Political conclaves suggest parties gearing up to embark on big election auctionCoalition and alternatives preparing in the assumption of a November general election because that timing suits their interestsTue Sept 17 2024 - 06:00
Apple windfall is not the EuroMillions. We need to get a gripApple’s billions threaten to transform our entire political debate into a massive auction, but this would be a big mistakeSun Sept 15 2024 - 07:07
Jack Chambers interview: ‘There’s a small Apple every year now in surpluses in the Irish economy’Fianna Fáil Minister for Finance on the challenges of putting together his first budget, which will include a €3bn injection for key infrastructure prioritiesSat Sept 14 2024 - 06:00
Budget 2025 to include €3bn boost for infrastructure including housing, Chambers saysBetter water and energy services will also be paid for out of this allocation, Minister for Finance says in interview with The Irish TimesSat Sept 14 2024 - 06:00
Weather changes but Simon Harris looking to election on horizonFine Gael needs to provide details of proposed new State-run early education and childcare service to give it credibilityWed Sept 11 2024 - 19:46
Ms Justice Caroline Costello to be appointed president of Court of AppealJudge succeeds Mr Justice George Birmingham who has retiredTue Sept 10 2024 - 19:36
Trinity and NUI Seanad panels to end and be replaced by all-graduate voteSix senators to be elected in future by all graduates of higher education institutions - but not until 2030Tue Sept 10 2024 - 06:00
Budget solo-runs by Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and Greens point to near-end of CoalitionAll Jack Chambers has to do is read the newspapers and he’ll know exactly what his colleagues are going to ask forMon Sept 09 2024 - 21:13
Taoiseach and Keir Starmer agree to recommence annual summits in ‘reset’ of Anglo-Irish relations British prime minister says relationship with Ireland is hugely important after talks at FarmleighSat Sept 07 2024 - 14:24
Norma Foley vows school sexual abuse commission will be set up ‘as quickly as possible’Minister for Education says she has convened a high-level group ‘which will progress the work that is needed to establish’ a commissionSat Sept 07 2024 - 06:00
Schools abuse inquiry: Redress scheme could cost €5bnWe have an opportunity to learn from the very clear lessons of the past if we are to avoid a massive inquiry running for yearsSat Sept 07 2024 - 06:00
Time limit on school abuse inquiry being considered to speed redress package for survivorsGovernment seeking to balance establishment of full commission of investigation with not unduly delaying redress payments to survivorsFri Sept 06 2024 - 06:00
Tough climb ahead for friend of Ireland as Michel Barnier is appointed French prime ministerFew foreign politicians are spoken about in Dublin in such glowing terms as the former EU chief Brexit negotiatorThu Sept 05 2024 - 17:08
Religious orders under pressure to contribute to redress funding, but potential costs unknownHistory suggests getting religious orders to pay will be easier said than doneThu Sept 05 2024 - 06:00
Schools abuse redress: Concern in Government over costs running into billionsTaoiseach suggests compensation for those abused in religious-run schools cannot be ‘parked’ until after inquiry, but no decision yet made on nature of schemeThu Sept 05 2024 - 06:00
Planning reforms to pass by mid-October, Darragh O’Brien tells CabinetMinister for Housing says the planning Bill will reform and streamline the planning process, reducing delays in housing and strategic infrastructure projectsTue Sept 03 2024 - 22:06
Statutory inquiry into sexual abuse of children at day and boarding schools agreed at CabinetWork on preparations for the inquiry by officials, including legislation to be brought before the Oireachtas, will begin shortlyTue Sept 03 2024 - 13:58
Statutory inquiry likely after report on sexual abuse in schoolsIntention of Government is to establish inquiry into potentially thousands of cases of abuse which occurred in the pastTue Sept 03 2024 - 06:00
Sinn Féin’s €39bn housing plan: affordable homes from €250,000, freezing rents and 300,000 new units in five yearsPlan includes provision for 125,000 units that would be State-provided social and affordable housingMon Sept 02 2024 - 06:00
Defence co-operation vital in wake of Ukraine invasion, Luxembourg PM saysLuc Frieden praises value of collective EU defence ahead of meeting Taoiseach and Tánaiste in DublinSun Sept 01 2024 - 14:00
Budget one-offs are economically indefensible and politically smartEveryone - within Government and without - is preparing for a November electionSun Sept 01 2024 - 06:30
Ireland will cease purchases of Israeli military equipment, says Tánaiste Ongoing contracts to be put under review as violence in Gaza continuesFri Aug 30 2024 - 06:00
Most voters have negative view of Government’s record on housing and immigrationMore than 75% of those polled have negative views of Government’s performance in relation to these two issuesMon Aug 26 2024 - 00:01
Almost 40,000 new homes to be completed this year, says HarrisSpeaking at the annual Michael Collins commemoration at Béal na Bláth, Taoiseach again proposed a Department for InfrastructureSun Aug 25 2024 - 15:00
Irish troops in Lebanon safe following heavy exchange of fire between Hizbullah and IsraelSome 375 personnel are deployed in south Lebanon which has been heavily bombarded by IsraelSun Aug 25 2024 - 13:00
Three lessons in leadership from the careers of the great rivals, FitzGerald and HaugheyHaughey understood the ambiguity many felt about the Northern conflict. FitzGerald understood the yearning of middle class urbanites to be modern, European, more secular. The leaders who will prosper now are those who intuit where the country really is in 2024Sun Aug 25 2024 - 06:30
