Results 19,981-20,000 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Departmental Strategy Statements (12 Nov 2019)

Heather Humphreys: As Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, I am committed to the development of a business environment that is encouraging of entrepreneurs countrywide. My Department launched the National Policy Statement on Entrepreneurship (NPSE) in October 2014. It was designed to cover the five years up to 2019. This Policy Statement represents the first time an Irish Government has...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: InterTradeIreland Data (12 Nov 2019)

Heather Humphreys: InterTradeIreland (ITI), offer a range of supports to help SMEs in Ireland and Northern Ireland explore new cross-border markets, develop new products, processes and services and become investor ready. Acumen is ITI’s flagship trade programme which supports SMEs to develop cross-border business. Participant firms can access funding for either part-time or full-time sales salary...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Enterprise Ireland Data (12 Nov 2019)

Heather Humphreys: Enterprise Ireland supports companies in urban and rural areas to start, innovate and remain competitive in international markets, now and into the future. A key part of this activity is to support prospective and emerging exporters. Enterprise Ireland’s Exporter Development Department assists prospective and emerging exporters with greater than 10 employees to support them in...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Brexit Supports (12 Nov 2019)

Heather Humphreys: The Brexit Loan Scheme was launched in March of 2018. The Scheme, using a combination of Irish Exchequer and EU guarantees, leveraged up to €300 million of lending at a maximum interest rate of 4% at a cost to the Exchequer of €23 million - €14 million provided by my Department and €9 million provided by Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. The...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: National Standards Authority of Ireland (12 Nov 2019)

Heather Humphreys: The National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) is Ireland’s National Standards Body (NSB) operating under the National Standards Authority of Ireland Act 1996. The NSAI is under the remit of the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation. NSAI is the Irish member of the following: - International Organization for Standardisation (ISO) - International Electrotechnical...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: IDA Ireland Site Visits (12 Nov 2019)

Heather Humphreys: My Department and its agencies continue to work towards ambitious targets to ensure that employment and investment are distributed as evenly as possible across the country. Significant progress is being made, with 58% of all IDA-supported employment now outside of Dublin. 2018 also saw more IDA jobs added in the regions than at any time over the past 17 years. When it comes to foreign...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Freedom of Information Data (12 Nov 2019)

Heather Humphreys: The Freedom of Information Disclosure Log was last updated and published via this Department’s website on the 25th of October 2019 in accordance with Section 8 of the FOI Act 2014 excluding FOI requests that relate to requests for personal information. My Department has prepared its FOI Publication Scheme in accordance with the model publication scheme and guidelines made by the...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Departmental Advertising Campaigns (12 Nov 2019)

Heather Humphreys: My Department has a supporting role in the Be Winter Ready campaign. Officials from my Department attend the Government Task Force on Emergency Planning and relevant sub-groups. In support of the campaign, my Department has published severe weather advice for business on its website. It is also promoting the campaign, from its website and on Twitter. In severe weather events, other...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Enterprise Support Schemes (12 Nov 2019)

Heather Humphreys: The 31 Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs), located in the Local Authorities nationwide are the ‘first-stop-shop’ for advice and guidance, financial assistance and other supports for anyone intending to start or grow a business. The LEOs provide a ‘signposting’ service in relation to all relevant State supports available through agencies such as Revenue, the...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Trade Data (7 Nov 2019)

Heather Humphreys: In 2017 there were 568 active enterprises in the biopharmaceutical sector in Ireland. This includes a mix of large multinationals, start-ups, and high growth SMEs, including over 100 Enterprise Ireland supported Irish owned companies. Ireland has a highly skilled workforce that has achieved critical mass. There are approximately 30,000 people in direct employment in the sector, of which...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Brexit Supports (7 Nov 2019)

Heather Humphreys: Since the decision of the United Kingdom to leave the European Union, my Department and its agencies have worked to put a wide range of Brexit supports in place for businesses. My Department's focus is on helping firms to improve their competitiveness and innovation, and to diversify markets. The suite of enterprise and finance supports now in place covers the spectrum of potential Brexit...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Brexit Preparations (7 Nov 2019)

Heather Humphreys: While the nature of the UK’s departure from the EU still remains to be determined, Brexit continues to represent a significant challenge for businesses in Ireland. The deadline for withdrawal has now shifted to 31 January, but there remains an urgent need for Irish businesses to plan, prepare and take action to mitigate their exposure to Brexit, despite the continued uncertainty. ...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Work Permits Applications (7 Nov 2019)

Heather Humphreys: There does not appear to be a current employment permit application for the named person (details supplied). An application for an employment permit by the named person will be considered should such an application be made, subject to the application fulfilling all relevant criteria. In order to apply for an employment permit a non-EEA national must have secured a job offer for an...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Foreign Direct Investment (7 Nov 2019)

Heather Humphreys: As Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, regional development is a key priority of mine and I am focused on maintaining existing jobs while also increasing the level of employment and investment in every county in Ireland. That was the case in 2018 and 2019 and our collective emphasis on regional development will continue in 2020. The site that the Deputy is referring to is...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Data (7 Nov 2019)

Heather Humphreys: There are approximately 30,000 people directly employed in IDA-supported biopharmaceutical companies. More broadly, the life sciences sector, encompassing pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and medical technology, now employs more than 60,000 people in Ireland and exports in excess of €58 billion annually. Over 80 multinational biopharma companies have significant facilities in...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Economic Competitiveness (7 Nov 2019)

Heather Humphreys: Improving our competitiveness and ensuring that Ireland is an attractive location to do business remains a key economic priority for this Government. We continue to monitor Ireland's competitiveness and analyse the factors that are crucial to attracting further investments in the country. The World Bank Ease of Doing Business 2019 report compares the ‘ease of doing’ business...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Brexit Supports (7 Nov 2019)

Heather Humphreys: The Brexit Loan Scheme provides affordable working capital to eligible businesses with up to 499 employees that are or will be Brexit impacted and which meet the scheme criteria. The €23 million exchequer funding announced in the 2018 Budget (€14 million from my Department and €9 million from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine) has been leveraged to...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Enterprise Support Schemes (7 Nov 2019)

Heather Humphreys: The Future Growth Loan Scheme makes up to €300 million worth of loans available with a term of eight to ten years and is open to eligible Irish businesses, including those in the primary agriculture and seafood sectors, to support strategic long-term investment. Finance provided under the scheme is competitively priced and has favourable terms, for example, no security is required for...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Intellectual Property Management (7 Nov 2019)

Heather Humphreys: The Irish life sciences manufacturing sector has grown significantly in recent years with a range of significant investments from overseas companies, along with start-ups and high-growth SMEs. The global top ten biopharmaceutical companies each now have a manufacturing presence in Ireland. Indigenous firms are also highly innovative and are competing successfully in global markets. ...

Consumer Protection (Gift Vouchers) Bill 2019: Report and Final Stages (6 Nov 2019)

Heather Humphreys: I thank Deputies for their interest in and contribution to the passage of this Bill through the Dáil. I am pleased that the key features of the Bill have been welcomed and supported by all sides during the debate. The provision for a five-year minimum term for gift vouchers and other protections contained in the Bill will be of real benefit to the very many consumers who give and...