Results 261-280 of 3,478 for speaker:Emer Higgins

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (18 Sep 2024)

Emer Higgins: Following the recent Review of the Employment Permits Occupation Lists. a number of new quotas were introduced to provide General Employment Permit (GEP) access for certain previously ineligible occupations. The roles of motor/auto mechanics, car mechanics, and HGV/Bus mechanics were among the roles made available for permit under quota. The Employment Permits Section of the Department...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Employment Rights (18 Sep 2024)

Emer Higgins: The Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 (OWTA), which transposes the EU Working Time Directive into Irish Law, sets out minimum rest and maximum working time for employees as well as holidays and other miscellaneous issues. The Defence Forces are currently excluded from the provisions of the OWTA in its entirety. My Department’s objective is to develop the appropriate legislative...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Business Supports (18 Sep 2024)

Emer Higgins: My Department developed the Ukraine Enterprise Crisis Scheme (UECS) which provided funding to assist viable but vulnerable companies of all sizes in the manufacturing and internationally traded services sectors impacted by energy price rises and other direct consequences of the war in Ukraine. Since 2022 the Department has made payments of €9,473,881 to 40 businesses. The Energy...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Enterprise Support Services (9 Sep 2024)

Emer Higgins: Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) play an extremely important role at local level, as part of a supportive ecosystem, providing their services to small businesses and promoting entrepreneurship within towns and communities across the country. They provide a signposting service for all government supports available to SMEs and can provide information/referrals to other relevant bodies under...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Redundancy Payments (9 Sep 2024)

Emer Higgins: The Redundancy Payments Act 1967 sets out the formula for calculating the minimum redundancy payment which must be made to eligible employees when they are made redundant by their employer. This is referred to as “statutory redundancy”, and it is a lump sum payment based on an employee’s pay and length of service. An eligible employee is entitled to two weeks' pay for...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Employment Rights (9 Sep 2024)

Emer Higgins: The EU Directive on Adequate Minimum Wages requires Member States with a collective bargaining coverage below 80%, such as Ireland, to publish an action plan to promote collective bargaining. The European Commission Expert Group's Report, released last November, is clear that the content of the action plan is entirely up to Member States, in consultation with the social partners. According to...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Enterprise Support Services (9 Sep 2024)

Emer Higgins: Balanced regional development is a priority of mine and of Government. Government has provided substantial funding through a number of enterprise funding schemes to assist regions to support enterprise activity, promote regional growth and create jobs. Since 2017, my Department, through Enterprise Ireland, has approved funding for 79 enterprise focused projects through the Regional Enterprise...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Employment Rights (9 Sep 2024)

Emer Higgins: On the 26thof June 2024, I signed the Employment Regulation Order (ERO) for the Security Sector which came into force on 1stof July 2024. The ERO provided for a wage increase to €14.50 per hour from that date. The full details of the ERO are available here: www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2024/si/319/made/en/ No further legislative changes to the rates of pay and work conditions for...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Job Creation (9 Sep 2024)

Emer Higgins: The Irish labour market remains exceptionally resilient as we move through 2024, with another successive quarter showing a new record for the highest number of people employed in our country. More than half of the jobs created in the past year were outside of Dublin, this is a testament to this Government’s commitment to achieving more balanced regional enterprise development. The...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Job Creation (9 Sep 2024)

Emer Higgins: In 2018, the National Planning Framework (NPF) replaced the National Spatial Strategy as the overall spatial planning and development strategy for Ireland. The NPF, together with the National Development Plan (NDP), combine to form Project Ireland 2040, the overarching policy and planning framework for the social, economic and cultural development of Ireland. Government approved the process...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Enterprise Support Services (9 Sep 2024)

Emer Higgins: Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) play an extremely important role at local level, as part of a supportive ecosystem, providing their services to small businesses and promoting entrepreneurship within towns and communities across the country. They provide a signposting service for all government supports available to SMEs and can provide information/referrals to other relevant bodies under...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Business Supports (9 Sep 2024)

Emer Higgins: I encourage anyone who is setting up their own business, to first speak with a business advisor in their Local Enterprise Office (LEO). The LEOs play an extremely important role at local level, as part of a supportive ecosystem, providing their services direct to small businesses and promoting entrepreneurship within towns and communities across the country and are best placed to provide...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Employment Rights (9 Sep 2024)

Emer Higgins: When the Sick Leave Act 2022 commenced on 1 January 2023, the initial statutory entitlement was up to 3 days’ sick leave, which increased to 5 days on 1 January 2024. This entitlement could potentially increase to 7 days up to a maximum of 10 days. Section 6(1) of the Act provides that the Minister can, in consultation with the Minister for Social Protection, vary the number of...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Economic and Social Research Institute (23 Jul 2024)

Emer Higgins: The Sick Leave Act 2022 provided an initial statutory entitlement to up to 3 days’ employer-paid sick leave in 2023. This increased to 5 days on 1 January 2024. The sick leave entitlement could potentially increase to 7 days in 2025, reaching 10 days in 2026. A Ministerial Order to give effect to any decision to vary the number of sick leave days is not required to be made before 1...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (23 Jul 2024)

Emer Higgins: In December 2022, changes to the employment permits system were announced to help address the skills shortages in Ireland’s Transport sector. These changes included the introduction of a quota of 1,500 General Employment Permits in respect of Bus and Coach drivers. The Employment Permits section of my Department informs me that as of the 17thof July 2024 there have been a total of 314...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: State Bodies (23 Jul 2024)

Emer Higgins: Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) play an extremely important role at local level, as part of a supportive ecosystem, providing their services direct to small businesses and promoting entrepreneurship within towns and communities across the country. LEOs are the first stop shop for every business in the country. LEOs provide a signposting service for all government supports available to the SME...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Enterprise Policy (23 Jul 2024)

Emer Higgins: Balanced regional development is a priority for me and this Government as affirmed in the Government's White Paper on Enterprise. My Department contributes to this agenda in a number of ways including through the nine Regional Enterprise Plans, each of which includes strategic objectives or actions on maximising the potential of hubs in their regions. Enterprise hubs play a vital role in...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (23 Jul 2024)

Emer Higgins: In January 2024, the then Minister of State with responsibility for Business, Employment and Retail, Neale Richmond, met with the organisation referred to to discuss the changes announced to increase the employment permits minimum annual remuneration (MAR) threshold for health care assistants. A principal rationale for the proposed increase to the thresholds was to ensure that permit holders...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Business Supports (23 Jul 2024)

Emer Higgins: This Government recognises the important role that our small businesses play in contributing to the Irish economy, not only in their own towns and villages nationwide, but to the country as a whole. My department through the enterprise development agencies are working to create a better business environment, one that encourages entrepreneurs to start-up and grow into exporting entities that...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Enterprise Policy (23 Jul 2024)

Emer Higgins: As the Deputy may be aware, I launched the National Enterprise Hub (NEH) on the 10th of July. The NEH is a new all-of-government service, staffed by expertly trained advisors and is focused on helping businesses access a range of government supports. The hub brings together information and resources on over 180 government supports from 19 different departments and state agencies which can be...