Written Answers Nos. 160-180
160. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the estimated full-year cost of recruiting five additional full-time professional accountants grade 1 and two additional full-time solicitors for the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement. [43411/21]
View answerIn preparation for the establishment of the Corporate Enforcement Authority my Department sanctioned 14 additional staff at civil service grades. This was based on assessment of the new Authority's staffing needs by the Director of Corporate Enforcement. It represents a 35% increase in civil service staff. These additional posts will ensure that the Authority is adequately equipped to assume the additional responsibilities that accompany Agency status and to further enhance its investigative capacity.
A number of key senior positions have recently been advertised. These positions include a Director of Governance & Support Operations, Director of Finance & ICT and Director of Legal. A new position of Digital Forensics Manager has also been advertised.
The minimum estimated full-year cost of recruiting five additional full-time Professional Accountants Grade 1 and two additional full-time Solicitors for the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement is €500,914.
This estimate is calculated using the first point of the salary scale for Professional Accountants Grade 1 of €72,578 and the first point on the salary scale for Assistant Principal Officers of €69,012 which is the grade equivalent to a Solicitor in the ODCE.
161. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the degree to which efforts are being made to source an adequate supply of operatives to facilitate the meat-processing sector, having particular regard to the serious backlog that currently exists affecting the island of Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43416/21]
View answerPolicy responsibility for food production, including meat processing, is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
Food Wise 2025 sets out a ten-year plan for the agri-food sector. It underlines the sector’s unique and special position within the Irish economy, and it illustrates the potential which exists for this sector to grow even further. The creation of 23,000 additional jobs all along the supply chain from producer level to high-end value-added product development are among the ambitious and challenging growth projections for the industry over the timeframe of the plan.
Ireland operates a managed employment permits system maximising the benefits of economic migration and minimising the risk of disrupting Ireland’s labour market. The employment permits regime is designed to facilitate the entry of appropriately skilled non-EEA nationals to fill skills and/or labour shortages in the State, required to develop and support enterprise for the benefit of our economy. However, this objective must be balanced by the need to ensure that there are no suitably qualified Irish/EEA nationals available to undertake the work and that the shortage is a genuine one.
The employment permits 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 consideration for an employment permit and these lists are subject to twice-yearly evidenced based review.
In May 2018 a pilot quota-based scheme was introduced to remove the occupations of meat processing operative, horticulture worker and dairy farm assistant from the ineligible occupations list. The scheme initially provided 250 general employment permits for the meat processing industry to address the immediate needs of the sector in sourcing labour. On foot of further evidence produced by the sector, in consultation with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, it was decided to extend the pilot scheme on three occasions. A total of 2,500 permits were made available to meat processing operatives. A total of 660 permits have been made available for meat deboners. The extensions of the pilot scheme for meat processing operatives ensured that the sector’s immediate difficulties were addressed and the potential that a lack of available labour could constrict growth was minimised. Both these quotas are now exhausted.
In June 2021, I announced the outcome of the most recent review of the occupation lists with changes made in respect of certain occupations in the healthcare sector. No change was recommended in respect of the meat processing sector at that time, given the continuing uncertainty in the labour market caused by COVID-19.
A further review is underway at present with consideration of the 26 submissions received. The review is expected to be finalised in the early Autumn.
162. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment his plans to deal with the reported current shortfall in construction workers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43493/21]
View answerThe Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN) is the independent, non-statutory body that advises the Government on projected skills requirements across the Irish economy and makes recommendations on how existing education and training systems and delivery mechanisms, as well as other sources of skills supply, can be improved.
My Department provides research and secretarial support to the Group, and as part of the national skills architecture, the EGFSN's analysis helps inform the work of the National Skills Council, which advises on the prioritisation of identified skills needs and the allocation resources across the education and training system to address these needs.
As part of its 2020 and 2021 work programme, the EGFSN has engaged in a series of studies examining the nature and quantity of skills needs across the wider built environment sector over the medium to long term, in line with the Government's ambitions across housing, infrastructural development and built environment energy efficiency.
These include the 2020 report, Building Future Skills- The Demand for Skills in Ireland's Built Environment Sector to 2030; the forthcoming paper Labour Demand Estimates for Ireland's National Housing Targets, 2021-2030, the EGFSN's contribution to the development of Housing for All; and the forthcoming report on Skills for the Zero Carbon Economy, which amongst other areas examines the skills needs arising from the Government's residential retrofit targets and the construction skills needs resulting from renewable energy projects.
