Results 201-220 of 11,049 for speaker:Damien English

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Permits Bill 2022: Committee Stage (30 Nov 2022)

Damien English: It is also healthcare assistants as well as doctors and nurses. There could be several thousand a year. During one year of Covid there were 4,500 medical-related permits. I want to put that information out there. The legislation before us will allow for the automatic indexation of wages. There are particular sectors that traditionally obtain permits. We look at them and if we see in...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Permits Bill 2022: Committee Stage (30 Nov 2022)

Damien English: At present a spouse or partner is entitled to apply for a general employment permit. The position is that our permits are generally job specific. The issue of family reunification was raised on Second Stage. We are speaking to the Department of Justice about this from an employment point of view. We can update the committee on it on Report Stage.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Permits Bill 2022: Committee Stage (30 Nov 2022)

Damien English: They generally apply for a general employment permit.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Permits Bill 2022: Committee Stage (30 Nov 2022)

Damien English: Deputy Stanton wants it to be the same as the critical skills permit.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Permits Bill 2022: Committee Stage (30 Nov 2022)

Damien English: I will take a look at this prior to Report Stage.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Permits Bill 2022: Committee Stage (30 Nov 2022)

Damien English: I will take a look at this issue for Report Stage. We will discuss later the ability to use regulations to adapt quickly to certain scenarios and change policy quickly through regulations. I will certainty take a look at this for Report Stage.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Permits Bill 2022: Committee Stage (30 Nov 2022)

Damien English: The amendment proposes to delete section 4, which will remove the legislative basis for the Minister to make regulations on operational matters to enable the smooth functioning of the permit system and the facility required by the 2018 review with regard to migration policy to ensure the system remains fit for purpose. This was an ask in the review of 2018. The Minister would no longer have...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Permits Bill 2022: Committee Stage (30 Nov 2022)

Damien English: The Deputy has made a fair point. I reaffirm that if such a scenario were to arise and the committee was unhappy with what was proposed in regulations, it would have the right to rescind them, as Deputies would when they came before the Dáil. That provision exists. The advice given when developing legislation is that regulations make the operation of schemes more flexible and, where...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Permits Bill 2022: Committee Stage (30 Nov 2022)

Damien English: I move amendment No. 8: In page 19, line 17, after“(4)”to insert “and section 25(1)”.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Permits Bill 2022: Committee Stage (30 Nov 2022)

Damien English: It is the latter. It is on behalf of the client company. We oppose the Deputy's suggestion to amend the section. We regard the development agencies, IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland, as world leading organisations that do great work on behalf of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. They have significant expertise in this area. The Government trusts them to deliver on...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Permits Bill 2022: Committee Stage (30 Nov 2022)

Damien English: I recognise the Deputy's willingness to engage on this matter. We are concerned about what would happen if we accepted the amendment. We are trying to discourage poor applications and have applications of a sloppy standard, which happens more often that it should. We are trying to discourage that. We try to triage in certain key areas and we would inform somebody if there is an obvious...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Permits Bill 2022: Committee Stage (30 Nov 2022)

Damien English: Yes, I do.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Permits Bill 2022: Committee Stage (30 Nov 2022)

Damien English: I move amendment No. 10: In page 25, line 38, after “21,” to insert “25,”.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Permits Bill 2022: Committee Stage (30 Nov 2022)

Damien English: I move amendment No. 11: In page 26, line 1, to delete “An” and substitute “Subject to section 25, an”.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Permits Bill 2022: Committee Stage (30 Nov 2022)

Damien English: I move amendment No. 12: In page 26, line 21, after “(8)” to insert “and section 25”.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Permits Bill 2022: Committee Stage (30 Nov 2022)

Damien English: I do not want to refuse this amendment because I know what the Deputy is trying to achieve here. There are parts of it that we would not fully support. However, I know exactly what the Deputy is trying to achieve and there is merit in it. At the moment, there is a summary of employment rights and the WRC details are on our permits. However, there probably is merit in what the Deputy said....

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Permits Bill 2022: Committee Stage (30 Nov 2022)

Damien English: I move amendment No. 17: In page 37, between lines 14 and 15, to insert the following: “Employment of non-consultant hospital doctors by public health facility 25.(1) Where an application is made for the grant or renewal of an employment permit in respect of the employment of a foreign national as a non-consultant hospital doctor by a public health facility— (a) the...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Permits Bill 2022: Committee Stage (30 Nov 2022)

Damien English: I will address the two amendments. Our intention would have been not to accept amendment No. 19 because of its wording and also because figuring out how to operationalise, monitor and control it would have been difficult. I understand the sentiment. I know Deputies O'Reilly and Stanton and others will agree. We can look at that when we are dealing with the protections on Report Stage. At...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Permits Bill 2022: Committee Stage (30 Nov 2022)

Damien English: We will oppose it but we can see if there is any way to find some middle ground relating to penalties. We are concerned that there is no room for discretion, which can have unintended consequences. I know what the Deputy is trying to achieve. I accept that she is looking for the impact and message this would send out. While I am not accepting the amendment, we can see if there is another...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Permits Bill 2022: Committee Stage (30 Nov 2022)

Damien English: I move amendment No. 21: In page 46, line 20, after “section,” to insert “section 25(1)(b),”.