Results 40,161-40,180 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: EU Directives (10 Oct 2023)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take the two questions together. The Report of the Future of Media Commission was published in July 2022. Recommendation 6-9 relates to the implementation the Copyright Directive, an assessment of its effectiveness and further action being taken if necessary. Directive (EU) 2019/790 was transposed into Irish law by way of the European Union (Copyright and Related Rights in...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Properties (10 Oct 2023)

Simon Coveney: My Department does not own any property. My Department and its Offices are tenants in ten buildings across the country including the Workplace Relations Commission office at Suite 19, Block A, Clare Technology Park, Gort Rd, Ennis, Co. Clare, provided to it through the Office of Public Works (OPW) who manage the State's property portfolio on behalf of Government Departments. With regard to...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: European Court of Justice (11 Oct 2023)

Simon Coveney: In respect of matters which are the responsibility of my Department there is one relevant judgement in the time period specified. It relates to Directive 2006/115/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 December 2006 on certain rights related to copyright in the field of intellectual property ("the 2006 Directive"). In 2019, the High Court referred four legal questions...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Business Supports (11 Oct 2023)

Simon Coveney: Over recent years, the Government has deployed a wide array of supports to assist Ireland’s enterprise sector with shocks ranging from Brexit to COVID-19, to supply change disruption and to rising energy costs associated with the crisis in Ukraine. These measures have included a number of non-repayable grant, tax waiver or tax rebate cashflow support schemes for business. These include...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Intellectual Property (11 Oct 2023)

Simon Coveney: In June 2022, the Government reaffirmed its commitment to participate in the Unitary Patent System and the Unified Patent Court, and to hold the necessary constitutional referendum to enable Ireland to do so. A local division of the Unified Patent Court will be established in Ireland if the State ratifies by constitutional referendum the International Agreement under which the Court is...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Enterprise Support Services (12 Oct 2023)

Simon Coveney: I thank Deputy O’Reilly for raising this issue. Increased female participation in our workforce is vital for our economy and, in the interests of our society, we need to ensure women can realise their full entrepreneurial potential. This is an issue on which the Government is focused. In fact, the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, as late as last week, met an organisation...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Enterprise Support Services (12 Oct 2023)

Simon Coveney: I have no problem trying to collate more data and publishing it. The motivation here is probably the same on this side of the House as on the Deputy's. I have met a number of groups that are specifically focused on providing more angel funding, for example, through female angel funders, and more venture capital, VC, for women founders. I have met a number of women in business groups to...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Enterprise Support Services (12 Oct 2023)

Simon Coveney: I am not sure what the Deputy means by saying it is a sad day when the US is leading. The US leads in many areas. We try to lead in many areas too. Clearly, this is an area where we have made significant improvements but we are not where we need to be. That is why we need to encourage more young girls as well as women into tech and tech-based subjects through education. There are a...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Work Permits (12 Oct 2023)

Simon Coveney: Ireland operates a managed employment permits system, maximising the benefits of economic migration and minimising the risk of disrupting Ireland’s labour market. The regime is designed to facilitate the entry of appropriately skilled non-EEA nationals to fill skills or labour shortages in the State in the short to medium term. In framing policy, consideration is given to other...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Work Permits (12 Oct 2023)

Simon Coveney: With respect, it is not the Deputy's office that will turn them around, it is the work permits system. Of course, any Deputy's office has the right to ask questions as to the status of the applications. Last year, this took months; it now takes a short number of weeks. There may be problems with individual applications. It may be the case that some work permits need extra consideration,...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Work Permits (12 Oct 2023)

Simon Coveney: I thank the Deputy for responding in a constructive way. It is not straightforward to streamline a work permits process and a visa process. What the Department of Justice has to do around visas in terms of security checks and so on can be quite complicated and time consuming. It relies on authorities in the countries people come from and, therefore, it does not always control the timelines...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Labour Market (12 Oct 2023)

Simon Coveney: We are in the process of looking at that right now. The construction sector has been the subject of reviews in recent years. The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is part of the discussions with my Department to try to get right the critical skills list, which is about to be updated. We have taken the view that many of the skills in construction, from engineering to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Labour Market (12 Oct 2023)

Simon Coveney: I will set out changes that we have made in response to some of the pressures the Deputy outlined. For example, the quota restriction on permits for bricklayers and plasterers, which was first introduced as part of a package in 2019, was eliminated in June 2022, giving those occupations unrestricted access to the general employment permit system. In October of the previous year, a package...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Labour Market (12 Oct 2023)

Simon Coveney: I do not have a recommendation on my desk yet, but when I do, we will take decisions quickly because many businesses are waiting on them.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Labour Market (12 Oct 2023)

Simon Coveney: The Minister, Deputy Harris, is doing a great deal of work on apprenticeships and dramatically increasing numbers, but the Deputy is right in that there are certain trades where the numbers are not increasing to the extent required. We need to examine how to achieve that. We believe there will be an extra 9,000 apprentices this year. That was the target for the end of 2025 but will...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Business Supports (12 Oct 2023)

Simon Coveney: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. It is something that gets raised with me all of the time. The Government recognises that domestically traded sectors account for a significant number of firms in Ireland and, more importantly, for a high proportion of employment across the retail, construction, hospitality, leisure, and many other sectors. They contribute to the economies and...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Business Supports (12 Oct 2023)

Simon Coveney: We hope we will be able to support many of those kinds of companies in moving to new digital platforms and new online sales processes. These are the kinds of things for which we can potentially give grant aid. In the latest round of the online retail scheme, 98 retailers received €2.3 million in funding, with 79% of successful applicant companies based outside of Dublin. There are...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Business Supports (12 Oct 2023)

Simon Coveney: First, Enterprise Ireland's remit has expanded from the end of last year. Until the end of last year, LEOs were only able to support and work with businesses that employed less than ten people. That figure has been increased to less than 50 people for companies that are manufacturing and exporting. If this is an exporting company, we can provide supports because it does not create...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Exports Growth (12 Oct 2023)

Simon Coveney: I welcome to the Gallery the young person who is cheering us on up there. Their father is desperately walking around trying to keep them quiet. I thank the Deputy for the question. My Department regularly explores ways to assist businesses and create an environment that stimulates their growth. However, it is important that Government intervention be focused on those areas where there...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Exports Growth (12 Oct 2023)

Simon Coveney: The Deputy might remember, although it seems like a long time ago, that Ireland was in the space of export credit insurance in the past. Following the beef tribunal report, the then Government essentially decided to phase it out. Based on the findings of a review carried out later, the then Tánaiste, Mary Harney, concluded that the insurance exposure levels imposed on the State were...