Author: Denis Carr

Ireland’s handful of billionaires had an excellent pandemic swelling their already enormous wealth to the tune of €15.5 billion in just over two years since the global health crisis began.

By contrast close to 700,000 Irish people – including 200,000 children – are facing deprivation as we head into the summer of 2022.

SEE FULL FEATURE: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/irish-billionaire-s-club-saw-fortunes-swell-by-15-5-billion-during-the-pandemic-1.488585

Many Irish people will be taking their first summer holiday abroad since 2019 this year. After two years of Covid uncertainty, some sun, sea and scenery are to the forefront of the mind.
But the pandemic has not completely gone away and there are rules and restrictions to be aware of, particularly if travelling to a foreign country.

The Irish Independent has compiled a list of some of the most popular destinations for Irish holidaymakers with factsheets to help you prepare for the most anticipated summer in quite a while.
As well as sun holidays in Europe, Disneyland is calling and for the first time in two summers Irish families can head stateside, sample some Poutine in Canada or hit the glorious beaches of Thailand.

Destinations included: Spain, France, Portugal, USA, Italy, Greece, Canada, Thailand, Croatia and Dubai.

SEE FULL FEATURE: https://www.independent.ie/life/travel/travel-news/summer-2022-covid-travel-rules-what-irish-holidaymakers-need-to-know-before-they-travel-abroad-to-france-spain-portugal-and-more-41671528.html

Ticket prices for summer festivals and shows are set to rise because of soaring insurance premiums and rocketing expenses.
Event organisers have indicated customers are likely to be hit in the pocket, with entry fees increasing by up to €10 in some cases.
Agricultural shows have faced insurance premiums increasing by as much as 25pc, while festivals have also seen a huge spike in running costs.

SEE FULL FEATURE: https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/ticket-prices-to-rise-as-summer-festivals-and-events-face-soaring-insurance-costs-41669015.html

The Household Benefits Package (HBP) helps with the cost of your electricity or gas bill and the TV licence. Only one person in a household can get the Package.
You can get the Household Benefits Package if you are aged 70 or over. You do not need to be getting a State pension and the package is not means tested.
People under 70 can also get the HBP, but additional rules apply..

SEE FULL FEATURE: https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/social_welfare/social_welfare_payments/extra_social_welfare_benefits/household_benefits_package.html

Families could save about €60 a month by wasting less food, a report published on Tuesday finds.
About a third of all food produced in the world is wasted every year, and households are the biggest culprits, accounting for 70 per cent of it in the developed world.

A report from Goodbody Stockbrokers, calculates that Irish homes waste about 55kg of food every year.
Analyst Jason Molins, the report’s author, says inflation could prompt shoppers to pay closer attention to spending, renewing their focus on food waste.

SEE FULL FEATURE: https://www.irishtimes.com/business/agribusiness-and-food/families-could-save-60-a-month-by-wasting-less-food-report-says-1.4880038

Those heading abroad this summer should prepare to budget more for their time away according to a new warning from Ryanair.
Chief executive Michael O’Leary has said Ryanair passengers will see flight prices potentially increasing this summer and that people should also expect some delays.

Speaking to BBC’s Radio 4 about the changes facing customers, Mr. O’Leary said they expect prices to be up by a “high single-digit percent,”, particularly in the peak of summer.

SEE FULL FEATURE: https://www.irishmirror.ie/lifestyle/travel/ryanair-boss-michael-oleary-shares-26981948

Gardaí have issued a warning urging people to be aware of a “clever but costly” scam doing the rounds again.
Members of the force in Kilkenny are advising what to look out for, as the scam begins when potential victims “miss a call from a +44 number (UK) and ring back the number”.

Gardai state that the curiosity to ring back is natural, but could prove “expensive”.

SEE FULL FEATURE: https://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/gardai-warn-over-latest-clever-26980048

Nearly 3,000 thoroughbred horses were slaughtered for meat in Ireland since the start of 2020, figures have revealed.
It is the first time official data has been published showing the number of animals bred for racing have ended up as food.

A total of 1,549 thoroughbreds with passports issued by horseracing conglomerate Weatherbys were slaughtered in 2020, followed by another 1,105 last year. Since January, 305 have been put down.

SEE FULL FEATURE: https://www.dublinlive.ie/news/horrifying-figures-reveal-thousands-horses-23968427

Republic of Ireland at a glance
• 235 people are in hospital with Covid-19, 28 of whom are receiving intensive care
• 30 deaths were reported over the last seven days up to yesterday
• 79.7% of the population are fully vaccinated, and 60.1% have received a booster dose*
• The seven-day average for confirmed cases is 710 – but includes only PCR-confirmed cases and not self-reported antigen test results.

Ireland’s Covid vaccine programme is now a well-oiled machine.

More than 8 million doses have been administered in total, at a rate that once came close to 400,000 per week.

But this is still a machine with many moving parts: the logistics to deliver vaccines and equipment; the systems to book and log vaccinations; the involvement of GPs and pharmacies; and not forgetting the databases the communications, the call centres, etc.

SEE FULL FEATURE: https://mailchi.mp/thejournal/coronavirus-newsletter-630974

Buyers on incomes of €100,000 will be eligible for a government affordable homes scheme that will give them interest-free subsidies, the Irish Independent can reveal.
This has been described as unacceptable by the opposition.

There is an allocation of €60m this year to deliver around 550 homes under the Affordable Housing Fund, a scheme signed into law by Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien.
However, it has emerged that the just-published regulations underpinning the scheme will allow home buyers on incomes of up to €100,000 qualify for it.

SEE FULL FEATURE: https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/backlash-as-100k-earners-qualify-for-affordable-homes-scheme-41653140.html