Results 40,241-40,260 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Living Wage (24 Oct 2023)

Simon Coveney: As the Deputy will be aware, in 2021 the Government asked the Low Pay Commission to examine and provide recommendations on the introduction of a living wage. The Low Pay Commission’s recommendations were received last year and in November, Government agreed that a national living wage would be introduced and set at 60% of hourly median wages in line with the recommendations of the Low...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Trade Agreements (24 Oct 2023)

Simon Coveney: FTA negotiations between the EU and Australia were launched in July 2018 and significant progress has been achieved to date, though the agreement has yet to be formally concluded by the parties. Ireland is fully supportive of the aim of achieving a comprehensive and balanced FTA with Australia as soon as possible, as we look to diversify our supply chains, including for critical raw...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: State Bodies (24 Oct 2023)

Simon Coveney: As the Deputy will appreciate, IDA Ireland presents prospective investors with value propositions tailored to meet their particular requirements and partners with clients to help them to grow or expand their international operations in Ireland. In this regard, the IDA has offices in 25 overseas locations, covering 55 countries, and continuously reviews its strategic approach to winning...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Trade Agreements (24 Oct 2023)

Simon Coveney: The EU and India are negotiating three agreements in parallel: a Free Trade Agreement; an Investment Protection Agreement; and an agreement on Geographical Indications. Six rounds of negotiations have taken place to date, the most recent taking place in Brussels on 16-20 October. Before the latest round of negotiations, it was acknowledged that divergences remain between both sides and...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: State Bodies (24 Oct 2023)

Simon Coveney: My Department and the bodies under our aegis are committed to providing an efficient, timely, professional, and courteous service to all our customers. The tables below list the email addresses at which members of the Oireachtas can contact the bodies under the aegis of my Department. DETE Agencies Email address Corporate Enforcement Authority (CEA) ...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Local Government Reform (24 Oct 2023)

Simon Coveney: My Department have no functions currently devolved in full or in part nor are there plans to devolve in full or in part any functions under the Local Government Reform Act, 2014.

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Business Supports (24 Oct 2023)

Simon Coveney: The Increased Cost of Business Grant (ICOB) was a measure announced as part of Budget 2024. The grant will be paid to small and medium sized businesses who operate from a rateable premises. It is intended to be paid at a rate of up to half the enterprise’s commercial rates bill, subject to a prescribed limit. The grant will therefore be calculated with reference to the rates that a...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Business Supports (24 Oct 2023)

Simon Coveney: The Increased Cost of Business Grant (ICOB) was a measure announced as part of Budget 2024. The grant will be paid to small and medium sized businesses who operate from a rateable premises. It is intended to be paid at a rate of up to half the enterprise’s commercial rates bill in 2023, subject to a prescribed limit. The grant is intended to aid firms but is not intended to directly...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Schemes (24 Oct 2023)

Simon Coveney: In the coming days I will be announcing the opening of a Scheme to provide an emergency humanitarian contribution to small businesses, community, voluntary and sporting bodies for damage caused by flooding arising from severe weather conditions caused by Storm Babet. Under a Memorandum of Understanding with my Department, the Irish Red Cross administers the Scheme on behalf of my Department....

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Business Supports (25 Oct 2023)

Simon Coveney: The Increased Cost of Business Grant (ICOB) was a measure announced as part of the Budget 2024 package. The grant will be available to Small and Medium sized businesses who operate from a rateable premises. It is intended to be paid at a rate of up to half the enterprise’s commercial rates bill, subject to a prescribed limit. The grant is intended to aid firms but is not intended to...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Consultations (25 Oct 2023)

Simon Coveney: As part of my Department’s Pride awareness campaign in 2021, my Department's Learning and Career Development Unit facilitated an informal Lunch and Learn session which was hosted virtually by Transgender Equality Network Ireland (TENI) and focussed primarily on gender expression and identity. There was no fee paid to the Organisation for this session. IDA Ireland’s EDI Team...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Business Supports (25 Oct 2023)

Simon Coveney: In line with the recommendation of the Low Pay Commission on the 2024 National Minimum Wage, the rate will increase by €1.40 from €11.30 to €12.70 on January 1st 2024. While I am cognisant that this will represent an increased cost for business, this is a positive measure for workers. This represents a significant increase in the National Minimum Wage and is designed to...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Data (25 Oct 2023)

Simon Coveney: My Department is currently working with the Department of Social Protection on an assessment of the combined impact of the measures proposed to improve working conditions in Ireland, this includes moving to a living wage, pension auto-enrolment, the right to request remote work, sick pay legislation and improvements to parent’s leave and parent’s benefit. This analysis is due to...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Business Supports (25 Oct 2023)

Simon Coveney: The introduction of a temporary abolition of Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI) for lower earning workers in 2024, 2025, and 2026 is a matter for the Minister for Social Protection. The Commission on Taxation and Welfare recommendations point to the importance of broadening the PRSI base as important in order to enhance the Social Insurance Fund. This has been a challenging year for firms...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Functions (25 Oct 2023)

Simon Coveney: ISO, the International Organisation for Standardisation, produces Standards which are voluntary documents that contain the distilled knowledge of businesses and experts from around the world. These standards are available through NSAI. The use of Standards enables businesses of all sizes to take a planned, proactive approach to risk mitigation. Adopting Standards can meet customer...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Small and Medium Enterprises (26 Oct 2023)

Simon Coveney: The Increased Cost of Business Grant (ICOB) was a measure announced as part of Budget 2024 for small and medium sized businesses who operate from a rateable premises. It is intended to be paid at a rate of up to half the enterprise’s commercial rates bill in 2023, subject to a prescribed limit. The grant is intended to aid firms but is not intended to directly compensate for all...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Data (7 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: As the Deputy will be aware, last year, the then Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Leo Varadkar, requested the Low Pay Commission to again examine the issues relating to retaining or removing the sub-minimum or youth rates and to make recommendations on the subject. The Low Pay Commission takes an evidence-based approach to its work and asked the Economic...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Artificial Intelligence (7 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: One of my Department’s Offices, the Companies Registration Office (CRO), uses machine learning to scan digitised annual returns to check whether they are signed in the appropriate places. This technology has proven to be very effective in delivering processing efficiencies for the CRO. The CRO received over 240,000 Annual Returns in 2022, all of which were processed using this...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Ministerial Staff (7 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: For the purposes of Section 19 of the Ethics in Public Office Act, 1995, where there are no interests to disclose, there is no obligation on a Special Adviser to furnish a Nil Statement and no requirement on an Office holder to lay a nil statement of a Special Adviser before the Oireachtas. As such, there was no statements of interests filed in respect of the Special Advisers in this...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Advertising (7 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: The total advertising spend by my Department for the years 2020, 2021 and 2022 was €454,906.99, and is broken down by national media outlet and local newspaper outlet below. During this time my Department carried out a number of advertising campaigns, including highlighting supports to business around Brexit, the National Remote Working Strategy and the Small Company Administrative...