€1.6 billion worth of personal loans were drawn down last year, up almost 19% on 2021, new figures show today. The figures from Banking and Payments Federation Ireland show that €394m worth of personal loans were drawn down in the fourth quarter of last year, up 14.4% when compared to the same three month period…

€4 billion has been transferred into the National Reserve Fun by the exchequer. It follows a decision in the budget in September to bolster the State’s reserves. “On Budget day, the Government committed to putting aside additional resources, from excess corporation tax receipts to prepare the public finances for future challenges,” said the Minister for…

Non-alcoholic drinks are far from a new concept in the Irish market. 30 years ago Billy Connolly was starring in adverts for Kaliber – the non-alcoholic lager brewed by Guinness. However the market failed to develop far beyond that – and until a few years ago most pubs and off-licences would have had, at best,…

New figures from Kantar show that grocery price inflation hit 16.3% in the 12 weeks to 23 January – the highest level seen since the consultants started tracking grocery inflation. Irish households are now facing an extra €1,159 on their annual shopping bills if they do not change their behaviour to cut costs, Kantar warned….

The Cabinet will be briefed by Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien today on plans to increase thresholds for a State-backed mortgage scheme for people who cannot get loans to buy homes from banks. The Local Authority Home Loan was launched in January of last year as party of the Government’s Housing for All strategy. The…

There has been an increase in job searches for part-time and weekend work, as well as jobs requiring no experience, according to job site Indeed. The company said the increase likely reflects the need for those normally on the outskirts of the job market, such as the long-term unemployed or younger people, to enter or…

A Government initiative to increase the number of personal injury claims settled through mediation will begin to come into force next week. Last year, the Government steered legislation through the Oireachtas with the stated aim of reducing the expense and time associated with personal injuries litigation. Part of the legislation comes into force on 13…

Work-life balance is now the number one influence for Irish professionals when they are seeking a new job, research has found. The study also revealed that nearly six in every ten applicants would refuse a job offer if they had a negative experience during the recruitment process. The Future of Recruitment survey, carried out by…

Growth in the country’s service sector picked up in January, according to the latest AIB Services Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI). The data shows that activity and new business throughout the month increased at faster rates. The business activity index rose for the second month running, climbing to 54.1 from 52.7 in December and 50.8 in…

The national debt stood at €226 billion at the end of last year, according to the Department of Finance’s Annual Report on Public Debt in Ireland. That is equal to €44,250 for every man, woman and child in the country and is one of the highest per-capita debt burdens in the world, according to the…