Results 161-180 of 11,114 for speaker:Damien English

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Job Creation (13 Dec 2022)

Damien English: I was involved in setting up the growth centres. Athlone was a regional one, Sligo was another. We know our cities, Galway, Limerick, Waterford, Dublin and Cork are already thriving. In the growth centres of Athlone, Dundalk, Drogheda and Sligo, we try to target the infrastructure in order that those areas are ready to create jobs and can win jobs. We have seen the success of that in...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Job Creation (13 Dec 2022)

Damien English: I recently met many residents and business owners in Ballinasloe with some of the Deputy's colleagues and with Senator Dolan to do just that, namely, to focus on what we can do for that particular town. IDA Ireland owns other land in Ballinasloe and surrounding areas that is being marketed with some success over the years. In regard to that 50-acre site, I am quite interested in it. We...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Pensions Reform (13 Dec 2022)

Damien English: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue, which I have discussed on a few occasions with his colleague, Deputy Bríd Smith. As Deputy Paul Murphy is aware, we have difficulties with the Bill. We put that on the record on the first night in the convention centre when we discussed it. During the Second Stage debate on the Industrial Relations (Provisions in Respect of Pension...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Pensions Reform (13 Dec 2022)

Damien English: Perhaps the Deputy did not listen to my answer-----

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Pensions Reform (13 Dec 2022)

Damien English: -----or maybe it was the case that he came in with preprepared ideas in the context of what he was going to say. I very clearly said that following on from the commitment given to his colleague on the floor of the convention centre, we would explore the issue to see if we could help. We fundamentally disagree with the Bill because it would change the relationship of industrial relations...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Pensions Reform (13 Dec 2022)

Damien English: Just in case there is any doubt, it is Deputy Paul Murphy's legislation: I am not stopping him bringing it back through the committee and following the usual channels.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Pensions Reform (13 Dec 2022)

Damien English: Nobody is blocking the Deputy from doing so. He is totally free to argue his case and bring the Bill through the system. What the Government is stating is that it does not agree with the Bill. We think it is a flawed Bill that will not solve the problem the Deputy wants to solve. It will also complicate the industrial relations machinery we have that operates extremely well because it...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Job Creation (13 Dec 2022)

Damien English: There are a couple of questions in this space, so the answers are pretty similar. I know the Deputy has already had a discussion with the Minister of State, Deputy Calleary, but I will try to add to that. Delivering balanced regional growth and job creation is a core objective of this Government and the Deputy is aware that it is something we are committed to. We want to try to help as...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Visa Applications (13 Dec 2022)

Damien English: To answer the question in reverse, my understanding is that the answer is "Yes". While every case is slightly different, generally once somebody is legally permitted to be in this State, they can apply for a work permit. I can deal with the Deputy on specific cases. Regarding home care assistants, thankfully, we have made some progress on this. The Minister of State at the Department...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Visa Applications (13 Dec 2022)

Damien English: The aim is that within the next six months the working group involving both Departments will bring forward some suggestions about how we can align our systems. We will set out a plan for establishing a single application procedure to cover employment permits and entry visas. It is about how we can align our systems. We managed to fast track and fix the delays in our Department by...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Enterprise Policy (13 Dec 2022)

Damien English: We have discussed some of the issues the Deputy has raised previously. We certainly discussed them at the SME task force that the Tánaiste set up over two years ago to focus and see if we need another agency or if we can reach the companies we want to reach through our existing structures. Our best estimate is that it is best to use the structures we have that have worked extremely...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Enterprise Policy (13 Dec 2022)

Damien English: It is important that we use the centre-of-excellence approach, which shares the data across the various LEOs and is able to compare them. There is that advice and guidance through the LEOs as well. Having visited all the LEOs, I saw the great work they are doing at first hand. While each LEO administers the national schemes and the schemes we have all agreed, they have their own version of...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Visa Applications (13 Dec 2022)

Damien English: I thank the Deputy for raising this question. This is an important area and one the Department has concentrated on a great deal in recent years. We have made efforts to put in place the right team to manage the permits that have been applied for through the Department. Much has already been done to improve the employment permit system. My Department is already focused on improving the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Enterprise Policy (13 Dec 2022)

Damien English: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue again. I will go back over the information we have. Following the dissolution of the county enterprise boards in 2014, an enhanced national assistance enterprise model was established to be delivered by local authorities on behalf of Enterprise Ireland through the local enterprise offices, LEOs. This structure has allowed the LEOs to effectively...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Wage-setting Mechanisms (13 Dec 2022)

Damien English: In 2021 the Labour Court prepared a proposal for a Sectoral Employment Order for the employees and apprentices in the electrical contracting sector. Sectoral Employment Orders (SEOs) are legally binding orders and require employers in the specific sector to provide staff with minimum rates of pay and pension contributions. SEOs can be established following a request from a trade union or an...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Regional Development (13 Dec 2022)

Damien English: Delivering balanced regional growth and sustainable local job creation is a core objective of this Government and is a key component in the recently published White Paper on Enterprise. The White Paper emphasises the role my department and agencies continue to play in achieving this objective through direct assistance to businesses as well as promotion and enhancement of the regional...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (13 Dec 2022)

Damien English: Ireland’s employment permits system is managed through the operation of the Critical Skills and Ineligible Occupations Lists which determine roles that are either in critical short supply or are ineligible for an employment permit. These lists undergo periodic evidence-based review guided by relevant research, a public/stakeholder consultation and the views of the Economic Migration...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Data (13 Dec 2022)

Damien English: Enterprise Ireland surveys its portfolio of clients annually to collect employment data, this survey occurs over October/November each year. It is not possible to give employment gains from a specific date, in this instance March 2020, however it is possible to give employment gains from the year ended 2020 to the year ended 2021 and this data is supplied as follows: Job...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: National Standards Authority of Ireland (13 Dec 2022)

Damien English: The National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) is an independent agency, under the aegis of my Department. As part of its remit, NSAI carries out a range of operational functions, some of which are in areas which fall within the lead policy responsibility of other Departments. In this context, NSAI carries out activities in relation to construction products, which is an area within...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Employment Rights (13 Dec 2022)

Damien English: Ireland has a robust suite of legislation to protect and support workers facing redundancies. The Cahill-Duffy report was in response to particular terms of reference which were quite narrow and specific and do not address the generality of redundancies that arise in insolvency situations. Following constructive engagement with the Social Partners, the Department published a Plan of...