The Communications Minister says he's no objection to the Catholic Bishops having an input in the abortion debate, but he doesn't want to see them dictating to government how to legislate for it.

Yesterday, the Government announced plans to legislate for abortion in certain cases alongside regulations.

Four Archbishops including Cardinal Sean Brady have argued that it will allow for the direct and intentional killing of the unborn.

Today, Pat Rabbitte said he was taken aback by the vigour of the language used by them.

Minister Rabbitte says their input is welcome, but they can't dictate to Cabinet members how to legislate for abortion.

There's more bad news today for the hard-pressed Irish tax payer.

The Government has been fined €2million by the European Commission for failing to regulate the installation and use of close on 500,000 septic tanks.

In addition, the EU is imposing a daily fine of €12,000 per day as and from today for breach of a 2009 ruling until the issue is properly addressed.

Babara Nolan who heads up the EU Commission Office in Dublin, says the taxpayer is about to take a costly hit because of Governmental delay on this matter.

Another member of the Labour parliamentary Party member has jumped ship.

Limerick Senator James Heffernan is voting against cuts to child benefit as the Senate debates the social welfare bill today.

It's another blow for the Labour leader, Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore, after they lost party chair Colm Keaveney in a similar vote in the Dail last week.

Despite losing a Government member, the bill is expected to pass comfortably through the upper house.

Letters containing bullets have been sent to five Northern Ireland politicians.

Sinn Fein said letters addressed to Gerry Kelly and Alex Maskey had been sent to Stormont.

Bullets have also been sent to Alliance party leader David Ford, Naomi Long and Gerardine Mulvenna.

It is understood five separate envelopes containing bullets were sent to the politicians.

The Social Party TD Joe Higgins has declared that the property tax "must be brought down".

He was speaking at the launch of a plan to boycott the tax by the Campaign Against Household and Water Taxes.

The Dublin West TD says the fight against the household charge shows people power can win.

"The only way in my view that the property tax can be brought down is through mass resistence of otherwise compliant taxpayers in their hundreds of thousands boycotting the registration process and refusing en-masse to engage with the revenue which has been giving responsibility to try and collect this tax".

The UNITE union has also offered its support to the opposition to the property tax.