John Lahart
Question:68. Deputy John Lahart asked the Taoiseach the details of secondments from his Department to the university third level sector over the past two years. [22259/22]
View answerDepartmental Staff
Questions (68)
Written answers
No staff of my Department have been seconded to the university third-level sector over the past two years.
Research Funding
Questions (69)
Rose Conway-Walsh
Question:69. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Taoiseach the funding allocated to the shared island research programme including a breakdown of funding between the IRC competitive funding, ESRI research and so on; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22274/22]
View answerWritten answers
The Government’s Shared Island initiative is working to take up the full potential of the Good Friday Agreement to enhance cooperation and connection on the island, and engage with all communities and traditions to build consensus around a shared future.
To support development of a more ambitious agenda for cooperation and connection on the island, the Shared Island unit in my Department is commissioning a wide-ranging research programme, working with the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), the National Economic and Social Council (NESC), the Irish Research Council (IRC), and other partners.
Strengthening social, economic, cultural and political links on the island and the promotion of all-island approaches to the strategic challenges facing Ireland, North and South, are key objectives. North/South and East/West collaboration is a key feature of the research work.
My Department is operating a joint research programme with the ESRI on ‘The Economic and Social Opportunities from Increased Cooperation on the Shared Island’ with a funding commitment of €220,000 in 2021 and 2022. Research published to date has focused on education systems and outcomes, primary healthcare, foreign direct investment and the services economy. Research in 2022 is examining productivity, renewable energy supports, migrant integration, and early years care and education on the island.
The National Economic and Social Council was requested by my Department to prepare a comprehensive report to Government on Shared Island, which was published on 12 April, following broad consultation by NESC across the island. NESC made recommendations on a range of environmental, social and economic issues, which the Government will positively consider in consultation with our partners in the Executive and UK Government. My Department provides annual funding to NESC for the delivery of its work programme and there was no specific funding for the Shared Island research work.
The Shared Island unit in my Department has partnered with the Irish Research Council (IRC) to issue a competitive call for academic contributions to the Shared Island research programme, as part of the IRC’s New Foundations scheme, with project awards of up to €20,000. Eleven successful research projects were announced by the IRC in December 2021 in areas extending across culture, science, education, law, equality and community relations. Final reports will be published through the second half of this year. A second Shared Island funding call with the Irish Research Council will issue later this month.
The Shared Island unit has also partnered with the Standing Conference on Teacher Education, North and South (SCoTENS), and a funding call was conducted for action-oriented research, to inform professional and policy development considerations in the education sector on a shared island basis across themes of educational attainment and curriculum delivery. Five projects received funding awards from SCoTENS of up to €25,000. Two projects on educational attainment issues will report in Q4 2022 and three on curriculum delivery in Q4 2023.
The Shared Island unit in my Department is also working with other Departments to co-commission research on Shared Island policy priorities for Government. The first instance of this is with the Department of Transport which issued a tender in January for research to examine the safety, regulatory and infrastructure frameworks for renewable hydrogen on the island of Ireland, and the result of this tender will be confirmed later this month.
Finally, the Shared Island unit has commissioned research to contribute to the Shared Island Dialogue series. Professor Deirdre Heenan conducted scoping research for the unit on ‘Collaborating on Healthcare on an All-Island Basis’ which was published as a discussion paper for the Shared Island Dialogue on Healthcare in July 2021.
Funding commitments to date for the Shared Island research programme led by my Department are set out in tabular form below.
Separately, the Government allocated €40 million from the Shared Island Fund to the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science for delivery of the new North South Research Programme, which is administered by the Higher Education Authority (HEA). In March, a total of €37.3 million in awards by the HEA to sixty-two collaborative research projects between academics and institutions in Ireland and in Northern Ireland were announced. The awards range in value from €200,000 over two years to €4 million over four years. A second call will be launched in 2023.
