Results 1,421-1,440 of 6,431 for speaker:Gerald Nash

Seanad: Workplace Relations Bill 2015: Second Stage (4 Feb 2015)

Gerald Nash: We have had a very interesting and informative debate on what can sometimes be quite a complex area. This is not about changing anyone's rights or entitlements. It is about ensuring we have a streamlined system. It in no way impacts on the suite of employment legislation that we have or on any of the hard-won rights garnered through that process over the years in this sphere or the...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Rights (5 Feb 2015)

Gerald Nash: Under the provisions of Section 8 of the Payment of Wages Act 1991 a Rights Commissioner’s decision may be enforced as if it were an order of the Circuit Court. A formal request for such an order may be filed in the County Registrar’s office by the person seeking the order. Where a person’s former employer was a limited company and the company is in liquidation or...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Enterprise Support Services Provision (12 Feb 2015)

Gerald Nash: Under the Action Plan for Jobs, the Government has published an array of actions designed to ensure full employment by 2018. The plan also contains a suite of actions to promote entrepreneurship, to encourage people to start their own businesses and to help individuals with a viable business idea to access crucial start-up funding. These supports are of course available to all individuals...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Enterprise Support Services Provision (12 Feb 2015)

Gerald Nash: This is an area that concerns me and the Tánaiste. The establishment of Intreo offices has been very positive. The Department of Social Protection has moved from what might be termed a passive payment model to an activation model. Staff in Intreo offices are very linked in with local enterprise offices and other agencies to ensure that people who have business ideas get the support...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Enterprise Support Services Provision (12 Feb 2015)

Gerald Nash: A customer service review is being undertaken with LEOs. The Minister, Deputy Richard Bruton, and I are determined to ensure that those metrics are very strong. We have come from a position of massively high unemployment and our aim is to get unemployment under 10% by the end of the year with a view to moving towards full employment. As such, there is an understanding across the agencies...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Employment Rights (12 Feb 2015)

Gerald Nash: The Government is taking a number of initiatives to ensure that the economic recovery that is under way is benefiting all citizens and that the jobs we are helping to create are decent jobs with decent pay. The setting up of a low pay commission is one of the key commitments in the statement of Government priorities agreed last July. The principal function of the low pay commission will be...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Employment Rights (12 Feb 2015)

Gerald Nash: We know from the Office for National Statistics in the UK and work carried out annually by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development that there are about 32,000 zero-hours contracts in Northern Ireland. Those figures are very worrying. We have a different system here where the protections of the Organisation of Working Time Act are applied to people in certain circumstances....

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Employment Rights (12 Feb 2015)

Gerald Nash: We always need to be very conscious of areas such as this. I am aware of developments in the particular firm in question and its engagement, or lack thereof, with the trade union representing its workers. It would be unwise of me to comment any further as the situation is evolving. From the Government’s perspective, we would always encourage Labour Court recommendations to be...

Other Questions: Pension Provisions (12 Feb 2015)

Gerald Nash: I thank Deputy Clare Daly for tabling this important question. I fully appreciate the concerns of retired and deferred members of pension schemes whose schemes are being restructured, particularly where such restructuring may have an impact on existing or potential pension benefits. In this regard, the question of pensioner groups having access to the State’s industrial relations...

Other Questions: Pension Provisions (12 Feb 2015)

Gerald Nash: The Tánaiste and I are anxious to seek to address this issue, and she and I are familiar with the circumstances Deputy Clare Daly has outlined. It was felt that the appropriate way to address concerns in the future would be through the Pensions Authority, where people would be provided with the opportunity to make submissions to the authority in the type of circumstances outlined by...

Other Questions: Pension Provisions (12 Feb 2015)

Gerald Nash: Deputy Daly raised a couple of fundamental points on the industrial relations machinery of the State. Access to the industrial relations machinery of the State is governed by the definition of “worker” in section 23 of the Industrial Relations Act 1990, which provides,inter alia, that a “worker” means any person aged 15 years or more who has entered into or works...

Other Questions: Research and Development Supports (12 Feb 2015)

Gerald Nash: All of our agencies have policies in place to encourage greater levels of research and innovation and to build the innovation capacity of our enterprises. Enterprise Ireland directly supports companies which engage in innovation, with instruments designed to support companies at different levels of engagement in innovation. IDA Ireland also has a suite of supports for client companies which...

Other Questions: Research and Development Supports (12 Feb 2015)

Gerald Nash: There are a range of different activities going on at present. One company that I am particularly knowledgeable about is called Combilift. It is an amazingly successful company that is dedicated to the area of research and innovation, and the benefits of that have really borne fruit with its major jobs announcement last week. Three quarters of research and development active companies are...

Other Questions: Research and Development Supports (12 Feb 2015)

Gerald Nash: Our agencies, such as IDA Ireland, are involved in pilot mid-tier programmes to bring small and medium-sized companies up to the level that we all want them to be at. There is a lot of activity in that space. There has been significant investment ring-fenced by Government around research and development, even during difficult times, because we could see the benefits of State investment....

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Departmental Investigations (12 Feb 2015)

Gerald Nash: I understand that there are approximately 100 registered domestic waste collection companies operating in Ireland and they employ 8,000 workers directly. The indirect labour figure (agency/contract) is less clear. Given the number of companies competing for business, the cost of service delivery is a deciding factor in winning customers and forms part of the differentiation in terms of...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Rights (12 Feb 2015)

Gerald Nash: In accordance with the Statement of Government priorities, I have commissioned a study into the prevalence of zero hour and low hour contracts and the impact of such contracts on employees. Earlier this week, I announced the appointment of the University of Limerick (UL) to carry out the study. The appointment of UL follows a competitive tendering process. The key objectives of the study...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Superannuation Schemes (12 Feb 2015)

Gerald Nash: Officials from my Department, including the Secretary General, have attended a number of meetings involving officials from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, IBEC and ICTU as part of the review process of the Irish Aviation Superannuation Scheme (IASS) undertaken by the Expert Panel. The involvement of officials from my Department in the meetings was in the context of...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Appointments to State Boards (12 Feb 2015)

Gerald Nash: There is a commitment in the Statement of Government Priorities 2014-2016 to establish a Low Pay Commission (LPC) on a statutory basis as an independent body to make annual recommendations to the Government about the appropriate level of the minimum wage and related matters. The Low Pay Commission will consist of: - An independent chairperson - Three people with a deep understanding of the...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 32 - Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (Revised) (17 Feb 2015)

Gerald Nash: I know Deputy Calleary is well aware of the issue of exiting banks and refinancing of loans. We are going to do two things in terms of adapting this scheme, which is permissible under the existing Act in any event. I will lay the new scheme before the House over the next few days. We are making significant progress on the matter. As we have stated previously, the scheme will allow for...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 32 - Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (Revised) (17 Feb 2015)

Gerald Nash: I will definitely do so.