Written Answers Nos. 1-15
11. Deputy Joe Carey asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will report on the National Digital Strategy and the way it will help citizens and businesses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6800/22]
View answerLast week the Government launched the new National Digital Strategy called Harnessing Digital - The Digital Ireland Framework. It sets out a high-level framework to support our ambition for Ireland to be a digital leader, at the heart of European and global digital developments, it has four main dimensions:
- Digital transformation of business
- Digital infrastructure
- Skills
- Digitalisation of Public Services
Throughout we have ensured our citizens and businesses are at the heart of the Strategy.
Through this new Strategy, we will drive and enable the digital transition, helping to maximise the well-being of our citizens, and the efficiency of our public services, the productivity and innovation of businesses, as well as our overall competitiveness and sustainability.
We are determined to help businesses to significantly advance their digital transformation, in particular SMEs; to sustain Ireland’s attractiveness as a location for leading digital enterprises; and to maximise the benefits of the digital transition for the wider ecosystem.
For businesses, there are a number of key deliverables that my Department will have responsibility for, including:
- Developing a comprehensive programme to drive digitalisation across enterprise including funding from the €85 million Digital Transition Fund under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan);
- Raising awareness and providing advice and assistance to SMEs, by working with enterprise agencies;
- Supporting the development of workforce skills in SMEs to support digital adoption, including promoting the benefits of workplace training; and
- Developing and enhancing digital platforms for the delivery of the Local Enterprise Offices’ supports.
A key priority for me is to ensure the needs and voices of enterprise are heard, and in the coming weeks I will establish and chair the new Enterprise Digital Advisory Forum to inform and assist Government's work in this area.
For citizens and wider society, the benefits from this Strategy include:
- The increased use of remote working;
- Increased connectivity and digital infrastructure, including the provision of a Gigabit network by 2028 and 5G coverage by 2030;
- Increasing the share of adults in Ireland with at least basic digital skills to 80% by 2030.
We want to ensure that all citizens across society can engage with and benefit from digitalisation.
We will also continue to build a strong, well-resourced network of regulators to effectively oversee and enforce digital regulations, which will simultaneously ensure the safety of our citizens and promote innovation and progress.
14. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment his views on the aim to increase the current collective bargaining coverage level of only 30% to the level of 70% threshold stated within the European Commission proposed directive; and if he will withdraw his objection to the use of a directive as a mechanism to achieve that objective. [7015/22]
View answerI and Government support increasing collective bargaining coverage in Ireland. That is one of the reasons the independently chaired High-Level Working Group on Collective Bargaining was established under the auspices of the Labour Employer Economic Forum (LEEF) in March of last year.
The forthcoming EU Directive on the Minimum Wage is one of the issues which the Group is considering as part of its work, along with the adequacy of the existing workplace relations framework, the issue of trade union recognition and the current statutory wage setting mechanisms. The EU Directive is still under negotiation and is not expected to be finalised for some time.
As the Deputy will be aware, in its current draft, the EU Directive on the Minimum Wage stipulates that Member States are required to act to promote the capacity of social partners to engage in collective bargaining on wage setting, and to encourage constructive, meaningful and informed negotiations on wages.
Moreover, the Directive requires that Member States, where collective bargaining coverage does not reach at least 70% of the workers, provide for a framework for collective bargaining and establish an action plan to promote collective bargaining.
The High-Level Group on Collective Bargaining is already considering how best to achieve this objective within the context of our voluntarist approach to industrial relations and respecting the autonomy of the social partners.
It is worth stating that this work builds on an existing and extensive range of robust statutory provisions designed to back up the voluntary bargaining process in Ireland.
It is also important to emphasise that - whilst the Government is not committed in advance to any particular outcome from this Group - ensuring fair wages and safe workplaces in Ireland remains a clear priority of mine.
