Results 10,701-10,720 of 11,114 for speaker:Damien English

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Energy Prices (26 Oct 2022)

Damien English: I propose to take Questions Nos. 48 and 49 together. I would like to thank the Deputy for raising this matter and I wish to reassure you that this Government is very aware of the difficulties that businesses are facing now due the current energy crisis. Businesses now require help with their energy bills and that is why a significant package to help businesses with escalating energy costs...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Health and Safety (27 Oct 2022)

Damien English: As the Deputy is aware, following our discussion that night on his Private Members’ Bill on workplace ventilation, which was not opposed by the Government, I asked the Health and Safety Authority, HSA, to start immediately a formal review of the existing provisions on workplace ventilation to determine what further enhancement measures could be considered. Following this review, a...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Health and Safety (27 Oct 2022)

Damien English: The fact that the code of practice is being published next week means we are moving it pretty quickly. It will be in place in 2023, which I must remind the Deputy is only about eight or nine weeks away. It is not as if we are saying this will be in a couple of years’ time. To be fair, there is a process to go through when updating these regulations. I assume the Deputy wants this...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Health and Safety (27 Oct 2022)

Damien English: Again, we analysed the Deputy’s Bill and we felt that amending existing regulations was a more appropriate and pragmatic way of achieving the objectives of that Bill. We probably will have achieved the same things. The Deputy’s Bill, as drafted, focused primarily on improved workplace ventilation. However, both the Department and the HSA believe that workplace ventilation goes...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Work Permits (27 Oct 2022)

Damien English: I thank Deputy Colm Burke for raising this very important matter and assure him that we have tried to work with the Departments of Health and Justice to improve the situation. The State's employment permit system is designed to supplement Ireland's skills and labour supply over the short to medium term by allowing the recruitment of nationals from outside the EEA where such skills or...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Work Permits (27 Oct 2022)

Damien English: Again, I thank Deputy Burke for raising this issue. We keep this under review. The changes were put in place last November in our Department and then the Departments of Health and Justice followed suit. The three Departments are working quite closely to try to prioritise this area. When it comes to judgments on the permits, we have made a lot of changes in our own Department to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Work Permits (27 Oct 2022)

Damien English: I agree. It is important that we have streamlined the process. It is now much more accommodating to the situation regarding stamp 4 and family reunification. The issues the Deputy raises probably cross over with the Department of Finance and Revenue as well as the Department of Social Protection. I am certainly happy to raise them. We have been for a long number of years trying to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Industrial Relations (27 Oct 2022)

Damien English: The WRC, under the aegis of my Department, is one of several agencies that monitor the operation of the atypical worker permission scheme for non-EEA fishers employed on certain Irish-registered fishing vessels. I presume this is the scheme the Deputy is mainly referring to. The WRC has particular responsibility for checking compliance insofar as terms of employment, permission to work,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Industrial Relations (27 Oct 2022)

Damien English: I cannot comment on the specific case raised, but I am happy to engage with the Deputy separately on this aspect in general. We are bringing forward this package. I do not have a timeline for it now. I will, though, try to get it fast-tracked. We were waiting for the recommendations and the changes and the review of the atypical worker permission scheme. The Deputy will agree that it is...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Industrial Relations (27 Oct 2022)

Damien English: This is an area of priority. Most stakeholders with whom I engage in this sector across the different Departments wanted the review of the atypical working scheme prioritised as soon as possible. To be honest with the Deputies, that is where a lot of our work has gone in. That review is to be completed. The recommendations and the report went to Cabinet a few weeks ago, and we can get on...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: International Agreements (27 Oct 2022)

Damien English: I am taking Questions Nos. 13, 14 and 43 together. Is that okay?

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: International Agreements (27 Oct 2022)

Damien English: Responding to the exceptional circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic, Ministers at the WTO Ministerial Conference in June 2022 agreed an outcome in relation to the production and supply of Covid-19 vaccines. The ministerial decision on the TRIPS Agreement provides for a waiver of certain obligations of the agreement and includes clarifications that will allow eligible WTO members to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: International Agreements (27 Oct 2022)

Damien English: It is probably fair to say that the ministerial decision was the outcome of extensive, detailed and politically sensitive negotiations which we have discussed here quite a lot over the past year. Ireland has always taken a prominent position on that within the EU. They hold the competency for this and we contribute to that. Our officials in Dublin, Brussels and Geneva are involved in a...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: International Agreements (27 Oct 2022)

Damien English: I also have the letter that was addressed to the Taoiseach from the individuals outlining their concerns. We have to reflect on what progress has already been made on access to the vaccine since we discussed this when people raised it previously. The ministerial decision on the TRIPS agreement provides for a waiver of certain obligations of the TRIPS agreement. It includes clarifications...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: International Agreements (27 Oct 2022)

Damien English: It is fair to say a lot of extra public money was put on top of billions of euro of private money for Covid. There is no doubt about this. There was an investment of private money well before this. We have to make sure the intellectual property regime protects both of these investments and enhances the best opportunities. We believe Ireland's role in our negotiations through the EU in the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: International Agreements (27 Oct 2022)

Damien English: It is about how we best maximise money for research. I do not have all the figures here today but I ask Deputy Connolly to trust me that the private end has been higher than the public end for a long number of years. Let us be fair about this. It is important that we maximise the opportunity. We differ on the need to have a blend of public and private money in research. To me it is about...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Urban Development (27 Oct 2022)

Damien English: I will respond on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, who could not be here to address the issue. The National Monuments Service of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage administers the community monuments fund, CMF, through the local authorities. It was established in 2020 under the July jobs stimulus package and had an initial fund of just over €1...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Urban Development (27 Oct 2022)

Damien English: I have no doubt that Finglas should get the respect it deserves. I am glad that the Deputy recognises that funding has been secured. I did not realise that earlier. Some €115,000 was allocated over the past two years to recognise the importance of the monument on which I have no doubt the Deputy wants to build. The CMF helps to progress heritage projects throughout the country...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Enterprise Support Services (27 Oct 2022)

Damien English: The Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) were created to promote entrepreneurship and enterprise development and act as a ‘first-stop-shop’ for advice and guidance, financial assistance, and business and management development programmes. They provide signposting for all government assistance to SMEs and provide referrals to other relevant bodies such as Revenue, Micro Finance...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Enterprise Support Services (27 Oct 2022)

Damien English: The Local Enterprise Offices are Units within the 31 Local Authorities nationwide and act as a ‘first-stop-shop’ for providing advice and guidance, financial assistance and training and consultancy programmes to those wishing to start or grow their own business subject to certain eligibility criteria. The LEOs also provide signposting to all government assistance for SMEs and...