Trade unions Forsa have said talks on pensions for school secretaries and caretakers at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) have broken down this evening.

The decades-long row over pay and pension entitlements between the Department of Education and school secretaries led to a strike in late August and early September.

More than 2,800 staff across 2,300 schools withdrew from work over seven days, causing major disruption to payroll systems, attendance records, and basic school services like rubbish collection.

Head of Education at Forsa Trade Union, Andy Pike, joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.

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Tina and David Maguire, two parents from Louth, are speaking out about the lack of support and services for their young son with autism who was also recently diagnosed with ADHD.

Senan is now 13-years-old and was diagnosed with autism when he was four-years-old and has had very little if any support for his complex needs, particularly around psychology services, they said.

His father David says it's been eleven years that they have been chasing supports for their  little boy.

They have been chasing psychology since December of 2014 and between then and now Senan has never had a one-on-one session with a psychologist.

David says that in 2021 there was a psychologist who was engaged with him but they only spoke directly to his mother Tina or other family members. He said that no psychologist has directly spoken to his son.

David and Tina joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us about all of this.

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Christmas is the “most dangerous” time of year for some children in Ireland, the ISPCC has warned, as new data from its Childline service shows 14 children a week contact it about sexual abuse.

Launching its Christmas appeal, the ISPCC said its Childline team spends the equivalent of 146 full days a year talking to children and young people in immediate crisis, while 300 children a year make contact about sexual abuse, involving rape, incest and being forced to watch or perform sexual acts.

Furthermore, it said 35 children and young people are in the process of trying to take their own life while in contact with the Childline team.

Aoife Griffin, Services Manager at ISPCC, joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.

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More than a quarter of calls made to a support organisation last year involved people who had an ­eating disorder for over 10 years.

The annual report of Bodywhys said living with a long-standing eating disorder or supporting somebody with one “is incredibly difficult and we strive to provide ongoing support for people in this situation”.

“Seeing that 27pc of calls are from people in this situation, up 4pc from 2023, indicates to us that we are meeting this need and we must continue to build upon this in the future,” it said.

CEO of BodyWhys, Harriet Parsons, joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.

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US President Donald Trump has signed legislation ordering the Justice Department to release documents from its long-running investigation into sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The files were eagerly sought by both his political opponents and members of his own base who have pressed for greater transparency in the case.

The material could shed more light on the activities of Epstein, who socialised with Mr Trump and other notable figures before his 2008 conviction on charges of soliciting a minor for prostitution.

The scandal has been a thorn in Mr Trump's side for months, partly because he amplified conspiracy theories about Epstein to his own supporters.

Law lecturer at the University of Galway and political columnist with The Journal, Larry Donnelly, spoke to us on The Agenda this morning to tell us more about this.

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Civil society groups say we have to "get it right" when we transpose the EU Migration Pact into Irish law.

It comes as the Justice Minister waits to see how changes to the UK's migration system will impact our legislation here.

Groups like Doras say our current deportation scheme fails to respect people's dignity and is putting migrants in harm's way.

CEO John Lannon says just copying the British approach won't work, and John Lannon joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.

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We were joined on The Agenda this morning by Emma Hallahan, who has bravely agreed to speak to us here on LMFM about surviving horrific domestic violence at the hands of her ex-boyfriend, Anthony Mackessy. 

Emma was put through a horrific sustained assault at the hands of Anthony, who dragged her up and down stairs by her hair, beat her, held her at knifepoint and told her he'd kill her at her home in Dungarvan, Co Waterford on January 13, 2024.

Last week the HSE worker, who eventually pleaded guilty to assault, was jailed for just one year behind bars for his shocking crime. 

However, thanks to standard remission and time served having gone into custody in April - he will walk free from prison on January 5, 2026.

Emma bravely opened up to LMFM this morning and shared her story.

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Children from high-income families are more likely to attend afterschool clubs and centres than those from low-income families – and the gap is widening, according to the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).

Alongside the Department for Children, the government think tank looked at patterns of afterschool for children aged nine and 13 over a 10-year period and found that children from less affluent families are more likely to be cared for by relatives.

Over the decade observed, the cost of afterschool care for parents has increased at a rate higher than inflation, particularly for those using childminders and afterschool clubs or centres.

Research Professor at the Economic and Social Institute (ESRI) and author of the report, Helen Russell, joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.

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Meath-West Sinn Fein TD Johnny Guirke will discuss the contracts homebuyers signed in Ringfort in Rathmolyon, County Meath, with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage in the Dáil this morning.

It is one of the Topical Issues selected by the Ceann Comhairle and scheduled for discussion from 9:00 am.

The Deputy has 4 minutes to make an initial statement and the Minister/Minister of state has 4 minutes to reply.

The Deputy has 2 minutes for a supplementary statement and the Minister/Minister of state has 2 minutes for a concluding statement.

Deputy Guirke joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.

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The Government will ban the sale of nicotine pouches to under-18s and progress plans to ban the sale of disposable vapes, the Cabinet will hear today.

Health minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill will update Cabinet on her plans to add nicotine pouches to legislation, banning the sale of certain nicotine products to children as part of amendments to the Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Product Bill.

The legislation, introduced in 2023, also prohibited advertising within 200m of a school, on public transport, and at events aimed at children. It is understood that this will also apply to nicotine pouches.

Director General at the Tobacco Free Research Institute Ireland (TFRI), Luke Clancy, jouned us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.

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