Results 201-220 of 5,674 for speaker:Alan Dillon

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Employment Rights (20 Feb 2025)

Alan Dillon: I have responsibility for a robust suite of employment rights legislation that protects all workers, including those employed in the film and audiovisual industry. It is important to note that all employers, regardless of sector, are responsible for ensuring that their employees receive the protections afforded to them under employment legislation. There is no exemption or separate...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (20 Feb 2025)

Alan Dillon: The Employment Permits Section of the Department informs me that the provision to allow migrant workers to change employer while remaining on their employment permit was introduced in September 2024. The section does not currently have the facility to track the numbers of permit holders who have applied to change employer, this will be introduced when the new Employment Permits ICT system is...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Flexible Work Practices (19 Feb 2025)

Alan Dillon: The right to request a remote working arrangement for all employees was commenced through the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023 on 6 March 2024. The right to a request flexible working arrangement, such as adjusted working patterns or reduced hours, is available to parents and carers under the Act. Employers are obliged to have regard to the Code of Practice...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Enterprise Policy (19 Feb 2025)

Alan Dillon: Trading online is an important route for retail businesses to grow and improve. Developing digital capability with a strong online presence will assist retailers to become sustainable, increase their customer base and reduce their costs. The online Retail Scheme was introduced by my Department in conjunction with Enterprise Ireland as part of the ongoing work of the Retail Forum. From...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Charitable and Voluntary Organisations (18 Feb 2025)

Alan Dillon: Textile banks located around the country are provided and managed by local authorities, the charity sector and a number of private operators. In relation to local authority textile banks, I understand that local authorities have contracts or arrangements in place with commercial operators managing the banks and there can be servicing issues, due to high volumes of material being deposited...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (18 Feb 2025)

Alan Dillon: My department operates the employment permits system in accordance with the Employment Permits Act 2024. The 2024 Act represents the biggest reform of employment permits legislation in over a decade, allowing for a more modern, flexible employment permits system as well as ensuring employee rights are maintained. The employment permits legislation sets out various criteria that must be...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Weather Events (18 Feb 2025)

Alan Dillon: Since my appointment as Minister of State with responsibility for Small Business and Retail, I have been closely monitoring the situation in relation to Storm Éowyn and its impacts on the business community through regular updates from the National Emergency Coordination Group and updates from Local Enterprise Offices in the counties with the most significant and prolonged impacts. In...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (13 Feb 2025)

Alan Dillon: Ireland operates a managed employment permits system maximising the benefits of economic migration and minimising the risk of disrupting Ireland’s labour market. The system is vacancy led and managed through the operation of the Occupations Lists: the Critical Skills Occupations List (CSOL) and the Ineligible Occupations List (IOL). The CSOL specifies employments in high demand for...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Business Supports (12 Feb 2025)

Alan Dillon: I thank Deputy McGrath for raising this important issue and for his contribution here today. I reiterate and fully appreciate the important role Irish SMEs play, and their contribution to towns and villages throughout the country. I recognise the increased pressure of doing business. I would point to the speed at which this power up grant was delivered, with more than €150 million...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Business Supports (12 Feb 2025)

Alan Dillon: I thank Deputy McGrath for raising the important issue. I know how important SMEs and small businesses are in his constituency in County Tipperary. I fully recognise the cost pressures SMEs are facing and the impact this is having on their ability to keep their doors open. As the Deputy stated, the programme for Government contains several important commitments, including with regard to...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Early Childhood Care and Education (11 Feb 2025)

Alan Dillon: I thank Deputy Sherlock for raising this important matter and for offering us the opportunity to respond. I am taking this Topical Issue matter on behalf of the Minister for children, Deputy Foley. With regard to resources through core funding, core funding is a grant to providers designed to support quality, sustainability and enhanced public management, with associated conditions in...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Early Childhood Care and Education (11 Feb 2025)

Alan Dillon: I agree with the sentiment of the matter the Deputy raised tonight. Certainly, the Department is committed to working with all core funding partner services concerned about their viability and to ensure we have oversight around case management processes. In this instance, it is between the provider, the local city and county childcare committee, and Pobal working together to assess and...

Programme for Government: Statements (Resumed) (11 Feb 2025)

Alan Dillon: I am honoured to have been appointed Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment with special responsibility for small businesses and retail and as Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications with special responsibility for the circular economy. The programme for Government lays out an ambitious roadmap for the coming...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Employment Rights (11 Feb 2025)

Alan Dillon: Ireland has a robust framework of legislative protections and supports for workers who lose their job. This includes:The Protection of Employment Act 1977, as amended, which requires employers in collective redundancy situations to consult with employees’ representatives and to notify the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment before implementing redundancies.The Redundancy...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Business Supports (11 Feb 2025)

Alan Dillon: The Government has already brought forward significant changes to eligibility criteria for the Local Enterprise Office digitalisation schemes. Digital Start was first introduced in 2022 and is now called Digital for Business. I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the eligibility criteria for the Digital for Business consultancy scheme has been widened to make businesses with up to 50...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Business Supports (11 Feb 2025)

Alan Dillon: Using the Communications channels of the network of the 31 Local Enterprise Offices, the Grow Digital portal and the National Enterprise Hub, we want to get the message out that deploying digital tools and technologies, including AI-based tools, can help our small businesses to save time and money, and ultimately make them more competitive. The Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs), located...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (11 Feb 2025)

Alan Dillon: The Employment Permits Section of my Department informs me that the application mentioned in the details supplied is currently under consideration by the processing team. The Employment Permits Section operates a dedicated mailbox for TD queries in respect of Employment Permit applications - tdepqueries@enterprise.gov.ie.

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Industrial Relations (11 Feb 2025)

Alan Dillon: One of the goals of the EU Directive on Adequate Minimum Wages, under Article 4, is to increase the number of workers covered by collective bargaining on wage setting. The Directive requires Member States with a collective bargaining coverage below 80%, such as Ireland, to provide “for a framework of enabling conditions for collective bargaining” and to publish an action...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Business Supports (11 Feb 2025)

Alan Dillon: The company in question received the following payment for the years 2022-2024 from Enterprise Ireland. Client Offer Payment 2022 € Payment 2023 € Payment 2024 € Market Discovery Fund €76,226 Company Development €211,665 R and...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Flexible Work Practices (11 Feb 2025)

Alan Dillon: The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) is an independent, statutory body 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. To date the WRC has received 36 individual complaints under the...