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Britain and the European Union have scope to strike a trade deal but significant differences remain and real progress needs to be made to keep talking beyond the new deadline of Sunday, British foreign minister Dominic Raab has said. Speaking to the BBC, Mr Raab said that while he could not rule out a further extension…

Consumers will be faced with VAT and customs duty when Britain exits the EU on 1 January if buying goods from the UK. However, the changes are likely to result in an increase in the tax take for the Government. Revenue has outlined the costs which consumers will face after Brexit. Anything priced under €22…

Self-employed people in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) will be able to earn €960 over eight weeks while also retaining their full entitlement to the payment following a change to the rules. The Minister for Social Protection, Heather Humphreys, said she was doubling the threshold from the current €480 over four weeks immediately…

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will travel to Brussels in an attempt to reach a breakthrough on a post-Brexit trade deal with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Later this morning the European Commission is expected to approve a series of measures, agreed yesterday with the UK, on how to implement the Northern Ireland Protocol. However, diplomats are cautious…

The Taoiseach has told a meeting of the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party that significant differences remain on the issue of the level playing field in the Brexit talks. Micheál Martin said there is an ongoing risk of a no-deal Brexit, which would be very serious across the regions. He said, however, that there is a…

Up to 6% could be knocked off Irish GDP if there is no Brexit trade deal, the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (IFAC) has warned. Addressing the Oireachtas Select Committee on Budgetary Oversight, IFAC member Martina Lawless said the council’s analysis, informed by the work of the Department of Finance and the ESRI, found that even…

Housing supply is unlikely to meet demand until at least the end of 2023, according to an analysis of the housing market by the Banking and Payments Federation Ireland. The Federation concludes that the total number of completions will exceed 19,000 units for the year. This is significantly higher than estimates produced in the early months…

A survey of potential housebuyers by KBC Bank Ireland has found that about a fifth said the pandemic had resulted in increased interest in buying or moving house.  But a similar percentage said it had resulted in diminished interest in buying property.  This appears to reflect the divided fortunes of the population from the pandemic…

A Government report outlining how to reform the assessment of insurance claims, and strengthen consumer protection, will be published this afternoon after consideration by Cabinet.  It is believed the proposals include strategies on how to increase market competition, clamp down on insurance fraud, and re-evaluate the level of awards.  In particular, it will make recommendations to address…

EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier is currently briefing EU member states on the state of play in the Brexit negotiations which Taoiseach Micheál Martin last night described as on a knife edge. Both teams continued discussions late into the night and will resume negotiations today, with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President…