Results 21-40 of 12,893 for speaker:Dara Calleary

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Microenterprise Loan Fund (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (22 May 2024)

Dara Calleary: We certainly do not want any civil or public servant not to be able to be accountable to an Oireachtas committee. They must be.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Microenterprise Loan Fund (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (22 May 2024)

Dara Calleary: In terms of the highlights, a flavour of which I gave earlier, since 2012, just over 5,000 loans issued, at €83.5 million, supporting 10,000 jobs. In terms of sectors, which is probably interesting, 20% of loans were in wholesale and retail, 11% were in manufacturing, 10% were in other services and 9% were in professional, scientific and tech. A total of 42% of approvals were to...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Microenterprise Loan Fund (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (22 May 2024)

Dara Calleary: I would absolutely support that. The recent changes we have announced, such as increasing the loan ability to up to €50,000, will help businesses and increase their capacity. The figure €25,000 was good ten years ago but it needed to be changed. To give the Deputy some more information on the bad-debt level, in 2020, during Covid, it was 31%, whereas in 2023, it was down to...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Microenterprise Loan Fund (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (22 May 2024)

Dara Calleary: It is not where I want it to be, by any means. We tend to land Microfinance Ireland into emergency situations and people have not heard about it. This year, we will introduce the enterprise hub, that is, the one-stop shop where people will be able to go to get all the supports, and bringing it into the Department will allow us to do that. Second, in respect of the increase in its ability...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Microenterprise Loan Fund (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (22 May 2024)

Dara Calleary: Absolutely. We certainly intend to incorporate its services much more into our promotion and we will use the enterprise hub, which will come online later this year, in that regard. The expansion of the cap from €25,000 to €50,000 gives it a whole new space it was not previously able to enter.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Microenterprise Loan Fund (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (22 May 2024)

Dara Calleary: To an extent, the LEO system is a different beast, even though it is a partner with MFI. Furthermore, it is worth acknowledging this is the tenth year of the LEOs, a significant year. To go back to Deputy Stanton's point, which is aligned with that of Deputy Shanahan, we have a lot more work to do to promote the work of MFI. One aspect that has changed is that on the body’s...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Microenterprise Loan Fund (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (22 May 2024)

Dara Calleary: It is still in place but it comes under the Department of Finance, so I cannot give the Deputy an update on the office's work. I will ask the Department of Finance to give us a note about its current space, which I will forward to the Deputy.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Microenterprise Loan Fund (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (22 May 2024)

Dara Calleary: It will come through PAS and we do not necessarily have nominating bodies, as such, from my understanding of it. The Public Appointments Service will lay down the criteria for membership of the board. Is the Deputy suggesting we should have a nominee?

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Microenterprise Loan Fund (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (22 May 2024)

Dara Calleary: This comes back to Deputy O'Reilly's point. It is kind of a given but what I will do, and I go back to the commitment I gave in response to her, is look to see whether we can tighten the language in that regard. It is normally not stated in legislation that the Public Appointments Service has the function, but that is now the normal way for filling appointments, and the governance code of...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Microenterprise Loan Fund (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (22 May 2024)

Dara Calleary: That would contravene the governance structure side of things. I can signal now that we will look at this ahead of Report Stage to see if it reflects other legislation in the context of appointing boards. The code of practice for the governance of public bodies is also very strong on the role of the Public Appointments Service in selecting directors. It is not for a Minister to do so....

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Microenterprise Loan Fund (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (22 May 2024)

Dara Calleary: I thank the Chair, the members and the secretariat for their help and support.

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Business Supports (22 May 2024)

Dara Calleary: My Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment is taking action on a number of fronts to increase the number of Irish businesses using AI, in line with our National AI Strategy, “AI – Here for Good”. I chair the newly refreshed Enterprise Digital Advisory Forum, with industry and expert representatives, which provides valuable advice and perspectives on how we can...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Data (21 May 2024)

Dara Calleary: Ireland's digitalisation goals and actions to achieve them are set out in the National Digital Strategy, Harnessing Digital. Our target is to reach 90% of SMEs at basic digital intensity by 2030. The EU's Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI), published as part of the Report on the State of the Digital Decade on 27 September 2023, shows that Ireland holds a leading position in the EU...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Business Regulation (21 May 2024)

Dara Calleary: There is a responsibility on company directors to ensure that they adhere to the requirements of company law. In this regard, section 142 of the Companies Act 2014 (the 2014 Act) limits the number of directorships that an individual can hold at a particular time to 25. There are exceptions to this general rule and section 142 provides that in reckoning whether an individual has 25...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Legislative Process (21 May 2024)

Dara Calleary: The Companies (Corporate Governance, Enforcement and Regulatory Provisions) Bill 2024 will amend and enhance the Companies Act 2014 (the 2014 Act). The General Scheme of the Bill was developed following extensive consultation and engagement with stakeholders and includes provisions amending the 2014 Act primarily in the areas of corporate governance, company law enforcement and supervision,...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Small and Medium Enterprises (8 May 2024)

Dara Calleary: The 2023 Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI), published as part of the Report on the State of the Digital Decade on 27 September 2023, showed that 85% of SMEs in Ireland have at least a basic level of digital intensity, which places Ireland 4th in the EU. Ireland's digitalisation goals and actions to achieve them are set out in the National Digital Strategy, Harnessing Digital. Our...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Ports Policy (8 May 2024)

Dara Calleary: Restrictive measures, also referred to as sanctions, are legally binding measures that can be taken against individuals, entities or countries. UN and EU Member States are responsible for the implementation and enforcement of UN and EU sanctions respectively, as well as for identifying breaches and imposing penalties. The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment is one of three National...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Data (8 May 2024)

Dara Calleary: The EU's Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI), published as part of the Report on the State of the Digital Decade on 27 September 2023, shows that Ireland holds a leading position in the EU in terms of SMEs with at least a basic level of digital intensity, at 85% versus a target of 90%. The 2023 DESI also shows that 22.7% of businesses with over 10 employees are using big data (5th in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (8 May 2024)

Dara Calleary: 285. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government to outline the details of funding applications from Mayo County Council for voids refurbishments in 2022, 2023 and 2024; the funding applied for and funding received; if his Department directs funding towards specific properties or if Mayo County Council has that discretion; and if he is aware there are 16 vacant local...

Report of the Joint Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Motion (2 May 2024)

Dara Calleary: I covered all the main issues in my opening remarks. I thank the Deputies. Deputy Boyd Barrett's remarks are probably outside the scope of the report in terms of the enterprise opportunities. MARA has been established for offshore planning and has responsibilities there. To Deputy Stanton's point on skills, that is something we are focused on. Working with the Minister, Deputy...