The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) today reported that a Closure Order under the EC (Official Control of Foodstuffs) Regulations, 2010 has been served on a cafe/restaurant in Celbridge.

The FSAI said that the preparation, storage and sale of sushi and associated products was closed down at  Hokkaido on the Main Street of Celbridge.

Closure Orders will remain listed on the FSAI website for a period of three months from the date of when a premises is adjudged to have corrected its food safety issue, with Prohibition Orders being listed for a period of one month.

A total of nine Closure Orders and one Prohibition Order were served on food businesses during the month of January for breaches of food safety legislation, pursuant to the FSAI Act, 1998 and the EC (Official Control of Foodstuffs) Regulations, 2010.

The Enforcement Orders were issued by environmental health officers in the Health Service Executive (HSE).

Five Closure Orders were served under the FSAI Act, 1998 on:

• Sabore Nordetino Dublin (Restaurant/Café), Moore Street Mall, 58 – 66 Parnell Street, Dublin 1
• Indias Taste (Take Away), Bridgewater Hall, 17 – 19 Summerhill Parade, Dublin 1
• King’s Chinese Take Away, Main Street, Daingean, Offaly
• Orient Express (Take Away), Main Street, Bruree, Limerick
• The Quays Restaurant, 10 – 12 Temple Bar Square, Temple Bar, Dublin 2

Four Closure Orders were served under the EC (Official Control of Foodstuffs) Regulations, 2010 on:

• Sushida (Take Away),(Closed activity: The storage, handling and preparation of sandwiches and sandwich fillings (including but not limited to preparing sandwiches, wraps, filled baguettes and other similar items and the slicing of cooked meats and cheeses), Unit 1, Malpas Court, 116 – 117 Clanbrassil Street Lower, Dublin 8

• Hokkaido (Restaurant/Café) (Closed activity: The preparation, storage and sale of sushi and associated products), 15 Main Street, Celbridge, Kildare

• Big Bite (Take Away), Main Street, Dunshaughlin, Meath

• Our Lady’s Hospital (Closed area: Kitchenette Medical Assessment Unit & Kitchenette Female Medical Ward), Athboy Road, Navan, Meath

One Prohibition Order was served under the EC (Official Control of Foodstuffs) Regulations, 2010 on:

• Miss Fit Enterprises Limited, Unit 14, Block P Greenogue Business Park, Rathcoole, County Dublin

During the month of January, two prosecutions were taken by the HSE in relation to:

• Mr. Kebab (Restaurant/Café), Main Street, Ballybunion, Kerry
• Ned Natterjacks (Restaurant/Café), West Main Street, Castlegregory, Kerry

Some of the reasons for the Enforcement Orders in January include:

• rodent droppings found behind kitchen equipment;

• a small rodent found dead in the kitchen of a medical assessment unit;

• inadequate pest proofing of external drains of a medical assessment unit;

• an active cockroach infestation where live and dead cockroaches were noted;

• no cleaning schedule or disinfectant available at the time of inspection;

• raw chicken being stored in a bowl sitting directly on top of a saucepan filled with cooked rice and next to ready to eat salad items; food storage containers dirty with evidence of black mould;

• staff hygiene practices posing a risk to food safety;

• no obvious cleaning in recent times as evidenced by cobwebs, dirt, debris, stained utensils, stained equipment, absences of clean cleaning equipment and a cleaning programme;

• raw fish to be used in sushi products was stored next to raw chicken in the cold room;

• frozen fish defrosting at room temperature; evidence of rodent droppings in kitchen, storage area, and staff toilet;

• rubbish being stored in the kitchen, dining hall, dry goods store and staff toilet, thus causing a putrid odour in these areas.

Commenting today, Dr. Pamela Byrne, Chief Executive, FSAI highlighted the need for food businesses to implement a rigorous pest control system.

“Pests and insects can pose a grave risk to human health. Our inspectors are finding recurring incidents of filthy premises and rodent infestations in food businesses.

"Implementing and maintaining a pest control system is a basic requirement, and is of the highest importance for food business operators.

"They have a duty of care to their customers to serve food that is safe to eat. There is no excuse for bad practice.”

“Consumer health in relation to food is our priority, and the FSAI, together with the inspectorate, strives to ensure that all food businesses abide by the legal requirements placed upon them.

"Non-compliances by food businesses are not tolerated and all breaches of food safety legislation are dealt with the full extent of the law.

"If any food business owner is unsure of what is required of them by law, they can contact the FSAI advice line at info@fsai.ie or visit its website www.fsai.ie or facebook page,” Dr Byrne concluded.

