Results 441-460 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Advertising (30 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: My department has not placed advertising with Google in the years 2021, 2022 or up to 27 November 2023.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: Sinn Féin knows all about terror.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: I thank the Chair. I am pleased to have an opportunity to present my Department’s Supplementary Estimate. I understand that the committee secretariat has been provided with a briefing on the details of the Supplementary Estimate by my officials, which I hope has been of assistance. With the Chair's permission, I would like to outline to the committee the elements of the...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: My understanding is those jobs are being advertised but have not been filled. They will be filled as soon as we can get the skills to do them. There will probably be vacancies that we would like to have filled by the end of the year that probably will not be filled by the end of the year.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: It is not reducing the size of the agency or anything.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: I visited the CEA recently. It has a number of roles that are essentially specialist relating to corporate enforcement, including specialist legal people in company law and things like that. Some of the areas that have not been filled are specialist areas which are looking to get good people, predominantly from the private sector, in reality. They have many good people as well. This is a...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: There is a Garda unit there too. It is a really important agency but it is still filling positions and there will be some savings because I understand it will not have filled as many as it would have liked to by the end of the year.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: The savings in the Department from unfilled roles predominantly relate to administrative people in the Department. We have some positions in the Department that still need to be filled. I understand it is specialist jobs in the CEA.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: I will give numbers to back that up. To date in 2023, the CEA has recruited 24 civilian staff members and has eight vacancies which it hopes to fill in early 2024. That is effectively where the savings are coming from.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: I think it is. I can check that for the Deputy.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: I am told there has been an increase of about seven gardaí in that unit and two more are expected.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: Initially, €1 billion was provided for TBESS over effectively two budget cycles. Between the budget and the end of last year, there was €600 million, and there was another €600 million in the Estimate for this year. That was essentially an Estimate from the Department of Finance and Revenue which they were looking to facilitate through my Department's Estimate. It was...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: It will probably be more than 130,000 businesses in the end. We are finalising the qualification criteria. We think more than 95% of rate-paying businesses will get supports. It will probably be just over 140,000 businesses.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: No.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: It is a recognition of the-----

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: It is not intended to cover all of the extra costs. It is a payment in recognition of the fact that many businesses are under pressure from costs, just like the contribution the State is making to households towards the cost of energy bills through the winter. It will not defray all of the costs but will make a contribution in a positive sense to cash flow for many businesses.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: We are not itemising individual costs and trying to give a compensation payment for each. We are recognising that the cost of business has increased somewhat, for good reason, to ensure work pays and that conditions in workplaces are as they should be. That has a cost and implication for businesses. The Government heard that from businesses, which is why we are giving €250 million...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: The Ministers of State, Deputies Richmond and Calleary, and I met all of the business representative bodies yesterday and Dublin City Council for about an hour. We have been in contact over the past few days with all the representative bodies, listening to their experiences, looking for a way to collectively respond to rebuilding the reputation of the city centre and to get more activity...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: The money we reallocated for this year is about spend that has already happened. There was a big emphasis on the new project the IDA did with Bloomberg this year, at which I spoke, as did the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, and the Taoiseach. I think the Tánaiste was there as well. It was a great success. It put Ireland on the map with a target invite list of senior decision-makers in...