Sinn Féin leader says ‘build to rent’ scheme would worsen housing crisis
Sinn Fein leader, Mary Lou McDonald TD has stated that if planning is approved for the 1,614 ‘build to rent’ apartments on the grounds of Clonliffe College in Drumcondra, Dublin it will only further exacerbate the housing crisis. The Dublin Central TD is one of 120 parties to make submissions on the contentious €610 million […]
State further reduces stake in Bank of Ireland
The Government has reduced its stake in Bank of Ireland by a percentage point. In a statement to the stock exchange, Bank of Ireland said the percentage of its voting rights owned by the Government through the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF) has decreased from 12.98% to 11.97%. The percentage of voting rights in the […]
Government now faces tricky dilemma on PUP wind-down
When the history of Ireland’s handling of the pandemic is written in years to come, the economic impact and the response of the Government to it will be a key focus. And central to that analysis will be the role played by, and the effectiveness of, the Pandemic Unemployment Payment or PUP. Introduced almost overnight […]
People may be more conservative in how they use Covid savings – research
People are adopting a more conservative approach to using savings build up during the Covid-19 pandemic than anticipated, new research from Permanent TSB Bank and research company Kantar shows. Leontia Fannin, Head of Corporate Affairs at Permanent TSB, said today’s findings could signal a lower-than-expected post Covid “bounce” in the economy. “There has been an […]
Consumer confidence rises but business sentiment slips – Bank of Ireland
Bank of Ireland’s latest Economic Pulse shows that consumer confidence rose in August but business sentiment slipped. Bank of Ireland said the Consumer Pulse was in catch-up mode and moved higher as households upgraded their assessment of both the general economic and their own financial situations. But the Business Pulse slipped this month as Bank […]
Faulty goods and services top CCPC query list
Issues relating to faulty goods and services topped the list of queries to the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission in the first six months of this year. There was a steep rise in the number of queries relating to audio-visual and electronic goods and a corresponding fall in travel-related queries. The Consumer Contacts Report details […]
Value of mortgage approvals at a ten-year high in July – BPFI
Just over 53,500 mortgages to the value of almost €13.2 billion were approved in Ireland in the 12 months to the end of July, according to Banking and Payments Federation Ireland. That represented an increase in approval volumes of just over 3% compared to the 12 months to the end of June, while the value […]
People waiting for right opportunity to get new job – Indeed
Around three in ten workers surveyed by recruitment website Indeed said they were open to new employment opportunities but are not actively looking. The survey showed that 7% of workers said they were urgently looking for a new post while around half said they were not searching for a new role. Indeed said this suggests […]
Marginal increase in commercial vacancy rate in second quarter of 2021
The vacancy rate in commercial properties around Ireland remained relatively steady in the second quarter of 2021. According to the latest GeoView Commercial Vacancy Rates Report from EY for GeoDirectory, out of a total commercial property stock of 211,739 units in Ireland, 28,831 were classified as vacant in June this year. This resulted in a […]
Rise in consumer confidence here in August not repeated elsewhere
Irish consumer sentiment improved marginally in August while confidence dipped in the US, UK and euro area. The latest consumer sentiment index from KBC Bank Ireland increased to 86.5 in August from 84.9 in July. That saw the sentiment index largely – but not entirely – reversing July’s drop from the two-year high of 87.2 […]
Cyberattacks on the rise over last year – survey
90% of Irish IT security experts say they have seen a rise in disruptive cyberattacks in the last year, a new survey has found. The study also found that just 30% felt that their executive management fully understands the value and needs of the cyber security teams, compared to 42% globally. More than half of […]
Do we really want to return to our old ways of working?
Opinion: the way we work has implications for our psychological well-being and social relationships within and beyond the workplace After 18 months of living with Covid-19, this autumn has been heralded as the time for a return to normality. Across Ireland and the UK, footfall in towns and cities is expected to increase as workers […]
Ibec calls for more autonomy in reopening road map
The chief executive of Ibec has told the Government it is vital that the next road map to reopening the economy is less prescriptive in nature than previously. In a letter to the Taoiseach and other ministers, Danny McCoy said businesses welcomed that Government is publishing a revised road map to reflect the progress made […]
Number of PUP recipients falls below 150,000 for first time
The number of people due to receive the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) this week has fallen by less than 4,000 when compared to last week. 149,436 will get the PUP in the coming few days, down from 153,309 last week. It is the first time that the number of recipients has fallen below the 150,000 […]
Grocery market declines by 3.9% as indoor dining resumes – Kantar
The Irish grocery market declined by 3.9% during the 12 weeks to August 8, as life continued to edge back to normal and indoor dining in restaurants, pubs and cafés returned for people who are double vaccinated. Kantar said it was important to put the dip in sales in perspective as they are compared to […]
Health insurance, pensions among benefits workers want
Health insurance, pensions and paid sick leave are among the top benefits sought by employees from their employers, new research has revealed. However, the provision of support for childcare was the benefit that was least offered by employers, the study by Morgan McKinley also found, with just 1.1% receiving it from the firm they work […]
80% of retailers in rent arrears with landlord – Retail Excellence
80% of retailers are in rent arrears with at least one landlord, a new survey by industry representative body Retail Excellence has revealed. The research also found that in one fifth of rent arrears cases, the retailer claimed there had been no engagement whatsoever from their landlord. “This survey provides a useful indication of what […]
Pensions gap widens as pandemic deepens the divide
Psychologists say we have very little appreciation or concept of ourselves in the future. In other words, our future selves are strangers to each of us. This lack of relationship with our older selves partly explains why we are so bad at planning for the longer term, such as saving towards retirement. According to research […]