This new year a familiar controversy is rearing its head again, as Ear to the Ground investigates further mysterious deaths of animals on a farm in Askeaton, Co Limerick, close to the region's industrial heartland, on RTE 1, Tuesday, 8.30 p.m.9 p.m.

With buoyant consumer spending reported in the lead up to Christmas, personal finance is the timely focus of Channel 4's new series of Mrs Cohen's Money, Thursday, 8 p.m.8.30 p.m.

This week Mrs Bernie Cohen looks at the unfortunate case of Neil Martin, who had accumulated three personal pension plans and paid a fortune in charges by the age of 36. As group personal pension plans also come under close scrutiny, Mrs Cohen advises how to get a grip on your financial affairs and navigate safely through the pension sales patter.

Test drives, car price comparisons and a look at topical motoring issues are likely to make the new series, Drive, on Network 2, Tuesday, 10 p.m.10.30 p.m., compulsory viewing for those in the motor trade.

And Crash, a new three-part documentary on car safety starting on Channel 4, Tuesday, 9 p.m.10 p.m., focuses on how campaigners have tried to steer manufacturers towards higher safety standards.

There are prizes all around in AIB Nationwide Better Ireland Awards, broadcast live on RTE 1, Monday, 8 p.m.9 p.m. The President, Mrs McAleese, presents the awards for co-operation and innovation in four categories: youth; heritage and environment; arts and communications; and community and enterprise.

Finally, while the issue of dump sites continues to generate controversy here, the French government has committed itself to ending all landfill dumping by 2002.

A robot designed to help bring its plan to fruition has been designed to separate plastics, metals and glass, for recycling, Tomorrow's World reports on BBC 1, Wednesday, 7.30 p.m.8 p.m.