The number of people renting their homes increased by 47% between 2006 and 2011.

Figures from the 2011 Census published today show that of the 1.6 million permanent dwellings occupied in April of last year 474,000 were rented.

A further 289,451 houses were identified as vacant.

1-in-12 households with a mortgage – or just under 51,000 homes were headed by people who were not working.

And of that almost 26,000 did not have anybody in that household working.

The Census figures record a large increase in the number of apartments.

That is up 27% last year on the 2006 figure.

Almost 11% of households were living in apartments last year and that accounts for almost 1/3 of all household types in Dublin city.

The provisional liquidators appointed to the Target Express haulage firm say they do not envisage any problems with the former employees of the company getting their statutory entitlements.

Representatives from Grant Thornton have been meeting with staff at the company depots this morning.

It comes after they were appointed provisional liquidators overnight.

Sit-ins are taking place at plants in Carlow, Cork and Wexford.

Workers say they are owed back wages as well as statutory redundancy.

Grant Thornton liquidator Gearóid Costigan met with employees at Little Island in Cork.

He has outlined what Target Express staff are entitled to.

“Ultimately it is up to the insolvency fund to process the claims” he said.

“But based on our experience, all of the employees have that experience as a statutory right – and we would see no reason why people wouldn’t benefit”.

“I don’t wish to get into individual cases; obviously people are entitled to their redundancy and their entitled to notice pay, and they’re entitled to any arrears of holiday pay”.

“They are statutory entitlements that we’re processing currently” he added.

Investigations are continuing after a mother of 3 was found dead in Co. Louth.

34-year-old Jacqueline McDonagh was beaten to death at her home in Dundalk in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Gardaí say they are following a number of lines of inquiry in connection with the death.

Retailers are warning consumers about the danger of buying smuggled cigarettes.

They say illegal cigarettes contain rat droppings, arsenic and fibreglass and pose an even bigger risk to your health than normal cigarettes.

‘Retailers Against Smugglers’ also say the criminals involved have undertaken a leaflet campaign offering the contraband goods for as little as 3.50 for a box of 20 cigarettes.

This compares with 9.20 in the shops.

Spokesperson for RAS is retailer Benny Gilsenan.

He says the smugglers are active around the country.

“It started first in Sligo and it has come all the way across the country from Sligo through Athlone, Mullingar, and the latest ones that was found was in Athboy in Co. Meath” he said.

“It proves that these people are moving right across the entire country with these cigarettes” he added.

Thousands of American football fans are arriving in Dublin today ahead of the Emerald Isle Classic on Saturday.

The match between Navy and Notre Dame is being sponsored by The Gathering tourism initiative.

It says the event could generate up to €100 million for the Irish economy.

It will be shown on the CBS and ESPN TV networks in the USA.

This gives the event a potential audience of over 100 million people tuning in.

These fans in Dublin say they have come from all over the world to experience the big game.