Refugee accommodation
Micheál Martin has said the UK government’s Rwanda scheme may have resulted in an increase in international protection applicants in the Republic.
The Taoiseach made the comments after it emerged on Wednesday night that Ireland had a “severe shortage” of State accommodation for Ukrainian refugees.
Speaking from Government Buildings on Thursday, Mr Martin said that of those at the reception centre for Ukrainians at Citywest in Dublin, 70 per cent are now international protection applicants.
Inflation
Inflation hit 9.1 per cent in the year to June 2022, as the Central Statistics Office (CSO) confirmed consumer prices saw the largest increase since the 1980s.
The CSO’s Consumer Price Index soared to a 38-year high in June, recording its largest annual increase since 1984 when annual inflation stood at 9.7 per cent.
Up from an annual increase of 7.8 per cent in the year to May 2022, the main drivers of the inflated cost of living are housing, energy and transport prices.
Euro zone outlook
Meanwhile, the European Commission has cut its forecasts for economic growth in the wider euro zone for this year and next and revised up its estimates for inflation largely due to the impact of the war in Ukraine.
In its quarterly forecasts, Brussels confirmed its more downbeat outlook, which it had already discussed with euro zone finance ministers on Monday.
The EU executive now predicts growth of 2.6 per cent this year for the 19-country currency bloc, slightly less than the 2.7 per cent it had forecast in May.
Latest polls
Support for the Coalition Government has slumped in recent months, according to the latest Irish Times/Ipsos Mori poll.
Support for Fine Gael has dropped to its lowest level since the Ipsos poll began in 1994, with the party dropping to 18 per cent. Fianna Fáil has slipped to 20 per cent support.
Confidence in Sinn Féin has increased again and support for the party stood at 36 per cent, its highest level yet.
