Results 33,661-33,680 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Workplace Relations Commission (24 Feb 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Since establishment, the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) has held over 20000 hearings in relation to complaints submitted to its Adjudication Service and, between 2018 and 2020, held some 12220 hearings. The breakdown per year is set out in the table below. In terms of complaints submitted, many such complaints are withdrawn or settled prior to, or in the context of WRC hearings, and,...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (24 Feb 2021)

Leo Varadkar: In order to qualify for a statutory redundancy payment, an employee must have 104 weeks continuous employment, be an employed contributor in employment which was insurable for all benefits under the Social Welfare Acts and be over the age of 16. An eligible employee is entitled to two weeks statutory redundancy payment for every year of service, plus a bonus week. Compensation is based on...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Company Law (24 Feb 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Receivers are currently appointed either by: - Order of the court; - Under a relevant security e.g. a mortgage or a charge which contains the contractual terms in relation to their appointment and their powers under the instrument; or - Statute under the Land and Conveyancing Law Reform Act 2009 and the Conveyancing Act 1881. The Companies Act 2014 has application only to receivers who are...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Ministerial Meetings (24 Feb 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The request for a meeting is currently under consideration and my office will be in contact with the Association shortly.

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Employment Rights (24 Feb 2021)

Leo Varadkar: A Sectoral Employment Order (SEO) is made in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 3 of the Industrial Relations (Amendment) Act 2015. Under the provisions of the 2015 Act, the Labour Court issues a statutory report to me as Minister following an examination of the relevant economic sector and submissions made by interested parties. The recommended SEO provisions are given statutory...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (24 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: Labour Market (24 Feb 2021)

Leo Varadkar: In September 2020, my colleague, Damien English T.D., Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail, met with the Association of Farm and Forestry Contractors in Ireland at which they identified a need for a temporary and targeted seasonal employment permit for their sector. In December 2020, Minister English met with Keelings Ltd in which they outlined that their sector across...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Brexit Data (24 Feb 2021)

Leo Varadkar: As the Deputy will be aware, the European Union and the United Kingdom reached an agreement on their future relationship on 24 December 2020, which provisionally entered into force on 1 January 2021. The Agreement delivers on the EU’s and Ireland’s objectives with businesses having access to zero rate preferential tariffs and quotas on goods traded between the EU and UK once...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Expenditure (24 Feb 2021)

Leo Varadkar: As part of the broader Government’s COVID-19 Communications campaign, my Department promoted COVID-19 supports for business, as well as raised awareness around the Return to Work Safely Protocol and safe reopening of the retail sector through a Shop Safely campaign. The following tables set out both the funding spent to date by my Department on Covid-19 awareness raising communications...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Environmental Policy (24 Feb 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy has raised an interesting question. Certainly, the more information that consumers have the better in terms of them being able to make buying decisions informed by the values that they consider important. We all know that price, quality, design and other considerations are factors in buying decisions but there is a growing and welcome focus on other factors such as the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Foreign Direct Investment (25 Feb 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Retaining and strengthening Ireland’s reputation as a first-class destination for foreign direct investment remains fundamentally important to our economic model. The Government and IDA Ireland will continue to promote our country abroad, particularly in the face of international competition. Despite unprecedented challenges to Ireland’s economy in 2020, IDA Ireland’s end...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (25 Feb 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Budget 2021 overall provides a significant package of tax and expenditure measures to build resilience and help vulnerable but viable businesses across all sectors. We are providing more and cheaper loan finance through MicroFinance Ireland, SBCI and the Credit Guarantee Scheme. Changes were made to the Pandemic Unemployment Payment and the EWSS, increasing the top rate to €350 for...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Contracts (25 Feb 2021)

Leo Varadkar: As the procurement of medical equipment is a matter for the Health Service Executive this question is more appropriate to the Department of Health.

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: European Council Meetings (25 Feb 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The policy areas which fall within the responsibility of my Department at EU level mainly come within the remit of four Council formations. They are the Competitiveness Council (Internal Market and Industry), the Competitiveness Council (Space), the Foreign Affairs Council (Trade), and the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (Employment) (EPSCO). The Department...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (25 Feb 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I am acutely aware of the difficulties that the necessary ongoing Covid-19 restrictions are putting on businesses right across the country. The hospitality sector has been one of the industries hardest hit. With this in mind the Government has put in place a comprehensive package to help businesses and workers during the pandemic, including the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme, the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: National Public Health Emergency Team (25 Feb 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I wrote to Professor Karina Butler, Chair of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) and to Dr Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) seeking further clarification of adults with chronic diseases who are at higher risk of severe illness if they contract Covid-19, as well as the immunosuppressed like transplant and cancer patients. In doing so, I reiterated my acceptance of...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Public Procurement Contracts (25 Feb 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Bearing in mind the scope of the question it is not yet possible to provide the Deputy with the details requested within the timeframe specified. Details regarding the COVID-19 specific procurement undertaken by my Department and its Offices last year and year to date in 2021 will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as available over the coming days.

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Public Procurement Contracts (25 Feb 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Bearing in mind the scope of the question it is not yet possible to provide the Deputy with the details requested within the timeframe specified. Details regarding the COVID-19 specific procurement undertaken by my Department and its Offices last year and year to date in 2021 will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as available over the coming days.

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Enterprise Support Services (3 Mar 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 10, 11 and 12 together. On 15th January last I published Ireland’s first National Remote Work Strategy to make remote working a permanent option for life after the pandemic. A key action within the National Remote Working Strategy is to extend the mapping and classifications of hubs - as completed by Western Development Commission on the Atlantic...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Company Registration (3 Mar 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 is a significant modernisation project which greatly increases the range of documents that can be filed electronically, with resulting efficiency gains for both business...