Results 1,361-1,380 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

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

Simon Coveney: The Local Enterprise Offices' Trading Online Voucher Scheme offers up to €2,500 (with 50% co-funding by the applicant) to help micro businesses (those with less than 10 employees) develop their online trading capability. It includes training sessions that cover various topics, including developing a website, digital marketing, social media for business and search engine optimisation....

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

Simon Coveney: There have been no funds assigned to Microfinance Ireland for a 2023 Supplementary Estimate. The Microenterprise Loan Fund, operated by Microfinance Ireland(MFI) assists businesses with fewer than ten employees. It provides much-needed funding to help microenterprises meet payments for stock, working capital requirements and other overhead expenses through the provision of low-cost lending...

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

Simon Coveney: Under the National Digital Strategy, Harnessing Digital – The Digital Ireland Framework, Government has committed to driving a step change in the digitalisation of enterprise right across Ireland. Growing the use of digital technologies by businesses will help us to build the resilience of our enterprise base, particularly as we look to future-proof our economy for the years ahead....

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Cross-Border Co-operation (22 Feb 2023)

Simon Coveney: The INTERREG VA Programme is one of 60 cross-border programmes operating across the EU which are designed to overcome issues that arise due to the existence of a border. Theprogramme area includes the six border counties of Ireland, Northern Ireland and part of Western Scotland. INTERREG VA focusses on four areas that are seen as crucial for job creation and growth: supporting cross-border...

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

Simon Coveney: Skills for Better Business comprises an Online Tool for management skills assessment, complemented by a sign-posting resource providing easy to access contact information for management education and training. The initiative was launched by my Department on 30 November 2022. No supplementary funding has been sought for this initiative in 2023. I am satisfied that there is sufficient...

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

Simon Coveney: The Halo Business Angels Network is a joint initiative of Enterprise Ireland, InterTradeIreland (ITI) and Invest NI and is operated by ITI. It helps companies raise new equity capital in the early stages of their development. It also represents an alternative source of investment to venture capital funding. The term 'Business Angels' refers to high net worth individuals who invest on...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (22 Feb 2023)

Simon Coveney: To be fair, the task force is trying to do that and all of the key Departments are involved. Obviously that is the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, which has responsibility for housing and planning, the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, which has responsibility for climate and energy, my Department and other Departments in terms of funding and so...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (22 Feb 2023)

Simon Coveney: The Deputy has asked a very good question. A lot of this is through SEAI-funded schemes, grants and supports at the moment. Some of it is through Enterprise Ireland working with its client companies, particularly in terms of the high-energy use manufacturing companies with which it works. Let us consider the SEAI schemes. There is a community energy grant scheme, which is €68...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (22 Feb 2023)

Simon Coveney: It is not an easy thing to resolve, by the way, because the billing systems and so on are much less structured and formalised for an oil tank. We are looking to see what is possible there.

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Business Supports (21 Feb 2023)

Simon Coveney: The Ukraine Credit Guarantee Scheme (UCGS) is now available to businesses through Bank of Ireland (BOI). The Scheme will see up to €1.2 billion in lending to assist the liquidity needs of SMEs, farmers, fishers and small mid-caps. Increased energy costs are driving increased costs in every area of business operations. Viable businesses need access to cashflow funding to ensure they can...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Irish Sign Language (21 Feb 2023)

Simon Coveney: My Department is fully committed to making services accessible to all, including ensuring that customers who wish to conduct their business using Irish Sign Language can do so. In this regard, the National Sign Language Interpreting Service for Ireland provides customers free access to an interpreter using a live video-link. My Department is committed to monitoring the level of demand for...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Advertising (21 Feb 2023)

Simon Coveney: Details of costs incurred by my Department on advertising and promotion in 2022 and in January 2023 are set out below. This includes expenditure on a number of awareness raising campaigns around Remote Working, the National Minimum Wage and the Small Companies Administrative Rescue Process (SCARP). Year Spend on Advertising and Promotion 2022 ...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Staff (21 Feb 2023)

Simon Coveney: My Department’s Communications Unit is led by a Head of Communications at Principal Officer level. There are five press office staff, including one vacancy, five staff working on campaigns and digital communications, and four staff who work on internal communications. A breakdown by grade, number in the grade, the start and end points of the appropriate pay-scales at October 2022,...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Ukraine War (21 Feb 2023)

Simon Coveney: Ireland remains fully committed to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders. The EU is united in condemning in the strongest possible terms Russia’s illegal, unprovoked and unjustified aggression against Ukraine. Ireland has consistently supported imposing stronger sanctions on Russia, maintaining a maximalist position since the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Legal Cases (21 Feb 2023)

Simon Coveney: According to records held by the Human Resources Unit in my Department, the information requested by the Deputy in relation to discrimination cases taken and won by staff of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment is listed below in tabular form. Year Number of discrimination cases taken and won 2023 0 2022 0 ...

Co-ordination of International Protection Services: Statements (16 Feb 2023)

Simon Coveney: I welcome the opportunity to speak on this issue. I want to give Deputies some reassurance. The Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Deputy O'Gorman, and his Department, have done an heroic job over the past 12 months. It has not been easy. They have been put under enormous pressure. Nobody anticipated what has unfolded over the past 12 months. We have...

Co-ordination of International Protection Services: Statements (16 Feb 2023)

Simon Coveney: That is not true.

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Trade Relations (15 Feb 2023)

Simon Coveney: The Inflation Reduction Act includes a tax incentive encouraging US consumers to buy electric vehicles that are produced in the US and meet “local-content” requirements and a range of subsidies to encourage the adoption of clean and green technology. The Act provides for $369bn of subsidies in the area of Electric Vehicles, batteries, hydrogen production and renewable energy. ...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: National Standards Authority of Ireland (15 Feb 2023)

Simon Coveney: In relation to I.S. 465 and the membership of the relevant National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) committees, I am providing tables containing details as requested for 2013 and 2017. I am advised by NSAI that there are two parts to I.S. 398: Part 1 relates to reactive pyrite in sub-floor hardcore material - part 1: Testing and categorization protocol. There are two editions of part...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Low Pay (15 Feb 2023)

Simon Coveney: I am familiar with the Low Pay Commission’s report on piloting a Universal Basic Income, and its accompanying research report, authored by ESRI under the terms of the Low Pay Commission / ESRI Research Partnership Agreement, titled ‘A universal basic income for Ireland: Lessons from the international literature’, both submitted by the Low Pay Commission during 2022. ...