Results 221-240 of 3,488 for speaker:Emer Higgins

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Redundancy Payments (15 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: The Redundancy Payments Act 1967, as amended, provides for a minimum statutory lump sum payment to all eligible employees in situations of redundancy. In order to be eligible for a statutory redundancy payment, an employee must have at least two years’ continuous service with an employer, excluding any period of employment with that employer before the age of 16 years, and be in...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (15 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 only submitted to them on the 4th of October 2024 and was placed in the processing queue on the 7th of October 2024. All applications for employment permits...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (15 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: The Employment Permits Section of the Department informs me that as of 09/10/2024 the number Employment Permit applications received in respect of the homecare sector since the scheme opened in January 2023 currently stands at 1149. Of this number, 1073 have been issued, 51 were refused, 7 were withdrawn and 1 is currently being processed. There were also 17 appeals. It is estimated that...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Business Supports (15 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: On the 10th of October 2024, this Department opened the Emergency Humanitarian Support Scheme for small businesses, sports clubs, community and voluntary organisations who are unable to secure flood insurance and have been affected by recent flooding in County Cork. The scheme will go some way in assisting businesses, who through no fault of their own, were unable to secure flood insurance,...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Enterprise Policy (10 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: My Department’s White Paper on Enterprise to 2030 sets out an ambitious vision for Ireland’s enterprise policy, to protect Ireland’s strong economic position. The vision of the White Paper is to enable Irish-based enterprise to succeed through competitive advantage founded on sustainability, innovation and productivity, delivering rewarding jobs and livelihoods. 2023...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Trade Marks (Madrid Protocol) (Amendment) Regulations 2024: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: I am delighted to join members today and I am pleased to present to the committee a draft statutory instrument entitled Trade Marks (Madrid Protocol) (Amendment) Regulations 2024. As the committee will be aware, a trade mark is a sign that distinguishes the goods and services of one business from those of another. The trade mark is a valuable business asset that can attract and retain...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Trade Marks (Madrid Protocol) (Amendment) Regulations 2024: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: That is correct.

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (9 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 only submitted to them on the 1st of October 2024. I am also informed that the payment in respect of this application has not yet been submitted. It is...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: State Bodies (8 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: SOLAS is the state agency responsible for Further Education and Training in Ireland. SOLAS manages a range of Further Education and Training programmes including Apprenticeships, Traineeships, Skills to Advance, eCollege and the European Globalisation Fund. SOLAS also manages the Safe Pass Health and Safety Awareness Training Programme, the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) and...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: State Bodies (8 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: The most recent figures available are for the period 2019-2023. Enterprise Ireland (EI) provided payments to 139 companies in County Wicklow in the five-year period from 2019 to 2023. Total payments to these companies over the relevant period amounts to €15.9 million. Funding provided to EI supported companies and infrastructural clients helps to create quality and sustainable...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Enterprise Support Services (8 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: The Annual Employment Survey is conducted by the Enterprise Ireland LEO Centre of Excellence in Q4 each year and is then reported to my Department the following January. The result of the Employment Surveys refers only to jobs recorded by those businesses that received direct financial grant (Measure 1) assistance from their Local Enterprise Office (LEO) and are included in the LEO Annual...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Enterprise Support Services (8 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: The most recent figures available are from Enterprise Ireland’s 2023 Annual Employment Survey and they present a positive outlook for the Irish economy, particularly in the sectors under its remit. According to the 2023 Survey, there has been a notable increase in employment levels across industrial and service companies. This growth is not just confined to the capital city but is...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Policies (8 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: The Commission on Pensions was established on foot of a 2020 Programme for Government commitment. As part of its work, the Pensions Commission was asked to consider the issue of retirement ages in private employment contracts that are set below the State Pension age. The report of the Commission was published in October 2021. The option of abolishing mandatory retirement ages entirely was...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Redundancy Payments (8 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: The Redundancy Payments Act 1967 sets out the formula for calculating the minimum redundancy payment which must be made to eligible employees when they are made redundant by their employer. This is referred to as “statutory redundancy”, and it is a lump sum payment based on an employee’s pay and length of service. An eligible employee is entitled to two weeks' pay for...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Business Supports (8 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: My Department consults with small businesses on a regular basis and through a variety of existing fora. I am acutely aware of the specific challenges these small businesses face and my Department and this Government have continued to introduce relevant and effective measures to support them. I chair the SME and Entrepreneurship Taskforce, whose membership includes entrepreneurs, business...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Legislative Measures (8 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: Statutory and contractual employment terms apply in relation to the payment of wages. Failure to pay all or part of the wages due to an employee is considered an unlawful deduction and a complaint can be made under the Payment of Wages Act 1991. The Payment of Wages Act 1991 establishes a range of rights for all employees in relation to payment of wages. The Act regulates how wages and...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Budget 2025 (8 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: The funding secured in Budget 2025 for the Local Enterprise Offices will allow the 31 LEOs to continue deliver their mandate, as set out in the LEO Policy Statement, and their critical work in promoting entrepreneurship and start-ups all over the country. This Budget provision will support the wide range of high-quality business and management development programmes available through the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (3 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: My Department has been made aware of the difficulties experienced by employers in the motor industry and has made general employment permit quotas available to address this. Under the review of the occupations lists conducted in 2023, 20 employers and motor industry representatives submitted information on the skills shortages experienced by the sector. These submissions were considered by an...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (2 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: Following discussions between my Department and the Department of Health, with consideration of the findings of a recent strategic review of the sector, I approved the extension of the quota of General Employment Permits for the role of Care Worker/Home Carer by 500. The change was effective from Monday 2nd September. The extension of the quota coincides with the commencement of the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Expenditure (2 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: I understand that the Deputy has clarified that she is referring to a grant provided by Enterprise Ireland under the Environmental Aid scheme to an individual company. My Department, through Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland, provides environmental aid funding to support companies to make the significant investments that are necessary to achieve the industrial decarbonisation targets...