Housing was, as expected, the issue most on the minds of voters as they went to vote, according to the exit poll. New figures from the Central Statistics Office show home completions were up 4.4 per cent in the third quarter compared to the same period last year. But, they were down on the second quarter and, at 21,634 so far this year, also down on the 22,325 built by the end of September last year, writes Colin Gleeson. With the Government now setting itself a target of 50,500 a year, starting with 41,000 next year, the incoming government has a challenge to frame policy that can deliver those numbers.
Separate data from the CSO showed that the pay gap between Ireland’s top and bottom earners has widened considerably in the last 10 years in findings that run counter to other reports which have suggested income inequality in Ireland has remained relatively stable since the 2008 financial crash. Eoin Burke-Kennedy reports.
Ireland has a “once in a lifetime” opportunity to deliver on the potential for green hydrogen, according to Germany’s ministerial envoy, Jürgen Friedrich. In Dublin yesterday, he told a conference that offshore wind energy from Ireland’s west coast was one of the few completely reliable sources of renewable energy in the world. Ronan McGreevy was there.
Greencore chief executive Dalton Philips says he aims to return the convenience foods group to the acquisitions trail for the first time since before the Covid pandemic, saying he “would love” in time to buy something that would see the former Irish Sugar Company manufacturing in Ireland again. Meanwhile, the group reported profits ahead of forecasts that had been upgraded three times in the past year, pushing the shares ahead by almost 12 per cent. Joe Brennan reports.
Shopping centres, apartments and logistics: the top commercial property deals of 2024
Buy now, pay later: Many don’t realise that buying clothes with services like Klarna is taking out a loan
Mixed figures on home completions and business will miss the Greens now they’re gone
Can my employer baldly state that its policy is different from whatever the employee handbook says?
The abrupt departure of Intel chief executive Pat Gelsinger offers a fresh opportunity for the troubled chipmaker to consider potential deal options, including scenarios that he rejected during his time running the chipmaker such as a split of Intel’s factory and product-design businesses.
Also in trouble, boom-time developer Seán Dunne had various motions he brought to dislodge officials overseeing his bankruptcy dismissed with Mr Justice Liam Kennedy saying the now 70-year-old Mr Dunne had taken a procedurally incorrect legal route in seeking to challenge the validity of two officials’ appointments within the original bankruptcy case.
In Money Matters, with festive shopping in full swing, Joanne Hunt cautions about getting too attached to the concept of buy now, pay later. The upfront payments can look appealing but these are loans and you can quickly get hit with charges if you miss a payment.
We also have a full eight-page supplement looking at all aspects of the commercial property market as the year comes to a close.
Finally, John McManus says business will miss the Green Party now that it will no longer be in government. Businesses associate the party with carbon taxes and other measures that push up their costs and get in the way of making money. But the consequences of climate change are not up for debate, and neither are the costs it will ultimately impose on business.
Stay up to date with all our business news: sign up to our Business Today daily email news digest. If you’d like to read more about the issues that affect your finances try signing up to On the Money, the weekly newsletter from our personal finance team, which will be issued every Friday to Irish Times subscribers.
