Grind schools are booming. Would they offer any advantage in a properly resourced education system?
Schools are a dense web of educational experiences and social relations. How well does the grind-school offering compare on this front?
ESRI
Building small terraced homes could reduce construction costs, boost supply and lower prices for first-time buyers
Small terraced houses would be more affordable for one- and two-person households, but builders prefer to construct apartments or semi-detached homes because of higher profit margins
Explainer: How did the Government come up with its latest housing target of 50,500 new homes a year?
The Coalition did not want to set targets it could not meet within the duration of the current Government – although Ministers would likely contest this
With an election imminent, it is important party policies and manifestos are objectively costed and tested
Independent assessment of political proposals is an important safeguard for the voting public
Substantial increase in number of 13 year-olds diagnosed with disability over last decade - report
The most prevalent physical disability was found to be blindness or visual impairment (24.8%), followed by pain or difficulties breathing (19.1%), trouble doing physical activities (11.9%) and deafness/hearing impairment (2.5%)
Ageing population takes its toll on Ireland’s health system
With the proportion of elderly people increasing as the population rises, how will the country cope with the health implications of these changing demographics?
Not enough data being collected on integration of migrants into Irish society, European body says
European Migration Network says ‘clear need for more detailed and better quality data on migrants and their situation’
Regulatory delays can push electricity prices up 10%, says ESRI
Study stresses delays are separate from those of developers securing financing, or public opposition and planning appeals
Poverty risk far higher for lone parents, research finds
Economic and Social Research Institute conducted study over nine years
Budget likely to push more elderly and people with disabilities into poverty - ESRI
Child poverty rate will remain unchanged despite the child benefit lump sums
Will the Universal Social Charge become hostage to a bitter general election campaign?
The unpopular, post-crash tax may be targeted in an election arms race but pretending it can be abolished would be crazy
Acceleration in public spending is sustainable, ESRI says
Think tank assesses recent and planned hike in spending in the context of output
ESRI warns Government against delaying residential zoned land tax
Institute claims proposed tax is one of few ways policymakers could reduce cost of housing
New CSO survey to track lives of thousands of Irish babies
Between 15,000 and 16,000 families with a nine-month-old baby will be invited to take part
Almost a third of tenancies in Dublin had rent increases above RPZ limit
Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) study finds the national standardised average rent paid by new tenants is now €1,612 per month and highest in Co Dublin at €2,128 per month
Most Leaving Cert students availing of grinds but little evidence of gain for higher achieving students
Some 55 per cent of final year students availing of private tuition to boost chances of accessing university
Not enough zoned land in key areas to meet housing targets, says Goodbody stockbrokers
Goodbody estimates need for up to 60,000 units a year to deal with existing shortfall of supply and population growth.
Income inequality and child deprivation is fuelling disengagement from civic society
New ESRI research spotlights some of the root causes of poverty and why significant numbers no longer see the relevance of elections
Most people in Ireland support welcoming immigrants, survey suggests
Survey was conducted in July on behalf of the Migrants Rights Centre of Ireland
Burning coal, peat and wood is associated with poorer mental health, ESRI finds
Long-term exposure to fine particulate matter can also cause chronic disease and cancer
Homeowners’ sunny disposition towards solar
ESB Networks figures show that more than 100,000 homes are now selling green power back into the grid
Residential energy retrofits: Disruption a big factor in homeowners’ decisions – ESRI
‘Disruption and mess associated with home retrofit works cannot be avoided and, in some projects, can substantially impact on family life’
Irish hospital admissions due to hot weather projected to rise
ESRI analysis found increased hospitalisation on hot days, with circulatory and respiratory issues among most common
Solving the housing crisis requires new body empowered to clear blockages in system
Housing Delivery Oversight Executive recommended by Housing Commission would exist for five years and have the power to tackle barriers to housing supply
Lone parents and children should be exempt from direct provision evictions, says charity
Former asylum seekers who now have status to remain in Ireland told they must leave State accommodation by July 5th
Six ways Jack Chambers might spend Ireland’s corporate tax windfall in Budget 2025
About half the State’s annual corporate tax take – €12 billion – is now classified as windfall
The two big reasons why it is so hard to say how many homes we need
There are numerous estimates of how many homes Ireland has to build. But which one is right?
