Results 8,341-8,360 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Regional Aid (22 Sep 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The EU Regional Aid Guidelines (RAGS) provides for enhanced rates of State Aid in the least economically developed areas of each Member State. The 2014-2020 Regional Aid Guidelines entered into force on 01 July 2014. Under the terms of the 2014 -2020 RAGS, regions covering 51.28% of Ireland’s population are designated as ‘assisted areas’. Ireland, as a whole, has not...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Local Authority Funding (22 Sep 2020)

Leo Varadkar: On 23rdJuly 2020 I announced that in order to further support enterprises as the economy reopens and resumes activity, further grant funding of €300 million would be provided to businesses through an enhanced Restart Grant Plus Scheme. The additional €300 million provided in the July stimulus package allowed further categories of businesses to benefit in that businesses...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: IDA Ireland (22 Sep 2020)

Leo Varadkar: Since this issue was last raised by the Deputy in Parliamentary Question no. 156 from September 15th, my Department has been informed by IDA Ireland that they have not submitted a revised planning permission application to Mayo County Council in relation to this site. IDA Ireland is assessing the potential of all its land banks in the context of the Agency’s forthcoming Strategy. A...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: InterTradeIreland (22 Sep 2020)

Leo Varadkar: InterTradeIreland (ITI) is jointly funded by my Department and its counterpart in Northern Ireland, the Department for the Economy. In 2020, my Department's allocation to ITI was €12.692m. That allocation is made up of €10.192m in core funding and an additional €2.5m which was allocated to ITI in April to help cross border firms navigate the challenges that have arisen...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Enterprise Ireland (22 Sep 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy should note that the exchequer funding provided to Enterprise Ireland through my Department’s Vote encompasses two discrete Subheads A7 and B4, which span general supports to indigenous firms and for research and development/innovation supports. Enterprise Ireland’s activities are also funded from the generation of Own Resource Income of the order of approximately...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Departmental Budgets (22 Sep 2020)

Leo Varadkar: Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur (IBYE) is a programme targeting Ireland’s young entrepreneurs, developed and run by the 31 Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs)with the support of the Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment, Enterprise Ireland and Local Authorities. Annually in excess of 1200 young entrepreneurs across the country enter the competition. Since its inception in...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Company Liquidations (22 Sep 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The law governing preferential treatment of creditors in circumstances where a company is unable to pay its debts is contained in section 621 of the Companies Act 2014, as amended. A preferential creditor is one whose debts are deemed to be more important than the debts of another creditor. The current law is a result of careful balancing of the various rights of creditors, including...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (22 Sep 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The scale of challenges faced by businesses in the entertainment sector due to Covid-19 has not gone unnoticed by Government, and efforts have been ongoing across Government Departments to provide supports to businesses and affected individuals. I am acutely aware of the challenges facing the entertainment sector and I have recently met representatives and businesses from the sector. My...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Work Permits (22 Sep 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The Irish State’s general policy is to promote the sourcing of labour and skills needs from within the workforce of the European Union and other EEA states. However, where specific skills prove difficult to source within the EEA, an employment permit may be sought in respect of a non-EEA citizen who possess those skills. The employment of non-EEA citizens in the State is governed...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (22 Sep 2020)

Leo Varadkar: As the Deputy will be aware, on 28thAugust 2020 the Government announced a further €16m support package to help pubs, bars and nightclubs, recognising the economic impact of COVID-19 on their businesses and to assist planning and adaptation for their re-opening. Those businesses remaining closed and planning their re-opening are entitled to a 40% top-up on the Restart Grant Plus and...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Ministerial Meetings (22 Sep 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I was sorry to hear Aer Lingus announce their intention to restructure the business in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis. I fully understand the difficulties this may bring to workers, their families and their localities, during an already challenging period. To help businesses and workers through such challenges, the Government introduced the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme (TWSS) and its...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (22 Sep 2020)

Leo Varadkar: This is a matter for my colleague Minister Charlie McConalogue, Minister for Agriculture, Food and Marine. My Department and its agencies have been focussed on coming up with solutions to help businesses overcome the challenges presented by the unprecedented difficulties caused by COVID-19. These include direct supports such as the Restart Plus Grant, providing funding of up to...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic (22 Sep 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: Health and Safety Authority (22 Sep 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I can confirm that the Health and Safety Authority were notified of an accident on a construction site in Cherrywood Avenue, on the 10thSeptember 2020. I have been informed that the Health and Safety Authority has commenced an investigation to establish the facts and circumstances surrounding the accident. The Health and Safety Authority does not publicly comment on workplace accidents...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Work Permits (22 Sep 2020)

Leo Varadkar: Ireland operates a managed employment permits system maximising the benefits of economic migration and minimising the risk of disrupting Ireland’s labour market. The employment permits system is designed to facilitate the entry of appropriately skilled non-EEA nationals to fill skills and/or labour shortages, however, this objective must be balanced by the need to ensure that there are...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Work Permits (22 Sep 2020)

Leo Varadkar: Since 2010, a total of 4,281 General Employment Permits (previously known as Work Permits) have issued to the Meat Processing sector. A yearly breakdown is available below. Permit Type 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 General Employment Permit/Work Permit ...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (22 Sep 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 320 and 323 together. Since the onset of COVID-19, my Department has worked to ensure that there are appropriate responses is in place to assist businesses that have been impacted by the economic disruptions arising as a result of the pandemic. These responses include information and advisory supports, as well as liquidity supports in the form of grants and...

Sick Leave and Parental Leave (Covid-19) Bill 2020: First Stage (17 Sep 2020)

Leo Varadkar: It is not opposed.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (17 Sep 2020)

Leo Varadkar: Unfortunately, case numbers are rising daily in most parts of the country, and Louth is one of the counties of concern. It is important that we never read too much into any one day's numbers. We tend to look at seven-day and 14-day averages for very good reasons.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (17 Sep 2020)

Leo Varadkar: With regard to the specific question on Drogheda, I will see the chief executive officer of the HSE tomorrow at the Cabinet Covid sub-committee meeting and I will specifically raise the issue of Drogheda with him, precisely because, as Deputies O'Dowd and Munster have pointed out to me, it is a very large town in a county with a rising incidence. Therefore, having a test centre there would...