Irish Times Inside Business

Why are rents rising by double-digit figures in rural Ireland? That figure, revealed in a daft.ie report released this week, reflects an “unprecedented scarcity” of homes to rent across the country, according to the report's authors. But is there more to it than a lack of supply?With rents in Dublin often reaching €2000 per month, is affordable rent likely to come even with increased supply? And why are landlords exiting the rental market? Ciaran talks to Marian Finnegan, Chief Economist and Director of Research with Sherry Fitzgerald, and reporter Eoin Burke-Kennedy about all things housing. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Fiona Dawson joined the Mars Graduate Scheme in 1988 straight from Trinity College in Dublin. Since then, she has worked her way through various management and leadership positions before taking on her final role as Global President of Mars Food, Multisales and Global Customers. This month, after more than three decades with the company, Dawson has taken early retirement at just 55 years of age and is looking forward to the next chapter. In this episode, Dawson speaks to Ciaran Hancock about her career progression within Mars, what makes a good leader and how she dealt with the challenges and crises that came along the way. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In a post-pandemic world and with climate on the agenda, will Dublin Airport ever again reach the heights of the 33 million passengers that passed through it back in 2019? Dublin Airport Authority CEO Dalton Philips returns to the podcast to tell Ciaran how the industry is faring as passenger volumes begin to increase after a disruptive 18 months. Dalton says he is confident in the recovery of passenger numbers, but warns of the impact of changing travel patterns and calls for ministers and state agencies to push for the return of global airlines to Ireland.Produced in association with EY. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week, restrictions on non-essential international travel have eased, bringing new hope to the aviation and tourism industries. Those who are fully vaccinated, have recovered from Covid-19 in the last six months, or who present a negative Covid-19 test can now travel more freely within the European Union, as well as to Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. Ciaran Hancock is joined by Irish Times reporter Barry O’Halloran and CEO of ITIC Eoghan O’Mara Walsh to discuss what this means for the hospitality and travel sectors, how the digital Covid certificate scheme will work and the future of transatlantic connectivity. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Today the European Union revealed the details of its “Fit for 55”, a package of toughened climate laws designed to help hit the target of reducing emissions by 55% by 2030. But what does it contain, does it go far enough to hit the target, and what will it mean for business and consumers? Environment editor Kevin O Sullivan and Europe correspondent Naomi O’Leary report. A Central Bank paper on long-term debt has revealed that over-60s make up a quarter of all those in mortgage arrears. This vulnerable group, often with limited ability to escape debt due to their age, should be offered new ways to manage their debt, says the bank. Markets correspondent Joe Brennan explains what the Central Bank has said, and Rachel McGovern, Director of Financial Service for Mortgage Brokers Ireland, says our approach to those in arrears has stored up problems and needs a rethink. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In a letter to The Irish Times, Clément Beaune, the French minister for European affairs, has appealed to the Irish people to reconsider their opposition to a global minimum corporate tax rate. This plea followed on from Ireland’s rejection of a draft agreement on international tax reform from the OECD. Cliff Taylor and Lara Marlowe join Ciaran to discuss the debate around corporate tax. Plus, Eoin Burke Kennedy on the flawed Irish housing market. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Now that the Government has postponed the resumption of indoor dining, the hospitality sector faces an uncertain summer. In this episode, Ciarán talks to Galway restaurateur and owner of the Michelin starred Aniar restaurant, JP McMahon, about what the delay will mean for his business now and into the future. They’re joined by The Irish Times business affairs correspondent Mark Paul. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Cliff Taylor of the Irish Times and Sebastian Barnes, Chair of the Independent Fiscal Advisory Council join Ciaran Hancock to discuss the ambitious spending proposals made by Tánaiste Leo Varadkar at the Fine Gael Ard Fheis last week, including the planned building of 40,000 houses per year and retaining current levels of health spend. But where will the money come from and how realistic are the budgetary plans? Later on, Stephen Kelly of Manufacturers NI joins Ciaran and Cliff to talk about the accelerated trade between the Republic and Northern Ireland as a result of Brexit and the thorny issues surrounding the Protocol. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Cliff Taylor talks to Irish Times business reporter Barry O’Halloran and director of Shannon Chamber and former CEO of Shannon Development Kevin Thompstone about the closure of Stobart Air and the outlook for Irish aviation and regional connectivity. Thompstone also details the business case put forward to Government, which sets out the urgent need for a multi-annual, fully funded regional air access recovery and growth action plan for the struggling sector. