Results 81-100 of 3,424 for speaker:Emer Higgins

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (6 Nov 2024)

Emer Higgins: The Employment Permits Section of my Department informs me that they have checked the application concerned and that an application for the renewal of a general employment permit in respect of the person concerned in the details supplied was received on the 19th of August 2024 and was placed in the processing queue on the 20th of August 2024. As the renewal application concerned was received...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (6 Nov 2024)

Emer Higgins: The Employment Permits Section of my Department informs me that they have checked the application concerned and that an application for the renewal of a general employment permit in respect of the person concerned in the details supplied was received on the 2nd of September 2024 and was placed in the processing queue on the 3rd of September 2024. As the renewal application concerned was...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Employment Rights (5 Nov 2024)

Emer Higgins: I thank the Senator for raising this very important issue. The directive on adequate minimum wages in the European Union was published on 19 October 2022. The Senator is correct when she says it must be transposed by 15 November of this year. The directive aims to ensure that workers and unions are protected by adequate minimum wages, allowing for a decent living wherever they work. The...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Employment Rights (5 Nov 2024)

Emer Higgins: As the Senator sought reassurance, I am absolutely aware of the importance of this directive. Its transposition is a priority for my Department.As I have stated, we will be taking the necessary steps to ensure transposition happens ahead of 15 November. It is fully our intention to meet that deadline. While my Department’s position is that no legislation is required to do that,...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Employment Rights (5 Nov 2024)

Emer Higgins: To clarify, it is not the target.

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Employment Rights (5 Nov 2024)

Emer Higgins: I propose to take Questions Nos. 324 and 344 together. The Insolvency Payments Scheme operates under the Protection of Employees (Employers’ Insolvency) Act 1984. The purpose of the scheme is to protect certain outstanding pay-related entitlements due to employees in the event of the insolvency of their employer. Payments are made from the Social Insurance Fund. Section 7 of the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Health and Safety (5 Nov 2024)

Emer Higgins: The Approved Form (AF 1) supplied is used to notify the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) of any construction work as defined in the Safety, Health and Welfare (Construction) Regulations 2013, which is likely to last longer than 30 working days or 500 person days. It can also be used to provide changes in appointments since initial notification of projects. As the construction sector has...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (5 Nov 2024)

Emer Higgins: My department recognises the importance of supporting a dynamic and experienced workforce for this critically important sector. In recent years my department has expanded the number of construction sector roles eligible for an employment permit and the number of roles on the Critical Skills Occupation List. In the 2023 review of the occupation lists governing the issuance of employment...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Business Supports (5 Nov 2024)

Emer Higgins: My Department, in partnership with the enterprise agencies, provides a comprehensive range of supports for start-ups and entrepreneurship within County Kildare. The Local Enterprise Office (LEO) in Kildare provides services directly to small businesses, promotes entrepreneurship and assists new start-ups within towns and communities across the county. The LEO Start Your Own Business...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Enterprise Support Services (5 Nov 2024)

Emer Higgins: Enterprise Ireland (EI) and the Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs), aim to ensure that companies of all sizes are provided with a flexible model of service in response to their growth and development needs. EI, as the agency with responsibility to develop Irish industry and enterprise, assists businesses in the manufacturing and internationally traded services sectors in achieving their...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (24 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: Calm down, Deputy.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (24 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: I do not, in fact. Calm down.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Enterprise Support Services (24 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: We aim for consistency across our 31 local enterprise offices. One of the reasons we have models through our local enterprise offices in every local authority is because decarbonisation is as important in Donegal as it is in Dublin, Cork or Clare. I fully agree with what Deputy Bruton said about the success of group schemes. We need to learn from that. We as a Department are very much...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Enterprise Support Services (24 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: I propose to take Questions Nos. 71 and 76 together. Balanced regional enterprise development remains a key focus for me and for the Government, as affirmed in the White Paper on enterprise. I very much appreciate the contribution made by enterprise and remote working hubs throughout the country. These facilities allow people to live and work in their local communities and provide vital...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Enterprise Support Services (24 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: Absolutely we will. I appreciate what he is saying, that up until now it has been the Cavan or Monaghan local authority that has been buying sites and developing those services. To reiterate, now that we have the smart regions scheme, it is there to support that dynamic of industry, academia and enterprise. Stream 1 of that is designed to support the major local investment and capital...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Enterprise Support Services (24 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: I hear what the Deputy is saying, and absolutely we need to do more in this area. Part of the smart regions enterprise innovation scheme also looks at clustering. Perhaps that is something that might be relevant to the Deputy's constituency of Cavan-Monaghan, if, for example, there are manufacturing companies he feels could benefit from that. I hear what he is saying, that we need...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Enterprise Support Services (24 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: I thank the Deputy. I acknowledge and recognise the role he played in setting up so many LEOs for success up and down the country. As he will be aware, there are 31 LEOs and they play an important role at local level as part of a supportive ecosystem that provides services directly to small businesses and promotes entrepreneurship in towns and communities across the country. They are...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Enterprise Support Services (24 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: To reiterate, it is our intention to make sure that decarbonisation grants and initiatives are easy to access and draw down. We have a €300 million decarbonisation fund, through Enterprise Ireland. Over the first two years, there has been a good and strong take-up of that. At a more local level, over the past three weeks we have made a big effort to reduce the complexity around...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Enterprise Sector (24 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: I thank everybody for their contributions and for all the support they give to social enterprises, both within their communities and throughout the country. I acknowledge the huge role SERI plays in doing exactly that and driving this important element of our community. The suggestion of awareness campaigns is really positive and is something we can look at. That said, I point to what...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Enterprise Sector (24 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: As the Deputy said, social enterprises are an important and growing part of Ireland's entrepreneurship ecosystem. They create jobs and stimulate local economic activity and they are recognised as an integral part of Ireland's broad enterprise policy landscape. My colleague, the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Deputy Humphreys, launched Trading for Impact 2024-2027 -...