The Department of Public Expenditure rebuffed two requests for higher salaries for incoming staff

Children's minister says cutting costs for parents is not the only focus, and he is also seeking to increase capacity by bringing childminders into the national childcare scheme

Equality Minister Roderic O’Gorman said: 'Domestic violence leave gives a victim of domestic violence the chance to access support without impacting on their employment and income'

Norah Casey said: 'Not all women suffer debilitating menopausal symptoms, but those that do are often not receiving the support they require to remain in their jobs'

Like many of the now-elderly former residents of the home, Chrissie hopes the promised excavation of the site will allow her to discover her son’s final resting place and give her closure

Here are some of my recent diary entries.  One: RTÉ spent nearly €5,000 on party flip-flops. Two: The minimum payment for women who spent time in mother and baby ‘homes’ is €5,000.

Now it is time to enact robust legislation to transform the food market and the health and wellbeing of all citizens — particularly children, writes Dr Catherine Conlon

This week, the Minister for Children advertised for people to serve on the Advisory Board of Authorised Intervention, Tuam.

Roderic O’Gorman made the announcement in an email to some of the families of the 796 Tuam babies as well as survivors on Tuesday night

Higher Education Minister Simon Harris "is of the firm view all student accommodation is required" for students.

At least 941 men were convicted of homosexual acts prior to decriminalisation in 1994

Hotel capacity is limited, with the State finalising contracts to secure an extra 1,500 beds. Some 6,418 beds have been procured so far this year to shelter refugees

O’Gorman has said he believes 'preconceptions' about asylum seekers will fall away once those seeking shelter are integrated into the Clare community

Kildare County Council last week gave the developer six months to cease the “unauthorised” conversion of the residence to a multi-occupancy building and to restore it to its former guise

More than 30 asylum seekers are being housed on the site of Magowna House Hotel

As Clare blockade enters third day, minister fears protests will escalate

The tension comes as protestors in Clare prepare for a third day of barricading a hotel accommodating refugees

The Government is considering sheltering refugees by procuring barges which can offer “floating accommodation”.

International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) centres 'are operating at full capacity across the accommodation system'

Cabinet expects to hear of an EU-wide approach as it considers how accommodating refugees in hotels affects tourism providers

The Government is to ramp up the use of retrofitted office buildings to shelter Ukrainians and asylum seekers, as a number of hotels have decided not to renew their contract.

The second deadline of Easter will now pass after the 'rapid-build' schemes to shelter Ukrainian refugees were dogged by delays and local opposition

A total of 1,228 beds will be lost from the system due to hotels deciding not to renew contracts

The Tuam site is due to be excavated later this year, though, no definite date has been given for work to commence

Leo Varadkar and Roderic O’Gorman will publish the plan which aims to systemically deal with the issue of racism in Ireland

Cork is to get its own centre to support children who have experienced sexual abuse, under plans announced by Tusla.

The Taoiseach said it was factually incorrect for people to say the Government was doing more to house refugees than Irish citizens

School curriculum

Women’s Aid is now questioning the 'mean-spirited restriction on pay'

Women’s Aid has said it disagrees with the proposed legislation due to financial hardship, safety, and privacy concerns

A woman whose sister is believed to be buried in a mass grave in Tuam has hit out at the government’s progress report for survivors of the mother and baby homes, describing it as a “travelling circus”.

Fears backlog of payments will result in hoteliers deciding to not renew their contracts with the State to accommodate Ukrainian refugees

ESRI research suggests children living in unheated or damp housing have worse health and developmental outcomes than those in better-quality homes

Residents of centre, located in south, in a letter to Integration Minister Roderic O'Gorman, also complained of administrator and chef being drunk during working hours

Finance ministers Michael McGrath and Paschal Donohoe will meet on Thursday to discuss which benefits are to be scaled back

As the Dáil grows and the world around us changes, it is reasonable to ask if the bare 15 is really sustainable

The sheer sense of injustice provoked by the proposed exclusion of many survivors from the scheme shows that the Irish State continues to betray women to this day

Far-right extremism is threatening to diminish the lessons learned from the Holocaust, with racism and antisemitism on the increase.

Department of Health official, Siobhan Hargis, said that waiting lists for Assessment of Need (AON) tests for children with disabilities had increased

Immigrant Council of Ireland CEO says asylum seekers are being left to deal with ‘hate-mongering, disinformation, and outright lies’

Leo Varadkar's 'land grab' of key issues has ruffled feathers but some — notably including a Fianna Fáil minister — say his involvement could help them get crucial reforms over the line

Climate change migration

Childcare, along with housing and health, is one of the main pillar problems facing Leo Varadkar’s Government. For years, the privately-run sector has flirted with oblivion in Ireland, with no one being well served by what’s in place.

Noel Baker speaks with Ukrainians who are spending this Christmas far away from home