Recently I was asked to Chair a Government taskforce on SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises). Running a household can sometimes feel like running a small business and some of the conclusions and actions items coming from the taskforce are very relevant to householders. Plus, many One Big Switch members are sole traders or small business owners so the Report published here  might be of relevance ... read more>

The news cycle this week has been heavily focussed on Brexit, it’s hard to argue there’s a bigger news story than the roll out of the COVID19 vaccine.It’s my view that the European Union and Ireland are struggling to roll out a covid vaccination program. Ireland has vaccinated 4.5% of its population and ranks 30th in the Financial Times ranking for vaccine roll out, far behind the US (13% vacci... read more>

In December 2018 the Right Honourable Priti Patel, now the UK Home Secretary, announced she would be in favour of interrupting food supplies to Ireland if we did not toe the line to avoid a no-deal Brexit. Now, having done our very best to help get a deal in place, it looks like Minister Patel is still getting her way with a swath of interruptions and shortages affecting the Irish consumer. ... read more>

  MONDAY 18 FEBRUARY 2019   2 in 3 IRISH HOUSEHOLDS SUFFERING FROM ENERGY FUEL POVERTY   A survey of 1,500 Irish households has found that 2 in 3 are suffering from energy ‘fuel poverty’. Fuel poverty is universally defined as a household spending over 10% of its income on energy costs.   Exclusive of taxes, Ireland has the second highest electricity prices in the EU[1]. ... read more>

Consumer network One Big Switch has today released a report that finds Irish consumers have felt significant negative impacts as a consequence of the 300,000+ Private Health Insurance policyholders who have left the market since it’s peak in 2008. The report, based on feedback from more than 15,000 consumers, is one of the largest health insurance surveys ever carried out in Ireland. Acco... read more>