There are calls for Donegal County Council to get its fair share of the 300 million euro announced this week by the environment minister for replacing water mains around the country.

Water issues were high on the agenda at this week’s meeting of Donegal County Council.

Councillor Core Harvey highlighted the plight of 25 homes in the Leitirbrick area of Glenfin which do not have a mains water supply while Councillor Gerry Crawford lobbied for improvements in the Lifford area.

Water supply issues in the East of the County came to the fore during recent cold snap however the cost of improving the supply to the Lifford / Porthall area alone would be at least 700 thousand euro

With that in mind Councillor Gerry Crawford says it is essential the government funding is sought:

The campaign group University for Derry is welcoming what is says is a positive offer by the University of Ulster to enter into a partnership approach to the development and expansion of the Magee campus.

According to U4D, recent statements from the University of Ulster demonstrate a realisation of the need for co-operation with all interested bodies, including themselves and Ilex.

U4D’s chairperson Padraig Canavan says that working through Ilex, and with the support of Derry City Council and the city’s Strategy Board, they are very hopeful that a single set of proposals for the development of the Magee campus can now be envisioned.

He says the fact that this now has the full support of both the University of Ulster and all the representatives of the city is a very important step forward.

Mr Canavan says the prize being sought is the designation Derry as a University City with ten thousand plus students, which can lead to a thriving knowledge-based economy.

He says Magee is already a centre of excellence in several disciplines, and what can now be achieved with the University of Ulster, is to build on this further for the benefit of the City and the North West region.

Over a year after the disappearance of Dr Deidre Donnelly O’Flaherty gardai have made a national appeal for information.

The Strabane women’s abandoned car was found close to the holiday home she owned in Culdaff.

Dr O’Flaherty, married woman with three children, went missing on the morning of Sunday January 11th 2009.

The married mother of three from Strabane, has a holiday home at Kinnegoe , near Culdaff.

A walker found her BMW on the beach at Kinnegoe, with the keys still in the ignition. Dr O’Flaherty had been on holiday with her family when the car was found.

Despite an extensive search by the Coast Guard and over a hundred volunteers no trace of Dr O’Flaherty was found.

A year on gardai renewed their appeal for information through last night’s Crimecall programme on RTE – they want anyone who may now of what happened to Dr O’Flaherty to come forward.

There has been strong condemnation of what is being described as a surge in graffiti in the Castlederg area.

The graffiti is said to range from the vulgar to the sectarian with a number of public and private properties being targeted.

Ulster Unionist Derg Councillor Derek Hussey says the graffiti serves no purpose other than to degrade the area

He hopes those involved either stop or are caught by police:

Gardai are warning of severe traffic delays on the road between Castlefinn and Crossroads following a collision shortly before 5 o’clock.

The road is being used as a diversion because of road works on the main road, and gardai say as a result, delays of up to half an hour are being experienced.

So far, gardai have not reported any injuries.

A new report’s recommending a shake-up of garda rosters that would see more officers on the beat.

The Head of the Garda Inspectorate Kathleen O’Toole says rosters were last negotiated in the 1970s and will have to change.

However, the Garda Representitive Association says it will not cooperate with any attempt to being in new rosters, as that was part of the talks that collapsed before December’s budget.

Burnfoot based Garda Michael O’Boyce is the association’s president – He says the concililation and arbitration system has been scuppered by the government.

The HSE has confirmed that Letterkenny General Hospital is now free from the winter vomitting bug, and all visiting restrictions have been lifted.

We would like to emphasise that members of the public should confine visiting to the official visiting times which are 2.30pm to 4pm and 6.30pm to 8pm.

Children under 14 years of age should not visit the hospital at any time unless there are extenuating circumstances.

Anyone who has had symptoms of vomiting and diarrhoea over the previous 48 hours should stay away from the hospital, and management say good hand hygiene, involving both regular washing and use of hand sanatisers is vital in preventing further outbreaks of the virus.

'More jobs to go'

The full extent of the job losses incurred at Donegal County Council has been revealed with a considerable amount of jobs to be lost this year.

The problems facing the council and the restructing of its services have also been highlighted given the current strike action being undertaken by staff.

In a report to council members presented at yesterday’s monthly meeting the county manager outlined the staffing cuts at the local authority and the impact they may have on council services.

Following a request by government for the council to reduce its pay-roll by 3% it was planned to reduce staff numbers between July ’08 and December ’09 by 300 – However a total of 336 jobs have been lost over that period.

It is expected that the equivalent of a further 60 jobs will be lost this year through the non renewal of contracts and retirements.

As a result of the reduction in staff numbers the councils services are being overhauled, however that process has been shelved for now due to the ongoing industrial action.

The county manager says meetings with unions are planned to plot a path forward.

In terms of how it is planned for the council to be restructured, the amount of departments is to be reduced from 7 to 5.  Roads and housing are to be grouped together as is Community and planning.

Questions were asked as to how staffing cuts will effect certain areas – the county manager reiterated that due to the ongoing industrial action, negotiations to that effect are on hold indefinitely.

Five million euro of tax payers money is set to literally wash away following the government’s indication that it is withdrawing its support for the Greencastle Harbour Project.

That is according to Labour Councillor Martin Farren who says the decision is a major blow for Greencastle and could leave its harbour in a very dangerous state.

So far a total of eight million euro has been spent constructing a breakwater, however because it is unfinished it is creating dangerous currents and is below the water line in certain tidal situations.

Councillor Farren says it is a disastrous situation:

'Udaras safe'

A Donegal member of the board of Udaras na Gaeltachta says there is no question of the future of the authority being under threat.

Senator Brian O’Domhnaill was speaking after the publication of Udaras’s annual report for 2009, which showed 204 jobs were created in Donegal  but 225 jobs lost, a net loss of just under 9%.

He says this is slightly below the national loss level, and while the economic outlook remains difficult, there are signs of recovery, particularly in terms of exports.

Senator O’Domhnaill says new responsibilities given to the board before Christmas show that despite predictions in some quarters, its future is secure: