The front page of the Irish Times reports Hiqa has been criticised for not passing complaints on to the Gardaí or ombudsman as it received 4,600 complaints in 2017 including reports of sexual and physical abuse.

Meanwhile, it's been revealed the HSE's spending on agency staff in mental health services has risen by over €38 million in the last four years.

Senior volunteer Martin Burbridge who had been heading up Scouting Ireland's response to controversy over the mishandling of a rape allegation has resigned after the board made a decision to reinstate chief scout Christy McCann to chair the organisation’s upcoming extraordinary general meeting; a move Fórsa described as "reckless".

Ryanair lowered its full year profit guidance by 12 per cent on Monday, citing rising oil prices, higher costs and weaker fares due to the recent strikes. As a result, the airline has announced “modest” cuts to its winter schedule. 

Paschal Donohue is set to cut the property tax rate to prevent steep rises in annual bills but is resisting pressure from the Independent Alliance to announce the measure in next week’s budget.

And finally, as the countdown is officially on for Halloween party season, today's Zen is a list of quirky costume ideas that go beyond the black bin bag, sweeping brush and witches hat ensemble. I think the 'sports trophy' attempt is probably my favourite.