Results 1-20 of 8,295 for speaker:Peter Burke

Seanad: Pregnancy Loss (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025: Second Stage (9 Jul 2025)

Peter Burke: I welcome the opportunity to discuss this Private Members' Bill that addresses the extremely important and sensitive subject of pregnancy loss. Miscarriage can be a deeply personal loss and is something that is often dealt with privately by mothers and fathers who grieve the loss of joy, excitement and a precious future imagined. I know one in five women or couples can experience...

Seanad: Pregnancy Loss (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025: Second Stage (9 Jul 2025)

Peter Burke: Yes. I will engage with it. I did not say I have engaged with it.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Tourism Industry (3 Jul 2025)

Peter Burke: I am happy to work closely with Deputy Butterly on that. Another area I am actively working on is expanding the remit of Fáilte Ireland. One of the first things I did was to take a deep dive of the legislation that underpins the State agency. I want to include a restaurant sector. It is key as regards developing its model. Fáilte Ireland has focused on hotels but if we look...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Tourism Industry (3 Jul 2025)

Peter Burke: Wexford will not beat Mullingar.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Tourism Industry (3 Jul 2025)

Peter Burke: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. My role and that of my Department in relation to tourism includes the development of national policy and the securing of resources to assist the tourism agencies, Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland, in the implementation of policy. County Louth is included in Ireland's Ancient East Regional Tourism Development Strategy 2023-2027. ...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Tourism Promotion (3 Jul 2025)

Peter Burke: As the National Tourism Development Authority, in line with its statutory functions as set out in Section 8(1) of the National Tourism Development Authority Act 2003, Fáilte Ireland’s role is to support the long-term sustainable growth of tourism in Ireland. Its remit does not extend to Northern Ireland. Tourism Northern Ireland is the primary agency responsible for developing and...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Funding (3 Jul 2025)

Peter Burke: On 17th June An Taoiseach, responding to a related PQ, stated that maritime safety policy is a responsibility of the Minister for Transport, Darragh O’Brien TD. Furthermore, the Taoiseach advised that the Department for Transport is not considering funding for civil society organisations involved in navigational safety, through the Shared Island Fund or otherwise, and engagement with...

Select Committee on Enterprise, Tourism and Employment: Employment (Contractual Retirement Ages) Bill 2025: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2025)

Peter Burke: It is my first appearance in front of the new Oireachtas select committee and I look forward to working with all the members and being available to everyone. My door is always open. I look forward to having a strong working relationship. I congratulate the Cathaoirleach. I look forward to working with him throughout this term to ensure we are enhancing the capacity of the enterprise...

Select Committee on Enterprise, Tourism and Employment: Employment (Contractual Retirement Ages) Bill 2025: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2025)

Peter Burke: I move amendment No. 1: In page 4, to delete line 21 and substitute the following: "“Minister” means the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment;”.

Select Committee on Enterprise, Tourism and Employment: Employment (Contractual Retirement Ages) Bill 2025: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2025)

Peter Burke: I move amendment No. 2: In page 5, lines 5 and 6, to delete “Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform” and substitute “Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation”.

Select Committee on Enterprise, Tourism and Employment: Employment (Contractual Retirement Ages) Bill 2025: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2025)

Peter Burke: This section has been worked through with the Attorney General's office. There is a high threshold of evidence required if the request was to be refused by an employer. Obviously then there is the right to go to the Workplace Relations Commission. If the employer is not found in compliance with the law there is very significant fines of an amount equal to the greater of 104 weeks' pay or...

Select Committee on Enterprise, Tourism and Employment: Employment (Contractual Retirement Ages) Bill 2025: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2025)

Peter Burke: No.

Select Committee on Enterprise, Tourism and Employment: Employment (Contractual Retirement Ages) Bill 2025: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2025)

Peter Burke: Absolutely. So it would have to judge the threshold of evidence to see if it is proportionate and reasonable to the request made by the employee.

Select Committee on Enterprise, Tourism and Employment: Employment (Contractual Retirement Ages) Bill 2025: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2025)

Peter Burke: Absolutely. It is, indeed, yes. It is an area where we are trying to balance with the Constitution and the legislative process and ensure that the courts will have their role after in determining the input of the legislation. Our view is that sectors are very different. It is very difficult to be very proscriptive in terms of that right. What we are doing here is codifying the right for...

Select Committee on Enterprise, Tourism and Employment: Employment (Contractual Retirement Ages) Bill 2025: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2025)

Peter Burke: Yes.

Select Committee on Enterprise, Tourism and Employment: Employment (Contractual Retirement Ages) Bill 2025: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2025)

Peter Burke: They are constitutional rights in contract law. For instance, a person already has a contract that is in place with someone and that the retirement date is proscribed as 65 years. However, the law has changed and 66 years is the recommendation, as decided by the Pensions Commission. If an employee decides to work for longer, then that requires deviating from the agreed contract and this...

Select Committee on Enterprise, Tourism and Employment: Employment (Contractual Retirement Ages) Bill 2025: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2025)

Peter Burke: The onus would be on the employer to defend the right to refuse the employee's request. We are very clear on that. The threshold is very high in terms of fines and the reasonable justification. I understand that is defined in the Equality Acts as well. We have to ensure that it is proportionate and reasonable and fits the bar whereby we are not impinging on contractual rights under the...

Select Committee on Enterprise, Tourism and Employment: Employment (Contractual Retirement Ages) Bill 2025: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2025)

Peter Burke: I am no expert in employment law but it is very clear to me that the example given by the Deputy is discrimination, and that should be clear to every member of this committee.

Select Committee on Enterprise, Tourism and Employment: Employment (Contractual Retirement Ages) Bill 2025: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2025)

Peter Burke: I thank the Deputy for her comments. However, I cannot accept this amendment. The amendment proposes that I report on the feasibility of lowering the State pension age, as set out in the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005. This falls outside the remit of my Department. Matters relating to the State pension age and the administration of the social welfare Acts are under the jurisdiction...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Foreign Direct Investment (2 Jul 2025)

Peter Burke: Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is a key element of our economic strategy with investments by IDA Ireland client companies consistently generating highly-skilled jobs nationwide and very considerable exchequer returns. Despite increasing competition for FDI globally, and an increasingly uncertain global economic context, the recent performance of our FDI sector has exceeded all expectations....