Results 1,201-1,220 of 9,147 for speaker:Pat Breen

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

Pat Breen: I am committed to bringing forward an appropriate policy response to the University of Limerick (UL) study on Zero Hour Contracts and Low Hour Contracts report for consideration by Government later this year. The study found that zero hour contracts as defined within current Irish employment rights legislation are not extensively used in Ireland. It found low working hours can arise in...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Rights (20 Jul 2016)

Pat Breen: Cases of so called bogus self-employment have serious implications from an employment rights perspective. In this respect it is important that individuals are correctly designated as regards employment status, so that those who ought to be designated as employees are not deprived of employment rights. This is particularly the case for vulnerable workers who may not feel in a position to...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Rights (20 Jul 2016)

Pat Breen: Employers are awarded contracts from the State through what is known as public procurement. There are strict rules governing public procurement, responsibility for which rests with my colleague, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Mr. Pascal Donohoe T.D. I understand from Minister Donohoe that under the current public procurement regime there are standard forms of contract for...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Economic Data (20 Jul 2016)

Pat Breen: I am aware of a Report by Unite the Union which describes Ireland as a low wage economy. The report relies on the Eurostat definition of low pay as ‘earning less than two-thirds of the median wage’. By this measure Ireland has a relatively large proportion of wage earners who would be classified as low paid, ahead of the UK and Portugal. This is confirmed by recent...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Company Closures (20 Jul 2016)

Pat Breen: The closure of Clerys department store and the manner in which Clerys workers lost their jobs was totally unacceptable and should not happen again. A number of actions were initiated as part of the Government’s response to the closure of Clerys. This included the Duffy/Cahill expert examination of legal protections for workers. The Duffy/Cahill report provides a comprehensive...

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

Pat Breen: 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: Workplace Relations Services (20 Jul 2016)

Pat Breen: The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) was established on 1st October 2015 under the Workplace Relations Act 2015, and has responsibility for information provision, workplace advice, mediation, conciliation, adjudication, inspection and enforcement in relation to employment rights, equality and equal status matters and industrial relations. The overall objective of the Workplace...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Equality Issues (20 Jul 2016)

Pat Breen: Women’s participation in the labour force has been on a long-term upward trend in Ireland. For example, the participation rate for women in the prime working-age group – aged 25-54 – rose from 67% in 2003 to 73% in 2015. The upward trend was halted for a period by the sharp recession Ireland experienced between 2008 and 2012, but has resumed in years 2012-2015. Ireland...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Trade Agreements (19 Jul 2016)

Pat Breen: I thank Senator Higgins and welcome her contribution. We should have had a debate on these agreements in recent years. The EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, CETA, is a new-generation agreement that will remove over 99% of tariffs between the EU and Canada. CETA will significantly improve business opportunities for Irish companies in Canada. With CETA, Irish companies...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Trade Agreements (19 Jul 2016)

Pat Breen: We cannot be complacent about trade. We face many challenges in exporting. There are also the international challenges with Brexit, which the Senator mentioned earlier. Negotiating trade agreements takes a long time, they do not happen overnight. We see what is happening with the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, TTIP. I will reiterate what is important here. I do not have...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (19 Jul 2016)

Pat Breen: 423. To ask the Minister for Social Protection when an application will be processed for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22233/16]

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (19 Jul 2016)

Pat Breen: 424. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the status of an application for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22275/16]

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Applications (19 Jul 2016)

Pat Breen: 426. To ask the Minister for Social Protection when a decision will issue to a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22279/16]

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (19 Jul 2016)

Pat Breen: 427. To ask the Minister for Social Protection when an application will be processed for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22284/16]

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (19 Jul 2016)

Pat Breen: 428. To ask the Minister for Social Protection when an application will be processed for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22285/16]

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Status (19 Jul 2016)

Pat Breen: 429. To ask the Minister for Social Protection when an application will be processed for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22286/16]

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Status (19 Jul 2016)

Pat Breen: 432. To ask the Minister for Social Protection when an application will be processed for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22291/16]

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (19 Jul 2016)

Pat Breen: 435. To ask the Minister for Social Protection when a decision will issue to a person (details supplied) under the carer's allowance scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22301/16]

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (19 Jul 2016)

Pat Breen: 436. To ask the Minister for Social Protection when a decision will issue to a person (details supplied) under the carer's allowance scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22302/16]

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Applications (19 Jul 2016)

Pat Breen: 437. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the status of an application for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22321/16]