Highlights From Newstalk Breakfast

The cabinet has agreed to an exchange of letters between the Government and the European Space Agency to pave the way for Eirsat 1 become Ireland’s first ever satellite in space. Dr David McKeown Engineering Manager for EIRSAT 1 and Assistant Professor in School of Mechanical & Materials Engineering in UCD spoke to Shane this morning.

“Broadly positive.” Those are the words Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has used to describe the initial findings from a post-pandemic review of Ireland’s handling of Covid-19. A group chaired by former UCD president Prof Hugh Brady is expected to publish its findings in the coming weeks. For more on this Newstalk Breakfast spoke to Professor Sam McConkey Infectious Disease Specialist at RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences.

An Exchequer surplus of €7.9 billion was recorded in the year to end September 2022. This compares with a deficit of €6.2 billion in the same period last year. Ciara spoke to Sebastian Barnes Chairperson at the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council. Also, Cabinet has approved a plan to pay three electricity credits to every household over the next six months. But is this enough to save households from soaring energy costs? Daragh Cassidy is Head of communications at Bonkers.ie discussed this on the show.

The Independent Group will bring forward a motion around the provision of free and accessible public transport in the Dáil today. Thomas Pringle, Independent TD for Donegal, and Brian Caulfield, Associate Professor at the School of Engineering at Trinity College Dublin both joined Pat on the show this morning.

When British schools ignore Irish history, is it any wonder Brexit is such a mess? -- Lack of knowledge about the Anglo-Irish relationship past and present has deep personal and political consequences.” Those are the words of secondary school teacher and Irish Examiner columnist - Jennifer Horgan who joined Ciara this morning on the show.

87% of mortgage holders could make monthly savings by switching but only 1% will switch terms or providers this year. That’s according to a report out this morning from Daftmortgages.ie. Paul Monahan – General Manager of daftmortgages.ie. joined Shane this morning.

There were over 14,000 contacts to the National Rape Crisis Centre Helpline last year from people seeking support as a result of sexual violence. That’s according to the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre 2021 annual report, which will be launched by Education Minister Norma Foley later today. Noeline Blackwell is CEO of the Dublin Raper Crisis Centre and spoke to Shane this morning on the show.

As we are all well aware, the festive season is one of the most expensive times of the year, as families fork out on extra food, decorations and gifts. With the current cost of living crisis, families are feeling the pinch even more so, with many opting into ‘Christmas clubs’, to soften the end-of-year sting. Sean Boyle - Managing Director at Christmas2U joined Ciara on the show this morning.

The residential housing targets and guidelines set out in Ireland’s National Planning Framework are fundamentally flawed and, if left unchallenged, will only exacerbate the housing crisis. That's according to a new Residential Land Supply Study from Savills published this morning. To discuss this further, we’re joined now by Peter Burke, Minister of state with responsibility for local government & planning

Justice Minister Helen McEntee has asked Garda Commissioner Drew Harris to examine the use of ASBOS in a bid to crack down on the scenes of antisocial behaviour witnessed in parts of the country in recent weeks. For more on this, Ciara was joined on the show by Micheal McLoughlin Head of Advocacy and Communications for Youth Work Ireland.

Drug use among young people in the UK has risen by 50 percent since the end of Covid-19 restrictions The stats also found that One in three 16 to 25-year-olds used an illegal drug in the past year. So is Ireland seeing a similar increase? Dr Garrett McGovern Medical Director at the Priority Medical Clinic in Dundrum spoke to Newstalk Breakfast this morning.

Citizens from all walks of life have come together to create Ionbhá - The nation’s new empathy bible. The book, which is being released on Thursday, contains over 80 pieces of prose, essays, and poetry, from influential figures such as President Michael D Higgins, Rachael Blackmore, Panti Bliss, The Edge, and Fr Peter McVerry. Professor Pat Dolan is the Chair at the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre at the University of Galway and Co-editor of the book spoke to Shane this morning.

Limerick Pedestrian Network is asking for reform on parking on pavement offences. The group will raise the issue today at the joined Oireachtas Committee on Justice What should be done to effectively tackle the issue of illegal parking on footpaths? Speaking to Shane this morning was Madeline Lyes, Chair of the Limerick Pedestrian

From today everyone aged 17 and over can access free home STI testing. Under the new HSE service, people can apply for the home test kits online which will then be delivered by post. Dr. Fiona Lyons, HSE Clinical Lead for Sexual Health spoke to Ciara this morning on the show.

Research from the NHS has shown the number of people diagnosed with ADHD is up 20% from this time last year. This surge has coincided with massive growth in the number of women who slipped through the cracks in childhood getting screened and diagnosed with the condition. CEO of ADHD Ireland Ken Kilbride spoke to Ciara this morning on the show.

Elon Musk has unveiled a prototype of Tesla’s humanoid robot, which will be available for purchase at a cost of around €20,000. Newstalk’s Technology Correspondent, Jess Kelly has all the details.

Opposition parties are trying to exploit the country’s problems and are misleading people when they describe Ireland as a failed state. So said Taoiseach Micheál Martin in his speech at the Fianna Fáil ard fheis on Saturday. But is it true that opposition parties unfairly talk down the country? To discuss Ciara spoke to Cathal Crowe a Fianna Fáil TD for Clare and Maurice Quinlivan, Sinn Fein TD for Limerick.  

The trial of Gerry Hutch for the murder of David Byrne, who was shot dead during a boxing weigh-in at the Regency Hotel in Dublin in 2016, is due to get underway today. John Mooney is Crime Correspondent for the Sunday Times and gave us an update on what will happen today.  

Rising mortgage interest rates will resurrect the ghosts of mortgage arrears and repossessions. That’s the view of David Hall, CEO of the Irish Mortgage Holders Association.

After the budget announcement, for many Irish families, the issue of money had been the main topic to discuss over the dinner table. But how to explain the concept of money to our children, so they could make wise financial choices later in life? For more on this Newstalk Breakfast spoke to Santis O’Garro, a life coach, entrepreneur and social media money mentor joins us now.