Results 141-160 of 7,954 for speaker:Peter Burke

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Business Supports (25 Feb 2025)

Peter Burke: In total, the Increased Cost of Business (ICOB) and Power Up grant schemes paid out over €400 million in 2024. In order to get payments to businesses before the end of 2024, the Power Up grant was aligned with the ICOB scheme and a business must have received the second ICOB grant and be in the hospitality, retail and beauty sectors in order to receive the Power Up grant. My...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Equality Issues (25 Feb 2025)

Peter Burke: The strategic direction of any business, including the company the Deputy is referring to, is ultimately a matter for the company itself. Businesses must continuously adapt to global market conditions, technological advancements, and shareholder expectations. However, how a company chooses to conduct its business can have a significant impact on its brand, reputation, and relationships with...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Business Supports (20 Feb 2025)

Peter Burke: I thank the Deputy. I propose to take Questions Nos. 15 , 19 and 20 together. In total, the increased cost of business and power up grant schemes paid out a very significant sum, totalling more than €400 million, to support SMEs throughout the country. This total of €400 million included €154 million in the first phase of ICOB, €90 million in the second phase...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Business Supports (20 Feb 2025)

Peter Burke: It is obviously critical that businesses get the support that they need and qualify for. We are working with the Department of public expenditure and reform on rectifying the issue relating to the misclassification. It is critical to demonstrate how much this Government is supporting our SME sector. The forthcoming programme for Government outlines changes we will be implementing in VAT...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Business Supports (20 Feb 2025)

Peter Burke: We are working on the reclassification issue.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Enterprise Support Services (20 Feb 2025)

Peter Burke: I would be happy to. We see four growth areas at this time. First is digital. We are trying, in line with the White Paper on enterprise, to get to 90% digital intensity by 2030. In healthcare, cell and gene therapy is a huge growth area, as well as other healthcare mechanisms. We hope to bring AI into that sphere, which will be key. In sustainability, we have had about 93 investments...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Enterprise Policy (20 Feb 2025)

Peter Burke: I thank the Deputy for his warm remarks and his important question on Cork County Council. The ongoing replenishment of stock is essential to ensuring the portfolio remains fit-for-purpose and meets the evolving needs of the FDI, Enterprise Ireland and LEO client base. A ready supply of appropriately zoned land for development is required for IDA to fulfil its remit and continued success in...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Enterprise Policy (20 Feb 2025)

Peter Burke: The Deputy raises a valid point and that is why we are launching in the coming weeks Enterprise Ireland's new strategy for the next five years. We need a stronger relationship with Enterprise Ireland and the IDA to make sites available to smaller indigenous enterprises which have grown significantly in recent years. I have raised this with the Department and my fellow Ministers. It is an...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Enterprise Policy (20 Feb 2025)

Peter Burke: I would be happy to facilitate a meeting with Deputy Moynihan and to work on the land banks that need to be made available through Údarás na Gaeltachta or Enterprise Ireland for smaller agencies. It is something we need to improve upon. I would be happy to work with the Deputy in that regard. I do not have specific figures on the work carried out with Údarás but I will...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Human Rights (20 Feb 2025)

Peter Burke: I thank Deputy Connolly for her intervention. A lot of the new EU instruments that are coming into context, and which this plan will have to respond to, are very technical in nature and we are trying to work these and bring them into the action plan. A significant number of the actions contained in this plan are under the purview of other Departments so obviously we are trying to work and...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Human Rights (20 Feb 2025)

Peter Burke: It is this Government that brought forward the idea in the programme for Government to deliver on this because we take our human rights obligations very seriously. One can see that from all our actions in multilateral forums, particularly the UN. I met Volker Türk, the head of UN human rights, on many occasions in my last brief. We take very seriously our obligations. With regard...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Human Rights (20 Feb 2025)

Peter Burke: I will endeavour to come back to the Deputy with a timeline as soon as I can get a clear line of sight across government as to when we can deliver it. I do not want to come forward with a plan that I cannot deliver, or which does not have actionable points or delivery dates on it. That is the most important point that I want to have as a stamp of my Ministry.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Enterprise Support Services (20 Feb 2025)

Peter Burke: I thank Deputy Scanlon for his kind wishes on behalf of myself and my Ministers of State, Deputies Smyth and Dillon. The number of jobs in Enterprise Ireland-supported companies in County Leitrim has increased by 67% since 2020, with 978 people now employed in the county by these companies. In 2024 there were 110 new jobs created in the county by Enterprise Ireland-supported clients,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Enterprise Support Services (20 Feb 2025)

Peter Burke: I thank the Deputy for his question and for his advocacy on behalf of his constituency. Enterprise Ireland has established the advanced manufacturing unit in Sligo, which is very important. It is an innovation that is a key support to industry working in partnership. It is a huge advantage in terms of doing things that in many instances industry cannot. On Enterprise Ireland and its...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Human Rights (20 Feb 2025)

Peter Burke: I thank Deputy Connolly for her question. The Department of Foreign Affairs and my Department established a dedicated business and human rights stakeholder forum with the participation of individuals with relevant expertise and responsibilities from key organisations across business, civil society, trade unions and academia to assist with the development of a second national action plan on...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Employment Rights (20 Feb 2025)

Peter Burke: We have a huge demand for workers in those categories. That can be seen from how much the landscape has changed across our capital city and other regions throughout the country. That is why the IDA has specifically called out digitalisation and AI as one of the key growth drivers for its new five-year strategy, hoping to bring in €7 billion of research and development investment,...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Employment Rights (20 Feb 2025)

Peter Burke: While the technology sector, which includes software, has undergone a period of sustained growth for the past 20 years, recently it has seen some significant contraction. Where IDA Ireland's multinational clients in this sector have announced global job reductions, the reductions have typically been less than 10% of their total global workforce. Furthermore, in most cases, the job...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Employment Rights (20 Feb 2025)

Peter Burke: While we have seen a recalibration in the tech sector post Covid, it is still very strong. We have a very rich vein of talent. We have and are host to eight of the ten global leading tech companies in this State at this time. We provide so much talent and skills, with 8% ICT graduates in our economy. That is double the EU average. We are double per capitain STEM graduates, which...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Weather Events (20 Feb 2025)

Peter Burke: I wish Deputy Conway-Walsh the very best of luck in her role as spokesperson. I look forward to working with her. I had a very good relationship with her predecessor, Deputy O'Reilly. The Ministers of State, Deputies Smyth and Dillon, and I look forward to delivering the programme for Government in the years ahead. I am acutely aware of the significant challenges the impacts of Storm...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Weather Events (20 Feb 2025)

Peter Burke: I thank the Deputy for her response. The Minister for Agriculture, Food and Marine has announced a scheme for investment in the horticulture sector, which has been very significantly impacted. I was very quick to contact the insurance federation to get assurances that businesses affected would be covered regarding their standard practice. While I cannot go into the detail of individual...