Construction activity expanded last month at the fastest pace in more than two years, with housing and commercial projects both attracting momentum, according to the latest BNP Paribas Real Estate Ireland index for the sector. The increase in activity in April was the second consecutive month of expansion, marking the first back-to-back increase in activity for almost two years. Laura Slattery reports.
Trouble in the world of show jumping: a new sport horse breeding body is suing established rivals in the High Court alleging they used positions in various markets to hinder its business. Studbook Development Ireland Ltd, trading as Warmblood Studbook of Ireland, is the legally and Government-approved body to manage the studbook for the Irish Warmblood horse, a new breed used in showjumping and other activities. Barry O’Halloran reports that court filings show that WSI is suing Horse Sport Ireland, the Irish Horse Board and the Irish Shows Association, along with individuals involved those organisations, claiming among other things, that they abused dominant positions in different markets, a breach of competition law, to its disadvantage.
Laura also reports that Virgin Media Television has commissioned Kite Entertainment to make an interview series based on a French hit that will see some of Ireland’s most famous personalities asked questions by a group of about 30 neurodivergent people.
Enterprise Ireland handed a unit of Kingspan, the multibillion-euro insulation firm headquartered in Cavan, a €4.6 million grant for “a serious disturbance in the economy”, new European Commission filings show. Barry J Whyte reports that the grant was made by Enterprise Ireland to Kingspan Insulation Limited as part of a wider post-Covid stimulus fund which was last year thrown open to a number of manufacturers in Ireland.
Compulsory workplace pensions will leave even standard-rate taxpayers less-well-off than under existing pension arrangements, according to numbers presented by a senior industry figure. Dominic Coyle has the details.
Is domestic violence a workplace issue? The answer, unequivocally, is yes, writes Pilita Clark.
The EU now requires its member states, including Ireland to submit five year spending plans. Bank of Ireland chief economist Conall MacCoille writes that that is most definitely a good thing for Ireland.
Ireland’s economy is still doing pretty well despite economic headwinds, but as Eoin Burke-Kennedy outlines, there are a number of challenges which could yet derail it.
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