The Times reports that free GP care could finally be on the cards. Meanwhile new research from the ESRI has found that extending free GP care to the whole population in 2026 would cost the State between €381m and €881m. Read more on that here.

The Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health will meet this morning to discuss the challenges facing emergency departments in public hospitals with representatives from the HSE.

Retained firefighters in Kildare and across the country have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action in a dispute they claim is resulting from a failure to address a recruitment and retention crisis.  Read more on that here.

SIPTU has raised concerns over what it has described as “serious staffing issues” at the Eist Linn Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service inpatient unit in Bessborough, Blackrock.

The Times reports that average wait times for NCT appointments have surpassed those reported in early September as the service continues to struggle with backlogs.

The minister for tourism has said she will seek a further extension of the 9% VAT rate for the tourism and hospitality sector in Ireland. The current reduced rate is due to expire on 28 February and revert to the higher rate of 13.5% from 1 March.

The Indo looks at the four day week in this piece. 

European data regulators issued almost €3 billion in fines related to data protection infringements last year, with the Irish regulator accounting for more than a third of the figure according to a new report.

And finally, the UK government has decided to block a controversial Scottish bill designed to make it easier for people to change their legal gender. UK ministers say the draft law would conflict with equality protections applying across Great Britain.

Zen

All Saints are the bringer of zen this morning. Their single Never Ever is 25 years old today. I can’t count the number of times tween Róisín played that song on her CD player.

Have a good day folks.