A round-up of today's other stories in brief.

Redundancies fall to 1,600 in September

A total of 1,600 people lost their jobs last month, according to the latest figures from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. This is 195 fewer than the numbers made redundant in the same month last year, and the lowest monthly figure since last March.

Total redundancies to date this year stand at 17,340, just fractionally ahead of the 17,325 in the year-earlier period. The pace of redundancies has slowed since the first quarter, when substantial increases were recorded.

The services sector was the worst hit with 603 jobs lost. Manufacturing also featured high up in the table, with the loss of 347 general jobs and a further 95 in the specialist metal manufacturing and engineering sectors.

The figures show 914 men lost their jobs in September, compared with 686 women. In the part-time sector, 115 people lost their jobs.

EU study argues for auditor liability cap

The "big four" accounting firms will gain a boost today in their campaign for protection from ruinous damages claims when the European Commission unveils a study that argues for a cap on auditors' financial liabilities.

The study will raise the pressure on Brussels to shield accounting firms from multibillion dollar lawsuits in the wake of corporate meltdowns.

EU internal market commissioner Charlie McCreevy is in favour of a fixed cap on liability claims, and the commission has promised to issue its own report before the end of the year.But others warn that a cap could encourage complacency.