Results 3,221-3,240 of 3,425 for speaker:Emer Higgins

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Business Supports (18 Sep 2024)

Emer Higgins: Enterprise Ireland's Go Global for Growth programme is aimed at companies that are looking to adapt and evolve their businesses to prepare for global growth. It provides training to senior leadership teams to enable them to work collaboratively on the creation of international growth action plans for their companies. The cost of doubling annual expenditure on Go Global for Growth training...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Business Supports (18 Sep 2024)

Emer Higgins: The Government has brought forward a substantial range of measures to reduce costs and enhance support for small businesses. This includes changes to the Local Enterprise Office digitalisation schemes. Digital Start was first introduced in 2022 and is now called Digital for Business. I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the eligibility criteria for the Digital for Business consultancy...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Business Supports (18 Sep 2024)

Emer Higgins: The Government has brought forward a substantial range of measures to reduce costs and enhance supports for small businesses. This includes changes to the Local Enterprise Office digitalisation schemes that were contained in the SME Package that was announced in May of this year. Digital Start was first introduced in 2022 and is now called Digital for Business. As part of the SME...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (18 Sep 2024)

Emer Higgins: Following the recent Review of the Employment Permits Occupation Lists. a number of new quotas were introduced to provide General Employment Permit (GEP) access for certain previously ineligible occupations. The roles of motor/auto mechanics, car mechanics, and HGV/Bus mechanics were among the roles made available for permit under quota. The Employment Permits Section of the Department...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Employment Rights (18 Sep 2024)

Emer Higgins: The Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 (OWTA), which transposes the EU Working Time Directive into Irish Law, sets out minimum rest and maximum working time for employees as well as holidays and other miscellaneous issues. The Defence Forces are currently excluded from the provisions of the OWTA in its entirety. My Department’s objective is to develop the appropriate legislative...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Business Supports (18 Sep 2024)

Emer Higgins: My Department developed the Ukraine Enterprise Crisis Scheme (UECS) which provided funding to assist viable but vulnerable companies of all sizes in the manufacturing and internationally traded services sectors impacted by energy price rises and other direct consequences of the war in Ukraine. Since 2022 the Department has made payments of €9,473,881 to 40 businesses. The Energy...

Companies (Corporate Governance, Enforcement and Regulatory Provisions) Bill 2024: Second Stage (25 Sep 2024)

Emer Higgins: I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." In bringing this Bill before the House, I am standing in for the Minister of State with responsibility for trade promotion, digital and company regulation, Deputy Calleary, who is travelling on official business. Before proceeding, I acknowledge the significant work by those involved, most notably in the past 12 months, to develop the...

Companies (Corporate Governance, Enforcement and Regulatory Provisions) Bill 2024: Second Stage (25 Sep 2024)

Emer Higgins: So will I, as Minister of State.

Companies (Corporate Governance, Enforcement and Regulatory Provisions) Bill 2024: Second Stage (25 Sep 2024)

Emer Higgins: There is not.

Companies (Corporate Governance, Enforcement and Regulatory Provisions) Bill 2024: Second Stage (25 Sep 2024)

Emer Higgins: Perfect.

Companies (Corporate Governance, Enforcement and Regulatory Provisions) Bill 2024: Second Stage (25 Sep 2024)

Emer Higgins: No problem. I will answer them.

Companies (Corporate Governance, Enforcement and Regulatory Provisions) Bill 2024: Second Stage (25 Sep 2024)

Emer Higgins: Me too.

Companies (Corporate Governance, Enforcement and Regulatory Provisions) Bill 2024: Second Stage (25 Sep 2024)

Emer Higgins: No, we did not.

Companies (Corporate Governance, Enforcement and Regulatory Provisions) Bill 2024: Second Stage (25 Sep 2024)

Emer Higgins: The local authority is responsible for the rates.

Companies (Corporate Governance, Enforcement and Regulatory Provisions) Bill 2024: Second Stage (25 Sep 2024)

Emer Higgins: I thank Deputies - for the most part - for their overall support for this Bill and for the comments I have heard this evening, many of which have been very helpful. I thank my officials from the Department who have steered this Bill through pre-legislative scrutiny and in the Chamber today. I wish to respond to some of the comments made. Deputy O’Reilly referred to the need to...

Companies (Corporate Governance, Enforcement and Regulatory Provisions) Bill 2024: Second Stage (25 Sep 2024)

Emer Higgins: I assure Deputies Collins and McGrath-----

Companies (Corporate Governance, Enforcement and Regulatory Provisions) Bill 2024: Second Stage (25 Sep 2024)

Emer Higgins: -----that there will not be any additional costs for SMEs due to the passage of this Bill. I reassure them that, as Minister of State with responsibility for this matter in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, my commitment is to reducing bureaucracy and unnecessary red tape and making it even easier to do business here in Ireland. We heard statistics earlier from a...

Companies (Corporate Governance, Enforcement and Regulatory Provisions) Bill 2024: Referral to Select Committee (25 Sep 2024)

Emer Higgins: I move: That the Bill be referred to the Select Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employment pursuant to Standing Orders 95(3)(a) and 181(1).

Microenterprise Loan Fund (Amendment) Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (25 Sep 2024)

Emer Higgins: That was the easiest thing yet.

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Visa Applications (24 Sep 2024)

Emer Higgins: The Employment Permits Section of the Department informs me that a Critical Skills Employment Permit application for the person concerned in the details supplied was received on the 28th of August 2024 and the application was placed in the processing queue on the 29th of August 2024. On the 2nd September, the Critical Skills Employment Permit application was refused, as the minimum annual...