Results 1,081-1,100 of 9,147 for speaker:Pat Breen

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Rights (8 Nov 2016)

Pat Breen: Apart from public sector employees, where certain statutory retirement ages may apply, there is no statutory retirement age for employees in Irish legislation. A contract of employment will generally contain a retirement age but this is a matter of contract between the parties. The upper age limit for bringing claims under the Unfair Dismissals Acts was removed by a provision in the...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Joint Labour Committees (8 Nov 2016)

Pat Breen: The Deputy will be aware that I signed the Employment Regulation (Amendment) Order (Contract Cleaning Joint Labour Committee) 2016 on October 27th last. (www.djei.ie/en/Legislation/SI-No-548-of-2016.html). The making of the Order follows a public consultation on draft proposals that were developed by the Contract Cleaning Joint Labour Committee for an amended Employment Regulation Order for...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Workplace Relations Services Provision (8 Nov 2016)

Pat Breen: With effect from 1st October 2015, the activities of the Labour Relations Commission, the National Employment Rights Authority, the Equality Tribunal and the first instance functions of the Employment Appeals Tribunal and the Labour Court were merged into a new Body of First Instance, known as the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC). From 1st October 2015, all complaints fall to be referred...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Workplace Safety (8 Nov 2016)

Pat Breen: Insofar as the question raises standards that must be met and come under the remit of my Department, employment rights and occupational health and safety of individuals working in the sector, are regulated. Ireland has a comprehensive body of employment, equality and industrial relations legislation, in respect of which the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) is mandated to secure...

Public Holidays (Lá na Poblachta) Bill 2016: Second Stage [Private Members] (3 Nov 2016)

Pat Breen: They could take a sick day.

Other Questions: Research and Development Supports (3 Nov 2016)

Pat Breen: 5 o’clock The budget for 2017 saw a 5% increase, amounting to over €15 million, for the Department's innovation programme, with a capital provision of just under €323 million, which has increased from €307 million. The budget also introduced measures to support small and medium enterprises and entrepreneurs, along with the lower 10% tax for capital gains...

Other Questions: Research and Development Supports (3 Nov 2016)

Pat Breen: I will not go through them. There was an increase in research masters and PhD enrolments, going from 1,750 in 2015 to 2,250 in disciplines aligned to enterprise and other initiative needs as well. Much has been done but more needs to be done. With the economy on the turn, it is important that we continue to work on innovation and ensure funding is made available so the group can continue...

Other Questions: Research and Development Supports (3 Nov 2016)

Pat Breen: I am taking this on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy John Halligan. He had a prearranged appointment and the questions were supposed to be taken next week.

Other Questions: Research and Development Supports (3 Nov 2016)

Pat Breen: A cross-governmental implementation group has been established to drive and ensure a coherent approach to the implementation of Innovation 2020. The group, chaired by my Department, consists of representatives from Government Departments, research funding agencies and the chief scientific adviser to the Government. Innovation 2020 commits the implementation group to reporting annually to the...

Other Questions: Research and Development Supports (3 Nov 2016)

Pat Breen: The Innovation 2020 implementation group, which is chaired by the assistant secretary general of the Department, comprises representatives from other Departments, including the research funding agencies and the Government chief scientific adviser. The group has responsibility for driving and overseeing the implementation of actions and strategy. The group has met twice already in 2016 and...

Other Questions: Low Pay Commission Report (3 Nov 2016)

Pat Breen: Women’s participation in the labour force has been on a long-term upward trend in Ireland. For example, the participation rate for women in the workforce rose from 49% in 2003 to 53.6% in quarter two of 2016. The Deputy will be aware the Low Pay Commission submitted its second report on the national minimum wage in July 2016. In its report, the commission noted that between 63% and...

Other Questions: Low Pay Commission Report (3 Nov 2016)

Pat Breen: The Low Pay Commission is an independent body set up by the Government. The Government asked it to look at why there are so many women on the minimum wage. That report came into me last week. I will go through it briefly with the Deputy. I do not have much time but the report will be made available to the Deputy very early next week. The report highlighted the predominant issues that...

Other Questions: Low Pay Commission Report (3 Nov 2016)

Pat Breen: A further 28% of them said it was for personal or family reasons. In the budget, we have looked at the whole area of looking after children.

Other Questions: Low Pay Commission Report (3 Nov 2016)

Pat Breen: The Low Pay Commission is a very serious body which puts a lot of effort into the work it does, particularly on the minimum wage. It has regular meetings and is made up of nine people who are experts in their area. They represent businesses, workers and academics and they take their work seriously. I met Dr. de Buitléir last Tuesday and we went through the report which I am...

Companies (Accounting) Bill 2016: Order for Second Stage (3 Nov 2016)

Pat Breen: I move: "That Second Stage be taken now."

Companies (Accounting) Bill 2016: Second Stage (3 Nov 2016)

Pat Breen: I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I am pleased to bring the Companies (Accounting) Bill 2016 before the House. In Ireland, the majority of the law on financial reporting for companies is contained in the Companies Act 2014. It is only a few years since we debated the Bill that would become that milestone Act. So many Deputies will remember that our objective then was...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Research and Development Funding (3 Nov 2016)

Pat Breen: On 24 July the Government adopted a Contingency Framework identifying key policy issues to be managed by Government Departments arising from the referendum vote in the UK to leave the EU. In that Framework we commit to undertaking a full assessment of the opportunities and threats arising from the future disengagement of the UK from the EU, including in relation to Horizon 2020 funded...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Credit Guarantee Scheme (3 Nov 2016)

Pat Breen: Since inception in 2012 to 21 October 2016 (the latest available confirmed data from the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland, the scheme) 384 SME loans to a total of €61,867,894 have been approved under the 2 existing Credit Guarantee Schemes. I will send the Deputy separately the breakdown of the value of approvals by county. SBCI has also advised that approximately €17...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Industrial Relations (3 Nov 2016)

Pat Breen: I agree with the underlying premise of the Deputy's question that good industrial relations practices and a good IR environment are critically important for workers, for businesses, and the general public. Both I, as Minister, and the industrial relations institutions of the State will continue to strive for improvements in this area. It is not current Government policy to create a new...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Zero-hour Contracts (3 Nov 2016)

Pat Breen: My colleague, Minister Mitchell O’Connor, and I intend bringing forward proposals in this area for consideration by Government. In this respect, work is well advanced on developing a policy response to the University of Limerick (UL) study on zero hour contracts and low hour contracts. It should be remembered that the UL study found that zero hour contracts, as defined within current...