The major insurance companies’ refusal to pay legitimate payouts to businesses affected by Covid-19 has been branded as “deeply cynical” and “not acceptable”.

Here is a selection of people who have recently been appointed to interesting new roles.

Law firm Arthur Cox has appointed Carolann Minnock as its first dedicated pro bono associate.

Ulster SFC quarter-final

The Central Bank has spent €119m on professional fees since 2011, including expenditure of €27.55m last year.

The spend by the Central Bank on third-party legal services last year increased by 23% to €3.2m, or a weekly average spend of €61,538.

The Government was yesterday accused of double standards and ‘complete hypocrisy’ in its fight against tobacco after it emerged that the State has multimillion-euro investments in the tobacco industry.

Two ex-gardaí have reportedly claimed they witnessed unauthorised bugging of witnesses’ homes and at other locations as far back as 1992.

The Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources paid €212,873 to consultancy firm Wood Mackenzie to examine the "fitness for purpose" of Ireland’s oil and gas fiscal system.

Legal and consultancy firms were the big winners in the €7.6m paid out last year by the Government’s two finance departments.

Centrica, Britain’s largest household energy supplier, picked Citigroup to advise on a potential bid for the retail unit of State-owned gas company Bord Gáis, said three sources.

One Dublin legal firm last year received fees in excess of €2m from Nama as the bonanza for professional firms from the agency’s work continued.

An auditing firm has received over €18m in fees from Nama as part of a €114.7m bonanza for professional firms, figures reveal.

Minister for Finance Michael Noonan has confirmed that the Central Bank last year paid €29.9m in fees to consultants for their work in the banking crisis.

RYANAIR chief executive Michael O’Leary has criticised the Department of Transport’s choices for new executives at Dublin Airport Authority and Tourism Ireland.

Dublin: Arthur Cox has chosen Brian O’Gorman to be the next managing partner of the firm.

A national internship scheme has been launched to give up to 5,000 unemployed people critical work experience.

ONCE again, a major bank in receipt of taxpayer funding has taken the Government for fools.

THE doctor in charge of the reconfiguration of health services in the south has been asked to explain to a Dáil committee the existence of a “secret” group advising the Health Service Executive (HSE) on the project.

Financical Services Ireland (FSI), the IBEC affiliated group which represents the financial services industry has welcomed the decision by the Minister for Finance Brian Cowen to appoint Pádraig Ó Ríordáin — managing partner at solicitors firm Arthur Cox — to lead the reform of Irish financial law.

THE Dublin Chamber and Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry are leading a joint business mission to Seattle and Vancouver this week to visit Boeing, the University of Washington, Microsoft and the Vancouver Board of Trade.

MILLIONAIRE Michael Flatley is trying to have the luxury hotel next door to his Co Cork mansion wound up in a bid to recover debts he says are owed to him.

AFTER years of hard grafting Cork’s Cathal Lombard has become an overnight success.