The Last Word with Matt Cooper

Government is expected to announce changes to the €800 tax-free payment given to those hosting Ukrainian refugees in the coming weeks.Of the 80,000 Ukrainians still in Ireland, more than 36,000 are living in private accommodation under the Accommodation Recognition Payment scheme which is due to expire on March 31st.Emma Lane Spollen, national coordinator with the Ukraine Civil Society Forum, and Matt Carthy. Sinn Féin TD and spokesperson on justice, home affairs and migration, join The Last Word to discuss to what extent Ireland should continue to support Ukrainian refugees in Ireland.Catch the full conversation by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

The government is said to be considering relaxing planning rules on modular homes in back gardens in the latest effort to ease Ireland’s housing crisis.Minister of State at the Department of Housing, John Cummins and Martin Markey, Chief Executive of the Hardware Association of Ireland spoke to Matt on Wednesday’s The Last Word.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the conversation.

The United States and Russia have agreed to have closer cooperation and continue planning an end to the war in Ukraine following a meeting of officials in Saudi Arabia.Cal Thomas, nationally syndicated US columnist, and journalist Marion McKeone join The Last Word to discuss this and more of the week’s news from the United States.Catch the full conversation by pressing the ‘Play’ button on this page!

More than 80,000 homes are lying vacant in Ireland despite the ongoing housing crisis, according to new analysis from An Post.Jude Sherry, director of Anois, and Orla Hegarty, architect & assistant professor at the School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy at UCD, join The Last Word to discuss what could be done to get many of these empty properties back in to use.Catch the full chat by pressing the ‘Play’ button on this page!

The tourism industry has raised concerns over the government’s plans to introduce a so-called ‘accommodation levy’ on hotels and short terms lettings in Dublin.Darragh Moriarty, Labour Councillor in Dublin City Council and Paul Gallagher, Chief Executive of the Irish Hotels Federation, spoke to Matt about the idea.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the conversation.

Manchester United now sit in 15th place after losing 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur yesterday, in what Miguel Delaney of the Independent described as the worst Premier League match he attended all season.Meanwhile, after dropping points against Everton in the Merseyside derby last week, Liverpool got back to winning ways on Sunday when they beat Wolves 2-1 and stayed 7 points clear of Arsenal at the top of the table.Miguel spoke to Matt and Off The Ball's Will O’Callaghan about the weekend’s results on Monday's The Last Word.Hit the ‘Play’ button to hear the chat.

If time and budgets are limited, Sarah Slattery, thetravelexpert.ie, suggests affordable day trips to European cities, from Paris, to Bergamo, to Amsterdam.To catch the full conversation, press the ‘play’ button on this page.

A 34-year-old man has died after he was stabbed in Dublin city centre in the early hours of Saturday morning.Meanwhile, new figures released by An Garda Síochána shows that the number of knives that were seized in Ireland is up by 58% between 2015 and 2024. So, what’s being done to tackle the issue of knife crime in Ireland?Matt spoke to criminologist Trina O’Connor and Richard Guiney, Chief Executive of Dublin Town, to hear their views.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the conversation

Donald Trump bans paper straws in Federal Buildings, Sinn Féin's Mary Lou McDonald accuses Taoiseach Micheál Martin of calling her a liar and tourists heading to the Algarve this summer could be fined for walking around in swimwear.Journalist Lise Hand and Lorcan Nyhan, head of training at the Communications Clinic, join The Last Word to discuss the week's trending stories.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

Paul Colgan, financial journalist, and Kate English, chief economist with Deloitte Ireland, discuss Trump’s latest announcement on ‘reciprocal’ tariffs for the EU and what that means for industries in Ireland.Shane O’Donoghue, editor, CompleteCar.ie, considers how tariffs might impact the car market and American imports.