Results 1,221-1,240 of 4,708 for speaker:Neale Richmond

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...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Joint Labour Committees (23 Feb 2023)

Neale Richmond: It is not clear as to which Joint Labour Committee (JLC) the Deputy is referring to. There are currently 9 JLC’s in existence, three of which are active. It is my understanding that the English Language Schools JLC are currently seeking to formulate a proposal for an Employment Regulation Order to be submitted for my consideration. JLC’s are independent in their functions and...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic (23 Feb 2023)

Neale Richmond: As a public health infectious disease COVID-19 is a notifiable disease in Ireland since February 2020. It is notifiable to the Chief Medical Officer of the Department of Health and to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre like other public health infectious diseases. Under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations 2016 all employers and self-employed...

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

Neale Richmond: I propose to take Questions Nos. 113 and 135 together. I would like to assure the deputies that I welcome the report insofar as it raises issues that will start a dialogue around the review of some very important employment rights legislation. The Government is committed to supporting workers and has a strong record on strengthening and introducing new workers’ rights. These include...

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

Neale Richmond: The Government is acutely aware of the ongoing cost of living crisis and continues to monitor all cost of living schemes currently available to businesses and families. The Government was not found wanting during the COVID-19 pandemic and it will continue to support businesses now. As of Wednesday 15 February, 2023, the no of applications are 23,532. No of approvals 18,506 to the value of...

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

Neale Richmond: TBESS is a government grant designed to help businesses with increasing energy costs. The Scheme has been designed by Department of Finance and is being administered by the Revenue Commissioners. However, funding for the Scheme is allocated to the Vote of my Department who provides daily transfers at the request of the Revenue Commissioners. The Government has allocated €1.3bn for the...

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

Neale Richmond: The Department of Justice Review the Atypical Scheme for non-EEA Crew in the Irish Fishing Fleet included in its recommendations that a cross-departmental group be established comprising senior officials from relevant Government departments and agencies to oversee implementation of the transition of fishers in the Irish fleet from the Atypical Working Scheme to the Employment Permits system....

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

Neale Richmond: On 3 August 2022, I announced my 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 that High Court had granted an Injunction prohibiting the commencement of the...

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

Neale Richmond: The Programme for Government, ‘Our Shared Future’ commits to “review whether the legal provisions surrounding collective redundancies and the liquidation of companies effectively protect the rights of workers”. Following extensive engagement with the social partners, the ‘Plan of Action on Collective Redundancies following Insolvency’was published...

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

Neale Richmond: Flying and operating drones in Ireland is subject to European Union Regulation 2019/947. The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) currently supervises and implements this Regulation in Ireland. The Department of Transport is directly responsible for developing the national policy framework for drones, including supporting growth and innovation while managing safety, security, and privacy aspects....

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

Neale Richmond: On 3 August 2022, the former Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail signalled his 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, the Department of Enterprise, Trade and...

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

Neale Richmond: At the outset, I must emphasise that Ireland’s system of industrial relations is essentially voluntary in nature and that responsibility for the resolution of industrial disputes between employers and workers rests in the first instance with the employer, the workers and their representatives. I would encourage both sides to engage constructively with each other and to make every...

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

Neale Richmond: The regional business innovation centres (BICs) which are part-funded through Enterprise Ireland, provide tailored, high level supports to entrepreneurs to convert their innovative ideas into a commercial reality and are helping start-up enterprises to become investor ready. I understand that the Cork BIC services both the South and Mid-West regions including the Halo Business Angel Network...

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

Neale Richmond: My Department, through the enterprise development agencies, provides a range of tailored supports for enterprises of all sizes in Ireland and provided emergency funding during the COVID crisis and now the energy crisis. Supports include grants and softer supports such as access to finance, management development, mentoring supports, business development programmes, market supports and trade...

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

Neale Richmond: As of 20th February 2023, there are 928 Employment Permit applications in the processing queue. There are 218 awaiting information from the applicant and 6 are ready to issue. The current waiting time in respect of standard new employment permits is seven business days and for trusted partner applications the current waiting time is 4 business days. Following the implementation of an...

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 Policy (23 Feb 2023)

Neale Richmond: I propose to take Questions Nos. 160 and 163 together. Government has put in place a range of measures in Budget 2023 to assist companies in facing the ongoing effects of Covid, Brexit and the illegal war in Ukraine. Building on the recently published White Paper on Enterprise, my Department working with our agencies and stakeholders will continue to monitor potential threats and identify...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Business Supports (22 Feb 2023)

Neale Richmond: I sincerely thank Senator Byrne for raising this really important issue. It is particularly pertinent given the Senator's personal experience as a businesswoman in Limerick for many years as well as her parallel political career that is continuing to thrive. I think we can all agree in this House today that we all want to see SMEs succeed. SMEs are the backbone of our economy. Small...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Business Supports (22 Feb 2023)

Neale Richmond: In conclusion, my Department, the Minister, Deputy Coveney and myself are committed to supporting businesses of all sizes throughout Ireland, but we are acutely aware of the impacts on smaller businesses. As I have mentioned, we have done a lot of work in this regard and we have made much progress, but there is always room for more. Crucial to that is the ongoing level of engagement and...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Trade Agreements (22 Feb 2023)

Neale Richmond: Since the Ministerial Conference in June 2022, the WTO TRIPS Council held discussions on whether to extend the ‘Ministerial Decision on the TRIPS Agreement’ to cover the production and supply of COVID-19 diagnostics and therapeutics. However, no consensus could be reached by WTO Member States by the mandated deadline of the 17th December 2022. Acting on a request from Member...