Results 781-800 of 4,715 for speaker:Neale Richmond

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...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (18 Oct 2023)

Neale Richmond: The meat processing industry have been provided with access to the General Employment Permit over the last number of years, most recently with an additional quota of 425 permits made available in June last year. All quotas for meat processing operatives have now been filled. These and other agriculture/agrifood quotas were opened with a proviso that a strategic review on labour attraction...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Business Supports (18 Oct 2023)

Neale Richmond: As you are aware, the Temporary Business Energy Support Scheme (TBESS) was a government grant designed to help businesses with increasing energy costs. The Scheme was designed by the Department of Finance and was administered by the Revenue Commissioners. However, funding for the Scheme was allocated to the Vote of my Department. As of 5th October (the latest stats available from the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Enterprise Support Services (18 Oct 2023)

Neale Richmond: An additional €9m has been allocated in Budget 2024 to the Local Enterprise Offices to enable them to continue their work assisting business start-ups in local towns and communities across the country. This reflects the ambition this government has for the LEOs and for supporting small businesses throughout the country. Each year, in line with the standard budgetary process, my...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Budget 2024 (18 Oct 2023)

Neale Richmond: Regional enterprise development is an established core element of the enterprise policy landscape, and the Regional Enterprise Plans (REPs) are among the primary tools to progress this policy priority. The REP Programme Managers (PMs) are critical to the successful implementation of the REPs. To date, the REP PMs have been employed on short-term contracts jointly funded by the relevant...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Business Supports (18 Oct 2023)

Neale Richmond: As you are aware, the Temporary Business Energy Support Scheme (TBESS) was a government grant designed to help businesses with increasing energy costs. The Scheme was designed by the Department of Finance and was administered by the Revenue Commissioners. However, funding for the Scheme was allocated to the Vote of my Department. As of 5th October (the latest stats available from the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Budget 2024 (18 Oct 2023)

Neale Richmond: Last week the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Simon Coveney TD, announced a Budget 2024 package which recognises the ongoing challenges businesses are facing across the country, including in Clare. Overall funding allocated to the Department in Budget 2024 increased by 3.7% to €979m, including a €26m increase in capital expenditure to €584m, and a...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Business Supports (17 Oct 2023)

Neale Richmond: My Government, through Enterprise Ireland, typically support employment in regions such as Tipperary through a range of programmes aimed at fostering entrepreneurship, business development, and job creation. Almost 70% of new jobs growth occurred outside of Dublin, the positive job creation results are a testament to the talent, resilience and innovation of businesses operating in...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Flexible Work Practices (17 Oct 2023)

Neale Richmond: I propose to take Questions Nos. 188 and 206 together. 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. One Code of Practice will now be developed which will provide...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Workplace Relations Commission (17 Oct 2023)

Neale Richmond: The WRC Inspectorate is staffed by civil servants of my Department. WRC inspectors are ranked at Executive Officer (EO) Inspector and Higher Executive Officer (HEO) Inspector Team Manager (ITM) levels. Additional funding of €1.7million has been allocated to the WRC in Budget 2024, bringing the WRC’s total allocation next year to just over €18.5 million. The...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Job Losses (17 Oct 2023)

Neale Richmond: Firstly, my thoughts are with all employees facing job losses and I fully appreciate how difficult this situation can be for both them and their families. Ireland has a robust suite of employment rights legislation to protect and support workers in collective redundancy situations. The Protection of Employment Act 1977 imposes certain legal obligations on employers proposing collective...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (17 Oct 2023)

Neale Richmond: Ireland operates a managed employment permits system, maximising the benefits of economic migration and minimising the risk of disrupting Ireland’s labour market. The regime is designed to facilitate the entry of appropriately skilled non-EEA nationals to fill skills or labour shortages in the State in the short to medium term. This objective must be balanced by the need to ensure no...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Data (17 Oct 2023)

Neale Richmond: I propose to take Questions Nos. 195 and 196 together. The attached table provides a breakdown of the grants awarded by Enterprise Ireland under New Frontiers, High Potential Start Ups and the Pre-Seed Start Fund (formerly Competitive Start Fund). In relation to the Pre-Seed Start Fund (PSSF), this commenced in Q4 of 2022. In 2022 prior to the official launch of PSSF, 10 pre-HPSU companies...