Written answers
Thursday, 19 February 2026
Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment
- Small and Medium Enterprises
13. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment his assessment of the impact of his Department’s SME test; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13383/26] - Employment Data
14. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to outline the key findings of the Annual Employment Survey 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13360/26] - Artificial Intelligence
15. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the steps being taken to build national capacity within regulators and industry in advance of the full commencement of the EU AI Act;... - Tourism Policy
17. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to outline any engagements he or his Department has had with any stakeholder or body under his Department’s aegis on a matter... - Artificial Intelligence
18. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he considers that the AI advisory council should have a dedicated role for, or membership of, civil society organisations, such as... - Business Supports
20. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the engagement he has had with retail representative bodies regarding the challenges facing the sector in 2026; the policy responses... - Industrial Development
21. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment for an update on the reinstatement of the IDA advance planning permit for the proposed advance building at the Creagh site in... - Business Supports
22. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will report on the work the Cost of Business Advisory Forum; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13080/26] - Employment Data
24. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the employment rate in County Mayo; and if he will outline how this compares with other counties. [12161/26] - Employment Rights
25. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment whether his Department will consider introducing protections for workers in the case of severe weather events in order that they are... - Tourism Industry
26. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment for an update on the measures being put in place to grow tourism in Carlow; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13257/26] - Work Permits
28. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to provide an update on the measures undertaken by his Department to reduce the backlog for employment permit renewal applications... - Business Supports
29. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of people who have applied for the emergency humanitarian flooding scheme in each of the past six weeks; and if he will... - Artificial Intelligence
30. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if the national AI office will have advisory panels in place for routinely collaborating with young people, older people and disabled... - Work Permits
32. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to provide an update on current processing times for all employment permit types; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13390/26] - Tourism Policy
33. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he intends to progress with legislation to restrict short-term lets in towns with more than 10,000 people; and if he will make a... - Trade Promotion
34. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment for an update on the implementation of the new Action Plan on Competitiveness and Productivity. [13314/26] - Artificial Intelligence
35. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to provide an update on the setting up of the proposed national AI office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13369/26] - Job Losses
36. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment for an update on a factory (details supplied); the progress on support for workers; the future plans for the site; and if he will make... - Social Enterprise Sector
37. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the steps his Department is taking to raise awareness of the social enterprise model and encourage entrepreneurship that delivers both... - Tourism Promotion
39. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the way in which the new tourism policy “A New Era for Irish Tourism” will support tourism development in Louth; and if... - Job Creation
40. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment for an update on the creation of a national strategy to attract fully locationless remote jobs to Ireland. [13313/26] - Artificial Intelligence
42. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if the proposed national AI office will be up and running by August 2026; if it will provide the immediate, coordinated,... - Regional Development
43. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment for an update on the measures taken thus far to secure a tenant or tenants for the fully completed, advanced technology building on... - Work Permits
44. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the maximum quota for general employment permits for workers in the tourism and transport sectors; and if he will make a statement on... - National Minimum Wage
45. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he is planning to reform the national minimum wage legislation to ensure that apprentices and young workers are not paid below the... - Consumer Prices
46. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he is considering introducing price caps to set maximum prices for basic foodstuffs and energy; and if he will make a statement on... - Industrial Development
47. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the initiatives he, his Department or associated State agencies have taken to encourage prospective new owners to establish a business... - Tourism Promotion
48. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment for an update on the Cork city tourism plan and its implementation. [12462/26] - Business Regulation
49. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the way in which his Department is assessing the provisions of the EU omnibus simplification package; concerns arising out of the... - Regional Development
50. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of jobs supported by Enterprise Ireland in Kilkenny in 2025; the number supported in Carlow in 2025; and if he will make a... - Tourism Promotion
51. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment his Department's efforts to promote tourism in east County Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11993/26] - EU Regulations
52. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the measures in place to ensure that materials from labour camps in Xinjiang in China are restricted for entry to Ireland and the... - Work Permits
53. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of permits for dairy farm assistants that have been processed in counties Cavan and Monaghan since the start of 2026; if... - Employment Rights
54. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he is planning to amend employment legislation to improve employment rights and job security of film workers; and if he will make a... - Employment Data
55. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of jobs supported by Enterprise Ireland in Galway in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12895/26] - Tourism Policy
56. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment his plans to encourage much-needed private investment into the serviced tourism accommodation sector; and if he will make a statement... - Business Supports
57. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the way in which the funding for local enterprise and regional development in his Department’s Sectoral Capital Plan 2026-2030... - Enterprise Policy
58. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if specific additional financial supports will be introduced in 2026 to assist in the development of enterprise centres in view of... - Employment Data
59. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of people employed in State-supported companies (companies that are client firms of state agencies such as Enterprise... - Online Safety
60. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the steps his Department is taking to ensure that social media artificial intelligence tools cannot be used by sexual predators to... - Work Permits
61. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the maximum quota for general employment permits for workers in farming and the food industry; and if he will make a statement on the... - Artificial Intelligence
62. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will be recommending that the State explore publicly owned AI resources and technologies; and if he will make a statement on the... - Foreign Direct Investment
63. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of jobs the IDA supported in Kerry last year; the plans for 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13374/26] - Regional Development
64. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment when a new south-east regional enterprise plan will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12894/26] - Artificial Intelligence
65. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the reasons the proposed Oifig Intleachta Shaorga na hÉireann, or the AI Office of Ireland, has been placed under the remit of... - Enterprise Support Services
67. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the funding allocated in his Department’s NDP to support home-grown enterprises; and if he will make a statement on the matter.... - Artificial Intelligence
68. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the legislative measures he is planning to implement to ensure that artificial intelligence adaptation does not lead to job loses; and... - Business Supports
69. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment his strategy to address the rising cost of doing business, in particular for the SME sector; his plans for 2026 that will aim at... - Departmental Strategies
70. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to provide an update on progress in the development of a new national life sciences strategy; and if he will make a statement on the... - Artificial Intelligence
71. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will ensure the national AI office has a dedicated role for, or a board with members from, disabled people’s... - Legislative Measures
72. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment for an update on providing the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission with new powers as set out in the Action Plan on... - Work Permits
73. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if there are plans to update the list of critical skills work visas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13325/26] - Tourist Accommodation
74. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of bed nights available in each county, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12536/26] - Artificial Intelligence
75. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will ensure that the national AI office will have the necessary levels of independence, technical experts and resourcing to... - Small and Medium Enterprises
76. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the measures his Department has put in place to assist SMEs with rising energy costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter.... - Enterprise Policy
78. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the justification for the continued roll-out of the built to innovate initiative, with €6.8 million in public grants approved... - Artificial Intelligence
80. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the measures being put in place to help businesses, particularly SMEs, identify their supervisory authority under the distributed... - Tourism Promotion
81. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment , to provide a detailed update on his Department’s strategy to reverse the identified €1 billion year-on-year decline in... - Artificial Intelligence
83. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he would support the establishment of a citizens’ assembly on artificial intelligence digitalisation and technology to... - Departmental Functions
84. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will report on the work of his Department’s small business unit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13382/26] - Small and Medium Enterprises
85. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of SMEs that have closed in County Meath in each of the past ten years. [12168/26] - Artificial Intelligence
86. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if his Department’s emphasis on promoting AI will influence how the proposed Oifig Intleachta Shaorga na hÉireann, or the... - Small and Medium Enterprises
88. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the immediate measures his Department is taking to mitigate the severe financial pressure on the small and medium enterprise sector... - Regional Development
89. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment when a new west regional enterprise plan will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12896/26] - Tourism Promotion
90. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the steps his Department is taking to increase the tourism potential of County Mayo; and if he will make a statement on the matter....
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