Author: splash

Demand for new homes has never been stronger – Cairn Homes

Homebuilder Cairn has reported revenues of €131m for the first half of this year after it closed 403 new home sales. In a trading update for the six months to the end of June, it said this compared to €81m from 207 closed sales the same time last year. Cairn Homes said that 16 active […]

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New measures to see rent increases linked to inflation

The Government has approved measures which will see rent increases linked to general inflation and an extension of rent pressure zones to the end of 2024. Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien said the provisions will likely take effect by 19 July. The current cap of 4% on rent increases in Rent Pressure Zones will be […]

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Hospitality representatives to hold talks with Govt ministers

Representatives from the hospitality industry are due to hold talks with Tánaiste Leo Varadkar, Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly and Minister for Tourism Catherine Martin. The Hospitality Forum, which includes hotel, restaurant and licensed vintner groups, meets ministers every three or four months. Today’s long scheduled meeting is timely as it will be the first […]

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6 things businesses learned from today’s announcement

The Government’s decision to delay the reopening of indoor hospitality has been met with an almost exclusively negative reaction from businesses and representative bodies. Today’s announcement did give some detail on what happens next for those affected – though it also left a number of questions unanswered. Here’s what businesses learned today: Indoor dining delay […]

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Numbers claiming PUP down 16,000, Govt extends support

The number of people receiving the Pandemic Unemployment Payment has fallen to 227,982, a decrease of 16,215 over the last seven days. The Department of Social Protection said the payments issued this week were valued at €67.2 million. Following today’s Government decision to defer the reopening of indoor hospitality, the Government has extended the deadline […]

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McConalogue says new CAP deal is ‘balanced’

Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue has said the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) deal that was signed off on by Agriculture Ministers across the EU is “a balanced CAP”. The Minister said it was the best agreement that could have been achieved after many months of really hard work and negotiation. Speaking on RTÉ’s Drivetime, […]

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Mortgage approvals up in May, driven by first-time buyers

New figures show the number of mortgages approved in May rose by 7.4% compared to the previous month, and were up almost 150% compared to the same time last year. Banking & Payments Federation Ireland said a total of 4,683 mortgages were approved last month. First-time buyers (FTBs) were approved for over half of the […]

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Level of spending during Covid-19 crisis not sustainable – Martin

The Taoiseach has said the level of spending by the Government during the Covid-19 pandemic, is “not sustainable” and must “move to the next stage”. Micheál Martin made his remarks at the opening of the National Economic Dialogue (NED) which takes place online this year. The NED allows for various interest groups to raise their […]

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Economy to grow 6.5% this year driven by exports, says Ibec

Employers’ group Ibec has forecast that the economy in Ireland will grow 6.5% this year driven in the main by strong exports. However, in its latest Quarterly Economic Outlook, it also predicts that unemployment will remain high at 15.6% in 2021, falling to 9.3% next year. The organisation thinks consumer spending will bounce back from […]

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House prices rising at much faster rate outside Dublin

Asking prices for houses nationally jumped 13% in the second quarter of the year compared to the same period last year, according to two separate reports by property websites Daft.ie and Myhome.ie. Both pieces of research also found that listed prices have risen at a much faster rate outside Dublin than in the capital. According […]

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