Results 8,661-8,680 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Brexit Preparations (14 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I do not know. I have not had the chance to speak to my new counterpart, Alok Sharma, yet but I intend to do so in the next week or two. Based on the experience I have had with Brexit negotiations up until now, I think there will be a deal but that it will come late in the day, maybe as late as October, November or December. That is why we once again have to prepare for the risk of a...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Small and Medium Enterprises (14 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for his question and for his interest in advocating on behalf of small business in his constituency and elsewhere. To assist businesses to overcome the unique and unprecedented challenges posed by Covid-19, the Government has put in place a package for firms that includes the wage subsidy scheme, direct grants, low-cost loans, the write-off of commercial rates and deferred...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Small and Medium Enterprises (14 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I very much agree with the Deputy about the importance of the SME sector. In all parts of Ireland, large numbers of people are employed in small firms. When we talk about SMEs, people might not appreciate that we are talking about firms with up to 500 employees. A company with that number of employees is quite a large firm but it is technically an SME. We know that the public sector has...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Small and Medium Enterprises (14 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: As I said, the July stimulus will be a package of scale. I expect it to include actions we can implement within weeks or months, not actions that cannot be done until next year or the year after, and to amount to several billions of euro in funding. It is important to say, however, that we are not going to fire all our bullets next week. We will do more in October as part of the budget and...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Brexit Preparations (14 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for his question and for his ongoing interest in Brexit and how it will impact on this State. Whatever shape it finally takes, Brexit will have a significant impact on the economy. It will fundamentally change the trading environment for businesses currently trading with the UK. In 2018, my Department published a report, entitled Strategic Implications for Ireland...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (14 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The truth is that not every business was viable before the pandemic. There were those who hoped they would become viable as the economy continued to grow. That has not happened. We had a pandemic instead and now the economy has shrunk so, for some businesses that hoped to become viable, that hope is now lost. We will see businesses close in all sectors, unfortunately. That is just the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (14 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I met representatives of ISME last week. We are paying attention to what other countries do and every country's package is different. We compare favourably when it comes to the pandemic unemployment payment. Not many countries are providing €350 per week to workers. That is triple what it is in Northern Ireland or Britain. We compare quite well when it comes to the wage subsidy...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Employment Rights (14 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I do not have jewels or a revolver. I am a simple man.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Small and Medium Enterprises (14 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Deputy Devlin for raising this important question. As Tánaiste and Minister with responsibility for enterprise, trade and employment, I am committed to playing my part to get businesses reopened and to provide grant aid, advice and access to finance as we work to get businesses open and people back to work. A crucial part of this work will involve getting our SMEs back to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Small and Medium Enterprises (14 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: As for moving to phase 4 and allowing pubs and, I think, nightclubs, casinos and a few other entertainment businesses to reopen, it is likely a decision on this will be made by the Cabinet tomorrow evening, following advice from NPHET. I cannot yet say whether the decision will be in the affirmative or the negative, but it will be made most likely tomorrow evening at our Cabinet meeting....

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Small and Medium Enterprises (14 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I hope that Deputy Devlin is correct and that 90% of people get back to work. I think he is correct that a proportion will not be able to return to their old jobs, if only because the companies they had been working for will not succeed or the sectors for which they were working will struggle. It is important we have alternatives for those people, whether new jobs in areas such as housing...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (14 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: The restart grant was launched on 22 May and is a critically important tool to assist small businesses in reopening their doors. Grant payments range from a minimum of €2,000 to a maximum of €10,000. The scheme was devised in recognition of the fact that microbusinesses and small businesses were and are particularly vulnerable to the economic effects of Covid-19. Using...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (14 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. The truth is, as the Deputy will acknowledge, that any analysis and projection as to how Covid will impact on our economy is a good educated guess. Nobody really knows how long this pandemic will go on for, how many waves there may or may not be or what they will look like. It is everyone's best guess as to what the impact will be but it is better to have some analysis...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (14 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I might be wrong but I think it was all done in-house and drew on existing papers and other papers from the European Central Bank, Copenhagen Economics and Oxford University. We had the report from Copenhagen Economics on Brexit and the Oxford work on Covid. I think it was done in-house with the assistance of external reports but not with external consultancy. If I am wrong about that I...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Company Closures (14 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising once again the important matter of insolvency and how it impacts on the rights of workers, creditors and others at this time. The procedures for liquidations are set out in the Part 11 of the Companies Act 2014. In general terms, a company is permitted to initiate a winding-up where it has complied with the requirements of the Companies Act 2014. A company...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Company Closures (14 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I have met some of the Debenhams workers already about this matter although I have not met them through their trade union. I am certainly happy to consider any meeting request. It is important to say that the Debenhams staff who were laid off should get their redundancy and they will. Even if it has to come out of the Social Insurance Fund they should get it. I know that they have not...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Company Closures (14 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: I am not sure whether that stock belongs to Debehams, to concessionaires or a bit of both but that is neither here nor there. It is important to say that a company cannot just declare itself insolvent. A company has to initiate a liquidation while insolvent and it cannot do so by voluntary liquidation, it must apply to the High Court. It may be that these matters have yet to be heard in...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (14 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: Extensive modelling and analysis were undertaken for the three Economic Considerations for Reinstating Economic Activity papers developed by my Department at phases 1, 2 and 3 of the Roadmap for Reopening Society and Business. These three papers, which are available on my Department's website gov.ie, were developed in conjunction with the Department of Finance and the Department of Public...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Employment Rights (14 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: What we need is for the Supreme Court to hear this case quickly because there is little point in us bringing in legislation that is equally unfirm and could be struck down. We will be seeking an early hearing by the Supreme Court so that this issue can be clarified. In the meantime, the terms and conditions of those on existing contracts cannot be reduced unilaterally. There is an issue,...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Employment Rights (14 Jul 2020)

Leo Varadkar: As I mentioned earlier, this case is going to be appealed to both the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, with a view to going straight to the Supreme Court in order that we can have an adjudication as soon as possible. The difficulty we have is that because this section of the legislation has been struck down as unconstitutional, it is questionable as to whether this House can bring in...