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Inside Business with Ciaran Hancock
Interview: Glenveagh Properties CEO Stephen Garvey
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Glenveagh Properties chief executive Stephen Garvey shares his views on the Government’s housing policy, central bank mortgage rules and why he believes the cost of retrofitting homes will be far higher than has been touted. The developer also talks to Ciarán about his career starting out in his father's construction firm, how the sector has changed since then and what he thinks needs to be done to meet the target of 35,000 units per year, which is cited as the magic number to meet demand.
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The Juggle: the issues facing women with young children when balancing childcare and their careers
44:30|This week we’re looking at the Juggle that women with young children have to make in Ireland to find a work-life balance.It’s an age-old problem in Ireland with no solution yet in sight. Margaret Ward writes about Work issues each week for the Irish Times as well as running her own consultancy business Clear Eye and she’s written a series of articles on the Juggle in recent weeks.Aideen Finnegan is an audio producer with The Irish Times and the host of the Better with Money podcast. She has two young children, and you’ll hear her tell host Ciarán Hancock about the daily grind she and her husband face to get their kids to creche and school while also commuting to work to earn a living.Both of them offer their clear views on what Government and employers need to do to help young mothers balance their responsibilities at home and in the workplace.Also in this episode of Inside Business, Donald Trump recently got his Big Beautiful Act through Congress, which allows for major cuts in taxation while boosting spending in key areas to support his policies. It will also involve cuts in Medicaid and other assistance offered to the most vulnerable in the US.Keith Duggan joins host Ciarán Hancock on the line from Washington to discuss this and the latest developments in Trump’s tariff threats.Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound.How the wealthy are buying up land to avoid inheritance tax
22:03|This week we are looking at the phenomenon of the D4 farmer. Not some wealthy entrepreneur herding cattle in Ballsbridge but wealthy individuals buying up farmland around the country as a wheeze to reduce the inheritance tax bills for their children.How does the tax break work? What impact will it have on land prices? And is anything being done to change it?Fiona Reddan of the Irish Times wrote a brilliant article on this last week and she joins host Ciarán Hancock in studio, along with Marty Murphy, who is head of tax at IFAC Ireland, one of the country’s biggest accounting firms with a large number of farmers on its books.Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound.IATA Director General Willie Walsh on airline profits, air fares and why the Dublin Airport passenger cap makes Ireland a laughing stock
35:56|This week host Ciarán Hancock is joined by Willie Walsh, the director general of IATA, the Geneva-based representative group for the airline industry.Willie will be known to you as the Irish man who was a high-profile chief executive of both Aer Lingus and British Airways.He then became head of IAG, which is the parent group to both of those airlines plus some Spanish carriers, including Iberia.He’s now in charge of IATA, with his contract set to run until 2027.You’ll hear Willie talk about airline profits and whether air fares are likely to go up or down in the near term.He spoke about aviation’s role in reducing harmful carbon emissions and the chances of a climate-friendly biofuel being developed for commercial use.He gives his view on why emerging markets such as India and burgeoning economies in Africa are entitled to grow their airline industries and passenger traffic as they become wealthier.He also expresses his frustrations with the inefficient way air traffic control is managed in Europe.And Willie explains why, in his view, Ireland has become something of a laughing stock on the international stage over the legal battles being fought around the Dublin Airport passenger cap. In his view, this is hindering growth here and jeopardising foreign direct investment. And the 63-year-old talks about his plans for retirement, which could include Italian wine. Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound.Bobby Healy on why Manna drone delivery could be the ‘biggest technology company in the world for its space’
01:07:08|This week we’re flying high with the Irish drone delivery company Manna.Its founder and chief executive is Bobby Healy, who joined host Ciarán Hancock in studio to discuss what he believes is Manna’s massive growth potential.Set up in 2019, Manna only recently began generating revenues and is yet to turn a profit. It is currently flying nine drones in Dublin 15 and has made more than 170,000 deliveries in Ireland so far.It has another eight drones operating outside Ireland. But that is just the tip of the iceberg.You’ll hear Bobby’s ambitious plans for expansion into the United States and the Nordic countries and how it would need 45,000 drones just to serve the UK market.And he wants to manufacture all of those drones in Ireland.It’s a cash hungry company with plans to raise many millions of dollars from investors but Healy is thinking big and believes Manna can become Ireland’s biggest corporate success story.Of course, not everyone is delighted by having drone deliveries in their areas and Healy addresses some of those complaints in the interview.An engaging entrepreneur, Healy has previously sold three travel tech companies. So, he has form in this space.Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound.Will rent reform make building apartments viable?