Through the EGFSN Secretariat's close engagement with relevant stakeholders, this analysis, which includes detailed breakdown and forecasts of skills needs at occupational level, as well as recommendations aimed at enhancing skills supply across the built environment sector, is informing skills planning across Government, industry and the education and training system.
This includes informing the broader campaign aimed at promoting construction career opportunities, which is being undertaken by the Construction Sector Group, representative of the sector's key public and private stakeholders; the alignment of education and training programmes and graduate output by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, its agencies, and Higher Education and Further Education and Training providers; the transitioning, where feasible, of the unemployed into construction sector roles under the new Pathways to Work, 2021-2025 strategy; and the continued responsiveness of the employment permit system to identified skills needs across the construction sector.
163. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if his Department has engaged with local enterprise offices on their funding allocation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43494/21]
View answerIn preparation for Budget 2022, my Department has been liaising with all its business units, and the offices and agencies under its remit, including with the unit responsible for the Local Enterprise Offices, as to their funding requirements for the coming year.
I and my officials will engage in bi-lateral discussions on these funding requirements with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform and his Department in the coming weeks.
It is my intention that the outcome of these discussions will ensure the Local Enterprise Offices are adequately funded to continue to carry out the vital role that they play in enterprise development throughout every community in the country.
164. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment his plans to address the labour shortage in the mushroom industry; if he plans to reintroduce the pilot labour permit scheme; if he further plans to implement other supports in this regard; the status of the referenced review in reply to Parliamentary Question No. 135 of 5 May 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43510/21]
View answerPolicy responsibility for the food production is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
Food Wise 2025 sets out a ten-year plan for the agri-food sector. It underlines the sector’s unique and special position within the Irish economy, and it illustrates the potential which exists for this sector to grow even further. The creation of 23,000 additional jobs all along the supply chain from producer level to high-end value-added product development are among the ambitious and challenging growth projections for the industry over the timeframe of the plan.
The employment permits system is designed to facilitate the entry of appropriately skilled non-EEA nationals to fill skills and/or labour shortages, however, this objective must be balanced by the need to ensure that there are no suitably qualified Irish/EEA nationals available to undertake the work and that the shortage is a genuine one. It is managed through the operation of the critical skills and the ineligible occupations lists which determine employments that are either in high demand or are ineligible for consideration for an employment permit. The Iists are subject to twice yearly evidence-based reviews which are guided by research undertaken by the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN) and the Skills and the Labour Market Research Unit (SLMRU) in SOLAS, a public consultation process, input from the relevant policy Departments and the Economic Migration Inter-Departmental Group, chaired by the Department. Account is also taken of contextual factors such as Brexit and, in the current context, COVID 19 and their impact on the labour market.
In May 2018, following a detailed business case submitted by the sector, my Department introduced a pilot quota-based scheme to remove the occupations of horticulture worker, meat processing operative and dairy farm assistant from the ineligible occupations list. This pilot scheme proved very successful for a range of employers in the sector and 500 permits were made available to the Horticulture sector. At present, the quota for Horticulture Worker has expired.
The outcome of the review referenced in my reply to Parliamentary Question No. 135 on 5th May 2021, was announced on 14th June, with changes made in respect of certain occupations in the healthcare sector. No change was recommended in respect of the horticulture sector at that time. There was continuing uncertainty in the labour market caused by COVID-19. In addition, initiatives involving sector representatives working closely with the Department of Social Protection on a recruitment campaign ‘Harvest2Harvest’ to support the recruitment of temporary workers from both the live register and across the European Union were underway. The report did recommend that this issue be kept under review, mindful of the need to protect food supplies in the event that workers cannot be sourced locally or from the EEA.
A further review is underway at present with consideration of the 26 submissions received underway, including from the horticulture sector. The review is expected to be finalised in the early autumn.
165. Deputy David Stanton asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment further to Parliamentary Question No. 44 of 23 June 2021, if his Department has completed its review of the public consultation submissions on furniture fire safety regulations; when he expects further recommendations on revised regulations to be issued; if his attention has been drawn to comparative domestic fire mortality rates in the EU and the United States; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43617/21]
View answerIn the area of furniture fire safety, there are no harmonised EU standards. The Irish standard (I.S. 419:2011) and regulations (SI No. 316/1995) were introduced to protect consumers by preventing the rapid spread of a fire started on or near furniture. The Irish Regulations set out a more robust safety standard than applies in other EU Member States in order to provide a higher level of safety in this area.