Details of the food businesses served with Enforcement Orders are published on the FSAI’s website at www.fsai.ie.  Closure Orders and Improvement Orders will remain listed on the website for a period of three months from the date of when a premises is adjudged to have corrected its food safety issue, with Prohibition Orders being listed for a period of one month.

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Naas Gardaí are investigating thefts of several laptops overnight.

At Newhall Business Park, last night, entry was gained to a commercial premises.

The business was vacant at the time. An alarm became activated when the business was entered.

Several laptops have been stolen.

If you have a story or want to send photos or videos to us please contact the KildareNow editorial team. via our Facebook, via our email at content@kildarenow.com or on 045 409350 during office hours.

ABOVE: One of the suspects in the Vodafone store in Athy. Photo: Independent.ie

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€90,000 worth of herbal cannabis has been seized in Shannon after being found in a parcel labelled as 'clothing', which had originated from Spain.

Last Friday, during routine operations, Revenue officers at Shannon Airport seized 4.5kgs of herbal cannabis with an estimated street value of €90,000.

The drugs were found concealed in a parcel labelled as ‘clothing’, which had originated from Spain. The illegal drugs were destined for an address in Co Carlow.

Investigations are ongoing.

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Planning permission has been granted for a first floor extension to Hayden's Bar in Naas.

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By Kim O'Leary

Motorists are being reminded that a section of the Ballymore Eustace Road out of Naas closes from today for almost two months to facilitate road re-alignment works.

The section of the route from the junction at Watch House Cross to the Ballymore Eustace Road roundabout will be closed from now until April 8, 2019.

Kileen Civil Engineering is carrying out works between the Ballymore Eustace Road roundabout and Watch House and the road closure is to facilitate road re-alignment works on this route.

Alternative routes

Motorists can avail of the following alternative routes:

South bound traffic will be diverted via the L3013 Ballycane Road Naas towards the R410 Blessington road.

Turn right onto the R410 Blessington Road towards Beggar's End Cross then at Beggar's Cross End turn right onto the L2023 towards Watch House Cross.

North bound traffic will be diverted via the L2023 at Watch House Cross, turning right towards the R410 at Beggar's End Cross, then turn left onto the R410 towards Naas. In Naas turn left onto the L3013 Ballycane Road continuing towards the Ballymore  Eustace Road roundabout.

Diversionary routes will be clearly signposted as agreed with the Council and An Garda Siochana. Emergency access and restricted local access will be maintained.

The Council said any inconvenience caused to the public is regretted.

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The owners of Kildare Village have applied for permission to build a managed car park with a shuttle bus service accommodating 345 spaces.

The proposed development is on the Kildare-Nurney Road beside the Junction 13 Roundabout and will be on a site of 0.94 hectares.

The land is owned by Greyabbey Investments Ltd with an address at Leeson Street in Dublin.

The development also includes works to the existing vehicle access off the R415 (Kildare to Nurney Road)

Also in the designs is a bus shelter.

The planning documents include boundary fencing, signage and lighting.

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Kildare North Labour General Election Candidate Emmet Stagg has welcomed the commencement this morning of the physical works on Sallins Community Playground.

Mr. Stagg stated that work has commenced on the Community Playground on Parish Lands between the rear of the existing Parochial House and St. Laurence's National School.

The contract for the provision of the Playground was signed last December and weather permitting, it will take 12 weeks for the contractor, Play & Leisure Services, to complete the Playground.

'The Community Playground will cater for children between the ages of 1 to 12 and will include swings, slides, seesaws, rockers, multiplay units, play panels, sand and water play and landscaping', said Mr Stagg.

In conclusion Kildare North Labour General Election Candidate Emmet Stagg stated that finally the children of Sallins are getting their long promised playground and he congratulated Sallins Community Council on their successful campaign on the issue.

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€2.8million in funding is being granted to Maynooth University.

Maynooth University is delighted to confirm it has been awarded over €2.8 million from the Innovation and Transformation Programme 2018 for a number of high-impact innovation projects it is developing to transform student experiences, build competitiveness and deliver value for the education sector and Irish society more broadly.

The awards were announced today by Minister for Education Joe McHugh, TD and Minister of State for Higher Education Mary Mitchell O’Connor, TD.

