Results 3,961-3,980 of 12,403 for speaker:Louise O'Reilly

Easing of Covid-19 Restrictions: Statements (2 Feb 2022)

Louise O'Reilly: I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on this important matter. Over the past 24 months, a variety of public health measures were introduced. While there might have been differing views on what needed to be done, we accept that at all times those measures were motivated by the public health interest and were guided by public health advice. Nevertheless, it is very welcome, not just...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Job Losses (2 Feb 2022)

Louise O'Reilly: I offer my solidarity and support to the workers in B. Braun Hospicare who are facing the loss of their jobs. The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment has a jobs, enterprise and development programme for the coming year. This programme talks about the creation and sustenance of high-quality enterprise and employment across all regions. Obviously, the IDA has a key role to play in...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Job Losses (2 Feb 2022)

Louise O'Reilly: The total employment in IDA client companies in the Border region is only 8,721. In the south west, it is more than 47,000 and, in the mid-west, it is more than 25,000. As I have previously said, the figure for Dublin is 124,000. Sligo and the other counties in the region need and deserve very specific attention because those figures show a very clear disparity. The loss of these jobs has...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Louise O'Reilly: I apologise to the Minister for not being here earlier, but I have read his statement. I had a Topical Issue debate this morning and that delayed me. I will not rehearse my and my party's view on the right to be turned down when making a remote working request, which is what some people have nicknamed the legislation. I welcome that the Minister is open to amendments to it and that he...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Louise O'Reilly: I appreciate the need to be careful. Equally, there is a need to be ambitious, with which I am sure that the Minister will agree. It is welcome that he is open to looking at the funding for LEOs but he needs to put a bit of action behind that. They have the potential. Notwithstanding the concerns raised about funding one company to put another company out of business, and I get that...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Louise O'Reilly: Is that ten staff over and above the contingency for retirement? Is that ten additional staff? My understanding is that some of the people are coming up to retirement this year. If three of them go then there will only be seven. Does the Minister know what I mean?

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Louise O'Reilly: There is a huge backlog.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Louise O'Reilly: That is one of several cases. I wish that I was only referring to one. That is one of several.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Louise O'Reilly: I am just asking the Minister to make a general statement.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Louise O'Reilly: I appreciate that Chinese walls exist within the Government and, naturally, they should but these are State-funded organisations. I will not refer to any one specifically but they think that there will be no comeback for them other than that which the workers will do by way of industrial action. We should do everything that we can to avoid employees having no option but industrial action....

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Louise O'Reilly: They do acknowledge the WRC. My issue is not about whether the recommendation is accepted. My issue is about whether organisations will actually go into the WRC and engage in the process. That is the difficulty very often even when a case does not reach the stage of a recommendation being issued. This matter comes under the remit of the Minister, he has direct responsibility for the WRC...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Louise O'Reilly: I believe that it is possible because it has been done in other jurisdictions and, therefore, it should be done. To return to the number of inspectors, the Minister will be aware that the Towards 2016 national wage agreement that was agreed and implemented in part but not in full in 2006 recommended more than 90 inspectors. In his remarks, the Minister said he wanted to expand the work and...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Louise O'Reilly: That would be very useful to have so that at least there would be targets. Regarding the number of high-potential female-led start-ups, the output target for 2022 is 22. In 2020, the outturn was 19 out of 22 while in 2021, the outturn was nine out of a target of 22. Is the Minister confident that this year, the target of 22 can be reached? Similarly, is he confident that the targets for...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Louise O'Reilly: According to the documents provided to us, the HSA carried out in excess of 7,500 workplace inspections across all sectors, of which 7,400 addressed alleged breaches of the Covid-19 mitigation measures as provided for in the protocol. However, in its contact unit, the HSA handled 5,000 complaints, 47% of which related to Covid. Less than half of complaints were directly Covid related yet...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Louise O'Reilly: I suspect, as the Minister must do himself, that that has a lot do with Covid. My concern is around the complaints that were referred and not followed up. The Minister said that when the HSA goes in inspect, it inspects a range of issues but does he have the figures to back that up? There were 7,400 workplace inspections. Arising out of those, has he heard from the HSA specifically that...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Louise O'Reilly: I thank the Minister. I think it would paint a full picture. People do not go to the authority on a whim. It is something they do when they feel they have no other option. Very often, they have raised the issues at workplace level but they have not had any traction on it. My concern is that the concentration on Covid, while completely understandable, may have allowed other breaches. I...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Louise O'Reilly: I thank the Minister very much. I genuinely wish I shared his optimism with regard to the bar being raised simply because people are now more aware of the need for separation, hand washing, etc. My fear is because of the time lost. It is in the Minister's statement that he will bring forward workers' rights legislation, some of which will be welcome and some of which will have to be...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Louise O'Reilly: My time is up now. I appreciate what the Minister said about the constraints but I would appreciate even more a response from him that would indicate that he acknowledges the constraints and will be able to ensure that figure of 11% does not get any bigger. He has just accepted it will get bigger. There does not seem to be any limit set by the Minister or his Department. By the way, it is...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Louise O'Reilly: No, it is the percentage.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Louise O'Reilly: The Minister has already said that we are constrained in volume the electricity we produce. They are using 11% and that is only going to rise. As he said, 11% is a very high figure so 11% of a bigger figure is an even higher amount of electricity. That is the only direction in which it is going.