:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/ZB6AA5J6Z6RMKXN5NMD2K4IJJA.jpg)
[ Mortgage rules likely to curtail new homes, warns ESRI ]
The Central Bank’s mortgage lending rules are likely to curtail the supply of new homes by up to 5 per cent over the next four years, the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) has warned.
In a research paper published with its latest quarterly report, the institute found the impact of the restrictions had yet to fully play out because of the lag effect in construction, albeit there has been a sizeable dip in new mortgage lending.
However, it said this would change over the next three to four years with house prices likely to be on average 3.5 per cent lower than where they would have been without the rules.
2. Gerry Adams rejects claim he ordered Denis Donaldson killing
Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams has rejected claims by an alleged former British agent that he directly ordered the killing of IRA informer, Denis Donaldson in 2006, on foot of a demand by leading republican Thomas “Slab” Murphy.
Mr Donaldson, a former Sinn Féin group administrator at the Stormont Assembly, was shot dead in Co Donegal in April 2006 after he confessed to being a British agent, which directly led to the collapse of Stormont's institutions.
[ Bus Éireann could face industrial action over Expressway service ]
Management at Bus Éireann is set to signal on Wednesday that it wants to introduce significant changes and restructuring at its loss-making Expressway inter-regional coach services.
Any announcement of cuts could trigger further industrial action in the State-owned transport sector which is already at the centre of a wave of strikes by workers at Dublin Bus. Any restrictions to existing services would also face criticisms from politicians and groups across rural Ireland.
[ Ploughing 2016: Farming drones to become ‘run of the mill’ ]
Monitoring the health of livestock and crops with the assistance of drones will be “run of the mill” in 10 years’ time, according to Drone Consultants Ireland Director Ian McMahon.
Mr McMahon was showcasing a crop-spraying drone at the National Ploughing Championships in Co Offaly on Tuesday.
The device, which carries about 15 litres, can be used to identify and treat damaged crops without damaging the surrounding produce.
5. Fianna Fáil not ruling out backing water charges in future
Fianna Fáil is not ruling out supporting the reintroduction of domestic water charges, senior party sources have confirmed.
The party, which has been accused of several U-turns in this area, says its submission to the expert commission should not be seen as setting out a permanent position.
According to senior Fianna Fáil sources, the question of charging for water may be revisited after a substantial upgrade of the water infrastructure.