AIB paving way for social bonds
AIB is preparing for the issuance of a Social Bond which it says will go towards financing community programmes across the country. The bank has launched a Social Bond Framework which will pave the way for it to tap what it believes is expanding investor appetite for bonds issued by organisations that go towards achieving […]
ECB still more worried about inflation being too low – Schnabel
This year’s surge in inflation in the euro zone is still seen as temporary, even if prices continue to rise from already high levels, European Central Bank board member Isabel Schnabel told a German newspaper over the weekend. Repeating the ECB’s long-standing view on inflation, Schnabel said that over the medium term, inflation still risked […]
‘Real opportunity’ to make blended working part of life, says Varadkar
A new report on the right to request remote work has been published with the Tánaiste saying: “We have a real opportunity now to make remote and blended working a much bigger part of normal working life.” Currently in Ireland, all employees can ask their employers for the right to work remotely, but there is […]
Motor insurers to introduce new compliance measures
Six motor insurance companies have signed legally binding agreements to reform their internal competition law compliance programmes, following an investigation by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission. However, Brokers Ireland, which was also the subject of the probe, has declined to sign up to the agreements. It has strongly rejected it ever engaged in conduct […]
Govt needs to strengthen role of CCPC, says SF’s Doherty
Sinn Féin’s finance spokesperson, Pearse Doherty, said the Government needs to strengthen the hand of the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) and bring forward legislation to allow fines to be issued. His comments come as six motor insurance companies signed legally binding agreements to reform their internal competition law compliance programmes, following an investigation […]
Most consumers expect house prices to continue rising
70% of Irish consumers expect house prices to rise over the next three years, according to a new survey by KBC Bank Ireland. Just 12% said they expect to see prices drop, while 5% see prices being broadly flat. The survey shows that one in two Irish consumers expects Irish house prices to rise faster […]
Vaccine status issue may delay some offices reopening survey finds
Legal restrictions that prevent employers from finding out the coronavirus vaccine status of employees risk delaying the re-opening of offices and are costing businesses money, new research has found. The issue is also causing a negative impact on relations between a third of employers and their employees, according to the findings of a survey by […]
Business leaders feeling more optimistic about economy
Almost two thirds of business leaders are feeling optimistic about the Irish economy, more than twice the level recorded at the start of the year. According to a new survey of members by the Institute of Directors, nearly three quarters of those questioned feel the financial performance of their organisation will improve this quarter, up […]
The language barrier in the workplace
Over 60% of non-native English speakers working in Ireland say they need to work harder than their Irish peers to progress in the workplace, according to research published by AllTalk Training. AllTalk Training is a training provider that specialises in communication and collaboration for multicultural workplaces. It conducted focus group research with 80 non-native English […]
Govt approves legislation to establish Corporate Enforcement Authority
The Government has approved the publication of the Companies Bill 2021, which will transform the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement into a statutory and independent agency with additional resources to investigate and prosecute white collar crime. When the Bill is enacted, the new authority will have more powers to deal with larger, more […]
4,400 PUP recipients closed claims this week
Just over 153,000 people received the Pandemic Unemployment Payment this week, according to figures from the Department of Social Protection. Around 4,400 PUP recipients closed their claims in the week with almost half of these working in the Accommodation and Food sector, the figures show. The number of people receiving the Pandemic Unemployment Payment has […]
Outbreaks occurring in workplaces and at social gatherings – HSE
More than 100 Covid outbreaks are occurring each week, most of which are happening at social gatherings and in workplaces, the National Lead for Testing and Tracing at the HSE has said. Speaking on RTÉ’s Today with Philip Boucher Hayes, Niamh O’Beirne said there are an increasing number of outbreaks in these settings with people […]
Imports from NI jump sharply since Brexit – CSO
The total value of imports from Northern Ireland into the Republic jumped by more than three quarters in the first six months since Brexit compared to the same period last year, according to new data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO). Goods worth €1.77bn were brought into the country from the north between January and […]
Affordability sustains harmful use of alcohol – Alcohol Action Ireland
An alcohol price survey by Alcohol Action Ireland confirms “the exceptional affordability of alcohol to every day shoppers” and reaffirms the necessity for the commencement of minimum pricing of alcohol products, due to come into effect in January next year. Alcohol Action Ireland is an independent advocate for reducing alcohol harm. Its price survey found […]
House price rises – is there any let up in sight?
At the onset of the pandemic last year, the property market went into hibernation and there were forecasts of prices falling, possibly by up to 12%. How wrong that assumption turned out to be. Figures published by the Central Statistics Office this week showed that property prices continued their ascent in June. Transaction prices were […]
Euro zone bond yields edge down as global sentiment turns south
Borrowing costs in Germany, the euro zone’s benchmark bond issuer, dipped on Monday to their lowest level in over a week as latest data from the world’s biggest economies cast a shadow over the growth outlook. The Taliban’s seizure of power in Afghanistan also supported bond markets, seen as a safe haven at times of […]
Concerns at increasing demands on electricity grid
Ireland’s electricity grid is facing an increased prospect of blackouts this winter as emergency plans to import power generators have stalled, a professor of energy engineering at University College Cork has said. EirGrid, which operates Ireland’s electricity grid, has said “maintaining the balance between supply and demand has become increasingly challenging” due to a number […]
50,000 housing units needed every year to meet demand – report
Close to 50,000 housing units would have to be built here every year for the coming decades in order to keep up with demand. That’s according to a report on the housing stock carried out for the property industry group, Irish Institutional Property (IIP). It contains an analysis by Trinity College Professor, Ronan Lyons, which […]