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The decision by G7 finance ministers last weekend to back a major package of global corporate tax reform is significant, making agreement at the OECD on this issue look likely. It will also pose significant questions for Ireland, particularly in relation to the agreed 15% global corporate tax rate. Laura Slattery talks to Cliff Taylor about how such a move would affect Ireland's ability to attract investment in the future. Plus: Irish Times Europe correspondent Naomi O'Leary on the reaction of EU leaders to the G7 agreement. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Sinead Lambert, owner of Sol Rio restaurant in Westport, Co. Mayo, joins Ciaran to discuss her reopening plans for the summer ahead and the mysterious shortage of staff for key positions in the hospitality trade. Plus: Cliff Taylor on the Government's €3.5bn stimulus plan and reforms of the Local Property Tax. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ciaran talks to Fáilte Ireland CEO Paul Kelly and to president of the Irish Hotels Federation and director of Fitzgeralds Woodlands House Hotel and Spa in Adare Co. Limerick, Elaina Fitzgerald Kane, about the next round of reopening the country's tourism sector from 2nd June, when hotels can welcome guests once again. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The true scale of the ransomware attack on the HSE by the cybercriminals known as Wizard Spider is not yet clear, but the task of rebuilding the executive's computer systems is likely to take weeks. In today's podcast, Ciarán talks to Conor Scolard, technical director of Ekco Ireland, about how exposed Irish companies are to such attacks and what can be done to militate against them. Also in this episode, The Irish Times technology reporter Ciara O'Brien has the latest on the HSE cyberattack. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Bold action is needed by governments, business and investors around the world in order to tackle climate change. On today’s show we look at some of the big challenges to this, ahead of the Dublin Climate Dialogues conference next week. The initiative brings together big names including United States Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, climate activist Mary Robinson and Dr Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency, to forge an agreement to move beyond ambition and enact meaningful commitments to achieve a transition to net-zero global emissions by 2050 at the critical UN COP26 in November. Cliff Taylor talks to former president of the European Parliament Pat Cox, who is chair of the Dublin Climate Dialogues, and Mike Hayes, Global Lead on Renewables and Decarbonisation at KPMG. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Eoin Burke Kennedy from the Irish Times and DCU Professor John Doyle join Ciaran Hancock to discuss the potential economic impact of Irish reunification. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

After more than sixty years in business, Irish travel agent Joe Walsh Tours has announced it has ceased trading. The well known tour operator cited Ireland’s strict travel restrictions as one of the main reasons behind the closure. Irish Times Consumer Affairs correspondent Conor Pope and CEO of Irish Travel Agents Association Pat Dawson join Ciaran Hancock to discuss the uncertain future for tour operators and travel agents and their expectations for overseas travel in 2021. Later, Consumer advocate and founder of Askaboutmoney.com Brendan Burgess speaks to Ciaran about the imminent exit of KBC and Ulster Bank from the mortgage market and the impact this may have on competition and mortgage rates. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On Sunday, twelve of Europe’s biggest football clubs announced plans to form a breakaway Super League, drawing an onslaught of criticism from fans, players and regulators alike. Less than seventy two hours later, their grand plan had collapsed, with six English clubs bowing out of the proposal. So what are the core problems at the heart of European football which led to this shock move and how can the model be adjusted to better serve the sport? Ken Early of The Irish Times and Second Captains and Andrew Doyle, owner of Shelbourne Football Club, join Ciaran Hancock to discuss. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In today’s episode Ciaran Hancock is joined by hotelier John Fitzpatrick, owner of the Fitzpatrick Hotel Group in New York City. Later this month, the Fitzpatrick Manhattan will reopen following over twelve months of closure. In today's episode we hear about the reopening plans, the impact of Covid-19 on the hotel business and Fitzpatrick's thoughts on the Irish mandatory hotel quarantine system. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe says better-than-expected exchequer returns show our economic "resilience", but do the numbers hide deeper scars? Cliff Taylor joins Ciaran to look at the latest set of economic figures showing Ireland's tax, spending and unemployment in the pandemic-stricken Q1 of 2021. Plus, Barry O'Halloran looks at Ryanair's passenger numbers for the same period of time and assesses the health of our aviation sector. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week the Government revealed its plan for the phased reopening the economy from April 12th onwards. On today’s show, Ciaran is joined by Ibec chief executive Danny McCoy and Cliff Taylor of The Irish Times to discuss what will it mean for Irish business and the wider economy. Is the timeline for reopening too sluggish? And, with the pace of the vaccine rollout ramping up, when might the Government begin withdrawing the financial supports currently propping up so many parts of the Irish economy? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.