Irish Times Inside Business

On today's podcast Ciarán Hancock talks to David Hall, the mortgage debtor advocate, who expects 20,000 homes to be repossessed by banks or so-called vulture funds over the next six years. Mr Hall was a co-founder of the Irish Mortgage Holders Organisation, a not-for-profit body set up post the 2008 financial crash to help those in mortgage arrears to restructure their loans and remain in their homes.Earlier this month, in the wake of Ulster Bank announcing plans to sell ¤900 million worth of residential loans that are deep in arrears, Mr Hall said a tsunami of repossessions was coming in Ireland.He tells the podcast what IMHO plans next to help mortgage holders in arrears dealing with vulture funds.But first Peter Hamilton has the latest business news, including a look back at the life of Penneys founder Arthur Ryan who died this week. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Property price growth has slowed to its lowest level in five years, according to a report from Davy and property website myhome.ie.The study also suggests asking prices in Dublin, the most volatile segment of the market, are now falling for the first time since 2013.Eoin Burke-Kennedy of The Irish Times and Conall Mac Coille, chief economist at Davy, talk to Ciarán about what's behind the housing market moves. They also discuss the latest exchequer return figures that indicate a continuation of twin trends: a tax revenue boom, and cost overruns at the Department of Health. But first Peter Hamilton has the latest business news including a vacancy at the IMF with Christine Lagarde's appointment to the European Central Bank, more Press Up expansion, and a glimpse inside Larry Goodman's Goodman group. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Olympic Federation of Ireland President and Swim Ireland CEO Sarah Keane is among Ireland's top sports administrators. She talks to Ciaran and Michael O'Keeffe of Teneo PSG about her background in sport and law, what is involved in her various roles, the growth of female sport and the fallout for the Olympic movement in Ireland from the arrest of former president Pat Hickey at the Rio games in 2016. Plus, Michael has a roundup of all the latest news from the business of sport. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Are we building the wrong houses in the wrong places at the wrong prices? Sherry Fitzgerald chief economist Marian Finnegan and Orla Hegarty, architect and assistant professor at UCD’s School of Architecture, join presenter Cliff Taylor to discuss some troubling trends in the housing sector.Also in this podcast – Irish Times business reporter Fiona Reddan on why Credit Unions across the country are imposing savings caps.Plus: Peter Hamilton has some of the other stories in the news this week including Facebook's crypto currency, Libra. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In its latest report the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council has described the Government’s medium-term spending plans as “not credible”. The watchdog says there is an over-reliance on corporation tax receipts to cover ‘unplanned’ increases in spending, such as in health. In today’s podcast the chairman of IFAC, Seamus Coffey, explains why the council is so concerned about government spending, why the outlook for the Irish economy is “unusually uncertain” and what the immediate impact of a hard Brexit would be. He also talks about why he believes that IFAC’s warnings are influencing the Government’s handling of the public finances, despite an apparent reluctance to accept the watchdog’s findings.Plus: Peter Hamilton has a roundup of some of the week's other business headlines, including Ryanair's plan to add Malta Air to its expanding group of airlines. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

When it comes to supporting a culture of entrepreneurship, how does Ireland stack up against the global competition? Avolon CEO Dómhnal Slattery set out to find out, and he has compiled his findings in a report titled "Project i". He talks to Ciarán about what's in the report, where Ireland falls short for its start-ups and the role of state agencies like Enterprise Ireland. He also talks about aircraft leasing company Avolon, the future of aircraft in a low-carbon economy and the fate of the grounded Boeing Max fleet.But first Peter Hamilton is back with all the latest business stories. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Can we build a low-carbon economy in Ireland? On Monday business group Ibec launched its €40 billion blueprint, or greenprint, with proposals including increased forest cover, cutting emissions and raising carbon taxes. But is it ambitious enough? To discuss Ciarán is joined by Ibec CEO Danny McCoy, newly-elected Green Party councillor Hazel Chu and Cliff Taylor. But first Peter Hamilton has all the big news including car import woes for Irish sellers, Ireland's position on a US economic watchlist and what's happening at the Quinn Insurance inquiry. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Last week the high-end Dublin restaurant Luna closed after four years in business and just days after winning the Restaurant Association of Ireland’s best customer service award. The closure prompted some of the city’s leading restaurateurs to express concern about how development in the city is being managed, with accusations that things have got out of hand. Are there too many restaurants in Dublin? With already tight margins, has the increased VAT rate pushed the cost of doing business too high? Cliff Taylor is joined by Dublin restaurateur Elaine Murphy, DIT lecturer in culinary arts Dr Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire, and Irish Times consumer affairs correspondent Conor Pope to discuss. Also this week: Feargal O’Rourke, managing partner of PwC in Ireland, on the global focus on corporate tax and what that means for Ireland.Plus: Peter Hamilton’s roundup of the week’s other news including record-breaking employment figures and the collapse of British Steel. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out informatio

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.