NTMA Raises €5 Billion at Government Bond Auction
THE latest government bond auction has resulted in the National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA) raising €5 billion – a quarter of Ireland’s borrowing requirements for this year. The NTMA raised €5 billion through the auction, a syndicated deal involving six banks, attracting orders of over €7bn for the amount available for issue. Up to 80% […]
Government to Proceed with Banking Inquiry
The Government will today announce an inquiry into the causes of the banking crisis, but a significant portion of the investigative work is expected to take place behind closed doors. Finance Minister Brian Lenihan will bring proposals for an inquiry to a meeting of Cabinet before informing the Dáil this afternoon of the format which […]
Rights Body Calls for Abortion to be legalised
One of the world’s leading human rights organisations has called on the Government to decriminalise abortion. In a report by Human Rights Watch, the Government is accused of violating a long list of human rLights in its treatment of abortion and related issues including “health, information, privacy, freedom from cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, life, […]
Government Considers Arrears Plan to Help Borrowers
The government may set up a system to protect mortgage borrowers who have fallen behind in their payments from having their home repossessed, Communications Minister Eamon Ryan said. “It’s in no-one’s interest for this to go into the courts,” Ryan told RTE Radio yesterday. “It’s far cleverer to work through it in a flexible way […]
€5bn Plan ‘Can Save 40k Building Jobs’
Ireland could avoid the loss of 40,000 construction jobs this year by building roads, schools and hospitals with a proposed €5bn Government stimulus package. Ken Cribben, president of the Society of Chartered Surveyors (SCS), told attendees at the society’s annual dinner in Dublin last night that thousands more jobs are in immediate danger. The society […]
Ghost Estates
Developers and bankers have been urged yesterday to “do the right” thing in relation to unfinished housing estates. Minister of State for Housing Willie Penrose said legislation to give local authorities power to take over “ghost estates” could form part of a solution to the problem. He was examining the Derelict Sites Act 1990 with […]
State Bodies Warned to Observe Purchasing Regulations
Minister of State for Public Service Reform Brian Hayes will “name and shame” public bodies not using the State’s procurement system, which aims to cut the expense of public sector contracts costing an estimated €14.5 billion. The Minister believes that in some cases “local contracts are being delivered to local ratepayers”. But he said the […]
Children’s Referendum
The Government has defended its decision to postpone the proposed referendum on children’s rights until next year and insists it is “completely committed” to holding a vote on the issue. Minister for Children Frances Fitzgerald said yesterday the Government decided the referendum would not get the kind of focus it needed if it was held […]
Debt to be ‘Priority’ for Noonan
Minister for Finance Michael Noonan has said the Government intends to make the problem of mortgage debts “a priority”. A report by a group of civil servants and bank representatives on the issue is to be published at the end of next month. The group, which includes officials from the Departments of Finance, Social Protection […]
New Child Protection Measures
Child Protection: Minister for Justice Alan Shatter has said promised child protection measures are “very much on target”, with legislation to be published by the end of next month. Mr Shatter said moves to put the obligatory reporting of child abuse to gardaí, as well as the vetting of adults who work with children, on […]
