Year: 2012

Prospects for the agri-food sector in 2012

Teagasc economists have just released their Situation and Outlook Report for the Irish primary agriculture sector for 2012 (proceedings here and presentations here). In 2011 there was a significant and welcome recovery in farm incomes (up 33% over 2010) although this was entirely due to higher prices and higher subsidies – the volume of agricultural output (at basic prices) remained unchanged despite slightly higher volume consumption of intermediate inputs.

The Teagasc view is that the value of gross output in agriculture will fall back slightly in 2012, due to a combination of lower production in some sectors and lower prices in others. There will be some savings on input costs, but lower subsidies in 2012 (due to a carryover of payments in 2011) means that operating surplus in agriculture is expected to fall by 12%.

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Job Opportunity – PublicPolicy.ie

PublicPolicy.ie

Job Description –  Senior Researcher

PublicPolicy.ie is a new independent Centre supported by Atlantic Philanthropies.  Its purpose is to carry out and support independent research to inform fiscal policy choices in the Republic of Ireland, communicate the results effectively and stimulate constructive discussion amongst policy-makers, civil society and the general public.   We currently have an exciting opportunity for a Senior Researcher to join the organisation at this early stage and to play a pivotal research role within the organisation.

Role Purpose : The Senior Researcher will be responsible for ensuring that ‘PublicPolicy.ie’, its staff and its various working groups and initiatives are provided with the research and information required to carry out their work effectively.

Key responsibilities

· Carry out research on designated subjects

· Produce policy briefs, conference and seminar papers on research carried out

· Keep abreast of research findings and key developments in the area of fiscal policy

· Support working groups and members’ access to information on aspects of fiscal policy

· Provide support to interns on allocated projects

· Provide support on other assigned tasks as required

Role Requirements

We seek applications from people of talent and commitment to help lead the research function. The ideal candidate will have the following qualifications, skills, abilities and experience;

· A post-graduate qualification in a relevant discipline (e.g. economics)

· A proven track record in leading public policy research & analysis

· A deep understanding of how the public policy process functions

· Excellent oral and written communications skills

· An ability to communicate to a variety of audiences using a variety of media

· An ability to work independently and as part of a team

· IT Skills

This is a fixed term contract to October 2013, which may be extended for a further period. To apply for this role, please email your Curriculum Vitae and covering letter to Donal de Buitleir (ddebuitleir at eircom.net) by 1st February 2012. For further information see this article.

Manifesto Memories

The Irish Times reports

NEARLY 50 hospital consultants and almost 1,000 nurses of different grades are set to leave the health service before new pension changes come into effect at the end of February, the first official figures show.

and

In other parts of the public service about 1,130 staff in the education sector are understood to have applied to leave

This brings back memories (misty water-coloured memories) of pre-election promises

Additional Reduction in Back-Office Public Sector Numbers: As set out in our Reinventing Government plan, Fine Gael will reduce the size of the public service by 10% – just over 30,000 – without undermining key front-line services in health, policing and education, through over 105 reforms to cut back-office bureaucracy and delivery improved value for money. This means that Fine Gael will reduce back-office administrative positions in the public service by an additional 18,000 over and above the 12,000 reduction partners to seek further efficiencies in work practices

I guess these are back-office consultants, nurses and teachers.

Whelan: Time for a deal with Super Mario

Today’s developments that Minister Noonan hopes to see parts of the Anglo debt reduced are most welcome. From an Irish Times report:

On the Anglo debts, Mr Noonan said troika officials were preparing a joint technical paper, drawing on Irish suggestions, to reduce the overall burden involved in repaying the principal of the €31 billion promissory note.

This loan arrangement predates the EU-IMF programme and was agreed to fund an effectively insolvent Anglo Irish Bank but is seen by the Government as too expensive.

“We think there’s a less expensive way of doing it by financial engineering, and we’re not talking about private-sector involvement or restructuring,” said Mr Noonan in Berlin.

Writing in the latest issue of Business and Finance, Karl makes a similar point. Read the entire piece, especially a precise description of what promissory notes are and how they work, but this quote struck me as important.

It is true that the Irish taxpayer has taken on far too big a burden in ensuring that bondholders at Anglo and INBS were repaid. But quibbling about bondholders misses the elephant in the room. It is the huge burden of repaying ELA, not bondholders, that is going to bleed the taxpayer dry for the next twenty years.

It is time for the Irish government to declare that it has no intention of putting €3.1 billion towards repaying ELA in March and that it has arranged an agreement in principle with the Central Bank of Ireland that the state will repay this debt when it has fully recovered from its current crisis.

If my understanding of the legal situation is correct, then Patrick Honohan would only require the support of seven other members of the ECB Governing Council to proceed with this plan. This could easily be achieved with the support of Mario Draghi. Ireland has borne a heavy burden in the name of European financial stability. It’s time for a quid pro quo from super Mario.

Statements on the Troika Review Mission to Ireland

The Troika statement is here.

The Department of Finance’s statement is here.