Results 32,661-32,680 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (17 Nov 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The Restart Grant scheme was launched on 15 May with a budget of €250 million. The Restart Plus scheme was launched on 10 August with an additional budget of €300m from the Government’s July Jobs Stimulus as a result of the increasing demand for the scheme. The purpose of the scheme was to help with the cost of reopening or adapting business premises so that...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Enterprise Support Services (17 Nov 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The 31 Local Enterprise Offices nationwide are a ‘first-stop-shop’ for providing advice and guidance, financial assistance and other supports to those wishing to start or grow their own business and act as a ‘signposting’ service for all government supports available to the SME sector. The Local Enterprise Offices can offer direct grant aid to microenterprises (up...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (17 Nov 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The Restart Grant scheme was launched on 15 May with a budget of €250 million. The Restart Grant Plus scheme was launched on 10 August with an additional budget of €300m from the Government’s July Jobs Stimulus as a result of the increasing demand for the scheme. The Restart Plus scheme closed as of 31 October and has effectively been superseded as part of Budget 2021...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Domestic Violence Services (17 Nov 2020)

Leo Varadkar: My Department does not provide any funding towards any element of domestic violence services.

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (17 Nov 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The Restart Grant scheme was launched on 15 May with a budget of €250 million. The Restart Plus scheme was launched on 10 August with an additional budget of €300m from the Government’s July Jobs Stimulus as a result of the increasing demand for the scheme. The purpose of the scheme is to help with the cost of reopening or adapting business premises so that normal...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Retail Sector (17 Nov 2020)

Leo Varadkar: In reference to the first part of the question, the Deputy is aware that the European Commission launched two antitrust cases against Amazon and its logistics and delivery services earlier this month under article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU) on “abuse of dominant position”. The Commission has informed Amazon of its preliminary view that it has breached...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Data Centres (17 Nov 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment does not collect or store the type of detailed information requested but the Deputy may wish to follow this up with the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications. There may be some scope for different definitions of what could be considered a data centre or multiple data 'halls' on particular sites might be counted. Nonetheless,...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Trade Missions (17 Nov 2020)

Leo Varadkar: Enterprise Ireland is the Government agency responsible for the development and internationalisation of Irish enterprises. Each year, Enterprise Ireland, in consultation with my Department and with other agencies, as appropriate, organises a programme of overseas Ministerial led trade missions focussed on assisting Irish firms target and secure international contracts and overseas partners....

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Departmental Budgets (17 Nov 2020)

Leo Varadkar: In my Department, contingent liability arises from the Credit Guarantee Scheme (CGS) and the COVID-19 Credit Guarantee Scheme (CCGS). Both are underpinned by the Credit Guarantee Act 2012. These are important loan schemes which remove the requirement of collateral for businesses in loans which can be used for liquidity and investment purposes. The CGS has operated since 2012 with...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Enterprise Support Services (17 Nov 2020)

Leo Varadkar: Enterprise Ireland has been engaging with the company in question since 2016, and to date, the agency has paid the company €65,350 in financial support. As part of this engagement the company was also successful in its application for Competitive Start Funding from Enterprise Ireland. Under the Competitive Start Fund, the company received a €50,000 equity investment which is...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic (17 Nov 2020)

Leo Varadkar: Under Level 5 of the Plan for Living with COVID-19, only essential retail outlets will remain open. S.I. No. 448 of 2020 Health Act 1947 (Section 31A - Temporary Restrictions) (COVID-19) (No. 8) Regulations 2020 clearly sets out the temporary restrictions under Level 5 of the Resilience and Recovery 2020-2021: Plan for Living with COVID. A list of essential services can be found at and the...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (17 Nov 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I understand this is a difficult time for many businesses, including commercial landlords, and that many companies have had to close their businesses or curtail their activities due to COVID-19 restrictions. I am aware that these closures can have secondary effects impacting landlords and I recognise that many landlords have debt repayment obligations as well as other ongoing costs. ...

Working from Home (Covid-19) Bill 2020: Second Stage [Private Members] (18 Nov 2020)

Leo Varadkar: Gabhaim buíochas leis an Leas-Cheann Comhairle agus leis na Teachtaí. I welcome the opportunity to discuss this important issue and I thank the Labour Party for using its time to discuss it today. The Government wants remote working, homeworking and blended working to become part of the new normal based primarily on choice. If done right the benefits will be significant in...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Copyright Infringement (18 Nov 2020)

Leo Varadkar: In general, the playing of music in public places is an act governed by copyright law.  The Copyright and Related Rights Act, 2000 (the CRRA) gives the owners of copyright works, which includes musical works, certain rights over the use of their works.  The legislation provides that users of musical works (such as broadcasters, owners of licensed premises, retails outlets and other...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (18 Nov 2020)

Leo Varadkar: In March 2020 the Government introduced an emergency amendment to the Redundancy Payments Act 1967 which effectively suspends an employee’s entitlement to claim redundancy from their employer following certain periods of lay-off or short-time work due to Covid-19 during the emergency period.  The Government was concerned that the financial impact of significant redundancy...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: IDA Ireland (18 Nov 2020)

Leo Varadkar: When it comes to foreign direct investment (FDI), site visits represent a valuable tool through which investors can be encouraged to invest in regional areas. However, site visit activity does not necessarily reflect investment potential, as a significant percentage of all new FDI comes from existing IDA client companies. COVID-19 has presented undeniable challenges to our ongoing efforts to...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Brexit Issues (18 Nov 2020)

Leo Varadkar: Since the outcome of the UK referendum in 2016 confirming the UK’s intention to leave the European Union, the Government has, while fully respecting that decision, acknowledged that it is regrettable.  Whatever the outcome of the ongoing future partnership negotiations between the EU and the UK, we are preparing for the fact that the UK will leave the Single Market and the...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Labour Court (18 Nov 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I understand that the Labour Court on 14 October 2020 received proposals from the Security Industry Joint Labour Committee (JLC) for the adoption of proposals to amend S.I. 231 of 2017 Employment Regulation Order (Security Industry Joint Labour Committee) 2017.     Having examined the proposals and the report of the Chairman of the JLC submitted in accordance with the...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Labour Court (18 Nov 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The Chairman of the Labour Court wrote to me on the 4 November 2020 confirming that the Court has adopted proposals for an employment regulation order ('ERO') in the contract cleaning sector. Accordingly, I have received draft recommendations and a statutory report supporting the legal basis for the ERO. I am giving the matter due consideration.  I understand that a draft ERO...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (18 Nov 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 39 and 40 together. Budget 2021 provides a significant package of tax and expenditure measures to build the resilience of the economy and to help vulnerable but viable businesses across all sectors including a new payment structure for the PUP and amendments to the EWSS. We are providing more and cheaper loan finance through MicroFinance Ireland, SBCI and the...