Results 3,601-3,620 of 4,720 for speaker:Neale Richmond

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Sectoral Employment Order (Construction Sector) 2023: Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (26 Apr 2023)

Neale Richmond: I am delighted to join members for my first time before the committee and pleased to present to the committee a draft SEO for the construction sector. The draft order is proposing to amend the previous SEO made in 2021, which in turn amended the SEO made in 2019, by confirming new minimum rates of pay, pension and sick pay entitlements for workers in the construction sector. This order, if...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Sectoral Employment Order (Construction Sector) 2023: Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (26 Apr 2023)

Neale Richmond: I am heartened to hear that the Deputy not only thinks this is a nice committee to come to but, crucially, I am heartened to hear her broad support and welcome for this SEO. That is the most important thing to put on record. We have had a couple of discussions in the Chamber so far on issues similar to this, be they through oral parliamentary questions or Topical Issues, and I apologise for...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Sectoral Employment Order (Construction Sector) 2023: Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (26 Apr 2023)

Neale Richmond: Absolutely. The strength of this sectoral employment order, SEO, is that it has the agreement of employers and employees alike. They recognise that this is the bare minimum. Employers know this is the bare minimum they need to attract people into professions that are grossly understaffed at the moment, both domestically and from elsewhere. However, they only work if they are fully and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Sectoral Employment Order (Construction Sector) 2023: Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (26 Apr 2023)

Neale Richmond: I thank the Deputy very much. I will try to address each of the points raised. The Deputy's first and last points come to the same conclusion, that is, how we attract people into the construction sector to build the homes we so desperately need, the roads, such as the one in Mallow, we so desperately need and so much else beyond. With regard to apprenticeships more specifically, the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Sectoral Employment Order (Construction Sector) 2023: Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (26 Apr 2023)

Neale Richmond: I thank Deputy Stanton and I appreciate his comments about mechanics. They are well received and will be actioned. Regarding travel, provisions for travel time were requested by some parties. The Labour Court has declined to provide it in the SEO. Unfortunately, this is not a matter for me but it is for the Labour Court and its justification is in its own hands; we will have to go by its...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Sectoral Employment Order (Construction Sector) 2023: Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (26 Apr 2023)

Neale Richmond: I thank Deputy Bruton and I appreciate that. It is heartening to see the increase in numbers of people opting to work in the construction sector. There are still a number of concerns. Only 9% of people working in the sector are women and we can do a lot more than that, if we look at other countries beyond the EU who have done so much to incentivise women into the trades and onto building...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Sectoral Employment Order (Construction Sector) 2023: Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (26 Apr 2023)

Neale Richmond: I thank Deputy Barry, as ever, for his intervention. There are a couple of points I will address because, respectfully, I think he is cherry-picking much of what we are trying to do here this morning. Let us be fair; these are about minimum rates. This is not setting salaries within the construction sector; these are very basic and minimum rates. If he goes through the categories,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Sectoral Employment Order (Construction Sector) 2023: Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (26 Apr 2023)

Neale Richmond: Definitely within the construction sector and more widely, the Senator is right that pay is not the immediate concern. We are setting minimum rights at a time that is very different perhaps from before. It is a time when the economy is going very well. Activity in the construction sector is as high as can be but it can and needs to be a lot more. When we are putting these thresholds or...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Sectoral Employment Order (Construction Sector) 2023: Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (26 Apr 2023)

Neale Richmond: With the Chair's indulgence, we are seeing an increasing amount of certainty in the construction sector. People are going into work on jobs that are two, three or four years in duration on site. There are individual contractors, subcontractors and people working directly for developers and in-house. We see this not only in housing but in the commercial sector with large-scale building. We...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Sectoral Employment Order (Construction Sector) 2023: Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (26 Apr 2023)

Neale Richmond: The Deputy may be aware that I was in Limerick on Monday. I had meetings in the city with the Local Enterprise Office, LEO, and a number of business representative groups including the Limerick Chamber of Commerce, the Small Firms Association, SFA , and others. In 2022, more than 2,000 new jobs were created in Limerick city and county, supported by various State agencies including...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Sectoral Employment Order (Construction Sector) 2023: Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (26 Apr 2023)

Neale Richmond: I thank Deputy Flaherty. The first response I will give is on my specific responsibilities and the terms of this sectoral employment order, which sets increases on the hourly rate for apprentices. It provides a very clear indication, as I referred to when responding to Deputy Stanton, that those choosing a career in any of these crafts or trades can rely on to have a very decent and good...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (27 Apr 2023)

Neale Richmond: This is of considerable concern to everybody in the Government. There are understandable inflationary costs in groceries, as we have seen in every sector of the Irish economy, with regard to supply-chain issues and energy costs. That is understandable and can be factored in. We have seen many cost-of-living measures being taken in every Department. However, groceries in particular are of...

Sectoral Employment Order (Construction Sector) 2023: Motion (27 Apr 2023)

Neale Richmond: I move: That Dáil Éireann approves the following Order in draft: Sectoral Employment Order (Construction Sector) 2023, a copy of which has been laid in draft form before Dáil Éireann on 5th April, 2023.

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (27 Apr 2023)

Neale Richmond: The occupation of Sea-fisher is currently on the Ineligible Occupations List and, as such, is not eligible for an employment permit. The Department of Justice report on the Review of the Atypical Scheme for non-EEA Crew in the Irish Fishing Fleet concluded that the employment of non-EEA crew in the Irish fishing fleet, which had been catered for under the Atypical Working Scheme (AWS) since...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Job Losses (27 Apr 2023)

Neale Richmond: I propose to take Questions Nos. 233, 235 and 241 together. The Protection of Employment Act 1977 imposes certain legal obligations on employers proposing collective redundancies. These obligations include engaging in an information and consultation process of at least 30 days with employees’ representatives, and to notify the Minister for Enterprise, Trade & Employment of...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Visa Applications (27 Apr 2023)

Neale Richmond: The Employment Permits Section of the Department informs me that on 17 April, the application for an employment permit referenced in the details supplied was refused. Upon closer examination, it emerged that the decision to refuse the application was made in error and a decision has been made to grant the permit. The permit issued on 26thApril 2023.

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Employment Rights (27 Apr 2023)

Neale Richmond: Employers are obliged to arrange that a written statement of wages be given to every employee with every payment of wages. If wages are paid by credit transfer, the statement of wages should be given to the employee as soon as possible after the credit transfer has taken place, In every other case, the statement of wages must accompany the wage payment. Every statement of wages must show...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (27 Apr 2023)

Neale Richmond: The organisation in the details supplied has submitted several applications for the role of Lineworker. The role of Lineworker is considered to fall under the Standard Occupational Classification code 5249 - Electrical and electronic trades. This role is currently on the ‘Ineligible Occupations List’ and, as such, cannot be considered for an employment permit. Ireland operates a...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Enterprise Support Services (27 Apr 2023)

Neale Richmond: Enterprise Ireland surveys its’ portfolio of clients annually to collect employment data. This survey occurs over October/November each year. On the basis of this survey, Enterprise Ireland supported 4,874jobs in Kerry in 2022.This represented an increase of 276 jobs when compared to 2021. Enterprise Ireland has made payments of €23,750,249 in funding to Kerry based companies...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Workplace Relations Commission (25 Apr 2023)

Neale Richmond: The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) is an independent statutory office under the aegis of my Department. 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. The WRC has statutory responsibility for investigation and...