A round-up of today's Irish news in brief
Dart underground rail plan lodged
The formal application for the Dart underground rail project in Dublin was lodged with An Bord Pleanála yesterday.
If approved, the Dart underground will deliver a high-capacity rail line through the city centre.
The twin-bore tunnels will connect the northern and Kildare rail lines with underground stations located at Spencer Dock, Pearse, Station, Stephen’s Green, Christchurch and Heuston Station, as well as a surface Dart station at Inchicore.
It is estimated that close to 7,000 people will be employed each year during its proposed construction.
Teen births continue to fall
The number of births to teenage mothers has fallen again. CSO figures show 2,223 teenagers gave birth to babies in 2009, down from 2,426 in 2008.
More than 74,000 babies were born in Ireland last year, with 3 per cent born to teenagers. A third of babies were born outside marriage. Apart from a small increase between 2006 and 2007, the number of births to teenagers has steadily declined since 2001 from over 3,000.
Caroline Spillane, director of the Crisis Pregnancy Programme, said the figures indicated that initiatives were having an impact in reducing teenage pregnancy.
PSNI issues child sex offender warning
The PSNI yesterday warned that a missing prolific child sex offender may have travelled to the North.
The man, William Paden (56) poses a “significant risk of harm”, police said.
Paden is wanted for recall to prison after he left his registered address in Blackpool, Lancashire. He has 19 sexual convictions dating back to 1974.
There is now information that Paden may have been sighted in Belfast.
The PSNI have asked that anyone who believes they might have seen him to contact them.