Results 31,961-31,980 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (17 Sep 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Deputy Collins. I understand it was a requirement under European law that we bring in a penalty points-type system for the enforcement of fishery protection law, so it had to come in sooner or later. I understand that the Taoiseach, in his capacity as Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine for a brief period of time, signed those regulations into law. The procedure, as the...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (17 Sep 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputies. I will be honest with them and say that I am not an expert on the Bill but I understand that there will be a provision in it for community structures in particular. It is very welcome that the Bill is the policing and community safety Bill. For the first time, we are seeing the words "policing" and "community safety" in the title of legislation and that speaks to the...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (17 Sep 2020)

Leo Varadkar: Unfortunately, case numbers are rising daily in most parts of the country, and Louth is one of the counties of concern. It is important that we never read too much into any one day's numbers. We tend to look at seven-day and 14-day averages for very good reasons.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (17 Sep 2020)

Leo Varadkar: With regard to the specific question on Drogheda, I will see the chief executive officer of the HSE tomorrow at the Cabinet Covid sub-committee meeting and I will specifically raise the issue of Drogheda with him, precisely because, as Deputies O'Dowd and Munster have pointed out to me, it is a very large town in a county with a rising incidence. Therefore, having a test centre there would...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (17 Sep 2020)

Leo Varadkar: As I mentioned earlier, in the past couple of days we passed the 1 million mark. One million Covid PCR tests have been carried out in Ireland. That is a considerable achievement. Once again, I express my gratitude to and appreciation for the HSE staff and laboratory staff given the work they have done. We do have mobile testing centres. They can be set up quite quickly. One was set...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (17 Sep 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I am sorry but I do not have information on that.

Sick Leave and Parental Leave (Covid-19) Bill 2020: First Stage (17 Sep 2020)

Leo Varadkar: It is not opposed.

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Trade Union Membership (17 Sep 2020)

Leo Varadkar: At the outset, I must emphasise that Ireland’s system of industrial relations is essentially voluntary in nature and responsibility for the resolution of industrial disputes between employers and workers rests with the employer, the workers and their representatives.  Whilst the right of workers to form associations and join a trade union is enshrined in Article 40 of the...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: IDA Ireland (17 Sep 2020)

Leo Varadkar: County Wexford has witnessed a year on year increase in employment by IDA client companies in the past four years with over 420 net new jobs added since 2016. There are now almost 3,200 people employed across 21 IDA client companies in the County. I am determined, together with IDA Ireland, to increase these numbers further as best we can.   The table below details the number...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Company Liquidations (17 Sep 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I have seen the correspondence referred to.  ICTU has made proposals concerning the treatment of collective agreements when companies are undergoing liquidation.  Minister English responded to ICTU on 10thSeptember welcoming the submission and confirming that the Government is committed to ensuring the proposals are considered. I understand that Minister English invited further...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Ministerial Meetings (17 Sep 2020)

Leo Varadkar: Details of meetings that I or officals in my Department have had with businesses or banking representative organisations since my appointment as Minister are set out in the attached table. It should be noted that officials in my Department would have regular telephone contact with business organisations but only formal meetings are included. ">Meetings

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Microfinance Loan Fund Scheme (17 Sep 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The Microfinance Ireland (MFI) Loan Fund assists businesses with fewer than ten employees.  It provides much-needed funding to help microenterprises meet payments for stock, working capital requirements and other overhead expenses through the provision of low-cost lending facilities. The MFI Covid-19 Loan Scheme assists businesses which have been impacted negatively by Covid-19 and...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Workplace Safety (17 Sep 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The Health and Safety Authority advises that during the years 2011 to 2019 the following numbers of fatalities were reporting involving persons killed while cycling as part of their job. Year Fatalities Reported to HSA involving Cycling for Work 2010 0 2011 1 2012 0 2013 0 ...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: IDA Ireland (22 Sep 2020)

Leo Varadkar: IDA Ireland operate a total of ten offices in Ireland. This number includes their headquarters in Dublin and nine regional offices across the North-East, North-West, Midlands, West, Mid-West and South-West regions. The Agency's regional teams - as well their staff in Dublin and overseas - are working hard to attract further investment to the regions. Those efforts are producing results, with...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (22 Sep 2020)

Leo Varadkar: Since the onset of COVID-19, my Department has worked to ensure that there are appropriate responses is in place to assist businesses that have been impacted by the economic disruptions arising as a result of the pandemic. These responses include information and advisory supports, as well as liquidity supports in the form of grants and loan guarantee schemes. My Department has worked with...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: State Bodies (22 Sep 2020)

Leo Varadkar: A funding allocation of €6.057 million was provided for the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement (ODCE) for 2019. This represented an increase of approximately 20% on the 2018 allocation and remained unchanged for 2020. The estimated full year cost for 2021 if the 2020 funding allocation for the ODCE increased by 33%, (€1.999 million), would be €8.056 million.

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Company Data (22 Sep 2020)

Leo Varadkar: All applications for employment permits are processed in line with the Employment Permits Acts and associated Regulations which lay down in legislation the criteria in relation to the application, grant and refusal of an employment permit. All employment permits are employer and location specific. Where an employer requires an employee to work in more than one location then this should...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Company Liquidations (22 Sep 2020)

Leo Varadkar: Debenhams is a court-supervised liquidation, subject to oversight of the High Court and accordingly is sub judice. Under the Companies Act 2014, I have no power to intervene in a court-supervised liquidation. Similarly, the Government cannot intervene with a liquidator, who has a statutory duty to realise assets and distribute to creditors in accordance with the law and who reports to the...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Work Permits (22 Sep 2020)

Leo Varadkar: In March 2020, the Employment Permits Section of my Department implemented a COVID-19 contingency plan to ensure that the employment permit regime could continue to operate throughout the crisis. Since 30th March, the employment permit system has been operating fully remotely and online. Operational practices have been adjusted to replace the paper-based elements of the service to allow...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Work Permits (22 Sep 2020)

Leo Varadkar: In order to work in the State all non-EEA nationals require a valid employment permit or relevant immigration permission from the Minister for Justice and Equality which allows them to reside and work in the State without the requirement for an employment permit. The Employment Permits Section of my Department inform me that on 4th September 2020 a Critical Skills Employment Permit issued...