A Donegal TD has claimed that even Santa is suffering from the cost of living crisis.

Sinn Fein Deputy Leader Pearse Doherty made the remarks during Leaders' Questions in the Dail today.

The comments related to the government's failure to introduce energy credits in the recent Budget.

The Donegal deputy said that people are being forced to count every euro:

A Gaeltacht school in south west Donegal is said to be unfairly left out of the DEIS programme.

Meentinadea National School in Ardara is currently excluded from the programme, even though every other school in the same area qualifies.

The Government initiative that provides additional resources to schools with a high concentration of students facing educational disadvantage.

This school is said to have served the local community for over 90 years, preserving the Irish language and culture while educating generations of children.

Speaking in the Seanad, Fine Gael Senator Manus Boyle called on the Minister to urgently review the criteria:

A North West based Junior Ministers says the government’s new infrastructure plan will make it easier for people to construct houses in Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal.

As a result of the plan It's going to be much harder for people to object to new developments.

The Coalition are aiming to cut red tape for decisions around projects like housing developments and roads.

The new plan will outline who is allowed to take a judicial review and it's also going to be more expensive.

Minister of State, Frank Feighan says the changes were needed in order to facilitate the construction of more houses and deliver enhanced infrastructure.

There's a warning that peak nights in Sligo over the festive season may result in some pressure on taxi services locally.

People are being advised to book and plan ahead as a big demand is expected over the next few weekends.

While the number of taxis in Sligo has reportedly increased, there may still be a shortage owing to the expected influx of people into the town.

Owner of Feehilys Taxi, Coach and Bus Hire in Sligo, Daithi Feehily says there's plenty of taxis locally to cope with demand but that doesn't mean that there won't be issues:

It's been claimed that residents are being continuously terrorised in the Ballytivnan area of Sligo.

Anti-social behaviour is said to be an ongoing problem, with fireworks being set off daily in the area.

Some people living there are said to be losing their sense of security as a result.

Deputy Mayor of Sligo Borough Cllr Arthur Gibbons says it's a major concern that unfortunately is not confined to one area of Sligo:

The Transport Minister is facing calls to ensure Irish Coastguard Search and Rescue workers are protected.

A Sinn Fein motion brought forward in the Dail last night, calls for a number of immediate steps, the first of which is an urgent review of how 24-hour SAR duties are being recorded.

Crews are required to work 24-hour shifts, yet these shifts are being recorded as only 16.5 hours of duty time under Irish Aviation Authority approvals.

Speaking in the Dail last night, Donegal TD Pearse Doherty these dedicated people deserve better and has asked the Minister to urgently intervene:

A Leitrim Councillor has questioned the wisdom of a new directive which is advising households to keep amounts of cash at home in case of emergencies.

The directive was part of an update to public advising what to do during extreme events like power outages due to weather or cyber-attacks.

Normally people have been warned against keeping cash at home, especially older people.

Kinlough based Councillor Justin Warnock says having sums on cash in premises increases the chances of property being targeted by criminals.

The Fianna Fáil Councillor has also questioned whether the government may have obtained information in relation to a possible cyberattack.

A Local fishing representatives says the industry is facing ‘an Economic Armageddon’ ahead of a meeting with the Taoiseach this afternoon.

EU fisheries ministers will attend the next Fisheries Council meeting on 11 and 12 December, where 2026 fishing quotas will be agreed.

Brendan Byrne of the Irish Fish Processors and Exporters Association says that meeting will be the most important moment of the year for EU fisheries.

Speaking to Ocean FM he says the government must support the industry.

Mr Byrne says it’s vital that Ireland show an united front on the issue.

Irish Water is under fire yet again for not prioritising upgrade work at Teelin in Donegal.

A large number of residents are said to be impacted regularly by water outages due to what's been described as sub-standard pipes.

While long awaited replacement works have taken place in Glencolmcille recently, questions remain over why there is not a focus on the Teelin area.

Irish Water has continuously stated that it's looking into the project but has so far failed to give it the green light.

Local Independent Cllr Jimmy Brogan says the work is badly needed and the people of Teelin deserve better:

Well renowned vacancy rate figures for Sligo have been proven inaccurate.

The data released regularly by Geo Directory claims that Sligo continuously has the highest commercial vacancy rate in country.

However, Sligo County Council has undertaken its own study, which shows that the Geo Directory statistics are wrong, with many occupied units marked empty.

A more detailed report will be published by the Council in the New Year.

Cathaoirleach of Sligo County Council and Fianna Fail Cllr Donal Gilroy has hit out GeoDirectory, saying the information they're publishing is painting in Sligo in a negative light and impacting investment and business in the town: