A further decline in the number of mover-purchaser mortgages – loans to homeowners looking to buy and move into a property – approved in May has implications for the already tight supply of second-hand homes coming to the market, the Banking and Payments Federation of Ireland (BPFI) has said. Ian Curran has the details.
Any hopes of a deal in the long-running Aer Lingus pilots’ pay row ended on Thursday afternoon with the breakdown of talks that had begun that morning in a Dublin Airport hotel.
Each side blamed the other as it became clear that five hours of talks had failed to bridge the gap between the pair. In Agenda, Barry O’Halloran looks at where both side go from here.
In the run-up to the forthcoming election, both the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council and the Central Bank have argued that this autumn’s budget should pursue a sensible fiscal policy – with the economy at capacity, the budget should not pump more money in, writes our Friday columnist John FitzGerald.
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There is concern that the Government would bring in a so-called giveaway budget to enhance its electoral prospects. The history of pre-election budgets over the last 70 years, however, shows that tough budgets have featured as often as splurges to try to buy an election.
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Holidaymakers face more flight cancellations next week as Aer Lingus pilots consider further strikes following a break down of talks aimed at resolving their bitter pay row. The Irish Airline Pilots’ Association (Ialpa), part of trade union Fórsa, met company representatives in a Dublin Airport hotel on Thursday morning as a pilots’ work to rule at Aer Lingus moved into its second day.
However, talks broke down in early afternoon with each side blaming the other for failing to move from their respective positions. Barry O’Halloran reports.
Ireland’s population is ageing. And this means fewer people at work compared to those in retirement in the years ahead, putting pressure on the public finances and economic growth. But there are factors pushing in the opposite direction, too.
People are increasingly retiring a bit later, due partly to longer and healthier lifespans and also in some cases to economic necessity. And, crucially, more women are entering or staying in the workforce. The trend in Ireland is part of a big international shift which has seen a change in the traditional trade-off between having children and remaining in employment. With fewer Irish women at work than is typical internationally, this is a key factor to watch in the years ahead, writes Cliff Taylor in Smart Money.
Petrol station owner Circle K has signed a deal to use solar energy from EDF Renewables Ireland to power its network from October. Under the deal, which will last until 2036, Circle K has committed to buy electricity for the 168 branches it owns in Ireland from three EDF solar farms in Wexford and Kilkenny.
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