Report finds Ireland’s pension system ranking has improved slightly
Ireland’s pension system has improved slightly in the past year when compared with global peers, a new index has found. The Mercer CFA Institute Global Pension Index ranked Ireland’s retirement income system in 13th place, up one spot from a year earlier. It follows a modest increase in its index score, from 70 last year […]
Grocery price inflation falls to 5 month low – Kantar
Grocery price inflation in the Irish market has fallen to a five month low, but prices are still going up steeply. That is according to the latest figures from data consultancy Kantar, which says grocery inflation here was 10.5% in the 12 weeks up to October 1. That rate is down on the previous period […]
Exports down 17% in August on lower sales of chemicals – CSO
Exports from Ireland dropped by 17% in August, driven by falls in sales of chemicals and related products, as well as electrical machinery, new figures from the Central Statistics Office show. In total €16 billion of goods left the country during the month, down €3.3 billion on August of last year. The biggest decline was […]
2,600 buyers approved for First Home Scheme
The latest progress report on the First Home Scheme shows that 2,598 buyers have been approved and 699 homes already bought using the scheme since it was launched in July 2022. The First Home Scheme was a €400m fund set up to help first-time buyers to bridge the gap between their mortgage, deposit and the […]
Clear-out urged as study finds Ireland generates millions of kilos of e-waste
Irish households are being urged to begin a collective clear-out of small electronic waste this weekend, after a United Nations study showed Irish consumers generated 11 million kilos of electronic waste last year. This is equivalent to 25 million items containing precious and valuable metals. Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Ireland says this equates to […]
Ireland’s economic growth will slow by 2050 – report
A new report has suggested that Ireland’s economic growth will slow over the medium to long-term due to a range of factors, including the ageing of the population. The research, produced by the Department of Finance and the International Monetary Fund, predicts that the pace of growth of Modified Gross National Income or GNI*, which […]
Budget benefited lower income groups proportionately more – ESRI
The Economic and Social Research Institute has said Tuesday’s Budget was “progressive”, meaning lower income groups will benefit proportionately more than higher income groups. However, the ESRI says the reduction in the At Risk Of Poverty (AROP) rate amongst most groups will only be achieved through the once-off measures contained in the Budget. It points […]
Online payments continue to grow, cheque payments drop further
Online and mobile banking payments are continuing to grow in the country while usage of cheques has dropped to the lowest level since 2008. That is according to latest figures from the payments monitor of Banking & Payments Federation Ireland. It finds online and mobile banking payments have jumped 60% since 2018, while the use […]
Annual inflation rate up slightly to 6.4% in September – CSO
The annual rate of inflation rose again in September to 6.4% compared to an annual rate of 6.3% in August, new figures from the Central Statistics Office show today. The main drivers of inflation last month were increases in mortgage interest payments, clothing and footwear and home heating oil. Mortgage interest payments rose by 6.3% […]
€1.17bn allocated to Arts, Sport and Media in budget
The Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin has announced details of the €1.17 billion in funding allocated to the department in Budget 2024. Measures include a €1.9m pilot initiative to support regional arts infrastructure to meet their building and equipment needs, increased funding for national sporting organisations and for high-performance […]
Number of insurance firms in Ireland down 39% since 2009
The number of insurance and reinsurance businesses based in Ireland has fallen 39% since 2009, a new study has found. Life companies have dropped by 42% over the period and non-life firms by 29%, while the volume of re-insurers has decreased by 47%. On top of that the largest international non-life companies and one of […]
Used car price inflation rises to 3.3% in third quarter
The rate of inflation in the used car market was 3.3% in the period from July to the end of September, up from 0.9% in the previous quarter. The DoneDeal Car Price Index shows the annual rate of car price inflation is now at its lowest level since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, when […]
Some Budget measures in force with fuel prices up since midnight
Some of the Budget 2024 measures came into force at midnight after the Dáil voted to increase tobacco duties and maintain the lower VAT rate on household energy bills. While the vote means pending excise increases on petrol and diesel have been deferred until next year, fuel prices at petrol and diesel pumps went up […]
Budget 2024 won’t overheat the economy – Varadkar
Some Budget 2024 measures came into force at midnight, after the Dáil voted to increase tobacco duties and also maintain the lower VAT rate on household energy bills. While the vote means pending excise increases on petrol and diesel have been deferred until next year, forecourt fuel prices increased overnight due to a hike in […]
Banking levy increased in Budget 2024
Ireland will revise how it calculates its levy on banks after announcing plans to raise €200m from the measure next year, up from €87m in 2023, Finance Minister Michael McGrath said today. The levy previously raised a flat €150m a year after its introduction following the banking crisis a decade ago. But that fell last […]
Budget to include €250m scheme to help firms with costs
A new €250m grant scheme to help small and medium sized businesses with rising costs is set to be announced in today’s budget. The one-off scheme will offer payments to firms based on a percentage of the amount they pay in commercial rates. However, amounts will be capped, with the result that large firms will […]
Global natural gas demand set for slower growth to 2026 – IEA
Global natural gas demand is expected to experience slower growth to 2026 after peaking in mature markets such as Europe and North America in 2021, a report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) said today. The IEA’s annual medium-term gas market outlook said global gas demand was on course to increase by an average of […]
Over 2.4m people have private health insurance, up 3%
The number of people with private health insurance at the end of last year rose by 3% compared to a year earlier. 2.44m customers had health insurance policies at the end of December, representing 47.6% of the population. Total premium income fell slightly over the year and now stands at €2.93bn, as a result of […]