Results 381-400 of 11,114 for speaker:Damien English

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Industrial Relations (27 Oct 2022)

Damien English: This is an area of priority. Most stakeholders with whom I engage in this sector across the different Departments wanted the review of the atypical working scheme prioritised as soon as possible. To be honest with the Deputies, that is where a lot of our work has gone in. That review is to be completed. The recommendations and the report went to Cabinet a few weeks ago, and we can get on...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: International Agreements (27 Oct 2022)

Damien English: I am taking Questions Nos. 13, 14 and 43 together. Is that okay?

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: International Agreements (27 Oct 2022)

Damien English: Responding to the exceptional circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic, Ministers at the WTO Ministerial Conference in June 2022 agreed an outcome in relation to the production and supply of Covid-19 vaccines. The ministerial decision on the TRIPS Agreement provides for a waiver of certain obligations of the agreement and includes clarifications that will allow eligible WTO members to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: International Agreements (27 Oct 2022)

Damien English: It is probably fair to say that the ministerial decision was the outcome of extensive, detailed and politically sensitive negotiations which we have discussed here quite a lot over the past year. Ireland has always taken a prominent position on that within the EU. They hold the competency for this and we contribute to that. Our officials in Dublin, Brussels and Geneva are involved in a...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Industrial Relations (27 Oct 2022)

Damien English: The WRC, under the aegis of my Department, is one of several agencies that monitor the operation of the atypical worker permission scheme for non-EEA fishers employed on certain Irish-registered fishing vessels. I presume this is the scheme the Deputy is mainly referring to. The WRC has particular responsibility for checking compliance insofar as terms of employment, permission to work,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Industrial Relations (27 Oct 2022)

Damien English: I cannot comment on the specific case raised, but I am happy to engage with the Deputy separately on this aspect in general. We are bringing forward this package. I do not have a timeline for it now. I will, though, try to get it fast-tracked. We were waiting for the recommendations and the changes and the review of the atypical worker permission scheme. The Deputy will agree that it is...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Work Permits (27 Oct 2022)

Damien English: Again, I thank Deputy Burke for raising this issue. We keep this under review. The changes were put in place last November in our Department and then the Departments of Health and Justice followed suit. The three Departments are working quite closely to try to prioritise this area. When it comes to judgments on the permits, we have made a lot of changes in our own Department to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Work Permits (27 Oct 2022)

Damien English: I agree. It is important that we have streamlined the process. It is now much more accommodating to the situation regarding stamp 4 and family reunification. The issues the Deputy raises probably cross over with the Department of Finance and Revenue as well as the Department of Social Protection. I am certainly happy to raise them. We have been for a long number of years trying to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Work Permits (27 Oct 2022)

Damien English: I thank Deputy Colm Burke for raising this very important matter and assure him that we have tried to work with the Departments of Health and Justice to improve the situation. The State's employment permit system is designed to supplement Ireland's skills and labour supply over the short to medium term by allowing the recruitment of nationals from outside the EEA where such skills or...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Health and Safety (27 Oct 2022)

Damien English: The fact that the code of practice is being published next week means we are moving it pretty quickly. It will be in place in 2023, which I must remind the Deputy is only about eight or nine weeks away. It is not as if we are saying this will be in a couple of years’ time. To be fair, there is a process to go through when updating these regulations. I assume the Deputy wants this...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Health and Safety (27 Oct 2022)

Damien English: Again, we analysed the Deputy’s Bill and we felt that amending existing regulations was a more appropriate and pragmatic way of achieving the objectives of that Bill. We probably will have achieved the same things. The Deputy’s Bill, as drafted, focused primarily on improved workplace ventilation. However, both the Department and the HSA believe that workplace ventilation goes...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Health and Safety (27 Oct 2022)

Damien English: As the Deputy is aware, following our discussion that night on his Private Members’ Bill on workplace ventilation, which was not opposed by the Government, I asked the Health and Safety Authority, HSA, to start immediately a formal review of the existing provisions on workplace ventilation to determine what further enhancement measures could be considered. Following this review, a...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Enterprise Support Services (27 Oct 2022)

Damien English: The Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) were created to promote entrepreneurship and enterprise development and act as a ‘first-stop-shop’ for advice and guidance, financial assistance, and business and management development programmes. They provide signposting for all government assistance to SMEs and provide referrals to other relevant bodies such as Revenue, Micro Finance...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Enterprise Support Services (27 Oct 2022)

Damien English: The Local Enterprise Offices are Units within the 31 Local Authorities nationwide and act as a ‘first-stop-shop’ for providing advice and guidance, financial assistance and training and consultancy programmes to those wishing to start or grow their own business subject to certain eligibility criteria. The LEOs also provide signposting to all government assistance for SMEs and...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: National Minimum Wage (27 Oct 2022)

Damien English: 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. In September, 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...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (27 Oct 2022)

Damien English: The occupation of Nursing Auxiliary or Health Care Assistant working in hospital or residential home care settings has been eligible for a General Employment Permit since June 2021. The occupation of Home Care Worker working in private homes is currently ineligible for an employment permit. The cross-departmental Strategic Workforce Advisory Group was established by the Minister of...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (27 Oct 2022)

Damien English: Ireland operates a managed employment permits system maximising the benefits of economic migration and minimising the risk of disrupting Ireland’s labour market. The system is managed through the operation of the Critical Skills and Ineligible Occupations Lists which determine employments that are either in high demand or are ineligible for an employment permit where there is a...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Energy Prices (27 Oct 2022)

Damien English: I propose to take Questions Nos. 25, 30 and 41 together. I wish to reassure the Deputy that this Government is very aware of the difficulties that businesses are facing due the current energy crisis. Businesses now require help with their energy bills and that is why a significant package to help businesses with escalating energy costs and to plan for the future was announced in Budget 2023....

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Employment Support Services (27 Oct 2022)

Damien English: The Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) are the ‘first-stop-shop’ for advice and guidance, financial assistance and other supports for everybody, including people with disabilities, intending to start or grow a business. In that regard, the LEOs provide a ‘signposting’ service in relation to all relevant State supports available through agencies such as the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (27 Oct 2022)

Damien English: Ireland operates a managed employment permits system maximising the benefits of economic migration and minimising the risk of disrupting Ireland’s labour market. The system is vacancy led and designed to accommodate the arrival of non-EEA nationals to fill skills and labour gaps for the benefit of our economy, in the short to medium term, and is managed through the operation of the...