Results 3,901-3,920 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Payment of Wages (Amendment) (Tips and Gratuities) Bill 2022: Committee and Remaining Stages (13 Jul 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I acknowledge at the outset that tip theft is a problem. It is real, and we would not be introducing this legislation if it was not. We do not have reliable data as to how common it is or if it is more common in the case of electronic tips or cash tips but we think it is more likely to be common in the case of electronic tips because they go through the books, if you like, of the employer...

Payment of Wages (Amendment) (Tips and Gratuities) Bill 2022: Committee and Remaining Stages (13 Jul 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputies for their contributions. I have some sympathy with the arguments being made. I have given this matter some consideration and discussed it with my officials and advisers. The advice I have is that it would not be practical to enforce this particular provision. I refer to the report of the Low Pay Commission in that regard. It is also possible that the circumstances...

Payment of Wages (Amendment) (Tips and Gratuities) Bill 2022: Committee and Remaining Stages (13 Jul 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputies. We made a very significant change in this legislation as it developed on foot of the debate in the Seanad in particular but also the debate here. The original plan was proprietors or employers would just need to be clear about what a mandatory service charge was and where the money went. We have changed that now in this law. When this law is passed and fully...

Payment of Wages (Amendment) (Tips and Gratuities) Bill 2022: Committee and Remaining Stages (13 Jul 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for explaining the intention of the amendment. My understanding is it would place an obligation on employers to comply where it may not make sense to do so. The provisions of the Bill will be applied by means of ministerial regulation where it is appropriate to do so and in consultation with representative organisations representing both employers and employees. The...

Payment of Wages (Amendment) (Tips and Gratuities) Bill 2022: Committee and Remaining Stages (13 Jul 2022)

Leo Varadkar: If I can give reassurance to the Deputy, I hope and anticipate I will be the Minister who is signing these regulations in a few weeks' time or a few months' time. I want to be very clear the regulations will apply to the hospitality sector, including restaurants, hotels, cafes, pubs etc. I also intend they should apply to personal services where people often leave a tip, for example a...

Payment of Wages (Amendment) (Tips and Gratuities) Bill 2022: Committee and Remaining Stages (13 Jul 2022)

Leo Varadkar: Do I have it right in that this is the grouping of amendments Nos. 1 and 2?

Payment of Wages (Amendment) (Tips and Gratuities) Bill 2022: Committee and Remaining Stages (13 Jul 2022)

Leo Varadkar: As I understand it, this group of amendments seeks to classify tips and gratuities as a gift from a customer. The Deputy's purpose is to extend the tax treatment of personal gifts to tips and gratuities received in the course of employment, which would mean that they would be liable for capital acquisitions tax, rather than income tax. Having considered this issue and consulted with the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Brexit Issues (13 Jul 2022)

Leo Varadkar: As the Deputy will be aware, the Central Statistics Office compiles statistical data in relation to goods exports and imports. These statistics can be found on the website www.cso.ie. My Department is monitoring the performance of various sectors as trade with the European Union, the United Kingdom and the rest of the world continues to be impacted not only by Brexit but also by the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Staff (13 Jul 2022)

Leo Varadkar: Remuneration of all staff of my Department and its Offices is as sanctioned by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) in line with Government policy. The rates of remuneration of the Secretary General and Assistant Secretaries at my Department are based on the DPER sanctioned pay-scales, with the Secretary General at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment being...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Medicinal Products (13 Jul 2022)

Leo Varadkar: In 2020, in response to public consultations run by the European Commission, my Department prepared input on the Pharmaceutical Strategy for Europe from an enterprise perspective. Officials from my Department attend an interdepartmental stakeholder group on the Pharmaceutical Strategy for Europe, chaired by the Department of Health. My Department has not had any engagement with the Department...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Medicinal Products (13 Jul 2022)

Leo Varadkar: In 2020, in response to public consultations run by the European Commission, my Department prepared input from an enterprise perspective on the Pharmaceutical Strategy for Europe Roadmap. Officials from my Department engaged with the Department of Health to share views and information. The Pharmaceutical Strategy for Europe was published in November 2020. It aims to ensure access to...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Medicinal Products (13 Jul 2022)

Leo Varadkar: My Department’s agency IDA Ireland last week reported record results for 2021, securing 249 investments, of which 104 were new name investors. The level of total direct employment in IDA client companies grew by 7% in 2021, to 275,384. Over half of all projects went to regional locations. When we look at the base of FDI Biopharma companies established here, we can see that this...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Medicinal Products (13 Jul 2022)

Leo Varadkar: The Pharmaceutical Strategy for Europe was adopted in November 2020, and aims to create a future-proof regulatory framework and to support industry in promoting research and technologies that reach patients in order to fulfil their therapeutic needs while addressing market failures. It is my understanding that work on some areas of the Strategy is already under way. The implementation of...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Medicinal Products (13 Jul 2022)

Leo Varadkar: The Pharmaceutical Strategy for Europe was published in November 2020. It aims to ensure access to affordable therapies for patients, to addressing unmet medical needs, to supporting competitiveness, innovation and sustainability of the EU’s pharmaceutical industry and the development of high quality, safe, effective and greener medicines, along with other measures in relation to...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Staff (13 Jul 2022)

Leo Varadkar: The Public Appointment Service (PAS) is responsible for undertaking a significant proportion of external recruitment of staff for my Department. The Department fully supports the PAS’ “Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy” and will continue to partner with PAS to proactively support recruitment of a workforce that is responsive, accessible, resilient, and...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Rights of People with Disabilities (13 Jul 2022)

Leo Varadkar: The buildings and premises under the remit of my Department and its Offices, which include the Companies Registration Office, the Intellectual Property Office of Ireland, the Labour Court and the Workplace Relations Commission, fall under the direct responsibility of the OPW who oversee the property portfolio for State bodies within Ireland. While most of the buildings within my Department...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Rights of People with Disabilities (13 Jul 2022)

Leo Varadkar: Action 32 of the National Disability and Inclusion Strategy states that Departments and Agencies will actively engage people with disabilities through consultative committees and/or other appropriate fora. The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment is committed to inclusion, with equality of opportunity for all, regardless of disability, gender, civil or family status, sexual...

Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space: Motion (12 Jul 2022)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the House for its support for this motion. As the Minister of State said at the outset, the motion will resolve an issue that has been outstanding since the great era of space exploration back in the 1960s. The motion will also help Ireland to stimulate further space activity. The treaty itself dates back to a radically different time when space exploration was in its infancy...

Confidence in Government: Motion (12 Jul 2022)

Leo Varadkar: It has been a long debate - I have been here for almost all of it - and it has been a good one. In the limited time I have, I wish to make three points. First, the motion of no confidence tabled by Sinn Féin is a deeply cynical and nakedly political one. It is pointless. The Government has a clear working majority and that will be evident from the vote tonight. Those in Sinn...

Confidence in Government: Motion (12 Jul 2022)

Leo Varadkar: -----because their motion has allowed us to demonstrate tonight that we have a clear working majority, we will be able to pass a budget and that this Government can and will last full term. We will prove by the vote tonight that there is no prospect of a Sinn Féin-led government-----