Brown O’Connor Communications Weekly Look Ahead – Ireland Wednesday 22 February 2023

  • The Government has announced a further cost of living package that sees €470m allocated to social protection measures and an extension on the 9% VAT rate on gas and electricity.

  • Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald TD has criticised the Government’s cost of living crisis measures, saying she cannot understand how the Government's cost of living package provides nothing for renters.

  • The EU’s chief Brexit negotiator Maroš Šefčovič has said that the finish line is in sight for a Northern Ireland Protocol deal but that does not mean a deal is done.

  • Co-leaders of the Social Democratics Roisin Shortall TD and Catherin Murphy TD are due shortly to make a significant announcement that RTE News understands to be related to leadership of the party.

  • Foreign Affairs Minister and Tánaiste Micheál Martin TD has said he was hopeful of a deal on the Northern Ireland Protocol this week.

  • The Association of Irish Local Government has warned that the Draft Planning and Development Bill 2022 risks diminishing Irish democracy.

  • The CEO of Fáilte Ireland Paul Kelly has said the tourism sector needs to be mindful of value for money as the sector faces the removal of the special VAT rate of 9%.

  • The Commission for the Regulation of Utilities has announced that the moratorium on electricity and gas domestic disconnections will be extended until the end of March for all customers.

  • Executive Board member of the European Central Bank, Isabel Schnabel, has said that investors are risking underestimating the persistence of inflation and the response needed to bring it under control.

  • The Citizens’ Assembly on liberalising drug laws will hold its first meeting in April of this year.

  • The latest Sunday Times/Behaviour and Attitudes Opinion Poll sees support for Fine Gael rise by four points but Sinn Féin remains the most popular party.

  • Today, People Before Profit’s Eviction Ban Bill 2022 has passed its second stage debate and will now proceed to the committee stage.

  • Today, the Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill will reach its second stage.

 

Other Stories this week

  • The number of people seeking international protection in Ireland has increased by 186% in the past year.

  • Ireland’s Central Bank governor Gabriel Makhlouf has defended the Ireland’s economic growth against accusations that it is an artificial product of big US companies taking advantage of the country’s low taxes.

  • The CSO has reported the value of cross-border trade increase by 30% in 2022. The data showed a sharp increase across the board in the value of goods both imported and exported by the Republic of Ireland.

  • Female members of the Oireachtas will meet the Cean Comhairle later today to discuss the physical, verbal, and online threats they have received in the course of their work.

  • The Government has established a multi-stakeholder working group to coordinate efforts to combat the spread of misinformation on the internet.  

 

Upcoming key political and business events

  • 23 February Dublin Chamber of Commerce AGM Dinner, Royal Convention Centre, Dublin.

  • 23 February Investment Firms Outlook 2023, The Marker Hotel, Dublin.

  • 24 February Business Post Global Irish Diaspora Awards, the Waldorf Hilton, London.

  • 24 February CIPD Ireland HR Awards, The Round Room at the Mansion House, Dublin.

 

Consultations