Irish Times Inside Business

In a letter to The Irish Times, Clément Beaune, the French minister for European affairs, has appealed to the Irish people to reconsider their opposition to a global minimum corporate tax rate. This plea followed on from Ireland’s rejection of a draft agreement on international tax reform from the OECD. Cliff Taylor and Lara Marlowe join Ciaran to discuss the debate around corporate tax.

Plus, Eoin Burke Kennedy on the flawed Irish housing market.

Now that the Government has postponed the resumption of indoor dining, the hospitality sector faces an uncertain summer. In this episode, Ciarán talks to Galway restaurateur and owner of the Michelin starred Aniar restaurant, JP McMahon, about what the delay will mean for his business now and into the future. They’re joined by The Irish Times business affairs correspondent Mark Paul.

Cliff Taylor of the Irish Times and Sebastian Barnes, Chair of the Independent Fiscal Advisory Council join Ciaran Hancock to discuss the ambitious spending proposals made by Tánaiste Leo Varadkar at the Fine Gael Ard Fheis last week, including the planned building of 40,000 houses per year and retaining current levels of health spend. But where will the money come from and how realistic are the budgetary plans?

Later on, Stephen Kelly of Manufacturers NI joins Ciaran and Cliff to talk about the accelerated trade between the Republic and Northern Ireland as a result of Brexit and the thorny issues surrounding the Protocol.

Cliff Taylor talks to Irish Times business reporter Barry O’Halloran and director of Shannon Chamber and former CEO of Shannon Development Kevin Thompstone about the closure of Stobart Air and the outlook for Irish aviation and regional connectivity. Thompstone also details the business case put forward to Government, which sets out the urgent need for a multi-annual, fully funded regional air access recovery and growth action plan for the struggling sector.

The decision by G7 finance ministers last weekend to back a major package of global corporate tax reform is significant, making agreement at the OECD on this issue look likely. It will also pose significant questions for Ireland, particularly in relation to the agreed 15% global corporate tax rate. Laura Slattery talks to Cliff Taylor about how such a move would affect Ireland's ability to attract investment in the future. Plus: Irish Times Europe correspondent Naomi O'Leary on the reaction of EU leaders to the G7 agreement.

Sinead Lambert, owner of Sol Rio restaurant in Westport, Co. Mayo, joins Ciaran to discuss her reopening plans for the summer ahead and the mysterious shortage of staff for key positions in the hospitality trade.

Plus: Cliff Taylor on the Government's €3.5bn stimulus plan and reforms of the Local Property Tax.

Ciaran talks to Fáilte Ireland CEO Paul Kelly and to president of the Irish Hotels Federation and director of Fitzgeralds Woodlands House Hotel and Spa in Adare Co. Limerick, Elaina Fitzgerald Kane, about the next round of reopening the country's tourism sector from 2nd June, when hotels can welcome guests once again.

The true scale of the ransomware attack on the HSE by the cybercriminals known as Wizard Spider is not yet clear, but the task of rebuilding the executive's computer systems is likely to take weeks. In today's podcast, Ciarán talks to Conor Scolard, technical director of Ekco Ireland, about how exposed Irish companies are to such attacks and what can be done to militate against them. Also in this episode, The Irish Times technology reporter Ciara O'Brien has the latest on the HSE cyberattack.

Bold action is needed by governments, business and investors around the world in order to tackle climate change. On today’s show we look at some of the big challenges to this, ahead of the Dublin Climate Dialogues conference next week. The initiative brings together big names including United States Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, climate activist Mary Robinson and Dr Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency, to forge an agreement to move beyond ambition and enact meaningful commitments to achieve a transition to net-zero global emissions by 2050 at the critical UN COP26 in November. Cliff Taylor talks to former president of the European Parliament Pat Cox, who is chair of the Dublin Climate Dialogues, and Mike Hayes, Global Lead on Renewables and Decarbonisation at KPMG.

Eoin Burke Kennedy from the Irish Times and DCU Professor John Doyle join Ciaran Hancock to discuss the potential economic impact of Irish reunification.