The week that was

MONDAY

NEW mothers and fathers will each get two extra weeks off work to spend with their baby as part of reforms in Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe’s (above) Budget 2019.

The extra parental leave, which will be paid for the first time, is expected to run along the same lines as maternity benefit, which is a State payment of €235 a week.

TUESDAY

BREXIT could push at-risk Irish farms closer to the point of collapse, the Central Bank has warned.

In economic analysis issued as the Ploughing Championships began in Tullamore, it said that risks such as Brexit could “expose the existing viability challenges facing some Irish farmers”.

The analysis highlighted the reliance on the UK market, with just over 40pc of the agri-food exports going there.

It added that the beef sector “appears particularly vulnerable to a Brexit shock”.

The deputy governor of the Central Bank, Sharon Donnery (above), said that there are specific challenges facing farmers.

WEDNESDAY

THE Government is facing the threat of European countries demanding concessions on our tax regime in exchange for support in the Brexit Border battle.

A renowned global news agency has said that some member states may press Ireland to drop its opposition to wide-ranging corporation tax reform in return for such backing.

THURSDAY

A WOMAN who was killed after her caravan was blown into the sea on Wednesday had just arrived in Clifden, Co Galway, the day before the tragic incident.

The tourist, named locally as Elvira Ferraii from Switzerland, was one of two people killed as Storm Ali wreaked havoc across Ireland.

A man in his 20s was killed in Co Down.

FRIDAY

FINANCE Minister Paschal Donohoe plans to slash income taxes for middle-income earners as part of an attempt to lure UK workers to Ireland after Brexit.

In a significant pre-Budget speech, Mr Donohoe said the Government would dramatically increase the cut-off point of the standard rate of tax to ensure Ireland could compete with Britain.