Results 34,421-34,440 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (3 Jun 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The COVID-19 Credit Guarantee Scheme (CCGS) 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 at interest rates below market rates for similar type loans. It is available to SMEs and small mid-caps...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Industrial Development (3 Jun 2021)

Leo Varadkar: IDA’s new strategy 2021-2024 ‘Driving Recovery and Sustainable Growth’ has been developed in the context of the Government’s National Economic Plan. This strategy positions IDA to respond to the emerging trends that are accelerating as a result of the Covid-19 global pandemic. The new strategy will be delivered through a focus on five pillars: Growth,...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (3 Jun 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The €2 billion COVID Credit Guarantee Scheme (CCGS) is the largest such scheme in the history of the state. Its purpose is to facilitate additional liquidity to SMEs, primary producers and Small Mid-Caps (i.e. companies with fewer than 500 employees). It has given certainty to the lending market that funding is available and operates in accordance with the European Commission’s...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (3 Jun 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Ireland is a major global centre for Biopharmaceutical manufacture and supply.  In 2019 Ireland was ranked the 5th largest exporter of biopharmaceutical medicines globally with exports of €80 billion. There are 85 IDA supported companies in the sector in Ireland employing over 37,000 people. Pharmaceutical manufacturing sites in Ireland play a key role in the global supply...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Brexit Issues (3 Jun 2021)

Leo Varadkar: As the Deputy will appreciate, Brexit has fundamentally changed the trading relationship between Ireland and the UK and will continue to impact that trading relationship. Since the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement came into force, there has been some short-term disruption arising from the new requirements around customs and SPS checks and controls. Businesses are however gradually...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Foreign Direct Investment (3 Jun 2021)

Leo Varadkar: COVID-19 has presented challenges to our ongoing efforts to sustain and grow foreign direct investment in Ireland. The introduction of travel restrictions has disrupted the way in which IDA Ireland engages with investors, resulting in fewer site visits and client meetings. The pandemic has impacted investor confidence and has likely caused some investment decisions to be delayed or postponed....

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Industrial Development (3 Jun 2021)

Leo Varadkar: IDA Ireland’s overseas teams and office network are vital to support the agency’s efforts in winning new Foreign Direct Investment across the world. From time-to-time IDA seeks to expand its global network of offices and teams. Many firms are looking to expand into new markets and Ireland is a proven location for global companies to grow and serve their customer base in the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Social Media (3 Jun 2021)

Leo Varadkar: As the Deputy will be aware, I met with content moderators, and their representatives, earlier this year and I followed up directly with the company on whose behalf content moderation work is carried out. I am aware of the genuine concerns of social media content moderators both from meeting directly with them and from their recent presentation to the Joint Committee on Enterprise, Trade and...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (3 Jun 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Since the onset of the pandemic, my Department has made loan supports available to businesses that have been impacted by COVID-19. These schemes will also support enterprises as they look towards rebuilding their business.  These loan schemes are available to SMEs which include microenterprises and sole traders such as taxi operators, subject to meeting eligibility criteria and being...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (3 Jun 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Trading online is a very important route for retail businesses to grow and improve and will be an important element in their recovery over the longer term.  The COVID-19 Online Retail Scheme - a competitive scheme, administered on my Department's behalf by Enterprise Ireland - is to support companies in the indigenous retail sector who have already started an online journey, to further...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Workplace Relations Commission (3 Jun 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The urgency to amend the Workplace Relations Act 2015 and other acts that make provision for investigations in the Workplace Relations Commission is a result of a Supreme Court ruling and the consequential Orders which resulted in the current statutory framework being declared inconsistent with the Constitution. The Orders concern public hearings and the necessity to have a statutory power to...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Trade Data (3 Jun 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The development of the all-island economy is a priority right across Government. One of the aims of the new Shared Island Unit, established in the Department of the Taoiseach, is further developing our shared island economy. This involves working to deepen our cooperation and investing together for the benefit of the North West and border regions. As part of Budget 2021, the Government...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Job Creation (3 Jun 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Our Economic Recovery Plan, published this week, sets an ambitious target to exceed pre-crisis employment levels by having 2.5 million people in work by 2024 and in more productive and resilient jobs. The EWSS has been extended to the end of the year to support businesses to retain employment as they re-open by subsiding a portion of labour costs which gives businesses the opportunity to...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Job Creation (3 Jun 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The construction sector was negatively impacted following the introduction of restrictions late last year. The number of individuals from the construction sector claiming the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) rose steadily in the early weeks of the year and reached a high of 62,902 claimants on the 9th February this year. The phased reopening of the construction sector, beginning on...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Trade Data (3 Jun 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 213, 215, 216 and 217 together. As the Deputy will appreciate, 2020 export performance and the outlook for 2021 exports to the UK, Eurozone and rest of the world continues to be significantly impacted by both Brexit and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Brexit has fundamentally changed the trading relationship between Ireland and the UK and will continue to...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic (3 Jun 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The successful vaccination programme is now allowing for a progressive re-opening of the economy. As this continues and as we emerge from the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, Government will support people and businesses to make a full return to work. Our ambition as set out in the Economic Recovery Plan, published this week, is to exceed pre-crisis employment levels by reaching 2.5...

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

Leo Varadkar: The financial support the Government is providing businesses and workers affected by the pandemic is unprecedented. The 31 Local Enterprise Offices continue to offer support and guidance to entrepreneurs nationwide by providing direct grant aid to microenterprises (up to 10 employees) in the manufacturing and internationally traded services sector. They also offer ‘soft...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Job Creation (3 Jun 2021)

Leo Varadkar: We want our economy to recover, and to restore employment as soon as possible. The Economic Recovery Plan published this week sets out the availability of supports over the coming months, which will give businesses the certainty they require in order to plan for the future and re-employ staff members. The overall ambition of the plan is to exceed pre-crisis employment levels by reaching 2.5...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Job Creation (3 Jun 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Our Economic Recovery Plan, published this week, sets an ambitious target to exceed pre-crisis employment levels by having 2.5 million people in work by 2024. The Plan commits to helping people to return to work; both to previous employment and, in recognition that not all previous jobs will return, to be prepared for new opportunities. The EWSS has been extended to the end of the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement: Discussion with Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (26 May 2021)

Leo Varadkar: It is correct to say they have not ratified it. My thanks to the Senator for clarifying that. Of the 27 countries, 15 have ratified and 12 have not. As I mentioned earlier, the Assemblée Nationale in France, the equivalent of the Dáil, has ratified it. As Senator Boylan said, the French Government intends to ratify it. It is simply a matter of timing. It is for political...