Results 7,301-7,320 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Aviation Industry (17 Dec 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I understand how difficult it must be for Aer Lingus employees facing renegotiations, restructuring and possibly lay-offs. The aviation industry has been devastated by the pandemic and consequently workers in the industry have been severely affected and are facing great uncertainty. In November, the Government agreed a revised €80 million funding package for Irish aviation. In...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Brexit Supports (17 Dec 2020)

Leo Varadkar: My Department and its agencies have put a wide range of enterprise measures in place to assist businesses in identifying key risk areas and practical preparatory actions to be taken with regard to Brexit. The Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) in County Galway offer grants to businesses responding to Brexit challenges including the Technical Assistance for Micro Exporters grant. 5 applications...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: IDA Ireland (17 Dec 2020)

Leo Varadkar: Galway forms part of the IDA’s West region along with Mayo and Roscommon. The County continues to perform strongly and is a location of choice for investors. There are now over 21,000 people employed across 88 IDA client companies in Galway City and County. The Deputy will appreciate that the introduction of international travel restrictions related to Covid-19 has, amongst other...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (17 Dec 2020)

Leo Varadkar: My department, through its agencies and implementation partners, has provided more than €56 million to date to assist businesses in County Galway in offsetting the negative impacts of COVID-19. I enclose the exact amount under the various schemes for the information of the Deputy in the table below. Note that this does not reflect the breadth of supports available across Government...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Small and Medium Enterprises (17 Dec 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The Programme for Government – Our Shared Future identifies a number of groups which will be led by Government in shaping the engagement of enterprise and SMEs in the formulation of the policy responses at the different stages of the recovery. The groups envisaged by the Programme for Government included an SME Taskforce, to design a National SME Growth Plan that will map out an...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Low Pay Commission (17 Dec 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The Programme for Government includes a commitment to progress to a living wage over the lifetime of the Government. Consideration is now being given to how best to take forward this initiative. I previously confirmed that consideration is being given to transforming the Low Pay Commission into a Living Wage Commission. I recently met with the Low Pay Commission to discuss the role they can...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (17 Dec 2020)

Leo Varadkar: It is important to note that for the purposes of the Restart Grant and Restart Grant Plus Scheme, each Local Authority is the decision maker in relation to initial applications and appeals. The Department has no role in relation to individual applications. The Restart Grant Plus scheme has closed to new applications since 31 October 2020 and there are currently no plans to reopen the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (17 Dec 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The Design & Crafts Council Ireland (DCCI) is the national body for the commercial development of Irish designers and makers, stimulating innovation and championing design thinking. DCCI's activities are funded by my Department via Enterprise Ireland. DCCI currently has 59 member organisations and more than 3,000 registered clients. The DCCI budget was increased in Budget 2019 by an...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Company Liquidations (17 Dec 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I extend my sympathies to the workers in Debenhams who have lost their jobs. I fully appreciate how difficult the situation is for those involved and their families. The talks facilitated by the Chair of the Labour Court, Kevin Foley have now concluded and he has issued a report reflecting the outcome of that process.  I want to thank Kevin Foley for his efforts and encourage all sides...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Company Law (17 Dec 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I cannot intervene with a liquidator, who has a statutory duty to realise assets and distribute to creditors in accordance with the law. It would also be inappropriate for me to comment on a decision of the High Court. Ireland’s system of industrial relations is essentially voluntary in nature. Responsibility for the resolution of industrial disputes between employers and workers rests...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (17 Dec 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The Programme for Government committed to establishing an SME Growth Taskforce to design a National SME Growth Plan that will map out an ambitious long-term strategic blueprint beyond COVID-19 and Brexit. I appointed the members of this Taskforce in September, which includes over 20 entrepreneurs and business leaders, contributing expertise from a broad range of sectors. The Taskforce is...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Low Pay Commission (17 Dec 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The Programme for Government includes a commitment to progress to a living wage over the lifetime of the Government. Consideration is now being given to how best to take forward this initiative and I recently met with the Low Pay Commission to discuss options for progressing this commitment and the role the Commission can play in meeting the commitment to progress to a living wage. I...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic (17 Dec 2020)

Leo Varadkar: There has been ongoing dialogue with both employee and employer representative groups on the continued operation of the emergency provision which effectively suspends an employee’s entitlement to claim redundancy from their employer following certain periods of lay-off or short time work due to Covid-19. The decision to extend this provision until 31st March 2021 was a difficult...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (17 Dec 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The COVID-19 Credit Guarantee Scheme (CCGS) is the largest guarantee scheme in the history of the State. Its function is to add certainty to businesses that liquidity is available for working capital and investment purposes. Loans of up to €1 million are available for up to five and a half years. Loans under €250,000 do not require collateral or personal guarantees. The...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (17 Dec 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The Restart Grant and Restart Grant Plus schemes were designed to help small and medium sized businesses get back on their feet after what has been an exceptionally difficult time. The Restart Grant scheme was launched on 15 May with a budget of €250 million. The Restart Grant Plus scheme was launched on 10 August with an additional budget of €300m from the Government’s...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic (17 Dec 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The Government’s overriding objective during COVID-19 is to ensure the public’s health and safety. The guidelines in relation to retail settings are in place to prevent large indoor gatherings of people while ensuring that as many shops as possible can open. This is to prevent the spread of the virus and protect lives. Seasonal experiences and initiatives that lead to...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (17 Dec 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The 31 Local Enterprise Offices nationwide are a ‘first-stop-shop’ for providing advice and guidance, financial assistance and other supports to those wishing to start or grow their own business and act as a ‘signposting’ service for all government supports available to the SME sector and provides information/referrals to other relevant bodies under agreed...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic (17 Dec 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The Government’s Living with COVID-19 Plan recognises the need for an overall incremental approach which take account of the societal and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the varying responses required. The Living with Covid-19 Plan sets out how businesses should operate at five different levels. The country is, at present, at Level 3 and within Level 3 people should...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Employment Rights (17 Dec 2020)

Leo Varadkar: Ireland has a comprehensive body of employment legislation, in respect of which the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) is mandated to secure compliance. Ireland’s employment rights legislation protects all employees, including posted and migrant workers, who are legally employed on a contract of service basis. This is specifically set out in Section 20 of the Protection of Employment...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (17 Dec 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for her correspondence which has added to the information my officials and I have gathered concerning businesses that face difficult trading conditions because of the Covid-19 pandemic, but do not qualify for the COVID-19 Restrictions Support Scheme (CRSS). Under the Scheme, a qualifying person is one who carries on a business activity that is impacted by COVID-19 related...