Ministers across several departments have clashed with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) in recent meetings as fraught negotiations continue within Government over the tightest budget for years.

With less than a week before it is announced, no senior Minister had last night agreed their financial allocation for next year as the department holds firm on spending demands, according to several people involved in the process.

While there is an expectation that settlements will be agreed in the coming days, sources said this approach meant some big-spending departments were still locked in disagreement with DPER – including the departments of Health, Children, Housing and Social Protection.

Political Editor of The Irish Times, Pat Leahy, joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this,

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The US government has shut down for the first time in nearly seven years, after Republicans and Democrats failed to agree a deal to keep the federal government funded.

A final round of voting in the US Senate on Tuesday failed to pass a proposal to keep the government funded beyond midnight.

The shutdown will hit some public services and lead to hundreds of thousands of federal workers being furloughed. It will also delay the release of vital data on the US economy.

Political Columnist at The Journal, Larry Donnelly, joined us on The Agenda this morning to tell us more about this.

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We were joined on The Agenda this morning by Independent Councillor in Navan, Alan Lawes, who took to social media over the past number of days to address the anti-social behaviour going on in Johnstown in Navan at the moment, particularly in the lead up to Halloween.

Alan told us about how teens in the area have been using fireworks to harrass, abuse and intimidate locals.

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Sinn Féin spokesperson on Sport and Louth TD Joanna Byrne TD, has said that grassroots football and support for Irish Football cannot suffer because of government annoyance with the FAI. 

Speaking after the FAI appeared before the Joint Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport, Teachta Byrne said:

“The hearing was frustrating for all involved.  The FAI were invited to appear in response to the ‘Girls in Green’ documentary, but they provided Garda advice not to discuss the specifics of those cases until they are resolved.

Deputy Byrne joined us on the Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.

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The Irish Refugee Council has expressed serious concern over the announcement by the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration regarding a new incentive scheme designed to encourage voluntary returns for people with an outstanding application in the international protection process.

This morning on The Agenda we spoke to CEO of the Irish Refugee Council, Nick Henderson, who said that "dangling money in front of asylum seekers to get them to go home is wrong".

We also heard from Meath-West Aontu TD Peadar Toibin, who in contrast beleives this is a step in the right direction and will save the state significantly in the long run.

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Dundalk Chamber of Commerce recently attended the Chambers Ireland, Pre Budget Briefing for Oireachtas members ahead of Budget 2026.

Speaking after the event, Dundalk Chamber CEO John McGahon said “We had the opportunity to engage with Louth Oireachtas members on our Budget Submission and our thanks to Deputies Ruairi O’Murchu, Ged Nash and Senator Alison Comyn for their attendance on the day. 

They also met recently with Deputies Erin McGreehan and Paula Butterly on their submission.

Their principal concerns are in relation to the lack of infrastructure in many areas which reduces their competitiveness.

They say they would see an opportunity to work creatively with the Shared Island Fund and their designation as a hub within the National Development Plan. 

Paddy Malone from Dundalk Chamber of Commerce joined us on The Agenda this morning to tell us more about this.

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Shock…. grief…. horror… sadness… These are only some of the words to describe what the people of Louth and many of us all across the country are feeling today.

With shockwaves being felt across County Louth and the rest of the country over the past 24 hours since the horrific news broke yesterday of the three family members who were found dead at their home in the Drumgowna area of Co Louth, LMFM wanted to pay tribute to the much loved family.

The deceased were named locally as Mark and Louise O'Connor, and their son Evan, who was aged in his 20s and had additional needs.

This morning on The Agenda we spoke to various locals and friends of the O'Connor family to gather their reaction to the horrific news and to hear some kind words and heartewarming stories about the kind of people they were.

These glowing tributes are a testament to how loved and respected Mark, Louise and Evan were by everyone who knew them and the positive impace they had on all of the lives they touched.

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The Government has confirmed a new tax on vape liquid will take effect on 1 November.

Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe announced today that the tax will be applied at a flat rate of 50c per millilitre of e-liquid.

The measure was formally announced as part of Budget 2025, but was delayed in order to give those in the industry adequate time to prepare. 

Founder of OB Vape in Drogheda, Eoin O’Boyle, says that he believes the new tax will push people back to smoking, and he 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 Fianna Fail Councillor in Dundalk-South, Shane McGuinness, who says “it is such a tragedy that quite a new estate (Stamanaran) in Blackrock is living with the nightmare of losing a large chunk of their Green open space”.

After being approached by a large number of residents in Stamanaran last year, Shane raised this at the time with the County Council planning section, and they had informed him that everything by the developer was within regulation. 

Councillor McGuinness issued a statement over the weekend stating that one of the real problems here is that there is a minimum open space of not less than 10% of the entire site area, and he joined us on the programme this morning to tell us more about this.

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The first televised debate of the presidential campaign was shown on Virgin Media One on Monday night, hosted by Kieran Cuddihy and featuring the three candidates – Independent Catherine Connolly, Fine Gael’s Heather Humphreys and Fianna Fáil’s Jim Gavin.

The 60-minute programme began with opening statements from the three candidates.

It was followed by questions on neutrality before moving on to the issue of the Irish flags being erected in certain communities. That led to a debate about immigration.

The topic raised the first real clash on the topic of direct provision and asylum seekers.

Political Correspondent Sean Defoe joined us on The Agenda this morning to tell us more about how it all went down.

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