This Technical Note discusses the findings and recommendations made in the Financial Sector Assessment Program for Ireland’s insurance sector. Insurance in Ireland is well developed, diverse, and has a large international business presence. Insurance penetration in Ireland is almost three times the EU average. Many recommendations have been implemented by the central bank, with Solvency II now the solvency regime in Ireland. In total, 51 Supervisory Review Process guidance papers have been prepared setting out the central bank’s internal supervisory processes and procedures under Solvency II with reference to the technical standards and guidelines and the central bank’s prioritization framework. Forty-seven of these were complete as of the end of 2015.

The Routledge Handbook of the Northern Ireland Conflict and Peace is the first multi-authored volume to specifically address the many facets of the 30-year Northern Ireland conflict, colloquially known as the Troubles, and its subsequent peace process. This volume is rooted in opening space to address controversial subjects, answer key questions, and move beyond reductive analysis that reproduces a simplistic two community theses. The temporal span of individual chapters can reach back to the formation of the state of Northern Ireland, with many starting in the late 1960s, to include a range of individuals, collectives, organisations, understandings, and events, at least up to the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement in 1998. This volume has forefronted creative approaches in understanding conflict and allows for analysis and reflection on conflict and peace to continue through to the present day. With an extensive introduction, preface, and 45 individual chapters, this volume represents an ambitious, expansive, interdisciplinary engagement with the North of Ireland through society, conflict, and peace from a wide range of disciplinary perspectives, theoretical frameworks, and methodological approaches. While allowing for rich historical explorations of high-level politics rooted in state documents and archives, this volume also allows for the intermingling of different sources that highlight the role of personal papers, memory, space, materials, and experience in understanding the complexities of both Northern Ireland as a people, place, and political entity.

Ireland’s Green Opportunity: Driving Investment in a Low-Carbon Economy provides the first-ever overview of the green economy from an Irish perspective. Identifies business opportunities in all the main sub-sectors that comprise the green economy.Looks at export opportunities and trends in the UK, US and other major markets.Is an information source for project promoters, investors and employees.Covers the key policies that are driving the low-carbon agenda. For example, the science, economics and politics of climate change are covered by way of background, as are issues such as sustainability and the EU’s low-carbon strategy. Ireland will be responding to these ‘game changing’ issues over the coming period. Ireland’s Green Opportunity is therefore designed to help stimulate debate about our low-carbon strategy, while raising awareness about the business opportunities that will arise domestically and in export markets. Peer reviewed by eight of Ireland’s leading experts in climate change and the green economy, this groundbreaking book will be of interest to students, businesspeople and policymakers.

Senior managers and Heads of Geological Survey Organizations (GSOs) from around the world have contributed a collection of papers to provide a benchmark on how GSOs are responding to national and international needs in a rapidly changing world. GSOs continue to provide key scientific information about Earth systems, natural hazards and climate change. As countries adopt sustainable development principles and the public increasingly turns to social media to find information about resource and environmental issues, the generation and communication of Earth science knowledge become increasingly important. This volume provides a snapshot of how GSOs are adapting their activities to this changing world. The different national perspectives presented converge around several common themes related to resources, environment and big data. Climate change and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals provide an increased incentive for GSOs of the world to work in harmony, to generate knowledge of Earth systems and to provide solutions for sustainable management of the planet.

This Selected Issues paper examines the competitiveness of the Irish manufacturing sector. The paper highlights that in 2001, production cuts and accelerating wage growth arrested the trend improvement in external competitiveness, but the level remains high. The paper presents some medium-term fiscal scenarios. It discusses indicators of financial system soundness based on official data and publications, as well as discussions with the authorities. The paper also examines indicators on the vulnerability and solvency of the financial system and presents a brief description of supervision arrangements.