Results 981-1,000 of 4,707 for speaker:Neale Richmond

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (1 Jun 2023)

Neale Richmond: The Employment Permits Section of the Department informs me that on 15thMay 2023 a Critical Skills Employment Permit application was submitted in respect of the person named in the details supplied. On 16th May 2023 the application was formally accepted and placed in the processing queue. Applications for employment permits are dealt with in date order. The Employment Permits Section of my...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: State Examinations (31 May 2023)

Neale Richmond: I thank the Senator for raising this important matter. I welcome the opportunity to update the House on the issue, which affects many families throughout the country. It is of great importance for a large number of students taking examinations at both second and third level. The State Examinations Commission has responsibility for the operation, delivery and development of the State...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: State Examinations (31 May 2023)

Neale Richmond: The review provides the opportunity to do that.The case made by the Senator to move away from the previous expert report and to look at a third level example, is a valid one. The difference between now and 20 years ago is light years when it comes to providing education for everyone in the State. This is particularly true of the advances for those with dyslexia and others in a similar...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Accommodation (31 May 2023)

Neale Richmond: I sincerely thank Senator Martin for raising this matter. It provides me with an opportunity to update the House on the proposed transfer of land to Scoil Mochua, Celbridge, County Kildare. In the first instance, I assure the Senator that the provision of accommodation for children with special educational needs is a priority for the Government and the Department of Education. The NCSE has...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Accommodation (31 May 2023)

Neale Richmond: I greatly appreciate the Senator's keen advocacy on behalf of this school in his locality. It is a familiar tale in every constituency and county in the country, particularly when it refers directly to the need for special needs provision. That strikes all of us to the core. While we know the issues are complicated by the ownership of the land by the diocesan trust, I will bring back to...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Personal Public Service Numbers (31 May 2023)

Neale Richmond: I am pleased to take this Commencement matter on behalf of my senior colleague in the Department of Social Protection, Deputy Heather Humphreys. As the Senator knows, to apply for a PPSN an adult must generally provide valid proof of identity, address and reason for applying. The easiest way to apply for a PPSN is online at mywelfare.ie. To directly answer the Senator's question, as of 28...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Personal Public Service Numbers (31 May 2023)

Neale Richmond: I want to conclude by giving the Senator a sense of the scale of the PPSN operation in the Department of Social Protection. In 2022, more than 236,000 PPSNs were allocated. Between January and April this year alone, more than 67,000 PPSNs have been allocated. These figures do not include the PPSNs automatically allocated when a child's birth is registered. As I mentioned, that is 67,000...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Road Network (31 May 2023)

Neale Richmond: I thank Deputy Feighan for raising this issue. The Deputy will forgive me for saying this is not the first time I have heard him raise this issue although, admittedly, it is the first time I have taken it as a receiving Minister of State in the Dáil Chamber. He is a real champion for his county and for the counties affected by the N17. I have heard him speak many times at our own...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Road Network (31 May 2023)

Neale Richmond: I believe the Leas-Cheann Comhairle would agree with me that when it comes to Deputies in the Dáil, Deputy Feighan is one who would be consistently pushing matters at every available angle. For him to bring something to the Dáil Chamber is a signal not just of his intent but of the seriousness of the matters to him and to his local community. The N17 Knock to Collooney scheme...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Health Services Staff (31 May 2023)

Neale Richmond: On behalf of the Minister for Health, I thank the Deputy. He fully acknowledges the concerns of the Deputy and the wider staff about the impacts these shortages are having. As the Deputy and I laid out, there are recruitment challenges generally across several sectors, not only the health sector, but they are in the health sector. This is posing a particular challenge for the public health...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Postal Services (31 May 2023)

Neale Richmond: I thank the Deputy for his engagement. The Minister asked me to underline that he cannot intervene to prevent An Post doing what the Oireachtas has given it a statutory responsibility to do. An Post has an independent board with a clear mandate. It would be inappropriate for me to go into any more details than we have this morning. The Deputy's concerns are valid. While nothing has been...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Health Services Staff (31 May 2023)

Neale Richmond: I thank the Deputy for raising this. She said this was her seventh time bringing it up. I did not quite get to seven. I think I hit five times raising the issue of public health nurses in south Dublin. This is an issue that regularly crosses our desks. Both the Deputy and I represent suburban Dublin constituencies. She certainly does not need to convince me of the importance of public...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Postal Services (31 May 2023)

Neale Richmond: l welcome the opportunity to outline the position on this matter on behalf of the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Eamon Ryan. I will lay out a few background points before dealing with the specifics raised by the Deputy. The Minister has responsibility for the postal sector, including the governance of An Post to ensure that the company is fully compliant...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Enterprise Support Services (31 May 2023)

Neale Richmond: The Digital Start scheme is administered by the 31 Local Enterprise Offices. It is designed to help businesses prepare and implement a plan for the adoption of digital tools and techniques across the business. Digital Start will provide strategic interventions for businesses to work with third party consultants to:assist them in identifying where they are on their digital business...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Enterprise Support Services (31 May 2023)

Neale Richmond: The information sought by the Deputy is not available within the time frame available but will be provided to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Job Losses (31 May 2023)

Neale Richmond: I propose to take Questions Nos. 54 and 55 together. Firstly, I want to express my sympathy to all workers facing redundancy. My Department has received correspondence from and on behalf of employees affected by these redundancies, and I appreciate that this is a very difficult situation for them. Under the Protection of Employment Act 1977, an employer proposing a collective...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Environmental Policy (30 May 2023)

Neale Richmond: There is an existing comprehensive suite of occupational safety and health legislation in place in Ireland designed to protect the health and safety of workers and to mitigate against work related injuries, ill-health and fatalities. The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, sets out the responsibilities of employers, the self-employed, employees and various other parties in...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Funding (30 May 2023)

Neale Richmond: The Deputy will be aware that my Department has secured up to €145m from the European Regional Development Fund to support innovative enterprise focused projects. The Scheme, the ‘Smart Regional Enterprise Innovation Scheme’ (SREIS), will be aimed at accelerating economic growth in all regions of the country by delivering on the potential of local and regional...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Employment Rights (30 May 2023)

Neale Richmond: I note the Recommendations in the Report. The Report suggests that the concerns of employees raised in relation to technological surveillance could be addressed through collective bargaining between employers and employee representatives. It also requests that a report be prepared on possible legislative changes in this area. In relation to collective bargaining, it has been the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (25 May 2023)

Neale Richmond: I propose to take Questions Nos. 137 and 138 together. Appeals received in respect of the refusal of all permit types are processed in date order. The Employment Permits Section of the Department informs me that as of week ending 22 May 2023, appeals received on the week of 3rd of April 2023 are being processed. The time taken to process an appeal can vary depending on the application. The...