Results 961-980 of 11,114 for speaker:Damien English

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Work Permits (10 Feb 2022)

Damien English: When we undertake the labour market analysis, we try to look at short-term solutions in addition to long-term trends. The permits operation should not be seen as a long-term solution. It is an absolutely temporary one, which we have used to respond to many sectors over the past year. The Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Butler, is leading this and trying to put a...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Work Permits (10 Feb 2022)

Damien English: I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. I will give her the short answer first because I know that is what she wants. It is to be hoped we will be able to reopen that process within the next couple of weeks. That is the aim. That then takes a couple of months and decisions will probably be made around April or May at the latest. In a few weeks we will open the consultation and see...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Work Permits (10 Feb 2022)

Damien English: Yes. There are two lists. There is a non-essential list as well. The critical list is for one category and the other category is the one the Deputy is after and that it would be opened up to permits. We changed that for health care assistants last year.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Work Permits (10 Feb 2022)

Damien English: It is a good question. I do not know. I have not sat around the table. It is officials from all the various Departments who are on it. I imagine there is quite a strong gender balance because the majority of officials I come across demonstrate to me a gender balance. However, I will certainly check it out for the Deputy. To be very clear, the evidence gathered around this, which is in...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Enterprise Support Services (10 Feb 2022)

Damien English: The Minister, the Minister of State, Deputy Troy, and myself hope to launch regional enterprise plans during February. Part of that will be funding a range of actions in different counties along the concept outlined by the Deputy. I think we are launching one in Cavan. That gives an opportunity through the funding set out, which is quite substantial, over the next four or five years to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Enterprise Support Services (10 Feb 2022)

Damien English: I thank the Deputy for his question and for his support for enterprise centres and the general principle of investing in and strengthening them. I spent a day recently in counties Cavan and Monaghan and saw the benefits of investing in enterprise centres and enterprise teams in those counties and indeed, throughout the country. I acknowledge the work that is being carried out locally...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Enterprise Support Services (10 Feb 2022)

Damien English: I note the point the Deputy raised. I recall reviewing that site and agree that there is great potential there to create jobs. The Departments of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and Rural and Community Development are very keen to develop working spaces, sites, office space and factory space for those who want to create jobs. We are determined to have a jobs-led recovery as we come out of...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Minimum Wage (10 Feb 2022)

Damien English: The Government is finalising a package of measures to respond to the inflationary measures which are putting significant pressure on families and individuals, and have been doing so over the past couple of months. They build on the changes announced in the budget, where there was a tax package and there was a social welfare package. There was a minimum wage increase recommendation accepted,...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Minimum Wage (10 Feb 2022)

Damien English: We must be careful in relation to taxes and jobs as well. Much of the time, the changes Deputy Barry puts forward in relation to the tax system are in our view anti-jobs and anticompetitive. That will not help us as we try to drive a recovery from Covid through a jobs-led recovery.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Minimum Wage (10 Feb 2022)

Damien English: I have nothing more to add bar that the Government is responding to this. I listened to Deputy Barry, yesterday and again today, with his call for action. I have listened to the Deputy in the past on other disputes and other issues as well. People who followed Deputy Barry's advice previously often got bad advice from him and were misinformed or brought down the wrong path. I would ask...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Minimum Wage (10 Feb 2022)

Damien English: I would ask anybody who wants to follow Deputy Barry's advice to look at his record over the past two years and the advice he doled out.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Minimum Wage (10 Feb 2022)

Damien English: I thank Deputy Barry for his question and for the motion we discussed and debated yesterday. We went through the various mechanisms we can use to achieve the results he is seeking. The Government is keenly aware, as we stressed during yesterday's debate, of the pressures people are feeling as the rate of inflation and the cost of living increase. Many costs have increased sharply in recent...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Industrial Relations (10 Feb 2022)

Damien English: I and Government support increasing collective bargaining coverage in Ireland. That is one of the reasons the independently chaired High-Level Working Group on Collective Bargaining was established under the auspices of the Labour Employer Economic Forum (LEEF) in March of last year. The forthcoming EU Directive on the Minimum Wage is one of the issues which the Group is considering as...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Industrial Relations (10 Feb 2022)

Damien English: It is understandable that households and businesses are concerned about the higher rates of inflation they are seeing at the moment. I know that people are feeling pressure as the cost-of-living increases and that people on lower incomes are being disproportionately affected. Ministers across Government, along with their officials, have been tasked with developing proposals for a package...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Employment Rights (10 Feb 2022)

Damien English: Following extensive engagement with the social partners the “Plan for Action on Collective Redundancies following Insolvency” was published in June 2021. This sets out several commitments to safeguard further the rights of workers in these circumstances including; 1. amendments to company law and employment law, 2. a new Employment Law Review Group, and 3. the provision of...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Enterprise Policy (10 Feb 2022)

Damien English: A key priority for Enterprise Ireland, is to develop new High Potential Start Ups and to help make Ireland a world-leading location to start and scale a business. Under its new 2022-2024 Corporate Strategy, Enterprise Ireland proposes to increase start-up and scaling activity by as much as 20%. Management skills and leadership capability will be a key underpinning objective in this area. ...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Enterprise Policy (10 Feb 2022)

Damien English: Regional enterprise development and sustainable local job creation is a key policy priority of mine and this Government. Throughout 2021, my Department has overseen the development of nine new Regional Enterprise Plans to 2024. These are ‘bottom-up’ plans, developed by regional stakeholders which identify growth opportunities, recognise vulnerabilities, and enable job...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Workplace Relations Services (10 Feb 2022)

Damien English: At the outset, it is worth stating that Ireland’s system of industrial relations is, essentially, voluntary in nature. The responsibility for the resolution of industrial disputes between employers and workers, rests with the employer, the workers and their representatives. It is important that the autonomy of both employee and employer bodies and their respective members in such...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Data (10 Feb 2022)

Damien English: The Restart Grant Scheme was launched in May 2020 and was succeeded by an enhanced Restart Grant Plus, which closed for applications on 31stOctober 2020. The 31 local authorities who operated the scheme received a total of 123,185 applications, of which 108,489 were successful. An overall allocation of €652m was made available by Government for the Scheme, with local authorities...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Legislative Process (10 Feb 2022)

Damien English: Following extensive engagement with the social partners the “Plan for Action on Collective Redundancies following Insolvency” was published in June 2021. This sets out several commitments to safeguard further the rights of workers in these circumstances including; (i)amendments to company law and employment law, (ii)a new Employment Law Review Group, and (iii)the provision of...