Results 36,001-36,020 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Job Creation (7 Apr 2022)

Leo Varadkar: Regional enterprise development and sustainable local job creation is a policy priority of mine and this Government. Overseen by my Department, nine new Regional Enterprise Plans to 2024 have been developed by regional stakeholders which identify growth opportunities, recognise vulnerabilities, and enable job creation across the regions. Eight of the nine new Regional Enterprise...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Data (7 Apr 2022)

Leo Varadkar: From the most recent Central Statistics Office Labour Force Survey for Q4 2021, the total number of people currently in employment is 2,506,000. This marks an increase of 6.3%, or 148,700 jobs, over employment in Q4 2019 before the pandemic began. Employment decreased between 2019 and 2020 due to the pandemic and rebounded in 2021 following the easing of restrictions. The employment rate for...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Foreign Direct Investment (7 Apr 2022)

Leo Varadkar: There have been a number of international issues over recent months and years which may potentially impact investors’ decision making, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and Brexit. Global supply chains, energy costs, infrastructure and constructions costs, commercial real estate, housing, and talent attraction and skills development have all been impacted by the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Job Creation (7 Apr 2022)

Leo Varadkar: The Economic Recovery Plan (ERP) published in June 2021, sets out the Government’s medium-term economic plan to rebuild Ireland’s economy. As well as committing to a package of supports and investments to assist enterprise recovery, the Plan outlines a medium-term policy framework to rebuild sustainable enterprises, encourage job creation and sustainable and balanced post...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Foreign Direct Investment (7 Apr 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 176 and 178 together. The global economy continues to weather unprecedented shocks due to Brexit, the Covid-19 pandemic, and now Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Despite the global upheaval of the last few years, IDA Ireland continues to successfully attract inward investment to Ireland. Last year, IDA won 249 investments, 104 of which were from new...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Data (26 Apr 2022)

Leo Varadkar: There are currently 120 IDA supported companies in the West Region, employing approx. 29,000 people. Galway is a crucial part of the West’s attractiveness to FDI, as 94 IDA supported companies are based in the county, employing over 22,000 people. The FDI performance in the region has been strong over the past five years with employment among IDA clients increasing by 32%.  While...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Staff (26 Apr 2022)

Leo Varadkar: The table below sets out the details of persons who are being paid for by my Department for secondment to another public, private or semi-private entity.The officers concerned are seconded from my Department to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and posted to the Permanent Representation to the EU in Brussels and embassies and missions overseas.  In all these cases, my Department...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Apprenticeship Programmes (26 Apr 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 188 and 196 together. Neither my Department nor the agencies under its remit are currently directly involved in operating apprenticeship programmes or in training apprentices. In the recent past, my Department's ICT unit had engaged an apprentice under the Fast Track to IT apprenticeship programme, an apprenticeship scheme for workers in the information...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Staff (26 Apr 2022)

Leo Varadkar: The Government has been clear in our belief that a legacy of the pandemic must be better pay, terms and conditions for everyone, particularly for those on low pay. We are committed, therefore, to progressing to a living wage over the lifetime of this Government. Currently there is no official living wage in Ireland. The Living Wage Technical Group, which comprises members including Vincentian...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Low Pay Commission (26 Apr 2022)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy will be aware from my previous responses to her questions on this issue that in 2021 I asked the Low Pay Commission to examine the Programme for Government commitment to progress a living wage over the lifetime of the Government and to make recommendations to me on how best we can achieve this commitment. Following this request, the Low Pay Commission commissioned a team of...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Low Pay Commission (26 Apr 2022)

Leo Varadkar: As the Deputy will be aware, the programme for Government includes a commitment to "request the Low Pay Commission to examine universal basic income, informed by a review of previous international pilots, and resulting in a universal basic income pilot in the lifetime of the Government". Last year, I formally requested that the Low Pay Commission examine this issue. To inform its...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Official Engagements (26 Apr 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I visited Saudi Arabia from 12 – 15 November 2021 as part of an Enterprise Ireland-led trade mission to the Gulf region. The trade mission was organised by Enterprise Ireland and had the participation of 60 Irish companies and organisations. Irish business-to-business interests are growing in the Gulf region. Exports by Irish companies to the UAE and Saudi Arabia in 2020, even against...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Staff (26 Apr 2022)

Leo Varadkar: There are a number of secondment arrangements in my Department whereby officers from my Department are seconded out to other organisations and, similarly, officers from other organisations are seconded into my Department. These secondment arrangements generally operate under the guiding principle that the ‘receiving body’ becomes liable for all salary costs associated with the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Staff (26 Apr 2022)

Leo Varadkar: There are a number of secondment arrangements in my Department whereby officers from my Department are seconded out to other organisations and, similarly, officers from other organisations are seconded into my Department.These secondment arrangements generally operate under the guiding principle that the ‘receiving body’ becomes liable for all salary costs associated with the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Regional Aid (26 Apr 2022)

Leo Varadkar: At the outset, it should be pointed out that the Regional Aid Map is decided by the European Commission not the Government. In negotiations with the Commission, the Government sought the inclusion of much more of the country including Drogheda Urban.  We will do so again at the mid-term review in 2023 when the data from the census is available. In European law, Louth is part of the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Site Acquisitions (26 Apr 2022)

Leo Varadkar: Regional development is a priority for IDA Ireland.  IDA Ireland is targeting 40 investments for the Mid-East region in the period 2021 to 2024. Louth is already home to 35 IDA Ireland client companies directly employing more than 4,500 people in Technology, Life Sciences, International Financial Services and Engineering & Industrial Technologies. In June 2021, IDA Ireland...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Energy Usage (26 Apr 2022)

Leo Varadkar: Public bodies are required to report annual energy efficiency data to the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) who manages the reporting process on behalf of the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC). As part of this process, my Department has delivered 63% in energy efficiency reductions, the second highest level of all Government Departments, since the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Staff (26 Apr 2022)

Leo Varadkar: The special advisors associated with me in my position as Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment and those attached to the Ministers of State at the Department are set out in tabular format below. Special Advisor Date of Commencement Tánaiste Sarah O’Neill 27 July 2020 to date Matthew Lynch...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Funding (26 Apr 2022)

Leo Varadkar: As part of the Government response to the effects on business of the pandemic, my Department introduced the Restart Grant Scheme in May 2020. This scheme was operated on behalf of the Department by the 31 local authorities, coordinated through their Local Government Management Agency (LGMA). Mayo County Council issued €20,220,373 to 3,962 applications approved for the Restart Grant....

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Staff (26 Apr 2022)

Leo Varadkar: There are no staff within my Department who have availed of a secondment from January 2019 to date, on the basis that that it is not their intention to return to their position within the Department.  All staff who have availed of such secondment opportunities have done so on a fixed term basis and, as such, are expected to return to the Department when their secondment is ended.  ...