More news in brief.
Inquiry begins as body discovered
The PSNI has begun a murder inquiry after the body of an elderly guesthouse owner was found at his premises in Bangor, Co Down, writes Dan Keenan.
The body of Billy Spence (68), was discovered at the guest house overlooking the town's marina early yesterday. He had been beaten and stabbed.
Results from a postmortem examination are due shortly.
PSNI detective chief inspector Debbie McMaster said: "It is believed this man was assaulted and stabbed in the early hours of this morning. As part of our inquiries, the investigation team will be speaking to witnesses who were staying at the guesthouse."
Court rules in RTÉ pension case
Management and unions yesterday reserved detailed comment after the Labour Court issued its recommendations in the RTÉ pension provision dispute yesterday. The court ruling seeks to bring to an end a dispute between RTÉ and the RTÉ Trade Union Group (TUG) which has been continuing for almost 10 years.
The terms of the recommendation propose that the first €48,000 of salary is subject to the direct benefit pension scheme with the rest governed by the terms of a defined contribution scheme. The court said that the threshold figure of €48,000 should be increased in line with national wage agreements or any relevant pay increases applying in RTÉ in lieu of a national wage agreement.
On the second major issue of contention, the amount and distribution of a lump sum to be paid into the pension scheme, the court recommended that sum of €3.75 million proposed by RTÉ be increased to €5 million. It stated that this sum should be distributed between staff choosing to remain in the existing scheme and those opting for the proposed new hybrid scheme so that the latter are not disadvantaged.
Concerns remain over steel plant
A delegation of residents from Cobh and Ringaskiddy said they still have very serious worries over toxic waste at the former Irish Steel plant in Haulbowline, despite a near two-hour meeting with Minister for the Environment John Gormley last night.
The community representatives said a lot more money needs to be guaranteed for the clean-up and independent studies and reviews are required, including a baseline health assessment of the local population.
Cobh resident Mary Hurley said: "There is no lack of awareness about our concerns, but we cant say we have come away reassured from the meeting with the Minister."
Mr Gormley said he was "determined to be as transparent as possible" about the plant and confirmed he would make public a site investigation report from 2005.