Results 3,241-3,260 of 3,484 for speaker:Emer Higgins

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

Emer Higgins: Since the last update provided to the Deputy on 21 March 2024, the General Scheme of the Protection of Employees (Employers' Insolvency) (Amendment) Bill 2024 was approved by Government on 28 May 2024. The Bill will make changes to the Insolvency Payments Scheme. These changes include:expanding access to the Insolvency Payments Scheme to protect employees of employers who cease trading...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Business Supports (24 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 Energy Efficiency Grant. The Energy Efficient Grant (EEG) supports capital investment by businesses to reduce their carbon emissions and overall energy costs by accelerating the adoption of low carbon technologies...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Workplace Relations Commission (25 Sep 2024)

Emer Higgins: The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) is an office under the aegis of my Department and is independent in the exercise of its statutory functions. Given the independence of the WRC I cannot comment on individual cases. Decisions of adjudication officers of the WRC may be appealed by either party to a decision, within 42 days of the decision. In Ireland, robust mechanisms exist for the...

Animal Sentience Bill 2024: First Stage (26 Sep 2024)

Emer Higgins: It is not opposed.

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: EU Directives (1 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: The EU Directive on Platform Work seeks to enable people working though digital labour platforms to have the correct legal employment status that corresponds to their actual working arrangements, enabling them to benefit from any labour rights they are entitled to. The Directive also aims to improve working conditions and regulate the use of algorithms by digital labour platforms. It will...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (1 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: A new quota of 150 General Employment Permits for the role of sea fisher was introduced on 3 July 2024 to address skills shortages in the Irish fishing fleet. The Employment Permits Section of the Department informs me that up to 25th September 2024 there has been one application received in respect of the role of Sea Fisher, received on 27th August. All applications for Employment...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (1 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: As announced by Minister Higgins on 3 July 2024, a quota was extended for Sea Fishers in the Irish fishing fleet, transitioning from the previous Atypical Working Scheme provided by the Department of Justice. I can confirm that under the Employment Permits System, the criteria for the role of Sea Fisher in the Irish fishing fleet differ from what was required under the Atypical Working...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (1 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: The Employment Permits Section of my Department informs me that an application for a General Employment Permit for the person concerned in the details supplied was received on 17th September 2024. On 18th September 2024 the application was formally accepted and placed in the processing queue. Applications for employment permits are dealt with in date order. As of 26th September 2024, the...

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...

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...

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: 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...