Results 121-140 of 6,063 for speaker:Alan Dillon

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Small and Medium Enterprises (18 Sep 2025)

Alan Dillon: There is a wide range of significant supports provided by Enterprise Ireland (EI) and the Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) to assist small and medium-sized businesses in all sectors. Many of the available supports are specifically targeted at those engaging in international trade. The LEOs play an extremely important role at local level, as part of a supportive ecosystem, providing their...

Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction: Motion (17 Sep 2025)

Alan Dillon: I move: That Dáil Éireann, pursuant to Article 29.5.2 of Bunreacht na hÉireann, approves the terms of the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (known as the 'BBNJ Agreement'), adopted at the United Nations in New York on 19th June, 2023...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Recycling Policy (17 Sep 2025)

Alan Dillon: The Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) was introduced in February 2024 to encourage more people to recycle plastic bottles and cans and to deliver on ambitious EU targets for the recycling of those products. Participation in DRS in its first year has been very positive. Re-turn was set up by beverage producers to meet their obligations under the DRS Regulations and is a not-for-profit company,...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Environmental Policy (17 Sep 2025)

Alan Dillon: Nitrous oxide has various legitimate uses, medical, non-medical and industrial, and because of its legitimate uses it is not controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Acts or under the International Drug Conventions. However, under section 3 of the Criminal Justice (Psychoactive Substances) Act 2010, it is an offence to sell, import or export a psychoactive substance for human consumption,...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Recycling Policy (17 Sep 2025)

Alan Dillon: Provisions relating to review of the operation and scope of the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) are set down in the Separate Collection (Deposit Return Scheme) Regulations (S.I. No. 33 of 2024). Specifically, Regulation 7 provides for a review of Re-turn's approval by the end of the second quarter of the third year after the grant of approval and by the end of the second quarter of each third...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Environmental Policy (17 Sep 2025)

Alan Dillon: Major retailers, including supermarkets, are required by EU law to join an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme for packaging. In Ireland, Repak operates the sole EPR approved under packaging legislation. The EPR model provides that members pay fees in accordance with the volume and type of packaging they place on the Irish market. These fees are eco-modulated, meaning packaging...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Illegal Dumping (17 Sep 2025)

Alan Dillon: Under the Waste Management Act, the primary responsibility for management and enforcement responses to illegal dumping lies with the local authorities. It is a matter for each local authority to determine the most appropriate awareness, enforcement, clean-up and disposal actions in relation to illegal dumping in their functional area, taking account of local circumstances and priorities. ...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Official Engagements (17 Sep 2025)

Alan Dillon: As Minister of State with special responsibility for the Circular Economy at the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment, I have pursued active engagement with a broad range of stakeholders across my portfolio since taking office. On 26 March 2025, I met with the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Re-turn, the company which holds an approval under the Deposit Return Scheme...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social Enterprise Sector (17 Sep 2025)

Alan Dillon: Product re-use and repair are building blocks of a circular economy. We need to ensure that re-use and repair skills are built within the population and that opportunities exist to develop skills and employment. It is also important that barriers to re-use and repair are removed and that re-use and repair becomes standard practice in priority areas. The Circular Economy Innovation Grant...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Illegal Dumping (17 Sep 2025)

Alan Dillon: I propose to take Questions Nos. 158, 159 and 160 together. Where the European Commission has reason to believe that a Member State has failed to adhere to a European Directive or Regulation, for example the Waste Framework Directive, or has failed to fully transpose such European legislation into national legislation, the Commission may instigate infringement procedures against that...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Enterprise Policy (17 Sep 2025)

Alan Dillon: My colleague, Minister Burke, launched the National Enterprise Hub (NEH) last July. The NEH was designed as an entry point to aid business owners find relevant supports and help for their business. The NEH platform has expanded considerably and now offers information and support on over 250 government supports from 32 different Government bodies, including InterTradeIreland. The NEH...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Budget 2026 (17 Sep 2025)

Alan Dillon: Your question specifically relates to Budget 2026 which will be announced by the Ministers for Finance and Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation on 7th October. Enterprise Ireland and the Local Enterprise Offices play a central role in supporting the growth and internationalisation of Irish SMEs across all sectors, including fashion and design....

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Budget 2026 (17 Sep 2025)

Alan Dillon: The Government recently published the Action Plan and Market Diversification which has a series of initiatives designed to deepen and expand existing market relationships where possible, identify and cultivate new market opportunities, deepen agency support for companies seeking to diversify their export markets and promote and protect market access for Irish goods. Planning by Departments...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Budget 2026 (17 Sep 2025)

Alan Dillon: The Government recently published the Action Plan and Market Diversification which has a series of initiatives designed to deepen and expand existing market relationships where possible, identify and cultivate new market opportunities, deepen agency support for companies seeking to diversify their export markets and promote and protect market access for Irish goods. Planning by Departments...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Legislative Measures (17 Sep 2025)

Alan Dillon: The Employment (Contractual Retirement Ages) Bill 2025 was published on 1 April 2025. The Bill will deliver a new employment right by providing that, in general, an employer may not enforce a contractual retirement age which is below the State Pension Age (age 66) if the employee does not consent to retire. The Bill completed Committee Stage on 2 July 2025. The timeline for the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Legislative Measures (17 Sep 2025)

Alan Dillon: The Employment (Contractual Retirement Ages) Bill 2025 was published on 1 April 2025. The Bill will deliver a new employment right by providing that, in general, an employer may not enforce a contractual retirement age which is below the State Pension Age (age 66) if the employee does not consent to retire. The Bill completed Committee Stage on 2 July 2025. The timeline for the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (17 Sep 2025)

Alan Dillon: Ireland operates a managed employment permits system, maximising the benefits of economic migration and minimising the risk of disrupting Ireland’s labour market. The regime is designed to facilitate the entry of appropriately skilled non-EEA nationals to fill skills or labour shortages in the State in the short to medium term. This objective must be balanced by the need to ensure that...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (17 Sep 2025)

Alan Dillon: The General Employment Permit application in question was refused on the basis that the requirements in relation to the Labour Market Needs Test were not fully met. Specifically, the job advertisement was not placed with the Department of Social Protection/EURES for the required duration of 28 days within the 90-day period preceding the application. This is a mandatory requirement under...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Policies (17 Sep 2025)

Alan Dillon: The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment’s chief contribution towards addressing our construction sector skills needs is through the facilitation of international recruitment of non-EEA construction workers through the employment permits system. The Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration in turn have discretion with regard to the grant of visa permissions to enter...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: State Bodies (17 Sep 2025)

Alan Dillon: The Health and Safety Authority delivers on a broad remit of work across a wide mandate which includes occupational safety and health, chemical safety, market surveillance and national accreditation. Budget Allocation for the Health and Safety Authority 2023 -2025 Year Allocation 2023 €28,909,000 2024 ...