Results 161-180 of 9,147 for speaker:Pat Breen

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Industrial Relations (11 Apr 2019)

Pat Breen: The Industrial Relations (Amendment) Bill 2018 was published on 20 July 2018.  The purpose of this Bill is to facilitate access by An Garda Síochána to the services of the WRC and Labour Court by amending the definitions to capture members of the Garda Síochána as 'workers' and the Garda Commissioner as 'employer' for the purposes of...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Skills Development (9 Apr 2019)

Pat Breen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 297 and 298 together. In December 2018, the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN) published ‘Digital Transformation: Assessing the Impact of Digitalisation on Ireland’s Workforce’. Whilst this report assesses the impact that the adoption of digital technologies has on Ireland’s workforce, the focus was broader than just...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Health and Safety Authority Data (2 Apr 2019)

Pat Breen: It is the Director of Public Prosecutions who takes prosecutions on behalf of the Health and Safety Authority. These can be taken at two levels in the Courts i.e. on Indictment in the Circuit Court before a Jury and Summarily before a Judge in the District Court. The Circuit Court can impose fines on conviction up to €3 million per count or imprisonment up to 2 years, while the...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Small and Medium Enterprises Supports (27 Mar 2019)

Pat Breen: I will follow up on that for the Deputy. Insurance is a very important area, but it is an issue for the Minister of State at the Department of Finance, Deputy D'Arcy, rather than my Department. I will follow it up with him.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Small and Medium Enterprises Supports (27 Mar 2019)

Pat Breen: I thank Deputy Tóibín for raising this important issue. I was appointed Minister of State with responsibility for small business in 2016. My responsibilities have increased significantly since then. My Department and the agencies have developed a suite of advisory and financial Brexit supports for businesses. We are very conscious of the importance of small businesses. I will...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Small and Medium Enterprises Supports (27 Mar 2019)

Pat Breen: Small to medium-sized enterprises are an integral part of the Irish business network. Only this morning, I launched the small to medium enterprise and entrepreneurship, SMEE, consultation group, which in conjunction with the OECD will draft a report on the SME sector in Ireland. The report will be an important one. I will also attend a working group dealing with this issue in Paris next...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 32 - Business, Enterprise and Innovation (Revised) (27 Mar 2019)

Pat Breen: I am delighted to have an opportunity to say a few words on the Department's 2019 Estimates, particularly the allocations to the Department's regulation programme and my immediate areas of responsibility. As the Minister has said, Brexit is an all-encompassing challenge for Departments and their agencies, including the agencies and regulatory bodies of our Department. The Brexit challenge...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 32 - Business, Enterprise and Innovation (Revised) (27 Mar 2019)

Pat Breen: I thank the Deputy for his questions. Consumer protection is of significant importance, given what is happening in today's environment. As the Deputy is aware, the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission was established in 2014 as a result of the merger of the Competition Authority and the National Consumer Agency. It is important to point out that it is a statutory body with...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 32 - Business, Enterprise and Innovation (Revised) (27 Mar 2019)

Pat Breen: I see it here.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 32 - Business, Enterprise and Innovation (Revised) (27 Mar 2019)

Pat Breen: It is important that we continue to resource the WRC when it comes to these matters. Given that proceedings relating to some of the issues to which the Chairman referred are pending before the High Court, it would be inappropriate for me to talk about some of them. We have been able to ensure that we can continue to resource the WRC and give it additional resources particularly for the...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Small and Medium Enterprises Supports (13 Mar 2019)

Pat Breen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 174 and 175 together. The Government, since 2011 has been firmly focused on restoring the economy to a more stable footing and sustaining existing jobs and growing employment in all sectors and in all parts of the country. The economy has recovered strongly and there are now more people at work than any time in the last decade. With the increase in...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Enterprise Support Schemes (12 Mar 2019)

Pat Breen: The Government, since 2011 has been firmly focused on restoring the economy to a more stable footing and sustaining existing jobs and growing employment in all sectors and in all parts of the country. The economy has recovered strongly and there are now more people at work than any time in the last decade. With the increase in employment and increase in earnings, there is now more spending in...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Regional Action Plan for Jobs (7 Mar 2019)

Pat Breen: I know Deputy Deering has a great interest in enterprise. Carlow is a great county. I have been there on several occasions with Deputy Deering. We take a collaborative approach with the agencies and with local government, which is very important. Carlow is very lucky to have an information age technology college and the innovation centre attached to it, which plays a very important...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Regional Action Plan for Jobs (7 Mar 2019)

Pat Breen: That advance unit is very important because there has to be a facility for a company that is ready to move in. Carlow is very well located geographically. It is near Dublin and it has been a recipient of inward investment. Only recently the IDA announced 170 jobs in MSD there, Enterprise Ireland announced a Crowley Carbon investment in Carlow-Kilkenny, and Netwatch, an indigenous company,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Employment Rights (7 Mar 2019)

Pat Breen: As Deputy Clare Daly pointed out, employment rights are a matter for my colleague the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Deputy Regina Doherty. Ireland has a very thorough employment rights framework. All migrant workers in the State, including those who are here on a temporary basis, are afforded, under employment rights legislation, the same employment rights as Irish...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Employment Rights (7 Mar 2019)

Pat Breen: The Leas-Cheann Comhairle has to give her leeway after missing out on her.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Employment Rights (7 Mar 2019)

Pat Breen: Traditionally, seasonal workers have mainly been involved in labour intensive industries such as horticulture, the hospitality sector and tourism. Statistics show that they have come from EU member states and do not require a permit. As rightly pointed out, there is an issue with non-EEA workers. There is a demand for seasonal workers, as the Deputy rightly pointed out and the Department...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Employment Rights (7 Mar 2019)

Pat Breen: With regard to the employment permits my Departments issues for non-EEA nationals who work in the State, they have protection under the Employment Permits Act under which they are entitled to minimum annual remuneration levels. Information on employment rights is on the reverse side of all permits issued to employees. I acknowledge the issue the Deputy has rightly raised and the example in...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Regional Action Plan for Jobs (7 Mar 2019)

Pat Breen: Both the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, and I have met the Deputy on many occasions. In April 2018 the Department asked the regional action plan for jobs implementation committees to start a process to refresh and refocus all regional plans to ensure their relevance and impact up to 2020 in order that we could continue to deliver jobs across the country in every region and be robust in...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: IDA Ireland Portfolio (7 Mar 2019)

Pat Breen: Deputy Ó Cuív should have listened to the reply. I will repeat what I said, without the script. The IDA and Enterprise Ireland work together. This collaboration is extremely important for job creation in Ireland. Without it, and the co-operation of the local enterprise offices, we would not be in the position we are in now where unemployment is at 5.6%. The IDA may have idle...