A public consultation was conducted in late 2019 by the Department on the future of the Irish regulations. Due to the onset of the Covid-19 epidemic, the public consultation period was extended as not all stakeholders could comply with the original deadline.
My officials are currently reviewing the responses to the public consultation which we received from a wide variety of stakeholders. The submissions received were very detailed and will take time to evaluate to ensure that the recommendations are based on robust evidence. There have been a number of reports comparing mortality rates due to fires in the EU and the United States along with reports looking at the causes of domestic fires and these reports are being taken into account by my officials, where relevant.
I hope to have recommendations on any revised regulations on foot of that evaluation process later in the year.
166. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of Bills prepared by his Department since 27 June 2020; the number and title of those Bills that included regulatory impact assessments; the title of the regulatory impact assessments that have been published by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43704/21]
View answerDetails of all legislation prepared by my Department, including details of Regulatory Impact Assessments, are published on my Department's website at the following address:
https://enterprise.gov.ie/en/Legislation
167. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of IDA Ireland site visits to County Cork in quarter 2 of 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43956/21]
View answerRegional development is at the centre of IDA’s new strategy. IDA Ireland will target half of all investments (400) from 2021- 2024 to regional locations and maintain the same high level of investment as targeted in IDA’s previous strategy for each region of the country.
The FDI performance in the South West Region has been consistent over the past five years with employment among IDA clients increasing by 29.64 %. There are 194 IDA client companies in Cork, employing 43,856 in total.
In response to COVID, IDA migrated many of its business development and client engagement activities to digital platforms during 2020. IDA Ireland has developed a suite of digital content which can be accessed by potential investors. The Agency has developed this further and has put in place an E-Site Visit experience for potential investors. The use of digital platforms by IDA staff has contributed to an enhanced digital engagement with existing clients and also in hosting E-Site visits with potential new investors. There were 20 E-site visits to Cork to end Q2 2021.
168. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of businesses in County Cork that have applied to the small business assistance scheme; the number of same that have received funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43957/21]
View answerThe Government recognises the sacrifices business owners, employees and their families have made over the past 18 months in order to protect their community from COVID-19. As you are aware, the Government put in place a comprehensive package to help businesses and workers during the pandemic. These business supports were unprecedented.
The total number of Small Business Assistance Scheme for COVID (SBASC) applications for Cork are broken down between the two Local Authorities, Cork County and Cork City.
The total number of Small Business Assistance Scheme for COVID (SBASC) applications for County Cork is 474, of which 333 have been approved for payment.
The total number of Small Business Assistance Scheme for COVID (SBASC) applications for Cork City is 484, of that figure 274 have been approved for payment.
The main reasons why businesses may not have been approved for funding include that turnover was above the eligibility criteria, incomplete application forms or the business was in receipt of CRSS or another sectoral scheme.
The Small Business Assistance Scheme for COVID (SBASC) is now closed and eligible business can now apply for the Government's new Business Resumption Support Scheme (BRSS). My colleague, the Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe TD on 6th September last announced the launch of the BRSS as a new support scheme for businesses with reduced turnover as a result of public health restrictions, with a maximum payment of €15,000. The BRSS is a general scheme and is open to any businesses whose turnover remains impacted as a result of public health restrictions. Businesses who previously availed of other schemes such and SBASC, the Tourism Business Continuity Scheme and CRSS will be eligible to apply provided they meet the qualifying criteria.
The Governments comprehensive business support package included the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS), the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP), the COVID-19 Restrictions Support Scheme (CRSS), low-cost loans, the deferral and warehousing of tax liabilities and the waiver of commercial rates.
Details of the wide range of COVID-19 schemes are available on my Department’s website at https://enterprise.gov.ie/en/What-We-Do/Supports-for-SMEs/COVID-19-supports/.
I would also encourage business owners to talk to their Local Enterprises Offices in Cork who offer advice and guidance in relation to the supports available to businesses.
169. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the amount paid in late interest payments and penalty payments by his Department in each of the years 2017 to 2020 and to date in 2021 in respect of late payments being made to suppliers, service providers and contractors in tabular form; and the measures he has put in place and or is implementing to reduce late payment interest and penalty payments. [44001/21]
View answerA total of €51,531 was paid by my Department in late payment interest and compensation to suppliers in the period 2017 to end August 2021. A total of €75,492,129 was paid to suppliers by the Department in that period. Of that total, some €1,311,704 of payments were subject to late payment interest and compensation. The €51,531 in interest and compensation paid to suppliers is broken down by year in the table below:
|
Year |
Total Payments to Suppliers |
Value of payments subject to Late Payment Interest and Compensation |
Actual Late Payment Interest and Compensation |
|
2017 |
€25,461,762 |
€535,848 |
€12,209 |
|
2018 |
€14,444,099 |
€175,032 |
€2,693 |
|
2019 |
€14,542,946 |
€109,894 |
€3,716 |
|
2020 |
€13,880,835 |
€321,805 |
€27,007 |
|
2021 (10 September) |
€7,162,487 |
€169,125 |
€5,906 |
|
Total |
€75,492,129 |
€1,311,704 |
€51,531 |
The importance of prompt payment is highlighted in my Department’s internal financial procedures. Regular awareness, information sessions and training on prompt payment is carried out with all relevant business units of the Department including through induction courses for new staff, refresher financial procedures courses for all staff, how-to videos on the staff intranet and regular reminders to staff particularly at holiday periods. Compliance with prompt payment obligations is monitored constantly and reported on quarterly.
A recent late payment review undertaken by the Department’s Internal Audit Unit recommended a number of additional measures which could be taken to strengthen internal controls and provide further guidance to staff on the importance of prompt payment. These recommendations are being implemented.
170. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the amount paid in late interest payments and penalty payments in each of the years from 2017 to 2020 and to date in 2021 made by the IDA and Enterprise Ireland in respect of late payments being made to suppliers, service providers and contractors, in tabular form; and the measures that each respective body has put in place or is implementing to reduce late payment interest and-or penalty payments. [44017/21]
View answerThe information requested in relation to the IDA is available on the IDA Ireland website and is posted every quarter. Material related to the prompt payment policy of EI is also published quarterly on their website.
Below is a list of late payments and compensations for the period 2017 and to end of June 2021, for both the IDA and EI.
|
YEAR |
IDA LATE PAYMENT INTEREST & COMPENSATION |
EI LATE PAYMENT INTEREST & COMPENSATION |
|
€ |
€ |
|
|
2017 |
802.00 |
121.94 |
|
2018 |
8,152.00 |
74.20 |
|
2019 |
23,088.00 |
337.20 |
|
2020 |
2,244.00 |
270.55 |
|
2021 |
245.00 |
95.05 |
Both IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland endeavour to minimise the amount of late payment interest and compensation payments using the following measures:
- Promptly commence the processing of invoices as received.
- Tracking the date invoices are received, and how many days left to make prompt payment, and highlighting the due dates.
- Daily Monitoring of invoices on hold & promptly taking appropriate action
- Processing frequent payment batches
- Returning incorrect or inadequate invoice to suppliers within 10 working days (with a written statement identifying the defects that prevent the payment being made).
- Utilising automation where possible.
171. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the steps he is taking to ensure that workers who wish to do so can work from home. [44022/21]
View answerThe right to request remote work is part of a broader Government vision to make remote working a permanent feature of Ireland’s workforce in a way that can benefit all – economically, socially and environmentally. The commitment to introduce legislation to underpin employees' right to request remote work was made in the national Remote Work Strategy published last January. The Covid pandemic has certainly brought remote working centre stage and work on this important legislation is well advanced.
The Bill will set out a clear framework to facilitate remote and blended work options, in so far as possible. It will ensure that when an employer declines a request, there are stated reasons for doing so. Remote working will not work for everyone, so we will take a balanced approach with the legislation.
On 20th August, a summary report of the submissions on my Department's website was published.
Cabinet approval will be sought for the drafting of Heads of a Bill in Quarter 4 2021. The Bill will be progressed through the Oireachtas as quickly as possible thereafter. The intention is to introduce a mechanism for employees to request remote working that is fair but does not place an undue burden on employers.
In the meantime, we will also continue to provide up to date advice, guidance and information on all aspects of remote working for workers and employers.
On 28th June the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment launched the Department’s Making Remote Work campaign. The campaign aims to raise awareness of the advice and information available from Government to help workers and employers facilitate more remote and blended working. This includes guidance for employers and workers and a Remote Working Checklist which are all available on my Department’s website.
172. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment his views on lower minimum wages for young workers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44023/21]
View answerLegislation governing the national minimum wage is set down in the National Minimum Wage Act 2000 and the National Minimum Wage (Low Pay Commission) Act 2015. These Acts provide for the setting of a national minimum wage and also provide that in specified circumstances, a reduced, subminimum rate may be applied.
