Shares in online accommodation booking company Hostelworld plummeted by as much as 11% on a near halving of first half profits and its warning of little or no growth in bookings for the year as a whole.

Deputies at the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) accused Nama of becoming a political tool as it was revealed the latest appointee to the Nama board was a Fine Gael trustee.

Bonus payments to the four executives leading online travel firm hostelworld.com last year totalled almost €400,000, figures show.

Bonus payments to the four executives leading online travel firm hostelworld.com last year increased more than 12-fold to over €600,000, figures show.

SHERRY FITZGERALD is to be taken private in a deal which values the company at €25.8 million — €3.2m less than the company was valued when it floated in April of 1999.