Govt to launch multi-billion euro housing strategy
The Government will today launch its housing plan titled Housing for All, with the multi-billion euro strategy set to detail guaranteed spending plans for the next five years. Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien is also expected to announce planning exemptions to develop homes above shop and business premises. The long-awaited plan commits to a €4 […]
Calls for continued supports for hotels and restaurants
The Restaurants Association gave a cautious welcome to the Taoiseach’s announcement on the easing of Covid restrictions. Chief executive Adrian Cummins said the measures went a long way towards outlining a roadmap for the sector with the provision of key dates, metrics and targets. However, he said there was more work to be done regarding […]
Broad welcome from business groups for reopening update
There’s been a general welcome for the measures announced by the Taoiseach about the next phase of reopening of the economy and society. Business group Ibec said the announcement provided clarity on the timeline for a phased and safe return to offices. The roadmap would provide added momentum to what has already been a very […]
Manufacturing loses momentum as bottlenecks constrain output
Irish factory activity lost some momentum in August with growth in output, new orders, exports and purchasing all lower than the previous month, a survey showed today. The AIB IHS Markit manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) stood at 62.8 in August. This marked the fourth highest reading since the survey began in 1998 but lower […]
Euro zone economic sentiment eases in August
Euro zone economic sentiment eased more than expected in August from a record high in July, hit by a sharp drop in optimism in France and the Netherlands, while selling price expectations peaked. The European Commission’s economic sentiment index, released today, eased to 117.5 in August from an all-time high of 119 in July. Optimism […]
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 […]