Results 33,821-33,840 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

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

Leo Varadkar: The COVID-19 Credit Guarantee Scheme is the largest loan guarantee scheme in the history of the State.The Scheme provides €2 billion in lending, for terms up to five-and-a-half years and offers a range of lending products between €10,000 and €1 million.  It is available to SMEs and small mid-caps (business with less than 500 employees), including primary producers...

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

Leo Varadkar: I am aware of the difficulties that business owners continue to face and with that 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 Scheme (CRSS), Small Business Assistance Scheme for COVID (SBASC),...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Pharmaceutical Sector (24 Mar 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 146 and 149 together. It is well known that Ireland is internationally recognised as a centre of excellence in the pharmaceutical sector and in the broader life sciences sector. In recognition of the critical work of those Irish-based companies, last October I convened a series of short meetings with several of IDA Ireland’s biopharmaceutical client...

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

Leo Varadkar: The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) is an independent, statutory body under the aegis of my Department, established on 1st October 2015 under the Workplace Relations Act 2015. The WRC’s primary functions include the inspection of employment law compliance, the provision of information on employment law, mediation, adjudication, conciliation, facilitation, and advisory services....

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (24 Mar 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The employment permits system 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. Earlier this year, Minister of State...

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

Leo Varadkar: The challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic have illustrated just how vital an online trading presence can be to the survival of our SMEs and microenterprises.  Those businesses that have embraced the digital marketplace are now reaping the rewards. The Trading Online Voucher scheme, administered, on behalf on my Department, by the Local Enterprise Office network aims to assist our...

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

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Legislative Process (24 Mar 2021)

Leo Varadkar: My Department drafts and produces primary legislation through the process set out in the Cabinet Handbook. This process includes carrying out appropriate consultations with, and/or, where a constitutional issue or issues involving legal policy are likely to be involved, seeking advice from the Office of the Attorney General and seeking Government approval in respect of any principle of the...

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

Leo Varadkar: I am aware of the difficulties that business owners continue to face and with that 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 Scheme (CRSS), Small Business Assistance Scheme for COVID...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Redundancy Payments (24 Mar 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The announcement of 150 redundancies in this company is very regrettable and I extend my sympathies to the workers who have lost their jobs and to the families affected.  I understand that the manufacturing and production operations will not be impacted. As a client of Enterprise Ireland, the Agency has had discussions with the senior management team of the company on their proposals and...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Enterprise Ireland (24 Mar 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Since 2012, Enterprise Ireland have given grant supports of  €29m for various R&D Projects and HRD Programmes to the company queried by the Deputy. The breakdown of this amount is in the table below. Year Activity Grant 2012 2014 2016 6 R&D Projects €18m 2012 2014 7 HRD...

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

Leo Varadkar: I am acutely aware of the difficulties that these necessary ongoing Covid-19 restrictions are putting on all businesses right across the country.  Business owners are making sacrifices in order to protect their communities. With that in mind, I recently announced the new Small Business Assistance Scheme for COVID.  This scheme is now open for applications through Local...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Foreign Direct Investment (24 Mar 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Nine Regional Steering Committees established by my Department are implementing Regional Enterprise Plans.  This ‘bottom-up’ collaborative mechanism, involves IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, Local Enterprise Offices, Local Authorities, higher and further education bodies, private sector and others, within each region, chaired by a senior figure from industry. The Plans...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Regional Enterprise Development Fund (24 Mar 2021)

Leo Varadkar: My Department’s Regional Enterprise Development Fund (REDF), first introduced in 2017 and administered by Enterprise Ireland, supports significant regional initiatives that build on sectoral strengths and/or to better leverage identified resources to improve enterprise capability, in order to help sustain and add to employment at county, regional and national level. There have...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Enterprise Support Services (24 Mar 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Enterprise Ireland’s Ready for Customs grant provides companies with financial assistance to cover the costs of taking on much needed additional customs clearance staff. This grant is open to enterprises that are currently engaged in the movement of goods to, from, or through the UK and which will require new or increased customs clearance capacity. These include enterprises that are...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Enterprise Support Services (24 Mar 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Enterprise Ireland’s Ready for Customs grant provides companies with financial assistance to cover the costs of taking on much needed additional customs clearance staff. This grant is open to enterprises that are currently engaged in the movement of goods to, from, or through the UK and which will require new or increased customs clearance capacity. These include enterprises that are...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (24 Mar 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. The wedding sector has been one of the worst affected and I understand that the continued restrictions are a source of great concern. My Department has worked to ensure that...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Capital Expenditure Programme (24 Mar 2021)

Leo Varadkar: While a discrete element of capital expenditure under my Department’s Vote does involve investment in property mainly by the IDA Ireland as part of its efforts to attract FDI, the vast majority of our capital expenditure is targeted at supporting the enterprise promotion and job creation programmes of the Department and our Enterprise Agencies. These programmes include employment...

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

Leo Varadkar: The Restart Grant Plus scheme has closed to new applications since 31 October 2020. The Scheme  has been superseded by a number of measures in Budget 2021, including the COVID Restrictions Support Scheme (CRSS) operated by the Revenue Commissioners, which offers a targeted, timely and temporary sector-specific support to businesses forced to close or trade at significantly reduced levels...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Health and Safety Authority (24 Mar 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Since the 1stof January 2021, the Health and Safety Authority  (HSA) has hired one Grade II Inspector and a further two Grade III Inspectors will take up employment in early April.  The HSA is actively recruiting Grade III inspectors at present and its current campaign had a closing date for receipt of applications of Friday, 19th of March last.  It is anticipated that...