Minister of State Tom Parlon has deflected controversy successfully since his appointment in 2002 but the ex-IFA president faces an uncertain future as next year's election approaches. By Frank Connolly

The greenbelt area around Cork city has been opened up for development, in defiance of the local senior planner and An Bord Pleanála. By Frank Connolly

Plans to rezone lands in north Dublin have met with criticism from local residents, who say that the area is not suited to industrial use and that the changes will benefit a landowner who has been accused of operating an unauthorised haulage business there. By Frank Connolly

The planning tribunal has heard that a close associate of Bertie Ahern told Frank Dunlop in 1993 he was aware councillors could be bribed for rezoning votes. By Frank Connolly

The timetable for the transfer of powers and the level of accountability of the new force will delay the decision, say Sinn Féin. By Frank Connolly

Shell E&P has offered farmers with land along the proposed Corrib gas pipeline compensation of €10,000 each. By Frank Connolly

The Dail Public Accounts Committee (PAC) will discuss the recent report of the Comptroller and Auditor General into the controversial purchase of Thornton Hall in north Dublin by the Irish Prison Service at a hearing on Thursday 26 October.

Celia Larkin, whose bank account details have been sought by the Mahon tribunal, was among the first people to view the house after it was put on sale through auctioneers Sherry Fitzgerald in late 1994. Informed property sources have confirmed that Sherry FitzGerald handled the sale in 1995.
By Frank Connolly

Bertie Ahern made several trips to Manchester in the early 1990s that were paid for by millionaire businessmen lobbying the government for the development of a casino at the former Phoenix Park racecourse. Ahern was Minister for Finance at the time. By Frank Connolly

Guidelines state the then Taoiseach should have been consulted about the payment. By Frank Connolly