Results 8,121-8,140 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Small and Medium Enterprises (15 Oct 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The Government values the role of SMEs and microenterprises in our economy and as creators of employment throughout Ireland. Balancing our enterprise policy between foreign direct investment, FDI, export-only businesses and non-exporting indigenous firms is an important policy consideration and one which was touched upon by the OECD in its 2019 report on entrepreneurship and SME policy in...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Small and Medium Enterprises (15 Oct 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The idea of a new agency is certainly something I have an open mind on. A lot of business people I talk to say they feel there is a gap. When a business is very small, it can get help from the local enterprise offices and, when it is a bit larger or is an exporter, from Enterprise Ireland, but there is a gap in between. The question is whether we fill that gap by expanding the role of...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Small and Medium Enterprises (15 Oct 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I do not really have anything to add to what I said earlier but I join the Deputy in acknowledging in particular the work InterTradeIreland does on cross-Border trade. We have provided that agency with extra funding for next year. I am keen to engage and work closely with my counterpart in the North, the Minister for the Economy, Ms Diane Dodds MLA, with whom I have already met, to see what...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Sick Pay Scheme (15 Oct 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I am committed to bringing in a statutory sick pay scheme for Ireland as part of my work programme for next year. Such a scheme would improve workers' terms and conditions, particularly low paid workers, but there are various issues to consider before we establish the scheme. As a starting point, I presented a draft issues paper on statutory sick pay to the labour employer economic forum,...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (15 Oct 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The COVID-19 Credit Guarantee Scheme was launched by Government on the 7thSeptember and is the biggest ever state-backed loan guarantee in Ireland. The Scheme provides an 80% State guarantee on lending until the end of this year, for terms between 3 months and five and a half years and offers a range of lending products between €10,000 and €1 million including working capital...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Departmental Schemes (15 Oct 2020)

Leo Varadkar: Budget 2021 is a pro-business and pro-jobs Budget aimed at building on what we put in place in the July Stimulus, to help the self-employed, business owners and employees through this exceptionally difficult time. As part of Budget 2021, my colleague the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, and Transport Eamon Ryan TD is introducing specific measures for taxi and...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (15 Oct 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I recognise that the events and exhibition sector is a critical part of the ecosystem for business and commerce in the country, enabling buyers and sellers to meet and develop their businesses. I am acutely aware of the difficulties the sector has faced in recent months due to the impact of social distancing requirements. My Department officials are in continuous engagement with the sector...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Arms Trade (15 Oct 2020)

Leo Varadkar: My Department actively participates in global efforts to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, to support regional security, to prevent terrorism and to protect human rights. To this end, the Department operates the highest standards of export controls, in accordance with international law and best practice. My Department is responsible for administering controls on the...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic (15 Oct 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The Living with COVID-19 Plan is the Government’s roadmap for living with the next phase of the pandemic. It has three broad strands which are, Staying Healthy, Keeping our Businesses Strong and Keeping our Communities Resilient. The Plan sets a Restrictive Measures Framework composed of five levels which recognises the need for an incremental approach which takes account of the...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Industrial Development (15 Oct 2020)

Leo Varadkar: Our enterprise policy gives significant attention to ensuring that our enterprises enjoy a supportive business environment through constructive framework conditions as well as through direct financial and soft supports. Balancing our enterprise support direction as between FDI, export only businesses and non-exporting indigenous firms, is however an important policy consideration and one...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Departmental Functions (15 Oct 2020)

Leo Varadkar: My Department operates an early warning system through which the enterprise agencies (Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland) notify the Department when they become aware of any significant issue arising for client companies that could impact their business in Ireland. It should be noted that there is no obligation, legal or otherwise, on client companies to provide an Early Warning Report...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Job Losses (15 Oct 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 28 and 61 together. The decision by Aptar that it is to close its facility in Ballinasloe is deeply disappointing. My primary concern, as always in these situations, is for the workers and families who have been impacted by this decision. Many of these workers have been with the company for many years. The Government will make every State support available...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic (15 Oct 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The Government’s July Stimulus introduced a €7 billion package of supports designed to help businesses across all regions to open, to help those already open to remain open, to get staff back to work and, for those who cannot go back to their old jobs, to secure new opportunities. The Stimulus includes extension of the wage subsidy scheme, pandemic unemployment payment for the...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Enterprise Support Services (15 Oct 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) are the “first-stop-shop” for providing advice and guidance, financial assistance and other supports to anyone wishing to start or grow their own business. In the first instance, the LEOs provide a ‘signposting’ service in relation to all relevant State supports available through agencies such as Revenue, the Department of...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Job Creation (15 Oct 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 31, 53 and 63 together. I can assure the Deputy that jobs and enterprise in the regions is a priority of Government. I want to see a situation where all towns, counties and regions across the country are enabled to realise their potential as contributors to economic recovery and growth, and thereby reduce regional disparities. The Deputy will be aware...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Enterprise Support Services (15 Oct 2020)

Leo Varadkar: On 12 August 2020, I launched a new €12 million Enterprise Centre Fund, which will be administered by Enterprise Ireland, to help enterprise centres impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective of this Fund is to provide financial support to eligible enterprise centres who have been impacted by COVID-19 for the implementation of a 6 to 12-month Recovery Plan. This plan should have...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Health and Safety Inspections (15 Oct 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The Health and Safety Authority, in its role of checking compliance with the Return to Work Safely Protocol since 18thMay, is undertaking inspections across a wide range of workplaces and industry sectors, including meat processing plants (MPPs). To-date the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) has completed 98 inspections and investigations (13 of which were revisits) of Meat & Food...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (15 Oct 2020)

Leo Varadkar: As part of Budget 2021, we announced on Tuesday the new COVID Restrictions Support Scheme (CRSS) to provide targeted support for businesses. The scheme is designed to assist those businesses whose trade has been significantly impacted or temporarily closed as a result of the restrictions as set out in the Government’s ‘Living with COVID-19’ Plan. The scheme will generally...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (15 Oct 2020)

Leo Varadkar: Budget 2021, together with the measures we announced as part of the July Stimulus, provide a substantial financial package to stimulate our economy and to help businesses to open. In July, the Government introduced the €7bn July Stimulus of supports for firms of all sizes, which includes the wage subsidy scheme, the pandemic unemployment payment for the self-employed, grants,...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (15 Oct 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The Restart grant scheme was launched on 22nd May and was live on all local authority websites from 29 May. It was advertised extensively both nationally and locally as well as across social media. By mid-June, almost 30,000 applications were received nationally. By the end of July, some 45,000 applications had been received. The Scheme was initially intended to provide grants in tandem...