Maynooth University President, Professor Philip Nolan said: “At Maynooth University, we have developed a range of new, future-oriented programmes for students at undergraduate and postgraduate level. These awards allow us to take these to a new level.  They will fund new and innovative approaches to teaching and learning, and help our students build the skills they need for the workplace of the future.  More importantly, many of our ideas can be rolled out nationally for the benefit of students. The benefits for jobs and our economy are significant.”

• €1,445,440 has been awarded for the development of the “Future Ready” programme, which increases employability through innovations in the curriculum.  Since Maynooth introduced its ground-breaking undergraduate curriculum in 2015 students have been able to select subjects across different disciplines and avail of a critical thinking module to increase their future adaptability.  This has been highly successful and will now be expanded and developed further.

• €810,950 has been awarded for the development of “Mi-Lab – the Maynooth University Innovation Lab,” which will harness Maynooth’s unique expertise to apply design thinking to current problems and issues in the education sector, including the structure of and access to postgraduate studies to improve pathways and outcomes for students.

• €563,610 has been allocated for the enhancement of supports for students in the areas of computer technology and mathematics post-entry.  This builds on Maynooth’s international leadership role in maths and ICT while also making these skills more accessible to students across the University.

• Maynooth is also a partner in the “Enabling Change” project led by the Irish Universities Association, which has been almost €3 million for enhancing the digital capacity in teaching and learning at Irish universities.

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National housing charity Threshold is calling for landlords to implement measures so that tenants rights can be protected.

Immediate measures must be implemented across the country to strengthen tenants’ rights. That’s according to National Housing Charity, Threshold, who urges that actions are required to more effectively promote compliance among landlords and lower rent inflation.

John-Mark McCafferty, Chief Executive Officer, was responding to today’s (10.02.19) Daft.ie Rental Price Report, which covers the fourth quarter of 2018. The report indicates a 9.8% per cent increase in listed rents nationally in 2018, pushing national average rents to an all-time high of €1,347.

Before Christmas 2018 the Government introduced a Bill to make changes to Residential Tenancies legislation. Threshold welcomed most of the measures, but cautioned that the new legislation was a missed opportunity. Mr McCafferty said: “In the coming weeks the Government has a real chance of making a difference to the ever increasing number of people in the private rented sector. The new Bill has the potential to deliver tangible benefits to the many thousands of people living in rented accommodation who face a lack of both rent certainty and security of tenure.”

He said:  “The pace and extent of rent increases year on year remains unsustainable for many people - including young professionals, key workers such as nurses, those earning the minimum wage and people in receipt of the Housing Assistance Payment.”

Threshold is calling for a nationwide extension of the Rent Pressure Zones (RPZs). Mr McCafferty said, “We cannot continue to have a two-tiered rented sector of those within the RPZs and those outside of them. All tenants should be afforded equal protection, regardless of geography. At the same time, the RPZs are due to expire in Dublin and Cork in less than 320 days’ time. The need to safeguard the RPZs in the longer term, in areas of such high rents, cannot be overstated.

Mr McCafferty said: “The immediate introduction of a clear and transparent dwelling-specific rent register is equally crucial for the proper enforcement of RPZ legislation. In the absence of a clear and transparent rent register, those seeking accommodation have no means of knowing the previous rent being paid for a property. As a result, RPZ measures cannot currently be enforced.”

He said:“Earlier this week, the Economic Social and Research Institute and the Oireachtas Housing Committee echoed our concerns about an over-heating housing sector and an over reliance on HAP to provide for social housing, given the lack of security of tenure in private rented housing,” Mr McCafferty added.

Mr McCafferty said: “There are 10,000 children and adults in emergency accommodation; a housing list of up to 100,000 households; and a hidden homeless population who are unaccounted for. Our Tenancy Protection Service – Threshold’s free, confidential support for renters who are worried about losing their home – prevents many families from moving into homelessness every week. Alongside homelessness prevention such as ours, further policies are required. These include stronger rights for tenants and the delivery of housing supply - particularly in terms of the construction and completion of both social and affordable rental housing”.

Threshold Chairperson Aideen Hayden, added "In addition to improving security for those renting from a private landlord we must acknowledge that systemic change is needed. We have been here before and we must act now to avoid the boom bust cycles that have dogged Irish housing for decades. We will never have a stable housing system that suits the Irish people unless we have a robust public housing system. We need one third of our housing in public ownership," she said. "Moreover we must acknowledge that a serious number of those families at risk in the rented sector would have been living in social homes in different times. The system has failed and we must act to correct it. "

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South Kildare TD, Fiona O’Loughlin has welcomed the report produced by the Oireachtas Children and Youth Affairs Committee into combatting childhood obesity.

