured P3NI officer in stable c ondition7. youth arrested after cocaine seizure8. Sinn F4in Cllr resigns from party

IRELAND'3 WEATHBR

INTERNATION AL NEWS1. Two Togo 30ccer delegates killed2. Man plsads not guilty to plane plot3. Three held over Heathrow bomb threati. Germany fences for bilizard as Europe shivers

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Photos from around the country - yourp hotos arte .ie Motorists are again being warne dto exerci se extreme caution and avoid unne cessa ry journeys. Roads areicy across the country as temperat ures dipped to at least -X2C in places. Withsalt supplies running very low, local authorities have began using a mixture of sandand salt to treat roads. The National Roads Auth orit y has said it will beconserv ing stocks of grit over the weekend, to ensure chat main roads can remain opennext week. Met Eireann says the severe weathe r could last for at least anotherweek. Dublin Bus says that subject to weath er and road conditions it will beoperat ing a full service on all corridor s. However, curtailments are in place insome are as, and pass engers are advised to check, the Dublin Bus website for updates.

2.Body of man found near Dublin AirportA man lias been found shot dead in Dublin. The man's body was discove red lying in aditch at Dunbro Lane, at the back of Dublin airport. The discove ry was made ataround 2pm this afterno on. Gardai have launched a murder investigation and the areahas been sealed off pending the arrival of a forensic team from Garda head-quarters.The scene is also being preserved and the state Pathologist's office has been,notif ied. It is believed the victim may be a man who was reported missing from hishome in North Dublin two days ago. The father of two children had survived aprevious attempt on his life.

3.Decision to close schools welcomedThere has been a qualifie d welcome for the decision of Minister for Education BattO'Keeffe to close primary and second-level schools on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday ofnext week. The Irish National Teacher s' Organ isati on said the decisi on was sensiblein the circumstan ces. The Irish Primary Principal s' Network said it welcomed thefact that schools had been given directi on. Howeve r concern has been expressedaround schools where conditions in their area do not present a safety hazard. TheMini ster said he took the decision on health and safety grounds foll owing a meeting ofthe Government's emergency planning group and in the context of a poor weatheroutlo ok. Acknowl edging that there may be some schools that are in a position toopen, the minister said that on balance this was the responsible and prudent approach.It is welcome news for the many school principals who had serious concerns aroundhe a11 h and safety issues but it will prove a headache for many

pare nts. It also raises once again the questio n as to who is actual ly responsiblefor schools. The Minister is not legally the emplo yer in schools, Boards ofManag ement are. There may now be concern in some quarters as to his right to makesuch an order.

4.Man dies in Kerry house fireA man has died in a fire at his home near Tralse , Co Kerry. The fire was discoveredat midday at the house at church Road aiennerville around two miles west of Trales.Neighbours alerted the emergency services after seeing smoke coming from the man'shome. The man, who was in his 60s, lived alone at the house. His body was takento Kerry General Hospital in Tralee where a post-mortem examinati on will be conductedlater.

Ivin Rcbioson ousted from DUP


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sources with the party claim the leader believes his marriage may not even survive,never mind his political career.

6.injure d PSNI officer in stable con ditionA policem an injured by a bomb in Co Antrim yeste rday remains in a stable but criticalcond itio n in hospit al. Dissident republicans are believed to have been responsiblefor the attac k. The 33-year-old had just left his home outside Randalstcwn to startduty in west Belfast when the device exploded under his blue Alfa Romeo car around6.30 am. The constable is a Oaeilgoir and a GAA member. He was taken to Antrimhospital for emergency treatment before being transferred to the Royal Victoria inBelfas t. PSNI chief Constable Matt Baggott said the police man had been brutallytargeted in a cowar dly attack as he left his home to travel to work. In condemningthe attack he said it would not deter the PSNI from providing a first class impartialpolice service. He said the vast majority of people had been horrified. The UlsterCoun cil of the GAA said it was dismaye d to learn of the attack on a member of thePSNI. The off ice r is an activ e membe r of the GAA and the associ atio n extended best wishes to him for a full and speedy recovery. Thecounc il's presid ent, Tom Daly, said it was a matter of huge regret to see a young manwho contr ibut es so posit ivel y to his community attacked in this way. The attack isdetri menta l to the developmen t of a shared future based on mutual respect includingresp ect for life, he said. Mr Daly said the GAA had a long standi ng and pub lic lystated policy of opposition to violence.

7.Youth arrested after cocaine seizureA youth has been arres ted after cocaine with an estima ted street value of BUR60,000was seized. The youth was stopped by gardai on the Chapeli zod Hill Road at 8.3 0pmlast night. A quan tity of cocaine was seized and a further quant ity of the drug wasfound in a follow-up operation at a house.

8,Sinn Fein Cllr resigns from partySinn Pfim Counc illor Killian Forde has resigned from the party. The Dublinchai rpers on of Sinn Fein, Eoin 6 Broin, described the resigna tion as a disappoi ntment,and call ed on him to also resig n his seat to allow the co-op tio n of a new Sinn Feincoun cill or for the Donaghme de ward. Mr Forde is the third Sinn Fein elected memberto Dubli n City Council to resign from the party and to continue as councillor. SinnFSin's representation on the city council has now been cut from seven to fourcouncillors within six months of the last local elections.

