Results 161-180 of 3,591 for in 'Dáil debates' speaker:Damien English

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Work Permits (10 Feb 2022)

Damien English: I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. I will give her the short answer first because I know that is what she wants. It is to be hoped we will be able to reopen that process within the next couple of weeks. That is the aim. That then takes a couple of months and decisions will probably be made around April or May at the latest. In a few weeks we will open the consultation and see...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Work Permits (10 Feb 2022)

Damien English: Yes. There are two lists. There is a non-essential list as well. The critical list is for one category and the other category is the one the Deputy is after and that it would be opened up to permits. We changed that for health care assistants last year.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Work Permits (10 Feb 2022)

Damien English: It is a good question. I do not know. I have not sat around the table. It is officials from all the various Departments who are on it. I imagine there is quite a strong gender balance because the majority of officials I come across demonstrate to me a gender balance. However, I will certainly check it out for the Deputy. To be very clear, the evidence gathered around this, which is in...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Enterprise Support Services (10 Feb 2022)

Damien English: The Minister, the Minister of State, Deputy Troy, and myself hope to launch regional enterprise plans during February. Part of that will be funding a range of actions in different counties along the concept outlined by the Deputy. I think we are launching one in Cavan. That gives an opportunity through the funding set out, which is quite substantial, over the next four or five years to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Enterprise Support Services (10 Feb 2022)

Damien English: I thank the Deputy for his question and for his support for enterprise centres and the general principle of investing in and strengthening them. I spent a day recently in counties Cavan and Monaghan and saw the benefits of investing in enterprise centres and enterprise teams in those counties and indeed, throughout the country. I acknowledge the work that is being carried out locally...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Enterprise Support Services (10 Feb 2022)

Damien English: I note the point the Deputy raised. I recall reviewing that site and agree that there is great potential there to create jobs. The Departments of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and Rural and Community Development are very keen to develop working spaces, sites, office space and factory space for those who want to create jobs. We are determined to have a jobs-led recovery as we come out of...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Minimum Wage (10 Feb 2022)

Damien English: The Government is finalising a package of measures to respond to the inflationary measures which are putting significant pressure on families and individuals, and have been doing so over the past couple of months. They build on the changes announced in the budget, where there was a tax package and there was a social welfare package. There was a minimum wage increase recommendation accepted,...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Minimum Wage (10 Feb 2022)

Damien English: We must be careful in relation to taxes and jobs as well. Much of the time, the changes Deputy Barry puts forward in relation to the tax system are in our view anti-jobs and anticompetitive. That will not help us as we try to drive a recovery from Covid through a jobs-led recovery.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Minimum Wage (10 Feb 2022)

Damien English: I have nothing more to add bar that the Government is responding to this. I listened to Deputy Barry, yesterday and again today, with his call for action. I have listened to the Deputy in the past on other disputes and other issues as well. People who followed Deputy Barry's advice previously often got bad advice from him and were misinformed or brought down the wrong path. I would ask...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Minimum Wage (10 Feb 2022)

Damien English: I would ask anybody who wants to follow Deputy Barry's advice to look at his record over the past two years and the advice he doled out.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Minimum Wage (10 Feb 2022)

Damien English: I thank Deputy Barry for his question and for the motion we discussed and debated yesterday. We went through the various mechanisms we can use to achieve the results he is seeking. The Government is keenly aware, as we stressed during yesterday's debate, of the pressures people are feeling as the rate of inflation and the cost of living increase. Many costs have increased sharply in recent...

National Minimum Wage: Motion [Private Members] (9 Feb 2022)

Damien English: I thank People Before Profit-Solidarity for their motion and for this discussion. I recognise that the context in which we are having this discussion concerns the pressure that families and everybody are under at the moment to pay all of their bills due to inflation and increased costs. Some of those reasons are outside of our control as a Government but we are trying to respond with a...

Redundancy Payments (Amendment) Bill 2022: Referral to Select Committee (3 Feb 2022)

Damien English: I move: That the Bill be referred to the Select Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employment, pursuant to Standing Orders 95(3)(a) and 181(1).

Redundancy Payments (Amendment) Bill 2022: Second Stage (3 Feb 2022)

Damien English: I thank the Deputies for their contributions.

Redundancy Payments (Amendment) Bill 2022: Second Stage (3 Feb 2022)

Damien English: I thank the Members from various parties for their contributions and the issues they raised. This is a short Bill that tries to focus on one category of people who are missing out due to lay-offs during the Covid restrictions and the reckonable service on which they have missed out. I have discussed the matter in the House with various Deputies during the past two years. We said we would...

Redundancy Payments (Amendment) Bill 2022: Second Stage (3 Feb 2022)

Damien English: I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time". I am very pleased to introduce the Redundancy Payments (Amendment) Bill today. The Tánaiste was very anxious that we get the legislation in place. I thank all involved in the Labour Employer Economic Forum, LEEF, process who have been working on it for the last year and everyone who was involved in my Department and in the...

Report on Bogus Self-Employment: Motion (27 Jan 2022)

Damien English: I thank Deputies Naughten, Ó Cathasaigh and the members of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Social Protection, Community and Rural Development and the Islands for their work on this and for bringing forward this motion based on their report. I really appreciate the work they did in gathering material and information from the relevant stakeholders to produce this report. As was...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Road Projects (25 Jan 2022)

Damien English: I thank Deputy Cahill for raising this matter and firmly putting across the main concern he has for this year. Again, I will bring this back to the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan. I am at pains to indicate on his behalf that he is not personally involved with every decision on each project being brought forward. His main aim was to increase the budget allocation to the national development...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Road Projects (25 Jan 2022)

Damien English: I thank Deputy Cahill for raising this issue and giving me the opportunity to clarify and explain the situation on behalf of the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan. He sends his apologies that he could not be present tonight. First, I acknowledge the situation Deputy Cahill has represented with regard to landowners and families who want to progress their plans for building a house...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Environmental Schemes (19 Jan 2022)

Damien English: I again thank the Deputy for raising this matter. He has covered most of the issues that need to be addressed through the new schemes that are being brought forward. I have listened with interest to the points raised by the Deputy. I will make sure they are brought to the attention of the Minister and his team in the Department who are working on these matters. As I mentioned earlier,...