Results 181-200 of 3,488 for speaker:Emer Higgins

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Workplace Relations Commission (23 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: Ireland’s system of industrial relations is essentially voluntary in nature and responsibility for the resolution of industrial disputes between employers and employees’ rests in the first instance with the employer, the employees, and their representatives. For its part, the State provides the industrial relations dispute settlement mechanisms through the Workplace Relations...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Business Supports (23 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: I recognise that businesses operating in the retail and hospitality sectors continue to face higher costs with running their business, that is why I announced the Power Up Grant as part of Budget 2025. The Power Up grant has a budget of €170m. This grant builds on the success of the Increased Cost of Business Scheme which has delivered €244m to date to businesses to 75,000...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Employment Rights (22 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: Public holiday entitlements are set out in Section 21 of the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997. In respect of a public holiday, an employee is entitled to whichever of the following his/her employer determines: a paid day off on that day a paid day off within a month of that day an additional day of annual leave an additional day of pay Under Section 21(4) of the Act, part-time...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Bodies (22 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: The Retail Forum, chaired by my colleague, Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail, Ms Emer Higgins, TD, was established in June 2014 to allow key issues of relevance to the retail sector to be discussed. The Forum supports the identification of practical actions which could be taken by Government, or by industry itself, to support the sector with particular emphasis on...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Business Supports (22 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: The National Digital Strategy, Harnessing Digital, led by the Department of the Taoiseach, sets out this Governments commitment to Digital Transformation. This commitment is reflected in the White Paper on Enterprise which includes Placing Digital Transformation at the Heart of Enterprise Policy as one of the 7 key policy objectives. My Department and our enterprise agencies continue to...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Job Creation (22 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: My Department, in partnership with the enterprise agencies, provides a comprehensive range of supports for job creation and sustainable economic growth in County Kildare. Enterprise Ireland offers financial support and grant aid to high-potential companies in Kildare that demonstrate the capacity for rapid growth and entry into export markets. This support is crucial for stimulating...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Public Sector Staff (22 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: Enterprise Ireland does not employ any forensic accountants.

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Business Supports (22 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: While the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment is not responsible for direct support schemes for people with a disability, the Department is focused on ensuring that supports for entrepreneurs and enterprise are accessible to all, including people with disabilities. Enterprise Ireland continues to invest in additional content available on the eiLearn platform and is working in...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (22 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: The Employment Permits Section of my Department informs me that they have checked the new Employment Permit applications received, and that the Employment Permit application in respect of the person concerned in the details supplied was submitted to them on the 7th of October 2024 and was placed in the processing queue on the 8th of October 2024. All applications for employment permits...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: I thank the committee for the opportunity to present our Department’s Supplementary Estimate to the members of the select committee this evening. As the Cathaoirleach did, I would like to use this opportunity to express the Minister's apologies for not being able to attend the committee today due to a family bereavement and to let him know his is in our thoughts and prayers. I know...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: Yes, the Estimate includes the power up grant. This grant is being provided by the jobs and enterprise programme. The finer details of it are being worked out at the moment. The ambition is that we will have €4,000 straight into the accounts of SMEs in the retail and hospitality sector over the next couple of months between now and the end of this year. That is subject to the same...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: PRSI is a matter for the Department of Social Protection but having said that, this is something which we are working closely with the Department on. Earlier this year, my Department, in collaboration with the Department of Social Protection, produced a report on the increased cost of doing business and PRSI was one of the things that was flagged in that. It is something on which there is...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: They are savings for Enterprise Ireland and IDA. The Enterprise Ireland savings relate to two programmes, namely, the capital investment scheme for agriculture, which is something on which we work in collaboration with the Department of agriculture and the other one is the smart regions funding. I assure everybody we fully intend to fully draw down the EU ERDF funding for that scheme. We...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: Correct.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: It was due to the evaluation of the projects. We had so many applications that the evaluations took a little bit longer than expected.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: The reason for that is it is in areas in which we do not have expertise; for example, in AI and where we want to make sure we are getting the best advice and the best expertise in the development of our offshore wind strategy.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: I agree with the Deputy. It is certainly not going to be a flash in the pan. This is something we have to prepare for, both as a Department and a Government and also as an economy and a society. We have a dedicated unit within Enterprise Ireland that is doing exactly that. It is providing upskilling and investing in it for that exact reason.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: It is also coming from within our Department as well. We are also doing it within the Department. We have worked with the Department of Finance to produce a report on AI and that was also part of what the consultancy fees are for.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: That is no problem at all. We will provide that.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: That is purely pensions. The Department does not pay the staff itself but we pay the pensions and obviously with the public service pay agreement there has been adjustments.