40:12|Conall Mac Coille, chief economist at Bank of Ireland, joins Cliff Taylor and Ciaran Hancock to talk about Irish economic and business news:RPZ reform: will changes to rules for landlords and tenants help bring investment to Ireland IFAC report: why Ireland's corporate tax receipts may be about to boom again. But will it last? Produced in association with EY.How to manage your pension in these volatile times
37:00|Donald Trump’s second term in the White House has seen markets go through a period of extreme volatility, something that has worried many Irish pension holders. How should they react? Should they react at all? And what is the outlook for the rest of this year?Munro O’Dwyer is a partner at PwC Ireland and joins host Cliff Taylor in studio to discuss managing your pension in volatile times. In the second half of this episode of Inside Business, Irish Times Economics Correspondent Eoin Burke-Kennedy looks at why so many companies are pulling back from their pledge to go green and lower carbon emissions.This alarming trend is worrying given the latest analysis by the Environmental Protection Agency that shows that Ireland is going backwards in its attempts to achieve its 2030 greenhouse gas emissions targets.So why the about-face on an issue that affects us all? Is reaching net zero emissions simply not realistic for many companies? Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound.Ford Chief Lisa Brankin on accelerating the switch to EVs
41:35|New electric vehicle sales here dipped last year by 24% when compared to 2023, further making a mockery of the government’s target of 1 million EVs on Irish roads by 2030.A reduction in the SEAI grant and gaps in charging infrastructure fed into consumer uncertainty when it comes to making the switch from petrol and diesel vehicles.But that trend looks to be reversing this year, something that Lisa Brankin, chairman and managing director of Ford UK & Ireland, will be keen to see accelerate.She joined host Cliff Taylor in studio to discuss the challenges of going electric, her plans for the company’s future, and the launch of Ford Power Promise across Ford’s range of electric cars in Ireland.Also on this week’s episode of Inside Business, AIB’s Economic Outlook Report for May highlights how global uncertainty and an escalation in trade tariffs could lead to a slowdown in global and Irish growth in 2025 and 2026.That said, the report also points out that the Irish economy has built up a certain level of resilience to withstand a potential trade shock in the short term.AIB Chief Economist David McNamara went through the risk US tariffs and future US tax policy pose, and the outlook for 2025 and 2026.Produced by John Casey and Suzanne Brennan with JJ Vernon on sound.‘We’re at a critically low level of housing stock’ for buyers and renters
33:06|This week brought more bad news for first time buyers and those renting.Figures from both the CSO and property website Daft.ie suggest that house prices and rents continue to soar across the country. The national monthly average rent between January and March surpassed €2,000 for the first time. And the chronic shortage of supply for those looking to buy put house price inflation at 7.5% in March.To discuss these numbers and to tease out some potential solutions to the housing crisis, host Ciarán Hancock was joined by Eoin Burke Kennedy, economics correspondent of The Irish Times who has reported on the data.And by Marian Finnegan, an economist and a senior executive at Sherry Fitzgerald, Ireland’s biggest estate agent.Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound.‘I’ve entrepreneurial spirit in my veins’ – Apprentice star Jordan Dargan
44:45|This week’s episode of Inside Business starts with an interview with Irish entrepreneur Jordan Dargan.Fans of the popular BBC show The Apprentice, will have seen Jordan come within a whisker of reaching the final two who got to pitch to secure Lord Sugar’s £250,000 investment.There was some consolation for the 22-year-old Dubliner with Lord Sugar giving him his business card before he left the boardroom and encouraging him to keep in touch. Jordan joined host Ciarán Hancock in studio to detail his experience on the Apprentice, how the business he pitched to Lord Sugar has developed since recording finished last year, and offers he has received here to pursue a career in media.Earlier this week, US president Donald Trump pressed for drug companies to invest more in the United States and to lower their prices for medicines.So, what would that mean for the Irish pharma sector, which exports a huge amount of medicines to the US each year.Dominic Coyle of The Irish Times has covered the story and goes through Trump’s proposals and the possible implications for Irish pharma.Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound.