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News | Latest Breaking News Stories & Headlines | RTÉ

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Get all of the latest breaking local and international news stories as they happen, with up to the minute updates and analysis, from Ireland's National Broadcaster

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Explainer video with subtitles- Generating data on PxStat 

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Explainer video with subtitles- Generating data on PxStat 

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Making Cool Economics Graphs with Google Drawings!

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Living Wage Storyboard 010722 includes useful data on the current National minimum wage per sector/region/age/gender and who is most impacted by inflation.

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The Living Wage in Ireland- Storyboard 2016-2022 

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The Living Wage in Ireland- Storyboard 2016-2022 

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Grocery inflation rose to another record-breaking high of 13.4% in the last 12 weeks to October 30, new figures from Kantar show today.

Kantar said that grocery sales for the 12 week period increased by 4.7% on the back of a 4.3% rise in shoppers returning to stores and an 8.7% increase in price per pack.

This contributed an additional €115m to overall market performance, it noted.

Kantar said the average annual grocery bill will go from €7,019 to €7,960 - an increase of €941 a year - if consumers do not make changes to what they buy and where they shop.

At a basket level, that marks an extra €3.80 on top of the cost of the average shopping trip, which currently stands at €28.20.

Emer Healy, Senior Retail Analyst at Kantar, said that Irish households are looking to manage budgets through a "little and often" approach to shopping.

"On average, families are adding one extra trip per month and we're seeing a 9% increase in these smaller trips where less than €30 is spent," she said.

"In comparison, the extra-large shopping trips where households spend more than €150 have declined by 4%," she added.

Emer Healy also said that sales of own label brands jumped 9.4% over the latest 12 week period with shoppers spending an additional €115m year-on-year.

Own label now accounts for 46% of the overall grocery market in Ireland.

Value own label ranges saw the strongest growth, up 27% with shoppers spending €13.3m more year-on-year. Dairy products have the biggest market share (42.2%) within these value ranges.

"It's interesting that shoppers are also beginning to seek out premium own label offerings as they move their out-of-home spend in-home as a means of controlling their discretionary spending," she said.

"As a result, shoppers are spending an additional €5.3m on premium offerings, including spending an additional €902,000 on toiletries, €800,000 on fruit and €676,000 on chilled ready meals," she added.

Kantar also noted that fewer people are stocking up for Christmas in October this year.

"This time last year 30% of Irish households had already purchased seasonal biscuits, whereas only 23% have this year. And this also rings true with chocolate as shoppers are spending €2.1m less on gifting chocolate and €1.2m less on seasonal chocolate," Emer Healy said.

"The exception to this is mince pies, as consumers have already spent an additional €220,00 on these festive treats compared to this time last year", she added.

Today's figures also show that Dunnes has the biggest share of the market at 23.1%, growing by 7.8% on an annual basis.

Kantar said this growth stems from a 3.5 percentage point increase in new shoppers to store, contributing an additional €35.1m to its performance.

Tesco holds 21.9% of the market, up marginally compared with last year. Sales growth of 6.6% has been boosted by more frequent return trips by customers.

Kantar said that SuperValu had posted particularly strong results across the first year of the Covid pandemic. Today figures show the supermarket group's first period of growth since April 2021, with sales up by 0.5%.

Meanwhile, Lidl holds 13.1% market share, growing 7.3% year-on-year as new shoppers in store and existing shoppers returning more often contributed a combined additional €17.7m to the overall performance.

Aldi holds 12.7% of the market, growing 3.5% year-on-year, with existing shoppers returning to store more often contributing to its overall performance.

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Grocery inflation hits new high of 13.4% - Kantar

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Grocery inflation rose to another record-breaking high of 13.4% in the last 12 weeks to October 30, new figures from Kantar show today.

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The NCCA has published a background paper for TY redevelopment as part of the broader SC reform proposals. Public consulation is open and the NCCA is seeking the views of all interested parties.

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Consultation on the Draft Transition Year Programme Statement

The draft TY Programme Statement is now available for consultation. The consultation period ends on 20 October 2023.

There are a number of ways to engage with the consultation:
Information webinars
Teachers can register for either one of the following evening information webinars

Parents can register for the following evening information webinar

In addition to the above, all post-primary schools will be contacted to participate in an online schools survey and to express interest to participate in school-based consultation events. Other consultation events will include joint events with the TY-Teacher Professional Network (TPN) and with the Irish Second level Students Union (ISSU).

The data gathered from the consultation will help to inform the final version of the TY Programme Statement and it is envisaged that the final TY Programme Statement will be available to schools in spring 2024.

Enquiries can be directed to ty@ncca.ie.

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As part of the broader reform of senior cycle it is envisaged that a new Transition Year (TY) Programme Statement will be introduced in early 2024. A TY develop…

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Explainer Video - Generating data on PxStat

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Explainer Video - Generating data on PxStat

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Using a stimulus to connect with Economics

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Using a stimulus to connect with Economics

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The Government has pledged to spend billions - but how much of all this extra monetary support will make it into your pocket?

With winter looming amid an unprecedented cost of living crisis, now is the time for people to plan their own family budgets for the months and year ahead.

Here are some of the key announcements in Budget 2023 and how they will affect you.
Cost of living supports
A double Child Benefit payment (worth €140 per child) will be paid in November.

A once-off double week "Cost of Living Support" payment to all social welfare recipients in October - the normal Christmas Bonus will also be paid in early December.

Extra €500 for Working Family Payment and Carer Support Grant recipients in November.

Once-off payment before Christmas of €200 to recipients of the Living Alone Allowance and €500 to those on Disability Allowance, Invalidity Pension and the Blind Pension.

An extra €12 a week was promised for social welfare recipients

Social protection (changes for 2023)
€12 per week increase for every social welfare recipient, including pensioners.

Weekly Fuel Allowance means limit for over 70s extended to €500 for single people, €1,000 for couples.
Tax changes
Entry point for paying higher 40% income tax rate is increased (by €3,200) to €40,000 a year while main tax credits rise by €75.

Home Carer Tax Credit increases by €100, to support stay at home parents.

Second USC rate band (2% rate) will rise from €21,295 to €22,920.

What does this mean for me? A single person with no children earning €45,000 will be €831 better off a year while a single person on Minimum Wage will gain €1,225 a year. A married couple with two children and one income of €35,000 should be €1,028 better off while a married couple with two children and two incomes (earning around €85,000 between them) will have €1,660 more a year in their pockets.
Energy assistance
€600 in electricity credits for all households to be paid in three instalments of €200.

Fuel allowance payment recipients to receive an extra lump sum of €400 before Christmas.
Housing/rent Help-to-Buy scheme will continue, at current rates, until the end of 2024.
Taxpayers who rent will receive a new rent tax credit valued at €500 per year from 2023 - it can also be claimed in respect of rent paid in 2022.

A new Vacant Homes Tax is being introduced for residential properties which are occupied for less than 30 days in a 12 month period.
Childcare
Funding to support a reduction of up to 25% in the weekly fee for those using the National Childcare Scheme - this should result in up to €175 a month savings for parents in 2023.
Healthcare
All inpatient hospital charges will be abolished.

Free GP care extended to more than 400,000 people. This pledge includes, by the end of 2022, all children aged six and seven.

Expanding free contraception from women aged 17 to 25 to all those aged 16 to 30 years.

Providing financial support for access to IVF treatment.
Education
Reduction of pupil-teacher ratio in primary schools to a historic low of 23:1

Free primary school books for all children from autumn 2023

Additional 686 Special Educational Needs teachers and 1,194 Special Needs Assistants

€100 million to help schools deal with rising energy costs in 2022

School Meals Programme extended to an additional 310 schools

Primary school books will be cost-free for the first time

Third level
All third level students will see a once-off reduction of €1,000 in their college fees this year.

All SUSI maintenance grants will be increased by between 10% and 14% in September 2023 with a once-off double monthly payment before Christmas.
Private and public transport
Excise cuts for petrol, diesel and marked gas oil extended until 28 February, 2023.

Carbon tax increases on petrol and diesel from 12 October (adding 2c per litre to petrol and diesel) will be offset with a reduction (from 2% per litre to zero) of the National Oil Reserves Agency (NORA) levy.

20% public transport fare reduction and the Youth Travel Card discount of 50% to end of 2023.

Excise reduction on fuel has been extended

Business supports
Temporary Business Energy Support Scheme - once eligibility criteria are met - will cover 40% of an organisation's energy bill increases subject to a monthly cap of €10,000.

Non-cash benefits or rewards to workers (without the payment of income tax, PRSI and USC) increased by €500 to €1,000 and can be used in the current tax year.

50% excise relief to independent small producers of cider and pear cider ('perry').
Agriculture
Five agricultural tax reliefs, due to expire this year, will be extended.

A new scheme to help provide financial support for modernising slurry storage facilities.

Farmers can apply for the new Business Energy Support Scheme
Tobacco
Excise duty on a pack of 20 cigarettes rises by 50c, with a pro-rata increase on other tobacco products.

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At a glance: Here are the key points from Budget 2023

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The Government has pledged to spend billions - but how much of all this extra monetary support will make it into your pocket?

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Consumer spending during the month of August rose by 0.8% despite there being 55,000 fewer transactions, according to a new figures from AIB.

The figures indicate that inflation is influencing our purchasing decisions.

The 25-34 and 35-44 year old age brackets account for a combined 47% of total spend in August.

The figures show these age groups have seen a reduction in the total amount spent month-on-month, with drops of 1.5% and 0.3%, respectively.

All other age groups have seen their total month-on-month spend increase, with the 18-24 and the over 65 age groups seeing the largest increases of 2.6% and 2.4%, respectively.

Consumers aged 65 and over made their biggest spend on airline travel, up 17% and hotels, up 14% compared to July.

Among all age groups, spending in pubs and off-licences fell the most, with an 8% drop compared to the previous month.

Spending fell by 3% on clothing, groceries and homeware, while slight decreases were also seen in airline travel and restaurants.

The figures show that consumers spent more on electronics, health and beauty, hotels and hardware.

The data was compiled from over one million AIB card transactions by Irish consumers during the month of August.

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Younger people spending less as inflation hits

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Consumer spending during the month of August rose by 0.8% despite there being 55,000 fewer transactions, according to a new figures from AIB.

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Consumers are saving less and spending more due to the cost of living crisis.

That is according to the latest Bank of Ireland Savings and Investment index, which tracks household attitudes towards savings and investment.

The findings reflect the impact of rising prices, and the back to school costs faced by many households.

Today's figures show that the Savings and Investment index has dropped to its lowest level since the survey began, with a significant drop in the number of consumers who feel that they are saving enough.

While more people are saving, the data reveals they are savings less.

The index for "do you save" rose six points to 96 but the index for "savings amount" dropped 12 points to 78, its lowest ever level.

When asked whether it will be a good time to save in six months, that score dropped to 85, the second lowest level since 2019.

The figures contrast sharply with consumer attitudes during the pandemic, when the Savings Index reached a peak.

The survey results continue to suggest consumers may be trying to save in the face of uncertainty but they are struggling to do so, given the rising cost of living.

"Rising inflation is having a significant impact on how people view their finances," said Kevin Quinn, Chief Investment Strategist at Bank of Ireland.

"So much so that despite the challenges presented by Covid and the Russia-Ukraine war, the impact of rising prices is possibly the most significant in the past three years in terms of how people view saving and investing.

"For some the environment is proving challenging enough that they have scaled back on their savings," he added.

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The findings show that inflation is the top worry for consumers.

Both the war in Ukraine and Covid have dropped back considerably in the list of top concerns from 32% in May to 17% in August, while Covid has almost dropped off the list of concerns with just 3% seeing it as their biggest concern, below climate change at 16%, a global recession at 14% and the cost of housing at 12%.

The index highlights the differing attitudes of age groups.

Inflation and the cost of living rank highest among both 30-59 year olds and 16-29 year olds.

While the over 60 age group also expressed growing concern about the cost of living, this age bracket was alone in ranking the war in Ukraine as their top worry.

When asked whether consumers believe it is a "good time to invest", the responses dropped to a level below what was recorded during the pandemic and after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

38% now think they are investing "nowhere near as much as they should" - the highest level since the survey began.

"With investment markets being so volatile right now - even despite gains made in the summer months - consumers remain nervous about the wider economic environment and there is a conservative tone which reflects the conversations we are having with so many customers," said Mr Quinn.

Meanwhile, when asked about financial preparedness for retirement, the answers haven't changed significantly.

However, Irish people are far less confident about how comfortable they will be in retirement, with this part of the index dropping from 125 in November 2021 to 107 in August 2022.

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Consumers saving less due to rising prices

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Consumers are saving less and spending more due to the cost of living crisis, the latest Bank of Ireland Savings and Investment index shows.

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Welcome to the website of the PDST Young Economist of the Year Award!

This site is your one-stop shop to find out everything you need to know about the PDST Young Economist of the Year Competition, or YEOTY as it has become affectionately known.

On this website, you can find out information about our partners, past entries and what the competition is. To find out more about YEOTY click the link below.

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Yeoty | Young Economist of the Year | Irelandr

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YEOTY, Young Economist of the Year is an economics competition for secondary school students in Irealnd. The awards ceremony will be hosted on Friday 19th June.

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Consumer spending during the month of August rose by 0.8% despite there being 55,000 fewer transactions, according to a new figures from AIB.

The figures indicate that inflation is influencing our purchasing decisions.

The 25-34 and 35-44 year old age brackets account for a combined 47% of total spend in August.

The figures show these age groups have seen a reduction in the total amount spent month-on-month, with drops of 1.5% and 0.3%, respectively.

All other age groups have seen their total month-on-month spend increase, with the 18-24 and the over 65 age groups seeing the largest increases of 2.6% and 2.4%, respectively.

Consumers aged 65 and over made their biggest spend on airline travel, up 17% and hotels, up 14% compared to July.

Among all age groups, spending in pubs and off-licences fell the most, with an 8% drop compared to the previous month.

Spending fell by 3% on clothing, groceries and homeware, while slight decreases were also seen in airline travel and restaurants.

The figures show that consumers spent more on electronics, health and beauty, hotels and hardware.

The data was compiled from over one million AIB card transactions by Irish consumers during the month of August.

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Younger people spending less as inflation hits

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Consumer spending during the month of August rose by 0.8% despite there being 55,000 fewer transactions, according to a new figures from AIB.

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World101 from the Council on Foreign Relations

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Global Supply Chain post-pandemic- Is it sustainable?

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Global Supply Chain post-pandemic- Is it sustainable?

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This documentary explores the supply chain journey of various goods, driven by global demand and the advancement of technology.

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Why Global Supply Chains May Never Be the Same | WSJ Documentary

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Pearl Exchange- Demand and Supply Activity

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Gapminder uses cookies to improve its statistics and user experience. By continuing to use the site you agree to our cookie policy. X
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CSO

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The Human Development Index (HDI) is a summary measure of average achievement in key dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, being knowledgeable and having a decent standard of living. The HDI is the geometric mean of normalized indices for each of the three dimensions.

The health dimension is assessed by life expectancy at birth, the education dimension is measured by mean of years of schooling for adults aged 25 years and more and expected years of schooling for children of school entering age. The standard of living dimension is measured by gross national income per capita. The HDI uses the logarithm of income, to reflect the diminishing importance of income with increasing GNI. The scores for the three HDI dimension indices are then aggregated into a composite index using geometric mean. Refer to Technical notes for more details.

The HDI can be used to question national policy choices, asking how two countries with the same level of GNI per capita can end up with different human development outcomes. These contrasts can stimulate debate about government policy priorities.

The HDI simplifies and captures only part of what human development entails. It does not reflect on inequalities, poverty, human security, empowerment, etc. The HDRO provides other composite indices as broader proxy on some of the key issues of human development, inequality, gender disparity and poverty.

A fuller picture of a country's level of human development requires analysis of other indicators and information presented in the HDR statistical annex.

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Human Development Index | Human Development Reports

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The Human Development Index (HDI) is a summary measure of average achievement in key dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, being knowledgeable and having a decent standard of living. The HDI is the geometric mean of normalized indices for each of the three dimensions.

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Pakistan monsoon flooding death toll surpasses 1,000

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Pakistan's flooded southern Sindh province is bracing for a fresh deluge from swollen rivers in the north, as the death toll from this year's monsoon topped 1,000. The mighty Indus River that courses through Pakistan's second-most populous region is fed by dozens of mountain tributaries to the north, but many have burst their banks following record rains and glacier melt.

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Climate Change Impact on Developing Countries | Linda Bouadjel-Zebian | TEDxLosGatosHighSchool

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Who is most affected by climate change and who should tackle it? - BBC News

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Global Waste management - Circular Economy

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Global Waste management - Circular Economy

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Cash from trash: could it clean up the world?

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Why do Central Banks raise interest rates?

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Why do Central Banks raise interest rates?

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How does raising interest rates control inflation?

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Turf cutters 'back on bog' as demand soars

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Turf cutters 'back on bog' as demand soars

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Turf cutters 'back on the bog' as demand soars

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Now that summer has yielded to autumn, the weather is cooler, and worries about keeping homes warm are foremost in some people's minds. Demand for solid fuel - and especially for timber - is soaring, according to one Co Roscommon vendor. "Demand is huge," says Padraic Egan, at Cloofad Fuel Yard.

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No one is safe from weather related disasters

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No one is safe from weather related disasters

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This stimulus includes a useful video clip and article to support students as they investigate and question the impact of climate change on economies and society both nationally and internationally.

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A new multi-agency report coordinated by the World Meteorological Organisation says that emission reduction pledges need to be seven times higher to prevent global warming going above 1.5C.

The United in Science report also warns that the most vulnerable populations will suffer, and cities will face increasing socio-economic impacts.

UN General Secretary Antonio Guterres said rapidly accelerating climate disruption means that no one is safe from weather related disasters.

Floods, droughts, heatwaves, extreme storms and wildfires are going from bad to worse, breaking records with ever alarming frequency.

There have been heatwaves in Europe, colossal floods in Pakistan, prolonged droughts in China, the Horn of Africa and the United States - and that was just this summer alone.

There is nothing natural about the new scale of these disasters according to the United Nations General Secretary Antonio Guterres.

Instead, he said, they are the price of humanity's fossil fuel addiction.

Mr Guterres was commenting on latest United in Science Report which incorporates the latest information and scientific updates about climate from a wide range of UN Agencies and others.

The report says boldly that the world is heading in the wrong direction, and that without hugely more ambitious climate action, the impacts of climate change will be increasingly devastating.

It highlights that the number of weather, climate, and water-related disasters has increased by a factor of five over the past 60 years.

It says by 2050, more than 1.6 billion people living in cities will be regularly exposed to three-month average temperatures of at least 35C and this will exacerbate socioeconomic challenges and inequalities.

It also says emissions reductions pledges for 2030 need to be increased seven-fold to be in line with the 1.5C goal of the Paris agreement.

The following are the main points from the latest United in Science Report from various UN agencies today:

On climate change the world is heading in the wrong direction. There is a huge gap between climate action aspirations and reality. The average global temperature last year was 1.17C above pre industrial levels and greenhouse gas concentrations continue to rise to record highs.

In June and July 2022, Europe was affected by two extreme heatwaves and drought. Portugal had a new July national temperature record of 47.0C, and for the first time on record, temperatures in the UK exceeded 40C. According to the World Weather Attribution initiative, human-caused climate change made the heatwave in the UK at least 10 times more likely.

Greenhouse gas emissions in 2022 were 1.2% higher than before the pandemic in 2019. Carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere reached a record 420.99 parts per million at the Mauna Loa observatory in Hawaii during May this year, and 413.37 parts per million at the Cape Grim observatory in Tasmania.

The past seven years were the warmest on record. There is a now 48% chance of exceeding 1.5C warming in at least one of the next 5 years. And as temperatures continue to rise, "tipping points" in the climate system cannot be ruled out - such as the melting of the Greenland ice sheet or the slowing of the Atlantic warm water circulation currents.

The number of weather, climate, and water-related disasters has increased by a factor of five over the past 50 years, causing $202 million (US) in losses daily. Without much more ambitious action, physical and socioeconomic impacts will be increasingly devastating.

New national mitigation pledges for 2030 would need to be four times higher to limit warming to 2C and seven times higher for 1.5C. As things stand right now, the world is heading for 2.8C of warming by the end of this century, or 2.5C if new or updated climate action pledges are fully implemented.

Cities will face increasing socio-economic impacts from climate change and the most vulnerable populations will suffer most. About 55% of population (4.2 billion people) live in cities and they account for 70% of human-caused emissions. But cities are highly vulnerable to the devastating impacts of increased intense rainfall, rising sea-levels, coastal flooding, and extreme heat. By the 2050s, over 1.6 billion people in 970 cities will be regularly exposed to 3-month average temperatures reaching at least 35C. Socioeconomic challenges and inequalities will worsen.

Between March and May 2022, Delhi in India experienced five heat waves with record-breaking temperatures reaching up to 49.2C with devastating socioeconomic and public health impacts. Now is the time to integrate adaptation and mitigation, coupled with sustainable development, into the ever-dynamic urban environment.

The agencies who contributed to the report are the WMO, Global Atmosphere Watch, the World Weather Research Programme, the UN Environment Programme, the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction,
the World Climate Research Programme, the Global Carbon Project, the UK Met Office, and the Urban Climate Change Research Network.

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Emissions targets should be seven times higher - report

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A new multi-agency report coordinated by the World Meteorological Organisation says that emission reduction pledges need to be seven times higher to prevent global warming going above 1.5C. The United in Science report also warns that the most vulnerable populations will suffer, and cities will face increasing socio-economic impacts.

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Government announces cuts to excise duty on petrol, diesel

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We hear from Finance Minister, Paschal Donohoe, and the Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan. And we get analysis from our political correspondent, Micheál Lehane

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World Trade Organisation
An international organization dealing with the global rules of trade. Provides a range of trade statistics,economic analysis and research that aims to deepen understanding about trends in trade, trade policy issues and the multilateral trading system.

An international organization dedicated to providing financing, advice and research to low and middle income nations to aid their economic advancement.It provides a range of statistics, data and research information on development issues presented in a variety of formats including interactive visualisation tools.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialised agency of the United Nations which seeks to build peace through international cooperation in education, the sciences and culture. Access to statistics, research publications, multimedia archives, a digital library and links to ​http://uis.unesco.org/​ database for sustainable development goals.

Our World in Data
Brings together the data and research on long-run trends reshaping our world. Interactive data visualizations show how the world has changed and uses scientific literature to explain why in an attempt to understand some of the world's largest problems.

Online data visualisation tools for exploring a wide range of global statistics.

Scoilnet - Digital Tools
Scoilnet has licensed a number of digital tools for schools such as the Irish Newspaper Archive, Irish Times Archive, World Book Online, JSTOR, and Dictionary of Irish Biography.

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What you need...

To register for a Scoilnet Account you will need to have a Teaching Council number and a roll number for your school in Ireland.

If you already have a Scoilnet Account then you can sign in here.

The benefits...

A Scoilnet account will allow you to upload your resources or weblinks to Scoilnet as well as enabling you to share and add resources to a favourites listing. Users who have a Scoilnet Account will also be able to fully access Scoilnet Maps and Census@School from home.

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Official education portal of the Department of Education and Skills in Ireland. Curriculum focused resources and support for primary and post primary teachers.

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The price of bread, milk and butter has gone up by 10-30 cent in recent weeks and while such increases seem modest, they mean a family buying three sliced pans, 10 litres of milk and one 454g packet of butter weekly will be worse off by just under €100 this year compared with 2021.

Increases across our supermarkets are not, by any means, confined to these staples and up and down the aisles prices have been climbing steadily for months with consumers left to pick up the tab.

If the cost of an average weekly shop has climbed by just €15 - and for many people it will climb by more than that - groceries will cost €780 more over the course of the next 12 months. But that is only the starting point.

As has been well documented, the annual cost of utility bills has jumped by in excess of €500 while a litre of petrol or diesel is now at least 40 cent more than this time last year, which means that an average motorist will have to spend an extra €500 to keep their car on the road.

Totted up, the increases in those three areas alone comes close to €2,000, a figure which is net so people will need to earn about €4,000 simply to cover the cost of eating, heating, lighting and driving in 2022.

While retail analysts Kantar have put grocery market inflation at 1.2 per cent for the 12-week period up to December 26th, the highest level of inflation recorded since February 2021, figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) paint a more stark picture.

According to official data published earlier this week, consumer prices rose by 5.5 per cent in the year to December, the largest jump in 20 years.

The CSO research suggests that the price of bread has climbed by 5.3 per cent over the past 12 months while pasta has gone up by 6.4 per cent. Poultry has increased by 3.5 per cent. Coffee and tea have climbed in price by 2.5 per cent and 1.9 per cent respectively while the "oils and fats" category including butter, vegetable oils and olive oil has jumped by 4.4 per cent.

These increases are annual but many of the price jumps have been recorded in the last month.

Future prices

There will be more price hikes coming down the tracks. "We are still seeing the impact of Brexit, Covid and other supply chain issues and they will be washing through the system for much of this year," said retail expert and TU Dublin academic, Damien O'Reilly.

Many of the increases have been replicated to the cent across the Irish grocery landscape, thanks at least in part to the practice of price matching that is a key policy adopted by the State's leading supermarkets.

When asked about price increases, a Lidl spokeswoman said it was doing "everything possible to keep the price paid by our customers to a minimum" and said any prices increases would be as a last resort.

However, she pointed to "rising inflation, increasing energy and raw materials costs and fuel cost increases of up to 30 per cent" and said "as with all retailers, these external factors have had an impact on the price of a small number of products".

Aldi Ireland's buying director, John Curtin, said the "costs of ingredients and commodities have increased significantly", but stressed it had been "working hard with our suppliers to mitigate supply chain cost rises and shield our customers from price increases".

Tesco said it was working "collaboratively with our suppliers to minimise impacts" but a spokeswoman confirmed that "commodity price increases, changes to input costs and the impact of global demand" could lead to price increases.

SuperValu said it was "working hard" with suppliers to "ensure we continue to deliver the best value" and it warned that with food retail inflation rising "consumers may start to see price increases in certain products".

Dunnes Stores did not respond to queries from The Irish Times.

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Groceries set to cost €780 more over next year

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Increases in weekly shop, utility, and petrol and diesel costs add €2,000 to annual bills

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Statistical comparisons of key Economic Indicators across countries

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Ireland Inflation Rate - August 2022 Data - 1976-2021 Historical - September Forecast

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The annual inflation rate in Ireland fell to 8.7 percent in August of 2022, easing from the 38-year high of 9.1 percent hit in the two prior months. While remaining high, the figure pointed to the first decrease in inflation since January, as prices growth slowed for transportation (14.8 percent vs…

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Cost-push Inflation and Demand-pull Inflation

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We saved a lot of money in Ireland during the pandemic.

By the end of February, Irish households had collectively boosted deposits by €30 billion on the same month in 2020 - just before the pandemic struck - to stand at over €142 billion.

That provides a major buffer to the economy as things look increasingly precarious against the backdrop of the uncertainty brought about by the war in Ukraine.

However, in an environment where savings are already yielding little or nothing with interest rates at rock bottom, the value of that money is effectively being eroded by inflation.

So, should we just spend our savings or are there better ways of utilising the money?
An unexpected visitor
In the aftermath of the financial crash, there were years where we had little or no inflation across the euro zone.

In fact, there were periods of deflation, all of which prompted the European Central Bank to cut borrowing rates to rock bottom.

The deposit rate was brought below zero. Those measures were undertaken in an attempt to get people to spend more and kickstart borrowing in order to get a bit of inflation back into the system.

When the pandemic struck, the initial expectation was that economies would experience a contraction at least of the magnitude of the financial crisis.

That turned out not to be the case and as economies reopened, demand bounced back strongly but supply chains were not ready.

Hence, delays emerged, and the price of materials inevitably started to increase.

Inflation was back and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, together with continued Covid lockdowns in China, has seen it rise to levels not witnessed in decades.

All of which has an effect on our immediate spending practices, but also on our future plans.

"There are the short-term issues at the forecourt and the checkout, but the bigger issue is the value of money over time," Frank Conway, founder of Moneywhizz and the Irish Financial Review explains.

"Elevated inflation has a detrimental impact on the value of money," he added.

He did some calculations to demonstrate the effect.

Taking a lump sum of €50,000, an inflation rate of 7% would erode the value of it by over €3,000 in just one year taking the effective value of the cash to €46,728, he calculated.

Inflation at 7% over a decade would effectively halve the value of the lump sum compared to its value before inflation started to bite.
A muted recovery
It was hoped that the additional billions that had been put aside, simply because people weren't in a normal spending pattern during the pandemic, might be released into the economy and drive the recovery in areas that had suffered most acutely from Covid lockdowns.

However, it's now expected that these so-called 'excess savings' will have a more muted effect as spending power is effectively reduced.

"As the value of savings is eroded by inflation, households become more cautious and more of the savings are used to buffer against rising costs, rather than being used for discretionary spending," Gerard Brady, chief economist with Ibec pointed out in the group's recent economic outlook.

Savings, he said, tend to be concentrated in the upper levels of income distribution which is why there have been calls to target any fiscal supports against inflation at lower income households where 'excess' savings are likely to be lower.

But even for households with lower savings levels, the same problem exists.

These are the households that are more likely to be dependent on a fixed income and they may be trying to put money aside for education or simply building a rainy-day fund for unexpected expenses.

Not only is it more difficult to secure that money to put aside now, but the value of those savings is being eroded too.
Spend it or save it shrewdly?
So, what's the best way to avoid, or at least mitigate, the impact of inflation on our savings?

According to Frank Conway, there are two main methods.

The first is through the pension structure and the other is passive investing.

"That's a bit more alien to people. It's where you buy a diversified fund that will grow over time. An S&P 500 type fund," he explained, the S&P being the main index of top stocks in the US.

"If you look at the performance of the S&P since 1926, it's grown on average 10% a year. It could take a battering for 3 years, and that's the problem, but over the long term well managed funds do their jobs," he said.

One downside is that returns on such funds are subject to tax, but he advised that savers should maximise the taxation benefit available on pension schemes before moving to other methods of investing.

However, he warned those contributing to pension schemes to keep a close eye on the performance of their funds and to ensure that they're not being over-charged on fees.

While pension schemes can perform well in times of inflation - if stock and bond market gains generally outpace the general level of price increases - inflation can be harmful in the post-retirement period.

"It is more detrimental for the idea of retirement as it will erode ahead the value of anything you have, much the same as it does the state pension," Mr Conway pointed out.

As far as spending the money is concerned, it's a good idea to use any spare cash in an inflationary environment to pay off some more expensive forms of debt like credit cards and personal loans, especially if interest rates are about to rise.
What about active investing?
By and large, we don't tend to have a culture of investing in stocks and shares in Ireland, which is partly why our savings levels are so high.

However, there appears to be a growing acceptance among consumers that the value of their savings is being eroded anyway and that it is a good time to invest money.

According to Bank of Ireland in its latest savings index, attitudes towards investing have increased since the start of the year, despite a high degree of volatility on stock markets.

There was also a higher incidence of people actually investing, as well as a jump of the number of people who thought that the coming year would present good investment opportunities.

"I suspect that there is a growing recognition amongst some consumers that it's no longer enough to save given near zero interest rates. Many are looking elsewhere for their longer-term plans, especially in the face of inflation concerns," Kevin Quinn, Chief Investment Strategist at Bank of Ireland explained.
Could deposits come back into vogue?
Given that the European Central Bank has been charging banks for parking excess deposits at its overnight facility for around eight years now, we're lucky not to have been hit with negative interest rates on our savings.

Other than large corporate deposits or very high net-worth savers with balances in excess of €1 million, the banks have not strayed into charging for our deposits.

But the interest rate environment could be about to change.

The US Federal Reserve and the Bank of England have both started to hike interest rates and the European Central Bank is likely to follow in the months ahead.

Having resisted the idea for a long time - sticking to the argument that inflation was 'transitory' and would pass - the sands now appear to be shifting on the idea of a rate hike at a European level.

ECB chief economist Philip Lane, a former Central Bank of Ireland Governor, appeared to confirm expectations of an imminent increase to the ECB's deposit rate, which investors now expect in July.

However, he was cautious on the notion of further hikes, citing the war in Ukraine as a risk to the outlook.

"The story is not the issue about 'are we going to move away from -0.5% for the deposit rate'," Professor Lane told Bloomberg TV.

"The big issue which we do have to still be data-dependent about is the scale and the timing of interest rate normalisation," he said.

The ECB has never said what it meant by normalisation, but policymakers expect a rate of between 1% and 1.25%, which is well below the current rate of inflation.

"It's all relative," Frank Conway explained.

"If inflation is 3% and you're getting 2% on your deposit, you're losing money."

He said we could conceivably come back into a scenario where money could become very valuable again (with high interest rates attached to deposits), but there were no signs of that right now.

So, the best bet for anyone lucky enough to have a lump sum at the moment is to consider paying down expensive debt or investing it in a pension or a diversified fund.

Once enough money has been set aside in an account that can be accessed easily in the event of an unexpected event - usually around three to six months of living expenses, Mr Conway recommends - the rest should be put to work.

With inflation likely to hit 8% in the months ahead, our cash is rapidly losing value.

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Inflation is eroding the value of our savings

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With the rate of inflation running at multi-decades highs and interest rates on deposits at rock bottom, inflation is rapidly eating into the value of our savings. So, should we just spend our spare cash or are there ways of beating inflation?

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This reflective model is probably amongst the simplest ones, as it is based on three questions only. However, this does not mean that the reflections should remain superficial, but should be as comprehensive as possible.

What ?
The first stage is a mere description of what happened and of the experience you would like to analyse and take forward for your own learning.

So what?
Once the description has been completed carefully you should ask yourself what the experience and situation means. To this end you will need to consult literature and colleagues if you are to get a comprehensive insight into the matter, as otherwise you will rely on your own interpretations only.

Now what?
At this last stage of Rolfe et al.'s model you are asked to consider the steps you will be taking in order to improve your practice and learn from the initial experience. You ought to complete a simpleaction plan with key pointers about what you will do and how you will decide that your practice has improved.

Reference:

Rolfe, G., Freshwater, D. and Jasper, M. (2001). Critical reflection in nursing and the helping professions: a user's guide. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

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Reflective model according to Rolfe et al. - Dr Nicole Brown

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This reflective model is probably amongst the simplest ones, as it is based on three questions only. However, this does not mean that the reflections should remain superficial, but should be as comprehensive as possible. What ? The first stage is a mere description of what happened and of the experience you would like to analyse and take forward for your own learning.

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Economics as a way of thinking for Transition Year

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Economics as a way of thinking for Transition Year

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Margaret Donnelly and Tamara Fitzpatrick

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Shoppers to be hit by second wave of ‘inevitable’ food hikes in coming weeks, experts warn

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Shoppers face a second wave of food price increases, with the cost of a basket of everyday items set to rocket in the coming weeks, industry sources have warned.

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Consumer Price Index March 2022 - CSO - Central Statistics Office

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The Consumer Price Index is designed to measure the change in the average level of prices (inclusive of all indirect taxes) paid for consumer goods and services by all private and institutional households in the country and by foreign tourists holidaying in Ireland.

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The mission of the Economic and Social Research Institute is to advance evidence-based policymaking that supports economic sustainability and social progress in Ireland. ESRI researchers apply the highest standards of academic excellence to challenges facing policymakers, focusing on 10 areas of critical importance to 21st Century Ireland.

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* Transfers of functions across Departments may impact figures and comparison of expenditure across time.
** Figures for Housing expenditure prior to 2020 is amalgamated into 'Additional Departments'.

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Where Your Money Goes - Expenditure Data and Graphs broken up by sectors

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This page displays interactive and static data visualisation resources published by researchers in the Oireachtas Library & Research Service (L&RS) and the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO).

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Quarterly Bulletin

Central Bank of Ireland's latest Quarterly Bulletin sees price pressures easing, however the path to lower rates of inflation expected to be gradual and uneven.

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Central Bank of Ireland | Banc Ceannais na hÉireann

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The Central Bank of Ireland is responsible for both central banking and financial regulation in Ireland.

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The use of knowledge organisers - Force Field Analysis

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The use of knowledge organisers - Force Field Analysis

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This graphic organiser may be used to engage students with an economic issue and develop critical thinking skills

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Energy prices have surged since the Russian invasion of Ukraine and, along with other commodities, are likely to remain at "historically high" levels up to 2024, endangering economic growth, the World Bank warned today.

"This amounts to the largest commodity shock we've experienced since the 1970s," said Indermit Gill, the World Bank's vice president for equitable growth, finance and institutions.

The shock - which is expected to push energy prices up 50% this year - is being aggravated by trade restrictions and rising prices for food, fuel and fertilisers.

"These developments have started to raise the specter of stagflation," Gill warned in a statement on the World Bank's Commodity Markets Outlook report.

Echoing the call from other officials at the World Bank and International Monetary Fund in recent days, he urged governments to "take every opportunity to increase economic growth at home and avoid actions that will bring harm to the global economy."

The report said the increases in energy prices in the past two years have been the largest since the 1973 oil crisis when the OPEC group of oil-producing countries declared an embargo.

Amid the war and Western sanctions on Moscow, the price of Brent crude is expected to average $100 a barrel this year, the highest since 2013, the report said.

European natural gas prices are expected to be double what they were in 2021 and - along with coal - are hitting record levels, it added.

Prices for grain, of which Russia and Ukraine are large producers, and fertilisers have seen the biggest price jumps since 2008, with wheat prices reaching an all-time high this year.

Overall, non-energy commodity prices, including agriculture and metals, are projected to jump 20% this year before easing, but will remain above their five-year average, according to the World Bank.

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World faces biggest energy shock since 1970s

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Energy prices have surged since the Russian invasion of Ukraine and, along with other commodities, are likely to remain at "historically high" levels up to 2024, endangering economic growth, the World Bank warned today. "This amounts to the largest commodity shock we've experienced since the 1970s," said Indermit Gill, the World Bank's vice president for equitable growth, finance and institutions.

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Cost of Living - RTE Podcast with Richard Curran

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Cost of Living - RTE Podcast with Richard Curran

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The cost of living continued to dominate the news this week as the Government ruled out further plans to tackle the issue. We're joined by Ben Doyle, Regional President of St. Vincent de Paul South East, Charlie Weston, Personal Finance Editor of the Irish Independent and Richie Browne, the Regional Coordinating Officer at Unite.

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Minister Donohoe announces temporary reduction in excise duty on fuels

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Excise duty will reduce by 20 cent per litre of petrol and 15 cent per litre of diesel. There will also be a reduction of 2 cent in the excise duty charged on marked gas oil. These reductions will take effect from midnight tonight and will remain in place until the 31st of August 2022.

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TY Economics - Understanding the World Around Us

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TY Economics - Understanding the World Around Us

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Econlife | Connecting economics with everyday life

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Slicing away all of the layers that make economics boring and complex, Econlife gives everyday stories an economic spin that everyone can understand.

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Government excise duty cuts to reduce petrol and diesel cost by 15 to 20c

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The ‘mini budget’ will see a straight cut in excise rates from midnight on Wednesday

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Excise duties reduction - rte video clip

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Excise duties reduction - rte video clip

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Cabinet agrees cut to excise duty on petrol and diesel

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Excise duties on petrol and diesel should be slashed as an "exceptional" measure to combat rising consumer prices and inflation, the industry has said.

With further increases anticipated at the pumps, the representative body Fuels for Ireland (FFI) has written to Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe arguing any immediate reductions would be offset by a rise in VAT income.

"When you have an emergency your response needs to include the exceptional," chief executive Kevin McPartlan said.

On Friday, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar also signalled that the Government will intervene on costs before the budget, saying energy costs were going to go higher and stay higher for longer due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

According to figures provided by FFI, taxes, levies and excise currently account for 47 per cent of retail diesel costs and 52 per cent of petrol.

In the case of diesel, a current €189.90 per litre charge constitutes a product cost of €100.73; 42.57 cent in excise; 35.51 cent in VAT; 2 cent in Nora levy (National Oil Reserve Agency); 8.97 cent in carbon tax; and 0.12 cent in the Better Energy levy.

Data from the Department of Finance shows taxes and charges account for 55 per cent of the cost of petrol and 51 per cent of diesel.

With some debate about the ability of EU member states to unilaterally reduce VAT rates, FFI is pressing for a cut in excise duty, at least as a temporary measure.

In a letter to Mr Donohoe this week, the organisation said rising fuel prices also threatened further inflationary pressure.

"Furthermore, the unpredictable nature of the price rises could also lead to a dynamic where people are buying - and hoarding - fuel in anticipation of further increases," it said, although FFI has stressed that supply is not under threat.

"Ultimately, such a measure would be revenue neutral, as the lower rate will be balanced out by the higher prices and accordingly the tax take should still be as forecast."

Concerns

These concerns were echoed by the Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) which, in a letter to Taoiseach Micheál Martin and other Government party leaders on Friday, said shortages and price rises have "placed our sector in a perilous position". It too called for a reduction in excise.

Previously flagged reductions are due to come into effect on April 1st - a temporary reduction in mineral oil tax (MOT) of 1 cent per litre of petrol and diesel, matched by the same reduction in the Nora levy - but for many, including FFI, this will not go far enough.

"The excise duty is absolutely within the domain of the domestic government," Mr McPartlan said. "All they have to do is put a zero after the 1 cent [pending reduction] and that will make a big difference."

He explained that price rises as a consequence of the Russian invasion of Ukraine - and following those from Brexit and Covid-19 effects - will come not only from direct sanctions but from ripple effects through the supply chain. Russian exports of oil, once bound for western countries, will be replaced with others, all at a cost.

Meanwhile, a Green Party minister has indicated support for measures to offset the impact of the war in Ukraine on fossil fuel prices, favouring policies supporting people who cannot avoid driving

Ossian Smyth, Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform said the party's goal is to reduce emissions but was faced with the reality of a market deeply disrupted by the war.

"With a war or a pandemic you're faced with a very large short to medium term problem, and you have to be pragmatic about it, you can't just get into your entrenched position," he said.

"It's becoming harder and harder if you spend a large portion of your income on vehicle fuel and it keeps going up." He said that while those living in cities could switch to public transport when faced with high fuel cost, options were being developed to address the fact that rural dwellers or hauliers cannot.

"We're working on options taking that into account, they're the group that are affected who don't have an alternative," he said.

The Department of the Environment, meanwhile, said its understanding is that the petroleum industry is "fully confident" it can meet normal fuel demands in the coming months. It said 90 days demand of strategic oil reserves is held by the National Oil Reserves Agency, 85 per cent of which is on-island.

Earlier, IRHA president Eugene Drennan, said some members had received less than the full amount of their orders as ships had not arrived due to stormy conditions - which he feared could be exacerbated by the Ukraine crisis.

Dr Muireann Lynch of the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) said about 40 per cent of Ireland's energy needs are for transport.

"It certainly is the case that energy prices are going to rise in Europe... if we do see these restrictions of Russian fossil fuel companies towards Europe, " she told RTÉ. "And that's going to feed through to petrol, diesel, home heating and electricity prices."

Spiralling costs

In the Dáil on Thursday, Roscommon-Galway TD Michael Fitzmaurice outlined the deleterious effects of spiralling costs across a number of sectors, particularly bus and truck drivers, and farmers.

"An explosion is about to happen in the next week or two if something is not done by the Government," he said.

The economist Jim Power said excise cuts were justified in the circumstances.

"You are creating a precedent definitely but when you are in an environment like this I think you have to throw the concerns about precedents out the window," he said. "This is a crisis situation and it does require an intervention."

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Excise duties on petrol and diesel should be cut to combat inflation, industry says

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Excise duties on petrol and diesel should be slashed as an "exceptional" measure to combat rising consumer prices and inflation, the industry has said. With further increases anticipated at the pumps, the representative body Fuels for Ireland (FFI) has written to Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe arguing any immediate reductions would be offset by a rise in VAT income.

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Circular Economy - how to reuse wind turbine blades

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Circular Economy - how to reuse wind turbine blades

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What can you do with used wind turbine blades?

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Analysis: one way to deal with the estimated 200,000 tonnes of blade waste per year is to use them for other products like bridges This article is now available above as a Brainstorm podcast. You can subscribe to the Brainstorm podcast through Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

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The Circular Economy - will a levy work?

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The Circular Economy - will a levy work?

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A levy on disposable coffee cups will be introduced in the coming months in an effort by the Government to cut their use.

The Circular Economy Bill published this morning is aimed at reducing waste and influencing behaviour.

It also paves the way for use of CCTV to detect and deter illegal dumping and littering.

The bill will introduce mandatory segregation of waste and an incentivised charging regime for commercial waste, similar to what exists for the household market.

Minister of State with responsibility for Communications and the new Circular Economy Ossian Smyth told RTÉ's Morning Ireland that approval will be needed from the European Union for the change.

It will take a few months before it will become law as the EU wants to ensure Ireland is not interfering in the single market, he said.

He said he is "hoping not to collect money from this levy. I am hoping that there will be such a reduction that in fact most people will switch over."

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The levy will be 20 cent to start, he explained.

Mr Smyth said the use of keep cups dwindled during the pandemic but public health advice is that they are safe to use, so there should be no concerns about spreading Covid-19 and using reusable cups.

Minister of State Ossian Smyth speaking on Morning Ireland today

The Circular Economy is "the difference between the way we have run our society up to now, which is to dig things out of the ground, make them into something, use them up and then dispose and burn them or put them into landfills. So that's the linear economy.

"And instead, we want to make sure that the waste that we produce in society is considered to be a resource and feeds back into the rest of the economy so that we're not throwing away things", he said.

Mr Smyth said that one of the reasons for the levy is "not just for climate action, but also it makes us more independent and self-sufficient as a nation.

"So, we're not dependent on imports of raw materials to run our society".

In future all businesses will have to segregate waste as is the case with household rubbish "so there isn't a free pass to not to segregate your waste".

He said the use of CCTV will be used by councils to monitor dumping.

This is a necessary change in the law as there were issues around privacy laws and data protection before now, "it's absolutely needed", he said.

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Many cafes have begun accepting reusable coffee cups again, and some - such as Grove Road Cafe in Rathmines, Dublin - are incentivising their use.

The cafe offers a 20c discount to customers who bring their own cup for takeaway coffee. It is also preparing to take part in the '2GoCup' deposit and return scheme, which will see customers able to pay a €1 deposit for a cup that they can return or swop for a new one at participating coffee shops.

Owner Dona Watchorne has welcomed the proposed new levy.

"I think it's good, it's like the plastic bag levy," she told RTÉ News.

"People just need to change their behaviour. They will when they have to, when it costs them money.

"The (disposable) cups, a lot of them are recyclable but they end up in landfill."

Dona Watchorne welcomed the proposed new levy

The Restaurants Association of Ireland has said it has some concerns about the proposal and wants to know more.

"We would like to have consultation with the Minister around the practicalities of implementing this new levy," CEO Adrian Cummins said.

"And also from a food safety point of view, that there is comfort there for coffee shop and restaurant owners."
Additional reporting by Laura Fletcher

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Levy being introduced on use of disposable coffee cups

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A levy on disposable coffee cups will be introduced in the coming months in an effort by the Government to cut their use. The Circular Economy Bill published this morning is aimed at reducing waste and influencing behaviour. It also paves the way for use of CCTV to detect and deter illegal dumping and littering.

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National Center on Universal Design for Learning

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Additional links from PDST Technology in Education to support teachers working from home, including links to good practice videos that contain activities which can be adapted for online teaching. Digital learning planning resources are also available, please visit PDST Technology in Education for more information.

As pupils/students will also be engaging in online learning at home througout this period, we would advise teachers and parents to visit the Webwise website to find out more about online safety and relevant considerations. The parents' section of the website is also particularly useful in highlighting popular apps and their features.

RTÉ Learn is a dedicated resource for teachers and educators showcasing a diverse range of educational content from across RTÉ, ideal for both formal and informal learning.

Beidh tús a chuir ag TG4 le clár nua sa sceideal Cúla4 ar Scoil ag 10 gach maidin.

Is clár leath uaire í seo a bheidh dírithe ar dhaltaí bunscoile Gaeltachta agus Gaelscoile atá sa mbaile ón scoil faoi láthair de bharr srianta an Covid19.

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Additional links from PDST Technology in Education to support teachers working from home, including links to good practice videos that contain activities which can be adapted for online teaching. Digital learning planning resources are also available, please visit PDST Technology in Education for more information.

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The UDL Guidelines are a tool used in the implementation of Universal Design for Learning, a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn. Learn more about the Universal Design for Learning framework from CAST. The UDL Guidelines can be used by educators, curriculum developers, researchers, parents, and anyone else who wants to implement the UDL framework in a learning environment. These guidelines offer a set of concrete suggestions that can be applied to any discipline or domain to ensure that all learners can access and participate in meaningful, challenging learning opportunities.

Reenvisioning the UDL Guidelines

Because the UDL Guidelines are meant to be informed by feedback from the field as well as new research, they have been updated several times in the past. We are in the process of updating the Guidelines once again in our UDL Rising to Equity initiative.

This update will focus specifically on addressing systemic barriers that result in inequitable learning opportunities and outcomes. CAST aims to develop a transparent, inclusive, and community-driven process. If you are interested in collaborating and staying updated on our progress, we invite you to complete a brief survey.

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The UDL Guidelines are a tool used in the implementation of Universal Design for Learning, a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn. Learn more about the Universal Design for Learning framework from CAST. The UDL Guidelines can be used by educators, curriculum developers, researchers, parents, and anyone else who wants to implement the UDL framework in a learning environment. These guidelines offer a set of concrete suggestions that can be applied to any discipline or domain to ensure that all learners can access and participate in meaningful, challenging learning opportunities.

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TY EXPLORING PLANNING BOOKLET.pdf - Microsoft Word Online

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Transition Year Programmes- Guidelines for Schools

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Transition Year Programmes- Guidelines for Schools

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Define your goal or vision for change, and write it down in a box in the middle of the page.

Step 2: Identify Forces For Change

Think about the kinds of forces that are driving change. These can be internal and external.

Internal drivers could include:

Outdated machinery or product lines.

Declining team morale.

A need to increase profitability.

Your external drivers could include:

A volatile, uncertain operating environment.

Disruptive technologies.

Changing demographic trends.

When you've identified the forces that are driving change, add them to the left-hand side of your Force Field Analysis.

Step 3: Identify Forces Against Change

Now brainstorm the forces that resist or are unfavorable to change.

