Results 5,621-5,640 of 5,688 for speaker:Alan Dillon

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Work Permits (1 May 2025)

Alan Dillon: I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. Back in December 2022 the Government made a decision to implement a single application process for employment permits while also ensuring that the immigration permissions are developed in tandem with that. The new system that has been introduced and is currently live provides technology similar to that currently in place within the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Work Permits (1 May 2025)

Alan Dillon: I look forward to the Deputy's support in the implementation of this new system. It is reflective of the success of the Irish economy with over 2.8 million people currently employed. We have skills deficits in certain areas of expertise. Not just the general work permits but also the critical skills employment permits are essential to meet our future needs. The system has now been...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Business Supports (1 May 2025)

Alan Dillon: My Department’s report on the assessment of the cumulative impact of proposed measures to improve working conditions in Ireland published last year highlighted that many of the recent cost increases for business were related to Government imposed regulatory changes. Business groups have also recently highlighted the impact of the overall regulatory burden and the administrative burden...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Business Supports (1 May 2025)

Alan Dillon: From having spoken to many businesses that have applied for ICOB grants 1 and 2 and the power up grant, I am aware they were essential grants and have been hugely beneficial across all sectors. The Department approved an overall budget of €257 million as part of the ICOB scheme. Some €246 million of that was expended on the scheme in 2024. On ICOB, this week my colleague, the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Business Supports (1 May 2025)

Alan Dillon: I acknowledge some of the matters raised by the Deputy. The Government has made significant progress on the national enterprise hub, which has been established with a key focus on supporting business around training and grant applications. More than 250 supports are available online and are readily accessible for many SMEs and businesses. The hub covers more than 29 Departments and...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Business Supports (1 May 2025)

Alan Dillon: I propose to take Questions Nos. 11, 16, 20 and 24 together. I thank the Deputy for submitting his question. It is probably the most topical one on the Question Paper. The increased cost of business scheme was introduced back in March 2024 and the power up grant was introduced in October of the same year. Both schemes are now closed but, in total, more than €400 million in grant...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Business Supports (1 May 2025)

Alan Dillon: Regarding the Deputies' supplementary questions, we can go back and forth. To answer Deputy Ward's questions on the steps that are now required, it was important that the Government this week approved the appeals process. We will now engage with the local authorities to map out the extent of those businesses that were eligible for ICOB 1 and, therefore, applied for ICOB 2 but were...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Business Supports (1 May 2025)

Alan Dillon: I thank the Deputies for their contributions as regards the announcement this morning. Regarding the scheme and Deputy McGrath's point, the scheme was not perfect. There is an acknowledgement that it was reflective of the 2023 rates. Many businesses had to engage with local authorities about up-to-date rates and a rates repayment plan to bring them up to speed. We want to enhance...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Work Permits (1 May 2025)

Alan Dillon: I thank the Deputy. A well-functioning labour market and good working conditions are essential components of sustainable and inclusive growth. As part of the efforts to maintain this, the Government operates an employment permits system that is highly responsive to the labour market. I recognise the valuable role migrant workers play in Irish society, particularly in critical areas such as...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Work Permits (1 May 2025)

Alan Dillon: I understand the issues about migrants the Deputy is raising. We have heard some of the stories and I have engaged also with the migrant refugee representative body to ensure their members are listened to and are front and centre in any enhancements we can make to the scheme. We have looked at how the granting of reactivation permits is in one sense supported. We want to work with the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Work Permits (1 May 2025)

Alan Dillon: I thank the Deputy for his input. We are open to any suggestions or proposals and will work through any enhancements needed within the system. I do not think it should be a rigid system. It should be agile and flexible to meet the needs of our current labour market. If the general work permits or critical skill work permits are required, we actively update the needs analysis regarding...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Business Supports (1 May 2025)

Alan Dillon: I thank the Deputy. As she will be aware, I, as the Minister of State at the Department for Enterprise, Trade and Employment with responsibility for small business and retail, have responsibility for ensuring that emissions in the commercial built environment are reduced in line with climate action targets. Achieving these targets will mean that many owners of commercial properties will...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Business Supports (1 May 2025)

Alan Dillon: A key priority for the Government within our competitiveness plan is to engage with the Department of energy, climate and environment to ensure we can drive down the cost of energy, not just for residential consumers, but for businesses to ensure they remain viable. It is probably one of the most important areas we can focus on and currently are focused on. We are providing grants to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Business Supports (1 May 2025)

Alan Dillon: The Minister, Deputy O'Brien, is working with the SEAI to try to streamline the grant applications, not just for businesses, but for homes under the warmer homes scheme. Where businesses or customers successfully make an application to get onto the scheme, the scheme takes into consideration the likelihood of trying to procure a contractor. That extends out the timeline so, in effect, the...

International Workers’ Day: Statements (1 May 2025)

Alan Dillon: I thank all the Deputies for their contributions today. It is an honour to stand before the House on International Workers' Day, a day dedicated to recognising the invaluable contribution of workers across Ireland and the world. As Minister of State with responsibility for small business and retail, I acknowledge and celebrate the hard work, dedication and resilience of our workforce, which...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (30 Apr 2025)

Alan Dillon: My Department has made significant progress in recent years in improving the employment permits processing system to address increasing demand. The average current wait time in respect of a new employment permit is between 1-2 weeks. From time to time certain applications can require additional checks and this can lead to an unavoidable delay. This week, Minister Burke and I welcomed the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Enterprise Policy (30 Apr 2025)

Alan Dillon: Balanced regional development is a Government priority; a central component of the White Paper on Enterprise 2022-2030 is to support balanced regional enterprise development. My Department and its agencies contribute to this agenda in several ways, including through the nine Regional Enterprise Plans (REPs). These are bottom-up plans developed and led by regional stakeholders, which focus on...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Job Creation (1 May 2025)

Alan Dillon: Enterprise Ireland recently published its 2024 jobs results which show that EI supported companies recorded jobs growth for the third year in a row, despite what was a challenging year for some sectors of exporting Irish businesses. Employment in companies supported by EI increased to a record level of 234,454 in 2024 with 15,741 new jobs created, an increase of 3% on the 2023 outturn....

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Industrial Relations (1 May 2025)

Alan Dillon: It has been the consistent policy of successive Irish Governments to promote collective bargaining through the development of an institutional framework supportive of a voluntary system of industrial relations that is premised upon freedom of contract and freedom of association. There is an extensive range of statutory provisions designed to back up the voluntary bargaining process. The...