Former Minister for Agriculture Ivan Yates caused many a head to nod in agreement when, during a recent address to the annual lunch of the Dublin Greyhound Track Bookmakers, he commented that the first priority for Greyhound and Horse Racing folk should be to have the respective industries returned under the umbrella of the Department of Agriculture.

IRISH-managed pension funds are up 15.5% since March, thanks to a positive market performance in eight of the last nine months.

IRISH pension funds finally saw an upturn in fortunes in the second quarter of the year, by showing combined returns of 11.4% — between €5 billion and €6bn — according to latest figures.

THE Government’s decision to use the National Pension Reserve Fund to recapitalise the banks has been severely criticised by the OECD.

PENSION holders on defined contribution (DC) schemes could be missing out on significant amounts of retirement income.

THE fall in global asset values have wiped billions off the value of Irish pensions this year.

AS THE Government tries to entice trade unions back into pay talks, the country’s biggest craft union has instructed its members to start seeking the biggest pay claim to date.

A report on directors’ pay at companies listed on the Irish Stock Exchange has found an average basic pay rise of 12% last year.

THE country’s largest trade union, SIPTU yesterday revealed it had served claims on up to 15 national companies, and dozens more on employers at local level, seeking cost of living pay increases, or above, where it feels that companies can afford to pay extra.

Wimbledon champion Roger Federer has cruised through to the semi finals of the Montreal Masters with a straight sets victory over Leyton Hewitt.

PENSION fund managers had a strong third quarter with the average fund growing by 5.6%, according to industry figures published yesterday.

SALARY levels in information technology (IT) and teleco sectors have fallen by up to 50%, a wages survey has found.