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Growth in the Irish construction sector accelerated at the start of the year as the impact of the Omicron wave of Covid-19 subsided and demand rose. This is according to the first BNP Paribas Real Estate Ireland Construction Total Activity Index. More work and greater optimism saw construction firms increase purchasing in January – as…

Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar will today begin a trade mission to France. France is now Ireland’s closest neighbour in the European Union and is an important trading partner. Over €28 billion of goods and services are traded between the two countries every year. The Tánaiste will begin his trip…

When Micheál Martin announced an earlier than expected easing of restrictions just three weeks ago, relief was in the air. The worst of the pandemic appeared to be in the rear-view mirror, the economy was starting to recover strongly and his Government could finally look to tackle other important issues that had been put on…

Over three-quarters of Irish B&B owners have expressed their confidence in how the industry will perform during 2022 as Covid travel restrictions are dropped. But while the majority are optimistic about the year ahead, some remain concerned that international visitor numbers will not return to normal levels until at least 2023. B&B Ireland, the national…

Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Michael McGrath has said the Government recognises the latest measures to address the rising cost of living “won’t meet every need” or solve everyone’s financial problems. However, he said the Government believes it will make a “positive difference” for a very large number of people. A €200 energy rebate…

The Minister for Finance has said the Government will have a better idea next month what impact the reduction of the employment wage supports is having on vulnerable firms. Paschal Donohoe said it is difficult to form a view as to the number of employers who may see their viability effected as we move through…

Ireland once again has the highest mortgage interest rates in the euro zone, new figures from the Central Bank show. The average interest rate on new Irish mortgage agreements stood at 2.69% in December, compared to euro area average of 1.29%. Ireland is followed by Greece at 2.55% and Latvia at 2.26%. Finland has the…

The Government is set to announce measures to address the impact of the rising cost of living on households. The Taoiseach told a meeting of his party last night that these supports will alleviate pressures on working people and those on low incomes. Today’s announcement will detail supports in excess of €400 million. However, this…

Rents nationally rose at an annual rate of just over 10% in the last three months of last year, according to listed rent prices compiled by the property website Daft.ie. On a quarterly basis, rents rose in the Dublin area by just over 4% compared to just 0.5% in Munster. This is a reversal of…

Over 43,000 personal loans for home improvements were drawn down last year, up almost 25% on the previous year. New figures from Banking and Payments Federation Ireland reveal that these loans were worth €462 million. The average home improvement loan was €9,748 in the final quarter of 2021, down from €10,899 on the fourth quarter…