Deputy O’Loughlin said, “It’s good to see recommendations that mirror a similar report launched by the committee I chair, the education and Skills committee”.

“I am of the view that schools play an absolutely vital role in promoting healthy lifestyles, healthy eating and nutrition and in the provision of physical education to prevent obesity before it becomes established. This is where schools have PE halls and programmes but, as we know, there are schools in every constituency that do not have PE halls. It is unacceptable that schools such as the Curragh Post Primary school has no PE hall”

Deputy O’Loughlin went on to say, “Childhood obesity is a global problem and the prevalence of obesity in Ireland is highlighted from both reports. There is potential for a future health epidemic if we do not make necessary changes and inform people of health risks involved with obesity”.

“The schools building programme, should prioritise physical education facilities to encourage physical education activity within our schools. Promoting safe walking and cycling has to be built into school programmes. Local authorities and the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government should be ensuring funds are allocated for that. I have visited four national schools in my area in the past two weeks, namely, Lackagh, Twomilehouse, Scoil Na Naomh Uilig and Scoil Mhuire junior, Newbridge. I intend to visit Killina national school in Carbury next week. Children in those areas have major problems walking or cycling to school safely. That has to be a priority and funds have to be allocated to address that issue”.

Looking to the future, lands and green spaces around schools should be protected for use by schools for sport and exercise, as well as for the construction of playgrounds, gyms and other exercise facilities.

“The practical recommendations put forward by the Joint Committee on Children and Youth Affairs should be incorporated, together with the recommendations from the Joint Committee on Education and Skills, in the Government's plans for tackling childhood obesity”, Concluded Deputy O’Loughlin.

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Energia, Ireland’s fastest growing energy provider and the home of Ireland’s cheapest dual fuel bundle, has launched its ‘Pic of the Month’ competition and is now taking entries from the public via Twitter and Instagram.

Members can submit any image that they feel showcases the beauty and uniqueness of their locality, for example a local monument, wildlife, an event, a sunrise etc. The competition is open to all members of the public over the age of 18.

At the end of every month Energia will select one winner who will receive €500 and five runners up who will each receive €100.

Commenting on the launch, Geoff Codd Head of Marketing and Retail Development Energia stated; “We are delighted to launch this photography competition. We work with communities across Ireland, supplying approximately 25% of Ireland’s total energy and 25% of the country’s total wind power so we understand that each is unique. We believe that offering people the opportunity to share what they feel makes their community special is a great way to celebrate their locality.”

Submissions must be original photography by the entrant, taken within 30 days of entry, and must be set in Ireland. Further details, terms and conditions of the competition are available here.

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Tonight will be mostly cloudy and there will be a few patches of light rain or drizzle overnight for Co Kildare, which follows an unsettled weekend.

Lowest temperatures of 4 to 6 degrees early in the night. Winds will be mostly moderate south to south-west.

Tomorrow, Tuesday will be mostly cloudy. There will be some patches of light rain or drizzle in places, especially in the south. Mild with highest temperatures of 11 to 13 degrees in mostly moderate south-westerly winds.

According to Met Eireann, Spring is certainly on the way due to a mainly southerly airflow looks likely to persist over Ireland through much of the coming week bringing somewhat milder than average temperatures for the time of year.

Tuesday night: Scattered outbreaks of rain and drizzle will become increasingly confined to western and northern areas overnight, but it will remain cloudy in most places, with patches of mist and fog. Lows of 7 to 10 degrees Celsius in moderate southerly breezes, fresh to strong and gusty at the coasts.

Wednesday: Mostly cloudy on Wednesday, but with a good deal of dry weather overall - just a few patches of light rain and drizzle, mainly in Atlantic coastal counties. Some limited bright or sunny interludes are possible during the afternoon.

A mild and breezy day with top temperatures of 11 to 13 degrees in mostly moderate south to southwest breezes, fresh to strong and gusty at the coasts. Mostly dry on Wednesday night and frost free with lowest temperatures of 6 to 8 degrees in moderate southeasterly breezes.

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Planning permission has been applied for changes to the grounds of the former Nijinsky's niteclub - Jockey Hall - on the Curragh.

The 7-bed period home on 3 acres was put up for sale in 2015 with an asking price of €1.5m.

The central section of the house has huge, high-ceiling reception rooms and an opulent kitchen.

Both east and west wings have double-size bedrooms and luxurious bathrooms on both ground and first floors.

Planning permission has now been applied for the site for construction of a sand arena for equestrian exercise purposes.

