Terry Prone: Our expectations certainly are being managed. Not in a good way
Terry Prone: Our expectations certainly are being managed. Not in a good way
Cabin staff no longer exist to help make your flight enjoyable. They're there to sell you stuff and if you don't want it, you can shiver right off, so you can.
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The Irish Sun
7 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
€16 electricity price hike fear for EVERY Irish household as data centre costs cut amid €250 budget energy credit calls
SINN Fein is demanding the Government intervene and stop another price increase on electricity bills. The Commission for Regulation of Utilities is preparing to increase the network cost on bills to pay for future capital investment. 2 Sinn Fein's energy spokesman, Meath TD Darren O'Rourke 2 Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe said they are not prepared to come up with a package of energy credits to help families in this years budget Credit: Getty Images - Getty Yet at the same time the price of power for the big data centres around the country, which use up a large percentage of the Irish supply, are to be reduced. Sinn Fein slammed the proposed price increase for consumers and price cut for the data centres and said the timing is all wrong - especially with over 300,000 householders in arrears. It wants the Government to come up with a package of energy credits to help families in the forthcoming 2026 October Budget. The party's energy spokesman, Meath TD Darren O'Rourke, fumed: 'The CRU is preparing to hike the network costs that you have to pay but to cut them for data centres. 'The same data centres are hoarding more and more of the energy we produce, stalling the delivery of badly needed homes and putting our grid under real pressure. 'Big energy companies are intent on continuing to jack up their energy prices, all while raking in eye-watering profits. 'The Government pretends these issues are outside of their control but they are not. They are political decisions. 'They need to scrap the cut to costs for data centres and crucially use this Budget to bring forward badly needed support to help families and small businesses who are struggling with sky high energy costs. 'The Budget must include energy credits and extend the reduced VAT on electricity and gas bills until the end of the year.' Energy Minister Darragh O'Brien has already firmly ruled out energy credits to help with electricity and heating bills in October's budget. He said the €250 credits handed out to every Irish household as part of Budget 2025 cost the State €3.5billion. But the Fianna Fail man said the lower nine per cent VAT rate on gas and electric should be retained to avoid hiking energy prices further. Speaking to the Independent, he said: "I will be bringing an interim report to Government in advance of the Budget and we will assess that as to what measures can be taken. IRISH CUSTOMERS PAYING MORE "I think the vat reduction from 13.5 per cent to nine per cent is a very important one, one that I would like to see extended into next year. That decision will be taken at Budget time." Recent figures from Eurostat showed that Irish consumers are paying on average €350 a year more for their electricity than most European countries. Irish people pay on average €1,800 a year for their electricity - 30 per cent more than the rest of the EU. The proposed increase at the moment from the Commission for Regulation of Utilities will add at least €6 a year on household customer bills. The money will be used to pay for ESB Networks and Eirgrid's proposed €14billion investment over the next five years to upgrade their networks in Ireland to meet current and future demand. Both ESB and Eirgrid are seeking €16 a year on bills. The final decision will be made later in the year.
Irish Times
7 minutes ago
- Irish Times
TD calls for referendum on joining EU patent court to be held before next summer
The delayed referendum on Ireland joining the European Union's Unified Patent Court (UPC) should be held before next summer, according to Fianna Fáil TD Malcolm Byrne . He said Ireland's membership of Europe's unified patent system would 'make life easier' for Irish inventors, content creators and small businesses. The Irish Times reported on Monday that there have been tentative moves within Government to revive the referendum. The vote on Ireland joining the 18 other EU member states that have signed up to the UPC system was originally due to take place in June 2024. READ MORE Mr Byrne, a Wicklow-Wexford TD, was to be Fianna Fáil's director of elections for the referendum. However, the last government decided to defer the UPC vote in the aftermath of the defeat of the Family and Care referendums to allow more time for public engagement on the matter. In recent months the Department of Enterprise has contacted business organisations and Government departments, seeking feedback on the level of engagement taking place on the UPC issue and views on the appropriate timing of a rescheduled vote. The UPC is designed to provide a one-stop shop court for litigation on patents. The court's decisions will be binding on participating EU member states. Business groups have long called for Ireland to join the UPC. The Department of Enterprise said the Government is committed to holding the referendum, but 'the timing remains under consideration'. Mr Byrne urged the Government to commit to a referendum and an 'informed campaign' before next summer. He said: 'For someone who invents something in Ireland to protect that idea or product, they have to seek a patent in every jurisdiction in the European Union and the recognition of the creation is not always enforceable in a uniform way. 'Ireland joining the unified patent system will make that much easier and it will heavily reduce costs and the administrative burden on inventors.' [ Ireland fined €1.54m for delay in writing EU work-life balance directive into law Opens in new window ] Mr Byrne added: 'This is probably not the issue that most people are thinking about but for inventors and businesses it is really important.' Ireland has to vote on it because the Constitution requires a vote for joining such a European structure, he said. 'The decision will mean transferring some judicial sovereignty, but only in the area of patents, to the new court. It has only to do with patents.' In May, Mr Byrne asked Taoiseach Micheál Martin in the Dáil if he would consider holding the UPC referendum on the same day as the presidential election this year. Mr Martin said he did not anticipate that happening, but he indicated his support for Ireland joining the UPC. He added: 'We need to prepare properly for when we decide to have a referendum. We have to do the homework and be in a position to convince people of the merits of the case.' [ Ireland is exposed as Maga right attempts to take on Big Tech regulation Opens in new window ]
Business Post
27 minutes ago
- Business Post
PwC calls on Donohoe to set up tariff fund and slash ‘inoperable' SME tax rules
Business Post subscribers can read: • Details of the letter from PwC's tax chief warning of 'severe' risks for Irish businesses • How Ireland's 'overly complex' tax system is choking SME growth — and what PwC proposes • The growing chorus of business leaders like Denis O'Brien and Michael O'Leary warning about FDI over-reliance