Harris promises one-off payments will run for third year in giveaway budgetTaoiseach says budget will be similar to last year with tax reductions and welfare increasesSat Aug 24 2024 - 06:00
Simon Harris: ‘I can’t give the whole manifesto away, but should early childhood be part of the education system in a more formal way?’In his first big interview as Taoiseach, the Fine Gael leader hints at his ‘big ideas’ on childcare, housing and infrastructural projectsSat Aug 24 2024 - 06:00
Opposition parties gearing up for November election, with posters ordered and manifestos nearing completionSenior Sinn Féin figure says the party would be ‘mad not to’ prepare for an autumn electionThu Aug 22 2024 - 06:00
Efforts to defuse Coalition row over planned deferral of residential zoned land taxTax was due to kick in next year, with landowners facing an annual 3 per cent payment on the value of land earmarked for housingWed Aug 21 2024 - 19:50
Housing overtakes immigration as the top issue getting voters’ attentionFifth of voters nominate housing as most significant issue when asked about Government’s performanceMon Jul 29 2024 - 06:00
‘The whole immigration thing is a mess’: Irish voters on Government performancePublic were asked about Government’s performance in latest Snapshot poll. Here is what they saidMon Jul 29 2024 - 00:01
Here’s my prediction for when the general election will happenThe Fine Gael feel-good factor isn’t going to last forever. Throw in the expectation in Government of a Trump victory on November 5th and the possibility of a “flight to safety” by Irish voters afterwards, and one date starts to look most likelySat Jul 27 2024 - 05:55
Future governments will be able to alter RTÉ funding dealMinister ‘couldn’t imagine’ a future government rowing back on the commitments even though no legislation would be needed to do soThu Jul 25 2024 - 06:00
RTÉ funding: Extra €6m for An Post to crack down on licence fee evasion and improve collection Taoiseach says multi-annual funding is something most State agencies would give their right arm for’Wed Jul 24 2024 - 16:16
Major inquiry into sexual abuse in schools to be recommended by scoping reportThe scoping inquiry was commissioned last year after allegations of sexual abuse at Blackrock College in Dublin were made by past pupilsWed Jul 24 2024 - 06:00
TV licence expected to be retained as €725m RTÉ funding deal tops Cabinet agenda ahead of summer breakDetails of long-awaited package to be delivered today with An Post expected to get €6m over three years to improve TV licence collectionWed Jul 24 2024 - 06:00
RTÉ to receive €725m in public funding over next three yearsLicence fee income and direct state funding to be combined for package below what broadcaster soughtTue Jul 23 2024 - 20:59
Sinn Féin pledges new migration system in significant policy shiftSF seeks end to ‘two-tier system’ favouring Ukrainians and calls for ‘audit’ of services before asylum seekers are moved into any areaTue Jul 23 2024 - 06:00
You could see Donohoe and looking at Chambers and thinking: this lad is going to fit in just fineBetween the once-off measures that occur every year and the rule that must be broken, the Department of Finance is like something from Flann O’BrienSun Jul 14 2024 - 06:00
100 days of Simon Harris as Taoiseach: Early starts, Enda Kenny influence and Coalition strainsSince taking over as Taoiseach and Fine Gael leader, Harris has kept up a frenetic pace which has re-energised the party, but some say he is too PR-focusedSat Jul 13 2024 - 06:00
Simon Coveney profile: substantial figure who played a starring role in the Brexit warsThe way he contested the leadership of Fine Gael with Leo Varadkar in 2017 won him many admirersWed Jul 10 2024 - 10:36
Cabinet to approve plans for pre-election budget in summer statement Hospital emergency department overcrowding and national swimming strategy to be discussed by MinistersTue Jul 09 2024 - 06:00
Roderic O’Gorman ‘deeply humbled’ after being elected new leader of the Green Party Minister for Children and Integration defeats Senator Pippa Hackett in contest to replace Eamon RyanMon Jul 08 2024 - 14:57
New Greens leader Roderic O’Gorman represents continuity with minimal changeO’Gorman says all Green Ministers will remain in their current posts after securing a narrow win over Senator Pippa Hackett in the leadership raceMon Jul 08 2024 - 14:10
Trickle of Fine Gael departures risks turning into a flood as election moves closerEleven FG TDs have said they will not run in next election, and the party faces a headache finding electable new candidatesSat Jul 06 2024 - 06:00
Boost for Sinn Féin but result underlines differences between North and SouthParty up by more than 4% since 2019, delivering timely morale boost after reversal down South at local and European electionsFri Jul 05 2024 - 17:00
Starmer win offers Anglo-Irish relations ‘reset’ Labour is preparing for power after the UK election saw the Tories swept out of office while in Dublin, officials are hoping for improved relations with our neighbourFri Jul 05 2024 - 11:46
Central Bank governor urges Chambers to stick to budget spending rule Government has repeatedly brokenGabriel Makhlouf urges Government against giveaway budgetFri Jul 05 2024 - 00:01
Chambers accused of ‘cock-and-bull story’ after insisting budget date change not election-related Jack Chambers accused of telling a ‘cock-and-bull story’ after he insisted change of date is not election relatedThu Jul 04 2024 - 14:54
