Results 33,301-33,320 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (21 Jan 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputies for raising this important issue. I will seek a reply from the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine for them. If they have evidence of meat factories behaving as cartels, which, of course, is against the law, I would encourage them to contact the consumer and competition authority about that with the information they have.

Health (Amendment) (Dual Diagnosis: No Wrong Door) Bill 2021: First Stage (21 Jan 2021)

Leo Varadkar: No.

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Redundancy Payments (21 Jan 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The Redundancy Payments Act 1967 (as amended) outlines the rights and obligations of employers and employees in relation to statutory redundancy entitlements. Section 12A of the Act is the Covid-19 emergency provision which 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. The...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: IDA Ireland (21 Jan 2021)

Leo Varadkar: IDA Ireland owns approximately 10.6 hectares of industrial zoned land on the Sligo Road in Quignashee, Ballina. The site has been concept master planned by the Agency in order to demonstrate its potential to investors. Planning permission was previously obtained for infrastructural development, although this has since expired. The IDA continues to market the site to existing and prospective...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Company Registration (21 Jan 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The Registrar of Companies is a statutory role and the Registrar has administrative independence in the exercise of this function. The filing of annual returns by a company with the Registrar is a matter of law in accordance with Chapter 13 of Part 6 of the Companies Act 2014. Section 343 of the Act places the responsibility on every company to deliver its annual return to the Registrar of...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland (21 Jan 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The SBCI COVID-19 Working Capital Scheme makes lending available to eligible businesses that have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak. Loans under the scheme range from €25,000 to €1.5 million and are for terms of up to three years and are offered at favourable terms. For example, the maximum interest rate on loans under the scheme is 4% and there is no...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (21 Jan 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The issue of commercial rents is primarily a contractual matter for the parties involved, and as such, I cannot advise or on an individual case. The Government has urged landlords and tenants to talk to one another and come to some arrangement, as it is in everybody’s interest that terms are amicably agreed. With this in mind, on 1st October 2020, I published the Code of Conduct...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (21 Jan 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I am aware that there are a range of businesses which are not eligible for the COVID Restrictions Support Scheme (CRSS). My understanding is that the design of the scheme is such that eligibility is dependent on the level of public health restrictions in place in the business’s local area and the extent to which customer access is restricted from the business premises during that...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Legislative Measures (21 Jan 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Government policy on Human Rights is led by my colleague the Minister for Foreign Affairs whose Department chairs the Inter-Departmental Committee on Human Rights. The recent report referred to by the Deputy will be considered by officials, along with other proposals from civil society and interested parties, and feed into overall government consideration of this matter.

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Brexit Issues (21 Jan 2021)

Leo Varadkar: As the UK has also left the Single Market and Customs Union, 1 January saw the introduction of a range of customs and regulatory controls at EU and UK ports. The data required from small businesses importing goods from the UK are needed by Revenue and other public bodies. These are operational matters for those bodies and my Department has no function in this regard.

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Company Registration (21 Jan 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The Registrar of Companies is a statutory role and the Registrar has administrative independence in the exercise of this function. A major upgrade of the CRO IT system went live with effect from 16th December 2020. This was a significant modernisation project which greatly increases the range of documents that can be filed electronically, with resulting efficiency gains for both business...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (21 Jan 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I am keenly aware that businesses are continuing to make massive sacrifices to protect their communities and I am committed to ensuring that the Government will offer as much assistance and support as possible. My Department has worked to ensure that appropriate supports are in place for businesses that require finance as they develop their response to their exposure to impacts arising from...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic (21 Jan 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Under Level 5 of the Plan for Living with COVID-19, only essential retail outlets will remain open. Further information can be found on . The decision to move to full scale Level 5 was not taken lightly and all factors were considered. The restrictions are in place for a period of at least one month from 31 December 2020. S.I. No. 701 of 2020 Health Act 1947 (Section 31A - Temporary...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Remote Working (21 Jan 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The Government advice is clear. We are currently at Level 5 of the Government’s Living with COVID-19 Plan and within Level 5 people should work from home unless it is absolutely necessary to attend in person for the delivery of an essential service as listed on www.gov.ie. The Health and Safety Authority has produced detailed guidance for both employers and employees in relation to...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Covid-19 Pandemic (27 Jan 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The Government’s Living with COVID-19 Plan sets out how businesses should operate at five different levels. The Country is, at present, at Level 5 and within Level 5 people should work from home unless it is absolutely necessary to attend in person for the delivery of an essential service as listed on www.gov.ie. I would stress, however, that, at this particular critical juncture,...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Trade Policy (27 Jan 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I believe the Deputy's question relates to the application and operation of the European Union's Safeguard Measures on steel, which have been in operation since July 2018. As the Deputy will be aware, trade policy is a competence of the European Commission under Article 207 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and referred to as the Common Commercial Policy....

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Health and Safety Inspections (27 Jan 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Between the 1st January 2020 and the 31st Dec 2020, the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) has carried out 3,641 inspections as well as 355 investigations in the construction sector. While carrying out an inspection, the HSA inspector will examine the different work activities being carried out on the site along with the examination of operator training and maintenance of plant and lifting...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Enterprise Support Services (27 Jan 2021)

Leo Varadkar: My Department has invested in the development of enterprise/co-working hubs in every region. Under the Regional Enterprise Development Fund, the Border Enterprise Development Fund, the Community Enterprise Centre Scheme, and the Community Enterprise Initiative Scheme, Enterprise Ireland has invested over €180 million in these infrastructures. Based on Enterprise Ireland’s...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: IDA Ireland (27 Jan 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The Fermoy Business Park is maintained as part of IDA Ireland’s property portfolio and is available to accommodate investment and development by IDA and indigenous industries. The site is marketed to suitable qualifying client companies and is serviced to accommodate both manufacturing and office-based industries as required. The site offers flexibility in terms of layout and...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Enterprise Support Services (27 Jan 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) programme enables public sector bodies to connect with small businesses to provide innovative solutions to societal problems. SBIR falls under pre-commercial procurement and enables public bodies to purchase research to stimulate innovation, when goods or services are currently not available in the marketplace. It is managed by Enterprise Ireland...