Results 37,121-37,140 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Industrial Development (6 Dec 2022)

Leo Varadkar: IDA has worked hard to create a welcoming environment for FDI in all parts of the country and the strong regional spread of jobs and investment in the latest IDA results demonstrates the Government's commitment to regional development.  Over half of investments in 2021 went to regional locations, and under IDA's current Strategy half of all investments from 2021 to 2024 will be targeted...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Public Sector Staff (6 Dec 2022)

Leo Varadkar: The information requested by the Deputy is listed below in tabular form.  The data in relation to the number of persons who have had their contracts terminated is effective from 1 January 2019 as clarified with the Deputy's Office. Agency Total number of persons employed Number of Full-Time persons Number of Part time persons Number of persons...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Data (6 Dec 2022)

Leo Varadkar: The Central Statistics Office's Labour Force Survey is the official source of unemployment estimates in the State. Due to the methodology of the survey, unemployment rates are not available for individual counties. The Q3 employment rate for the Mid-West region, comprising counties Clare, Limerick and Tipperary, was 4.5%.  This aligns with the national unemployment rate for the same...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Strategies (6 Dec 2022)

Leo Varadkar: My department leads on advising and implementing the government’s policies of stimulating the productive capacity of the economy and creating an environment which enables employment creation and sustainability. Our current strategies, and a short status update on each, are set out below: National strategies The Trade and Investment Strategy 2022-2026 ‘Value for Ireland,...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Strategies (6 Dec 2022)

Leo Varadkar: My Department published the National Remote Work Strategy on January 15th, 2021. The Strategy identified 15 actions to ensure that remote work is a permanent feature in the Irish workplace in a way that maximises its economic, social and environmental benefits. My Department led the development and implementation of the Strategy’s actions through the Remote Work Interdepartmental...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Strategies (6 Dec 2022)

Leo Varadkar: My Department's People Strategy 2021-2024 sets out the following three high-level goals: - For DETE to be an ‘Employer of Choice’ - To develop a resilient workforce - To build a supportive and inclusive workplace Progress made under each of these goals is set out below. Employer of Choice The HR Unit of my Department has implemented a range of initiatives to further enhance...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Strategies (6 Dec 2022)

Leo Varadkar: My Department’s current ICT Strategy was finalised and published in November 2020, with a vision for the Department “to be a leader among its peers through the consistent delivery of innovative digital and data solutions and services”.  The strategy contains 59 actions in total, spread across a number of high-level objectives.  Good progress has been...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Job Creation (6 Dec 2022)

Leo Varadkar: The Climate Action Plan 2021 and the Programme for Government set out ambitious targets for achieving decarbonisation of the transport sector. In recognition of this, my Department and its agencies have prioritised the opportunities that this move to electric vehicle presents. In September of last year, my Department launched the Green Vehicle Loan for Small Public Service Vehicles. This...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Industrial Development (6 Dec 2022)

Leo Varadkar: IDA’s staffing levels at their overseas offices are shown in the table below.  Location Number of staff New York 11 Boston 3 Toronto 2 Seattle 1 Mountain View 8 Irvine   5 ...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Enterprise Support Services (6 Dec 2022)

Leo Varadkar: The information requested is currently being collated by my Department and will be forwarded directly to the Deputy as soon as it is finalised. 

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Staff (6 Dec 2022)

Leo Varadkar: The Croke Park Agreement encompassed all civil and public servants under my Department. No distinction was made between categories of civil servants under the Agreement. The sectoral agreement in relation to the Civil Service and Non-Commercial State-Sponsored Bodies is attached for the Deputy’s information.

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Funding (8 Dec 2022)

Leo Varadkar: Details of funding provided to County Limerick through the programmes of agencies under the aegis of my department are set out in the table below. IDA Ireland grant payments by county for 2022 are not yet audited or available. However, in 2021 a total of €14,132,082 was paid to IDA client companies located in Co Limerick in respect of investments under a variety of grant programmes...

Death of Former Member: Expressions of Sympathy. (13 Dec 2022)

Leo Varadkar: As Tánaiste and leader of Fine Gael, I extend my deepest sympathy to Bobby's wife Helena, his children Bob, Mark and Triona, and his family and friends. Bobby dedicated his life to public service. Today his constituents in Carlow-Kilkenny are grateful for his service to their community, a community that is much better because of him. Mar Thánaiste agus mar cheannaire Fhine Gael,...

Confidence in Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Motion (13 Dec 2022)

Leo Varadkar: This motion of confidence was triggered by a motion of no confidence from People Before Profit. The People Before Profit Members know that their motion had no chance of being passed and would not build a single house or house a single other family. Its purpose was to embarrass and to personalise what is a deeply important political and societal issue. The time could have been used to...

Confidence in Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Motion (13 Dec 2022)

Leo Varadkar: This vote will only serve to demonstrate that the Government has a clear working majority. We will move on in the next hour or so and get back to the important work of Government; taming inflation, helping families with the cost of living, building homes, creating jobs and investment, taking climate action and providing equal opportunities for all our nation's children. For a moment we...

Confidence in Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Motion (13 Dec 2022)

Leo Varadkar: People Before Profit's policy states that it is critical that we break immediately from the failed living-with-Covid strategy and implement a strategy based on elimination - the Chinese approach. This would have our economy in shutdown for a third Christmas. Construction sites would be abandoned and we would deprive people of their basic liberties for far too long. Fewer houses would have...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Low Pay (13 Dec 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I am aware of the report on low-paid older workers in Ireland. It is useful research and I thank Dr. Micheál Collins of UCD and Dr. Catherine Elliott O'Dare of TCD for their work. It was funded by the Low Pay Commission, an independent body under the aegis of my Department. The report provides comprehensive information on both the commonalities and the differences between older and...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Low Pay (13 Dec 2022)

Leo Varadkar: The objective is to eliminate low pay. There are many ways to define low pay but it is generally defined as the pay of those earning less than 66% of the median wage. With the introduction of the national living wage, the intention is to go to 60% initially and, provided the economy can manage it and businesses can afford it, to 66% thereafter. That would, at least on a statistical basis,...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Low Pay (13 Dec 2022)

Leo Varadkar: The plan initially is to go to 60% by 2026 and then to 66% but that can be speeded up or slowed down depending on economic circumstances. Part of the research behind this, done by Maynooth University, indicated there is a point at which, if the minimum wage is increased too much too quickly, there can be negative effects. People could be laid off, businesses could close and people's hours...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Small and Medium Enterprises (13 Dec 2022)

Leo Varadkar: It is fair to say that the Government has not been found wanting when it has come to helping businesses get through difficult periods and saving the jobs of people who work in those businesses. We demonstrated this throughout the pandemic, particularly with the employment wage subsidy scheme, EWSS. I am very conscious of how worried SME owners and managers are as we go into the winter....