Newstalk Breakfast

Former Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams and 400 others could be in line for "a pay day from the taxpayer" under plans to repeal the Legacy Act, to change legislation barring compensation to those who were interned without trial during the Troubles in the 1970.  We got reaction from Austin Stack, Son of murdered prison officer Brian Stack & Author of Justice for My Father, which will be released on the 13th of March.

Fianna Fáil Leader, Micheál Martin is to be Taoiseach until late 2027 as the programme for government pledges 300,000 homes to be built by the end of 2030, a cut in childcare costs and new transport police. We get reaction to the ambitious programme for government with Thomas Byrne, Fianna Fáil TD & outgoing Minister of State at Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts,  Sport Gaeltacht.

The Israeli Cabinet is set to officially on a ceasefire deal with Hamas later this morning after over a year of conflict. Phase one of the ceasefire is set to begin on January 19th, and will include the release of 33 Israeli hostages  To discuss what this means is Sean Bell, Former Fighter Pilot, Military Analyst and Co-Host of the Red Matrix Podcast. Also speaking to Newstalk Breakfast was Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, Israel’s Foreign Ministry Special Envoy and outgoing Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem.

Now, 900 million plastic bottles and cans have been brought back to machines and shops since the launch of the Deposit Return Scheme.  But as we approach the one-year anniversary of the scheme, many are asking whether it’s really a success or just a bit of a nuisance  Joining Shane to discuss this more is Larissa Nolan, Features Editor and Columnist with the Irish Mirror and John Gibbons Environmental journalist.

The price of a pint is set to increase again from next month.   Diageo has informed publicans that Guinness, Harp, Smithwicks, Hophouse 13 and Harp will go up by 6 cent per pint. Business owners and customers say they are frustrated at the continuous price hikes.  Our reporter, Josh Crosbie has been meeting with those on both sides of the counter.

A Programme for Government has been agreed between Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Regional Independents, in time for the Dáil’s return next week.   While a new Government is forming, Sinn Féin Deputy Leader Pearse Doherty has said the programme is a “a copy and paste job from five years ago”.

The solution to the housing crisis may lie on the other side of the world. That’s according to Seán O’Neill McPartlin, Director of Housing Policy at the think tank Progress Ireland.

In the Middle East, Hamas has accepted a draft peace deal while Israel says a ceasefire in the region is close but not quite there yet. We get the latest with Sky’s Middle East Correspondent, Alistair Bunkall. 

Irish people are the most optimistic citizens in Europe, according to a quality-of-life survey.  The survey also found Irish people are among those with the highest life satisfaction but we always knew we had the best craic!  To discuss the findings more was Pete Lunn, Founder and Head of ESRI's Behavioural Research Unit.

Holyhead Port is set to reopen tomorrow after being closed for more than a month following storm Daragh. With its closure disrupting passengers and shipping, how can we avoid this happening again in the future?