Results 33,521-33,540 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (11 Feb 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The COVID-19 Credit Guarantee Scheme (CCGS) has €2 billion in lending available for Irish businesses and is the largest guarantee scheme in the history of the State. Its function is to add certainty to businesses that funding is available for working capital and investment purposes. Loans of up to €1 million are available for up to five and a half years at reduced interest...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Trade Union Recognition (11 Feb 2021)

Leo Varadkar: It has been the consistent policy of successive Irish Governments to promote collective bargaining through the laws of this country and through the development of an institutional framework supportive of a voluntary system of industrial relations that is premised upon freedom of contract and freedom of association. There is an extensive range of statutory provisions designed to back up the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Small and Medium Enterprises (17 Feb 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Trading online is a very important route for retail businesses to grow and improve their business in the current crisis and will be an important element in their recovery over the longer term. The Local Enterprise Offices continue to offer the very successful Trading Online Voucher Scheme which offers financial assistance in the form of a Voucher of up to €2,500 in order to procure...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Trade Relations (17 Feb 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Ireland remains committed to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2030 Agenda and a ‘whole of Government’ approach to implementation continues, as set out in the ‘Sustainable Development Goals National Implementation Plan 2018-2020’. The Programme for Government was developed with close consideration of Ireland’s responsibilities under the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Brexit Issues (17 Feb 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 9 and 10 together. I am acutely aware of the issues that have arisen for the bakery sector as identified by the Deputies. I fully understand that despite making preparations in advance for Brexit, agreeing the full terms of the TCA so close to 1 January 2021 did not allow many sectors, including the bakery sector, to prepare for the implications arising...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic (17 Feb 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. All measures in Level 5 will stay in place until at least March 5 2021. S.I. No. 701 of 2020 Health Act 1947 (Section 31A - Temporary Restrictions) (COVID-19)...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic (17 Feb 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I understand the enormous difficulties the wedding industry is facing as the pandemic rolls on. I fully appreciate that it is one of the industries worst affected and for the longest and know that as we enter a second year of restrictions many in the sector must be fearing for their future. I do hope that once the pandemic is over the wedding sector will have a number of good years with so...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (17 Feb 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I am keenly aware that all types of businesses are making a continued massive sacrifice to protect their communities and I am committed to ensuring that the Government will offer as much assistance and support as possible. The €7bn July Stimulus package and Budget 2021 provided a significant range of tax and expenditure measures to build the resilience of the economy and to help...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (17 Feb 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The employment permits regime is designed to facilitate the entry of appropriately skilled non-EEA nationals to fill skills and/or labour shortages, however, this objective must be balanced by the need to ensure that there are no suitably qualified Irish/EEA nationals available to undertake the work and that the shortage is a genuine one. The employment permits system managed through the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (17 Feb 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 15 and 20 together. The EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) is a modern and progressive Free Trade Agreement which provides new market opportunities across many sectors for Irish firms. CETA is a comprehensive, high-standard agreement, underpinned by EU values and principles. It has applied provisionally since September 2017 and...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (17 Feb 2021)

Leo Varadkar: There is no doubt that the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the necessary health restrictions have had significant effects on the lives and livelihoods of our people, and the Government has put in place a comprehensive package to help businesses and workers during the pandemic. This includes the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS), the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP), the COVID-19...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Brexit Issues (17 Feb 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I very much welcome the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement and the creation of a new framework for the EU-UK relationship. The Agreement which covers market access provisions, tariff-free and quota-free trade as well as provisions aimed at preventing unnecessary technical barriers and requirements, is very welcome although it represents a significant departure from the trading...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Brexit Issues (17 Feb 2021)

Leo Varadkar: First of all, I very much welcome the conclusion of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement negotiations and the creation of a new framework for the EU-UK relationship. There were several occasions during the long negotiation process where a no deal scenario was a possible outcome, so a deal that includes market access provisions, tariff-free and quota-free trade as well as provisions aimed...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (17 Feb 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I am keenly aware that all types of businesses are making a continued massive sacrifice to protect their communities and I am committed to ensuring that the Government will offer as much assistance and support as possible. The €7bn July Stimulus package and Budget 2021 provided a significant package of tax and expenditure measures to build the resilience of the economy and to help...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (17 Feb 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I understand the enormous difficulties the wedding industry is facing as the pandemic rolls on. I fully appreciate that it is one of the industries worst affected and for the longest and know that as we enter a second year of restrictions many in the sector must be fearing for their future. I do hope that once the pandemic is over the wedding sector will have a number of good years with so...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (17 Feb 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The Government has put in place a comprehensive package to help businesses and workers during the pandemic, including the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS), the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP), the COVID-19 Restrictions Support Scheme (CRSS), low-cost loans, the deferral and warehousing of tax liabilities and the waiver of commercial rates. Details of the wide range of COVID-19...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (17 Feb 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The Restart Grant and Restart Grant Plus schemes were designed to help small and medium sized businesses get back on their feet after what has been an exceptionally difficult time. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (17 Feb 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The Restart Grant and Restart Grant Plus schemes were designed to help small and medium sized businesses get back on their feet after what has been an exceptionally difficult time. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (17 Feb 2021)

Leo Varadkar: From my Department's perspective, the information which the Deputy is seeking is available, on a by-county basis, for programmes of the following bodies: - Enterprise Ireland - The Local Enterprise Office - The Local Authorities who administer the Restart Grant and Restart Grant Plus schemes - The Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland - Microfinance Ireland - Intertrade Ireland. The...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (17 Feb 2021)

Leo Varadkar: From my Department's perspective, the information which the Deputy is seeking is available, on a by-county basis, for programmes of the following bodies: - Enterprise Ireland - The Local Enterprise Offices - The Local Authorities who administer the Restart Grant and Restart Grant Plus schemes - The Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland - Microfinance Ireland - Intertrade Ireland. The...