Internal resistors and restrainers could include:

External factors might be:

Existing commitments to partner organizations.

Government legislation.

Obligations toward your customers.

Now add the forces against change to the right-hand side of your Force Field Analysis.

Step 4: Assign Scores

Next, score each force, from, say, one (weak) to five (strong), according to the degree of influence each one has on the plan, and then add up the scores for each side (for and against).

For a visual representation of the influence that each force has, draw arrows around them. Use bigger arrows for the forces that will have a greater influence on the change, and smaller arrows for forces that will have a weaker influence.

By now, your Force Field Analysis should look something like the example in figure 2, below.

Figure 2 - Example Force Field Analysis

Image adapted from " Tools for Knowledge and Learning A Guide for Development and Humanitarian Organizations " by Ben Ramalingam © Overseas Development Institute 2006. Adapted with permission from Ben Ramalingam.

Step 5: Analyze and Apply

Now that you've done your Force Field Analysis, you can use it in two ways:

1. To decide whether or not to move forward with the decision or change.

2. To think about which supportive forces you can strengthen and which opposing or resisting forces you can weaken, and how to make the change more successful.

If you had to implement the project in the example above, the analysis might suggest a number of changes that you could make to the initial plan. For instance, you could:

Train staff to minimize their fear of technology. The +1 cost of training increases "Cost" to -4 but the -2 benefits reduce "Staff fearful of new technology" to -1.

Show staff that change is necessary for business survival. This new, +2 force supports the change.

Show staff that new machines would introduce variety and interest to their jobs. This new, +1 force also supports the change.

Raise wages to reflect new productivity. The +1 cost of raising wages takes "Cost" to -5, but the -2 benefits reduce "Loss of overtime" to -1.

Install slightly different machines with filters that eliminate pollution. The -1 benefit of the new machines eliminates "Impact on environment" as a force against change.

These changes would swing the balance from 11:10 (against the plan), to 13:8 (in favor of the plan).
Download Worksheet

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Force Field Analysis - Analyzing the Pressures For and Against Change

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Force Field Analysis helps you to weigh the pros and cons of a decision, and helps you to think about what you need to do to make change successful.

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Goal 13: Climate action - The Global Goals

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Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.

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EirGrid has confirmed that it will not connect new data centres in Dublin for the foreseeable future.

It says the greater Dublin area is constrained and any new data centre applications will only be considered for other parts of the country on a case-by-case basis.

There are concerns about energy security and the large electricity consumption of data centres.

EirGrid issued seven amber alerts in a recent 12-month period warning of issues with energy supply.

New connections to the grid will be evaluated using the assessment criteria set out by Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) and available capacity.

Data centres already in the pipeline will be progressed.

The CRU decided in November that it would not impose an explicit moratorium on data centre connections.

It set out conditions for new data centres including a preference for those generating their own electricity.

The development comes as it has emerged that a Government department has urged consideration of the value of data centre investment in Ireland as underpinning the digital economy and providing jobs.

In a joint submission to EirGrid, the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and the IDA said it remains their view that data centres bring substantial capital investment and new export service and subsupply capabilities.

"The presence of some of the world's leading data centre providers raises our visibility internationally and in turn lead to other equally strategic and complementary employment intensive activities," the submission said

"Data centres should be considered as a core enabler of a technology-rich, innovative economy, which, in turn, places Ireland on the global map as a location of choice for a broad range of sectors and activities that are increasingly reliant on digital capabilities including manufacturing, animation, retail, medical devices and financial services."

The document was released to RTÉ News under freedom of information.

Facebook's data centre in Clonee, Co Meath

The submission also says that it is notable that all the large multinationals with data centres in Ireland have committed to becoming 100% renewably powered.

It says: "Data centres can play a hugely important role in driving new investment in and utilisation of renewable energy in Ireland in their drive to net-zero, and in turn helping Ireland to reach its target of 70% renewable energy by 2030 and net-zero by 2050."

RTÉ News has also learned that the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment requested that a reference to "regionally balanced" data centres was removed from the Government's Climate Action Plan.

An email dated 29 September 2021 from the Department to the IDA released under freedom of information discussed the plan's actions to align data centres with emission reduction targets.

It requested that the below paragraph be removed from the final version of the Climate Action Plan.

"Implement energy actions under the Government Statement on the Role of Data Centres in Ireland's Enterprise Strategy to ensure that large demand connections are regionally balanced to minimise grid reinforcements".

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No new data centres for Dublin for the 'foreseeable'

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EirGrid has confirmed that it will not connect new data centres in Dublin for the foreseeable future. It says the greater Dublin area is constrained and any new data centre applications will only be considered for other parts of the country on a case-by-case basis.

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Overcoming the World's Challenges - The Global Goals

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The climate crisis. Ensuring no one goes hungry. Human rights abuses. Extreme poverty. Problems of this scale can be overwhelming, but the Global Goals(also known as the Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs) are the solution to tackling them.

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Goal 7: Affordable and clean energy - The Global Goals

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Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.

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Metered Electricity Consumption 2020 - CSO - Central Statistics Office

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This release contains quarterly metered electricity consumption data for 2015 to 2020. The data were received from the Electricity Supply Board (ESB Networks) for all connections to the mains electricity network.

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Films | The green transition

We answer your questions on how the sector can become more sustainable

W ith energy systems emitting the majority of global greenhouse gases, the sector urgently needs to decarbonise to meet climate targets. Vijay Vaitheeswaran, The Economist's global energy and climate innovation editor, answers your questions on how power can be produced and used more sustainably.

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How can the world's energy be decarbonised?

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Films | The green transition W ith energy systems emitting the majority of global greenhouse gases, the sector urgently needs to decarbonise to meet climate targets. Vijay Vaitheeswaran, The Economist's global energy and climate innovation editor, answers your questions on how power can be produced and used more sustainably.

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Data Centres Metered Electricity Consumption 2020 - CSO - Central Statistics Office

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CSO statistical publication, 20 January 2022, 11am

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Price shock: Why are energy prices rising so sharply?

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Yesterday Electric Ireland announced plans to raise its electricity and gas prices from November - just three months after its last price hike. It's the latest company to increase energy costs more than once this year - meanwhile Energia has announced three separate increases, with Pinergy and Panda Power having announced four.

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Commission for Regulation of Utilities Water and Energy - CRU Ireland

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CRU is the Commission for Regulation of Utilities in Ireland. They are responsible for safety guidelines in the water and energy sector and customer care...

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Beautiful, easy data visualization and storytelling

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Electricity generation

Modern societies are dependent on reliable and secure supplies of electricity. Electricity generation accounts for a third of all primary energy use in Ireland.

The SEAI statistics team have compiled data on electricity in Ireland, including energy flow and inputs to generation, and efficiency of the supply.

See statistics on electricity

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Modern societies are dependent on reliable and secure supplies of electricity. Electricity generation accounts for a third of all primary energy use in Ireland. The SEAI statistics team have compiled data on electricity in Ireland, including energy flow and inputs to generation, and efficiency of the supply.

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Skip to main content Chat with us!

Understanding the factors that affect energy prices is important for Ireland. It helps businesses, householders and policymakers to respond appropriately.

Ireland has committed to developing metrics of energy cost competitiveness as outlined in the Government's White Paper on Ireland's Transition to a Low Carbon Energy Future 2015-2030. We have developed average electricity and natural gas prices for business and households. These are based on the EU Electricity and Gas Price Regulation statistics.

The graphs below show the average natural gas and electricity prices to business and households across all consumption bands in the Euro Area and the EU-27. They also show the weighted average across all bands in Ireland. The weightings for the Euro Area and the EU-27 are based on band volumes in a majority of the countries last reported in 2014. These different averages are not directly comparable but it is thought that, the Euro Area and the EU-27 weighted data are more appropriate than using a simple average.

The weighted* average price of electricity to business consumers in Ireland has been above the European average since the second half of 2011 and has fluctuated above and below the Euro Area since the end of 2016. The latest data available, for the July to December 2021 period, show the weighted average price in Ireland grew by 23.3% and was 25% and 17% above the EU and Euro Area average respectively..

Since 2012, the weighted average price of natural gas to business consumers in Ireland has been above the EU average and fluctuated around the Euro Area average. In the first half of 2020 it fell below the EU average. The latest data available, for the July to December 2021 period, show a growth of 66% and it was 17% above both the EU and the Euro Area average.

The weighted average price of electricity to household consumers was above the EU average since S2 2007 with the exception of S1 of 2010 and 2011. Since S1 2016 it has fluctuated above and below the Euro Area average. The weighted average price of electricity to households grew by 18% in the second half of 2021 and was 13% higher compared with 12 months previously.

