Cork Cine Club’s new season of films starts on January 23 at St John’s Central College with a screening of the 2012 French film Rebellion (L’ordre et la morale) directed by Mathieu Kassovitz (La Haine), who also stars in the film.

Members of the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee have criticised two state agency executives who take fees for sitting on the board of the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA).

A State agency due to be scrapped next year has advertised for a new chief executive and tendered for a €360,000 public relations contract.

The independence of the Garda Ombudsman Commission has been called into question at an inquest in Limerick into the deaths of two men who were hit by a car driven by a garda who was going off duty late at night.

CORK Cine Club’s latest programme runs from Oct 11-Dec 13 at its new venue, St John’s Central College in Cork city. With screenings of art house films and documentaries every Thursday night, the season kicks off with Even The Rain, directed by Iciar Bollain. This socially aware film is about a production team in Bolivia making a controversial film about Christopher Columbus. Meanwhile, a local uprising against water rates takes place.

Students preparing for college have been urged to tread carefully in selecting their accommodation and in their financial dealings.

Hard-pressed parents could find themselves having to spend up to €620 for each of their children going back to school next month.

Struggling parents claim they are cutting back on food and household bills to meet the costs of going back to school.

Cash-strapped homeowners can make savings of nearly €400 in home insurance by shopping around.

As thousands of people face into mounting credit card bills, an online guide has been developed to advise people on how best to clear the rising debt.

The National Consumer Agency (NCA) today launched an online guide for consumers who are struggling to clear their credit card debt.

The era of free banking is dead — the head of the Consumers’ Association of Ireland, Dermott Jewell, has said after AIB announced a raft of new charges.

The consumer rights watchdog is urging AIB current account holders to switch banks after the bank announced the end of free banking for the majority of its customers.

Consumer chiefs have criticised plans by Allied Irish Bank (AIB) to charge customers for transactions unless they have €2,500 in their current account.

Quitting cigarettes could result in savings of as much as €9,000 on life insurance, according to a price comparison survey by the National Consumer Agency.

Consumers have been urged to ask GPs for a price list for routine medical treatments.

Eight out of 10 people who have switched product or service provider in the last year have saved money, according to research.

Some solicitors are charging up to six times more than others for the same basic services, a price survey by the National Consumer Agency shows.

Urgent legislation is needed to protect consumers who deal with debt management agencies.

HITTING the gym is not the only New Year’s Resolution preoccupying people this year, as three out of four say they also want to address the fitness of their finances.

Irish people are planning to cut back spending on clothes more than anything else in the coming year, new research shows.

YOUNGER drivers can save more than €1,000 on car insurance by shopping around, according to figures released by the National Consumer Agency (NCA).

MORTGAGE holders can often save almost €200 a month on their repayments by switching lenders.

Retail giant Tesco has been fined €600 in the Dublin District Court after being convicted for misleading pricing.

CONSUMERS need certainty on what’s coming down the track or else they’ll continue to keep their money stashed away.

Nine out of 10 Irish consumers who had cause to complain about a purchase in the past year did so, according to figures released today.

BANKS, insurance and utility companies have agreed to deal sympathetically with customers who have missed payments as a result of the closure of an unregulated firm which consolidated its clients bills and made payments on their behalf for a fee.

The bills of customers of defunct debt-management company Home Payments have been paid up to the end of July, the National Consumer Agency has confirmed.

The National Consumer Agency (NCA) today said customers of Home Payments Ltd. should immediately contact their bank to cancel any direct debits to this company.

THE recession has created a more savvy brand of consumer, where price overrides convenience, household budgeting is more commonplace and where customers are more willing to complain.

SUPERMARKETS are focusing more on matching and not beating their competitors on price.

THE National Consumers Agency has launched a mortgage rate change calculator to help those considering changing their mortgage to a new rate or term, or making a lump sum payment.

ALL dental practices across the country will have to display private fees from June.

THE ESB has come under pressure to reverse its decision to exclude customers in arrears from its latest price reductions after Enterprise Minister Richard Bruton urged the company to have a change of heart.

HOUSEHOLDS thinking of joining, rejoining or reaffirming their allegiance to the ESB have been advised not to rush into it until they consider all their options.

The decision to exclude customers in arrears from new price plans announced today by the ESB has been criticised.

THE National Consumer Agency (NCA) is warning young adults to be scam savvy after research revealed that one-in-five people under 24 will respond when contacted by a scammer online or by telephone.

HOMEOWNERS with tracker mortgages have been advised to hold onto the product and not be convinced by banks to change.

THOUSANDS of angry and concerned VHI members jammed the call centres of health insurance companies and the Health Insurance Authority as they sought information on how to avoid price increases of 15%-45% announced by the VHI on Thursday.

A BABY budget planner for parents-to-be to calculate the cost of an infant’sfirst year has been launched.

CONSUMERS are being advised to shop around for baby care products after a survey revealed price differences of up to 50% between the main supermarket chains.

DESPITE the recession, seven out of 10 people claim they are enjoying their lives as much as ever.