CIE pensions warning and paying for island living

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Unions have warned of the potential size of CIE's pensions liability. Photograph: iStock/Getty
Unions have warned of the potential size of CIE's pensions liability. Photograph: iStock/Getty

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The State-owned CIÉ transport group could collapse under the weight of its pension liabilities if asset values fell in any future economic downturn, trade unions have warned members in the companies. Martin Wall reports.

As Denis O’Brien and Leslie Buckly go on the offensive against Corporate Enforcement Authority boss Ian Drennan following the decision not to take further action into a case involving the former Independent News & Media, John McManus writes on why they are trying to rewrite the history of the data breach row.

Island living can sound idyllic, but there are plenty of things to understand if you are thinking about relocating from the mainland. Joanne Hunt shows you how in this week’s Money Matters.

Ireland’s competitiveness is on a downward trend, and there remains a “critical need” to address key infrastructure deficits, at a time when the country’s economic outlook “firmly tilted to the downside”, according the findings of a major report. Colin Gleeson has the story.

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Ireland’s economy grew at a robust rate of nearly 5 per cent last year as consumers spent more on goods and services and exports from the multinational-dominated IT sector accelerated. Eoin Burke-Kennedy reports.

Ireland’s stock of physical infrastructure - from transport and and energy to housing and water - lags that of its international peers by approximately 32 per cent, a new report from the International Monetary Fund has indicated. The Washington-based financial institution published a research paper on Tuesday, assessing Ireland’s “public spending efficiency”, benchmarking it against comparator countries in infrastructure, health and education. Eoin has the details.

The developer of a major apartment scheme in Dublin has dropped “controversial” elements of the design have been dropped in a new planning application after a first attempt was refused. As Jack Horgan-Jones and Gordon Deegan report, the revised planning application for just over 1,100 apartments at the former seminary site at Clonliffe College, Drumcondra, was submitted by developers Hines this week.

The UK competition authority has started to scrutinise Greencore’s planned £1.2 billion (€1.39 billion) purchase of London-based peer Bakkavor. Joe has the story.

Specialist property lenders reduce lending to small and medium-sized businesses much more sharply than mainstream banks and general non-bank finance providers during periods of market shock, according to a new Central Bank study. Joe Brennan has the details.

Negotiations between the European Union and the United States look like they have a number of more weeks to go before a tariff deal is agreed, Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe has said. Jack Power reports.

As Donald Trump threatens a new wave of tariffs next month, Cliff Taylor looks at the issues at play, and the threat to Ireland.

In Commercial Property, Ronald Quinlan reports on a former cinema in Kimmage on the market for €3 million, while Kennedy Wilson has secured a new tenant for its Chase building in Sandyford.

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