Results 1,021-1,040 of 4,715 for speaker:Neale Richmond

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Employment Rights (17 May 2023)

Neale Richmond: On 3 August 2022, the former Minister of State for Employment Affairs, Business and Retail announced an intention to issue an Order to give effect to a statutory recommendation of the Labour Court concerning minimum rates of remuneration and other terms and conditions in the Security Sector. The Order was to apply from 29 August 2022.  On 24 August 2022, my Department was informed...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (17 May 2023)

Neale Richmond: The Employment Permits Section of the Department informs me that there is no record of a new application for a Critical Skills Employment Permit in respect of the person concerned (in the details supplied) having been received. However, I have also been informed that the person concerned in the details supplied was granted a Critical Skills Employment Permit on 08/03/2021 which was valid...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: A Vision for Change (17 May 2023)

Neale Richmond: Ireland operates a managed employment permit system through occupation lists, namely the critical skills and ineligible occupation lists, which are reviewed twice a year. This is an evidence-based process that takes account of labour market conditions and submissions from sectors and other stakeholders together with contextual factors, including for example the impact of COVID-19. The purpose...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Labour Court (17 May 2023)

Neale Richmond: The Protection of Employment Act 1977 imposes certain legal obligations on employers proposing collective redundancies. These obligations include engaging in an information and consultation process of at least 30 days with employees’ representatives, and to notify the Minister for Enterprise, Trade & Employment of the proposals at least 30 days before the first dismissal takes...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Policies (17 May 2023)

Neale Richmond: Towards Responsible Business, Ireland’s National Plan on Corporate Social Responsibility 2017-2020 was published in June 2017. The aim of the Plan was to continue to build on the awareness created under the first National Plan on CSR Good for Business Good for Community, Ireland’s National Plan on Corporate Social Responsibility 2014-2016.  The second National Plan on CSR...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Visa Applications (16 May 2023)

Neale Richmond: Ireland’s employment permits system is designed to accommodate the arrival of non-EEA nationals to fill skills and labour gaps for the benefit of our economy, in the short to medium term. The system is managed by means of two Occupations Lists determining either highly skilled roles in critical short supply or those that are ineligible for an employment permit. The lists undergo...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Ukraine War (16 May 2023)

Neale Richmond: In order to work in the State non-EEA nationals require either a valid employment permit from my Department or relevant immigration permission from the Minister for Justice allowing them to enter and work in the State without the requirement for an employment permit. These are two very distinct application processes with different checks and procedures in place in each respective...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Employment Rights (16 May 2023)

Neale Richmond: Contractual terms of employment are a matter for agreement between the parties to the contract. Whilst it would not be appropriate for me to comment on the particulars of proposed changes to employment contracts within a company, I would note that any alterations must comply with our existing suite of employment legislation including the Unfair Dismissals Act 1977 and the Payment of Wages...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Business Supports (16 May 2023)

Neale Richmond: The Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) are a ‘first stop shop’ for providing advice and guidance, and act as a signposting service for all government supports available to anyone looking to start or grow their own business. As such I would recommend that this individual seek the advice and guidance of a LEO business advisor to enquire about what supports would be available to them....

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Strategies (11 May 2023)

Neale Richmond: The recently published White Paper on Enterprise sets out the Government's strategy for entrepreneurship and was informed by the SME and entrepreneurship growth plan, which is a strategic blueprint for SMEs and entrepreneurs to start up, scale up and access foreign markets, as well as helping them to navigate the transition to a low carbon, digital economy. As part of the implementation...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Strategies (11 May 2023)

Neale Richmond: I absolutely agree with Deputy Bruton that this is vital for the long term and short term in terms of identifying start-ups of all sizes throughout the country that have serious potential. I must give credit in particular to the local enterprise offices throughout the country. I am fortunate to visit them. We see new businesses coming on stream and not only establishing themselves within...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Human Rights (11 May 2023)

Neale Richmond: My Department co-ordinates Ireland's annual national reports under the revised version of the Council of Europe's European Social Charter. Ireland's 19th national report on the implementation of the charter was submitted to the Council of Europe in December 2021. The report covered the period 2017 to 2020 and focused on the accepted provisions under the thematic group of labour rights. The...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Human Rights (11 May 2023)

Neale Richmond: There is quite a bit to unpack there, but I think the Deputy will accept the time lag between when the report was published and what has happened since has seen many of the breaches rectified. On a couple of points the Deputy made, the rates of minimum pay for workers of a certain age are under review by the Low Pay Commission. We discussed that during the last session of parliamentary...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Workplace Relations Commission (11 May 2023)

Neale Richmond: I do not wish to revive the complete debate we had at committee a couple of weeks ago which was weird for both of us, when we kept agreeing with each other across the committee room. I do not wish to be doing too much of that, but I fundamentally believe that sectoral employment orders, SEOs, are a strong part of what we have in our industrial relations sector and are crucial for our economy...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Workplace Relations Commission (11 May 2023)

Neale Richmond: What we have seen over the past year or two is additional resources provided to the WRC and additional inspectors and cases go through the WRC. The Deputy would have read the annual report earlier in the week of the activities of the WRC in 2002, which saw an increase in the number of cases, resolutions and inspections, which are all good things. We remain optimistic and ambitious for the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Industrial Disputes (11 May 2023)

Neale Richmond: I thank Deputy O'Reilly for raising this really important issue. I was delighted to see it on the question paper, because it deserves a good hearing. Deputy O'Reilly has raised it with me directly and with the Taoiseach several times in this Chamber, at committee and via correspondence. First and foremost, my thoughts, like those of the Deputy, are with those Iceland workers who are going...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Industrial Disputes (11 May 2023)

Neale Richmond: I hope to meet the employer very soon and I will keep the Deputy fully appraised of any engagement. We will also deal with a range of issues with regard to other matters we have been dealing with earlier such as price at the checkout. I am aware of the ballot and I know about a number of one-off protests that have happened at certain stores, that were not ballots or pickets, but they were...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Industrial Disputes (11 May 2023)

Neale Richmond: The Deputy and I have spent enough time with retail workers, be it through organised labour movements, in our daily lives or indeed engaging with them practically for many different reasons. We know exactly what the strains of working in the retail sector can be and the effort that goes in. It is a tough job done by many people throughout the country. Retail is the largest private sector...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Foreign Direct Investment (11 May 2023)

Neale Richmond: The Deputy is right. There has been an increase in the level of early warning reports and we all accept that a lot of that is due in part to a global restructuring, in particular in the tech sector, to which the Deputy referred in particular regarding PayPal. The one silver lining is that the global average has not impacted Ireland as much as the rest of the world. We have seen it being at...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Foreign Direct Investment (11 May 2023)

Neale Richmond: When the Deputy was elected to the Dáil in 2011, unemployment was 15.6% nationally. It is now at 3.9%. Much of that is down to the fact that people like the Minister, Deputy Coveney, visited ten large multinationals in California at the start of the year to talk about Ireland not only as a place to maintain investment but also to look for new FDI, in particular in places like County...