Results 3,321-3,340 of 3,425 for speaker:Emer Higgins

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Social Enterprise Sector (24 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: Social Enterprises are an important and growing part of Ireland’s entrepreneurship ecosystem, creating jobs and stimulating local economic activity and are recognised as an integral part of Ireland’s broad enterprise policy landscape. My colleague Minister Humphreys launched Trading for Impact 2024-2027 - Ireland's National Social Enterprise Policy, last July, to build on...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Wage-setting Mechanisms (24 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: The National Minimum Wage Acts allow for lower, or sub-minimum rates of the minimum wage for those employees aged under 20. The rates that can apply are as follows: for those aged 19, 90% of the prevailing rate, for those aged 18 it is 80% and for those aged 17 and under it is 70%. As the Deputy is aware, in 2022, the then Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: EU Directives (24 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: The Organisation of Working Time Act 1997, 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 Act in its entirety. The Department of Defence holds policy and budgetary responsibility for this...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Enterprise Support Services (24 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: The Smart Regions Enterprise Innovation Scheme was launched in October 2023. In total, the Scheme offers up to €145 million in funding across four distinct streams, supporting activities and projects based on a triple helix partnership model of collaboration between academia, industry and Government. The Scheme includes a funding stream for capital infrastructure to support new...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Small and Medium Enterprises (24 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: My Department, through the Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs), provides supports to small businesses to enhance their productivity and improve their competitiveness, as well as assisting businesses in addressing the challenges of doing business. The LEOs' range of competitiveness and productivity supports are designed to help businesses address some of their most challenging issues –...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Employment Rights (24 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: In line with the requirements of Section 6 of the Sick Leave Act 2022, to inform my decision in respect of the next phase in the roll-out of the statutory sick leave (SSL) scheme, research is being conducted by my Department on the impact of statutory sick leave to date. Officials in my Department worked with the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) on the first phase of this...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Film Industry (24 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: Officials from my Department have previously engaged with officials from the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media as the Department with policy responsibility for the film and audiovisual industry in Ireland. I have responsibility for a robust suite of employment rights legislation which protects all workers, including those employed in the film and audiovisual...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Enterprise Support Services (24 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: Regional development is a key element of Government's enterprise policy, as set out in the White Paper on Enterprise and a particular area of focus in the work of my Department and that of its enterprise agencies. The latest employment survey results from Enterprise Ireland present a positive outlook for the Irish economy, particularly in the sectors under its remit. According to the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (24 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: The Employment Permits Section of my Department informs me that the employment permit application in respect of the person concerned in the details supplied was submitted to them on the 17th of September 2024 and was placed in the processing queue on the 18th of September 2024. All applications for employment permits are dealt with in date order. As of Monday the 21st of October 2024, the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Health and Safety (24 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: I propose to take Questions Nos. 151 and 152 together. The Health and Safety Authority, acting as the Central Competent Authority under the Chemicals Act (Control of Major Accident Hazards Involving Dangerous Substances (COMAH)) Regulations 2015 (S.I. 209 of 2015), gives technical advice to a Planning Body in response to a notice sent under Article 215 of the Planning and Development...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Enterprise Policy (24 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: My Department and its agencies are working continuously to address the under-representation of women across the enterprise sector. Increasing female participation in entrepreneurial activity acts as an important driver of economic growth, it increases the diversity and strength of our indigenous business sector and can strengthen social inclusion. Enterprise Ireland has made significant...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Business Supports (24 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: The Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) play an extremely important role at local level, as part of a supportive ecosystem, providing their services direct to small businesses and promoting entrepreneurship within towns and communities across the country. LEOs are the first stop shop for every business in the country and provide a signposting service for all government supports available to...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Job Creation (24 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: Regional enterprise development and sustainable local job creation is a key policy priority for Government; we are committed to creating jobs and maintaining full employment in all regions across the country as set out in the White Paper on Enterprise. Performance targets in the White Paper include metrics related to unemployment, new FDI investments and new jobs created outside of...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Job Creation (24 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: My Department’s White Paper on Enterprise to 2030 sets out an ambitious vision for Ireland’s enterprise policy to protect Ireland’s strong economic position. It provides for a sustainable, innovative and high-productivity economy, with rewarding jobs and livelihoods in the period ahead. My Department is fully committed to advancing the interests of SMEs in Ireland and...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Employment Rights (5 Nov 2024)

Emer Higgins: I thank the Senator for raising this very important issue. The directive on adequate minimum wages in the European Union was published on 19 October 2022. The Senator is correct when she says it must be transposed by 15 November of this year. The directive aims to ensure that workers and unions are protected by adequate minimum wages, allowing for a decent living wherever they work. The...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Employment Rights (5 Nov 2024)

Emer Higgins: As the Senator sought reassurance, I am absolutely aware of the importance of this directive. Its transposition is a priority for my Department.As I have stated, we will be taking the necessary steps to ensure transposition happens ahead of 15 November. It is fully our intention to meet that deadline. While my Department’s position is that no legislation is required to do that,...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Employment Rights (5 Nov 2024)

Emer Higgins: To clarify, it is not the target.

Proposed Approval by Dáil Éireann of the Sectoral Employment Order (Construction Sector) 2024: Motion (6 Nov 2024)

Emer Higgins: I move: That Dáil Éireann approves the following Order in draft: Sectoral Employment Order (Construction Sector) 2024, a copy of which has been laid in draft form before Dáil Éireann on 23rd October, 2024.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Sectoral Employment Order (Construction Sector) 2024: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)

Emer Higgins: I am very pleased to present to the committee a draft sectoral employment order for the construction sector. The draft order proposes to amend the previous SEO made in 2023 by confirming new minimum rates of pay, pension and sick pay entitlements for workers in the construction sector. If approved, the order will be the fifth of its kind to be made since the first SEO for the construction...