IRELAND 1 S WEATHER

Nationwide - Tonightj ice willcontinue to


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1,Two Togo soccer delegates killedTwo members of Togo's national soccer delegation died following an ambush on the teambus as it travelled tO t b 5 A t~ i C an Nations Cup in Angola, and th eir team appeared setto quit the tournam ent. Friday's attack, in which the driver was also killed andseven others were injured, took place in the province of cabinda. It was claimed bythe FLEC, a rebel group that has been fighting for secession sporadically for decades.Togolese officia ls named the dead men as media officer Stanislas Ocloo arid assistantcoach Amalete Abalo, and said reserve goalkeeper Kodjovi Obilale had been evacuated toJohannes burg for medical treatment. Togolese soccer admin istra tors met the players,and Togo's presidency said the federation would decide whether to quit the three-weektournament after returning to the capital Lome . But. Togo ' s c apta in EmmanuelAdebayor, who escaped the attack unharmed, was already flying home, according to hisclub Manche ster City said. The attack, claimed byseparatist rebels, came five months before South Africa hosts the World Cup, thefirst African nation to hold the world's biggest single sport event.

2.Man pleads not guil ty to plane plotA Nigerian accused of trying to blow up a US plane on Christmas Day pleaded not guiltyduring his first court appearanc e amid heightened security. Umar faroukAbdulmutallab, aged 23, spoke softly from the dock Friday to confirm his name, how itwas spelt and his age. His expressi on flat, his eyes averted from the gatheredcrowd, he said he underst ood the six charges against him. His court-app ointedlawyer, Miriam Siefer , entered the plea of not guilty to all six charges, includingattempted murder of 2 90 people on board the plane and trying to use a weapon of massdestru ction. He faces life imprisonment if convicted. 'At this time our client wouldlike to enter a plea of not guilty,' Siefer said, but added 'we have - with ourclient's consent - consented to detention. 1 Abdulmutallab, son of a prominentNigerian banker, was arrested after the botched Al-Qaeda plot, in which explosivesalleg edly stitched into his underwea r failed to detonate ab oard a Northwest flightfrom Amsterdam to Detroit. He was badly burned when the device spar ked a fire.Asked if he had taken any medication in the past 24 hours, he said 'Yes.Painkille rs,' holding his left hip. It was not US intelligenc e that thwarted theattack, but passengers and crew, who tackled and restrained Abdulmutallab before hewas escorted off the plane.

3.Three held over Heathrow bomb threatThree people arrested on a plane at Heathrow Airport last night are being held onsuspicio n of making a bomb threat. Reports said armed officer s boarded the Dubai-bound Emirates flight just before take off, after verbal threats were made and crewmembers alerted the police. Three men, aged 53, 4 8 and 36, were arrested and arebeing questioned. The incident comes amid heightened tension at airports across theworld following rhe unsuccessfu l Christmas Day bombing attempt in Detroit in the US.

4.Germany braces for blizzard as Europe shivers


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airline easyJet cancelled 32 flights, largely to and from London Gatwick and Liverpoolairport s. British Airwa ys cancel led around 60 departur es from London Heathr ow, whilearound 30 incoming flights were scrapp ed. On the roads, the AA motor vehiclebreakd own service said it had dealt with 340,000 breakdowns since 17 December. InFrance, significant snowfalls caused major delays to train services and southern'areasexperienc ed elect ricit y cuts. With more snow forecast, authorities asked airlines to cut a quarter of flights today at Paris*s main Charles deGaulle airport. Mete o France posted weather warnings for 55 of metro polit an France 's94 departments on Saturday, warning snow and Ice may 'cause major transportationdiffic ulties and severel y disrupt activities '. In the southern city of Aries, some15,000 people were left without electricity after power lines collapsed under theweight of snow. Around 30 centim etres fell In some parts of the southeast . InNorway, temperatures hit minus 42 degrees Celsius in the central village of Folldal.In Poland, nine people died in a 48-hour period, bringing the total weather-relateddeaths to 13 9 since the start of November , a police spokesman said. Most of thevictims were homeless peopl e. Meanwhil e Switzerl and's 24.5km Gotthar d Tunnel, partof a strategic trans-European motorway that runs from Germany to Italy, was due toreopen to trucks following heavy snowfall.

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SCANLAN Veronica


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SCANLAN Veronica

Original MessageFromi McLindon Andrew Andr ew.Mc tindo nabus ei rearm .ieTo: McLin don Andrew me delays. Some local service

The maj or ity of ser vice s in the rest of the cou ntr y are ope rat ing with some delays.

