Results 241-260 of 11,114 for speaker:Damien English

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (30 Nov 2022)

Damien English: It is open to any business.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (30 Nov 2022)

Damien English: We will monitor the drawdown of the scheme and its implications over the coming months. We will see whether we can make improvements to the scheme as we proceed. What we as a Department have to focus on are the hundreds of thousands of businesses that badly need this money ASAP to support their enterprises and jobs. When I speak to them, they are not obsessed with who else is getting...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (30 Nov 2022)

Damien English: Potentially hundreds of thousands of businesses will apply for this. I cannot justify or explain every potential applicant. When we see who draws it down, we can discuss it further. If we can make changes to improve it, we will. What are we doing in the budget that was announced? Two things. This is to allocate this funding to support hundreds of businesses who badly need it as soon...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (30 Nov 2022)

Damien English: There are a number of schemes to help a range of businesses and we wanted to design them as quickly as possible under the EU framework to reach businesses who need help and support. Within that are businesses of all shapes and sizes, Irish-owned and not Irish-owned, which might avail of these grants and which, we can argue until the cows come home, do not need them. It is more important to...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (30 Nov 2022)

Damien English: It is speed and the legal mechanism to be able to reach these companies. If you tie it up in knots and try to segregate and pick out people who you think should not get it, that can complicate a scheme. We have to design the scheme to be as uncomplicated as possible and make it available as quickly as possible.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (30 Nov 2022)

Damien English: There are two things there. The Department published an updated policy on data centres which I am happy to come in here to discuss at length today or any day members want to do that. That sets out where we stand in relation to data centres. They have responsibilities to reduce their energy usage. They support society and create many jobs. Each individual data centre, you could argue,...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (30 Nov 2022)

Damien English: The Deputy keeps referencing data centres.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (30 Nov 2022)

Damien English: Some of them have responsibilities to create their own energy and have committed to doing so. Regarding future development of data centres, in light of the shortage of supply for the coming years, a limited number will be allowed and they will have to prove how important they are to Ireland Inc. That is part of their journey. On future schemes, we are constantly working with our agencies...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (30 Nov 2022)

Damien English: There is not a scheme designed yet, as the Deputy says, for data centres. We have a number of schemes now in place, thankfully, and businesses can draw down supports before Christmas-----

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (30 Nov 2022)

Damien English: Can I finish?

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (30 Nov 2022)

Damien English: There are a number of questions there. I will try to answer them all but if I miss some, the Chair might correct me. On the two loan products, the one most useful to SMEs under financial pressure to survive in the coming years is the loan guarantee because it is to do with working capital and finance now. That is the most urgent and useful one and the Covid version of that has been proven...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (30 Nov 2022)

Damien English: We are constantly working with Enterprise Ireland to see how we can improve the situation on both ends but we have to understand it is taxpayers' money. There are checks and balances and that dreaded red tape to go through. However, when one is availing of quite a high amount of taxpayers' money, those checks and balances have to be in place. It is not always to do with that. It is to do...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (30 Nov 2022)

Damien English: I apologise to the Deputy. I meant to address the issue earlier on. It does not just fall to our Department. There are a number of options here with regard to the Department of Transport with regard to fuel supports, as well as the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. The Deputy is right, to correct it we have adjusted the loan guarantee criteria to allow those in the fishing...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (30 Nov 2022)

Damien English: We are okay on that. That is fine.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (30 Nov 2022)

Damien English: It was until 18 months or so ago-----

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (30 Nov 2022)

Damien English: I will check it for Deputy Stanton and get a response back to him. From having been involved in this conversation previously, I know that you make a decision that you wants to be part of something and then you are into negotiations about the how, the when and the size of the cheque. That is why, even with this opportunity here when we can afford to do it, it is worth our while to pay more...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Permits Bill 2022: Committee Stage (30 Nov 2022)

Damien English: I thank the Chair for his time and co-operation with this legislation. I am pleased to have the opportunity to discuss the Employment Permits Bill with the committee today along with the officials from the Department. The purpose of the Bill is to consolidate and update the legislative provisions that regulate the employment permits system, namely, the Employment Permits Acts of 2003 and...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Permits Bill 2022: Committee Stage (30 Nov 2022)

Damien English: I move amendment No. 1: In page 10, between lines 35 and 36, to insert the following: “ “public health facility” has the same meaning assigned to it bysection 25(5)*;”. The text of this amendment provides for a definition of a public health facility in order to underpin the new section 25, which will facilitate the annual rotations that are a feature...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Permits Bill 2022: Committee Stage (30 Nov 2022)

Damien English: I move amendment No. 2: In page 11, between lines 4 and 5, to insert the following: “ “register” has the same meaning assigned to it by section 57(2);”. The effect of this amendment is to insert a definition of "register" in section 2 to mirror that contained in section 57(2) of the Act.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Permits Bill 2022: Committee Stage (30 Nov 2022)

Damien English: I accept that most of the members of the committee have a different view on this matter, as we have discussed at length a few times. That is why I have said I am willing to work with members to get this right and put in place additional protections. We can do that on Report Stage. Before Report Stage, I am willing to sit down with members to tease through any issues. We are working on a...