Covid-19 infection rates found to be 33% higher in more deprived areas
ESRI/Pobal research finds infections 50 per cent higher in the poorest compared with the richest areas
Irish housing crisis: Increased supply will not help affordability
Inside Business podcast with Ciarán Hancock
New housing targets will include ‘pent-up demand’, says Minister
Darragh O’Brien says overall housing target for 2025 will probably be 50,000
Aer Lingus leases aircraft and crews to help counter work to rule by pilots
The best news, analysis and comment from The Irish Times business desk
Who is buying a home in Ireland today? The changing profile of first-time buyers
First-time buyers are getting older, buying smaller homes and are not necessarily in a couple. Some urban areas other than Dublin are seeing relatively low activity
Between 35,000 and 53,000 homes ‘needed annually to meet demand’
New report details wide range of possible outcomes for housing demand over coming years
Chambers faces balancing act in first budget
The models suggest no need for a giveaway budget. Will the new finance minister listen?
Savills urges easing of rental caps in next budget to arrest sharp decline in construction
Private rented sector completions in Dublin set to decline by 68% to 1,600 units in 2025, property company tells Government
Increase capital gains tax relief for company owners in Budget 2025, says Deloitte
Big Four accounting firm also wants standard VAT rate cut to 21% and higher rate income tax threshold raised to €50,000
Central Bank warns Government against pre-election budget giveaway
Generous budget measures, over and above the Government’s 5 per cent spending rule, could trigger overheating dynamics, regulator says
Mortgage rules spark war of words between Central Bank and ESRI
ESRI claims regulator’s move to relax rules has fuelled house price growth and lifted loan-to-income ratios back to Celtic Tiger levels
Proposed PRSI increases ‘progressive’ but further hikes needed after 2028
Proposed changes will slightly increase poverty rates, particularly among children, ESRI says
The Irish Times view on planning for population growth: more to do
The extent to which plans in areas such as health, education and transport have been future-proofed against the growth in population is unknown
Refugees seeking to leave direct provision accommodation face ‘significant challenges’, report finds
Barriers include language difficulties and ‘discrimination’ in housing market, including from landlords and letting agents
Central Bank’s decision to ease mortgage rules has fanned house prices, ESRI report concludes
In highly critical review, ESRI describes regulator’s move to ease its borrowing rules for first-time buyers as ‘premature’
Consumers struggle to spot ‘greenwashing’ in ads, says ESRI
Greenwashing tactics make it difficult for genuinely sustainable businesses to compete against ones that mislead consumers, study finds
‘Panicking for breath’: How a cold, damp and overcrowded home affects one mother and her children
Cork-based Sarah Williams says she’s on medication for depression due to stress ‘about the way we’re living’
Promise of almost 3,000 additional hospital beds is welcome – if Government delivers
With elections looming, one might think the announcement couldn’t have come at a better time for Government parties, but it is good news for patients
The Irish Times view on the ESRI’s teen survey: the kids are (mostly) alright
Most of the trends are positive, although some give cause for concern
Ireland’s teens: Landmark report sheds light on how lives of 13-year-olds have changed dramatically
Landmark ESRI report looks at how the lives of 13-year-olds have changed compared with their counterparts a decade previously
Housing Commission report – the building blocks for future policy or another house of cards?
An examination of the recommendations in the divisive report that are likely to be accepted and rejected
Trust in cervical screening ‘significantly lower’ in Ireland than Scotland, ESRI finds
The research investigated the impact of this controversy on public trust and the attribution of blame for interval cancers – cancers diagnosed after a negative screening result
Young people misjudge older generations’ concern about climate crisis, notes ESRI research
People up in years ‘willing to play their part’ to mitigate global warming, according to study findings
Sinn Féin says abolishing the Help-to-Buy scheme will be good for first time buyers – is it right?
Three new developments in housing emerged this week - and not one of them is good news for anyone trying to buy a home
Large household size makes Ireland clear outlier in Europe - ESRI report
The average number of people per household in Ireland was 2.74 in 2022, compared with a European average of 2.2 that same year, according to Eurostat data
How long more is the Government going to cling to the fiction that 30,000 new homes is enough?
Current targets are based on published population projections from the 2016 census. Unfortunately, those projections are a serious underestimate
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