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The Government has been warned that the financial costs of continued restrictions are very large and that the short-term economic outlook has worsened due to the current Level 5 restrictions. Covid-19 contingency funds could run out by the middle of the year if restrictions are only eased gradually after 5 March. The additional costs of…

There was a sharp reduction in construction activity in January as the industry was largely shuttered under the latest Government restrictions introduced to curb the spread of Covid-19. The monthly measure of activity in the sector, carried out by Ulster Bank, captured the sharpest decline in activity since May of last year. It brought to…

It was a tale of two rental markets in 2020 with monthly rents in the capital down 3%, but outside of Dublin, rents were up 5%, the latest rental report from property website daft.ie shows. The average rent per month nationally stood at €1,414 in the final quarter of the year, up 0.9% on the same time…

Revenue has warned that anyone buying a used car from the UK needs to be aware of the significant additional costs that may apply, following the end of the Brexit transition period. Since the UK became a “third country” on January 1, used cars imported from there that were originally manufactured in the EU or…

The Local Enterprise Office network is holding a webinar for small businesses today on changes to the trade regime since the UK left the EU at the start of January. The webinar will address, among other issues, how businesses can adapt to the new regime and the range of Government supports that are available to…

There was a big increase in the number of housing projects completed in the final three months of last year, new Central Statistics Office figures show.  That push brought the number of new dwellings last year close to the number completed in 2019, the CSO said.  The CSO figures published today show that the number…

A full meeting of the Judicial Council will consider draft guidelines which, if adopted, will recalibrate the level of damages that can be awarded to claimants involved in personal injury cases. The new guidance has been drawn up by the council’s Personal Injuries Committee, following a detailed analysis of the issue and was submitted to…

Euro zone inflation surged well past expectations last month, driven by rising energy costs and a German tax increase, posing a potential communications challenge for the European Central Bank.  Inflation has undershot the ECB’s nearly 2% target for most of the past decade.  The ECB has promised ultra-easy policy for years to come, with price…

The Covid-adjusted rate of unemployment rose to 25% in January, up from 19.4% in December, according to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office. Restrictions, including the closure of shops and restaurants and a ban on travel and home visits, were dropped for most of December but reimposed late in the month after a…

EU sources have expressed concern over the tone of Michael Gove’s letter to his European Commission counterpart on changes the UK is demanding to the Northern Ireland Protocol. The UK cabinet minister has demanded sweeping and swift changes to the Northern Ireland Protocol as the fallout continues from last week’s move by the Commission to…