Breakfast Business

Ireland has one of the strictest defamation rules in Europe but reform might be on its way. That's one of the topics being dealt with today at a special conference for the legal profession. Also on the agenda will be GDPR rules and how to handle online abuse and disinformation. Michael O'Doherty is a media law barrister and Vice-chair of the Law Society and joined Joe Lynam on Breakfast Business this morning.

7 years ago today the British electorate voted to quit the EU. They had been promised an easy and painless exit in which very little would change. The talks lasted years and were fraught. The EU side was led by Michel Barnier and his handpicked team included Stefaan de Rynck who has a new book called: ‘Inside the Deal - how the EU got Brexit done’ about those Brexit negotiations. I caught up with him and began by asking about the solidarity shown by smaller states to the plight suddenly faced by Ireland...

Business Editor Joe Lynam was joined by Dan Moroney of RBC Bewin Dolphin to take a look at today's business papers and websites.

Cities are not dead – but they are in trouble. That’s the message in a new book 'The Age of The City' from Tom Lee-Devlin who is The Economist’s global business correspondent and co-host of the Money Talks podcast on business. And the data seems to suggest that demand for urban offices might be waning as many of us get used to a new hybrid way of working. Tom Lee-Devlin joined Joe Lynam on Breakfast Business this morning.

Narendra Modi meets Joe Biden today in Washington and it comes as India becomes the 5th largest economy in the world. It surpassed China in terms of population last month. It’s passed out France and the UK as the 5th largest economy and there are now more than 60,000 Indian-born nationals working in Ireland. So what links does Ireland have with this emerging superpower? Prashant Shukla is chairman of the Indian Irish Council and joined Joe Lynam on the show this morning.

A look at today's business papers and websites with Business Editor Joe Lynam.

Last year Financial Services Ireland established its Women in Finance Charter. The aim was clear: boost the number and the proportion of women in banking, insurance, and financial services. One year on, how has the industry fared? Well one woman who has certainly succeeded is, Patricia Callan, Chief Executive of Financial Services Ireland who joined Joe Lynam on Breakfast Business.

Yesterday afternoon, the government agreed on a new Cybersecurity policy for Ireland. After the attack on the HSE two years ago, and the constant threat from agents operating freely within Russia, Ireland is often seen as the soft underbelly when it comes to cyber safety. What will the new policy be tough enough? Ossian Smyth, Minister for Cybersecurity at the Department of the Environment joined Joe Lynam on the show this morning.

A look at today's business papers and websites with Business Editor Joe Lynam.

We’ve almost forgotten that most of the world’s aircraft were grounded for 2 years amid the pandemic. They're back in the skies and the cost of flights has soared as there simply aren't enough planes out there to meet demand. It’s all great news for the biggest plane manufacturers in the world who gather this week for the Paris Air show to sell their wares. On top of that the war in Ukraine has led to a surge in demand for military aircraft. Theo Leggett, BBC Business correspondent is at the Le Bourget for the Paris Air show and joined Joe Lynam on the show.

The good news is that we saw the most housing completion in the first quarter of any year since 2011. But the bad news for First-time buyers is that house prices are rising at an annual rate of almost double digits. That’s according to the Housing Markets Monitor from the Banking & Payments Federation of Ireland. It also found that 74% of First-time buyer mortgages for given for self-built homes outside the cities in the South and Midwest of Ireland. Anthony O’Brien head of the sector for Research & analysis with the Banking & Payments Federation of Ireland joined Joe Lynam on the show this morning.

A look at today's business papers and websites with Business Editor Joe Lynam.

The consultants Deloitte are marking their 150th anniversary in Cork today. And they’ll do so by announcing that they’ll double their presence in the rebel county. The new jobs will mostly be in a new technology and analytics hub. It’s all part of a wider move by everyone to get ready for the changes that are coming under AI. Harry Goddard, Chief Executive of Deloitte Ireland joined Joe Lynam on Breakfast Business this morning.

With the onset of much better weather last month, our spending adjusted accordingly. According to the AIB spend trend, we spent more on health & beauty as well as hardware in May. We also spent less on pubs, hotels and restaurants. John Brennan is head of SME Banking at AIB and he joined Joe Lynam with the spending details.

A look at today's business papers and websites with Business Editor Joe Lynam.

On Wednesday evening it was confirmed that the European commission was bringing a very serious action against Google for anti competitive behaviour. The charges, if upheld, might even see the breakup of Google's advertising empire - especially when it comes to how adverts are placed online using instantaneous auction places called ad exchanges. The Irishman who brought the American giant’s behaviour to the attention of the Commission is Dr. Johnny Ryan, a senior fellow at the Irish Council for Civil Liberties and he joined Joe this morning on the show.

According to the EY Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index, Ireland ranks, 13th out of 40 key countries in the world when it comes to attractiveness for renewable energy investment. Much larger countries such as the US, Germany, and China topped the list. Should we be content or aim higher given our dependency on energy imports was exposed last year when Russia invaded Ukraine? Stephen Prendiville, EY Ireland Head of Sustainability  joined Joe this morning on the show.

Joe Lynam takes a look at Friday's business papers and markets with Michael O’Sullivan from UNIO and author of The Levelling (What's next after globalization?).

If the world’s biggest companies are to go green then often it’s their shareholders that will force them to do so. And most giant companies are controlled to some extent by giant pension funds. Legal & General is one of the largest fund managers worldwide and they have set a series of climate pledges. But have they been sticking to them even when returns might be far more lucrative with not-so-green industries such as oil and defence. Stephen Beer, Senior Manager for sustainability and responsible investment with Legal & General Investment Management.

The number of mortgages approved fell by nearly 14% last month compared to April. It’s down almost 10% year-on-year. But first-time buyers now account for more than 60% of the mortgage market. What can we glean from this latest data from the Banking and Payments Federation? Speaking to Joe this morning with more on this was Ali Ugar is the Chief economist with the Banking & Payments Federation.