Results 9,461-9,480 of 11,114 for speaker:Damien English

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Agriculture Industry (5 May 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 May 2018, following a detailed business case...

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...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (5 May 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 (6 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...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (6 May 2021)

Damien English: LEO Dublin City like many of the Local Enterprise Offices experienced an unprecedented increase in activity and engagement with clients and stakeholders across 2020 and this has continued into the current year. Last year, for example, the Local Enterprise Offices network approved 12,946 Trading Online Vouchers to assist businesses get online to trade or improve their existing online offering....

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Grocery Industry (6 May 2021)

Damien English: In 1981, the European Commission took infringement proceedings against a Buy Irish campaign then in operation. In its subsequent judgment (Commission v Ireland, case C-249/81), the European Court of Justice held that the campaign was a reflection of the Irish Government’s intention to substitute domestic products for imported products on the Irish market and thereby to check the flow...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic (6 May 2021)

Damien English: The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) leads on Ireland’s response to international initiatives, and I understand that it is engaging with a number of Government departments, including my own, on consideration of the WHO COVID-19 Technology Access Pool (C-TAP) initiative. C-TAP has called on researchers, developers, and manufacturers to voluntarily share knowledge, intellectual...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic (6 May 2021)

Damien English: 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 with Member States, including Ireland through a variety of...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Brexit Supports (6 May 2021)

Damien English: An authorised consignee is authorised by Revenue subject to certain prescribed criteria such as including having practical standards of competence or professional qualifications directly related to the activity carried out and to be able to communicate electronically with Revenue through the New Computerised Transit System (NCTS). However, Enterprise Ireland does not provide such training to...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Intellectual Property (11 May 2021)

Damien English: Universal and equitable access to safe, effective and affordable vaccines, diagnostics and treatments is crucial in the global fight against COVID-19. International Trade is a competence of the EU under the Treaties. In exercising that competence at the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the European Commission engages with Member States, including Ireland, through a variety of Committee...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Public Holidays (11 May 2021)

Damien English: The legislation which provides for public holidays is the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997. This Act provides that certain days may be prescribed as public holidays. At present, there are nine public holidays. An extra holiday has implications of a broad nature in terms of costs and productivity and has cross-government issues to be explored. Any proposal for the provision of...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Electricity Supply Board (11 May 2021)

Damien English: Ireland's system of Industrial Relations is based in voluntarism. While the right of workers to form associations and join a trade union is enshrined in Article 40 of the Irish Constitution, under Irish law there is no obligation on employers to recognise any union for the purposes of collective bargaining. This dispute is essentially a matter for the company and its employees to resolve. I...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Tests (11 May 2021)

Damien English: The best way to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in a workplace or any setting is to follow public health advice and practice physical distancing, adopt proper hand hygiene and follow respiratory etiquette. However, some employers, with the agreement of their workers, have sought to implement additional checks as a way of strengthening their COVID-19 response and providing reassurance to...

Companies (Protection of Employees' Rights in Liquidations) Bill 2021: Second Stage [Private Members] (12 May 2021)

Damien English: I thank Deputy Barry for his Bill and the conversation we can have about this and amendments needed in legislation to strengthen the rights of workers, which the Government is prepared to do. I have listened to the speeches and, like everybody else here, I sympathise with the workers in Debenhams and other workers facing redundancy in other situations because workers are the big losers in a...

Companies (Protection of Employees' Rights in Liquidations) Bill 2021: Second Stage [Private Members] (12 May 2021)

Damien English: Sorry, I did not interrupt anyone else. Beyond that, we stand behind that with statutory payments and we pay out. In the Debenhams case, €13 million has been paid out for all their entitlements. I know it does not completely deal with their further collective entitlements but on the statutory rights around holiday pay, workers pay, time in lieu it is all there, whatever their...

Loan Guarantee Schemes Arrangements (Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland) Bill 2021: Second Stage (12 May 2021)

Damien English: I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I apologise for being delayed. I cannot up run up the steps in this Chamber as quickly as I can those in the other Chamber. I welcome the opportunity to present the Loan Guarantee Schemes Arrangements (Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland) Bill 2021 to the House. This short, technical Bill will enable the Ministers for Enterprise,...

Loan Guarantee Schemes Arrangements (Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland) Bill 2021: Second Stage (12 May 2021)

Damien English: It was remiss of me at the outset not to thank the Ceann Comhairle and all of the Deputies, mainly from the Opposition to be fair, who agreed to facilitate the quick progress of this legislation through the Houses. The legislation did not have to go through the full committee procedure and that has assisted in its speedy progress. I thank everyone for their assistance in that regard. I...

Loan Guarantee Schemes Agreements (Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (12 May 2021)

Damien English: I thank Deputy O'Reilly for her support for the Bill in general and I accept the reason for the amendment. It is a valid point that we engage with businesses. I assure the House, if anyone wants to check my diary as proof, that is what we do and have been doing practically every day since I took up this position in the Department last July. I am happy to engage with businesses of all sizes...

Loan Guarantee Schemes Agreements (Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (12 May 2021)

Damien English: I assure the Deputy that we do have one-on-one engagements. I have an interest in finance due to my background and I often engage with companies on a one-on-one basis to assess their figures. A question was asked earlier about companies that do not pay rates and are missing out on supports. While they do receive the wage subsidy payments and can access finance and some of the schemes, they...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (12 May 2021)

Damien English: I am acutely aware of the difficulties that the necessary ongoing Covid-19 restrictions are putting on businesses right across the country. 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 COVID-19 Restrictions Support...