Results 4,481-4,500 of 6,437 for speaker:Gerald Nash

Other Questions: National Minimum Wage (20 Jan 2016)

Gerald Nash: The Low Pay Commission was established last year through the National Minimum Wage (Low Pay Commission) Act 2015. Its remit is to make recommendations to me regarding the national minimum hourly rate of pay, ensuring that all decisions are evidence based, fair and sustainable and do not create significant adverse consequences for employment or competitiveness. The Low Pay Commission also...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Zero-hour Contracts (20 Jan 2016)

Gerald Nash: The statement of Government priorities in July 2014 committed to conduct a study on the prevalence of zero-hour contracts among Irish employers and their impact on employees and make policy recommendations to Government on foot of the study. Following a competitive tendering process, a team from the University of Limerick was appointed in February 2015 to carry out a study into the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Zero-hour Contracts (20 Jan 2016)

Gerald Nash: I know that Deputy Murphy has a particular worldview. Regardless of what the CSO might say about the increase in full-time work, the increase in employment generally and the falling numbers of those in underemployment, all of which are welcome, he would always beg to differ with the view of the CSO and the Government. There is of course a challenge for the economy, the Government and...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Employment Rights (20 Jan 2016)

Gerald Nash: Concerns about exploitation of vulnerable migrant workers in this sector are global in nature. In order to address the complex array of issues facing the State in monitoring compliance with workplace legislation in the fishing industry, the Government established a task force on allegations regarding treatment of workers on Irish fishing trawlers, which was chaired by my colleague the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Employment Rights (20 Jan 2016)

Gerald Nash: The scheme will be operated by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Where my interest lies is in terms of the operation of the National Minimum Wage Act. Under the scheme non-EEA workers, having gone through a system and a process in terms of a contract where a fishing vessel licence owner will have to go through a...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Employment Rights (20 Jan 2016)

Gerald Nash: In terms of whether fishing industry representatives have sought additional permits that is not information that I hold. The scheme is operated by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Employment Rights (20 Jan 2016)

Gerald Nash: We are in a much better situation now. I reject any claims that the Government was less than swift to respond to reports as outlined in The Guardian. We acted very quickly to put the new system in place. The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Simon Coveney, and I acted very quickly to put the new system in place to deal with this very difficult situation. It is useful...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Employment Rights (20 Jan 2016)

Gerald Nash: -----channels we have legislated to improve in recent times. The full suite of employment legislation is available to protect people who will be operating this particular scheme.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Company Closures (20 Jan 2016)

Gerald Nash: Elements of existing legislation are currently under scrutiny. As the Deputy will be aware in the context of the review, I commissioned the report which I presented to Cabinet in July. Reference was also made to section 599 in company law and we think this is still relevant and may yet be used to test the law in this case. Last week the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Company Closures (20 Jan 2016)

Gerald Nash: One of the first actions that was taken in the context of the Clerys liquidation was the undertaking of a review by me of the circumstances around it. We were all appalled at the treatment of the Clerys workers and concession holders. We were very focused on the need for the Department of Social Protection, as the main creditor who had to pay out of its insolvency fund for statutory...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Company Closures (20 Jan 2016)

Gerald Nash: I agree that the focus needs to change. The Skillnets programme is operated by a lot of our business representative organisations and I have seen some of the programmes sponsored by, for example, ISME, which work very well for SMEs right across the country in upskilling people who are in employment to make sure we have the appropriate skills for the job and career challenges of the future....

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Living Wage (20 Jan 2016)

Gerald Nash: The Living Wage concept is grounded in the idea that a person’s wage should be sufficient to maintain a safe, decent standard of living. At an individual level the resources required to achieve a minimum essential standard of living is very dependent on family circumstances and thus the interaction of individual earnings with household income and State-provided supports such as Child...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Zero-hour Contracts (20 Jan 2016)

Gerald Nash: The Statement of Government Priorities, July 2014 committed to conduct a study on the prevalence of zero hour contracts among Irish employers and their impact on employees and make policy recommendations to Government on foot of this. The University of Limerick was appointed in February 2015, following a competitive tendering process, to carry out a study into the prevalence of zero hour...

Confidence in Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection: Motion [Private Members] (19 Jan 2016)

Gerald Nash: Correct.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Zero-Hour Contracts: Discussion (19 Jan 2016)

Gerald Nash: The Deputy might ask his fellow Mayo man when he intends to hold the election.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Zero-Hour Contracts: Discussion (19 Jan 2016)

Gerald Nash: I was asked in November to bring recommendations to the Government in a timely fashion. I would like to see proposals brought to the Cabinet in the next few weeks. We are working on them. Submissions were sought and we are in the process of going through them, but many of the detailed submissions are diametrically opposed. Finding the balance will be critical. This is important work, and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Zero-Hour Contracts: Discussion (19 Jan 2016)

Gerald Nash: I thank the Senator for his comments. He comes to the issue with great experience in the marketplace. He is right; it is a very difficult balancing act. Nobody around this table should have any truck with legislating anybody out of a job. Neither should we accept the idea of jobs at any cost. There should be a threshold of decency. Senator Quinn would accept this and the vast majority...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Zero-Hour Contracts: Discussion (19 Jan 2016)

Gerald Nash: I thank the Deputy. I agree. There is a dignity involved in work. It bestows dignity on a person and a family, and it is important we have strong employment protections, which we have always striven to have. The report is important and will feed the process we are engaged in with a view to getting to a better place in which we can balance the needs of business with the requirements of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Zero-Hour Contracts: Discussion (19 Jan 2016)

Gerald Nash: I will respond briefly to Deputy Tóibín's point. He asked what we could introduce before the Dáil is dissolved. This is the first time any Government has expressed any keen interest in this area. It took time to institute a comprehensive study. We are considering the next steps and I am here today to hear the views of committee members in terms of what the they should be. ...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Zero-Hour Contracts: Discussion (19 Jan 2016)

Gerald Nash: As I said in my opening statement, the Government statement of priorities focused exclusively on the area of zero-hour contracts, but zero-hour contracts do not exist in the same way in Ireland as they do in the UK because of a provision of the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997. We want to capture the reality and data, quantitative and qualitative, on low-hour contracts, which we defined...