Planning permission has also been applied to retain an  existing L-shaped single-storey stable building containing seven stables along with a tack room and a feed store.

The owners also want to retain:

• single-storey stable building,
• vehicle entrance comprising raised natural stone walls and piers;
• natural stone boundary walls to the side and rear of the site.

One of the famous racing lodges on the Curragh and a listed building, Jockey Hall dates from the late 1700s.

It was originally built to accommodate both jockeys and horses during racing season at the nearby Curragh Racecourse.

In the 1990s, the property, including a stud farm, was sold off and the house was converted into a restaurant and, subsequently a well-known nightclub called Nijnsky's - after the famous racecourse.

It was was completely refurbished and practically re-built in 2003 under the supervision of a conservation architect.

The floor area spans 7,000 sq.ft. and has panoramic views of the Curragh, including the famous 'Braveheart Hill'.

Features include a geothermal heating system, a walk-in wine cellar and a private pub with a Glasgow Celtic FC theme featuring a €36,000 solid wood bar.

A large sun room overlooks well-maintained gardens and there is garaging for five cars.

The front lawn is decorated with a spectacular water feature.

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The death has occurred of Noreen Lynch
Logstown, Kilcullen, Kildare / Kerry

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Shoppers at Whitewater SC last weekend were entertained by a very energetic and uplifting performance by Kilcullen Gospel Choir.

Conductor Lorraine Nolan and her choir were uber uplifting, and their videos are getting great acclaim on Facebook and social media.

Whitewater have dedicated the month of February to a theme:  Mind Yourself/Mind someone else!

Each weekend, the Centre will be alive with music performed by local groups in an effort to raise awareness and raise monies for some of the voluntary groups who provide vital services to those less fortunate.

They hope to highlight organisations within the local community who provide services to those most in need with information stands and demonstrations. These services (free of charge and mostly manned by volunteers) are available for those in our community who may be under pressure due to financial or emotional stress.

Hoped Charity posted: "When a local choir places a little HOPE in our hearts........ we need to say a big THANK YOU to Lorraine Nolan and Kilcullen Gospel Choir" whilst Lorraine also thanked all who donated to the collection.

Click here for a performance from Kilcullen Gospel Choir, conducted by Lorraine Nolan at Whitewater Shopping Centre last weekend

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Without stating the obvious it was far from pretty on Saturday night as Fermanagh inflicted a first defeat on Kildare in the National Football League.

Kildare never led and only scored one point from play in a very disappointing display and although Cian O’Neill wasn’t surprised at anything that was thrown at his side they still weren’t able to deal with it adequately.

“We are frustrated and disappointed as Fermanagh didn’t do anything that we wouldn’t have expected in the fact that they played with 15 men behind the ball for practically the whole match”.

“They weren’t that concerned with racking up big scores as we seen in their previous two matches as they scored five points in the first half and three points in the second half but even in saying all of that we never got our attacking game going”.

“We didn’t dictate the terms of the match, we almost played to their tune and that’s disappointing and while I know we have a lot of youth and inexperience in the team, there is also a good bit of experience so there is a lot of lessons learned there for the group”.

“When we got level in the second half it would have been a good chance to go ahead and make them chase the game for a change but we kept turning the ball over and our composure went missing and that consistency is a real killer”.

One of the things that irritated the Kildare boss the most was the start his side made as it allowed Fermanagh to soak up any pressure and get their game plan into full use.

“When your playing against a team that don’t want to play an expansive or attacking game you have to get ahead early so you make them change the way they play and they have to go chasing but that never happened as our discipline was poor and we weren’t at the pitch of the game quick enough and I don’t want to blame the journey or anything but we were a little bit slack in our tackling and we gave them some easy shots and they obliged in going three points up and you are always chasing the game then but we worked ourselves back into the game in getting level but we lacked composure at the end, we had five attacks in a row and got nothing from any of them and that’s what is most disappointing”, O’Neill admitted.

The way results transpired a win would have put Kildare top of the League by the end of the weekend and with a two week break now on the horizon it at least gives O’Neill the chance to welcome back a few players including the Two Mile House trio of Peter Kelly, Chris Healy and Mark Sherry.

“Every single team and manager knew that points were going to be taken off each other and I think that’s the nature of the competitiveness in Division 2 and we are very disappointed we didn’t get anything from that game, even a point would have been good”.

"It’s not going to change how we approach any of the other games as it’s always being one game at a time and while we have to lick our wounds and learn from the game we hope to be bigger and better in two weeks’ time”.

