A round-up of today's other stories in brief...
Agency nurses to ballot on industrial action
Agency nurses and midwives are to ballot on industrial action as part of the ongoing row over a reduction in pay rates, writes Martin Wall.
The dispute stems from moves by the Health Service Executive to put in place a new system for securing staff provided by agencies, including nurses, non- consultant doctors and other healthcare personnel.
The HSE says the measures will generate up to €40 million in savings, while the unions have argued that payments to nurses provided by agencies will be reduced significantly in some cases.
For the last week or so a number of nurses working for agencies have refused to make themselves available at the new rates, a move that has caused disruption to elective admissions in some hospitals.
In a statement, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation has said it would “immediately commence a nationwide ballot”.
PSNI intake ‘must reflect community’
The Police Service of Northern Ireland must continue to have recruitment policies to ensure it reflects the community it serves, Minister for Foreign Affairs Eamon Gilmore has said.
Responding to the ending by Northern Secretary Owen Paterson of the controversial 50:50 PSNI recruitment practice, Mr Gilmore said progress towards a police service that is more than 40 per cent Catholic must be maintained.
The policy meant that half of the annual intake of police recruits had to come from the wider Catholic/nationalist community. Currently some 30 per cent of PSNI officers are Catholics.
Mr Paterson said yesterday the policy, strongly opposed by unionists, would end this weekend.