Results 4,941-4,960 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic (9 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. I think I said I was sceptical as to the need for additional restrictions, particularly ones that would impact on family life and businesses and so on. I will maintain a healthy scepticism around that as Minister for Enterprise Trade and Employment. I hate to see any business being closed or being restricted. As Minister for employment I very much hate to see anyone...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic (9 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: In fairness, anybody who takes part in these engagements will say that there are very valuable. We do them in different ways. There is the hospitality and tourism forum, which is co-chaired by me and the Minister, Deputy Martin. It very much engages with the representative bodies in that sector and there are many of them. Unions are also represented there, as they should be. The Minister...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic (9 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: It is very much on the agenda and is part of the work safety protocol. Grants have been provided to schools, for example, for CO2monitors and other things like that. NPHET, our public health adviser, is sceptical in respect of the benefit of HEPA filters. However, if the pandemic is going to be a long war - unfortunately, it may be a war - part of our vaccine plus response in the next...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Energy Prices (9 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Wholesale and retail energy costs, electricity and natural gas, have risen significantly over the past year, primarily driven by the market price for natural gas internationally. The global natural gas price appears to be rising because of a combination of international geopolitical factors, lower than usual reserves and regional supply chain and weather issues. Increased oil prices are...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Energy Prices (9 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. I do not recall seeing that particular email but I will ask my private secretary to pull it out for me and I will take a look at it today or tomorrow. That is a huge increase from 6 cent to 25 cent. For any business facing that sort of increase in energy costs it will be very serious and very severe. I will take a look at it. Obviously responsibility for energy and...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Energy Prices (9 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I draw the attention of the Deputy and businesses to the new climate toolkit for business which we will launch tomorrow. It is a toolkit that will highlight the help available from the Government, financial educational training and expertise. Assistance is available from local employment offices, Enterprise Ireland, the SEAI, Irish Water, the EPA, IDA Ireland and others to help businesses...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic (9 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for her question. Since the outbreak of Covid-19 here in March 2020, the Government has sought to save as many lives and as many livelihoods as possible. The early introduction of the temporary wage subsidy scheme, TWSS, and its longer term successor, the employment wage subsidy scheme, EWSS, provided immediate assistance. This was followed by many targeted measures for...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic (9 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I will certainly examine that. If more resources and staff are needed, we will provide them. I accept the Deputy's point that it can be difficult for people to work through the redundancy process. Some of us have experience of it, but it is more complicated than people may think. The Deputy's point is well made in that regard. On the number of people on the PUP, at its peak there were...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic (9 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I will certainly talk to the Secretary General at the Department about that and see if it can be done. One might say that what is happening in the economy is a bit peculiar. We are facing a pandemic, yet in the face of that pandemic the economy is growing very rapidly. There are 2.4 million people at work. We think that next year there will be more people at work in Ireland than ever...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Employment Data (9 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The CSO's Labour Force Survey (LFS) is a household survey which provides quarterly statistics on employment and unemployment and is the official source of labour market estimates in the State. The latest LFS, for the third quarter of 2021, was published on 25th November. On an annual basis, employment increased by 221,200 in the year to Q3 2021 to 2,471,200. This represented an annual...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (9 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The Government has worked to ensure that there is a wide range of easily accessed financial assistance for SMEs affected by the changing impacts of COVID-19, these include the COVID-19 Working Capital Scheme, the Brexit Loan Scheme, the COVID-19 Credit Guarantee Scheme and the Future Growth Loan Scheme. For further information, businesses are advised to view my Department’s website at...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Job Creation (9 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Regional enterprise development and sustainable local job creation is a key policy priority of mine and this Government. Overseen by my Department, nine new Regional Enterprise Plans to 2024 are being developed by regional stakeholders which will identify growth opportunities, recognise vulnerabilities, and enable job creation across the regions. These Plans are complementary to and...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Employment Rights (9 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 104 and 167 together. This Government is committed to introducing a statutory sick pay scheme and work is well underway in this regard. Any move to introduce a statutory sick pay scheme must be balanced with the need to support the viability of the business and enterprise sector, thereby protecting jobs. My Department undertook a full public consultation,...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Industrial Development (9 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 105 and 124 together. Ballinasloe is marketed by the IDA as part of the West Region. There are 120 IDA supported companies in this region, employing 27,695 people in total, with 93 IDA supported companies in Galway city and county, employing 21,428 people (up 3% on the previous year). This provides scale and scope and gives confidence to potential...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Enterprise Support Services (9 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The Local Enterprise Offices act as a ‘first stop shop’ providing advice and guidance, financial assistance, and other supports to anyone wishing to start or grow their own business. The Local Enterprise Office can offer direct grant aid to microenterprises (10 employees or fewer) in the manufacturing and internationally traded services sectors which, over time, have the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Brexit Supports (9 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The Brexit Impact Loan Scheme was launched in the market by Bank of Ireland in October this year. AIB subsequently opened for applications through the Scheme in November as well as five Credit Unions in the Metamo Credit Union Group: Access CU, Cara CU, Savvi CU, St. Canice’s CU and St. Francis CU. It is anticipated that a further lender to the Scheme will open to applications next...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Renewable Energy Generation (9 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Climate Action is one of the most urgent issues facing the Irish economy and society and mitigating the impacts of Climate Action is one of the core objectives of this Government. Renewable energy of all forms will be instrumental in enabling our transition to a low carbon economy. Under the Climate Action Plan 2021, the Government is committed to 80% of our electricity being created from...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (9 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The Government’s Expert Group on Ventilation was set up by the Minister for Health in February 2020, to provide scientific advice on the role of ventilation and other control measures in mitigating against the risk of long-range (airborne) transmission of SARS-CoV-2. In its second report, published in March 2021, the Expert Group concluded that ventilation is an important factor in...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (9 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The Government has worked to support manufacturing and services businesses through these challenging times with a wide range of measures for firms of all sizes, which includes the wage subsidy scheme, business continuity and trading online grants, COVID-19 Working Capital Scheme, the COVID-19 Credit Guarantee Scheme, the Future Growth Loan Scheme, commercial rates waivers and warehousing of...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Regional Development (9 Dec 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Under the Programme for Government – Our Shared Future, Government has committed to a range of actions to continue balanced regional development across the country. Enabling all parts of the country, from rural to urban, to grow and prosper is a central goal of our economic policy. My colleagues, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, and the Minister for Rural...