The State Claims Agency (SCA) is to cap barrister fees at 25% below current levels.

Officials will also require them to go through a competitive tendering process.

The SCA is a unit within the National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA).

It handles personal injury and property damage-related compensation claims against 54 State authorities.

A spokesman says the moves today are its latest efforts to reduce legal costs and maximise efficiency on behalf of the taxpayer.

Our economic recovery could be helped by NAMA naming a base price for property here.

The bad bank should be made to make a call on pricing.

That is according to the former CEO of Bank of Ireland Mike Soden.

He says new personal insolvency rules which are due to come into law later in the year are likely to run into difficulty.

This is because banks – some of which are private and others public -  will be asked to follow the same rules.

Former CEO of Bank of Ireland Mike Soden says that NAMA should act to invigorate the market therefore helping people in mortgage debt.

“If you woke up in the morning….and the headlines in the press was ‘Property prices turned up by 10 percent or 15 percent’, then the hidden  – if you want to call it – equity that’s in this country would start to surface” he said.

“People would say (that) we’ve hit the bottom and now may be the right time to re-enter the market” he added.

Queues have formed outside the Central Bank on Dame Street in Dublin after a special Michael Collins coin collection went on sale.

It was launched by Finance Minister Michael Noonan yesterday to mark the 90th anniversary of Collins’ death.

More than 18,000 coins have been minted.

3 people have been arrested after police and protesters clashed outside the Ecuadorian embassy in London.

That is where Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is awaiting the outcome of his application for asylum.

The British government is considering extraditing him to Sweden where he is wanted for alleged sex crimes even if he wins today’s battle.

This man explains why he is backing him.

“Here to defend Julian Assange and all of those who support him” he said.

“Not just (for) revealing secrets of information, but also freedom of speech and all of the people around the world yearning to be free” he added.

A new player may be coming on-board in a bid for Aer Lingus.

Etihad is said to be interested in buying Ryanair’s stake in the airline.

The firm already has interests in the Irish national carrier.

Newstalk’s Jack Quann has more.