Cabinet met this morning to sign off on ministerial travel plans for St. Patrick's Day, with a heavy focus on the US. Potential reforms to the housing market are also being discussed, along with plans to join CERN and tackle child poverty. Meanwhile, the Social Democrats are still grappling with the fallout from former TD Róisín Shortall losing the party's whip indefinitely.
Cabinet met this morning to sign off on ministerial travel plans for St. Patrick's Day, among other things. The White House invitation hasn't arrived yet, but preparations for a blitz of diplomatic engagements are underway. Potential reforms to the housing market are not ready for Cabinet yet – Ministers will meet as a Cabinet subcommittee next week – but one to watch today is how the debate plays out.
The Minister for Housing, Darragh O'Brien, recently intervened on Rent Pressure Zones, recalling that Fine Gael's election manifesto call was to retain them. The Fianna Fáil leader was hardly pouring cold water on The Irish Times reporting that Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe, whose department is allergic to early chat about tax breaks, is out talking to the media in the afternoon. Keep an eye on this to see where the story goes next.There is a heavy focus on the US as Cabinet is set to sign off on St. Patrick's Day travel plans. Up to 11 Ministers are heading Stateside, and the threat from Trump will also focus the minds of EU trade ministers. The meeting comes as Ireland prepares to join the CERN research organization, with plans to tackle child poverty also on the agenda.Meanwhile, the Social Democrats are still grappling with the fallout from their former TD, Róisín Shortall, losing the party's whip indefinitely after making incorrect statements about when she sold shares in her former employer, tech firm Palantir, which has controversial links with the Israeli military. Acting leader Cian O'Callaghan outlined that the outcome of the review was exactly the same as what existed before, leaving the issue in limbo. Shortall remains a member of the party but hasn't outlined how she might come back into the parliamentary fold. Could she approach them? Yes. Might she be asked back? Also yes. Was there a timeline on this, or could she apologize, or donate the proceeds from her share sale to ease matters? That hasn't been discussed. So after the conclusion of the much-awaited review, the issue remains unresolved – with nothing answered and nobody satisfied. It's a puzzling outcome, if it can be called that, and some party sources privately feel uncomfortable with the situation. The Social Democrats parliamentary party meets today – what chance some clarity after that
ST PATRICK's DAY CABINET MEETING US RELATIONS HOUSING REFORMS CERN CHILD POVERTY SOCIAL DEMOCRATS RÓISÍN SHORTALL
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