The Low Pay Commission was requested, as part of its 2016 work programme, to examine the sub-minimum rates (special training and youth rates) of the national minimum wage and to report its recommendations.
The subsequent 2017 Low Pay Commission report on subminimum rates sets out a clear evidence base and rationale for its recommendations. The Commission commissioned research by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), which examined international practices in relation to the national minimum wage and subminimum rates. The ESRI research found that of the 26 OECD countries (out of 34) that have a statutory national minimum wage, just over half include subminimum rates for young people.
The Low Pay Commission considered abolishing youth rates but concluded that the minimum wage rate would then no longer offer any recognition of the difference between a young inexperienced worker and a more experienced colleague, which could lead to employers no longer seeing a value in hiring young people (and potentially impact on youth employment rates). The Low Pay Commission also concluded that abolishing youth rates could potentially act as an incentive for young people to leave education and take up employment, which could have a negative impact on their long-term prospects.
Ultimately, the Commission recommended that the youth rates should be simplified and be changed to an age-based system. The Commission also recommended that the trainee rates should be abolished. These recommendations were accepted by Government and the changes came into effect on 4 March 2019.
It is worth noting that the Commission recommended that the rate for employees under the age of 18 should also be retained in acknowledgement of the fact that such employees have a statutory restriction on their working hours and conditions under the Protection of Young Persons (Employment) Act 1996.
173. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the steps he is taking to ensure rapid implementation of the employment regulation order for the security sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44024/21]
View answerOn 28 April 2021, I announced my intention to issue an Order to give effect to a statutory recommendation of the Labour Court concerning minimum rates of remuneration and other terms and conditions in the Security Sector.
The Order was to apply from 1 September 2021.
An ex-parte application to initiate legal proceedings challenging the underlying legislation in the High Court was lodged in late July.
As part of the proceedings, the High Court has placed a Stay on me, which stops me from making the Order.
My officials are in the process of ongoing legal advice on the matter.
A press release was issued by my Department on the 17th of August to ensure that employees and employers in the Security Sector are aware that, until such time that these legal issues have been resolved, the statutory minimum rates of pay and other terms and conditions in the sector will remain unchanged.
174. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment further to Parliamentary Question No. 141 of 24 March 2021, the engagement his Department has had with the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission on the need to conduct an investigation into potential mis-selling by Irish agents involved in the French leaseback property scandal, particularly in view of the fact that the Direction générale de la Concurrence, de la Consommation et de la Répression des fraudes in France has now completed its investigation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44042/21]
View answerThe Competition and Consumer Protection Commission is the statutory body responsible for the enforcement of domestic and EU competition law in the State. Section 9 (5) of the Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2014 provides that the Commission is independent in the performance of its functions. As investigations and enforcement matters generally are part of the day-to-day operational work of the Commission, the Minister for, Enterprise, Trade and Employment and I have no direct function in the matter.
Since the Deputy’s previous PQ in March, the CCPC has informed my department that they have received an update from the Direction Générale de La Concurrence, de la Consommation et de la Répression des Fraudes (‘DGCCRF’). The update related to the progress of their investigation and was to be passed on to complainants. The CCPC issued that update to all complainants in July.
At the time that update was provided, the DGCCRF advised that they will inform the CCPC when reports are handed over to the Public Prosecutor in France and they will draw the Public Prosecutor’s attention to the importance of keeping complainants informed about the state of play of proceedings. Complainants were advised at the time that as this is a DGCCRF criminal investigation, the next stage of which involves the handing over of reports to the French Public Prosecutor, the CCPC would not be in a position to comment further, unless requested or authorised to do so by the DGCCRF. However, the CCPC have informed me that they have continued to engage with complainants who contacted them and provide any information they can. Where the CCPC have been unable to answer complainants queries, they have passed them on to the DGCCRF and communicated back any clarifications that they provided.
Regarding the role of Irish agents in the sale of these properties, in response to a previous PQ, the CCPC stated that when the DGCCRF have completed their investigation, the DGCCRF will provide to the CCPC, information on any potential concerns or infringements with respect to Irish agents identified during the course of their investigation. At that point, the CCPC will assess the information provided by the DGCCRF in order to determine whether there may have been a breach of consumer protection legislation by Irish traders. Following any such assessment, the CCPC will decide the necessary next steps. The CCPC are continuing to assist the DGCCRF’s efforts. Their approach continues to be one of providing assistance to the DGCCRF in relation to the investigation and that includes the role that Irish traders may have had in relation to the alleged conduct. That assistance is continuing at this time. Given that this is an ongoing operational matter for the CCPC, you will appreciate that the CCPC are not in a position to provide further detail.
175. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment his plans to remove care workers and home carers from the ineligible list of occupations for employment permits in view of the ongoing recruitment issues facing the sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44043/21]
View answerThe State 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 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 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 of those skills in the domestic and EEA labour market.
In order to maintain the relevance of these lists of occupations to the needs of the economy and to ensure the employment permits system is aligned with current labour market intelligence, these lists undergo twice-yearly evidence-based reviews which are guided by research undertaken by the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN), the Skills and the Labour Market Research Unit (SLMRU), SOLAS and involves public/stakeholder consultation. Account is taken of education outputs, sectoral upskilling and training initiatives and known contextual factors such as Brexit and, in the current context, COVID-19 and their impact on the labour market. Consideration is also taken of the views of the Economic Migration Interdepartmental Group, chaired by the Department and of the relevant policy Departments, in this case the Department of Health.
The most recent review did not recommend removal of the occupation of care worker/home carers from the Ineligible Occupations List as the evidence suggests that other factors, such as the contracts of employment on offer and employment terms and conditions being offered are a factor in the recruitment challenges faced by the sector, rather than a demonstrable labour market shortage. The sector has also previously been advised that a more systematic and structured engagement with the Department of Social Protection needs to be demonstrated.
If a sector wishes to propose a change to the occupations lists, they need to submit a detailed evidence-based business case to substantiate their request. A review is currently underway, with submissions received, including submissions from the Home Care sector, under consideration. It is expected that the review will be finalised by the end of September/early October.
176. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the extent to which his attention has been drawn to the difficulties experienced by various sectors in the economy in obtaining the necessary levels of staff in the aftermath of Covid-19; if he has in mind specific actions to address this issue sector by sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44168/21]
View answerThe past year has been a difficult year for most businesses, and some sectors have been more severely impacted by public health restrictions and for a more prolonged period. Our Economic Recovery Plan, published in June, commits to ongoing support for people and businesses to make a full return to work. Assisting businesses and people in those sectors where the impacts of the pandemic have been most severe is prioritised in the plan in a targeted way. Our Economic Recovery Plan also sets out medium term policies to underpin a sustainable and balanced recovery and a commitment to invest in infrastructure and reforms to enhance our capability and long-term capacity for growth.
The Government is committed to creating the right environment for a jobs-led recovery and to getting people back to work as quickly as possible. While numbers in receipt of the pandemic unemployment payment continue to reduce, significant numbers of people remain in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment in Accommodation and Food Service Activities (27,545), Wholesale and Retail Trade (22,434) and Administrative and support service activities (16,504), and construction (11,725) sectors.
Our Economic Recovery Plan set an ambitious target to exceed pre-crisis employment levels by having 2.5 million people in work by 2024 and in more productive and resilient jobs. The Plan commits to further strengthen Ireland’s Skills Framework to ensure people are supported to secure and remain in sustainable and quality employment. As the PUP is phased out, helping people back to work and reducing the risk of labour market scarring and entrenched long-term unemployment is a priority for Government. This will be achieved through a combination of upskilling and reskilling with substantially accelerated training and skills opportunities and increased activation capacity through Pathways to Work 2021-2025.
The Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025, which targets 10,000 apprenticeship registrations per annum by 2025, is an important mechanism to address skills shortages in particular sectors. Retail Ireland’s Skillnet Apprenticeship in Retail Supervision and the National Hairdressing Apprenticeship are good examples of programmes providing job-ready qualified professionals in those sectors. My colleagues, Simon Harris, TD, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, and Niall Collins, TD, Minister of State for Skills and Further Education, recently announced a further extension of the Apprenticeship Incentivisation Scheme until the end of December 2021 which provides financial support for employers who register apprentices to a national apprenticeship.
The pandemic has accelerated previously existing trends and shifts which have potential to significantly reshape business models and sectors. Many of these changes are likely to be permanent with potential to fundamentally alter Ireland’s economic outlook. Not all previous jobs will return, while capacity constraints may emerge very quickly in certain areas. The twin decarbonisation and digitalisation transition and associated behavioural changes will profoundly alter the economy.
