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The number of residential units submitted for planning permission fell by nearly a third in the first quarter of the year, according to a new report by Deloitte. The level of residential planning applications remained relatively stable at 77, but the level of applications granted dropped 26% year on year. The number of commencement notices…

Guidelines for the reopening of the hospitality sector are expected to be published today. They have been drawn up by Fáilte Ireland ahead of Friday’s Cabinet meeting which will look at a further easing of Covid-19 restrictions in June and July. The guidelines are expected to say that tables will have to be a metre…

Gas demand for power generation reached its highest level in six months in April as wind generation fell to its lowest in nine months, new figures show today. Gas Networks Ireland said that over 53% of Ireland’s electricity demand was met by the national gas network, a 4% rise on March. Wind’s contribution to the…

A pioneer of remote work, IBM installed remote terminals in employees’ homes as early as the 1980s, and by 2009, when the idea of remote work was still a novelty for most, 40% of IBM’s global workforce worked at home. The technology company saved about $100 million in the US annually as a result of…

Publicans have called for indoor trading to resume no later than Thursday July 1. The Vintners’ Federation of Ireland said that after “sacrificing” their businesses for over 15 months, now is the time for Government to confirm that pubs can fully reopen by the first week in July in time for the traditional start of…

Unemployment could end up exceeding 390,000 when the pandemic ends – a higher rate than at the peak of the last recession, according to the Social Justice Ireland research body. Its latest Employment Monitor also shows that over a fifth of people whose jobs have been impacted by Covid-19 do not expect to return to…

The chief economist of the European Central Bank Philip Lane has said he does not believe economies are “entering some new inflationary environment”. He said there is “zero connection between spikes in prices in the reopening of the world economy and inflation trends.” Professor Philip Lane was speaking at an online event hosted by the…

The Economic and Social Research Institute has said “sizeable tax increases in the years ahead” will be needed to fund public services. In a paper published today, the think-tank said an over-reliance on corporate tax receipts and changes to motor tax means alternative sources of revenue will have to be found. Even before the pandemic,…

Consumer confidence hit a 23-month high this month, according to KBC Bank Ireland’s latest consumer sentiment index. The index rose to 85.8 in May from 77.9 in April, as the Covid-19 virus incidence declined and the vaccination rollout picked up pace. It now stands at its strongest level since June 2019, when it was at…

New research has found that a person with a disability is four and-a-half times more likely to be unemployed than those in the general population. The study also shows that a black person is six times more likely to be without a job. This rises to 13 times amongst Travellers. The research, which aims to…