Irish Times Inside Business

The European Commission has opened a formal investigation into whether Insurance Ireland is operating a cartel by restricting access to a claims database, almost two years after it raided the body as part of an inquiry into a number of issues in the sector. Conor Faughnan of AA Ireland and Irish Times markets correspondent Joe Brennan join Ciarán to discuss how the investigation could play out.Later: Chief economist at Manulife Investment Management, Megan Greene, and Cliff Taylor of the Irish Times on the latest developments in the US-China trade war and how markets have responded to its ratcheting up in the past week.Plus: Rising rents, hacks at Intel and WhatsApp, and more. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Eoin Burke-Kennedy on the ins and outs of the National Broadband Plan. Is the €3-billion project a misguided expense or a vital infrastructure that must go ahead?Fiona Reddan on Sports Direct owner Mike Ashley's purchase of House of Fraser and how department stores are coping in the era of online shopping.Plus: Peter Hamilton with a roundup of the other stories making the news this week, including Juul Labs's entry to the Irish e-cigarette market. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Trinity College Dublin is our most prestigious university but the institution has struggled to remain globally competitive. Government funding per third level student has declined steeply since the crash, and Trinity has fallen down the international rankings. So for today's podcast Ciarán Hancock visits the Trinity campus to find out what is being done to replace that lost income and maintain the may services it provides to its students and academic staff? How is Trinity taking advantage of the campus's prime city centre location and its famous tourist attractions like the Book of Kells, and how are commercial concerns balanced against its academic traditions? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

STATSports head of marketing Ian Forrester joins Ciarán and Irish Times business journalist Charlie Taylor to discuss the Newry-based sports tech company's new funding round recently, which saw seven-figure investments by Premier League footballers Raheem Sterling and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Later: Cliff Taylor on the implications of pressure from public sector unions to end the two-tier pay structure. Plus: Datalex to suspend shares, Dunnes Stores eyes Base Wood Fired Pizza & EY Entrepreneur of the Year awards. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Economists Megan Greene and Austin Hughes on the prospect of a global slowdown in economic growth, what should be done about it and how it might impact on Europe.Jack Horgan-Jones has the latest on the FAI, after auditors Deloitte filed a notice to the Companies Registration Office on Monday over breaches of the Companies Acts on the grounds that accounts were not kept properly. What happens now?Plus: Peter Hamilton has a roundup of some of the week’s other stories concerning Green Reit, Kingspan and the gig economy. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Jack-Horgan Jones on the impact of institutional landlords on the property market. Simon Carswell on why we may never see a report on the collapse of Sean FitzPatrick's trial. Plus regional airports, Debenhams and more. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Colm Keena on the strange saga of the Quinn business family. The State's long battle to recover debts the Quinns owe to the IBRC, formerly Anglo Irish Bank, ended this week with a settlement reached with former billionaire Sean Quinn's adult children. But much of whatever money is eventually recovered will go to the lawyers. Was it worth the effort? Plus, Laura Slattery has the best business news of the week including Mark Zuckerberg's Dublin visit, good news for the music industry and a bank's attempt to stop proactive borrowers from gaming the mortgage system to the lender's loss. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The ESRI has warned that its projected growth rate for the Irish economy this year could be slashed by more than two-thirds if Britain crashes out of the EU, derailing the Government’s plan for tax cuts in the next budget. Lead author of that report, Dr Adele Bergin, joins Cliff Taylor and presenter Laura Slattery to discuss the gloomy analysis.Plus: The robots are coming, but for who? Eoin Burke-Kennedy has the details of a report by the UK’s Office for National Statistics, showing waiters and shelf stackers are the most likely to be replaced by robots.But first, Peter Hamilton has a roundup of some of the other stories making the business news this week: PwC’s review of Datalex’s accounts, new EU copyright rules and Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct eyeing Debenhams. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ciara O'Brien on the launch of a video streaming service by Apple. Can the tech behemoth make a dent in Netflix and Amazon's existing services, and why should we sign up?Fiona Reddan on the enduring financial advantages of getting hitched, despite growing numbers of people feeling alienated from the custom. A potential solution: bring back civil partnerships, this time for people of all orientations. First up it's Peter Hamilton with a roundup of business news, including potential buyers of the iconic Dublin night spot Coppers, more fast food wars and a German financial merger making waves. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The UK has revealed the tariffs it would impose on imports in the event of a no-deal Brexit, which will have serious implications for the Irish economy, particularly the food sector. If the UK crashes out of the EU on March 29th, is there any way businesses will be ready?Cliff Taylor talks to Allie Renison, Head of EU and Trade Policy at the UK’s Institute of Directors, and Cormac Healy, Senior Director of IBEC’s, Meat Industry Ireland.Later, Irish Times business affairs correspondent Mark Paul talks about his recent trip to Birmingham, where he spoke to local business owners about their views on Brexit. But first, Peter Hamilton has a roundup of some of the week’s other stories: the grounding the Boeing 737 Max 8; An Post's plans to enter the mortgage market; and the freezing of plans for an EU Digital Tax. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Earlier this week an investigation by The Irish Times revealed that hundreds of residents in boom-time apartment blocks are facing huge bills, the risk of eviction and the prospect of costly legal action to fix structural defects in their homes. It's a personal tragedy for apartment owners and a problem for our housing stock that is "verging on systemic", according to journalists Jack Horgan-Jones and Niamh Towey. They talk to Ciarán about the investigation. Plus, Peter Hamilton has a roundup of business news including Paddy Power / Betfair's new name, Ireland's new billionaire and Deliveroo's new plan for Irish growth. And Mark Paul on the strange timing of a new beverage launch in the Irish market by Diageo. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

