Yesterday Minister for Arts, Sports and Tourism Martin Cullen delivered his resignation letter to Taoiseach Brian Cowen. The TD for Waterford has resigned his Dáil seat as well as his ministry, due to a chronic back condition, on the advice of his consultant. His resignation, which will necessitate a by-election in Waterford, will take effect from the time of the proposed Cabinet reshuffle. The resignation leaves the Taoiseach relying on the support of the three independent Fianna Fáil TDs to retain a majority in the Dáil.

The Minister was elected to the Dáil as a Progressive Democrat in 1987, joining Fianna Fáil seven years later and becoming a junior minister in 1997. Among Cabinet posts he has held since 2002 are Environment, Transport, and Social and Family Affairs.

Assembly to vote on power transfer today

The Northern Assembly will today vote on the transfer of justice and policing powers from Westminster to Stormont, with all parties except the Ulster Unionist Party in agreement. The UUP is to vote against the proposal in protest after party leader Sir Reg Empey said they would not be "blackmailed or bullied" into supporting the vote. Most observers view the UPP stance as a case of umbrage over the party being left on the sidelines while the DUP and Sinn Féin engaged in intensive negotiations on the issue.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been in contact with Sir Reg over the weekend, while former US president George W. Bush has asked Conservative Party leader David Cameron to use his influence with the UUP. The two parties have an electoral pact but Mr Cameron has said he is not in a position to tell the UUP what to do.

Aer Lingus issue unaudited report

Having announced a delay in issuing their financial report, Aer Lingus have published an unaudited report which shows a rise in passenger number of 3.8% while its total capacity fell by 5.1%. The company reported a loss of €81m for last year, four times that for 2008.

Craftworkers at the company, who are member of the UNITE union, last night approved the proposed restructuring plan, leaving just the cabin crew in opposition; they rejected the plan by almost two to one. The board of Aer Lingus are holding an emergency meeting today to discuss alternative methods of saving €97m.

Taxi protest at Dublin Airport

Protest action by a significant number of Dublin taxi drivers is causing problems for departing and arriving passengers at Dublin Airport. Traffic in the city centre is also being disrupted.

It is not clear what the issue is but it seems to have started yesterday when four taxi drivers staged a sit-in at the office of the taxi regulator. Two have since left and the other two remained in the lobby overnight.

An early halt for Arctic expedition

The members of the Irish North Pole Team 2010, who were aiming to reach the North Pole without the aid of either dogs or mechanical means, had to abandon the expedition for medical reasons. John Dowd, who was travelling with Pat Falvey and Dr Clare O'Leary, showed signs of frostbite on two of his fingers, a condition which would not have improved had the party continued on their journey. They were flown back to Resolute in Canada which was their starting point last week.

Dubliner convicted on major drugs charge

Michael Byrne (36) of Clondalkin in Dublin was convicted at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court yesterday of transporting €6.4m worth of heroin in his van. Byrne was observed by a Garda surveillance team taking the drugs from a van and hiding it in a park. When challenged he fled, throwing his mobile phone into a nearby river. He was remanded in custody for sentencing next month.

Tuesday's Papers

Predictably the three Southern papers lead with Martin Cullen's resignation. The Irish Times tells is as it is, with "Cullen steps down as TD and Minister due to health problems", while the Irish Examiner and the Irish Independent look to its effect on the Government majority. The headlines read respectively "Cullen delivers blow to Coalition stability" and "Cowen on tightrope as Cullen bows out".

Under a picture of a burnt-out car the Irish News headline reads "Police ‘let firefighters tackle blaze despite booby-trap fear'".

The Weather in Galway

It is another bright sunny day, with earlier frost now gone. Temperature 4C.

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