Funding higher education is better use of money than repaying bailout loans early
Government pleads scarcity when asked to fund third-level properly yet has money to pay off debt
Organisation For Economic Co-Operation And Development (OECD)
How to navigate and maximise Ireland’s State pension
While generous, the Irish State pension requires 40 years of qualifying contributions to reach the maximum rate
Ireland avoids ‘snowball effect’ of weak growth and higher debt payments
AIB highlights Ireland’s improving debt metrics but warns we cannot take our success for granted
UCD professor of chemical engineering leaves estate worth €3.6m
Equestrian trainer Pamela Kerr leaves estate valued at €2.78 million
The crumbling Galway school that typifies Ireland’s underspending on education
Irish education results are remarkable against a backdrop of low State investment by international standards
Fiscal advisers point out the flaws but Government ignores them. What’s the point of Ifac?
Some say that without Ifac’s critiques of budgetary policy, there would probably be higher spending growth and more tax cuts by Government
More needs to be done to help home-grown companies scale and offset reliance on FDI
There are several ways Ireland can enhance its supports for indigenous private businesses
From minimum wage to affordable childcare: Tackling child poverty demands policies geared to ‘keep parents at work’
States must also provide adequate income support and accessible, high-quality services, says OECD report
Financial reality Irish schools face is not reflected in OECD’s statistics
If education in Ireland were properly funded, think what could be achieved
The Irish Times view on Ireland’s education system: a detailed comparison with some surprises
Despite spending less than the OECD average, its educational outcomes are impressive
Ireland spends less on education than OECD average, new data shows
The report also found the number of primary teachers in Ireland increased by 27 per cent over the last seven years, which is much higher than the OECD average
Not everyone wants to be in a nursing home. A Dutch dementia village is one alternative
If we need an extra 1,000 nursing home beds every year, then we also need other models of care
The descent of man: are we developing a distaste for effort?
Across OECD countries, the number of students who say they give up easily is increasing
Why do women still retire with less wealth than men?
Career breaks, maternity leaves and lower lifetime earnings continue to create a significant pension gap
As controversy grows over Leaving Cert reform, Northern Ireland is going the other way
It should be possible to learn fascinating lessons by comparing outcomes either side of the Border
Ireland’s falling reading rates: ‘There’s a crisis of literacy. There’s a crisis of reading’
Teenagers, both in Ireland and globally, are much worse at reading than they were 10 years ago, OECD finds
Falling standards are falling standards
Irish teenagers getting lower maths and reading scores is a negative thing and deserves an appropriate headline
‘Pervasive’ decline: Educators must re-engage young people with reading, says OECD
Pisa results confirm we have a world-class education system – but the drop-off in reading and maths scores should not be ignored
Irish teenagers getting weaker at maths and reading, new international research shows
OECD says ‘increased digitalisation’ and ‘falling rates of reading for enjoyment have coincided with weaker literacy outcomes’
Ireland needs to widen scope of the R&D tax credit to attract more investment
Government should ease restrictions on accessing the incentive
Multinationals paid additional €1bn in July as new 15% tax rate kicks in
Government has collected €59.6bn in tax to date in 2026, up €1.6bn on same period last year
Dublin and Cork look to lead on climate action in ambitious pilot project
Plans for Dublin and Cork show sweeping changes needed in transport, housing and energy sources
Ireland’s tax figures are so remarkable that the world is noticing, and this brings danger
Ireland has no credible strategy for paying the big bills coming down the track from investment, climate change and an ageing population
Strong tax returns of €50bn strengthen Government’s budgetary position
Latest half-year exchequer numbers indicate State collected €7.5bn in corporate tax last month
Denying our dependence on US firms is like saying Tony Soprano worked in ‘waste management’
As a country we need to be honest about how important American companies are to our economy
People ‘have more trust in individuals than in political parties, civil service or media’
CSO report finds older people are more likely to trust government, while younger people have more faith in electoral system
Private healthcare and public hospitals
We need a single national health fund if we want to create a health system based on need not income
OECD warns of ‘dark scenario’ if Gulf energy crisis drags on
Growth rates would tumble to levels rarely seen outside of big global events such as the Covid-19 pandemic, report says
Food security must be made a priority of Ireland’s EU presidency
Global conflicts, climate change and a looming El Niño threaten worsening food shortages in 2026
Ireland needs to wean itself off fossil fuels and start to unhitch its wagon from the US
In a volatile world we can’t take continued Irish economic success for granted
Do Irish people pay more income tax than elsewhere? The answer may surprise you
What are implications behind the political promises to lower the income tax burden in the budget
Taxes on wages hit 10-year high across OECD countries but Ireland bucking the trend
Report says governments are tapping labour income as ‘easy’ revenue raiser but risk undermining incentives to work and hire
Three years of war in Sudan has failed to persuade international community to act
There are now 33 million people who need humanitarian assistance
Crosswords & Puzzles
Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
Common Ground
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
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