Ahern ends confusion over bonus payments

Saturday

The Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs, Mr Ahern, met officials from his Department to formulate a detailed circular ending the confusion about social welfare Christmas bonus payments.

An earlier circular sent to health boards had proposed that 70 per cent of the basic weekly payment could be paid in cases "where the recipient has been in receipt of SWA (supplementary welfare allowance) for 12 months or more".

The new circular, "to sort out misunderstanding on the issue", instructed the health boards to pay a Christmas bonus to all social welfare recipients on the same basis as previous years.

This year's Budget was a "setback for women" in that it failed to address the issue of childcare or to provide a substantial increase in child benefit, the Labour Party leader, Mr Ruairi Quinn, said. Speaking at a general meeting of the Labour Party Women's Council, Mr Quinn also criticised the Government's record on gender equality.

Sunday

A republican and businessman, Mr Hugo Flinn, urged the Government to follow the example of Britain by commemorating properly those who died in the War of Independence and the struggle for Irish freedom.

Mr Flinn told the 78th Kilmichael ambush commemoration in Co Cork the time was opportune for all political parties to agree on one special date to honour those who fought, suffered and died for Irish independence.

Fewer than 50 taxi licence-holders attended a meeting in the Phoenix Park to oppose what they claimed were Dublin Corporation's plans to give hackney drivers the same rights as taxi drivers.

The corporation had earlier denied it was to change the regulations to allow hackneys carry identification signs, use two-way radios and bus lanes.

Monday

The Independent TD for Wicklow, Ms Mildred Fox, said she was not satisfied with assurances on the safety of radiation from mobile telephone masts. Speaking after attending a presentation by Esat Digifone to members of Wicklow County Council, Ms Fox said she would be meeting the other Independent TDs and Government Chief Whip Mr Seamus Brennan to ask if the agreement between the Garda and Esat was on a State-wide basis or "if there was a set-off clause in each case".

House-to-house inquiries began in Connemara as a post-mortem carried out on the body of a Connemara schoolgirl, Ms Siobhan Hynes, was described as inconclusive by gardai.

?????????i searched Tismeain, an area two miles south of Carraroe for clues among weed strewn rocks but would not comment further on the post-mortem results for "operational reasons".

Tuesday

Belfast-born Sir John Lavery's masterpiece, The Bridge at Grez, was sold at auction in London for £1.3 million. The work, painted in 1883, was in a private collection for many years until it turned up in 1991. A Christie's spokesman said the price was a record for an Irish artist and an Irish painting.

In Washington President Clinton urged Northern Irish politicians to move the peace process forward, reminding them they should "obey not only the letter of the Good Friday Agreement but its spirit as well".

Eleventh-hour efforts to find common ground on the North's new government departments, implementation bodies and areas of common policy continued in Dublin and London, as the Taoiseach warned that slippage beyond Monday would be "an awful mistake".

Wednesday

IDA Ireland agreed to waive up to £5 million in financial penalties on Fruit of the Loom as part of a deal which would guarantee 1,300 jobs in Donegal for at least another year.

The company confirmed the transfer of its T-shirt sewing operations to Morocco from next year with the loss of 770 jobs, while giving an undertaking that there will be no further job losses in 1999. The new plan approved by the board of the IDA includes a commitment by the company that 700 sewing jobs will be retained next year and the remaining 600 jobs will be secure until at least 2006.

The Tanaiste, Ms Harney, said the agreement represented a "satisfactory" outcome, although the 770 job losses were regrettable.

Irish Permanent and Irish Life announced they had agreed the terms of a £2.8 billion merger, the largest of its kind in Irish corporate history. The merger is not expected to lead to significant job losses, with just under 100 out of a total of 3,700 affected.

Thursday

Mr David Trimble and Mr John Hume received their Nobel Peace Prizes at an awards ceremony in the City Hall, Oslo. Under massive Nordic murals, the two leaders received gold medals and Nobel diplomas. Cheques for £344,000 come separately.

In the early hours of the morning a person or persons unknown used scaffolding to climb the spires of St Fin Barre's Cathedral in Cork, removing gilded trumpets from the figure of an angel designed by the noted Victorian architect William Burges.

Inflation fell to just 2.1 per cent at the end of November - its lowest level since March.