Results 1,241-1,260 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Disability Services (23 Feb 2023)

Simon Coveney: I think there is a lot of agreement on this issue. We need to do more to help people with a disability into the workforce. There are some super projects around the country that are quite groundbreaking in this space and that we need to replicate in other parts of the country. I think the question here, however, is about people with a disability as consumers being able to access services...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Enterprise Support Services (23 Feb 2023)

Simon Coveney: Certainly, on the renewable energy sector, we are, first and foremost, trying to decarbonise our own grid but we recognise the potential for renewable energy generation in Ireland goes way beyond our domestic needs. I see energy in a similar way to dairy product. We produce a lot of dairy product, 85% of which is exported. By 2050, we will be in the same space from an energy perspective....

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Disability Services (23 Feb 2023)

Simon Coveney: The trading online voucher scheme, available through local enterprise offices, is designed to encourage microenterprises with little or no online presence to trade more online, boost sales and reach new markets. The scheme allows expenditure for IT consultation, development or upgrade of e-commerce websites, implementing online payments or booking systems, purchase of Internet-related...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Disability Services (23 Feb 2023)

Simon Coveney: As I said, I have some sympathy for this argument. We will look at it. I would like to understand why this has not happened to date. We do not have to be confined by a European regulation. We can go beyond that if we want. We need to make sure, in a practical sense, that it is implementable for the companies that are trying to go online and put in place services or products on a digital...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Enterprise Support Services (23 Feb 2023)

Simon Coveney: To be honest, I would like to have a more detailed conversation with the Deputy on this matter because I am not quite sure what he is getting at. The response I have before me deals with import substitution more generally, which is predominantly not allowed under World Trade Organization, WTO, rules and so on. I will go through the written response and then we can try to get at what the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Enterprise Support Services (23 Feb 2023)

Simon Coveney: We are addressing it, although perhaps not in the formal sense for which the Deputy is asking. Grain, for example, is one of the very few agricultural products of which we import substantial values in terms of feed grain and so on. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has examined specifically supporting Irish farmers to grow more grain in response to that exposure resulting...

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

Simon Coveney: I know the site well. I drive past it regularly. It has extraordinary potential. It is known locally as the Amgen site because there was an expectation that there would be a significant development there quite some time ago now. However, the site still has significant potential. The availability of quality business parks and strategic sites, coupled with advance building solutions, is a...

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

Simon Coveney: I would not like to give the impression that this part of east Cork is not getting attention from the IDA. Last May, Merck announced an investment of approximately €440 million to increase membrane manufacturing capacity at its site in Carrigtwohill. This investment included an extra 370 jobs. Last July, Stryker officially opened a new high-tech facility with the creation of 600...

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

Simon Coveney: I will see if I can get that number for the Deputy. I am not sure if I am supposed to give out information on the areas in respect of which the IDA has received inquiries, the number of inquiries and the number of visits, but I will give the Deputy any information on the issue that I can. I will correspond with him in that regard. He and I discuss the site constantly. We must try to find...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Work Permits (23 Feb 2023)

Simon Coveney: I thank the Deputy. The number of employment permit applications submitted to my Department increased significantly from 18,977 in 2019 to 16,449 in 2020, then to 27,719 in 2021 and to just over 35,606 last year, which resulted in a backlog in applications. The Department developed an action plan to reduce this backlog and the employment permit processing timelines. Following the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Work Permits (23 Feb 2023)

Simon Coveney: As I outlined, the Department has done an extraordinary job in effectively changing, modernising and improving the efficiency of the work permit system. I pay tribute to my predecessor and the Minister of State, Deputy Calleary, who is also involved in that discussion. This time last year, this was a huge issue for many businesses. It is no longer an issue from a delay perspective....

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Work Permits (23 Feb 2023)

Simon Coveney: Yes is the straight answer but I will come back to Deputy Stanton on the detail of that. My understanding was that we had made progress in facilitating spouses whose partners have a work permit to come and work here. I will come back to the Deputy with the detail of that because certainly the intention is to make some progress in that area. With regard to the Medical Council of Ireland,...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Energy Infrastructure (23 Feb 2023)

Simon Coveney: I reassure the Deputy that we are not missing this. The White Paper states the scale of our offshore wind potential, when coupled with hydrogen production, offers a once-in-a-century industrial development opportunity, as well as high-value export capability. My Department, being responsible for enterprise, trade and employment, needs to be central to the planning in this regard. We are...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Enterprise Policy (23 Feb 2023)

Simon Coveney: The White Paper sets out the Government's approach to enterprise policy for the period to 2030. It includes 15 targets that detail the Government's ambitions for employment and across the seven identified priority enterprise policy objectives. These objectives are integrating decarbonisation and net-zero commitments; placing digital transformation at the heart of enterprise policy;...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Enterprise Policy (23 Feb 2023)

Simon Coveney: Those are very broad questions. I am just trying to think of how I can give the Deputy an answer in a minute. I assure her the islands will not be forgotten in an enterprise strategy. I also assure her that small family-run businesses across County Galway and Galway city are very much part of our enterprise strategy. They, too, need to be part of a transition to a decarbonised economy and...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Enterprise Policy (23 Feb 2023)

Simon Coveney: On regional development, the IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland numbers from last year indicate that the majority of jobs created were actually created outside Dublin. Virtually every county in the country has seen an increase in employment and in population. There may be one or two exceptions, but that is all. There is a reason the regional meetings to engage with businesses are starting...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Energy Infrastructure (23 Feb 2023)

Simon Coveney: First, I would like to say that I look forward to working with all Members of the House in this new brief and with the two other Ministers in the Department. As we have heard, the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, is taking over the Department in terms of responding to questions this morning. I am glad Deputy Naughten asked this question. My Department together with Enterprise Ireland...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Energy Infrastructure (23 Feb 2023)

Simon Coveney: Many people are only beginning to realise the scale of what is being proposed here. We have projects comprising about 28 GW of energy at various stages of proposals, planning and funding. In capital terms, that is €80 billion worth of expenditure. If we can realise that kind of potential offshore, which of course is many multiples of what Ireland's energy grid actually uses, the...

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

Simon Coveney: Deputy Calleary has been around here before.

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

Simon Coveney: Ireland has always been a strong supporter of robust State Aid control as this provides for a level playing field among member states and is the most suitable approach for small open economies like ours. It is important to note that the figure of 77% of €672 million EU-approved programmes refers to approved budgets, and not what has been spent. Experience of the COVID-19 Temporary...