September coverage

Bank Holidays

• The Irish Times | 28th September Neil McDonnell, chief executive of the Irish SME association, which represents small and medium-sized businesses, said it would be “far more preferable” if the Government decided an extra public holiday is justified on an ongoing basis rather than “what strikes people as gesture politics”. Read more
• Joe.ie | 27th September ISME chief executive Neil McDonnell told RTÉ’s Today With Claire Byrne programme that there is “a whiff of 2006” off of the idea, adding that it sends the message to “let’s all keep spending money”. McDonnell also said that the proposed new bank holiday is to be introduced, it needs to be in line with the rest of the European Union. Read here 
• RTE | 24th September  The chief executive of small firms group ISME said that granting an additional bank holiday next year must be done for “intelligent, justifiable reasons” and not because we have just come through a pandemic. Read here

Pensions

• Irish Independent | 20th September ISME chief executive Neil McDonnell said the “subject of pensions” tended to “discourage even the most ardent of savers”. However, he said pensions were “extremely important” to discuss because a worker’s pension was the second-largest asset they have after their home. Read here
• Irish Examiner | 20th September As the Government puts the finishing touches to Budget 2022 ISME said that its members, along with private-sector workers and the self-employed, will play their part in pensions reform, but only if they are treated ‘equitably’ Read here

Economic