The Government must end its “degrading” and “dangerous” practice of leaving newly arrived male asylum seekers to sleep rough until accommodation becomes available, Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan has been told.

A letter sent to Mr O’Callaghan on Wednesday afternoon, signed by more than 100 civil society, cultural, religious and community groups from across the country, urged the Minister for Justice to end his department’s “harmful policy” of leaving single male immigrants who have come to Ireland seeking protection to sleep on the streets.

Forcing new arrivals to sleep rough was “not only harmful, it is dangerous”, warned the letter.

One of the groups calling for this to end is the Immigrant Council of Ireland, and CEO of the organisation Teresa Buczkowska joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.

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The long-awaited permanent Driving Test Centre for Drogheda has hit another delay, with the Road Safety Authority (RSA) confirming that lease negotiations for the chosen site are taking longer than expected.

Louth Labour TD Ged Nash said he has been in ongoing contact with both the RSA and the Minister as the expected opening date of late August or early September came and went.

Deputy Nash joined us in-studio on The Agenda this morning to tell us more about this. 

On another note, Deputy Ged Nash also has said that the government is wasting the boom and doesn't understand the depth of the crisis facing many households this winter. 

He said that his party's approach would be to provide immediate support to address the cost of living crisis, as well as laying the foundations for long-term investment in Ireland’s public infrastructure, using a thriving economy to create a fairer society, and we are also going to hear more on this. 

We discussed this also

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We were joined in-studio this morning by Anthony Murphy, PRO of Drogheda City Status Group, who spoke to us about the launch of their new film which demonstrates “conclusively” that Drogheda's population has surpassed predictions years ahead of time, and that Drogheda is now a city according to EU population definitions.

Their new film, consisting of drone footage shot during the summer, shows the truly MASSIVE and unprecedented growth of Drogheda. 

Since their last film (which was shot in spring 2023), the population has grown by about 6,000, and Drogheda's urban population has now breached 50,000, which is by European standards the definition of a city. 

Anthony and his colleagues have been campaigning for Drogheda to become a city, and Anthony discussed all of this on The Agenda today.

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Sinn Féin senator Chris Andrews and 15 other Irish citizens remain detained by Israeli forces after being “forcibly abducted” from boats in international waters as part of the flotilla attempting to carry aid to Gaza.

Mr Andrews and the other Irish aboard were taken by Israeli soldiers on ­Wednesday night and have yet to be released.

They were among 450 activists who were taken captive.

The Sinn Féin senator last night said the boat he was on, the Spectre, was “reportedly subjected to water cannon attacks, ramming and communication jamming”.

Amnesty Ireland Executive Director, Stephen Bowen says the Irish Government must act.

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

We were joined by CEO of Action Aid Ireland, Karol Balfe, who told us that she has nothing but admiration for “the very brave people” who were on board the flotilla… She says the blockade needs to be broken and getting aid into Gaza is priority,

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Siptu members working with the FAI have condemned the organisation’s decision to shut a youth training scheme at Oriel Park in Dundalk — a move that cuts two community officer roles and leaves 28 participants without a programme just days before it was due to begin.

The latest decision comes following the recent closure of two courses in Cork. 

We were joined on The Agenda this morning by Sinn Fein TD for Louth, Ruairi Ó Murchú, who brought this up in the Dail this week.

We were also joined by Pamela, whose son and his friends were enrolled in the course and were looking forward to starting.

Pamela told us about how they have been left devastated by the cancellation.

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A Meath mother of three who lives in a housing estate in a large Meath town has appealed for help to deal with major anti-social behaviour right next door to where she lives.

”Sarah” (not her real name) found out earlier this year that the house next door is being used by Tusla, to house teenagers who are in state care…but not in foster care….and that’s when her nightmare began....

Sarah made a heartfelt plea live on air for these teens to give her peace and to stop their reign of terror.

Sarah joined us on The Agenda this morning to tell us more about the horrific abuse and anti-social behaviour that she is now living with on a daily basis.

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With a new national strategy to tackle domestic, sexual and gender-based violence (DSGBV) due next year, and with the Programme for Government stating that alcohol licensing laws are set to be updated – both of which fall within the remit of Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan - Alcohol Action Ireland (AAI), the national independent advocate to reduce alcohol harm, along with representatives from the SAOL Project and MOVE (Men Overcoming Violence), are going to Leinster House today to brief TDs, Senators, and political staff on the importance of recognising the role of alcohol in DSGBV.

Domestic, sexual and gender-based violence remains a pervasive issue in Irish society. According to Women’s Aid ‘Femicide Watch’, 275 women have died violently between 1996 and June 2025. 

Shockingly, it remains the case that the most dangerous place for women is their own home. There are estimates of alcohol being a factor in up to 70% of domestic violence incidents in Ireland.

CEO of Alcohol Action Ireland, Sheila Gilheany, joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.

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The mother of two young boys who were abducted by their father has met with Tánaiste Simon Harris and secured “new Government commitments.”

Mandy Kelly’s sons Zayn (7) and Kareem (4) were taken by their father, Ramy Gamal Maamoun Mohamed in 2022 while on a family holiday to his native Egypt.

Even though Egyptian courts have given full custody to Mandy, and Irish courts have issued a return order, the children remain with their father somewhere in Cairo, a city of 11 million people.

Ms Kelly said that despite repeated requests to officials in Egypt, she has had no further updates about her son’s whereabouts, welfare or schooling.

Later this month, she will return to Cairo for the eighth time for a Court of Appeal hearing,

Mandy joined us on The Agenda this morning to tell us more about this.

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Sinn Féin Councillor Antóin Watters has hit out over proposals by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to introduce so called ‘Brit’ cards in the North of Ireland, expressing concerns for cross-border workers.

Councillor Watters said “it’s bad enough that this proposal flies in the face of the Good Friday Agreement around national identity, but when questioned, Hilary Benn, British Secretary of State for the North, was vague at best about how it would affect cross-border workers.”

The proposed scheme is a new ID system and would be introduced by 2029 and be mandatory for people working in the UK.

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