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Daniel Murray

Political Correspondent

@danielmurray

Daniel Murray is Political Correspondent

Eamon Ryan says many local councils still think urban areas ‘pivot around the car’

Less than half of the government’s 2022 budget for active travel projects, such as walking and cycling, has been drawn down

Free legal aid for environmental cases in major planning overhaul

The change is primarily for covering the costs of judicial reviews, to ensure the public can still bring environmental justice challenges

Five Degrees of Change: Erinch Sahan

Head of Enterprise at Doughnut Economics Action Lab explains why the ownership structures and governance of businesses need to change

Less than half of active travel budgets drawn down by local authorities

National Transport Authority figures show €158 million of an allocated €387 million had been drawn down by local authorities, campuses and hospitals as of November 18

Analysis: Move to Foreign Affairs could let Micheál Martin lay the groundwork for reunification

The Taoiseach is due to swap positions with Tánaiste Leo Varadkar in just under two weeks’ time

Planning bill sparks concern among Greens

Tightening of rules around judicial reviews could deny basic rights and lead to legal challenges, say party members

Five Degrees of Change

‘The way we are living, with such intense consumerism, is not sustainable’ – Erinch Sahan

We need to completely rethink our economic structures – but luckily we already know how to do this, says Erinch Sahan, head of business and enterprise with the Doughnut Economics Action Lab, who supplies five policy and personal changes he would make for a greener world

In dispute: Will a new law fix Ireland’s planning system?

The government is bringing in a bill designed to limit judicial reviews on large developments. But some experts argue the problems lie elsewhere and that it is wrong to blame the backlog of housing and other projects on such reviews

Climate & Environment

Government to publish environment policy position next year

Laura Burke, director general of the EPA, said a national policy position on the environment should be a “no brainer” but still hadn’t been devised

Von der Leyen says final Brexit deal on Northern Ireland is ‘within reach’

The president of the European Commission gave a landmark speech to the joint houses of the Oireachtas

Five Degrees of Change: Michelle Murphy

The Social Justice Ireland analyst discussed reducing food waste, putting a carbon tax on food, and how to address transport emissions in rural Ireland

Transport sector has a hill to climb to meet climate targets

Department modelling shows public transport fares will need to halve and volume and frequency of provision triple by 2030 to meet sectoral emissions ceiling

IFA calls for Leaving Cert course to recognise agriculture’s ‘environmental credentials’

Organisation says famers are being ‘vilified’ as the sole cause of climate change while minister says it’s time to move away from 'adversarial’ positions on the issue

Cervical cancer screening audits on hold pending legal clarity

Working group to choose between three ways to future proof quality assurance programme after spate of litigation

Planning system set for radical overhaul under new legislation

Consolidated Planning Bill aims to speed up An Bord Pleanála process and reduce the number of judicial review challenges

Climate & Environment

Action stations: Turning Ireland’s climate ambitions into reality

Our national targets for reducing emissions, set out in the new Climate Action Plan, are now among the most ambitious in the world – and each sector has specific carbon budgets and pathways to deliver on by 2025 – but how achievable are they?

Moneypoint to convert from coal to oil under climate plan

Government to push for electrification of vehicles and industrial heat, while Greens double targets on solar energy

Five Degrees of Change

‘Those most impacted are the least well off’ – Michelle Murphy, Social Justice Ireland

Michelle Murphy, a research and policy analyst at Social Justice Ireland, advocates a carbon tax on food, regular meetings for communities to decide the best way to tailor a just transition to their particular needs, and targeting electric vehicle grants at those living in rural Ireland

Moves to improve open disclosure after CervicalCheck are ‘seriously off target’

Dr Gabriel Scally said while many recommendations from his report on the controversy have been completed, there is still ‘serious work’ to be done

Higher Education

New contract for lecturers in technological universities

Simon Harris to engage in negotiations with relevant stakeholders after proposed contract is published early next year