Results 1,041-1,060 of 11,114 for speaker:Damien English

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Road Projects (25 Jan 2022)

Damien English: I thank Deputy Cahill for raising this issue and giving me the opportunity to clarify and explain the situation on behalf of the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan. He sends his apologies that he could not be present tonight. First, I acknowledge the situation Deputy Cahill has represented with regard to landowners and families who want to progress their plans for building a house...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Enterprise Support Services (25 Jan 2022)

Damien English: I would encourage any person looking to start, expand or pivot their business to contact their Local Enterprise Office as they provide a ‘first stop shop’ for all available Government business supports. In regard to a business operating in the construction sector, such as the one mentioned in the detail, it should be noted that the Local Enterprise Offices do not ordinarily...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic (25 Jan 2022)

Damien English: There have been a wide range of measures taken by government to provide support for business during the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic, through my Department and others. Depending on the respective eligibility criteria for each relevant measure, a business may have qualified for various supports including the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme, the COVID Restrictions Support Scheme, the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Employment Schemes (25 Jan 2022)

Damien English: The State's employment permit system is designed to supplement Ireland's skills and labour supply over the short to medium term by allowing enterprises to recruit nationals from outside the EEA, where such skills or expertise cannot be sourced from within the EEA at that time. The system is, by design, vacancy led and managed through the operation of the occupation lists: the critical...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Employment Rights (25 Jan 2022)

Damien English: Employers must comply with their legal obligation to make a statutory redundancy lump sum payment to eligible employees. I have no function in monitoring or enforcing those payments. The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) is the organisation which is mandated to secure compliance with employment rights legislation. If an employer has failed to pay statutory redundancy entitlements, the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Fishing Industry (25 Jan 2022)

Damien English: A Memorandum of Understanding on the monitoring and enforcement of the Atypical Worker Permission Scheme for non-EEA fishers employed on certain Irish-registered fishing vessels was signed by 11 Departments and Agencies in May 2016. The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) is one of a number of agencies which contributes to the enforcement of this scheme and has particular responsibility...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Fishing Industry (25 Jan 2022)

Damien English: The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) contributes to multi-agency efforts to enforce the Atypical Worker Permission Scheme for Non-EEA Workers engaged on Irish-registered whitefish fishing vessels over 15 metres in length. The WRC carried out 51 inspections in 2021 of fishing vessels that come within the scope of the Scheme. This included inspections undertaken by the WRC in September...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Health Services Staff (25 Jan 2022)

Damien English: The State's employment permit system is designed to supplement Ireland's skills and labour supply over the short to medium term by allowing enterprises to recruit nationals from outside the EEA, where such skills or expertise cannot be sourced from within the EEA at that time. The system is, by design, vacancy led and managed through the operation of the occupation lists: the critical...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Labour Market (25 Jan 2022)

Damien English: Ireland operates a managed employment permits system maximising the benefits of economic migration and minimising the risk of disrupting Ireland’s labour market. The employment permits regime is designed to facilitate the entry of appropriately skilled non-EEA nationals to fill skills and/or labour shortages in the State, required to develop and support enterprise for the benefit of...

Seanad: Organisation of Working Time (Reproductive Health Related Leave) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (20 Jan 2022)

Damien English: Can I make a point? Because this is my first time taking Committee Stage from this side, I do not know if I need to come in straightaway today. I am happy to wait until the next day. It is up to the House.

Seanad: Organisation of Working Time (Reproductive Health Related Leave) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (20 Jan 2022)

Damien English: I am easy.

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: State Bodies (20 Jan 2022)

Damien English: Regional enterprise development and sustainable job creation is a key policy priority of mine and the Government and is a core element of the National Development Plan. My Department plays a very strong part in implementing that policy goal through a variety of policy initiatives and investments in the regions. Through the Regional Enterprise Development Fund, the Border Enterprise...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: State Bodies (20 Jan 2022)

Damien English: Enterprise Ireland (EI) does not record data by local authority area. However, jobs data is recorded on a county basis. The table below illustrates the jobs created by EI supported clients in each of the years 2020 and 2021, by county. Table: Jobs created in Enterprise Ireland clients 2020 and 2021 by County County 2020 Job Gains 2021 Job Gains* ...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Environmental Schemes (19 Jan 2022)

Damien English: I again thank the Deputy for raising this matter. He has covered most of the issues that need to be addressed through the new schemes that are being brought forward. I have listened with interest to the points raised by the Deputy. I will make sure they are brought to the attention of the Minister and his team in the Department who are working on these matters. As I mentioned earlier,...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: International Agreements (19 Jan 2022)

Damien English: I want to be clear with the Deputy that the Irish Government and people absolutely do care. The Irish response to the pandemic has been rooted in our commitment to the principle of universal and equitable access to vaccines and treatments. We will continue to use our influence across the world on that. It is right and fair to say, and I acknowledged it in my opening comments, that billions...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Environmental Schemes (19 Jan 2022)

Damien English: I thank Deputy O’Donnell for raising this important issue. It is important and timely because the new scheme is under consideration and will be brought to the House quite soon. The Minister, Deputy Ryan, was unable to make the debate, but I will feed in the comments and issues the Deputy has raised because he is right on waiting times, giving greater access to the scheme, reforming...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: International Agreements (19 Jan 2022)

Damien English: I thank the Deputy for raising this debate and important discussion. The figures he outlined, and the loss of life we have seen all over the world, reminds us all just how serious Covid-19 is and of the impact it has had on many people's lives, including those who have lost their lives, their families and many of those who have been left very ill. I again reiterate the importance of all of...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Farm Safety (19 Jan 2022)

Damien English: The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) is the designated state agency with responsibility for workplace safety, including farm safety. The HSA maintains a strong focus on specific high-risk areas, such as agriculture, through inspection and enforcement, ongoing partnerships, and through education and awareness-raising campaigns. Although farming fatalities declined by over 50% with 9...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (19 Jan 2022)

Damien English: Under the Employment Permit Acts in order to work in the State all non-EEA nationals require a valid Employment Permit or relevant immigration permission from the Minister for Justice which allows them to reside and work in the State without the requirement for an Employment Permit. The Irish State’s general policy is to promote the sourcing of labour and skills needs from within the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (19 Jan 2022)

Damien English: Where an employee is laid off for periods during their last three years of employment, those periods do not constitute reckonable service for the purposes of redundancy calculations. In light of the extensive periods of lay-off some people will have experienced during the pandemic emergency period, this may have a significant impact on their redundancy entitlement if they are made redundant...