Tuesday, 13 Dec 2022

Written Answers Nos. 1-70

Job Losses

Questions (62)

Ged Nash

Question:

62. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will provide an update on the concrete actions taken by officials at his Department, the IDA and Enterprise Ireland to intensify their engagement with tech employers following recent high-profile layoffs within the sector; if he will provide an update on the meetings that his officials or stated agencies have had with representatives from the sector and senior tech employers, if any, over the past month; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62092/22]

Written answers

Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment

My main concern is for the staff and their families who will be affected by down-sizing in certain tech companies. We will assist any employees affected as they seek alternative employment or other opportunities.

As a country we are close to full employment, with high demand for tech, marketing and other skills across all sectors. There is a strong pipeline of new investments from overseas and within Ireland in a range of sectors, including tech, and we expect many positive announcements in the coming months.

IDA’s annual employment figures, announced yesterday, were exceptionally good – 24,000 net new jobs and over half of all new investment in regional locations. Still, in the face of such global uncertainty, we are likely to see companies adopt a cautious approach, so slower growth is likely in 2023.

When the uncertainty in the global tech sector began to emerge a few weeks ago, I convened a meeting with senior IDA and Enterprise Ireland staff along with Ministers of State Damien English and Dara Calleary. I issued a press release after that meeting on 7 November stating that we had asked for engagement with the major tech companies to be intensified, through the IDA and Enterprise Ireland.

Since then, I have engaged with the companies directly through my own office, through officials in the Department of Enterprise, Trade & Employment and its agencies. I wanted to convey at those meetings that I was available to help in any way that I or the Government could do so. I also wanted to receive assurances that the companies would adhere to their statutory obligations, and we have received those assurances.

As the Deputy will be aware, we published a new White Paper on Enteprise last week setting out ambitious targets for the indigenous and multinational sectors.

Notwithstanding the recent retrenchment in the tech sector, the future is digital. There is going to be more data, more robotics, artificial intelligence, augmented and virtual reality and autonomous transport. There will be a huge expansion of the tech sector in the medium term and we will make sure that Ireland is at the forefront of that.

Questions Nos. 63 to 66, inclusive, answered orally.

Enterprise Support Services

Questions (67)

Aindrias Moynihan

Question:

67. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he is satisfied that the current staffing levels at Enterprise Ireland Cork regional offices meet the demands for County Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62133/22]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment

I understand that the Deputy is referring to both Enterprise Ireland’s Cork office and the Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) in Cork.

There are currently 20 staff employed at Enterprise Ireland’s Cork regional office. The staff cover a wide remit of interests to serve County Cork and the Southwest region generally.

There are also currently 28 staff based in the Cork Local Enterprise Offices serving the Cork City, Cork South and Cork North/West.

I have no reason to believe that the total staff complement is insufficient to meet the business service requirements for County Cork.

The regional office in Cork provides a range of advisory services to businesses in the food, life sciences, engineering, digital technologies, fintech and business & consumer services sectors. In addition to providing advisory supports, the Cork office also offers assistance to potential exporters and provides a very good service for high potential startup companies looking to source seed funding for new high potential businesses.

The needs of companies seeking to innovate and expand their Research and Development capabilities are serviced by R&D advisory staff in Cork. Advice on the availability of funding for climate transition and sustainability is addressed through a representative from Enterprise Ireland’s Climate Action and Sustainability Unit.

In relation to overall staffing levels, under public sector staffing, recruitment and pay rules, Departments and Agencies are required to remain within their approved pay ceilings and staffing numbers while maintaining services to the greatest possible extent.

Question No. 68 answered orally.

EU Directives

Questions (69)

Catherine Connolly

Question:

69. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment further to Parliamentary Question No. 51 of 26 October 2022, the status of his Department’s work regarding the transposition of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive; when the stakeholder forum is scheduled to take place; when the public consultation will open for submissions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62038/22]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment

I understand that the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive will be signed shortly by the Presidents of the EU Parliament and the Council and is expected to be published in the EU official journal before the end of the year. This will start the 20-day countdown for the directive to enter into force. Ireland and other Member States will then have 18 months to give effect to the new rules in national law.

The impact of the directive will be to enhance the disclosure by certain types of companies on their performance in relation to environmental, social and governance matters, and to deter greenwashing. Companies that are in scope of the new rules will be required to report annually in their directors’ report according to mandatory EU sustainability standards. The first reports will be published in 2025 but companies will need to begin their preparations well in advance.

This is a significant change in how such companies are publicly accountable for their impact on people and the environment. At the same time, the new reporting rules present an opportunity for Irish businesses to gain a competitive advantage through demonstrating their responsibility in relation to sustainability matters.

My officials have commenced work on the project to give effect to the new rules in Ireland. A stakeholder forum will be held in January 2023 to update and give guidance on the Directive and next steps. A public consultation will be launched at the same time seeking stakeholder views on the discretionary Member State options available under the Directive.

I would encourage companies and other stakeholders to engage with the event and, to contribute to the public consultation thereafter.

Wage-setting Mechanisms

Questions (70)

Dessie Ellis

Question:

70. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment his views on the pay and conditions of electricians and apprentice electricians working in the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62108/22]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment

In 2021 the Labour Court prepared a proposal for a Sectoral Employment Order for the employees and apprentices in the electrical contracting sector. Sectoral Employment Orders (SEOs) are legally binding orders and require employers in the specific sector to provide staff with minimum rates of pay and pension contributions.

SEOs can be established following a request from a trade union or an employer’s organisation to the Labour Court to review issues such as the pay, pension or sick pay scheme for workers in a particular sector. The Labour Court can then conduct an examination for that sector, and make a recommendation to the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to establish an SEO for the sector. When the Minister signs an SEO, the Labour Court’s recommendations become legally binding across the sector.

On 1 February 2022, following the recommendation by the Labour Court I signed a Sectoral Employment Order into effect for the electrical contracting sector. This Order set a statutory minimum rate of pay starting from €24.14 per hour for employees and between 35% and 80% of that minimum rate for apprentices.

However, in October 2022 the Order was set aside by the High Court and accordingly there is currently no Sectoral Employment Order for electrical contractors in place. However, it is open for either employers or employee representatives to request that the Labour Court prepare a new proposal for a Sectoral Employment Order.

In general, SEOs provide fair and sustainable rates of remuneration for employees and help create a level playing field for contractors competing in the sectors concerned.

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