Shared Island unit research programme funding commitments*
|
2021 |
2022 to date |
|
|
ESRI |
€220,000 |
€220,000 |
|
NESC |
- |
- |
|
Irish Research Council |
€220,000 |
€200,000 |
|
SCoTENS |
€ 50,000 |
€ 75,000 |
|
Co-funding projects with other Departments |
€ 50,000 |
|
|
Other research projects |
€ 5,000 |
|
|
Total |
€495,000 |
€545,000 |
*Payment of the above funding commitments to research partners is spread across calendar years, and funding is dependent on agreement of final costs for each research output.
EU Directives
Questions (70)
Catherine Murphy
Question:70. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Taoiseach if he will provide a schedule of fines and totality of the amount paid in respect of fines issued by the EU on his Department for failing to transpose EU directives; if he will include the directive that was not transposed on time; and if he will indicate the directives that are still not fully transposed for the past 25 years to date in 2022. [22334/22]
View answerWritten answers
Responsibility for the transposition of EU legislation into Irish law rests in each case with the relevant Minister. There are no EU directives that fall under the remit of my Department.
Work Permits
Questions (71)
Carol Nolan
Question:71. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the steps he is taking to address labour shortages in the restaurant and hospitality sector; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the sector is currently losing highly skilled staff due to the non-availability of work permits and the refusal by his Department to extend existing work permits; if he will consider a relaxation of the relevant rules governing work permits in view of the acute shortage of skilled staff in this sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21816/22]
View answerWritten answers
Ireland operates a managed employment permits system which maximises the benefits of economic migration while minimising the risk of disrupting Ireland’s labour market. The system is intended to act as a conduit for key skills which are required to develop enterprise in the State for the benefit of our economy, while simultaneously protecting the balance of the labour market. The system is, by design, vacancy led and driven by the changing needs of the labour market, expanding and contracting in tandem with its inherent fluctuations.
The State’s general policy is to promote the sourcing of labour and skills needs from within the workforce of the State and other EEA states. Where specific skills prove difficult to source within the State and EEA, an employment permit may be sought by an employer to hire a non-EEA national.
There has been a significant increase in applications for employment permits over the course of 2021 and into 2022 which has impacted on processing times. From the start of January 2021 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.
The increased demand was also driven by the extension of categories of employment permits following the Review of the Occupational Lists in October 2021. Processing times have also increased as a result of the HSE cyber-attack which had a direct effect on employment permit applications associated with the July 2021 Doctors' rotation, which had to be processed manually.
Cognisant of the significant impact the pandemic has had on the Hospitality Sector, when the sector reopened in July 2021, the Department committed to prioritise the processing of chef employment permit applications received in the processing queue at that time, in order to support the sector.
The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment recognises the impact delays in the processing times for work permits has for businesses and their workers and significant resources have been allocated to processing times. The Department is very conscious of the current timeframes for processing General Employment Permit applications and the Employment Permits Unit are committed to reducing these.
An plan of action has been implemented which has increased resources and implemented more efficient methods of processing applications in the permits system. The processing team has trebled in size and daily output has more than tripled compared to 2021 levels.
Since the implementation of this plan, the Employment Permits Unit has made positive progress to reduce the processing time for applicants.
The Department is placing a particular focus on 'new' employment permit applications over renewal applications, however it is important to note that once a Renewal application has been submitted within the period prescribed, the non-EEA National can continue to work while the application is awaiting processing.
Renewal applications will of course continue to be processed, however the focus of the Employment Permits Unit will be directed at new applications in the main processing queue. From 7 March, Renewal applications have their own separate processing queue and timeline on the Department’s website.
The Employment Permits Unit is currently processing Horticultural and Meat Sector General Employment Permits applications which were submitted in early December 2021, in addition to all other permits submitted then. Given the large volume of applications from the Agriculture sector (c.1,000 horticulture applications and c.2,000 meat applications) we anticipate that it will take a further 1-2 weeks to fully process all these applications, in addition to normal processing workload. The Department expects to see a consistent fall in waiting times for General Employment Permits from mid-May, with processing times considerably reduced by end Q2.
The Department published details of processing times on its website. In addition, applicants can enquire about the status of a particular Employment Permit Application vis the status form on the Department’s website - enterprise.gov.ie/en/What-We-Do/Workplace-and-Skills/Employment-Permits/Employment-Permit-Status-Form/.
