The head of the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI), Kevin Hollingsworth, highlighted that under 12% of newly constructed buildings in some regions are actually subjected to inspections for adherence to building regulations. He emphasised an urgent need for a cultural shift in Ireland’s enforcement of these regulations, which he describes as utterly insufficient.
As a younger journalist, I was assigned the role of bureau chief for an Australian newspaper in Washington DC, a job which, today, might seem incredibly impressive. Back then, however, the entire bureau was just myself, and I was far from being the youngest foreign correspondent. The truly remarkable aspect of this role, in the modern day context, was the range of benefits; from subsidies on my rent to premium health insurance, and allowances for everything from a car to a mobile phone, even taking care of school fees if I had children.
A report by BNP Paribas Real Estate Ireland indicates that while the construction industry maintained its pace last month, the number of housing projects saw an upswing. This trend bodes well for the government’s housing goals. The business’s construction activity index came in slightly under the stable 50-point line. Falling from the previous reading of 53.2, this marks the end of a two-month growth cycle.
Echoing in his column, governments reduced their focus on public housing, instead resorting to rent supports. Compounding this was the sale of a substantial portion of public housing stock. The result? A faulty policy, as it only increased rent due to rising property prices and the insufficiency of social housing, consequently pushing more people into the private rental sector.
The former chief executive of Grafton Group, Michael Chadwick, is revealed to have a significant 26.3% shares in a minor British commercial equipment supplier, HC Slingsby, according to new stock exchange documents. Mr Chadwick has invested in HC Slingsby twice this year, as reported by Barry J. Whyte.
Following the reestablishment of the power-sharing setup in February, Northern Ireland’s economy witnessed a robust resurgence of economic activities, as revealed by the latest PMI data from Ulster Bank. The private sector in the North put forth a considerable growth rate, seeing a hike in output, new customer orders, and workforce, all at a significant pace over the past month, as noted by reporter Eoin Burke-Kennedy.
The recent proceedings of Flutter to shift its primary listing to the United States, accompanied by the prospective scenario of Smurfit Kappa planning a similar move soon, have reignited concerns over the future prospects of the Irish equity market. Cantor Fitzgerald Ireland’s chief investment officer, John Mullane expressed in our weekly opinion column, that the dearth of fresh listings on the Irish Stock Exchange is an alarming issue that needs to be addressed for the broader economy. He believes that the State should motivate public equity investments.