Embracing these transitions will also open up substantial new opportunities for businesses and support significant job creation. Identifying and developing the skills required in growing sectors of the economy is critical to Ireland’s competitiveness. The Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN) advises the Government on projected skills requirements across the Irish economy and makes recommendations on how existing education and training systems and delivery mechanisms, as well as other sources of skills supply, can be improved.
Innovation, collaboration and knowledge are the cornerstone of a sustainable growth model and underpin the agility needed to respond to an evolving sectoral landscape. The Government is committed to creating the right environment for a jobs-led recovery by helping business become more resilient and agile, by increasing Ireland’s competitiveness, and through a focus on expanding sectors. The education, training and research sectors will be supported to respond to the challenge.
177. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the degree to which he has received communications from employers throughout the country who are experiencing difficulty in recruiting staff as Covid-19 restrictions are eased; if his attention has been drawn to the need for the expeditious processing of work permit applications or the use of other methods in order to address the situation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44169/21]
View answerThe employment permits system is designed to facilitate the entry of appropriately skilled non-EEA nationals to fill skills and/or labour shortages, in circumstances where there are no suitably qualified Irish/EEA nationals available to undertake the work and that the shortage is a genuine one.
The system is managed through the operation of the critical skills and the ineligible occupations lists which are subject to twice yearly evidence-based review. These reviews are guided by available research undertaken by the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN), and the Skills and the Labour Market Research Unit (SLMRU) in SOLAS and a public consultation where a range of stakeholders, sector representatives and individual employers make submissions seeking to make changes to the system. Account is taken of education outputs, sectoral upskilling and training initiatives and known contextual factors such as Brexit and, in the current context, COVID-19 and their impact on the labour market. Consideration is also taken of the views of the relevant policy Departments and the Economic Migration Interdepartmental Group, chaired by my Department.
A review is currently underway at present, 26 submissions have been received from a range of sectors and stakeholders. It is expected that this will be finalised late September/early October.
My Department has seen a significant increase in applications for employment permits this year. To the end of August, some 14,624 applications were received, representing a 35% increase over the same period in 2020 (10,772) and a 19% increase on 2019 (12,276). Some 9,526 employment permits were issued over this period.
Processing times have been impacted by this increase in demand but also because of the HSE cyber-attack. As a result, employment permit applications associated with the July Doctors rotation (which occurs twice yearly in January and July) had to be submitted either manually or through other nonstandard methods. This resulted in a significant additional administrative burden in dealing with these applications, requiring staff to be temporarily reassigned to assist in the process and had a direct impact on wider processing times for other permit applications.
It is important to point out that when set against other international employment permit regimes, Ireland continues to compare extremely favourably, even at current processing times. However, my Department is very conscious of the recent lengthening of time-frames for processing Employment Permit applications and is taking a range of measures to reduce the current backlog as quickly as possible and is confident that they will bear fruit over the coming weeks and months. It advises employers to take current timelines into account as part of their recruitment plans.
My Department updates the employment permit processing timelines on its website on a weekly basis and regularly issues updates on relevant employment permit matters to Trusted Partners such as the recent update on employment permit processing timelines.
I and my officials meet with sector representatives, individual employers and other stakeholders to discuss a range of issues, including recruitment challenges, in relation to economic migration policy and the employment permit regime.
178. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the extent to which he expects staff shortages in the construction sector to be met with particular reference to the need to address such deficiencies in full at an early date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44170/21]
View answerThe Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN) is the independent, non-statutory body that advises the Government on projected skills requirements across the Irish economy and makes recommendations on how existing education and training systems and delivery mechanisms, as well as other sources of skills supply, can be improved.
My Department provides research and secretarial support to the Group, and as part of the national skills architecture, the EGFSN's analysis helps inform the work of the National Skills Council, which advises on the prioritisation of identified skills needs and the allocation of resources across the education and training system to address these needs.
As part of its 2020 and 2021 work programme, the EGFSN has engaged in a series of studies examining the nature and quantity of skills needs across the wider Built Environment sector over the medium to long term, in line with the Government's ambitions across housing, infrastructural development and built environment energy efficiency.
These include the 2020 report, Building Future Skills- The Demand for Skills in Ireland's Built Environment Sector to 2030; the forthcoming paper Labour Demand Estimates for Ireland's National Housing Targets, 2021-2030, the EGFSN's contribution to the development of Housing for All; and the forthcoming report on Skills for the Zero Carbon Economy, which amongst other areas examines the skills needs arising from the Government's residential retrofit targets and the construction skills needs resulting from Renewable Energy projects.
