A round-up of today's other stories in brief.
Taoiseach and Blair meet today
The Taoiseach is to meet British prime minister Tony Blair in London today. The meeting will focus on EU issues in advance of next week's summit.
Mr Ahern and Mr Blair will also review the Northern peace process, at the end of a year which saw enormous difficulties but also unprecedented progress, especially with the IRA statement ending its armed campaign followed by the decommissioning of its weapons.
A statement last night said the Government was determined that the opportunity for progress would not be allowed to drift away. The Taoiseach and prime minister will consider how to inject momentum into the process in the new year.
Irish mistrust political parties
Irish people believe that political parties are the most corrupt institutions in the State, according to a worldwide survey published yesterday by Transparency International to mark Anti-Corruption Day. The survey found political parties were the least trusted sector, followed, on the "Global Corruption Barometer", by the legal system, Dáil Éireann and the private sector.
Trust in the Garda Síochána and the medical services has increased in the past 12 months since the last survey was undertaken.
Irish respondents also appeared to be the most optimistic in the world that levels of corruption would decrease in the next three years. They are also the least likely to pay or be solicited for a bribe. Only 1 per cent of respondents admitted paying a bribe in the past year.
State in breach of EU fisheries law
Ireland has been found in breach of EU fisheries law by failing to introduce a proper control system to monitor catches, Jamie Smyth reports from Brussels.
The European Court of Justice ruled yesterday that Ireland failed to implement a 1993 regulation ordering the Government to supply information on the quantity and types of fish caught to the commission via computer. This information is a critical part of the control system used to implement the common fisheries policy, said a commission spokesman, who welcomed the ruling.
It ordered the Government to pay costs, and Ireland could face further litigation and fines. The case taken by the commission is based on the years 1999 and 2000. The ruling noted that Ireland had still not provided the information in 2004.
The State did not defend the case, but said it had been impossible to comply with the regulation due to a lack of staff and problems with the technology used to collate, store and transmit the data. A Government spokesman said the State had introduced a new computer system in 2005 to meet the EU requirements.
Statistics released to The Irish Times show there were 27 breaches of rules by Irish vessels and 22 by non-Irish vessels in 2004.
The ruling comes at a sensitive time for the industry. The Sea Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Bill, which allows for multiple penalties with fines of up to €100,000, is opposed by a number of Government TDs.