Results 10,041-10,060 of 11,114 for speaker:Damien English

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Health and Safety (16 Dec 2021)

Damien English: There is a duty on all employers, the self-employed and other duty holders to report to the Health and Safety Authority any work-related accident causing workers to lose four or more days of work. The information collected in the accident reports is based on European Statistics on Accidents at Work methodology, this allows comparison of accidents between EU member states. The statistics...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (30 Nov 2021)

Damien English: In conjunction with work done by the HSA and its board, there was a request for additional money for staff and resources for 2020 and 2021. That request was approved and an extra €4.2 million was sanctioned to enable the work we are doing in the occupational health division. That has resulted and will result in recruitment of extra inspectors and other staff. There is a time lag in...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (30 Nov 2021)

Damien English: The Deputy is right. The development of hub infrastructure is key. It almost a year since the Tánaiste launched our remote working strategy, the objective of which is to ensure that remote working becomes a permanent feature for our workforce. A key part of that is the option to work in a hub. Remote working does not always mean working from home and not everyone would choose that...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: International Agreements (19 Jan 2022)

Damien English: I thank the Deputy for raising this debate and important discussion. The figures he outlined, and the loss of life we have seen all over the world, reminds us all just how serious Covid-19 is and of the impact it has had on many people's lives, including those who have lost their lives, their families and many of those who have been left very ill. I again reiterate the importance of all of...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: International Agreements (19 Jan 2022)

Damien English: I want to be clear with the Deputy that the Irish Government and people absolutely do care. The Irish response to the pandemic has been rooted in our commitment to the principle of universal and equitable access to vaccines and treatments. We will continue to use our influence across the world on that. It is right and fair to say, and I acknowledged it in my opening comments, that billions...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Environmental Schemes (19 Jan 2022)

Damien English: I thank Deputy O’Donnell for raising this important issue. It is important and timely because the new scheme is under consideration and will be brought to the House quite soon. The Minister, Deputy Ryan, was unable to make the debate, but I will feed in the comments and issues the Deputy has raised because he is right on waiting times, giving greater access to the scheme, reforming...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Environmental Schemes (19 Jan 2022)

Damien English: I again thank the Deputy for raising this matter. He has covered most of the issues that need to be addressed through the new schemes that are being brought forward. I have listened with interest to the points raised by the Deputy. I will make sure they are brought to the attention of the Minister and his team in the Department who are working on these matters. As I mentioned earlier,...

Seanad: Organisation of Working Time (Reproductive Health Related Leave) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (20 Jan 2022)

Damien English: Can I make a point? Because this is my first time taking Committee Stage from this side, I do not know if I need to come in straightaway today. I am happy to wait until the next day. It is up to the House.

Seanad: Organisation of Working Time (Reproductive Health Related Leave) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (20 Jan 2022)

Damien English: I am easy.

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Farm Safety (19 Jan 2022)

Damien English: The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) is the designated state agency with responsibility for workplace safety, including farm safety. The HSA maintains a strong focus on specific high-risk areas, such as agriculture, through inspection and enforcement, ongoing partnerships, and through education and awareness-raising campaigns. Although farming fatalities declined by over 50% with 9...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (19 Jan 2022)

Damien English: Under the Employment Permit Acts in order to work in the State all non-EEA nationals require a valid Employment Permit or relevant immigration permission from the Minister for Justice which allows them to reside and work in the State without the requirement for an Employment Permit. The Irish State’s general policy is to promote the sourcing of labour and skills needs from within the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (19 Jan 2022)

Damien English: Where an employee is laid off for periods during their last three years of employment, those periods do not constitute reckonable service for the purposes of redundancy calculations. In light of the extensive periods of lay-off some people will have experienced during the pandemic emergency period, this may have a significant impact on their redundancy entitlement if they are made redundant...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (19 Jan 2022)

Damien English: Under the Employment Permits Acts, in order to work in the State, all non-EEA nationals require a valid employment permit or relevant immigration permission from the Minister for Justice which allows them to reside and work in the State without the requirement for an employment permit.  The employment permits legislation sets out various criteria that must be met when considering an...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Public Sector Pensions (19 Jan 2022)

Damien English: I will launch the public consultation into certain matters raised during consideration of the Industrial Relations (Provisions in Respect of Pension Entitlements of Retired Workers) Bill 2021 as soon as practicable this year.  This consultation will include engagement with organisations representing retired workers.

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Schemes (19 Jan 2022)

Damien English: As previously advised, responsibility for the legislation governing the Insolvency Payments Scheme transferred to the Department of Enterprise, Trade & Employment from the Department of Social Protection in October 2020. Officials in my Department are continuing to work on developing a mechanism through which a competent authority may determine that a state of insolvency arises,...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (19 Jan 2022)

Damien English: The Government has worked to support businesses through these challenging times with a wide range of measures for firms of all sizes, which included the wage subsidy scheme, business continuity and trading online grants, COVID-19 Working Capital Scheme, the COVID-19 Credit Guarantee Scheme, the Future Growth Loan Scheme, commercial rates waivers and warehousing of tax liabilities. Details of...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Workplace Relations Commission (19 Jan 2022)

Damien English: Legal Aid policy is a policy matter solely for my colleague, the Minister for Justice. I understand that legal aid is not currently available for employment rights disputes. The employment rights enforcement frameworks have been designed to deliver a fair, simple, cost effective and user-friendly service for employers and employees in the State. Parties availing of the adjudication...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Employment Rights (19 Jan 2022)

Damien English: The Employment Permits Section of my Department inform me that a Critical Skills Employment Permit application was received for the person concerned (details supplied) on 13th December 2021. Applications for employment permits are dealt with in date order.  The Employment Permits Section of my Department are currently processing standard applications received on 3rd September 2021. ...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Workplace Relations Commission (19 Jan 2022)

Damien English: The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) is an independent, statutory body under the aegis of my Department, established on 1st October 2015 under the Workplace Relations Act 2015. The Commission’s core services include the inspection of employment rights compliance, the provision of information, the processing of employment agency and protection of young persons (employment) licenses...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (19 Jan 2022)

Damien English: The Government has worked to support businesses through these challenging times with a wide range of measures for firms of all sizes, which included the wage subsidy scheme, business continuity and trading online grants, COVID-19 Working Capital Scheme, the COVID-19 Credit Guarantee Scheme, the Future Growth Loan Scheme, commercial rates waivers and warehousing of tax liabilities. Details of...