Results 1,201-1,220 of 4,707 for speaker:Neale Richmond

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Industrial Relations (23 Feb 2023)

Neale Richmond: -----but we are ahead of some EU member states. There is an appetite between the employer group representatives and the trade unions to work with the Government to make sure we can achieve this in a timely manner.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Industrial Relations (23 Feb 2023)

Neale Richmond: I fully agree with the Deputy. An efficient collective bargaining system is not just in the interest of the workers but also in the interest of the employers and, most importantly, the interest of the economy and society as a whole. We appreciate, and I agree with the Deputy, that 80% will be a challenge, but it is a challenge the Government is very much keen to rise to. The process has...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Industrial Relations (23 Feb 2023)

Neale Richmond: As I mentioned, the Labour Employer Economic Forum discussed this last month. There will be a meeting of the subgroup to discuss this in March. Following that meeting, we will look at any legislative process, but that will be in discussion with European colleagues to see if we can meet the European ambitions as were announced at the Council meeting just two weeks ago.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Minimum Wage (23 Feb 2023)

Neale Richmond: It is a combined response to this question and the previous one. We both have to be careful in our language when we are talking about reports or anecdotal evidence versus empirical evidence. We do not want people to go out thinking that this is used across any sector, retail or otherwise, as suggested in terms of lower pay and the way hours are being allocated. There have been some reports...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Minimum Wage (23 Feb 2023)

Neale Richmond: The Deputy knows all the arguments from the Low Pay Commission as well as I do. She knows the reasoning as to why this was introduced in the first place. She knows what the response would be to the points she has made about other jurisdictions that have changed this. What I will repeat is that the Low Pay Commission has been asked to look at the matter by the previous Minister. It will...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Pensions Reform (23 Feb 2023)

Neale Richmond: As I said, serious concerns with the Bill were raised by my predecessor, and those concerns remain. While we are sympathetic to the plight and the case of the individuals who have been involved in drafting the Bill, many of whom I met as both a Senator and a Deputy, whether because they are my constituents or because they are members of other representative groups, there are several serious...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Pensions Reform (23 Feb 2023)

Neale Richmond: As outlined, I have met the groups previously in my capacities as a Senator and a Deputy, and I would be more than willing to meet them again with the Deputy. There are serious concerns about this approach and the serious impact it would have on the industrial relations mechanism. It is in all our interest to work towards a solution relatively quickly, and I am prepared to do that with the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Minimum Wage (23 Feb 2023)

Neale Richmond: The minimum wage for those aged 19 and under is less than the minimum wage for those aged 20 and over, given that sub-minimum, or age-based, pay rates are in force. The latest figures available from the Central Statistics Office, CSO, using the labour force survey quarter 3 of 2022, show that there are an estimated 91,000 employees aged between 16 and 19. Of these, the CSO estimates 19,600...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Employment Rights (23 Feb 2023)

Neale Richmond: I thank the Deputy for her kind welcome. Consistency is not a bad thing in life. From the outset, I can confirm that I have read Mandate's report, Smoke and Mirrors: The Facts About Retail Workers' Incomes in Ireland. Indeed, Mandate raised it with me directly when I met them a week prior to its publication. We had a discussion then and we have had subsequent discussions via email and...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Employment Rights (23 Feb 2023)

Neale Richmond: The review will be quick, but most importantly it will be thorough. We are dealing with legislation that was described as groundbreaking by Mandate when it was introduced. We owe it the duty of care to make sure there is a thorough review that addresses real, statistical issues. The report is very welcome and there is a lot of interesting data in it, but it must also be looked at in the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Employment Rights (23 Feb 2023)

Neale Richmond: Very briefly, there is not much difference here between the Deputy and me, which is welcome. The workers will appreciate that politicians from all corners are here to try to get better conditions for them and to work with employers to make it sustainable. There is not low pay in the retail sector, because the average is €17 per hour, but there is an issue with hours. That is...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Pensions Reform (23 Feb 2023)

Neale Richmond: I understand the Deputy has already engaged quite a bit with the Department in relation to this Bill, which is very welcome and I encourage that going forward. As the Deputy is aware, the Joint Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employment met in public session on 25 January to discuss detailed scrutiny of the Industrial Relations (Provisions in Respect of Pension Entitlements of Retired...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Legislative Reviews (23 Feb 2023)

Neale Richmond: My Department closely monitors relevant national and international developments and case law from the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC), Labour Court and High Court to keep Ireland’s extensive suite of employment rights legislation current and fit for purpose. TheCode of Practice on Access to Part-Time Workwas drawn up by the then Labour Relations Commission in consultation with the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: National Minimum Wage (23 Feb 2023)

Neale Richmond: I propose to take Questions Nos. 85 and 86 together. The Low Pay Commission was requested, as part of its 2016 work programme, to examine the sub-minimum rates (special training and youth rates) of the national minimum wage and to report its recommendations. The Low Pay Commission, having examined all available evidence and submissions, and having considered a range of options, made...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Wage Levels (23 Feb 2023)

Neale Richmond: According to CSO data, average weekly earnings in the private sector increased by 4.5% in 2022 Q3 compared to the same period a year earlier, and were up 10.6% compared to the same period in 2020. The Government has no role in the wage bargaining process for private sector workers which is a matter for individual employers and employees. However, the Government has been proactive in...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Legislative Measures (23 Feb 2023)

Neale Richmond: The Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2018, came into force on 4 March 2019. This Act introduced a number of measures to strengthen employee rights and to address the problems caused by the increased casualisation of work. Among these measures was the introduction of a 'band of hours' system which strengthens the regulation of precarious work by improving the security and...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (23 Feb 2023)

Neale Richmond: Changes to the employment permits system for workers from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) to address skills shortages in Ireland’s Home Care sector were announced on 16 December 2022. The role of home care worker is subject to a quota of 1,000 permits. Applicants must have an offer of employment (contract) in order to apply for an Employment Permit. To comply with the Labour...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Enterprise Support Services (23 Feb 2023)

Neale Richmond: The Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) are the ‘first-stop-shop’ for advice and guidance, financial assistance and other supports for anyone, including people with disabilities, intending to start or grow a business. In that regard, the LEOs provide a ‘signposting’ service in relation to all relevant State supports available through agencies such as the Department of...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (23 Feb 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, but this objective must be balanced by the need to ensure that there are no suitably qualified Irish/EEA nationals available to undertake the work and that the shortage is a genuine one. The...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Enterprise Support Services (23 Feb 2023)

Neale Richmond: My Department through Enterprise Ireland, is actively engaged in building the capacity in the indigenous sector for supply chain opportunities in the green energy and renewables sectors. With the support of my Department, Enterprise Ireland’s new Sustainability Department is examining the key emerging areas of opportunity in these sectors and how best to develop Ireland’s...