Results 34,781-34,800 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (15 Sep 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The Government recognises the sacrifices business owners, employees and their families have made over the past 18 months in order to protect their community from COVID-19. As you are aware, the Government put in place a comprehensive package to help businesses and workers during the pandemic. These business supports were unprecedented. The total number of Small Business Assistance Scheme...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Expenditure (15 Sep 2021)

Leo Varadkar: A total of €51,531 was paid by my Department in late payment interest and compensation to suppliers in the period 2017 to end August 2021. A total of €75,492,129 was paid to suppliers by the Department in that period. Of that total, some €1,311,704 of payments were subject to late payment interest and compensation. The €51,531 in interest and compensation paid to...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: State Bodies (15 Sep 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The information requested in relation to the IDA is available on the IDA Ireland website and is posted every quarter. Material related to the prompt payment policy of EI is also published quarterly on their website. Below is a list of late payments and compensations for the period 2017 and to end of June 2021, for both the IDA and EI. YEAR IDA LATE PAYMENT INTEREST...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Flexible Work Practices (15 Sep 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The right to request remote work is part of a broader Government vision to make remote working a permanent feature of Ireland’s workforce in a way that can benefit all – economically, socially and environmentally. The commitment to introduce legislation to underpin employees' right to request remote work was made in the national Remote Work Strategy published last January. The...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: National Minimum Wage (15 Sep 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Legislation governing the national minimum wage is set down in the National Minimum Wage Act 2000 and the National Minimum Wage (Low Pay Commission) Act 2015. These Acts provide for the setting of a national minimum wage and also provide that in specified circumstances, a reduced, subminimum rate may be applied. The Low Pay Commission was requested, as part of its 2016 work programme, to...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Labour Market (15 Sep 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The past year has been a difficult year for most businesses, and some sectors have been more severely impacted by public health restrictions and for a more prolonged period. Our Economic Recovery Plan, published in June, commits to ongoing support for people and businesses to make a full return to work. Assisting businesses and people in those sectors where the impacts of the pandemic have...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Labour Market (15 Sep 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, in circumstances where there are no suitably qualified Irish/EEA nationals available to undertake the work and that the shortage is a genuine one. The system is managed through the operation of the critical skills and the ineligible...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Labour Market (15 Sep 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN) is the independent, non-statutory body that advises the Government on projected skills requirements across the Irish economy and makes recommendations on how existing education and training systems and delivery mechanisms, as well as other sources of skills supply, can be improved. My Department provides research and secretarial support to...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Brexit Issues (15 Sep 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The performance of the import and export sectors has been significantly impacted over the last three years by both Brexit and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Now, as we cautiously emerge from these necessary public health restrictions and global markets begin to open again, the Government will continue to help businesses in their next phase of recovery and adaptation. My Department has...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Enterprise Policy (15 Sep 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The officials in my Department continuously monitor Ireland's latest economic data to assess the state of the Irish economy in conjunction with other relevant information such as PUP and EWSS numbers, which includes the impact that COVID-19 and Brexit have had, and continue to have, on the Irish economy. The Government has taken steps to ensure Irish businesses are supported while dealing...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Enterprise Policy (15 Sep 2021)

Leo Varadkar: In 2020 the domestic economy, as measured by Modified Domestic Demand (MDD) which includes investment, fell by 4.9%, while in GDP terms the economy grew by 5.9%. The strong growth recorded in GDP terms was due to the impact of the multinational sector, with both pharma and ICT performing well. As more of the economy has re-opened in recent months the domestic economy has now started to...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Labour Market (15 Sep 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I understand that the Department of Foreign Affairs has set out a number of actions in its Statement of Strategy 2021-2023 designed to strengthen our connections with diaspora communities and to harness the contribution from the diaspora to support economic recovery. These include actions to support those who wish to return to Ireland to work and to address barriers facing them, to...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Labour Market (15 Sep 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The past year has been a difficult year for both employers and employees.  The Government is committed to creating the right environment for a jobs-led recovery and to getting people back to work. Our Economic Recovery Plan commits to ongoing support for businesses and people to provide certainty and confidence for employers to continue to operate and re-employ staff members, with...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Labour Market (15 Sep 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Employment in Ireland in Q4 2019, just before the outbreak of the pandemic, was 2.357 million. Not counting those on the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) as employed, employment then fell to a low of 1.698 million in Q2 2020 as a result of restrictions introduced to stop the spread of COVID-19. Employment recovered in Q3 2020 as restrictions were lifted but fell again in Q4 2020 and and Q1...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Enterprise Policy (15 Sep 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The pandemic has affected us all profoundly and caused a huge shock across the economy and society. Many trends and shifts that have been emerging for some time have been accelerated. Trends such as the growing digital economy; decarbonising the economy; labour market composition changes; and global developments such as Brexit, geo-political change, trade protectionism, international taxation...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Foreign Direct Investment (15 Sep 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 187 and 189 together. Ireland remains committed to global tax reforms as the best way to resolve global tax challenges. Ireland has expressed broad support for the agreement reached by OECD countries in July 2021 to address tax challenges arising from digitalisation and globalisation. While Ireland is not yet in a position to join the agreement and,...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Flexible Work Practices (15 Sep 2021)

Leo Varadkar: My Department is currently driving the implementation of the National Remote Work Strategy. Published on January 15th, 2021, the Strategy aims to ensure that remote work is a permanent feature of the Irish workplace in a way that maximises economic, social and environmental benefits. The Strategy contains 15 actions to progress remote work into the future, organised into three pillars and...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Sep 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising the issue of mica in the Chamber today. It is an issue of real importance not just in Donegal, but in Mayo and other counties around Ireland. As the Deputy said, I have been in those homes and met with some of the people involved. Not only have I seen it with my own eyes, but I have felt it in my fingers when I touched those walls. One can see how easily...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Sep 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The current scheme was agreed in collaboration with local action groups, local authorities and homeowner representatives. The decision to go with a grant scheme as opposed to the type of scheme provided under the Pyrite Resolution Board was done with the intention to give homeowners the flexibility to manage their own projects and to allow them to deal directly with their appointed...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Sep 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. My understanding is that the Minister has already clarified his position and his remarks in regard to this issue. I am sure he will be in the Chamber in the near future. If not today, I am sure he will be in the Chamber next week for some reason or another. All of us from time to time say things that are inaccurate or incorrect, including the Deputy. There is not a...