Many vacant home refurbishments unviable unless grants rise – report

A new report has cast doubt on the financial viability of renovating many vacant or derelict properties, without a significant increase in Government grants being made available. The study by the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI) looked at 20 different case studies from around Ireland and found just a quarter were financially viable without…

McGrath confident Irish banking sector can withstand global turbulence

Minister for Finance Michael McGrath has expressed confidence in the Irish banking sector to withstand the turbulence being experienced in the global market. Mr McGrath updated his Cabinet colleagues on the banking situation this morning. Speaking afterwards, he said that the global financial system was “highly integrated” and therefore there may well be “some impacts”,…

EU to propose clampdown on companies using fake ‘green’ claims

The European Commission wants to require companies in Europe to back up climate-friendly claims about their products with evidence, under draft rules to stamp out misleading green labels for products from clothing to cosmetics. The European Union is set to propose today new requirements on companies seeking to promote goods sold in Europe with labels…

Programme for young entrepreneurs to be expanded

Patch, an accelerator programme for young entrepreneurs, has announced an all-island expansion. The initiative is open to 16-21-year-olds in Ireland and Northern Ireland and has received a new three-year funding commitment from the NDRC, Ireland’s national startup accelerator programme. Patch was established as a non-profit organisation in 2018 to develop and nurture entrepreneurial and technologically-minded…