Donegal North East Deputy Joe Mc Hugh has told the Dail that people in mortgage difficulties want to be responsible.

Over the weekend, Deputy Mc Hugh appealed on Highland Radio News for people to send him their experiences and ideas to solve the problem.

He told the Dail this afternoon that people in Donegal North East are quite clear – They want to meet their obligations, but in many cases, they cannot do so without government support…………..

Donegal County Council is to start cutting the water supply to non-domestic customers who refuse to pay their bills.

The council says the customers who will be targeted are those who have failed to either pay what is owed or make contact about payment options.

The disconnections will commence throughout the County in the coming days.

Gary Martin is the council’s Director of Services – he says the majority of customers have paid or arranged to pay the charges to the council:

Finn Harps Chairman Joey O’Leary has this week been expressing his concerns over the future of the club. Joey says that Harps must raise around €50,000 over the next three months to pay the bills for the season. If the club can’t do this, they will not be able to meet the financial requirements needed to secure a FAI Club License for 2012, which would effectively end the existence of Finn Harps Football Club in the League of Ireland. Joey has been encouraging the fans to come out and support the team in their final home game this Saturday against Wexford Youths.
 

The tax payer looks set to foot a legal bill estimated in the hundreds of thousands for the failed appeal by government against Pearse Doherty successfully forcing the Donegal by-election.

Yesterday the Government withdrew its appeal  in the Supreme Court which was hearing a motion from Deputy Doherty to have the case dismissed.

The last Fianna Fail led administration was responsible for the appeal but the current government, until yesterday, was also contesting the high court’s decision in favour of Deputy Doherty.

The Sinn Fein representative says that as a result, the tax payer faces a huge bill:

A leading Donegal road safety campaigner has hit out at the sentence handed down to a driver convicted of the death of a Fanad woman and her unborn child.

29-year-old Publican, Kevin McArdle, from Carrickmacross was given a four-prison sentence with the final year suspended after pleading guilty to dangerous driving causing the death of Roisin Connolly, a Dublin based teacher, originally from Donegal.

The two passengers who were travelling along with Kevin McArdle also died.

A Court heard this week that McArdle had drunk nine pints of beer and five glasses of brandy before the crash and was three and a half times above the limit.

Mary Clinton, of road safety group, A-Ceart, said she was disgusted by yesterdays verdict…

A Derry GP has won his appeal against being found to have carried out a sexually motivated examination on a female patient.

Earlier this year, a General Medical Council panel imposed a nine-month suspension on Dr Lee Casey over alleged improper conduct six years ago.

However, its determination was completely quashed by a judge at the High Court in Belfast yesterday.

Lord Justice Girvan identified serious inconsistencies in accounts given by the patient.

The GMC had found that Dr Casey took advantage of the “vulnerable” female patient when carrying out a chest investigation in June 2005.

It found that two allegations made by the patient were found to be proven, while two were not.

However, yesterday Lord Justice Girvan said the woman had completely abandoned an earlier version where she made claims about a highly sexualised encounter involving improper handling of her breasts.

He said the witness, Patient A, having made a number of serious allegations of sexual impropriety withdrew nearly all of them, leaving one allegation relating to the examination of her chest.

Colaiste Ailigh’s new school building in Letterkenny should be finished and opened within two years, Donegal VEC has been told.

Cllr Dessie Larkin, a member of the committee, says during a discussion this week on the provision of temporary prefabs on the school’s existing premises on High Road in the town, CEO Mary Ann Kane confirmed the contractors have been appointed.

Cllr Larkin says it’s very important news…

Donegal Mountain Rescue is appealing for Vehicle Storage Facilities over the winter period.

In a statement posted on it’s Facebook page last night, the team said for the past two winters, their four vehicles were parked outside, and came under enormous mechanical pressure because of the amount of work they had to do. This winter, they are looking for two covered facilities with permanent access that they can use for as little cost as possible.

PRO Brian Murray says the team was stretched to the limit over the last two winters helping vulnerable members of the community…………

The team can be contacted at 087 2284600 or by e-mailing secretary@donegalmrt.ie

It’s been announced that a Ministerial meeting of the British-Irish Council will take place in Gweedore next month.

The meeting, which will consider minority languages and their place in the community, has been organised to tie in with an international language conference which is also taking place in West Donegal.

Junior Gaeltacht Minister Dinny McGinley confirmed last evening that the second Ministerial meeting of the Native, Minority and Lesser-Used Languages Group will take place in Gweedore on November 11th.

The themes of this meeting will be youth, and the promotion of minority and native languages in the community, and the Council’s work agenda for the next few years will also be discussed.

For two days before the Ministerial Council meeting, a language conference on young people’s issues will also be held that week on the 9th and 10th November. This is the first time that both the British Irish Council institutes, BIC and the conference organisers Network for the Promotion of Linguistic Diversity have organised such an event together.

Minister Mc Ginley says the conference will be attended by people from al over Europe.