Government’s housing delivery targets are ‘too low’, says Chambers Ireland

The Government’s housing delivery targets are “too low” and a “large increase” in output to about 80,000 units each year by the end of the decade will be required to improve the situation, Chambers Ireland has warned. The organisation, which represents more than 20 county and local chambers of commerce across the State, has also said the Republic’s competitiveness is being “challenged by housing shortages, energy costs, skills gaps and the failure of the planning system to adequately facilitate the development of key infrastructures”. Ian Curran reports,

In 2011 following the economic crash, the then Government introduced a pay ceiling of €250,000 for the pay of most chief executives in commercial State firms. Performance bonuses were banned. However, the papers of an independent group review salaries in the State sector, published by the Department of Public Expenditure, show that a host of commercial State companies want greater freedom and flexibility in setting pay rates for their most senior executives and believe that current arrangements are too restrictive. Martin Wall has the details.

It’s not something you might worry about when you get painters in, or someone to fix your boiler; typically the onus is on the person carrying out the service to account for their own taxes, writes Fiona Reddan. However, if you have a regular domestic employee who comes into your home for housekeeping, child-minding or some other service, you may have obligations to this person, from both a tax and legal perspective, that you may never have realised.

The Irish hospitality sector’s post-Covid recovery exceeded all expectations, according to the operators of the iNua hotel company, leading to a notable rebound in business levels throughout 2022 despite rising costs, reports Ian Curran.

Wave of innovation aims to make desalination sustainable

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Smart heater gives greater control over comfort and cost

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Helping stressed-out GPs manage staffing issues in the workplace

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Card data suggests it’s not all doom and gloom in the hospitality sector

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Newly filed accounts for iNua Hospitality Plc, a holding company in the group that operates some eight of iNua’s 20 venues dotted across the Republic, show the five-star Muckross Park Hotel & Spa operator enjoyed a 60 per cent bounce in turnover across its portfolio in 2022. After plunging to €22 million in 2020 when the sector was effectively shuttered by the pandemic, revenues approached €68.3 million in 2022, above pre-Covid levels and up from close to €42.7 million in 2021.

The temptation for the advertising industry to fall back and over-invest in tactical campaigns in preference to more emotive messaging lurks around the corner – a bad habit ready to pounce, writes Michael Cullen. Like a crash diet; it will work, but only in the short term. Let’s be honest, British analyst Peter Field said, which type of advertising is more memorable? The ads that make you laugh, like Maltesers or Specsavers, or those that list three reasons to purchase?

Should banks be on the hook for access to cash into the future here?

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