Highlights From Newstalk Breakfast

From midnight tonight fines for 16 road safety offences will double. Some of the fines that are doubling include speeding and learner permit holders driving unaccompanied which will increase from €80 to €160 while mobile phone use and non-wearing of seatbelts will go from €60 to €120. Hildegarde Naughton Minister of State at the Department of Transport spoke to Ciara

Doubling the payment for families who take in refugees from €400 to €800, that’s just one option over a series of proposals that the cabinet discussed last night to tackle the growing crisis in providing for those fleeing the war. But do these measures alleviate the problem? Labour Party leader Ivana Bacik spoke to Shane this morning.

Under plans being brought to the cabinet by Justice Minister Helen McEntee to reform licencing laws, clubs could serve alcohol until 5am but stay open until 6. Pubs would also see their closing times extended to 12:30am seven days a week while closing times for late bars will remain at 2:30am. With reaction to this Newstalk Breakfast spoke to Sunil Sharpe Spokesperson from the Give Us The Night campaign and also Dr Garrett McGovern GP specialising in addiction medicine and Medical Director of the Priority Medical Clinic in Dundrum.

New treatment guidelines that redefine care for more than a million people in Ireland who live with obesity have been launched today. Dr. Donal O’Shea is the HSE Lead for Obesity and he joined Shane this morning on the show.

Sinn Fein are to bring forward a motion in the Dáil this evening, to deliver what they deem “affordable, reliable and safe public transport.” The motion includes a range of proposals, one of which is the introduction of a dedicated transport policing unit. For more on this Newstalk Breakfast spoke to Sinn Fein Spokesperson on Transport, Darren O’Rourke.

Rishi Sunak will today be crowned UK Prime Minister after he became the only candidate in the Conservative Leadership race to get the backing of over 100 MPs. He becomes the first British Asian prime minister and at 42, he will be the youngest to hold the role since 1783. Lauren McEvatt Former Conservative government Special Adviser spoke to Jonathan this morning on the show.

“Erasing ‘women’ from a controversial clause in the constitution is dishonest” That’s according to Sunday Times Columnist Brenda Power This comes after Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said he would like a referendum to be held next year to remove the ‘women in the home’ clause from the Constitution. Brenda Power, Columnist with The Sunday Times and The Daily Mail gave her view.

Reports this morning have suggested that the long-awaited report on planning decisions by former deputy chairman Paul Hyde and “further allegations of wrongdoing” to the planning board’s chairman, Dave Walsh has been completed. The Irish Examiner’s Special Correspondent Mick Clifford has some of the detail in today’s paper and spoke to Newstalk Breakfast.

Almost 11 and a half thousand contacts were made with Rape Crisis Networks across the country in 2021. According to the Network’s annual report, 2020 saw a massive surge in contacts Rape Crisis Centres from those seeking support, however, numbers in 2021 did not return to pre-pandemic levels. Cliona Sadlier Executive Director Rape Crisis Network Ireland spoke to Jonathan on the show this morning.

Rishi Sunak looks set to become the next Prime Minister of the UK after Boris Johnson pulled out of the Conservative leadership race last night. Penny Mourdant is his remaining challenger but it looks likely that she will not receive the backing a hundred Tory MPs needed to make it to the ballot paper while Sunak has the backing of over 150 MPs. To discuss Philip Webster Former Political Editor of the Times joined Shane on the show this morning.

The European Union is preparing to set stricter energy requirements on TVs from March 1, 2023. This could cause severe disruption to some of the biggest manufacturers in the TV space. Newstalk’s Technology Correspondent, Jess Kelly brings us more details on this.

“Not acceptable” that’s the response from Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney after 43 people from Ukraine were told there was no accommodation for them on Friday and Saturday after the Citywest transit hub was closed for new arrivals. Where do we go from here? Speaking to Shane this morning was Dr Lorcan Sirr, Senior Lecturer in Housing, Planning, and Development at the Technological University Dublin.

Rishi Sunak looks set to become the next Prime Minister of the UK after Boris Johnson pulled out of the Conservative leadership race last night. Penny Mourdant is his remaining challenger but it looks likely that she will not receive the backing a hundred Tory MPs needed to make it to the ballot paper while Sunak has the backing of over 150 MPs. One of those Conservative MPs who have backed Rishi Sunak is Stephen Hammond spoke to Newstalk Breakfast with his reaction. We also heard from Adam Boulton Political Commentator.

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.