Ryanair’s bid to fast-track its action against Fórsa and some of its pilots based in Ireland over a planned strike that was halted by injunction last August has been adjourned for two weeks at the Commercial Court. The adjournment was granted in the context of a High Court hearing next Thursday of an application by the pilots and Fórsa, for a stay on Ryanair’s case while a mediation process proceeds.

The State is expected to offer a formal apology today for failures in the CervicalCheck service to women and families affected. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is due to address the issue in the Dáil this afternoon. 

The Times reports that there has been a substantial shift towards privatised medicine. The findings are based on a UCD study aiming  to enumerate the number of private hospital beds in Ireland.

In Brexit news, the British Government has confirmed that direct rule would need to be introduced in Northern Ireland in the event of a no-deal Brexit. There has not been a fully-functioning devolved assembly or executive in Northern Ireland since January 2017. 

Ireland's pension system needs urgent reform according to a report by The Indo. The 2019 Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index said there was an urgent need for the Government to press ahead with its plans for an auto-enrolment system for those with inadequate retirement provision. A review of the retirement provisions in 37 countries found the system here ranked down the list when it comes to sustainability. 

The number of building site fatalities is higher than 2018, at seven so far this year. Meanwhile, the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) is undertaking a nationwide series of inspections on construction sites in an effort to reduce the rate of injury and death in the sector. The blitz, which started yesterday, will target sites across the country over the next two weeks, focusing on hazards such as silica dust and asbestos generated during refurbishment and demolition work.

An Post has calculated that its gender pay gap which stands at 3.7% in favour of men. The semi-State company said its result was “better than most” but accepted it still needed to recruit more women, especially at management level. The company will today release its first gender pay gap report and action plan. 

An finally, from the sublime to the ridiculous our zen is brought to us by the annual Halloween dog parade in Manhattan. See more of that here. The Greta Thunberg costume is a particular favourite

Have a good day folks.