Results 521-540 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Business Supports (23 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: TBESS was a scheme run by Revenue. My Department was used as a vehicle in terms of an estimate through which to run that scheme. However, it was effectively run by the Revenue Commissioners and I think was run reasonably. It was actually not that difficult to get into TBESS. Lots of businesses decided not to do it. Some businesses had hedged against significant increased costs. In the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Employment Rights (23 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: It is a very fair question and I am glad to put on the record how this is developing. The right to request remote working has been integrated into the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023, which was led by the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, and was enacted on 4 April 2023. The provisions of the Act pertaining to the right to request...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Employment Rights (23 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: The important thing is that we get this right. This legislation was only enacted in April this year. It has not been going on for a very long time. The Deputy knows how the WRC works on something as complex as this, although it is not that complicated to be fair. It wants to build consensus between the two sides so that the code of practice is robust and makes a real difference to...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Employment Rights (23 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: I accept it is not new that employees ask for facilitation around work-life balance, remote working and flexible working. Covid accelerated an awful lot of this but it was happening even before Covid to a certain extent. What is new is the provision in law for an employee to request remote working options and for an employer to have a legal obligation to respond seriously to this. When you...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Trade Relations (23 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: Ireland’s trade relations with Israel are governed by a Free Trade Agreement as part of an overarching EU-Israel Association Agreement, which came into force in June 2000. The Association Agreement aims to provide an appropriate legal and institutional framework for political dialogue and economic cooperation between the EU and Israel. It is important to note that the Free Trade...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Business Supports (23 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 7 and 66 together. The Increased Cost of Business Grant (ICOB) was announced as part of Budget 2024 and will be targeted at Small and Medium sized businesses who operate from a rateable premises. Firms who do not have a rateable premises are not within the scope of this scheme. The total allocation for this scheme is €250m. It is important that I be...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Business Supports (23 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: Under the emergency business flooding schemes the Government has made provision to provide up to €100,000 for small businesses, community, voluntary and sporting bodies directly affected by the weather events in Counties Cork, Galway, Waterford, Limerick, Louth, Wexford, and Kilkenny. These schemes provide urgent assistance to businesses that were unable, through no fault of their...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Trade Missions (23 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: Ireland's inaugural Team Ireland Trade Mission Week took place from the 31st of October to the 4th of November to South Korea, in line with a priority action set out in the Trade and Investment Strategy 2022-26, "Value for Ireland, Values for the World". The aims of the strategy include broadening the reach of Ireland's enterprises, diversifying into global export markets, thereby improving...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Business Supports (23 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: On the 24th of October 2023, the Government activated enhanced emergency business flooding humanitarian schemes that provides support of up to €100,000 to business, community, voluntary and sporting bodies. The Schemes now covers areas impacted by recent severe weather events including Counties Cork, Galway Waterford, Limerick, Louth, Wexford, and Kilkenny. These schemes provide...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Business Supports (23 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: On 6th September this year, I launched the Business Users Support Scheme for Kerosene to provide support to businesses that were impacted by significant increases in the cost of this fuel following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The scheme provided eligible businesses with a payment to reimburse them for half of their increased costs in the period from 1st March to 31st December...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Business Supports (23 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: The Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) play an extremely important role providing their services direct to small businesses and promoting entrepreneurship within towns and communities across the country. They act as a ‘first stop shop’ at a local level providing expert advice and guidance, financial assistance, and offer a ‘signposting’ service for all government...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Strategies (23 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: Following approval of the development of a National Industrial Strategy for Offshore Wind by Government Decision on 9th May 2023, my Department established a new Unit tasked with delivering on this objective recognising the vast potential the industry has for Ireland. The overarching objective of the Strategy will be to ensure that Ireland maximises the economic benefits associated with...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Climate Change Policy (23 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: I am, of course, concerned that many businesses have yet to embark on their decarbonisation and sustainability journey. We need to bring all enterprises with us as we transition to a more sustainable, low carbon economy. I am conscious that businesses - particularly smaller businesses - have many competing priorities at present. That is why I and my Department have been focusing on meeting...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Labour Market (23 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: According to the latest employment figures from the CSO’s Labour Force Survey, published on 24th August 2023, total employment stood at 2.63 million. There are now more people employed in Ireland than ever before. As per the CSO Statistical Release on Monthly Unemployment from early November, the seasonally adjusted national unemployment rate was 4.8% in October 2023. It is essential...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (23 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: The occupations lists (Ineligible Occupations List and Critical Skills Occupation List) for employment permits are currently being revised as part of an evidence-based review which incorporates a public consultation to provide stakeholders with an opportunity to submit data on the extent of skills or labour shortages. The deliberative process is ongoing at present with submissions to the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Industrial Development (23 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: As part of my Department's Estimates negotiations, I secured an increase of €5m of Exchequer Funding on 2023 levels of €60m in capital spending for the IDA in respect of the agency’s property programme. The IDA Regional Property Programme ensures the supply of land, buildings and infrastructure in regional locations as required by current and prospective clients of the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Small and Medium Enterprises (23 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: It is important to acknowledge the challenges facing Irish enterprise over the last number of years, and I am aware of the concerns of SMEs, as they deal with the rising cost of doing business. The Government has provided significant support to business throughout the period of rising costs and has been proactive in limiting the fallout from higher rates of inflation in input costs and...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Industrial Development (23 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: IDA Ireland’s property investment programme is aimed at supporting economic development and job creation across the country and provides property solutions available to IDA, Enterprise Ireland, Local Enterprise Offices' clients. In this regard, the provision of property solutions is a key element of IDA’s marketing of the Midlands Region, including Longford. IDA Ireland has...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Climate Change Policy (23 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: It is clear that our relationship with the planet's limited resources has become unsustainable and we need to significantly change how we make, use and dispose of the things that we use, moving to a more circular economy that continually re-uses those resources. As the Deputy will be aware, the Circular Economy and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2022 was enacted in July 2022. Officials in my...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Enterprise Policy (23 Nov 2023)

Simon Coveney: I welcome the ambition set out by the independent Shannon Estuary Economic Taskforce in their Final Report. Government has committed to examining the Taskforce’s Report in detail. Among its recommendations, the Taskforce proposed that my Department coordinate the Government response to their action plan. My officials have been engaging across Government and State Agencies on this with...