Through the EGFSN Secretariat's close engagement with relevant stakeholders, this analysis, which includes detailed breakdown and forecasts of skills needs at occupational level, as well as recommendations aimed at enhancing skills supply across the Built Environment sector, is informing skills planning across Government, industry and the education and training system, to ensure that the Government's ambitions in the construction space are delivered upon.
This includes informing the broader campaign aimed at promoting construction career opportunities, which is being undertaken by the Construction Sector Group, representative of the sector's key public and private stakeholders; the alignment of education and training programmes and graduate output by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, its agencies, and Higher Education and Further Education and Training providers; the transitioning, where feasible, of the unemployed into Construction sector roles under the new Pathways to Work, 2021-2025 strategy; and the continued responsiveness of the Employment Permit system to identified skills needs across the Construction sector.
179. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of work permit-related visa applications currently awaiting processing, with particular reference to various aspects of the economy particularly affected by staff shortages; the means by which the Minister expects to address this issue in the short to medium term; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44171/21]
View answerSince March 2020, my Department has implemented Covid-19 contingency arrangements moving employment permit operations seamlessly to a totally remote working environment. Feedback received from enterprise across the board has been universally positive. In fact, Ireland was one of the few countries that has managed to keep their employment permit system fully operational throughout the crisis.
From the outset of the crisis, in order to assist the HSE and all other medical providers in the State to respond to, and to assist with, the public health response to the threat of Covid-19, all medical employment permits are expedited with immediate effect.
My Department has seen a significant increase in applications for employment permits this year. To the end of August, some 14,624 applications were received, representing a 35% increase over the same period in 2020 (10,772) and a 19% increase on 2019 (12,276). Some 9,526 employment permits were issued over this period. At present there are c. 5,400 applications across the full range of all available employment permits awaiting processing from visa and non-visa required countries.
Processing times have been impacted by this increase in demand but also because of the HSE cyber-attack. As a result, employment permit applications associated with the July Doctors rotation (which occurs twice yearly in January and July) had to be submitted either manually or through other nonstandard methods. This resulted in a significant additional administrative burden in dealing with these applications, requiring staff to be temporarily reassigned to assist in the process and had a direct impact on wider processing times for other permit applications.
It is important to point out that when set against other international employment permit regimes, Ireland continues to compare extremely favourably, even at current processing times.
However, my Department is very conscious of the recent lengthening of timeframes for processing Employment Permit applications and is committed to reducing these further. My Department is taking a range of measures to reduce the current backlog as quickly as possible. It advises employers to take current timelines into account as part of their recruitment plans.
My Department updates the employment permit processing timelines on its website on a weekly basis and regularly issues updates on relevant employment permit matters to Trusted Partners such as the recent update on employment permit processing timelines.
180. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the extent to which he continues to monitor difficulties experienced by Irish exporters arising from Brexit; the measures in place or proposed in respect of these issues; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44172/21]
View answerThe performance of the import and export sectors has been significantly impacted over the last three years by both Brexit and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Now, as we cautiously emerge from these necessary public health restrictions and global markets begin to open again, the Government will continue to help businesses in their next phase of recovery and adaptation.
My Department has invested to help businesses overcome these challenges. To deliver on this working with our agency Enterprise Ireland the strategic priorities are to strengthen Irish enterprise to respond to market shocks and disruption in response to COVID-19 and Brexit.
To drive transformational change and the pace of innovation transitioning to new business models, digitalisation and the low carbon economy and to scale and grow the export and start-up base, across regions and sectors and grow companies of all sizes.
Last week, I led the first in-person Trade Mission following the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement and since the onset of Covid-19, to London, Paris and Berlin to assist the accelerated export-led recovery of Irish businesses in the UK and Eurozone, Ireland’s closest markets. The UK, France and Germany combined represent 39% of total Enterprise Ireland client exports in 2020, with over 2,300 Enterprise Ireland client companies exporting to these three markets. This mission offered the opportunity to build relationships and increase awareness of Ireland’s offering and why it is an attractive place to invest.
As well as the global efforts driven by our agencies, key to our success in growing exports has been our commitment to trade liberalisation in order to establish new markets for our indigenous sectors. With a small domestic market, further expansion in other markets is essential to our continued economic growth and, in this regard, Ireland will continue to help the EU’s ambitious programme of negotiating new Free Trade Agreements, opening new markets for Irish companies and increasing export and investment opportunities.