Trade Missions
Questions (72)
Claire Kerrane
Question:72. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if a trade mission to Portugal is scheduled before the end of the first half of 2022. [21841/22]
View answerWritten answers
I was in Lisbon on 28 and 29 April 2022 as part of an Enterprise Ireland-led trade mission to Portugal.
While in Portugal, I spoke at a number of Enterprise Ireland trade events and met with participating Enterprise Ireland client companies to learn about their export objectives. I also met with Portuguese buyers and highlighted potential opportunities for trade and partnership between Irish and Portuguese companies.
In addition, I also held bilateral meetings with my Portuguese counterparts to discuss areas in which Ireland and Portugal could deepen their trading relationships.
Sustainable Development Goals
Questions (73)
James Lawless
Question:73. Deputy James Lawless asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the way that he can support businesses in Ireland to contribute to the delivery of the goals and targets in the United Nations sustainable development goals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21972/22]
View answerWritten answers
The UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is a significant and ambitious policy agenda that concerns all Government Departments. The first National Implementation Plan, published in 2018, set out Ireland’s strategy to achieve the SDGs both domestically and internationally. Substantial progress has been achieved in recent months in respect of reviewing Ireland’s implementation of Agenda 2030 and identifying key priorities and actions for inclusion in the next National Implementation Plan. It is intended that the second national implementation plan will be published in the coming months.
My Department recognises the key role that businesses play in achieving sustainable development. Business and industry are one of the 2030 Agenda’s nine “Major Groups” which play a crucial role in sustainable development, underlining the importance of engaging with this sector and ensuring that they are supported in progressing the work of the SDGs.
The business sector is essential for the achievement of Irelands SDG targets and is explicitly linked to a number of SDGs such as Goal 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and Goal 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production). Further, the majority of SDGs are reliant on business sector contribution. For example, business policies and practices play an integral part to the achievement of goals such as gender equality (Goal 5) and climate action (Goal 13).
Feedback received during the consultation process for the second national SDG implementation plan indicated a greater desire in the business community for engagement with the goals. Businesses also expressed an interest in the development of a mechanism for the sector to report on their current work and contribute to the progression of Irelands goals and targets. Based on this feedback, one of the actions envisaged under the forthcoming second implementation plan will be the exploration and development of a suitable mechanism or forum to facilitate and support the business sector in their contribution to the delivery of goals and targets.
In addition, my Department has begun initial discussions with the UN Global Compact regarding the establishment of a network here in Ireland. The Compact supports businesses globally to align their work with ten principles on human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption, as well as advance the SDGs. The establishment of an Irish network would be a positive development for encouraging sustainable practice among Irish enterprise in making progress towards the Sustainable Development Goal targets, and it is something which the Department will work to facilitate.
Departmental Staff
Questions (74)
John Lahart
Question:74. Deputy John Lahart asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the details of secondments from his Department to the university third level sector over the past two years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22248/22]
View answerWritten answers
Over the past two years, there has only been one secondment arrangement between my Department and a university/third level sector.
This secondment arrangement was in respect of an Assistant Principal Officer of my Department who was seconded, for two days a week, to University College Cork (UCC). He was seconded to the position of Senior Policy Adviser to MaREI, SFI Research Centre for Energy, Climate and Marine Research and Innovation that is co-ordinated by the Environmental Research Institute (ERI) at University College Cork.
For administrative purposes, given the nature of the secondment (2 day/3 day), the officer remained on my Department's payroll but salary-related costs associated with the 2 days working in the research center were recouped from UCC. As such, my Department was not liable for salary costs for the 2 days the officer worked in the research center.
This secondment arrangement between my Department and University College Cork ended on 31 December 2021.
EU Directives
Questions (75)
Catherine Murphy
Question:75. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will provide a schedule of fines and totality of the amount paid in respect of fines issued by the EU on his Department for failing to transpose EU directives; if he will include the directive that was not transposed on time; and if he will indicate the directives that are still not fully transposed for the past 25 years to date in 2022. [22323/22]
View answerWritten answers
My Department has not incurred any costs in relation to fines for non-transposition of EU directives into Irish law.
