Results 361-380 of 4,764 for speaker:Damien English in 'Written Answers'

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Employment Rights (7 Apr 2022)

Damien English: The most recent Sectoral Employment Orders (SEOs) for the Construction Sector and the Electrical Contracting Sector came into effect on 1 February 2022. These SEOs fix statutory minimum rates of pay and other conditions, including sick pay and pension entitlements, for these sectors. Any employer in a sector covered by an SEO has a legal duty to comply, at a minimum, with those terms. ...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Employment Rights (7 Apr 2022)

Damien English: A whole of Government response is required in order to respond to the recommendations of the Pensions Commission, of which the issue of mandatory retirement clauses is only one element. My Department is considering the Commission's recommendations in relation to mandatory retirement ages in certain contracts of employment. There is no statutory retirement age for employees in Irish...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (7 Apr 2022)

Damien English: There have been a wide range of measures taken by government to provide support for business during the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic including the provision of grants for businesses. A range of detail is set out in tabular format for the Deputy. In addition to the information contained in the table, I can advise that the Restart Grant Scheme was operational through the 31 local...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Small and Medium Enterprises (7 Apr 2022)

Damien English: From next year the Government is introducing a new permanent public holiday in celebration of Imbolc/St. Brigid’s day. This will be the first Monday in every February, except where St. Brigid’s day, the 1st day of February, happens to fall on a Friday, in which case that Friday 1st February will be a public holiday. The Governments want to ensure that the public holiday provides...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (7 Apr 2022)

Damien English: Under the Employment Permit Acts in order to work in the State all non-EEA nationals require a valid employment permit or relevant immigration permission from the Minister for Justice and Equality which allows them to reside and work in the State without the requirement for an Employment Permit. The Irish State’s general policy is to promote the sourcing of labour and skills needs...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Ukraine War (7 Apr 2022)

Damien English: Just this week the Ukrainian President addressed a joint sitting of the Dáil and Seanad and shared the heart-breaking and inspiring story of his people’s courage and endurance in the face of a grotesque and appalling aggression they are facing. Members of the House were united in our support for the people of Ukraine as we open our country to them for refuge. In the first...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Industrial Development (7 Apr 2022)

Damien English: The Government is committed to working to make Ireland a "world-leading" location to start and scale a business and make Irish firms’ global leaders by investing in skills, digitalisation, climate and innovation working towards promoting Irish companies on world markets. To assist companies dealing with Covid-19 and working through our agency Enterprise Ireland the Sustaining...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Small and Medium Enterprises (7 Apr 2022)

Damien English: My Department participates in a number of fora at EU and international level that facilitate the sharing of information on SME policies and programmes with other jurisdictions. This international engagement provides my Department with a rich source of international good practice examples to draw from, which directly informs SME policy development in Ireland. At EU level, my Department is an...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (6 Apr 2022)

Damien English: My Department experienced a significant increase in applications for employment permits in the past year, impacting on processing times. From the start of January to the end of December 2021, some 27,666 applications were received, representing a 69% increase over the same period in 2020 (16,293) and a 47% increase on 2019 (18,811), which itself represented an 11 year high in applications. ...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Farm Inspections (6 Apr 2022)

Damien English: The Property Registration Authority (PRA) continued to maintain a high level of service to support a robust property market throughout the period of Covid-19 restrictions. In 2021, overall application completion levels recovered to 90 per cent of pre-pandemic levels. Notwithstanding this level of activity, there has been an increase in the length of some completion times. As set out in...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Health and Safety (6 Apr 2022)

Damien English: The staff of the Health and Safety Authority is made up of those in administration and inspector grades. The inspector grades comprise of Grade I (senior inspectors) as well as Grade II and Grade III inspectors. Inspectors operate across all our mandates which include occupational health and safety, market surveillance of products and chemicals. The Authority currently has 125 Inspectors...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Employment Rights (6 Apr 2022)

Damien English: As an International Labour Organisation (ILO) Member State, Ireland is committed to ratifying Convention C190. Ratification is being considered in the context of our standard approach to the ratification of international instruments. Ireland does not ratify international conventions until it has been determined that national law is in line with the provisions of the international instrument....

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Visa Applications (5 Apr 2022)

Damien English: Ireland operates a managed employment permits system maximising the benefits of economic migration and minimising the risk of disrupting Ireland’s labour market. The regime is designed to accommodate the arrival of non-EEA nationals to fill skills and labour gaps for the benefit of our economy, in the short to medium term. The system is, by design, vacancy led and driven by the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (30 Mar 2022)

Damien English: In order to work in Ireland a non-EEA National, unless they are exempted, must hold a valid Employment Permit. All applications for employment permits are processed in line with the Employment Permits Acts and associated Regulations which lay down in legislation the criteria in relation to the application, grant and refusal of an employment permit. The Employment Permits Section of my...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic (30 Mar 2022)

Damien English: Universal and equitable access to safe, effective and affordable vaccines, diagnostics and treatments is crucial in the global fight against COVID-19. International Trade is a competence of the EU under the Treaties and in exercising that competence, the European Commission engages fully with the Member States, including Ireland, through a variety of Committees and Working Parties/Groups,...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (29 Mar 2022)

Damien English: Ireland operates a managed employment permits system maximising the benefits of economic migration and minimising the risk of disrupting Ireland’s labour market. The system is managed through the operation of the Critical Skills and Ineligible Occupations Lists which determine employments that are either in high demand or are ineligible for an employment permit where there is a surplus...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic (29 Mar 2022)

Damien English: I propose to take Questions Nos. 180 and 182 together. Universal and equitable access to safe, effective and affordable vaccines, diagnostics and treatments is crucial in the global fight against COVID-19. International Trade is a competence of the EU under the Treaties and in exercising that competence, the European Commission engages fully with the Member States, including Ireland,...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (29 Mar 2022)

Damien English: The Employment Permits Section of my Department inform me that General Employment Permit renewal applications for the persons concerned (details supplied) were received on 17th September 2021 and 20th September 2021. On 9th March 2022 a request for additional information was forwarded to both the applicant and their authorised agent to provide a copy of required documentation. While some of...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (29 Mar 2022)

Damien English: The Employment Permits Section of my Department inform me that a standard General Employment Permit application for the person concerned (details supplied) was received on 2ndMarch 2022. Applications for employment permits are dealt with in date order. The Employment Permits Section of my Department are currently processing standard new General Employment Permit applications received on 1...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (29 Mar 2022)

Damien English: I would encourage any person looking to start, expand or pivot their business to first contact their Local Enterprise Office. The Local Enterprise Offices act as a ‘first stop shop’ providing a signposting service to all available Government business supports. The Local Enterprise Offices can offer direct grant aid to microenterprises (10 employees or fewer) in the...