Results 10,261-10,280 of 11,114 for speaker:Damien English

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Reviews (7 Apr 2022)

Damien English: Maybe I have to say it for the third time. It is quarter 2 that is the target.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Reviews (7 Apr 2022)

Damien English: I think the Deputy is being a bit unfair here. She keeps referring back to a statement from 2018. We have already committed, and it is an action in the climate action plan, to review that policy and to update it. That work has begun. It will involve all of the conversations the Deputy has just touched on and all of the reasons to recognise where we are in respect of the climate change and...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Small and Medium Enterprises (7 Apr 2022)

Damien English: An SME growth task force of entrepreneurs, business leaders and other stakeholders was established in September 2020 by the Tánaiste to fulfil the commitment made in the programme for Government to draw up an ambitious long-term strategic blueprint for SMEs and entrepreneurs beyond Covid-19. Between September and December 2020, the SME task force, which was assisted by four dedicated...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Small and Medium Enterprises (7 Apr 2022)

Damien English: I will work backwards on the two questions. On the MERITS hub, I totally agree with the Deputy. It is a fabulous investment and I have been on that site twice at this stage. I am glad it featured in the 2019 regional enterprise plan that was launched next door to it in Kildare by the Minister, Deputy Humphreys. The new updated regional enterprise plan for the mid-east region is again...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Small and Medium Enterprises (7 Apr 2022)

Damien English: That is one I forgot to mention. There has been a review of the export credit insurance scheme under way in the Department for the last year and a half and that report is complete. While I have not had a chance to go through it yet, I believe it is either on my desk or on the way to my desk. It comes under the “access to finance” element of the SME task force. It is...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Construction Industry (7 Apr 2022)

Damien English: I thank the Deputy for the question. I agree with him about the urgency in this area. It is something we have been working on for a number of years. I am glad it is coming to the stage that it will be up and running very soon. The question concerns the important issue of the adoption and use of new technologies in the construction sector in the context of delivering the Government's...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Construction Industry (7 Apr 2022)

Damien English: Absolutely. The Deputy has raised matters I did not have a chance to cover, but they are exactly what the construction technology centre will deal with. The overall aim of the centre is to identify the optimal consortium of research-performing organisations in the Irish ecosystem that will deliver productivity and sustainability for the Irish construction and built-environment sector...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Construction Industry (7 Apr 2022)

Damien English: The Deputy covered most of the five key industry challenges set out: productivity, affordability and cost; quality and safety; collaboration within the sector; labour shortages, skills and training; and sustainability. The Deputy referred to the town centre first initiative. I totally agree with him in this regard. There was a lot of effort on the part of several Departments to achieve a...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Low Pay Commission (7 Apr 2022)

Damien English: I thank Deputy Gould for raising this issue. It is quite timely, as it turns out. In 2021, the Low Pay Commission was asked by Tánaiste to examine and make recommendations on the best approach to achieving the commitment in the programme for Government to progress to a living wage over the lifetime of the Government. The Low Pay Commission asked researchers at Maynooth University to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Low Pay Commission (7 Apr 2022)

Damien English: We have received the report of the commission. It would be wise for us to read it, go through it in detail and see what is in it before we start making comments.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Low Pay Commission (7 Apr 2022)

Damien English: Apologies.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Low Pay Commission (7 Apr 2022)

Damien English: To be clear, the work is on our desk and we can complete it. There is a commitment in the programme for Government to implement it over the lifetime of the Government. I am not sure what the Deputy's party manifesto said a couple of years ago. I do not recall seeing a commitment to a living wage overnight in it, to be honest. The approach we are taking is measured and brings together...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Low Pay Commission (7 Apr 2022)

Damien English: I want to assure the Deputy and the House that I live in the real world, and it is the same world the Deputy lives in. He has to give up on the line he uses constantly. As Deputies, we are all engaged with people just the same as Deputy Gould is. We know exactly what is going on. The difference is that we are prepared to make decisions to help and not just keep talking. We are prepared...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Low Pay Commission (7 Apr 2022)

Damien English: The point I am making is that people who live in the real world, like us on this side of the House, act and make decisions and improvements. The minimum wage, for example, has increased from €8.65 in 2016 by more than 20% to €10.50 this year because we made changes, and we will continue to build on that. That is based on proper, evidence-based research involving all sectors in...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Low Pay Commission (7 Apr 2022)

Damien English: It works extremely well and we will continue to make interventions.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Low Pay Commission (7 Apr 2022)

Damien English: The Deputy obviously does not like people pointing out the reality that the real world wants actions, decisions and improvements, and for people to go into government and make decisions. That is what we are doing with the Low Pay Commission on a regular basis. We have taken every recommendation it has made over the past number years on board. The programme for Government contains a...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Low Pay Commission (7 Apr 2022)

Damien English: The Tánaiste has made it clear that over the past 18 months we in the Department have been very committed to improving the terms and conditions of all workers in this country, and have backed that up with legislation and changes. I understand that in most cases Sinn Féin supports that, and rightly so. We are leading with action. Likewise, the report of the Low Pay Commission on a...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (6 Apr 2022)

Damien English: My Department experienced a significant increase in applications for employment permits in the past year, impacting on processing times. From the start of January to the end of December 2021, some 27,666 applications were received, representing a 69% increase over the same period in 2020 (16,293) and a 47% increase on 2019 (18,811), which itself represented an 11 year high in applications. ...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Farm Inspections (6 Apr 2022)

Damien English: The Property Registration Authority (PRA) continued to maintain a high level of service to support a robust property market throughout the period of Covid-19 restrictions. In 2021, overall application completion levels recovered to 90 per cent of pre-pandemic levels. Notwithstanding this level of activity, there has been an increase in the length of some completion times. As set out in...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Health and Safety (6 Apr 2022)

Damien English: The staff of the Health and Safety Authority is made up of those in administration and inspector grades. The inspector grades comprise of Grade I (senior inspectors) as well as Grade II and Grade III inspectors. Inspectors operate across all our mandates which include occupational health and safety, market surveillance of products and chemicals. The Authority currently has 125 Inspectors...