There are currently four Directives overdue for transposition:
Directive (EU) 2019/1 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2018 to empower the competition authorities of the Member States to be more effective enforcers and to ensure the proper functioning of the internal market
DIRECTIVE (EU) 2019/770 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 May 2019 on certain aspects concerning contracts for the supply of digital content and digital services
DIRECTIVE (EU) 2019/771 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 May 2019 on certain aspects concerning contracts for the sale of goods, amending Regulation (EU) 2017/2394 and Directive 2009/22/EC, and repealing Directive 1999/44/EC
DIRECTIVE (EU) 2019/2161 of 27 November 2019 amending Council Directive 93/13/EEC and Directives 98/6/EC, 2005/29/EC and 2011/83/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the better enforcement and modernisation of Union consumer protection rule.
Departmental Schemes
Questions (76)
Richard Boyd Barrett
Question:76. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications his views on the accessibility of the €200 electricity grant for social housing tenants who use a pay-as-you-go service; if an initial top-up is required to access it; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21917/22]
View answerWritten answers
The Electricity Costs (Domestic Electricity Accounts) Emergency Measures Act 2022 established a scheme for the making in 2022, of a once-off Electricity Costs Emergency Benefit Payment to each domestic electricity account, having regard to the exceptional rise in energy prices. The credit of €176.22 (excluding VAT) is being applied to all domestic electricity accounts through April, May and June, and includes prepay meters.This scheme is in addition to the Government’s ongoing measures to address energy poverty and the protection of vulnerable customers, and is in addition to the measures introduced in the Budget. Additional measures have also been announced by Government to deal with rising energy costs.Prepay customers will be notified by their supplier via an email/text message/or message on the top-up note to advise them that the credit has been applied to their account. Suppliers will issue customers with a 40 code which is used when vending, to redeem the credit. For customers with Lifestyle or Smart prepay meters, the credit will be automatically applied to the vend after the supplier has activated the credit to the customer’s account.There is a small population of older prepayment meters which, due to their age and inbuilt monetary limits, will require the customer to redeem their credit over three separate transactions over the space of a few days. In these cases, to redeem each stage of the credit, customers will need to buy a (minimum) €10 top up. When they do this they will receive a new code which will credit their meter with the Government Electricity Credit when entered. Once the credit is applied to the customer’s account/meter they can access it by vending 3 times. The Deputy may also wish to note that updates on the electricity credit, including frequently asked questions, are available on gov.ie at: www.gov.ie/en/publication/4ae14-electricity-costs-emergency-benefit-scheme/
Departmental Schemes
Questions (77)
Niamh Smyth
Question:77. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if matters raised in correspondence by a person (details supplied) will be reviewed; the reason that residential business properties are not included in this scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21661/22]
View answerWritten answers
The Electricity Costs (Domestic Electricity Accounts) Emergency Measures Act 2022 established a scheme for the making in 2022, of a once-off Electricity Costs Emergency Benefit Payment to each domestic electricity account, having regard to the exceptional rise in energy prices. The credit of €176.22 (excluding VAT) is being applied to all domestic electricity accounts from April and includes prepay meters.This scheme is in addition to the Government’s ongoing measures to address energy poverty and the protection of vulnerable customers, and is in addition to the measures introduced in the Budget and those set out in the recently published National Energy Security Framework. The scheme applies to all domestic accounts and includes pre-pay customers. The scheme is operated by the Distribution System Operator (ESB Networks) and electricity suppliers with oversight by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities.This is an exceptional measure which uses the single eligibility criterion of a meter point registration number, to ensure payments to each domestic electricity account as early as possible in 2022, without any additional means testing. As such, it is being applied automatically to all domestic electricity accounts which were held with suppliers on 29 March. The payment is being applied to domestic electricity accounts i.e. those which are subject to distribution use of system charges at the rate for urban domestic customers (DG1) or the rate for rural domestic customers (DG2), as set out in section 1 of the Act. The Deputy may also wish to note that updates on the electricity credit, including frequently asked questions, are available on gov.ie at: www.gov.ie/en/publication/4ae14-electricity-costs-emergency-benefit-scheme/
Environmental Policy
Questions (78)
Noel Grealish
Question:78. Deputy Noel Grealish asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications when the draft management plan for the Great Western Lakes including Lough Corrib SAC will be published by his Department; if the plan will be in compliance with the EU Habitats and Water Framework directives; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21746/22]
View answerWritten answers
I refer to the response to Question no. 317 of 26 April last. The Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) submitted a revised draft draft Western Lakes Management Plan to me earlier this year and I wrote to IFI to confirm my support for that draft last month. I understand that IFI now intends to conduct a public consultation on the draft plan. The draft plan sets out that appropriate assessments will be carried out for all projects and management actions on the western lakes.
