Results 1,221-1,240 of 11,114 for speaker:Damien English

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Enterprise Support Services (2 Nov 2021)

Damien English: I think we can all agree that the final confirmation about the university is good news and will lead to opportunities for sustainable growth in the area. It will develop enterprise in the local area in combination with our education system. Delivering balanced regional recovery is identified as a priority within the Government's national economic recovery plan. As part of Enterprise...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Enterprise Support Services (2 Nov 2021)

Damien English: I am familiar with HaloCare and what it does. It complements what we are trying to do, which is to develop and fund businesses and organisations that can create jobs and, more importantly, can have an impact on society both within the country and beyond. The Government is committed to keeping people living in their homes for as long as they possibly can. We developed a scheme across a...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Enterprise Support Services (2 Nov 2021)

Damien English: I do not have a date for when it will be operational but I am glad it is nearly ready. The answer to that would be as soon as possible. As the Deputy knows, considerable work has gone into that over the years. Earlier, I outlined the work of Enterprise Ireland, which complements the work of IDA Ireland, the local enterprise offices, LEOs, the local authorities and other stakeholders in...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Small and Medium Enterprises (2 Nov 2021)

Damien English: The Deputy will appreciate that I do not have the details of every scheme across the different Departments with me, especially as I thought the question was coming from a Kilkenny Deputy. However, I have discussed the situation in Tipperary with the Deputy and I have been there as well to engage with all the stakeholders. I am aware of the opportunities as well as the difficulties for some...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Small and Medium Enterprises (2 Nov 2021)

Damien English: I assure the Deputy that we fully intend to see this out. As I said, a jobs-led recovery means supporting business all the way. The Deputy referred to the hospitality sector. It is a sector that valued the wage subsidy more than most. That remains in place until next April. On top of that, I ask the sector to look at and engage with Pathways to Work. There are additional supports in...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Small and Medium Enterprises (2 Nov 2021)

Damien English: A strong and resilient SME sector is key to rebuilding the economy after the Covid crisis. Provision made by the Government in budget 2022 aims to ensure small and medium-sized businesses are sustainable and competitive in the long term. Specifically, we want to equip enterprises for the transition to the green and digital economy. We also recognise that some businesses are in need of...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Enterprise Policy (2 Nov 2021)

Damien English: I presume and hope the Deputy has made a submission to the plan because she has expressed some very good ideas there. The regional plan is meant to reflect all of the local ideas and it is genuinely a bottom-up process. I do not chair this plan but I chair four other ones and the Tánaiste chairs the Dublin one. The Minister of State, Deputy Troy, also chairs four. In all cases - in...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Enterprise Policy (2 Nov 2021)

Damien English: I want to be completely clear with the Deputy that these plans are meant to be bottom-up. I have sat around the table when the very first versions of these plans were put in place and I can assure the Deputy that it was all local people who were around the table with me when we went through each and every idea. The Deputy and I discussed these during one of my first set of parliamentary...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Enterprise Policy (2 Nov 2021)

Damien English: I thank the Deputy for the question. Regional enterprise development and sustainable local job creation is a key policy priority of the Department and the Government. The Department is overseeing the development of nine new regional enterprise plans to 2024, including for the west region covering the county the Deputy represents. These are bottom-up plans developed by regional stakeholders...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Job Creation (2 Nov 2021)

Damien English: I thank the Deputy for the question. I am sorry that the exact information that the Deputy requested is not readily available just yet, but as soon as we have it, or updated figures for the last number of months, we will bring it to the Deputy. I can inform the Deputy about the jobs created within Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland's client base for 2020. The CSO also provides data from...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Job Creation (2 Nov 2021)

Damien English: Previously, I was going to reference the Enterprise Ireland fund of €115 million for regional enterprise strategies and plans. It is a good time for the Deputy to raise the issue, because we are about to sign off on the regional enterprise plan for his area. I have no doubt that he made a submission to that with some suggestions as to how we can create jobs and serve the peninsula...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Job Creation (2 Nov 2021)

Damien English: I can assure the Deputy that all our development agencies have that regional approach. The proof is in the pudding when one looks at the figures for Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland. Over 65% of jobs created by both agencies are created in the regions. Through the enterprise plan, the LEOs also very much focus on their own areas. The Deputy mentioned two issues in particular, that is,...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Workplace Relations Commission (2 Nov 2021)

Damien English: We can certainly examine that. The memorandum was signed several years ago by 11 Departments and Government agencies. The working time directive is generally administered by the Department covering the marine, not necessarily my Department. This is the difficulty with the scheme. That responsibility for the scheme extends across Departments and agencies is the difficultly with it. Best...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Workplace Relations Commission (2 Nov 2021)

Damien English: I agree with the Deputy that the vast majority of employers in this area are good and genuine and treat their workers extremely well. The investigations cover the cases where there might be some rogue employers. They are dealt with and followed up on. The WRC has the inspectors in place and the additional resources following budget 2022 to complement and increase its work in this area. ...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Workplace Relations Commission (2 Nov 2021)

Damien English: I thank the Deputy for the question. The WRC is one of a number of agencies that contribute to the enforcement of the atypical workers commission scheme for non-EEA fisheries workers employed in certain Irish-registered fishing vessels. The commission has a particular responsibility for checking compliance insofar as terms of employment, permission to work, payment of wages, annual leave,...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Enterprise Support Services (2 Nov 2021)

Damien English: The Design & Crafts Council Ireland (DCCI) promotes the commercial development of Irish designers and makers, stimulating innovation, championing design thinking, and informing Government policy. DCCI’s activities are funded by my Department through Enterprise Ireland. In 2022, my Department will provide an additional €1 million in funding, up to a total of...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Job Losses (2 Nov 2021)

Damien English: There is no single data set to quantify the number of redundancies in the State. Applications under the Redundancy Payments Scheme from the Social Insurance Fund (SIF) represent only a proportion of actual redundancies because situations whereby redundancies are paid directly by the employer from their own resources with no recourse to the SIF are not required to be advised to any...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Foreign Direct Investment (2 Nov 2021)

Damien English: IDA Ireland is not planning to establish an office in Israel. The IDA issued a request for tender for a part-time Israel based Business Development Consultant in April 2021. I am advised that IDA Ireland has identified a person for this role and the appointment process is likely to be concluded by year end. This person will represent IDA to support its efforts to win new investment....

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Legislative Measures (2 Nov 2021)

Damien English: On 27th October last, Government approved the drafting of a Bill that will prohibit the use of tips and gratuities to ‘make up’ contractual rates of pay and to require employers to clearly display their policy on how tips, gratuities and service charges are distributed. This will ensure that tips and gratuities are additional to a worker’s wage and are not subsumed by...