Highlights From Newstalk Breakfast

Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe yesterday published the finance bill the legislation underpinning Budget 2023. Minister Donohue spoke to Shane with ore on this.

People will no longer be able to smoke in public parks or on beaches under plans being considered by Government. Tobacco control officials have set their sights on extending a zero-tolerance approach to more sites, 18 years after Ireland became the first country in the world to outlaw smoking in the workplace. Finian McGrath Former Independent TD and Junior Minister spoke to Ciara this morning with his reaction.

Liz Truss’s resignation yesterday has thrust the Government in the UK into chaos. There’s been calls for a general election, talk of a return of Boris Johnson and a new Conservative party leader by this day next week The presenter of the Hard Shoulder Kieran Cuddihy is in London and gave an insight on what it is it like on the ground there. Also, Ciara and Shane spoke to Daniel Moylan, member of the UK House of Lords and Former Political Editor of the Times Philip Webster.

Cork should “prepare the ground” for a supervised injection facility in the city by identifying potential locations and debating the issue. That was the call from a meeting of Cork City Council earlier this week.

We need countryside that is home to native plants, flowers, trees, and shrubs but don't be cajoled into turning your tiny garden into a wilderness” That was the view of UK Celebrity gardener Alan Titchmarsh who says that the trendy ‘rewilded’ gardens are actually ‘diminishing’ wildlife. We get the view of Ireland’s most renowned gardener Diarmuid Gavin

A stark statement released last night by the Department of integration revealed that Citywest is now full to capacity. This means people fleeing the war in Ukraine and asylum seekers who arrive at Dublin Airport may have to stay there overnight. Ciara spoke to Co-founder of the Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland Lucky Khambule with more on this.

Liz Truss has just become the shortest-serving British prime minister in history. A new leadership contest will take place within a week, Liz Truss said in her resignation speech outside Downing Street yesterday. But who might the next leader be? Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast were Dominic Grieves, Former UK Attorney General, and Conservative MP, and Peter Cardwell, former Special Advisor to James Brokenshire, TalkRadio Presenter and Political Editor.

The Tour de France will not be welcome back in Ireland until it can prove it is clean”, that’s what then Minister for Tourism and Sports Dr Jim McDaid said in 1998 off the back of the doping scandals that overshadowed the event. Is it time we welcome it back to our shores? Joining Shane this morning was Ian O’Riordan, Sports Journalist with The Irish Times.

Women going through the menopause who have complex needs such as high blood pressure or a history of breast cancer will now have access to specialist care in the Rotunda Hospital. Two further clinics are due in Cork and Galway in addition to those in the National Maternity Hospital, the Coombe Hospital, and Nenagh Hospital. ]Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly spoke to Newstalk Breakfast this morning.

Just half of Ireland’s sewage was treated to EU standards - well below the EU average of 90 percent. That’s according to a new wastewater report from the Environmental Protection Agency. Noel Byrne, Programme Manager with the EPA, spoke to Newstalk Breakfast this morning.

Liz Truss’s UK government was plunged into complete disarray yesterday as Suella Braverman was forced to quit as home secretary and party discipline collapsed in the House of Commons. Could Truss’s run as Prime Minister be coming to an end already? Columnist with The Times and former Conservative MP, Matthew Parris spoke to Shane this morning.

There's a call for the winter homeless beds to be brought on stream sooner to bring people in from the cold. The Dublin Region Homeless Executive is set to publish arrangements next week for The Cold Weather Strategy. Newstalk reporter Josh Crosbie spent a night with the Feed our Homeless outreach team. The charity says the system is often at full capacity.

Minister of State for Transport Hildegarde Naughton is today launching new bus routes for the midlands and the northeast and the minister spoke to Ciara with more on this announcement.

If you struggle with cutting back on your weekly alcohol intake, you’re not alone. Broadcaster Adrian Chiles used to knock back 100 units a week, and while he knew he couldn’t quit alcohol cold turkey, his new book “The Good Drinker: How I Learned to Love Drinking Less” outlines a number of ways to cut back on the sauce.

Dogs from Dublin are being sent as far afield as Sweden and Italy in efforts to rehome animals following the removal of Covid-19 restrictions and the closure of Ashton dog pound. Almost 1,000 dogs have been delivered to the new Dublin county and city dog shelters over the last year following the closure of the Dublin 15 pound, which had been providing animal shelter services to Dublin’s local authorities. For more on this, Shane spoke to Bray base vet Pete Wedderburn.

Sinn Féin must answer serious questions about the party’s links to a criminal convicted for facilitating one of the most high-profile gangland murders in this country. That’s the view of Fine Gael TD, Jennifer Carroll MacNeal who spoke to Newstalk Breakfast this morning.

Ireland must not let long-term optimism on the potential of offshore wind or hydrogen blind us to the short-term vulnerabilities of our energy supply – so says Paul Deane, Research Fellow in clean energy in UCC. He will address the Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs later today on issues affecting our energy security. In advance of the committee meeting, Paul spoke to Shane this morning.

The Central Bank later today is set to announce that it will ease its mortgage rules to allow households to borrow up to four times their income in taking on a home loan. Is this a positive step for people trying to get on the property ladder? Speaking to Ciara this morning was Brendan Burgess, Founder of the consumer forum Ask about money.com

Business Editor Joe Lynam brought us all the business news live from Shannon Airport. Joe was also joined by Mary Considine is the Managing Director/Ceo of the Shannon Airport Group.

Minister Catherine Martin will bring measures to Cabinet colleagues today to promote gender balance on current affairs and music shows. This new media service code which will be made by Coimisiún na Meán could include a requirement for stations to transparently show or publish their levels of gender balance for music or current affairs. But is this necessary? To discuss this Ciara was joined by the features Editor with the Irish Mirror, Larissa Nolan.