Departmental Funding
Questions (79)
Carol Nolan
Question:79. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if his attention has been drawn to the use of Just Transition funding to subsidise the importation of peat moss or the adaptation of facilities to mill peat; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21778/22]
View answerWritten answers
The Midlands region is the first in Ireland to directly experience the negative impacts of the transition away from fossil fuels, with the ending of peat extraction for power generation, and Government has implemented financial measures to combat the negative effects of this transition in the region. Just transition funding has not been provided for the purposes of subsidising the importation of peat moss or the adaptation of facilities to mill peat. The National Just Transition Fund is supporting projects across the wider Midlands region that will have significant employment and enterprise potential in the areas of: business development; education, training and upskilling; development of co-working and enterprise hubs; renewable energies and retrofitting; tourism, heritage and recreation; community development and capacity building; and greenways and walking.
The Department has finalised grant agreements with 55 projects under the national Just Transition Fund. These projects will see investment of approximately €30 million in the region and will aim to create an estimated 154 direct jobs and 932 indirect jobs. Further details of these projects can be found at: www.gov.ie/en/publication/ed10d-just-transition-fund/
Funding of €84.5 million has also been secured from the EU Just Transition Fund for investment in the longer-term transition of the region over the coming decade. This fund will be complemented by Exchequer funding. The Department is preparing a Territorial Just Transition Plan to support investments under this Fund. This will be submitted to the European Commission for approval during the course of 2022.
The EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) is investing up to €108 million in the Enhanced Decommissioning, Rehabilitation and Restoration Scheme which will create over 350 jobs and will be delivered by Bord na Móna to rehabilitate 33,000 hectares over 82 Bord na Móna bogs.
Departmental Funding
Questions (80)
Carol Nolan
Question:80. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if his attention has been drawn to the use of Just Transition funding to subsidise the importation of peat moss or the adaptation of facilities to mill peat; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21779/22]
View answerWritten answers
The Midlands region is the first in Ireland to directly experience the negative impacts of the transition away from fossil fuels, with the ending of peat extraction for power generation, and Government has implemented financial measures to combat the negative effects of this transition in the region. Just transition funding has not been provided for the purposes of subsidising the importation of peat moss or the adaptation of facilities to mill peat. The National Just Transition Fund is supporting projects across the wider Midlands region that will have significant employment and enterprise potential in the areas of: business development; education, training and upskilling; development of co-working and enterprise hubs; renewable energies and retrofitting; tourism, heritage and recreation; community development and capacity building; and greenways and walking.
The Department has finalised grant agreements with 55 projects under the national Just Transition Fund. These projects will see investment of approximately €30 million in the region and will aim to create an estimated 154 direct jobs and 932 indirect jobs. Further details of these projects can be found at: www.gov.ie/en/publication/ed10d-just-transition-fund/
Funding of €84.5 million has also been secured from the EU Just Transition Fund for investment in the longer-term transition of the region over the coming decade. This fund will be complemented by Exchequer funding. The Department is preparing a Territorial Just Transition Plan to support investments under this Fund. This will be submitted to the European Commission for approval during the course of 2022.
The EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) is investing up to €108 million in the Enhanced Decommissioning, Rehabilitation and Restoration Scheme which will create over 350 jobs and will be delivered by Bord na Móna to rehabilitate 33,000 hectares over 82 Bord na Móna bogs.