The Finance Minister has denied that there’s any rift between Fine Gael and Labour – over controversial proposals to the student grant system.
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/> The Education Minister – and Labour TD – Rurai Quinn says he plans to change the means test for the third-level grant – which could mean farmland and business assets being included for the first time.

But the Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney and many Fine Gael backbench TDs are said to be against the move – as it’s likely to mean that thousands of children from farming families will no longer qualify for a grant.

An expert group is currently examining the proposals and Minister Michael Noonan says he will wait for its findings before commenting further:

/> Well Minister Noonan’s comments come as over 56 thousand students are tonight celebrating receiving their Leaving Cert results.
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/> And this year there’s been a dramatic decrease in the number of students failing maths.

Almost 4,000 failed maths this year – that’s down by 20 per cent on recent years.

And even more remarkably, only 256 students of the 11,000-plus who took higher level maths – failed the paper.

Those who took the higher level maths paper received an extra 25 points this year – if they passed the paper.

The Education Minister Rurai Quinn told Galway Bay FM that the high uptake in Higher Level Maths this year – demonstrates that this bonus point system is working.

/> The Taoiseach is holding a private reception at Farmleigh House in the Phoenix Park this evening for Ireland’s 66 Olympicans.
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/> Earlier, around 5,000 people braved the wind and rain to attended a civic reception for Team Ireland on Dawson Street in Dublin City Centre.

The biggest cheer from the crowd was for Bray boxer Katie Taylor, who said she had been overwhelmed by the level of support since coming back from London on Monday.

/> The High Court has refused to stop a trial from going ahead of a man accused of sexually assaulting his 9 year old neighbour in 1976.
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/> Lawyers for the man in his fifties argued the prosecution would be unfair because of the delay in bringing charges against him.

Newstalk’s Courts Correspondent Francesca Comyn reports:

The UK’s Prince Philip is in hospital for the third time since Christmas.
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/> It’s not known why he’s been taken from Balmoral to the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary this afternoon, but Buckingham Palace say it’s as a “precautionary measure”.

The Duke of Edinburgh is now going through a thorough medical assessment.