The UK’s financial watchdog said car finance companies should start handling complaints two months earlier than initially planned as they finalize a compensation plan for those affected by the mis-selling saga.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) will lift the pause on handling certain car finance complaints on May 31, rather than the July 31 deadline it previously proposed.

Firms should already be investigating complaints, but have not needed to respond to them since the FCA suspended the process in January 2024.

The goal was to avoid disorder and inconsistency while developing plans for an industry-wide compensation system.

“It is likely that we will implement a system and complaints that fall under it will be dealt with under specific rules, which will include time limits for their processing,” the FCA said in an update on Wednesday.

The proposed scheme will compensate motorists who were unfairly sold a car loan between 2007 and 2024 because they were not properly informed of the commission paid to brokers, including car dealers.

The regulator’s plans, which are expected to allow around 14 million transactions eligible for compensation, have encountered significant resistance from lenders.

Consultations are currently underway on the details of the project, which is expected to launch early next year.

The FCA said ending its pause on handling complaints two months earlier than planned would give firms enough time to be ready to respond.

It expects the majority of complaints to fall within the scope of its redress system – but businesses will also need to be prepared to respond to those that do not.

The Irish peacekeeping battalion, part of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), came under fire.

The Defense Force has confirmed that all Irish troops are “doing well and on their way out” following the incident, which was condemned this morning by Defense Minister Helen McEntee.

The 127th Infantry Battalion, deployed as part of the peacekeeping mission last month after a formal review by the then Defense Minister Simon Harris, to Custume Barracks in Athlone, comprises more than 300 men and women from Óglaigh na hÉireann, including 31 from Westmeath and 22 from Offaly.

The battalion is led by Lieutenant-Colonel Mark Lennon, from Ballymahon.

In a social media post this morning (Friday), the Defense Forces said a patrol led by the 127th Infantry Battalion came under small arms fire.

“The Defense Force personnel initiated immediate action exercises and their actions and force protection measures together with the armored capabilities of the vehicles in which they carried out the patrol ensured the safety of all troops, who returned to UNP 2-45 after the patrol,” he added.

“All of our personnel are performing well and are accounted for, demonstrating the readiness of the 127th Infantry Battalion through its tactics, techniques and procedures, pre-deployment training and equipment.

“We will continue to implement UNIFIL’s mandate by monitoring and reporting on the situation in South Lebanon and condemning any attacks against peacekeepers,” he added.

Echoing this condemnation of the incident, Defense Minister Helen McEntee said it occurred near Bint Jbeil.

“This incident constitutes a direct and unacceptable violation of the UN Security Council resolution,” said Minister McEntee.

“I have been fully briefed by the Chief of Staff and would like to commend the personnel involved for their professionalism in extremely difficult circumstances. I am particularly relieved that all members of the patrol returned safely to base.

“Defence Forces personnel continue to play a vital role in South Lebanon, and their commitment and conduct remain of the highest standard,” she concluded.

Volodymyr Zelensky is due to be welcomed by Ireland’s new president in Dublin on Tuesday, as the United States continues its efforts to broker a ceasefire over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The visit comes a day after he met French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris as part of discussions on ending Europe’s biggest armed conflict since World War II.

Irish Prime Minister Michael Martin said he looked forward to “reiterating Ireland’s unwavering commitment to standing with the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes” during his visit on Tuesday.

The Taoiseach welcomed Mr Zelensky on the tarmac after his plane landed in Dublin on Monday evening.

The two leaders are due to hold a bilateral meeting as part of Tuesday’s events, which will mark the first state visit by a Ukrainian president to Ireland.

Mr Zelensky and Ukraine’s first lady Olena Zelenska are first due to pay a courtesy call on Irish President Catherine Connolly at Aras an Uachtarain in Phoenix Park on Tuesday morning.

Mr Zelensky is also due to attend the inauguration of the Ireland-Ukraine Economic Forum with Irish Deputy Prime Minister Simon Harris.

The Ukrainian leader will also deliver a speech to parliamentarians at Leinster House on Tuesday afternoon after being introduced by Ceann Comhairle, or the Irish Speaker of the House, Verona Murphy.

In April 2022, Mr Zelensky delivered a historic speech to the Irish parliament via video link, in which he said Ireland had not been neutral in the face of the “disaster” Russia had caused in Ukraine.

Welcoming the visit, Mr Martin said Zelensky’s arrival in Dublin comes at a “critical time” for Ukraine.

Ukrainian and U.S. officials have been working to revise the U.S.-proposed plan, developed during negotiations between Washington and Moscow, but criticized as too focused on Russian demands.

Mr Zelensky said in Paris on Monday that the peace plan “looks better” but that the subject of Ukraine’s control over its territories was “the most complicated subject” discussed.