Results 9,441-9,460 of 11,114 for speaker:Damien English

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (28 Apr 2021)

Damien English: As you are aware, the Government has put in place a comprehensive package to help businesses and workers during the pandemic, including the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS), the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP), the COVID-19 Restrictions Support Scheme (CRSS), low-cost loans, the deferral and warehousing of tax liabilities and the waiver of commercial rates. You will also know...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic (28 Apr 2021)

Damien English: S.I. No. 168 of 2021 Health Act 1947 (Section 31A - Temporary Restrictions) (COVID-19) Regulations 2021 () clearly sets out the temporary restrictions under Level 5. A list of essential services can be found at and the list of essential retail outlets at Level 5 can be found at Under Level 5, in line with public health guidelines, only essential retail outlets will remain open and the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic (28 Apr 2021)

Damien English: As you are aware, following the advice of NPHET, the Government made the decision to move the entire country to Level 5 of the Framework for Living with COVID-19 (COVID-19 Resilience and Recovery 2021: The Path Ahead) and for essential retail and services (including childcare) to remain open. This has been followed by the recent Government announcement of a phased easing of public health...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (28 Apr 2021)

Damien English: The closing date for receipt of applications by Local Authorities for the first phase of the Small Business Assistance scheme for COVID (SBASC) has now passed.  This scheme is designed to support those businesses who are ineligible for CRSS and other sectoral schemes. Please note that phase two of this scheme is due to be announced in the coming weeks.  Businesses who meet the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (28 Apr 2021)

Damien English: As you know, the Government has put in place a comprehensive package to help businesses and workers during the pandemic, including the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS), the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP), the COVID-19 Restrictions Support Scheme (CRSS), Small Business Assistance Scheme for COVID (SBASC), low-cost loans, the deferral and warehousing of tax liabilities and the waiver...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (28 Apr 2021)

Damien English: My Department, through Enterprise Ireland (EI), is helping Irish businesses to rebuild after the impact of Covid-19.  EI administers the Sustaining Enterprise Fund whose objectives include: - Ensure eligible companies have access to the necessary liquidity - Sustain business so that companies can return to viability and contribute to the recovery of the Irish economy. - Ensure eligible...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (28 Apr 2021)

Damien English: The COVID-19 Credit Guarantee Scheme is the largest loan guarantee scheme in the history of the State.The Scheme provides €2 billion in lending, for terms up to five-and-a-half years and offers a range of lending products between €10,000 and €1 million at interest rates below market rates for similar type loans.  It is available to SMEs and small mid-caps (business...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (28 Apr 2021)

Damien English: The Local Enterprise Offices’ Business Continuity Voucher scheme was introduced in March 2020 as a scheme to provide expert guidance and advice to SMEs employing up 50 people and to enable business owners make informed decisions about what immediate measures and remedial actions could be taken at the outset of COVID pandemic, to protect staff and sales and eventually help the business...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Schemes (28 Apr 2021)

Damien English: As you know, the Government has put in place a comprehensive package to help businesses and workers during the pandemic, including the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS), the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP), the COVID-19 Restrictions Support Scheme (CRSS), Small Business Assistance Scheme for COVID (SBASC), low-cost loans, the deferral and warehousing of tax liabilities and the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (29 Apr 2021)

Damien English: The employment permits system is designed to facilitate the entry of appropriately skilled non-EEA nationals to fill skills and/or labour shortages, however, this objective must be balanced by the need to ensure that there are no suitably qualified Irish/EEA nationals available to undertake the work and that the shortage is a genuine one. In order to ensure that the employment permits...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (29 Apr 2021)

Damien English: I am keenly aware that businesses are continuing to make massive sacrifices to protect their communities. Following the advice of NPHET, the Government made the decision to move the entire country to Level 5 of the Framework for Living with COVID-19 (COVID-19 Resilience and Recovery 2021: The Path Ahead) and for essential retail and services (including childcare) to remain open. This has...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Community Employment Schemes (29 Apr 2021)

Damien English: The Government has worked to support businesses with a comprehensive range of measures for firms of all sizes. Details of the wide range of COVID-19 schemes and measures for businesses are available on my Department’s website at . In relation to supports for employers temporarily employing people through the community employment scheme I refer you to my colleague Heather Humphreys TD,...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (29 Apr 2021)

Damien English: Since the onset of the pandemic, my Department has worked to ensure that there are measures in place to help businesses to access appropriate financing in response to the challenges of trading in the environment brought about by COVID-19. Initially, this meant the adaptation or expansion of existing schemes to ensure support could be in place as quickly as possible. The first two such schemes...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Film Industry (5 May 2021)

Damien English: The right of workers to form associations and join a trade union is enshrined in Article 40 of the Irish Constitution. However, our Superior Courts have established that the Constitutional guarantee of the freedom of association does not guarantee workers the right to have their union recognised for the purpose of collective bargaining. Notwithstanding this, it has been the consistent...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic (5 May 2021)

Damien English: I propose to take Questions Nos. 122, 123 and 127 together. I think it is clear that universal and equitable access to safe, effective and affordable diagnostics, treatments and vaccines is very important in the global fight against COVID-19. International Trade is a competence of the EU under the Treaties. In exercising that competence at the WTO, the European Commission engages...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (5 May 2021)

Damien English: The Government has worked to support businesses through this difficult time with a comprehensive range of measures for firms of all sizes. The measures include the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS) now extended until the 30th of June, the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP), the COVID-19 Restrictions Support Scheme (CRSS), the Small Business Assistance Scheme for COVID (SBASC), low-cost...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Flexible Work Practices (5 May 2021)

Damien English: Last year as a response to COVID-19, my Department launched a Public Consultation on Remote Work Guidance and created a new guidance webpage for employers and employees. This webpage brings together all State guidance on remote work into one place and includes an employer checklist outlining all the relevant considerations to be undertaken for remote working in the longer term - and can be...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Vaccination Programme (5 May 2021)

Damien English: From the outset of Covid-19, many employers have taken the initiative in line with subsequent requests from the Government to be as flexible and as accommodating as possible with their staff. Employers have a general duty of care towards their workers and that care is often expressed in the form of understanding, compromise and flexibility. COVID-19 vaccinations are an extremely...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (5 May 2021)

Damien English: I am very aware of the ongoing difficulties facing businesses over the past year. It has been a difficult time for business owners, employees and their families. With this in mind, the Government has put in place a comprehensive package to help businesses and workers during the pandemic, including the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS), the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP), the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (5 May 2021)

Damien English: As you are aware, the Government has put in place a comprehensive package to help businesses and workers during the pandemic, including the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS), the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP), the COVID-19 Restrictions Support Scheme (CRSS), low-cost loans, the deferral and warehousing of tax liabilities and the waiver of commercial rates. You will also know that...