Results 3,761-3,780 of 4,720 for speaker:Neale Richmond

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Job Losses (22 Jun 2023)

Neale Richmond: I thank the Deputies for both their supplementary questions and their initial questions. Again, I will answer them to the best of my ability. I do so cognisant of the relatively tight framework in which I need to operate. On the issue of saving jobs, if a company enters examinership, there is the 100-day period to which I referred to look at restructuring and to make sure jobs can be...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Family Reunification (27 Jun 2023)

Neale Richmond: Access to the General Employment Permit for non EEA nationals wishing to take up employment in the role of health care assistant was announced in June 2021 to address skills and labour shortages in the healthcare and nursing home sector. The framework agreed following constructive engagement with the Department of Health provided a salary of at least €27,000 for the role and the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Family Reunification (27 Jun 2023)

Neale Richmond: Access to the General Employment Permit for non EEA nationals wishing to take up employment in the role of healthcare assistant was announced in June 2021 to address skills and labour shortages in the healthcare and nursing home sector. The framework agreed following constructive engagement with the Department of Health provided a salary of at least €27,000 for the role and the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Business Supports (27 Jun 2023)

Neale Richmond: I understand that there are over 30 cloth weaving enterprises operating in Ireland. In the Enterprise Ireland client base, there are 4 main textile weavers. In terms of funding for the sector, as manufacturing entities, any company with an ability to sell in the export market could be either a LEO, Enterprise Ireland, or Udaras client, and could avail of supports from the agency that...

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

Neale Richmond: The Government is committed to supporting workers and has a strong record on strengthening and introducing new workers’ rights. As the Deputy is aware, the Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2018, came into force on 4 March 2019. This Act introduced a number of measures to strengthen employee rights and to address the problems caused by the increased casualisation of work....

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

Neale Richmond: On 3 August 2022, the former Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail announced his intention to issue an Order to give effect to a statutory recommendation of the Labour Court concerning minimum rates of remuneration and other terms and conditions in the Security Sector. The Order was to apply from 29 August 2022. On 24 August 2022 my Department was informed that High Court had...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Equal Opportunities Employment (27 Jun 2023)

Neale Richmond: The WRC Act was amended by way of emergency legislation in 2021. The Act amended the WRC Act and associated provisions in other acts, including the Equal Status Acts, on matter relating to the administration of justice as highlighted by the Supreme Court in its Zalewski judgment. Please see Workplace Relations (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2021 (Number 29 of 2021).

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

Neale Richmond: On 3 August 2022, the former Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail announced his intention to issue an Order to give effect to a statutory recommendation of the Labour Court concerning minimum rates of remuneration and other terms and conditions in the Security Sector. The Order was to apply from 29 August 2022. On 24 August 2022 my Department was informed that High Court had...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Family Reunification (28 Jun 2023)

Neale Richmond: Access to the General Employment Permit for non-EEA nationals wishing to take up employment in the role of healthcare assistant was announced in June 2021 to address skills and labour shortages in the healthcare and nursing home sector. The framework agreed following constructive engagement with the Department of Health provided a salary of at least €27,000 for the role and the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Workplace Discrimination (28 Jun 2023)

Neale Richmond: The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) is independent in the exercise of its quasi-judicial function, and I have no direct involvement in its day-to-day operations. However, I am informed of the following. The Employment Equality Acts 1998-2015 prohibit discrimination on 9 specific grounds in the workplace and in employment-related areas. The protected grounds are:- GenderCivil...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Workplace Discrimination (28 Jun 2023)

Neale Richmond: Cases under the Employment Equality Acts are referred in the first instance to the Workplace Relations Commission, save where the claim relates to gender discrimination, in which case a complainant has the option of initiating their case in either the Workplace Relations Commission or the Circuit Court. Equality complaints in the Workplace Relations Commission are typically disposed of...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (28 Jun 2023)

Neale Richmond: The Employment Permits Section of my Department inform me that all applications for employment permits are dealt with in date order. The Employment Permits Section are currently processing standard new Employment Permit applications within 9 - 11 business days. Due to the significant improvement in the processing times in respect of Employment Permits, an application to have an Employment...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Business Supports (28 Jun 2023)

Neale Richmond: Under the ‘Post-Brexit Market Growth and Diversification Grant’, eligible Enterprise Ireland and Bord Bia client companies can access a fast-track strategic market development programme that will assist them to develop a strategy to enter and grow new markets outside of the UK. This new grant has been developed under the EU’s Brexit Adjustment Reserve (BAR) fund...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Business Supports (28 Jun 2023)

Neale Richmond: The Local Enterprise Offices offer direct grant assistance to small businesses operating in the manufacturing and internationally traded services sector. The Technical Assistance for Micro Exporters (TAME) grant enables clients to explore and develop new market opportunities. The TAME grant part-funds the costs that can be incurred investigating and researching export markets, e.g....

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (28 Jun 2023)

Neale Richmond: The first table below gives details on the total number of Employment Permit applications received by the Department from 1stJanuary 2023 to 31stMay 2023. The second table below gives details on the total number of applications that were approved and issued during the same time frame. Details of the number of Employment Permit applications received Date Received Month...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Employment Rights (29 Jun 2023)

Neale Richmond: I thank Deputy O'Callaghan for raising this issue with me as a follow-up to our discussion last week, which included Deputy O'Reilly. Constant engagement on this is necessary from all sides in the House. My thoughts are with the employees of Iceland in all of their stores as well as those mentioned by the Deputy. I completely understand that this year has brought a great deal of...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Employment Rights (29 Jun 2023)

Neale Richmond: As I laid out, two issues are widely in operation in the context of this discussion, namely, the examinership process as well as cases before the WRC and the ability of employees to bring further cases to the WRC. They are the two most important structures through which the company may be able to ensure it has a viable future and, equally, through which employees and their rights are...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Employment Rights (29 Jun 2023)

Neale Richmond: It is important to stress we are dealing specifically with a unique case relating to one employer, albeit a large one with a presence in much of the country. Moreover, the case is going through two distinct processes, namely, examinership and the WRC, that we as legislators should not intervene in or directly comment on. The Government is always open to reflecting on legislation that can...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Work Permits (29 Jun 2023)

Neale Richmond: Following constructive engagement with the home care sector on 16 December 2022, my predecessor announced changes to the employment permits system to allow home carers and care workers to become eligible for general employment permits. We know there is a lack of carers in Ireland and I am pleased that the employment permit system is able to help in this regard. This shows how responsive...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Work Permits (29 Jun 2023)

Neale Richmond: We are starting to stray beyond the remit of this Department. The request made to us, and the advice received, was to make sure we could provide enough permits for people outside the European Economic Area to fill those roles and complete those hours. Let us be frank here. Some 1,000 permits were made available, but only 138 have been drawn down. That is disappointing when there are...