Results 1-20 of 7,954 for speaker:Peter Burke

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Low Pay Commission (10 Apr 2025)

Peter Burke: I propose to take Questions Nos. 191 and 192 together. The National Minimum Wage Acts allow for sub-minimum rates of the minimum wage for those employees aged under 20. Those aged less than 18 years can be paid 70 per cent of the full minimum wage rate, while those aged 18 years and 19 years can be paid 80 and 90 per cent of the full rate, respectively.The Low Pay Commission (LPC)...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Projects (10 Apr 2025)

Peter Burke: My Department is reviewing issues in relation to businesses that may have been ineligible for the grant due to incorrect classification of their business type while registering for the Increased Cost of Business scheme (ICOB) and my Department has engaged with local authorities in relation to the extent of the issue. This review is ongoing and my Department is continuing to consult with...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Artificial Intelligence (10 Apr 2025)

Peter Burke: My Department has been undertaking a modernisation exercise to update systems written in legacy software, and also to meet new requirements as they arise. The opportunity has been taken to standardise the data points in a methodical fashion across these systems, which will in due course facilitate the broader use of Data Analytics and Machine Leaning / Artificial Intelligence capabilities...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Artificial Intelligence (10 Apr 2025)

Peter Burke: I propose to take Questions Nos. 200 and 202 together. The information requested is currently being collated by my Department and will be forwarded directly to the Deputy as soon as it is finalised.

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Artificial Intelligence (10 Apr 2025)

Peter Burke: My Department first issued a policy document on the use of Generative AI to all staff in July 2023. That policy highlight some of the potential areas where Generative AI can deliver efficiencies but also set out the risks of using such technologies and the mitigations that staff in the Department must adopt to avoid those risks. This was based on guidance received from the National Cyber...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Correspondence (10 Apr 2025)

Peter Burke: I propose to take Questions Nos. 205 and 206 together. The specific information requested by the Deputy in relation to the amount of emails received from the public is not routinely retained and recorded, however, tabulated below are the figures for emails received into the Minister’s inbox , the Ministers of States’ inboxes and the Department’s customer services...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Schemes (10 Apr 2025)

Peter Burke: My Department is committed to continuously improving processes to support the delivery of its strategic goals. The Department reviews its structures, processes, staffing and skills to ensure it is best placed to deliver efficient and effective operations. While staff engagement has taken place as part of these review processes, none have specifically sought to estimate or calculate time taken...

Tariffs: Statements (9 Apr 2025)

Peter Burke: I thank the Deputies for their engagement this afternoon. It is abundantly clear from today's debates that we are living through precarious times, with unprecedented threats to the international trading environment and resulting impacts on relations with trading partners, on the Irish economy and of course on Irish businesses. Deputies have raised a number of recurring themes throughout the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Business Supports (9 Apr 2025)

Peter Burke: Both the Power Up scheme and the Increased Cost of Business (ICOB) scheme are now closed, however it is worth noting that in 2024 over €400 million was paid to SMEs right across the country under these grant schemes. My Department is reviewing an issue that has arisen in relation to businesses who misclassified their business sector when applying for ICOB. The review of that issue...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Language Schools (9 Apr 2025)

Peter Burke: The Government is committed to fair wages for all workers. The National Minimum Wage increased to €13.50 per hour on 1st January 2025, an increase of over 6% which is ahead of projected wage growth across the economy. The substantial increases in the National Minimum Wage over the last few years show Government’s continuing commitment to fair wages for the lowest paid...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Company Closures (9 Apr 2025)

Peter Burke: The information requested is being compiled by the Companies Registration Office and will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Trade Promotion (9 Apr 2025)

Peter Burke: Each year my department, engages with the enterprise agencies, Enterprise Ireland IDA Ireland and in 2025, Tourism Ireland, to develop a Ministerial-led Trade Missions Programme for the year ahead. We have developed a programme of trade promotion and investment missions and events which support the goal of securing high-level market access for companies based in Ireland who are aiming to...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Data (9 Apr 2025)

Peter Burke: Ireland remains committed to the principles of free and open trade, which have underpinned our economic success. This brings economic opportunities, creates well-paid jobs and fosters innovation. It also builds economic resilience within a strong rules-based international trading system. The EU also remains dedicated to fostering a stable, balanced, and predictable economic partnership with...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Irish Sign Language (9 Apr 2025)

Peter Burke: My Department understands the responsibility on all public bodies to offer services to those accessing or seeking statutory entitlements through Irish Sign Language. Arising from the Irish Sign Language Act 2017 (ISL), my officials established procedures to be implemented where clients of my Department wish to interact through ISL. These procedures are published on my Department’s...

Employment (Contractual Retirement Ages) Bill 2025: Second Stage (8 Apr 2025)

Peter Burke: I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I welcome the opportunity to discuss the Employment (Contractual Retirement Ages) Bill 2025. Before I go through the main provisions of the Bill, I will first give some background and context to the legislation. The Bill implements one of the commitments included in the Government’s response to the pensions commission...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Bodies (8 Apr 2025)

Peter Burke: Data centres are critical infrastructure for our modern economy. They are a key part of our value proposition for foreign direct investment and the associated employment and are central to Ireland’s economic and digital future – both in the Irish-Owned and FDI parts of the economy. In addition to their direct value, data centres anchor other very valuable investment in Ireland....

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Projects (8 Apr 2025)

Peter Burke: The information requested is currently being collated by my Department and will be forwarded directly to the Deputy as soon as it is finalised.

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Programme for Government (8 Apr 2025)

Peter Burke: I propose to take Questions Nos. 405 and 406 together. In 2024, Ireland was ranked as the 4th most competitive country in the World in the IMD World Competitiveness Rankings. Indeed, Ireland currently holds a strong competitive position globally, and this performance is underpinned by several key factors, including a highly skilled workforce, strong economic growth, and success in...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Strategies (8 Apr 2025)

Peter Burke: My Department is currently finalising the National Semiconductor Strategy and, subject to approval, is aiming to publish it in May 2025. The strategy will:Signpost actions for the sector and co-ordinate activity across stakeholders;Provide a clear message to industry;Focus on opportunities at EU level; andSet an ambition and direction for activity in the sector to contribute to the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Strategies (8 Apr 2025)

Peter Burke: The Life Sciences sector - pharma, biopharma and medtech - is one of cornerstones of Ireland’s industrial success, driving significant exports, and attracting foreign and indigenous investments in R&D, capital expenditure and employment. It is a highly successful sector which has grown from strength to strength in Ireland, accounting for over 100,000 jobs and over €130...