Results 33,761-33,780 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Flexible Work Practices (10 Mar 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Privacy and data protection concerns are a matter for the Data Protection Commissioner. The ICT measures referred to by the Deputy to monitor employees are not matters which are provided for within the suite of employment rights law or in the context of the information required under the Terms of Employment (Information) Act, 1994.

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Trade Missions (10 Mar 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Each year, Enterprise Ireland offers a programme of trade missions and events which support the goal of securing high-level market access for companies based in Ireland who are aiming to grow business overseas and increase domestic employment. In recent years the majority of Ministerial-led Trade Missions have taken place to the Eurozone, North America and Asia Pacific, which...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (10 Mar 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. 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 (EWSS), the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP), the COVID-19 Restrictions Support...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Business Regulation (10 Mar 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The Government has been working to prepare for Brexit for several years – with intensive effort across many Departments and Agencies, including legislation, supports for business and other sectors, stakeholder outreach and widespread public communications to promote readiness. Details of the business Brexit Supports available from my Department can be found at: My Department and the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Internships (10 Mar 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The number of students who undertook work experience or internships with State Agencies under the aegis of my Department in 2019, the cost of these placements, and the estimated numerical capacity of these Agencies to provide work experience and internships on an annual basis is outlined below in tabular form: Agency No. of students on work experience/internship in 2019...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (10 Mar 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. Businesses have had to make sacrifices in order to protect their community. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: National Broadband Plan (10 Mar 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I met with National Broadband Ireland (NBI) last week for an update on their progress with the National Broadband Plan. the National Broadband Plan is the biggest investment in rural Ireland since rural electrification. NBI informed me of their progress to date. Government will continue to engage with NBI over the coming months. If the plan can be speeded up, it will be speeded up.

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Flexible Work Practices (10 Mar 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I am not aware of the development of a remote working hub in Adamstown, County Dublin. However, currently there is an Enterprise Ireland open ‘Regional Development Feasibility Fund’ that promoters, looking to scope out and investigate the viability of larger full-scale projects such as remote working hubs, can apply for. A feasibility grant of €15,000 or 50% of eligible...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic (10 Mar 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The Government announced that additional public health restrictions would apply under Level 5 of the Plan for Living with COVID-19 on 6 January 2021. The introduction of the new restrictions followed advice from NPHET that the situation with the virus had deteriorated to the point where there was an absolute need to reduce the level of mobility and congregation in order to reduce all...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Customs and Excise (10 Mar 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I am acutely aware that particular issues have emerged, and continue to emerge, for stakeholders as we all seek to implement the new EU-UK trade arrangements under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) consequent on Brexit. These are the inevitable outworkings of Brexit, a policy choice by the UK with which we did not agree, with the UK now a "Third Country" from a trade policy...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Trade Data (10 Mar 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: Equality Issues (10 Mar 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I have not received nor had the opportunity to read the report referenced by the Deputy. I am advised it relates to deprivation and inequality in Ireland. I assure the Deputy these are priority areas for the Government.

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Advertising (10 Mar 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 Protocoland safe reopening of the retail sector through a Shop Safelycampaign. The following table sets out the funding spent on such campaigns by month, between 1stMarch 2020 and 1stMarch 2021. Attachment

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Mar 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for again raising this important matter of insurance. The Government is pursuing its action plan on insurance reform. The objective of that action plan is to make insurance more available for people and businesses and to reduce the cost of premiums charged to people and businesses for motor insurance, home insurance, public liability insurance, employers liability...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Mar 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I do not speak for the insurance industry. Perhaps Deputy Doherty does. He is very keen to quote the representatives of that industry on any occasion. I do not speak for the insurance industry. Perhaps the Deputy does, but I do not. The personal injury guidelines were announced at the weekend. I do not know if the Deputy's contention that they will become law in two weeks is true....

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Mar 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I am pro-European too and a big supporter of the European project and European integration, but like the Deputy I do not believe that necessarily means one cannot criticise the European Commission on occasion, and perhaps this is one of those occasions. I very much support the fact that we took the decision to adopt a common European approach. I was Taoiseach during the first wave of this...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Mar 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The provision for export bans exists and Italy has started down that road. I understand there is going to be a meeting of Heads of State and Government to discuss vaccines quite soon but I do not know the date for that. Tá an clár vacsaíne faoi lán sheol. Tá an chéad dáileog faighte anois ag formhór an lucht cónaithe in ionaid chúraim...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Mar 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The Government is committed to education and to improving education in Ireland at all levels over the coming years. Education is the great leveller. It raises people up, gives them opportunities and allows them to learn more, earn more and build a better life for themselves and their children. That is why I am proud to have been a member of governments that introduced two years of free...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Mar 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. Vision is one thing. I believe everyone in this House shares a vision about education. I have gone through some of the things we have done to widen access to education and to improve education over recent years. There is, however, a difference between vision and practical action. Practical action requires more than a motion of one or two pages. If the leaving...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Mar 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I am sorry to hear about Tom's experiences and the issues the Deputy raised. As the Leas-Cheann Comhairle alluded to, however, these are specific allegations and they involve unnamed individuals who could perhaps be identified as a result of the comments the Deputy has made. I am not familiar with and I have not read the report the Deputy referred to so I am not in a position to offer...