Politics « Thurles Information

Tipperary Co. Co. Introduce Security Measures at Public Buildings in Clonmel.

Tipperary County Council has introduced additional security measures at two public buildings in Clonmel following incidents of anti-social behaviour.

Security personnel have been deployed at Clonmel Library and the Motor Tax Office at Town Hall, Parnell Street, in order to support a safe environment for members of the public and staff using these services.

The Council has said it has a duty of care to ensure that public facilities remain welcoming and secure, and that the matter has been brought to the attention of An Garda Síochána.

These arrangements have been put in place as a preventative measure and will continue to be monitored. The Council will keep the situation under review and will adjust security and operational measures as appropriate in the coming weeks.

Tipperary County Council thanks the public for their understanding and cooperation and encourages anyone who witnesses anti-social behaviour at public facilities to report it to An Garda Síochána.

Charter Operation To South Africa Effecting Deportation Orders Confirmed.

Completion of a charter operation to South Africa to effect deportation orders confirmed.

The Irish government has confirmed the completion of a charter operation to South Africa.

63 people, consisting of 54 adults and 9 children, have been removed from Ireland by charter flight. The children removed were part of family units.

The flight departed Dublin Airport at 5:05pm on Saturday, February 28th 2026 and landed in Johannesburg shortly after 4:00am this morning, Sunday 1, March 2026 (Irish time).

This is the second charter operation this year, and the eighth since the recommencement of charter flights to effect removals and deportation orders in 2025.

Charter flights provide an alternative to commercial flights and can be more appropriate in circumstances when a group of individuals are being removed to the same destination. Charter flights increase the options available to An Garda Síochána to effect orders.

The returnees were accompanied on the flight by members of An Garda Síochána, medical staff, an interpreter and a human rights observer.

Further charter operations will be conducted throughout 2026.

Data Centres Pay Less Per Unit of Electricity Than Householders.

Data Centres Usually Pay Less per Unit of Electricity Than Households in Ireland, Official Figures Show.

New analysis of Ireland’s official electricity price statistics shows that very large electricity users; latter a category that includes many data centres, typically pay a lower price per unit (kWh) than households.

Key findings (official statistics).
Figures published by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) for January to June 2025 show:

Households (average, including all taxes): ~31.7 cent per kWh
Business customers (average, excluding VAT) ~24.3 cent per kWh
Very large business users (“Band IG”, over 150,000 MWh); ~ 19.5 cent per kWh (excluding VAT)

In simple terms, the biggest users pay less per unit than households, on average, in the published data.

Why this happens (in plain English).
This difference does not necessarily mean data centres are “getting a special deal.” It mainly reflects how electricity bills are structured for different types of customers:

Household prices include more taxes. The household figure is reported with all taxes included, while business figures are commonly shown excluding VAT (and many businesses can reclaim VAT).
Big users buy electricity differently. Large industrial-style customers can often use different contract types and buying arrangements than households (who usually buy through retail tariffs).
Network charges work differently for different customers. Households and large users face different combinations of “per-unit” charges and “capacity/demand” charges. Ireland’s energy regulator, the CRU, sets and approves network revenue and tariffs for the electricity networks.

Important note
A lower “cent per kWh” figure doesn’t automatically mean the total bill is low. Very large users can still face substantial overall costs because they consume huge volumes and can have significant capacity-related charges.

Sources:
This information is based on SEAI’s published “effective electricity prices” (Eurostat-based) for Jan–Jun 2025, and CRU information on network charges and tariff-setting.

Perhaps someone will explain this to the ill informed ‘Green Party’, thus avoiding public disinformation.

In-Service Drug & Alcohol Testing For Garda Members Being Finalised.

Department of Justice is Finalising Regulations to Enable In-Service Drug and Alcohol Testing for Garda Members.

The Department of Justice has confirmed it is finalising regulations required to enable the testing of serving members of An Garda Síochána for drugs and alcohol. Once the regulatory framework is completed, it will be open to An Garda Síochána to implement an in-service testing regime.

The move follows continued focus on strengthening anti-corruption safeguards within the organisation, including recommendations set out in the Garda Síochána Inspectorate’s 2020 report on countering internal corruption.

The Policing and Community Safety Authority (PCSA) has this week published a review of progress on the 2020 report’s recommendations, finding that 56% of the 34 recommendations have been implemented or partially implemented to date.

PCSA review highlights.
The PCSA noted progress in several key areas, including:

The formation and resourcing of the Garda Anti-Corruption Unit (GACU), and new policies addressing abuse of power for sexual gain and professional boundaries.
A prohibition on acceptance of gifts or hospitality from covert human intelligence sources (CHIS).
Strong support among members for reform measures, including in-service vetting (supported by 83% in a survey referenced by the PCSA).

The PCSA also highlighted areas where further action is needed, including the absence of a policy and supporting technology to detect and prevent misuse of Garda IT systems, and ongoing concerns regarding compliance with rules on gifts, hospitality and sponsorship.

Regulation drafting “complex” and at an advanced stage:
The Department of Justice has previously indicated that regulations underpinning an in-service drugs testing scheme are complex and require detailed consideration, and that drafting work is now at an advanced stage and expected to be finalised.

Engagement with Garda leadership:
The PCSA has said the review will be discussed at a public meeting between the Authority and the Garda Commissioner on today, (Thursday, 26th February 2026).

Met Éireann To Replace County Alerts With Local System.

Met Éireann has confirmed that it will replace county-wide weather warnings with a new localised system from late 2026, marking a significant change to the national warning framework.

In a written reply to a Parliamentary Question by Laois Fine Gael TD Mr Willie Aird, the forecaster said it is developing a polygon-based system that will divide the country into sub-county zones. The new approach will allow warnings to be issued for specific areas rather than entire counties.

The forecaster said the new system will give more precise guidance to communities.

Noting that the current system is well established, robust and aligned with international best practice, Met Éireann added, “This enhanced localisation will provide clearer direction to those at risk and support more targeted emergency preparedness. The aim is to have this system in place later in 2026.”

Deputy Willie Aird has welcomed the proposed change, adding that the current system is too broad for Ireland’s varied landscape and island conditions and often results in warnings not reflecting the actual risk on the ground.

He said that during named storms and periods of wintry weather, Status Orange or Red alerts are sometimes issued for several counties even though only particular areas within those counties face severe conditions. Aird said this can lead to widespread school closures and disruption when the threshold for the higher‑level warning has only been reached in one part of a county.

“The new system will bring clarity. It will end the unnecessary disruption that blanket county warnings can cause while still giving clear safety information to the people who need it,” he said.

He pointed to the heavy snowfall in January 2025 as an example of where a more targeted approach would have been appropriate.

“High ground areas of Tipperary, Kilkenny, Clare, Kerry, Limerick and Laois were technically in red alert conditions with disruptive levels of snowfall, while lower lying parts of those counties had very different circumstances with mostly rain. A county-wide warning simply does not reflect that reality,” he said.

“People do not live their lives by county borders. Weather does not respect them either. This is a practical step that will help protect homes, businesses and lives,” concluded Deputy Aird.