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A dozen townhouses are being planned for Station Road in Newbridge.

Kildare Co Council's planners will make a decision this week on the proposed 3-bedroom, 2-storey properties in Piercetown in Newbridge.

The proposed homes will be built in 2 separate blocks of six units each.

Car parking, landscaping and other works are included in the designs.

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There was quite a bizarre turn of events during Kildare’s defeat to Roscommon in Division 3 of the Lidl National Football league on Sunday afternoon.

Roscommon struck late with a stoppage time goal to claim victory but the main talking point afterwards was the awarding of a series of frees against Kildare for “player intimidation”.

Kildare boss Daniel Moynihan didn’t quite know what to make of the decisions that resulted in Roscommon getting two points.

“Defensively we were quite vocal and that is something we pride ourselves on but the ref said we were too vocal and there was two frees given against us for that which were both scored”.

“It’s a new one on me and it’s not going to change the result on us now but we need to go away and have a look at the way we actually defend because we stressed to the girls to keep the hands out and put as much pressure on the ball as possible and if they were going to shoot it was going to be from open play rather than frees but it didn’t work out for us today as a lot of frees went against us and because of that its something we need to have a look at”.

Some of the Kildare defenders were shouting block, block, block at their colleagues and rather strangely referee Stephen McNulty adjudged that to have been against the rules and not only did he give frees against Kildare but he also moved the ball straight in front of the goal.

“It’s very frustrating, I suppose it’s something that this group has struggled with vocally and from day one I’ve stressed that they need to be quite vocal on the pitch and it’s a bit strange that your told you can’t be vocal and encourage your teammates by calling for blocks”.

“That being seen as intimidation is a new one on you and a new one on me as well so we’ll deal with these situations as they arise and we’ll have to make sure we are not as vocal in that kind of way when we’re playing Wicklow”, Moynihan admitted.

As well as that the Wicklow official also gave a sin bin to Kildare goalkeeper Rebecca McGuirk which resulted in a penalty that allowed Roscommon back into the game.

“It’s nearly a double whammy if you like conceding a penalty, losing your goalkeeper and even having to take off an outfield player or two so it was a bit of a reorganisation for ourselves and it just didn’t work out for us and there are days like that when things just don’t work out and we had it the last day but got the win. Today we had the same kind of issues but we didn’t get the win and it scraped by”.

“It was a tough one to take overall as we were outstanding in the first half and we started the second period well too with an early score to keep the scoreboard ticking over but then all of a sudden the pressure came on us and indiscipline and a few other factors cost us dearly”.

If you have a story or want to send photos or videos to us please contact the KildareNow editorial team. via our Facebook, via our email at content@kildarenow.com or on 045 409350 during office hours.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation has decided to suspend its planned three-day strike, which was due to begin tomorrow morning.

The decision by the INMO executive was taken this evening, after it received a recommendation from the Labour Court a short time earlier.

The court intervened in the dispute over pay and staffing this afternoon.

The Psychiatric Nurses Association has also suspended its industrial action.

Minister for Health Simon Harris has welcomed the nurses' decision.

Announcing the INMO's decision, General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said they had briefed the union's executive council on the recommendation and the executive had taken the decision to suspend the industrial action to allow time to consider the recommendation.

She said she would be meeting the union's strike committees on Wednesday, along with the executive and they would give full consideration to the recommendation at that time.

Patients 

Despite the strike suspension, thousands of patients have already suffered cancellations of long-awaited appointments and remain on lengthy waiting lists.

There have so far been 90,000 appointment cancellations due to the three one-day strikes that have already taken place.

This week's scheduled strike days were expected to put huge pressure on the health system.

Financial Impact 

Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe said he will brief Cabinet on the financial impact of the Labour Court recommendation in the morning.

Also speaking at Government's Buildings, he said that he hopes recommendations would form the basis for the resolution of the industrial action.

Mr Donohoe also said he believes that they are consistent with the Public Service Stability Agreement.

The HSE has also welcomed the suspension of industrial action.

In a statement the organisation said: "With INMO nurses expected to fully attend at work tomorrow, Wednesday and Thursday, we will endeavour to do everything we can to restore normal services.

"However, it will be appreciated that this will not be possible in all areas.

"Our hospitals and community based services will make direct contact locally with patients and clients where services are restored."

The Irish Patients Association has welcomed the suspension of the industrial action.

It said that the industrial relations system had failed tens of thousands of patients, because of the delays to get to today's breakthrough.

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