Politics | Business Post

State to target creating 5,000 extra jobs in financial services

Original target for the sector has already been exceeded as part of the ‘Ireland for Finance’ strategy

Few new services expected from €1.2bn health spend increase

Only €254 million will be spent on new measures, the rest will go to increases in delivering existing services

Kildare modular housing plan for Ukrainian refugees stalls

Initiative to build 30 homes in Rathangan and 34 in Newbridge on hold after local residents stage protests

Donohoe earmarks windfall tax for energy support extension

Finance minister says scheme may run on after end of February, but government is making ‘no commitments longer than six months’ as yet

Security of Ireland’s energy infrastructure being ‘monitored’ after Nord Stream attack

Officials are paying close attention to energy security ahead of a difficult winter period

Taoiseach says €1.7m starter home sale in north Dublin was ‘not competing with first-time buyers’

Investment funds have been accused of driving up prices in suburbs

Northern Ireland

Analysis: Baker apology a clear sign the British government wants to end the NI protocol debacle

With a litany of other issues facing Liz Truss’ government at home, it is perhaps unsurprising that Steve Baker’s apology has signalled a new direction on the protocol.

State to target creating 5,000 extra jobs in financial services

Original target for the sector has already been exceeded as part of the ‘Ireland for Finance’ strategy

New regulations to ensure that creches are opened in residential developments

Minister says facilities are required under planning laws but some developers have sidestepped the rule by building a creche and then not opening it

Behind the scenes of Budget 2023 with the ministers who shaped it

Paschal Donohoe and Michael McGrath detail the ‘intense discussions’ and midnight calls in the run up to this year’s budget as they worked to deal with the cost of living crisis

Few new services expected from €1.2bn health spend increase

Only €254 million will be spent on new measures, the rest will go to increases in delivering existing services

Some price hikes likely permanent, Martin tells FF ard fheis

Fianna Fáil delegates warn that the biggest threat to their party is the rise of Sinn Féin, with some privately warning that they would quit the party if it considered going into coalition with them

Donohoe earmarks windfall tax for energy support extension

Finance minister says scheme may run on after end of February, but government is making ‘no commitments longer than six months’ as yet

ESB will act like a monopoly until watchdog and Eirgrid act – Cowen

Fianna Fáil TD’s comment comes after the ESB was reprimanded by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) and ordered to repay more than €760,500 after overcharging customers

Kildare modular housing plan for Ukrainian refugees stalls

Initiative to build 30 homes in Rathangan and 34 in Newbridge on hold after local residents stage protests

The Big Picture

Vincent Boland: Tories have learned nothing from history as they believe their own delusions

There are many examples to debunk the myth that the Conservatives are the party of fiscal discipline; chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng’s ruinous, unfunded budget is just the latest of them

Elaine Byrne: United Ireland civic group raises questions worth answering

Ireland’s Future has not yet captured the public imagination, but the complexity of a possible future unity does need to be debated and examined

Lucinda Creighton: Has Truss’s disastrous ‘mini-budget’ just handed power to Starmer?

Britain’s ruined political and economic reputation can be traced back to Brexit, but while its new prime minister should be enjoying a honeymoon period, her political capital has been virtually wiped out with one ill-judged move

Irish homes and businesses can soon install solar panels without planning permission

It’s hoped the change will reduce reliance on fossil fuels

Northern Ireland

Mitchell proposes British monarch as dual head of state for North in united Ireland

The former Fine Gael minister says that in a united Ireland, ‘Britishness has to be recognised as a legitimate co-identity with Irishness’

ECA president warns of fraud risk with EU emergency funds

Tony Murphy, the new Irish holder of the role, says the huge budgets involved and urgency of delivery in Covid and energy diversification schemes heighten risk of cash going astray

Donohoe confident of high compliance with vacant home tax

The Finance Minister says the involvement of Revenue in collecting the charge means those due to pay it will do so

McGrath and Donohoe walk fine line between extravagance and prudence

The requirement for Covid-19 supports to stay in place for the best part of two-years shows the risk in Budget 2023’s provision for most inflation related measures to cease by the end of February

The opposition responds: ‘Uncaring’ budget ‘failed to give people certainty’

Faced with such a widely aimed response to the country’s challenges, Sinn Féin focused its attention on the old reliables of health, housing and the treatment of those on lower and middle-incomes