Services between Dublin-Limerick are cancelled for the to condit

100X Dunda lk-Dub lin is opeone lane. 1 0 1

rating with delayslin is oper atin g via

t on Mli1 into

restricted it to

190 Laytow n Drogheda service i3 cancelled.

Giv en the snow forecast for today through out the countr y, Bus Bire ann will continu e tononitor this situat ion cl osel y and we would ad vise c usto mers to contact t heir localtrave l office for infor matio n on individual se rvi ces or visit www.biiseirgann.ie.

3u a .ilia inn wou ld lite r. > ipolcj ise ~ o nnr:v~er3 f>r m y in : :nvenisn;:-> 'Vised.

F . r , r n : i.n . o li-ii se r, v : _o* -) , o i i -j o i i: www I , b i i nbu =f . ih t - p : aww . lub I i nbu . >. e > " ' r . n : i -i t i ,,n n r i i i s a t v t a , p 1 ? ie / ; i

.v ww . i n - f h r u l . i => .
http://www.biiseirgann.ie/http://www.biiseirgann.ie/


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SCANLAN Veronica

Original MessageFrom: Mctindon Andrew 1 - 1 .- ; i : - . w i :; .0 _ 1 r . 4 :w : . h ; . . C . -i : .-* r o V . ' < ' : c C i h 1 , ._:>;;


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NDS


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).GILLIAN Kay


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original Message-----From,- McLindon Andrew < Andrew , McLindonabuse i reann . is >Sent': sun Jan 10 17: 42: 21 2010subjec t: Bus Eireann Service Update loth Jan 5.40pm

Subj e t to road and wea the r cond itio ns, the maj ori ty of service s arecurr ent ly operatin g with some delays.

re is dis rup tio n toCork c ity and Cork t

services to

7 3 19.20 18.20 Longf ord-C arlow -Wate rford servic are cancelled.

s re ia also disr upt ion to some services to

Ser vic es from Tral ee to and from Cork, and Trale e to and from Limeric k are cancelledfor the rest of the evening.

In Lime rick , Li mer ick -Du bli n is canc elled for rest of the day. Last service of the dayon Dublin-Limer ick opera ted at 17.30

In the ease, 17.30 Dublin A i rpor t - W ick low irai 17 .3 0 W i :;k lo w - Dub 1 L n Ai rpo rt servi.-esar e * w e a l led.

1 > 7 o - M O O * : tub 1 in 1? i ' ia u:; '"ill i

!>) Ltyt.rvn-Dr; jheli aetvi is n:w x a r K u g


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In Clare, 19,15 Limerick to Kilkee and 19.55 Ennis to Doolin are can celled.

i Eireann will continue to monitor this situati on c losely and we would advise!comers to conta ct the ir local travel offi ce for inform atio n on indiv idual ssvisit www,fauseireann.ie.

nn would like to apologise to customer s for any

'or information on Dublin Bus services, please visit www.dublinbus.i;http://www.dublinbus.ie/> . For information on rail services, pleasH a

MDt

Andrew McLindonManager, Media and PRBus fiireannTel: 01 7 0 3 17 5 9 {d)Mobile: 037 283 9601andrew.mc1indcnbuse i reann.ie


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S C A N L A N V e r o n i c aF ro m :S e n t :To:Cc:S u b j ec t :

MINISTER'S OFFICE06 January 2010 12:46'Mattie,[email protected]'SCANLAN VeronicaRe: Severe Driving Condit ions

Mattie,Thanks for your email.Responsibility for management of the roads rests fairly and squarely with the MRA (whouse the Local Authorities as their agents)for National roads and the Local Authoritiesfor their regional and local roads. It would not be possi ble for a Government Minist erto start deciding what local roads should be gritted. The people best placed to decidethat are the local roads engineers who know the local areas. In cases of specialdiffi culty where peo ple are isolated for period s of time again local people includinglocal public representatives are best placed to bring this to the attention of therelevant loca l author ity personnel for action. We have asked LA > s to be as helpful aspossible in such cases.As I am sure you can appreciat e it is not humanly possib le for L A 1s to grit everyroad.If any County Cou ncil, as distinct from individu al co uncil lors (usually fg lab orother ) has critici sed Govt about this they can be very firmly told that this is one oftheir most basic responsi1ities and they should discharge it fully. As they are now ina new financial year money is not an issue for them.I am asking Veronica to send a more general briefing note.Regards,Noel Dempsey.

Original MessageFrom : Mart in . Lone rgari'JOi reach tas . ie < Mart in, Lonergancsoireachtas . ie >To: ministerwenviron. ie eddie_kiernanenviron . ieCC; MINISTER'S OFFICE; SCANLAN Veronicasent: wed Jan 06 11:43:48 2010Subject: Severe Driving Conditions

Dear Minister's Dempsey and Gormley,

It has now been almost 4 weeks since this extremely cold spell has existed In thisCountry and with Met Eireann forecasting it to continue, it is abso lutel y appallingthat in every County across the Country, there exists, extremely 'Hazardous anddangerous driving conditions!


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Co Tipperary0 52 6129 1550 3 6 3 18 4 3 0?matt ie . rncgratho>oireachtas . iewww .mace i erncg rath , i e

Correspondence Noel Dempsey

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Transcript of Correspondence Noel Dempsey