Inside Business with Ciaran Hancock

In this episode, host Laura Slattery is joined by Irish Times contributor Chris Johns, who has taken a detailed look through the manifestos of Fine Gael & Fianna Fáil. What are the parties promising in terms of public finances and how will it be implemented? Also, with Brexit set for Friday evening & the value of Sterling falling, Irish Times journalist Mark Paul discusses the likely impact it will have on Irish tourism. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The growing, ageing population has created a pensions time bomb for this Government and the gap between the common retirement age of 65 and eligibility for the state pension has emerged as a major election issue. Our own Dominic Coyle explains the problem, while Willie O'Dea, Fianna Fáil's spokesperson on pensions, claims his party will make a better fist of this policy area if voted in next month. Joe Brennan reports from Davos where an unusually small Irish contingent is rubbing shoulders with US President Donald Trump, climate activist Greta Thunberg and the usual coterie of premiers, ministers and CEOs. One Irish person who did make it is 18-year-old  Fionn Ferreira, winner of the 2019 Google Science Fair, to talk about his plan to remove microplastics from the ocean. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Ciaran Hancock is joined by Economist Jim Power and Irish Times Journalist Cliff Taylor. Together they take a look at how the Irish General Election campaign will play out over the next few weeks. Will the electorate give Fine Gael any credit for the recent economic growth and which party is best equipped to tackle the housing and health crisis?Plus, New Zealand based entrepreneur Andrew Barnes discusses his new book 'The Four Day Week', which puts forward the idea that shorter working hours results in more productivity. It sounds great in theory, but would it work? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cork-born businessman Norman Crowley believes the profit motive is the best hope we have for reducing our carbon emissions enough to stave off the worst effects of climate change in the decades ahead. He talks to Ciaran about the various strands of his business Crowley Carbon (electrifying vintage cars, creating meatless meat, and making companies more energy efficient), his assessment of Green politics and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For our final show of 2019 we've assembled a panel of experts to take stock of the the year and to make some predictions about the year ahead in business, the economy and beyond. Stephen Brewer is managing director with telecoms firm Magnet Networks, Michael O'Keeffe is CEO of Teneo PSG Ireland and Lucinda Creighton is CEO of Vulcan Consulting and a former junior minister for European Affairs. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Businessman Kieran Lucid has a dream: an all-Ireland football league, uniting clubs from Northern Ireland and the Republic. But with soccer in the south in dire straits and cultural resistance in the North, he faces an uphill battle. He talks to Ciaran Hancock about his ambitious plan. But first Peter Hamilton has a roundup of the latest business news. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we are taking you on an exclusive tour of one of the biggest construction projects in Dublin city today: the redevelopment of the former Central Bank building on Dame Street, or "Central Plaza" as it will be called. It is one of Dublin's standout buildings, a bulky modernist structure towering over the 18th century architecture of College Green. For decades the space outside has been a rendezvous point for Dubliners, a hangout spot for teenagers and a stage for numerous demonstrations. Inside, momentous events in Ireland's recent economic history have played out. Now it is the subject of a €100 million redevelopment by US investment company Hines. Brian Moran, Hines's leading executive in Ireland, shows Ciarán around the site, including its rooftop restaurant and public foyer, while explaining the history and architecture of the building, the challenges of redevelopment and its attraction to signed-on lead tenants WeWork. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eoin Burke-Kennedy and economist Alan McQuaid take a look at the news that Ireland's corporation tax take came in a massive €1.45 billion ahead of estimates for the first 11 months of the year.Have you ever gone to cash in a gift voucher only to find it has expired? That may be a thing of the past. Dermot Jewell of the Consumer Association of Ireland explains the changes to rules surrounding vouchers after a 25 year campaign by his organisation. But first Peter Hamilton has a roundup of all the latest business news. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Economist and journalist Colm McCarthy has forecasted that air fares will rise by 30% should the European Commission increase their carbon tax on jet kerosene. He joins Ciaran Hancock and business reporter Barry O’Halloran in studio to discuss how this increase, along with the removal of the VAT exemption, will send the price of air travel soaring.But first, Peter Hamilton has a roundup of the week’s big business stories including which Irish city has been named the most efficient place to start a business. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Despite plenty of objection and many questions surrounding the escalating costs, the National Broadband Plan was signed in this week by the Cabinet. While the roll-out of high speed broadband across Ireland is a welcome initiative, Communications Spokesperson for Sinn Féin David Cullinane maintains it is a flawed and compromised process. Business Journalist Eoin Burke-Kennedy also joins host Ciarán Hancock to discuss the controversial plan.Later, Laura Slattery is in studio to discuss the recent decision by the national broadcaster to move their prime sports coverage from RTE 2 to RTE 1. What does this mean for the future of the sister station? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.