In Short

A round-up of today's other stories in brief...

A round-up of today's other stories in brief...

Behan will not join Dáil technical group

Independent TD Joe Behan says he will not be joining any technical group for Independents in the Dáil, writes Fiona Gartland.

The former Fianna Fáil TD had been in discussions with Independent TD Finian McGrath about forming a technical group with Tony Gregory and the four Sinn Féin deputies.

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When a group is formed its members have certain speaking rights under the Dáil's standing orders.

They would be entitled to seven minutes of Leaders' Questions and would have proportionate speaking time on any motions. They would also be entitled to bring forward Private Members' Bills.

Under present arrangements, non-aligned TDs have no speaking rights in the Dáil and rely on the generosity of other parties to express their views.

Seven deputies are required to support such a group and the decision by Mr Behan means the remaining Independents will not be able to act together.

Mr Behan said yesterday that, having considered Mr McGrath's proposal, he had decided he would not be participating.

"I have not joined the ranks of the Opposition," he said.

"I don't consider myself to be part of the Opposition."

90 jobs lost at Galway firm

A second major jobs loss in a week has been announced in Galway with 90 employees of an insurance company being let go.

Inter Group Insurance Services, which has operated in Galway for 10 years, will close in the coming months with the loss of all jobs.

On Friday, all 138 workers at the APW Galway engineering plant in Oranmore were informed their jobs were gone after the firm announced it was going into receivership.

Inter Group Insurance Services is part of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group and operates as a third party administrator for travel insurance policies, mainly in the British market.

Eight jobs to go at newspaper group

Eight people are to be made redundant at the Irish office of Associated Newspapers, which publishes the Irish Daily Mail.

Two of the staff, who work in the production department, are full time and the remaining six are part-time.

The regrettable and "unavoidable" job losses were due to "a rationalisation" of the way the paper is produced, a spokesman for Associated newspapers (Ireland) said.

Man (59) killed in Monaghan crash

A Co Fermanagh man has been killed in a road crash involving a lorry and a van on the main Clones-Monaghan road near Smithboro, Co Monaghan.

Michael Manley (59), Aghadrumsee, Co Fermanagh, was the driver of a Volkswagen Caddy van which collided with a lorry and 40ft flatbed trailer at Stonebridge shortly before noon yesterday.

He is survived by his wife and four children.

A man has also died after a single-vehicle crash at Carndonagh, Co Donegal.

Kenny Kelly (27), Convent Road, Carndonagh, had been in critical condition at Altnagelvin Hospital since the crash on Sunday night.

He died at the Derry hospital yesterday.

Better results, less money for women

Female graduates earn less than their male counterparts, despite receiving better marks in their degrees and being the most likely to be employed, a new report has revealed.

In almost every faculty, more women are awarded first-class honours in their degree than men, a study by the Higher Education Authority has shown.

Veterinary and architecture faculties are the exceptions.

Women were also more likely to be working within a year of graduation than men, the study found.