Auto-enrolment pensions are almost here but are some employers trying to game the system?
With an occupational scheme, employees do not need to contribute, but employers do. Now the State is set to clamp down on companies trying to limit employee contributions by opting for occupational schemes. Another change is that employee consent will be required for enrolment into a pension scheme, given previous concerns. Indeed, employers were previously told there would be no minimum level of contribution required for occupational schemes at least until 2031. And this “last-minute change” is coming at a time when companies are still trying to find out more about the auto-enrolment scheme.
Source:The Irish Times
December 02, 2025 18:00 UTC
Corporation tax-take heads for €10bn in November, say analysts
Profit trends in the few big players that pay tax in the State remain strong. Photograph: Getty ImagesWednesday will be a big day for the public finances, with the key November tax returns due to be published. All eyes will be on the corporate tax haul, with Davy estimating that the take in this month alone could be close to €10 billion. Profit trends in the few big players that pay tax here remain strong. Of interest in this context will also be the key VAT and income tax returns in November.
Source:The Irish Times
December 02, 2025 18:00 UTC
Jacques Nienaber rejects questions over his commitment to Leinster
Nienaber said he misses the Springboks while also continuing to love his time coaching at Leinster. So just because I enjoy coaching Leinster players, it does not mean now I don’t enjoy the players of South Africa. “They died for me when I was coaching them, just as the Leinster players die for me when I am coaching them now. Anthony Foley and Jacques Nienaber ahead of a Pro12 game between Munster and Leinster at the Aviva Stadium in October 2016. Photograph: Billy Stickland/Inpho“When the opportunity came to go back to South Africa, we said okay.
Source:The Irish Times
December 02, 2025 18:00 UTC
I’m far from home, but the similarities between Ireland and Mexico are many
I’m far from home, but the similarities between Ireland and Mexico are many. Corn in Mexico is what potato is to Ireland – sacred, shape-shifting and 100 per cent indispensable. When not working as a steward aboard yachts, she can be found taking in the sights, sounds and wonders of Mexico. Every year, she still dreams of an Irish Christmas. Would you like to share your experience with Irish Times Abroad, something interesting about your life or your perspective as an emigrant?
Source:The Irish Times
December 02, 2025 18:00 UTC
Rate cuts will end in leading economies next year, says OECD
The OECD said it expected no further rate cuts in the euro zone. Photograph: Alex Kraus/BloombergLeading economies will end their current rate-cutting cycles by the end of 2026, according to new Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) forecasts that suggest most major central banks have little scope for looser policy despite an expected slowdown in growth. The OECD said it expected no further rate cuts in the euro zone or Canada, but a steady tightening of monetary policy in Japan, where inflation is stabilising at about 2 per cent. In the UK, rate cuts by the Bank of England “will cease in the first half of 2026”, the OECD said, with Australia’s Reserve Bank set to reach a similar point in the second half of the year. Listen | 37:31“In many advanced economies, real policy rates are already close to or within estimated ranges for real neutral rates [at which monetary policy is neither boosting nor squeezing economic growth] and all are projected to be so at the end of 2027,” the OECD said.
Source:The Irish Times
December 02, 2025 17:38 UTC
Christmas office parties: Leaving before things get messy is a decision rarely regretted
Rebember, it's not like Vegas – what happens at the Christmas office party rarely stays at the Christmas office party“In my younger years, a well-to-do colleague hosted the Christmas office party,” actor and comedian Norma Sheahan tells me. “I wasn’t flush at the time, so I stole a fancy-looking bottle of wine from my parents’ house to take along.”At the event, Norma, full of Christmas cheer, opened the bottle and enjoyed a few glasses. “It turned out the drink was, in fact, poitín hidden inside a bottle of wine. And unlike Las Vegas, what happens at the Christmas office party rarely stays at the Christmas office party. Leaving before things get messy is rarely a decision you’ll regret.”To ensure good reputations are preserved, precautions must be taken in advance of the event.
Source:The Irish Times
December 02, 2025 17:11 UTC
Three arrested in European diplomat training school fraud investigation
Photograph: Kurt Desplenter/AFP via Getty ImagesThree people have been arrested and the offices of an EU agency searched in an investigation into the awarding of a publicly-funded contract to run training courses for junior diplomats. The fraud inquiry is focused on the so-called “European diplomacy academy” which was set up in recent years. The inquiry is being led by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, an agency that investigates suspected fraud involving EU funds. The European diplomatic academy started out with an annual budget of close to €1 million. A spokeswoman for the EEAS confirmed police searches took place at the offices of the EU’s diplomatic corps.
Source:The Irish Times
December 02, 2025 17:07 UTC
Irish household wary of investing their savings and is now the time for a Morning Ireland refresh?
