Full coverage: Public-private partnerships

National Broadband Ireland and the government have decided to lift the veil of secrecy surrounding the rural connectivity plan, answering The Currency’s questions last week. Rules applicable to listed companies could helpfully replace such ad-hoc disclosures on public-private partnerships.

DirectRoute lost €8.4m in toll revenue from Cork and Limerick motorways last year as travel restrictions hit traffic. Taxpayers have covered more than half of it for the benefit of its overseas investors.

As Irish motorists desert toll plazas under a new lockdown, analysis of traffic data for 2020 shows the sector’s revenue collapsed. An investigation of the past decade's figures across 10 tolled roads shows this is bad news for the state.