Irish welfare cuts will hit one in three Ukrainian refugees

Ireland's decision to slash welfare payments for Ukrainian refugees in state accommodation will impact close to one third of the 86,000 people who fled Russia's invasion and remain in Ireland, Finance Minister Michael McGrath said on Wednesday.more

The Irish government's threat to send police officers to the border with Northern Ireland to stop the uncontrolled flow of illegal immigrants is further evidence of Dublin's exacerbating relationship with London. The fact that Ireland eventually backed down does not change this.more

The convoy arrived just after sunrise: a stream of police vehicles, council trucks, mounted cranes and coaches, ready to dismantle a tent city of migrants and refugees in the heart of Dublin that had become too big, too visible, too political.more

The Irish government yesterday backed the passing of an emergency bill to recognise the UK as a safe third country, which would allow illegal immigrants coming from there to be sent back to the UK. This is another development in the escalating dispute between the two countries.more

New security protocols may end the tradition of ordaining aircraft at Dublin Airport, which has continued for 76 years. Every Christmas a Catholic priest is invited there to perform such a ceremony.more

The Irish parliament has approved 37-year-old Simon Harris as the country's new prime minister. The former Minister of Higher Education, Innovation and Science became the youngest head of government in the history of Ireland.more

'Irish reunification is a legitimate aspiration, but it will not be my priority,' declared Simon Harris, who will become the new Prime Minister of the Irish Republic on Tuesday. He also asserted that he wants better relations with the UK than have been the case in recent years.more

Reunifying Ireland would cost the government in Dublin between €8 and €20 billion a year for 20 years, which would require a significant increase in taxes or a large reduction in public spending, the Irish Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA) said in its report.more

In Ireland, with a population of 5.3 million, 800,000 fewer people now smoke cigarettes than 20 years ago, when the country was the first in the world to introduce a total ban on smoking in enclosed public spaces, according to the HSE public health service. The percentage of smokers has fallen from 27 per cent to 18 per cent in that time.more

The contest to become Ireland’s next prime minister is turning into a one-horse race after the higher education minister, Simon Harris, secured the backing of nearly half his parliamentary party before he had even confirmed he was running.more

The decision came after the fiasco of the constitutional reform to redefine the concepts of traditional family.more

Real incomes will rise by almost 9 per cent over the next three years, Central Bank predicts.more

Voters in the Republic of Ireland have overwhelmingly voted against amending the Irish Constitution. Proposals to alter wording in the constitution to include families which are not based on marriage were defeated with 67.7% voting 'no'.more

Fewer than one in three “mutual-­recognition” driver disqualifications from Britain and Northern Ireland were affirmed by Irish courts over the last four years. Road-safety campaigners have urged the Government to urgently review the operation of legislation aimed at ensuring drivers who are disqualified in the UK are not able to continue driving here with impunity.more

The people of Ireland are voting today in a referendum to amend two articles of the constitution that talk about the role of the family and women's domestic responsibilities. According to the government, their content is "sexist" and "outdated," so they should be amended.more

Irish GDP contracted by 3.2 per cent in 2023. - The country's statistics office CSO reported on Friday. This is the worst performance in Europe last year and a significant drop from the 9.4 per cent growth the year before.more

The extension of child benefit payments for all children under the age of 19 has been passed by the Dáil, with the planned extension being brought four months from September to May 1. Currently parents only get child benefit for each child up until their 18th birthday, but under plans announced in the Budget this was to be extended to every dependent child up to the age of 19 in September.more

Figures published by the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) show the average rent for new tenants has increased to €1,598. The latest report from the RTB for Q3 2023 show the average rent for new tenants is higher than existing tenants, who are on average spending €1,357 per month. In Q3 2023 the standardised average rent in new tenancies grew by 11 per cent year-on-year and in existing tenanciesmore

The Residential Tenancies Board has said it will resume charging late fees to landlords who fail to register a tenancy on time — more than a year after suspending the penalties due to significant delays and backlogs. The regulator said the move comes after it had “worked continuously to address the issues and concerns raised by users of the platform”.more

An increased Garda presence in Dublin, a crackdown on youth offenders, more 24-hour public transport, and safe taxi hubs are among the proposals made to the government by DublinTown.more

Irish farmers last night joined their colleagues from other EU countries protesting against the plight of the sector, bureaucracy and what they see as over-regulation under the EU's Common Agricultural Policy.more

New cars in Ireland grew 2.4cm wider in five years, with some of the most popular models now so large they have just a few centimetres to spare in many parking spaces.more

Restaurants and food outlets need to cut down on the amount of food they put on consumers’ plates to reduce waste, the Agriculture Minister has said. Charlie McConalogue said there was a lot of waste within food service and urged every business to look to address the issue further. more

Commuters have been warned about a scam page “attempting to sell Leap cards” on social media. The page shared a link, telling users they can purchase “an annual subscription” Leap card for €2.35. Transport for Ireland (TFI) has told commuters to avoid interacting with the account and to report it to the social media platform.more

House prices during 2023 rose by an average of 3.4pc, the smallest increase since 2019, according to a Daft.ie end-of-year report.more

Large numbers of safety-conscious Irish householders keep the lights on when they leave the house in the hope of fooling burglars into thinking they are still at home. Others leave clothes hanging on the line to give the impression they are in the home. And some put their valuables in the attic when they are on holiday, according to a survey of the various methods used by people to keep burglarsmore