Irish households are keen on savings accounts but not on investing, new reports have found. Ian Curran takes a look at the reports from the Central Bank and Banking and Payments Federation Ireland. Also seeking planning is five-star Dromoland Castle, which is hoping to turn stables on its site into 13 new bedrooms before the Ryder Cup returns to Ireland in 2027. Hugh Linehan asks whether now, with the passing of its original presenter, David Hanly, the time is right for RTÉ’s flagship news programme, Morning Ireland, to go for a full refresh? It has taken two decades to finally bring auto-enrolment to Ireland, ensuring that most Irish workers will have some private pension income when they retire alongside the State pension.
Source:The Irish Times
December 02, 2025 16:53 UTC
State agencies and departments to be encouraged to take risks in developing major projects
The infrastructural acceleration plan also promises to streamline the visa process for construction workers coming to work here. Under this heading, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform is to have “whole-of-Government oversight” of infrastructure delivery as part of a reformed process. The consenting process for projects, notably in the water sector, is also to be streamlined. Under the separate heading of “public acceptance” in the recommendations, State bodies are to be obliged to co-operate in making land available and accessible for critical infrastructure. There is also to be a drive to help the public understand the vital role of big infrastructure projects.
Source:The Irish Times
December 02, 2025 16:29 UTC
Live: Zelenskiy tells Dáil of ‘great honour to stand in a country that understands the price of freedom’
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy (centre) receiving a standing ovation as he arrives into the Dáil chamber on Tuesday afternoon during his visit to Ireland. Photograph: Tony Maxwell/Maxwells
Source:The Irish Times
December 02, 2025 15:56 UTC
Gerry Thornley: Who Ireland might wish to avoid in the Rugby World Cup pool draw
All Blacks legend and two-time Rugby World Cup winner Dan Carter, Australia’s most-capped player James Slipper and 2016 Olympic gold medallist Alicia Lucas will presenter the coverage. Manu Tuilagi following England's win over Argentina in the bronze final at the 2023 Rugby World Cup. But the 12 teams in the third and fourth bands will compete in the Nations Cup next year, so will have more matches and preparation time for the next World Cup. Chile’s brand of rugby was a joy at the last World Cup, while World Rugby will be praying the USA show signs of something before hosting the 2031 tournament. Portugal – Similarly, Ireland have never met Portugal in a World Cup but enjoyed a record 106-7 victory in their first-ever meeting in Lisbon last July.
Source:The Irish Times
December 02, 2025 15:47 UTC
‘Eyesore’ former pub and chipper in Dublin city centre to be turned into seven-storey 434-bed hostel
The derelict site at the corner of Townsend Street and Lombard Street in Dublin city centre that is now earmarked for a tourist hostel. Photograph: Alan BetsonA seven-storey, 434-bed hostel development has been granted planning permission at an “eyesore” location on Townsend Street in Dublin 2. The site is now set for partial demolition, but the facade at 114 Townsend Street is to be retained. The planning consultants described the area as “highly accessible” and noted they considered it “highly appropriate for a tourist hostel”. He described the derelict site as “an eyesore for the neighbourhood” but called upon the council to request a “more beautiful and robust design” for the hostel development.
Source:The Irish Times
December 02, 2025 15:33 UTC
Vogue Williams is latest contestant voted off I’m A Celebrity
I'm a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here! 2025: Vogue Williams. Photograph: ITVIrish presenter and podcaster Vogue Williams has become the third contestant to be voted off I’m A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here! [ Patrick Freyne: Vogue Williams, top Irish export, like Kerrygold, Bono and alcoholismOpens in new window ]Williams’s departure comes after comedian Eddie Kadi was voted out on Sunday and sports broadcaster Alex Scott was voted off on Friday night. I’m A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here!
Source:The Irish Times
December 02, 2025 15:15 UTC
Prison system ‘at breaking point’ with urgent action needed to tackle overcrowding
The issue of overcrowding has continued this year, with the system operating at more than 120% capacity. Photograph: David SleatorThe Irish prison system is “at breaking point”, and an overcrowding crisis demands an urgent response from the Government and State agencies, according to a watchdog. The Progress in Prison Standards report, published on Tuesday by the Irish Penal Reform Trust, found the level of overcrowding is stymying improvements and played a big role in standards falling in key areas last year. There were upwards of 5,700 people in prison but only 4,702 beds, said the trust’s executive director, Saoirse Brady. The prison system, said Ms Brady, “has far too often been left to care for people who have been failed by social services and health systems”.
Source:The Irish Times
December 02, 2025 15:03 UTC
The politics of renaming streets, roads and public spaces
Grafton Street, Westmoreland Street, Marlborough Street and Dawson Street, among many others, still to this day carry the names of long-forgotten Anglo-Irish denizens. In the War of Independence period, there was a huge number of Irish places that shed their colonial associations. This is why Westmoreland Street, Grafton Street, Marlborough Street and Dawson Street, among many others, carry the names of long-forgotten Anglo-Irish denizens. Herzog Park in Rathgar.Photograph: Stephen Collins/Collins PhotosNo renaming, though, has been as controversial as the recent proposal to rename Herzog Park. Have Your Say: If you feel some Irish streets, roads and public spaces should be renamed, you can share your suggestion using the form below and with a brief explanation.
Source:The Irish Times
December 02, 2025 14:49 UTC