Results 10,581-10,600 of 11,114 for speaker:Damien English

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Wage-setting Mechanisms (15 Sep 2022)

Damien English: Again I will make it clear to this House when I am in a position to do so and I have no problem with returning here for a second part to this debate at a later date. I re-emphasise that in our view the JLC process sits within the context of Ireland's volunteerism system of industrial relations and has worked extremely well for very important sectors.The advantage of the JLCs is that they see...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Small and Medium Enterprises (14 Sep 2022)

Damien English: I propose to take Questions Nos. 61, 73, 74, 75 and 83 together. The Government is acutely aware of the difficulties businesses have faced over the past number of years with the necessary COVID-19 restrictions and now with the increased cost of living and in particular energy costs. The Government is fully committed to helping business particularly over coming months but also into...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Employment Rights (14 Sep 2022)

Damien English: On 3 August 2022, I announced my intention to issue an Order to give effect to a statutory recommendation of the Labour Court concerning minimum rates of remuneration and other terms and conditions in the Security Sector. The Order was to apply from 29 August 2022. On 24 August 2022 my Department was informed that the High Court had granted an Injunction prohibiting the commencement of the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Employment Rights (14 Sep 2022)

Damien English: The European Commission wrote to the Irish Government with a letter of formal notice on the 19 May 2022. Having consulted with the Attorney General’s Office, my Department responded to the Commission on the 19 July 2022. A European Works Council (a “EWC”) is a body that facilitates information and consultation with European employees on transnational issues. EWCs are...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (14 Sep 2022)

Damien English: Ireland operates a managed employment permits system maximising the benefits of economic migration and minimising the risk of disrupting Ireland’s labour market. The regime is designed to accommodate the arrival of non-EEA nationals to fill skills and labour gaps for the benefit of our economy, in the short to medium term. As part of a cross-Departmental response to the crisis in...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Employment Rights (14 Sep 2022)

Damien English: The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) is an independent statutory office under the aegis of my Department. The WRC’s primary functions include the inspection of employment law compliance, the provision of information on employment law, mediation, adjudication, conciliation, facilitation, and advisory services. I understand that Section 2(1) of the Organisation of Working Time...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (14 Sep 2022)

Damien English: The Department of Justice led a cross-departmental group to Review the Atypical Working Scheme and my Department has taken an active part in this process. The Group consulted extensively with stakeholders in relation to their views and experiences of the scheme. Officials of my Department met with representatives of the sector including fishing vessel owners organisations on 22nd July last...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (14 Sep 2022)

Damien English: The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment experienced a significant increase in applications for employment permits in the past year and a half, which impacted 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...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (14 Sep 2022)

Damien English: I propose to take Questions Nos. 77 and 78 together. My Department experienced a significant increase in applications for employment permits in the past year and a half, which impacted 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...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Employment Rights (14 Sep 2022)

Damien English: Ireland is committed to ratifying ILO Convention No.190. The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment is currently undertaking a stakeholder consultation which is open to interested parties to make submissions. Following the conclusion of the consultation, the views of the Attorney General will then be sought, followed by the formal approval of the Government for ratification. I...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Enterprise Support Services (15 Sep 2022)

Damien English: I thank Deputy O'Reilly for the question. The Government and we as a Department recognise that domestically traded sectors account for a significant number of firms in Ireland and, more importantly, for a high proportion of employment across retail, construction, accommodation and food, play and leisure and many other sectors also. They contribute to the economic and social fabric of towns...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Enterprise Support Services (15 Sep 2022)

Damien English: We are trying to reach all of these companies through our various agencies. A lot of effort has gone in but our focus through the Department in the past couple of years is how we can fix relationships with Enterprise Ireland and the local enterprise offices to capture all of those companies. Very often, the gap that is presented to us and, no doubt, to the Deputy, is that when companies go...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Enterprise Support Services (15 Sep 2022)

Damien English: Again, the ambition and the focus has to be to work with companies and to encourage more and more companies to take on international markets. That is the win-win for Ireland and that is where we can create more sustainable jobs. In any of our policy interventions, and I think most businesses get this, we have to also recognise there is a displacement issue. If there are four or five...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Work Permits (15 Sep 2022)

Damien English: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue, which is at the forefront of our minds as Deputies in each area trying to support those who need care in the home. Ireland's employment permits system is managed through the operation of the critical skills and ineligible occupations lists, which determine roles that are either in critically short supply or are ineligible for an employment permit....

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Work Permits (15 Sep 2022)

Damien English: The Deputy raised two important issues. The first is the reform of the overall system. In recent years, especially in working closely with the Tánaiste and the Department over the past year, we put extra resources and staffing into that area. The number of staff available to work through the backlog in permits has nearly trebled. Thankfully, the processing time has been reduced. We...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Work Permits (15 Sep 2022)

Damien English: In response to Deputy Carey, first of all, the permit regime change we made for the healthcare assistant is of major assistance to nursing homes and we work closely with them around that. Close to 2,000 permits have been issued. We have streamlined our process and we focus in, whether it be on home-care assistants or chefs, at different times of the year when there is a high priority. I...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Employment Rights (15 Sep 2022)

Damien English: I thank Deputy O'Reilly for raising this issue. It is important to ensure that workers are correctly classified in a way that matches the reality of the relationship between the worker and the business. Therefore, we take very seriously any bogus employment. The Tánaiste is very clear on that and has set up a working group on the matter. In Ireland, mechanisms exist for the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Employment Rights (15 Sep 2022)

Damien English: -----but we are absolutely clear that, regardless of whether public money is involved or not, the rules of the State must be followed.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Employment Rights (15 Sep 2022)

Damien English: I have no doubt but that the Deputy is well plugged into that group. It is representative of all parts of society. It is important we continue to focus on the area to see if we can enhance and strengthen our legislation and our regime. Part of the work of that group over recent months has been to assess the situation at the moment and the numbers that we believe are in this sector and to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Employment Rights (15 Sep 2022)

Damien English: To be very clear, the State does not facilitate it. The State expects anybody who is in employment to have the full protection of our employment legislation, and we are very clear on that. There are two agencies, Revenue and the Department of Social Protection, that do a well-recognised good job in this area. Our regime in Ireland is well recognised for protection of employees. It is...