Results 761-780 of 4,707 for speaker:Neale Richmond

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Housing Provision (26 Oct 2023)

Neale Richmond: I share the Senator's disappointment to some extent. I will undertake to ask my colleague in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to write to Dublin City Council. Realistically, it is appropriate for him to write than me. I will act as a conduit because I share the Senator's ambition for this part of the city. The capital is my home too and I know how dedicated she has...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Schools Building Projects (26 Oct 2023)

Neale Richmond: I thank the Senator for submitting this Commencement matter and giving me the opportunity to update the House on the progress of the new building for Summercove National School in the beautiful town of Kinsale. One does not need to rely on Central Statistics Office, CSO, figures; one can see the sheer activity around Kinsale. We know the population has gone up but the future population will...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Schools Building Projects (26 Oct 2023)

Neale Richmond: The Department and project manager will keep school authorities and all relevant bodies informed of further development regarding the completion of stage one and the progression of the major building project. Until the project is at a point at which all statutory approvals have been granted, however, it is not possible to provide an update on the expected on-site date. I will undertake to...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Hospital Overcrowding (26 Oct 2023)

Neale Richmond: I greatly appreciate the opportunity to reply to Senator's matter. It is always good to see the Senator, regardless of the seriousness of the nature of the debate. This should be reflected. As the Senator alluded to, the Minister for Health has been concerned for some time about the congestion experienced in the emergency department at UHL, leading to long patient experience times and...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Hospital Overcrowding (26 Oct 2023)

Neale Richmond: As I mentioned, significant resources have been invested in UHL in recent years. I want to outline some of what has been invested in and is onstream. We saw an increase in the workforce in UHL of 36%, or 966 whole-time staff, at the end of 2019. Recently the Minister opened new theatre wards in clinical areas in Croom Orthopaedic Hospital. This includes the development of an ambulatory...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Employment Rights (25 Oct 2023)

Neale Richmond: The Government is committed to supporting workers and has a strong record on strengthening and introducing new workers’ rights. As the Deputy is aware, the Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2018, came into force on 4 March 2019. This Act introduced a number of measures to strengthen employee rights and to address the problems caused by the increased casualisation of work....

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Enterprise Policy (25 Oct 2023)

Neale Richmond: Delivering balanced regional enterprise growth and sustainable local job creation is a core objective of this Government and is a key component of my Department’s White Paper on Enterprise. To this end, my Department through its Enterprise Agencies, and together with the Local Enterprise Offices, continues to focus on supporting businesses across the country, including in south...

Ministerial Rota for Parliamentary Questions: Motion (24 Oct 2023)

Neale Richmond: I move: That, notwithstanding anything in the Order of the Dáil of 29th March, 2023, setting out the rota in which Questions to members of the Government are to be asked, Questions for oral answer, following those set down to the Minister for Defence shall be set down to Ministers in the following temporary sequence: Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Minister for Finance...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Low Pay Commission (24 Oct 2023)

Neale Richmond: I am grateful to Senator Warfield for submitting this timely and important Commencement matter. Before I get into the specifics of the sub-minimum wage rate, it is important to lay out the context in which we are discussing it, with regard to the national minimum wage. We all know it has increased as part of the budget to €12.70 per hour. That will come into effect from 1 January....

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Low Pay Commission (24 Oct 2023)

Neale Richmond: The Senator briefly on a couple of issues that I could speak for much longer than a minute about. I would appreciate the chance to come back into the House to perhaps have a wider discussion. One thing I would be heartened about, parallel to this, is that in second quarter of this year, we recognised the job rates and decrease in unemployment, and 75% of people returning to work were women....

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (24 Oct 2023)

Neale Richmond: I propose to take Questions Nos. 216 and 217 together. The Employment Permits Section of the Department informs me that they have no record of new employment permit applications having been received in respect of the persons concerned in the details supplied. They also inform me that both of the persons concerned are current holders of general employment permits that are currently valid until...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (24 Oct 2023)

Neale Richmond: Organisations may choose to outsource activities for a number of different reasons. In the recently published Ireland’s Competitiveness Challenge 2023 Report, the National Competitiveness and Productivity Council found that the Irish jobs market remains particularly strong. For employers, the challenge to attract and retain the right people is growing in a digitally transforming world....

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (24 Oct 2023)

Neale Richmond: I propose to take Questions Nos. 221 and 222 together. The Employment Permits Section of the Department informs me that following the receipt of an appeal in respect of the employment permit application referenced in the details supplied, a decision has been made to grant this permit. The permit issued on 18thOctober.

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Workplace Relations Commission (24 Oct 2023)

Neale Richmond: The Payment of Wages (Amendment) (Tips and Gratuities) Act 2022 amends the Payment of Wages Act 1991. Insofar as tips/gratuities are concerned, the provisions came into force on the 1 December 2022. In this regard, employees may refer a complaint to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) for adjudication in relation to any unlawful deductions from tips and gratuities; any failure to...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Air Quality (24 Oct 2023)

Neale Richmond: I propose to take Questions Nos. 227 to 229, inclusive, together. The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, sets out the responsibilities of employers, the self-employed, employees and various other parties in relation to safety and health at work. The Act applies to all employers and employees in all places of work. Under Section 8 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Employment Rights (24 Oct 2023)

Neale Richmond: The Protection of Employment Act 1996 sets out different rules for young workers, depending on their age. Workers aged 14 and 15 are classed as ‘children’. Workers aged 16 and 17 are classed as ‘young persons’. Young persons aged 16 and 17 years are not permitted to start work before 6.00 a.m. They must finish work at 10.00 p.m. on days preceding a school day. They...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (24 Oct 2023)

Neale Richmond: The Employment Permits Bill sets out to consolidate the existing employment permits legislation to create a more accessible statutory basis and greater flexibility for our economic migration system. A key feature of the Bill is the proposed introduction of the Seasonal Employment Permit. The 2018 Review of Economic Migration Policy found that there is a clear role for time limited work...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Legislative Measures (24 Oct 2023)

Neale Richmond: The right to request remote working will be available to all employees under the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023. Under the Act, flexible working arrangements such as adjusted working patterns or reduced hours, will be available to parents and carers. Under the Act, employers will be obliged to have regard to a Code of Practice when considering applications for...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Job Losses (24 Oct 2023)

Neale Richmond: Our first concern is for impacted staff (about 542) and their families and the local community and businesses in Limerick. Minister Coveney, officials and Enterprise Ireland met senior management and decision makers from Nestle Switzerland on Friday 20thOctober last. The Minister stressed the importance of the site in the context of the local economy and the wider sector. The company assured...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Immigration Policy (19 Oct 2023)

Neale Richmond: The Review of Economic Migration Policy undertaken in 2018 concluded that while the employment permits system provides a robust framework to supplement skills and labour needs in the State, the current legislation imposes inflexibility in its operation. In order to increase the agility and responsiveness of the system, the Review recommended that new legislation be initiated. The...