THE GOVERNMENT has held out hope of legislative changes which will ease unwieldy company law requirements for co-operatives.

The number of people signing on the dole fell by 12,800 in the month of October, figures released today by the Central Statistics Office show.

A NATIONAL internship programme could take 20,000 graduates off the dole queues and help slow the level of emigration, the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) has claimed.

FARM business customers must have more options for accessing and restructuring credit than are available.

THE Government is to pump another €37 million into boosting job potential in the so-called ‘smart economy’.

The Government was tonight accused of doing nothing to stem the tide of emigration as unemployment reached a 16-year high.

SMALL and medium companies are predominant in an increased share of funding to industry here in the latest update on disbursement of a €50 billion EU research fund.

ONE of the world’s leading pharmaceutical firms is to create 100 finance jobs over the next 12 months.

INITIAL proposals of a loan guarantee scheme for SMEs are due to be presented to cabinet by Enterprise Minister Batt O’Keeffe before the end of the month.

Almost 90 jobs could be created at a new research hub in Cork, it was revealed today.

CONSUMERS will face higher prices for their everyday shopping basket if the Government presses ahead with its plans for a code of practice for the grocery sector.

Questions have been raised in the business community about the role of Minister Batt O'Keeffe in the revamped Deparment of Enterprise, Trade and Innovation.

OUT with the old and in with the, er, old.

Tánaiste Mary Coughlan has today moved from Enterprise, Trade and Employment to the Department of Education, pending the expected Dáil approval.