Results 41-60 of 1,462 for in 'Written Answers' speaker:Emer Higgins

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Employment Rights (18 Apr 2024)

Emer Higgins: As I have already set out for the Deputy, the Sick Leave Act which commenced on 1 January 2023 provided an initial statutory entitlement of 3 days which increased to 5 days on 1 January 2024. This will potentially increase to 7 days in 2025 and 10 days in 2026. Payment by employers to employees for statutory sick leave days is currently set at 70% of an employee’s average gross...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: National Minimum Wage (18 Apr 2024)

Emer Higgins: The LEEF Subgroup on the implementation of the High Level working Group's recommendations met on 29 June 2023 and 16 November 2023. Updates on these issues were also provided at the LEEF plenary meeting with social partners on 20 November 2023 and 26 February 2024. In addition to the LEEF plenary and subgroup discussions, a technical working group has been established this year with...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Legislative Process (18 Apr 2024)

Emer Higgins: The Private Members Bill on Industrial Relations (Provisions in Respect of Pension Entitlements of Retired Workers) is sponsored by the Deputy (and Deputies Paul Murphy, Richard Boyd Barrett and Gino Kenny). It is a matter for the Deputies to progress the Bill. At the Second Stage debate on the Bill, the former Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail, Damien English, clearly...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Business Supports (18 Apr 2024)

Emer Higgins: As you will be aware, as part of Budget 2024, the Government signed off on a package of €257 million for the Increased Cost of Business (ICOB) grant as a vital measure for small and medium businesses. Local Authorities, funded through the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, are administering the grant to qualifying businesses on behalf of the Department. Local...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Business Supports (18 Apr 2024)

Emer Higgins: As you will be aware, as part of Budget 2024, the Government signed off on a package of €257 million for the Increased Cost of Business (ICOB) grant as a vital measure for small and medium businesses. Local Authorities, funded through the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, are administering the grant to qualifying businesses on behalf of the Department. Local...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (18 Apr 2024)

Emer Higgins: The Employment Permits Section of my Department informs me that the General Employment Permit applications for the persons concerned in the details supplied were received on 5th April 2024. On 10th April 2024 the applications were formally accepted and placed in the processing queue. Applications for employment permits are dealt with in date order. As of 12th April 2024, the Employment...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (18 Apr 2024)

Emer Higgins: The Employment Permits Section of my Department informs me that all applications for employment permits are dealt with in date order. Details of the current processing dates are available on the Departments website and are also outlined in the reply to the TD’s other PQ 17286/24. In order to maintain the relevance of the employment permits occupational lists and to ensure that the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (18 Apr 2024)

Emer Higgins: The Employment Permits Section of my Department informs me that as of 15th of April 2024, the number of new employment permit applications awaiting processing is 2,779. The number of applications being processed is 465 and the number of applications awaiting payment of the fee is 194. Therefore the total number of applications in the processing queue as of 15th April 2024 is 3,244. All...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Business Supports (17 Apr 2024)

Emer Higgins: As you will be aware that, as part of Budget 2024, the Government signed off on a package of €257 million for the Increased Cost of Business (ICOB) grant as a vital measure for small and medium businesses. Local Authorities, funded through the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, are administering the grant to qualifying businesses on behalf of the Department. Local...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Enterprise Policy (17 Apr 2024)

Emer Higgins: Balanced regional enterprise development is a key focus for me and this Government as reaffirmed in the White Paper on Enterprise. My Department contributes to this agenda in several ways, including through the development, implementation and oversight of nine Regional Enterprise Plans (REPs). The North-East REP is implemented at a regional level by a Steering Committee made up of...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Business Supports (17 Apr 2024)

Emer Higgins: As you will be aware, as part of Budget 2024, the Government signed off on a package of €257 million for the Increased Cost of Business (ICOB) grant as a vital measure for small and medium businesses. Local Authorities, funded through the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, are administering the grant to qualifying businesses on behalf of the Department. Local...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Primary Medical Certificates (16 Apr 2024)

Emer Higgins: 214. To ask the Minister for Finance if the exclusion of persons with single upper-limb amputations from eligibility for primary medical certificate is contrary to Articles 4 and 20 of the UNCRPD; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16294/24]

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Primary Medical Certificates (16 Apr 2024)

Emer Higgins: 221. To ask the Minister for Finance to reconsider the exclusion of persons with single upper-limb amputations from eligibility for the primary medical certificate. [16293/24]

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Employment Rights (16 Apr 2024)

Emer Higgins: On the 25th August 2023, I signed the Employment Regulation Order for the Security Sector which came into force on 4th September 2023. The ERO provided for a wage increase to €12.90 per hour from that date. The full details of the ERO are available here: si-no-424-of-2023-employment-regulation-order-security-indus try-joint-labour-committee-2023.pdf (enterprise.gov.ie) I have not...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Energy Infrastructure (16 Apr 2024)

Emer Higgins: I propose to take Questions Nos. 257 and 258 together. This issue is under the remit of my colleague the Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications, whose Department is in the process of developing a policy framework for electricity storage. I understand that the framework, which will be published in Q2 this year, will set out plans to incentivise the development of electricity...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (16 Apr 2024)

Emer Higgins: Among the changes introduced by the 2023 Review of the Employment Permits Occupation Lists was the opening of a number of new quotas to provide General Employment Permit (GEP) access for certain previously ineligible occupations, including that of mechanic. On 20 December 2023, a quota of 200 GEPs was opened for the occupation of ‘Car mechanic, Motor mechanic, Auto electrician,...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Workplace Relations Commission (16 Apr 2024)

Emer Higgins: The total cost of doubling the number of WRC inspectors is approximately €6,312,937 consisting of an additional 61 Inspectors and 9 Inspector Team Managers and 3 Regional Managers. The WRC Inspectorate is staffed by civil servants of my Department. WRC inspectors are ranked at Executive Officer (EO) Inspector, Higher Executive Officer (HEO) Inspector Team Manager (ITM) and AP...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Business Supports (16 Apr 2024)

Emer Higgins: The Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) provide a range of supports to assist individuals who want to start up or grow a business. The 31 LEOs across the country act as the "first stop shop" for all businesses and entrepreneurs in Ireland and operate in each Local Authority area. Businesses operating in the domestic market such as sole traders, micro businesses and small and medium sized...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Employment Rights (16 Apr 2024)

Emer Higgins: On the 25th August 2023, my predecessor, Minister Richmond, signed the Employment Regulation Order for the Security Sector which came into force on 4th September 2023. The ERO provided for a wage increase to €12.90 per hour from that date. The full details of the ERO are available here: si-no-424-of-2023-employment-regulation-order-security-indus try-joint-labour-committee-2023.pdf...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (16 Apr 2024)

Emer Higgins: 294. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills for further clarification on the process involved in issuing a letter of intent; the average time required for issuing a letter of intent; the current delay in issuing the letter of intent for an extension building project (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16108/24]