BANKING: Bank of Ireland and Permanent TSB both released their annual results this week. What have we learned about the health of Irish banks? And why is Bank of Ireland indicating future mortgage rate increases? Joe Brennan reports. HOUSING: Dublin City Council, short on space to provide desperately-needed land for housing development, is eyeing up some of Dublin's industrial estates. Can the plan work? We talk to DCC's Deputy Chief Executive Brendan Kenny. PLUS: Foldable phones, Dalata's profits and Eir's customer service. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Simon Carswell on what he heard at Oireachtas committee hearings into the botched prosecution of Anglo Irish Bank by the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement. Cliff Taylor on the latest CSO data showing that in 2018 2.28 million people were employed in our economy, an all-time high. What does that mean for employers, employees and the economy?Plus, Peter Hamilton has a roundup of business news including ups and downs for Irish whiskey producers, the agri sector's Brexit battles and a major move by the world's biggest producer of coal. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Some call it the pensions time-bomb. In the private sector, under 40% of workers are covered by a pension. As our workforce ages, the problem of retirees lacking the funds they need will grow and grow. Most agree that the planned introduction of auto-enrolment, whereby workers automatically contribute to their own pension, is a good idea. But beyond that, there is much disagreement on how it should be implemented. Should it be mandatory or opt-out? Privately or publicly run? And should it replace or supplement the state pension? To debate this critically important topic, Ciarán Hancock was joined by Irish Life CEO David Harney, Dr Laura Bambrick of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and Irish Times columnist Chris Johns. The podcast was recorded in front of a live audience at the Irish Life Building. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It's officially titled The Open Championship but whether you call it that, the British Open or simply The Open, it’s coming to these shores in July. For the first time in 68 years Royal Portrush will host golf’s oldest major. Over 200,000 golf fans are expected to descend on the County Antrim coast with the eyes of millions worldwide focussed on the Dunluce Links as the seaside resort becomes the centre of the golf universe for one week. It also means a boon for the local economy. But can the small resort handle such numbers, and what about the impact of Brexit on preparations? Ciarán and Michael O'Keeffe of Teneo PSG talk to Malcolm Booth, Director of Sales and Marketing at the Open, to discuss how things are shaping up ahead of the 148th edition of the event. But first Michael has a roundup of the latest news from the business of sport including GAA finances, Sport Ireland investment figures and some good news about Ireland's Six Nations match against England last weekend. See acast.com/privacy for privacy

If you've been in Dublin lately you might have noticed a tall new building dwarfing its neighbours on the south quays. Capital Dock, now the Republic's tallest building, is a residential development by Kennedy Wilson, who hope the wealthy executives who work nearby will choose to rent an apartment there. And you will need to be wealthy, because a standard two-bed will cost €3,300 per month. For that money you also get access to luxurious shared facilities and services. Inside Business went for a walk around the 22-storey residential tower in the company of Kennedy Wilson executives Ali Rohan and Peter Collins. What makes an apartment in this development worth its price? Who do they expect will want to live in Capital Dock? And how does the exclusive building fits into Dublin's dysfunctional residential property sector? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Siobhán Talbot, Glanbia chief executive and the Irish Times Business Person of the Year for 2018, talks to Ciarán about Brexit and the difficulty of planning for a ‘no deal’ scenario. They also talk about Glanbia’s transition from dairy to high tech proteins and weight management products, the importance of promoting diversity, and how surviving cancer has changed her outlook on life. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On this week's podcast: Cliff Taylor on the market reaction to the defeat of Theresa May's Brexit deal. What now? There is at least one sector for whom a hard Brexit may not be all bad: cars. Motoring Editor Michael McAleer explains why. Peter Hamilton has a roundup of the latest business news, includinga good week for Supermac's as it wins its David v Goliath court battle with McDonalds, a terrible week for software company Datalex, and news of yet more Dublin expansion for startup unicorn WeWork. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Apple and Samsung both reported revenue slumps for the last quarter of 2018. What's going on? Analyst at Davy Stockbrokers Aidan Donnelly explains.Plus: Ibec is predicting a major slowdown in growth this year as the Irish economy approaches full capacity and “cost competitiveness erodes”. CEO of the employer's group Danny McCoy joins Cliff Taylor to give his predictions for the economy in 2019 amid the threat of Brexit, Donald Trump’s tariffs and other drags on Ireland’s economic performance. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Christmas Day is behind us, and so is a record year for Irish business. But as 2018 draws to a close the picture is beginning to look a lot more mixed. Today we assess some of the risks to the Irish economy in the year ahead, from Brexit to retail and the housing crisis. Joining Ciarán Hancock to look ahead to those challenges are Anne Graham, CEO of the National Transport Agency, Maurice Pratt, chairman of Uniphar among other things, and Cork-based property developer Michael O'Flynn. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.