Results 3,801-3,820 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Energy Prices (15 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputies for their questions and their advocacy on behalf of small businesses and the retail and hospitality industry in their constituencies. I agree a response of scale is required. I cannot put a figure on that now. It may not be possible to put a figure on it, because we just do not know how long this situation will continue. We probably will be able to put a figure on it...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Energy Prices (15 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputies for their questions. As we all appreciate, businesses are going to be affected in very different ways. Some businesses are very energy-intense; for others, labour costs outweigh energy costs many times over. Some have been able to recover their costs, often through price increases, which are unwelcome. Some businesses are very profitable and will simply face lower...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Energy Prices (15 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: Deputy Gannon is here to deal with Deputy Catherine Murphy’s question, which is similar to these questions, so perhaps he wants to come in on this. I have no objection to that.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Energy Prices (15 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 5, 10, 11 and 18 together. I think it is fair to say that the Government has not been found wanting when it has come to helping businesses get through difficult periods and saving the jobs of people who work in those businesses. The multibillion euro financial assistance provided by Government during the pandemic was unprecedented, whether it was help...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Energy Prices (15 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: It is fair to say that the Government has not been found wanting when it comes to helping businesses to get through difficult periods and indeed saving jobs. The multibillion euro financial assistance provided by the Government during the pandemic was unprecedented whether it was to help businesses with their wage bills so that they could keep staff on, or their overheads, or with the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Energy Prices (15 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: We certainly can do analysis, we have and we will do more. We can make projections but, unfortunately, I do not believe that these projections can be particularly helpful. The truth is that no one of us can guess how long this energy price crisis will go on for and no one can say how high gas and electricity prices will go. That is the reality of the situation. One can make one’s...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Energy Prices (15 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I do not disagree with what the Deputy is saying. We did not put all of the resources into saving so many businesses and jobs during the pandemic to have those businesses fail now during this energy crisis. What I have learned from experience from helping to lead the country through a number of crises: the bailout and the banking crisis ten or 11 years ago with the Labour Party; Brexit...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Living Wage (15 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for the question. We want to reward work and ensure that work pays more. Minimum wage workers are among the hardest working people in Ireland and deserve to paid more, particularly at a time of rising prices. Yesterday the Government accepted the Low Pay Commission's recommendation to increase the national minimum wage by 80 cent to €11.30 per hour commencing on 1...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Living Wage (15 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. The recommendation was made by a majority vote of the Low Pay Commission. Two members dissented but eight or ten were in favour so a very clear majority was in favour of this recommendation. What we will see next year is a not insignificant increase. It brings us closer to the 60% median, not as close as the Deputy or I would like, but it does bring us closer to the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Living Wage (15 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I take the Deputy's point but I have to bear in mind other impacts such as the cost on small businesses. All of the employer representatives favoured the 80 cent increase. That is not to say that all employer organisations do by any means. Many have been very critical of the increase yesterday. All of the independent and academic members favoured the increase, as well as one of the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Small and Medium Enterprises (15 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I think it is fair to say that this Government has not been found wanting when it has come to helping businesses get through difficult periods. The multi-billion euro financial assistance provided by Government during the pandemic was unprecedented, whether it was help with businesses’ wage bill so they could keep staff on, their overheads, the introduction of a cheaper, easier way to...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Job Losses (15 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I was deeply saddened by the announcement earlier this year by B.Braun and my sympathies are with the employees and their families. IDA Ireland has been working closely with the company to try to find a solution for the company but unfortunately, a solution could not be found. As the Deputy is aware, the company made the decision to move a significant portion of its operations to third...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Enterprise Support Services (15 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I think it is fair to say that this Government has not been found wanting when it has come to helping businesses get through difficult periods. The multi-billion euro financial assistance provided by Government during the pandemic was unprecedented, whether it was help with businesses’ wage bill so they could keep staff on, their overheads, the introduction of a cheaper, easier way to...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Flexible Work Practices (15 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: My Department published the National Remote Work Strategy on January 15th, 2021. The Strategy identified 15 actions to ensure that remote work is a permanent feature in the Irish workplace in a way that maximises its economic, social and environmental benefits. My Department is leading the implementation of the Strategy’s actions through an Interdepartmental Group and very significant...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: National Minimum Wage (15 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: We want to reward work and ensure that work pays more. Minimum wage workers are among the hardest working people in Ireland and deserve to paid more particularly at a time or rising prices. Yesterday, the Government agreed to accept the Low Pay Commission’s recommendation to increase the National Minimum Wage by 80 cent to €11.30 from the 1st of January 2023. At least 164,000...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Enterprise Policy (15 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I fully recognise the need for a transition away from the traditional “take-make-waste” linear waste model to a model that eliminates waste in the first place and moves to a restorative and regenerative model. The nature of the concept requires that waste does not exist and that everything is transformed into a resource that can be utilised. With high energy prices and increases...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Data Centres (15 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: The Government published a revised Statement on the Role of Data Centres in Enterprise Strategy at the end of July. The statement was produced in the context of related electricity policy and regulation, and advised that over the short to medium term, the capacity of Ireland’s electricity grid, security of supply concerns, and our determination to decarbonise our electricity system,...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Energy Prices (15 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: It’s clear that this is a really challenging time for enterprise. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has driven energy costs to unprecedented levels. Faced with higher energy prices many companies are looking for ways to bring their costs down. While ultimately this will mean a move away from fossil fuels and towards more sustainable, cheaper alternatives, improving energy efficiency...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Energy Prices (15 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 27, 28, 30, 34, 35, 41, 49, 54, 57 and 62 together. I think it is fair to say that this Government has not been found wanting when it has come to helping businesses get through difficult periods. The multi-billion euro financial assistance provided by Government during the pandemic was unprecedented, whether it was help with businesses’ wage bill so...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Energy Prices (15 Sep 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I am acutely aware of the challenges many businesses are facing, and will face, from the rising cost of energy. We know that these costs are largely driven by a spike in the cost of natural gas, following from Russian's illegal and deplorable invasion of Ukraine. Russia has since demonstrated that it is willing to use its role in global energy markets as a further weapon to disrupt the unity...