Results 40,301-40,320 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Cybersecurity Policy (21 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: For operational and security reasons, public bodies are advised by the National Cyber Security Centre not to disclose details of systems and processes which could in any way compromise cyber security measures in place in those bodies. In particular, it is not considered appropriate to disclose information which might assist criminals to identify potential vulnerabilities in departmental...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Expenditure (21 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 209 and 210 together. My Department has a range of contracts with external cyber security and related ICT firms which enable the provision of essential products and services required by the Department such as security advice, penetration testing, provision of security software and related services. My Department conducts ongoing security assessments and...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Cybersecurity Policy (21 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: My Department adopts a defence in depth approach to cyber security. This approach uses multiple layers and disparate systems to deliver security which is not dependent on any single component. My department has several policies, plans and procedures in place to deal with significant cyber security and business continuity issues. Given the heightened level of risk, my Department’s...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Industrial Development (21 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: One of the aims of the Growth pillar of IDA Ireland’s current strategy "Driving Recovery and Sustainable Growth, 2021-2024", is to diversify its source markets for investment to enhance resilience of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Ireland. In this regard, IDA Ireland’s Growth Markets team continues to build awareness of Ireland’s value proposition in locations with...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Contracts (21 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 216 and 217 together. My Department has not been involved in any exercise, operation, training or research which included an Israeli state agency, any Israeli-based company or any company based elsewhere in the world which is owned or part-owned by any Israeli state agency or by any Israeli-based company. Furthermore, my Department does not hold any current...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Commercial Rates (21 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: The Increased Cost of Business Grant (ICOB) was announced as part of Budget 2024 and will be targeted at Small and Medium sized businesses who operate from a rateable premises. Firms who do not have a rateable premises are not within the scope of this scheme. It is important that I be clear that this scheme is a once-off grant aid provision and not a commercial rates waiver. It will have...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Budget 2024 (21 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: In our Budget 2023 submission to the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, my Department identified a core Existing Level of Service requirement of €970 million for next year, broken down as and between €386 in current expenditure funding as per the 2023 Revised Estimate allocation and €584 million in capital expenditure funding...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Employment Rights (23 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: It is a very fair question and I am glad to put on the record how this is developing. The right to request remote working has been integrated into the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023, which was led by the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, and was enacted on 4 April 2023. The provisions of the Act pertaining to the right to request...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Employment Rights (23 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: The important thing is that we get this right. This legislation was only enacted in April this year. It has not been going on for a very long time. The Deputy knows how the WRC works on something as complex as this, although it is not that complicated to be fair. It wants to build consensus between the two sides so that the code of practice is robust and makes a real difference to...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Employment Rights (23 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: I accept it is not new that employees ask for facilitation around work-life balance, remote working and flexible working. Covid accelerated an awful lot of this but it was happening even before Covid to a certain extent. What is new is the provision in law for an employee to request remote working options and for an employer to have a legal obligation to respond seriously to this. When you...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Business Supports (23 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: I will of course answer the question, but the written question seems to be different to this one. It is about the scheme to support businesses announced in budget 2024, which is about the cost of doing business. I will answer both.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Business Supports (23 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: There is no problem, whichever one you want me to answer first I will do.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Business Supports (23 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: I think you have questions down on both, in fairness.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Business Supports (23 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: It is because they are grouped that this anomaly arises. I will take the increased cost of doing business grant first, and we will deal with the flooding one separately. I propose to take Questions Nos. 2 and 3 together. The Government and I were conscious, in the negotiations for the budget, that many small businesses around the country are facing increased costs. Some of them are...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Business Supports (23 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: I will make a final point because there are two questions. Businesses will of course need to acknowledge the process in order to accept the payment from local authorities, but it is little more than that in terms of bureaucracy.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Business Supports (23 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: TBESS was a scheme run by Revenue. My Department was used as a vehicle in terms of an estimate through which to run that scheme. However, it was effectively run by the Revenue Commissioners and I think was run reasonably. It was actually not that difficult to get into TBESS. Lots of businesses decided not to do it. Some businesses had hedged against significant increased costs. In the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Business Supports (23 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: -----that there will be virtually no application process at all and all these businesses will automatically qualify as long as they are trading.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Business Supports (23 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: Yes.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Business Supports (23 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: With all due respect, I did not see anything in Sinn Féin's budget submission to support businesses at all in this space.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Business Supports (23 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: We are putting €250 million out there with virtually no application process at all because small businesses, in particular very small ones, have said to me that they do not want a long detailed application process and to have to apply to the Revenue Commissioners because they do not want to have to take on an accountant to do it, as that is another cost that they cannot afford. We are...