Results 5,941-5,960 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (3 Jun 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The Government announced a new Economic Recovery Plan this week, with €4 billion of stimulus to fuel the economy and help businesses to recover and rebuild. Across 2020 and 2021, €38 billion was provided to help weather the pandemic. There will be a number of changes to the current financial supports as public health restrictions unwind. - The Covid-19 Restrictions Support...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Trade Agreements (3 Jun 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The Economic and Sustainability Impact Assessment of the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement consists of two important and complementary components, namely analysis of the potential economic benefits as well as a robust sustainability impact assessment including social, human rights and environmental impacts that the Trade Agreement could have in Ireland and the Mercosur countries of Argentina,...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (3 Jun 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The total number of Small Business Assistance Scheme for COVID (SBASC) applications for Cork are broken down between the two Local Authorities for Cork.  The total number of applications received for the SBASC grant for Cork City is 297.  Of that figure 163 have been approved for payment.  134 applications have been refused.  For Cork County the total number of...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Brexit Issues (3 Jun 2021)

Leo Varadkar: While the issue of the import of construction supplies is not specifically a matter for my Department, I am aware of the disruption to global supply chains due to COVID-19 and volatility in logistics and materials prices since the start of the year.  In relation to Brexit impacts on supply chains, my Department and the enterprise development agencies have worked with other Government...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (3 Jun 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The COVID-19 Credit Guarantee Scheme (CCGS) is the largest loan guarantee scheme in the history of the State.The Scheme provides €2 billion in lending, for terms up to five-and-a-half years and offers a range of lending products between €10,000 and €1 million at interest rates below market rates for similar type loans.  It is available to SMEs and small mid-caps...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Digital Hubs (3 Jun 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The decision to transfer properties held by the Digital Hub Development Agency (DHDA) to the Land Development Agency (LDA) in mid-2022 was taken by Government, following a strategic review by Grant Thornton commissioned by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, which concluded that the digital tech sector in Dublin has developed significantly in the past twenty years,...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Universal Basic Income (3 Jun 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The Programme for Government includes a commitment to ‘Request the Low Pay Commission to examine Universal Basic Income, informed by a review of previous international pilots, and resulting in a universal basic income pilot in the lifetime of the Government’. Earlier this year, I formally requested the Low Pay Commission to examine this issue. The Low Pay Commission recently...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Employment Rights (3 Jun 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The Programme for Government contains a commitment to investigate the provision of paid leave and social protection provision to victims of domestic violence with a view to establishing a statutory entitlement to paid domestic violence leave. My colleague the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman, T.D., has responsibility in this area and...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Job Creation (3 Jun 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The construction sector was negatively impacted following the introduction of restrictions late last year. The number of individuals from the construction sector claiming the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) rose steadily in the early weeks of the year and reached a high of 62,902 claimants on the 9th February this year. The phased reopening of the construction sector, beginning on 12th...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Research and Development (3 Jun 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Artificial Intelligence is an important transformational digital technology which has a significant role to play in unlocking productivity, addressing societal challenges and delivering improved public services over the coming years. My Department is leading on the development of a National Artificial Intelligence Strategy, which will provide a high-level direction to the design,...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (3 Jun 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The COVID-19 Credit Guarantee Scheme (CCGS) is the largest loan guarantee scheme in the history of the State.The Scheme provides €2 billion in lending, for terms up to five-and-a-half years and offers a range of lending products between €10,000 and €1 million at interest rates below market rates for similar type loans.  It is available to SMEs and small mid-caps...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (3 Jun 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Since the onset of COVID-19, Government has worked to put in place a range of loan guarantee schemes that offer access to appropriate financing to businesses as they respond to the impacts of the pandemic on their business. The reporting for these schemes includes details on the uptake of schemes at county level, but more granular details are not provided. These include the COVID-19...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (3 Jun 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I am acutely aware of the difficulties that the necessary ongoing Covid-19 restrictions are putting on businesses right across the country.  With this in mind the Government has put in place a comprehensive package to help businesses and workers during the pandemic, including the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS), the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP), the COVID-19...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (3 Jun 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I am acutely aware of the difficulties that the necessary ongoing Covid-19 restrictions are putting on businesses right across the country. With this in mind the Government has put in place a comprehensive package to help businesses and workers during the pandemic, including the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS), the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP), the COVID-19 Restrictions...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Enterprise Policy (3 Jun 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Delivering balanced regional growth is a core objective in the Programme for Government.  Overseen by my Department, nine new Regional Enterprise Plans to 2024, including for the North West, are currently being developed by regional stakeholders which will identify growth opportunities, recognise vulnerabilities, and enable job creation across the regions. The new North West Plan...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (3 Jun 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The COVID-19 Credit Guarantee Scheme (CCGS) is the largest loan guarantee scheme in the history of the State.The Scheme provides €2 billion in lending, for terms up to five-and-a-half years and offers a range of lending products between €10,000 and €1 million at interest rates below market rates for similar type loans.  It is available to SMEs and small mid-caps...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (3 Jun 2021)

Leo Varadkar: The total number of Small Business Assistance Scheme for COVID (SBASC) applications received for the SBASC grant for Sligo is 45.  Of that figure to date 23 have been approved for payment, and 16 are still being assessed.  6 applications have been refused.  For County Leitrim the total number of applications received is 34, to date 10 have been approved and with 18...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Job Losses (3 Jun 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 68 and 86 together. The closure of the Aptar plant in Ballinasloe was a very disappointing development for the region and I am keenly aware of the blow this has been for the affected employees and their families. IDA Ireland has been working with the company to market the plant to potential investors, using the employee skills audit in their efforts to attract...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Workplace Relations Commission (3 Jun 2021)

Leo Varadkar: I have already responded to the Deputy’s colleague on this question via Parliamentary Question 29941/21. To reiterate the points made: The WRC Inspectorate is staffed by civil servants of my department. As of 31stMay 2021, there are a total of 53 WRC Labour Inspectors. These are supervised by 3 Assistant Principals and 1 Chief Labour Inspector. There are currently 60 sanctioned...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Enterprise Policy (3 Jun 2021)

Leo Varadkar: Driving balanced regional enterprise development is a priority in the Programme for Government and also a core goal of the enterprise agencies. Enterprise Ireland works with approximately 660 client companies in the North East and North West regions with employment of almost 25,000 in 2020 and direct Government funding of €39 million between 2018 to 2020. The Border Enterprise...