The weighted average price of natural gas to household consumers in Ireland was below the Euro Area since 2007 and below the EU until the second half of 2018. In the current semester it was below both the EU and Euro Area averages. The weighted average price of natural gas to households in Ireland increased by 27% in the first half of 2021 and was 12% higher compared with 12 months previously.

Household natural gas prices tend to be higher over the summer and lower over winter. Natural gas prices can be broken down into the charge for quantity of gas used and fixed charges such as network costs. The network costs are applied evenly over the full year. This means that in summer the cost per unit of gas used is higher, as the fixed charge is the same but there are far fewer units of gas used.

Fuel price comparison

SEAI collects data on fuel prices each quarter to businesses and households. This is intended to help consumers to make reasonable comparisons between the cost performance of various fuels used in the more common types of heating system in Ireland. Tables are published for both commercial and domestic consumers. These tables are available for download at the link below. The graphs below show the data for both commercial and household fuel prices.

Download commercial and household fuel price comparison sheets

Commercial fuel price comparison
Download commercial fuel price data
Click and drag inside graph to zoom

Commercial fuel cost comparison (Euro cent/kWh),Oil (Gas oil),Gas (average commercial rate),Electricity (average commercial rate),Wood (bulk pellets)
2008Q1,7.88,4.2,14.31,3.98
2008Q2,8.16,4.2,14.31,4.06
2008Q3,9.92,4.59,16.04,3.79
2008Q4,8.69,4.59,16.04,3.64
2009Q1,5.48,4.15,13.86,3.64
2009Q2,5.85,4.15,13.86,3.85
2009Q3,6.33,3.39,12.81,3.7
2009Q4,6.27,3.39,12.81,3.58
2010Q1,6.92,3.24,11.91,3.58
2010Q2,7.41,3.24,11.91,4.03
2010Q3,8.17,3.7,11.94,3.95
2010Q4,8.06,3.7,11.94,3.95
2011Q1,8.48,3.86,12.12,3.95
2011Q2,8.95,3.86,12.12,4.09
2011Q3,9.16,3.87,13.44,4.13
2011Q4,9.58,3.87,13.44,4.4
2012Q1,9.96,5,14.75,4.4
2012Q2,10.42,5,14.75,4.4
2012Q3,10.45,4.44,15.38,4.58
2012Q4,10.68,4.44,15.38,4.62
2013Q1,10.17,4.57,15.55,4.84
2013Q2,10.3,4.57,15.55,4.8
2013Q3,9.98,4.82,15.48,4.92
2013Q4,10.14,4.82,15.48,5.58
2014Q1,10.2,4.47,15.58,5.6
2014Q2,9.89,4.47,15.58,5.6
2014Q3,10.04,4.4,15.26,5.6
2014Q4,9.73,4.4,15.26,5.78
2015Q1,7.84,4.3,15.72,5.78
2015Q2,8.21,4.3,15.72,5.69
2015Q3,8.5,4.08,15.26,5.69
2015Q4,7.66,4.08,15.26,5.69
2016Q1,6.77,3.71,14.58,5.69
2016Q2,6.83,3.71,14.58,5.69
2016Q3,7.23,3.82,14.12,5.69
2016Q4,7.52,3.82,14.12,5.69
2017Q1,8.29,3.65,13.87,5.69
2017Q2,7.86,3.65,13.87,5.69
2017Q3,7.49,3.69,14.19,5.69
2017Q4,8.08,3.69,14.19,5.63
2018Q1,8.41,3.73,15.04,5.66
2018Q2,8.45,3.73,15.04,5.79
2018Q3,9.16,4.23,15.41,5.57
2018Q4,9.45,4.23,15.41,5.57
2019Q1,8.19,3.83,15.1,5.57
2019Q2,8.57,3.83,15.1,5.3
2019Q3,8.75,3.67,14.72,5.3
2019Q4,8.88,3.67,14.72,5.3
2020Q1,8.92,3.36,15.08,5.42
2020Q2,7.19,3.36,15.08,5.4
2020Q3,7.18,3.35,15.78,5.52
2020Q4,6.91,3.35,15.78,5.52
2021Q1,7.22,3.57,17.16,5.52
2021Q2,8.08,3.57,17.16,5.52
2021Q3,8.87,5.94,21.16,5.44
2021Q4,9.5,5.94,21.16,5.5
2022Q1,9.83,,,5.73
2022Q2,13.51,,,7.33
2022Q3,15.41,,,8.81

For both commercial and household customers, electricity is the most expensive fuel, followed by oil. For commercial users, electricity and oil prices increased in the most recent quarter, while wood pellet and natural gas prices remained flat.

Household fuel price comparison
Download household fuel price data
Click and drag inside graph to zoom

Household fuel cost comparison (Euro cent/kWh),Oil (Kerosene),Gas (average domestic rate),Electricity (average domestic rate),Wood (Bagged pellets)
2008Q1,7.07,5.45,16.6,6.64
2008Q2,7.49,5.45,16.6,6.59
2008Q3,10.17,6.51,19.34,6.69
2008Q4,8.78,6.51,19.34,6.69
2009Q1,5.52,6.44,19.31,6.7
2009Q2,5.85,6.44,19.31,7.15
2009Q3,6.63,5.51,17.72,7.2
2009Q4,6.07,5.51,17.72,6.72
2010Q1,6.73,4.97,17.05,6.76
2010Q2,7.3,4.97,17.05,6.71
2010Q3,8.46,5.28,17.88,6.83
2010Q4,8.03,5.28,17.88,6.68
2011Q1,8.33,5.1,17.23,6.67
2011Q2,9.73,5.1,17.23,6.63
2011Q3,9.12,6.2,19.89,6.47
2011Q4,9.44,6.2,19.89,6.67
2012Q1,9.75,6.15,20.4,6.61
2012Q2,10.32,6.15,20.4,6.71
2012Q3,9.69,6.75,21.84,6.62
2012Q4,10.5,6.75,21.84,6.61
2013Q1,10.09,6.55,21.64,6.63
2013Q2,10.13,6.55,21.64,6.77
2013Q3,9.69,7.28,23.11,6.69
2013Q4,9.81,7.28,23.11,6.95
2014Q1,9.92,6.84,22.97,6.9
2014Q2,9.53,6.84,22.97,6.9
2014Q3,9.66,7.53,24.38,6.9
2014Q4,9.49,7.53,24.38,7.1
2015Q1,7.55,6.77,23,7.14
2015Q2,7.86,6.77,23,7.26
2015Q3,8,7.33,23.6,7.21
2015Q4,7.12,7.33,23.6,7.48
2016Q1,6.33,6.56,22.09,7.43
2016Q2,6.37,6.56,22.09,7.4
2016Q3,6.86,6.86,22.64,7.45
2016Q4,7,6.86,22.64,7.36
2017Q1,7.81,6.37,21.65,7.43
2017Q2,7.46,6.37,21.65,7.43
2017Q3,7.06,6.57,22.94,7.4
2017Q4,7.61,6.57,22.94,7.17
2018Q1,7.98,6.36,21.84,7.14
2018Q2,8.01,6.36,21.84,7.86
2018Q3,8.69,7.7,24.36,7.45
2018Q4,9.18,7.7,24.36,7.45
2019Q1,7.61,6.83,22.98,7.45
2019Q2,8.24,6.83,22.98,7.33
2019Q3,8.44,7.68,24.56,7.33
2019Q4,7.41,7.68,24.56,7.33
2020Q1,8.6,6.73,23.05,7.33
2020Q2,5.86,6.73,23.05,7.53
2020Q3,6.15,7.07,24.95,7.53
2020Q4,5.92,7.07,24.95,7.53
2021Q1,6.76,6.24,23.96,7.21
2021Q2,7.57,6.24,23.96,7.21
2021Q3,8.37,7.93,28.23,7.16
2021Q4,9.17,7.93,28.23,7.16
2022Q1,9.82,,,7.16
2022Q2,13.91,,,7.95
2022Q3,15.49,,,9.52

After prices drops in 2020, the price of kerosene recovered to 9.82 €cent/kWh at the start of 2022

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Skip to main content Chat with us! Understanding the factors that affect energy prices is important for Ireland. It helps businesses, householders and policymakers to respond appropriately. Ireland has committed to developing metrics of energy cost competitiveness as outlined in the Government's White Paper on Ireland's Transition to a Low Carbon Energy Future 2015-2030.

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Why Europe’s energy prices are soaring and could get much worse

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A combination of market, geographic, and political factors have coalesced into a perfect storm, threatening to derail the economic recovery and hurt household incomes. #EuropeNews

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Key figures on Europe: Compare your country