Written Answers Nos. 1-5
1. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of persons who were awarded work permits in each of the past three years in tabular form; the number from each country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26577/22]
View answerThe table attached shows the number of employment permits that have been granted in each year from 01 January 2019 to 20 May 2022 inclusive, and also the numbers granted to each country.
My Department experienced a significant increase in applications for employment permits in the past year. From the start of January 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. As can be seen from the figures provided, my Department expects that this year it will issue far in excess of the number of Employment Permits issued in each of the previous years from 2019 to 2021.
2. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the measures that can be taken to address cases in which recommendations by industrial relations bodies of the State are being ignored by State-funded, contracted organisations. [26626/22]
View answerAt the outset, it is important to emphasise that Ireland’s system of industrial relations is essentially voluntary in nature.
For its part, the State provides the industrial relations dispute settlement mechanisms to support parties in their efforts to resolve their differences.
The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) and the Labour Court are independent offices of my Department. Recommendations arising from the WRC and the Labour Court are not legally binding. Therefore, the State cannot compel a party to comply with a recommendation.
While I would strongly encourage parties to comply with Recommendations, the ultimate responsibility for the resolution of industrial disputes between employers and workers, rests with the employer, the workers and their representatives.
3. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the steps that he is taking to identify and address illegal and unsafe excessive working hours in the fishing industry. [26928/22]
View answerA Memorandum of Understanding on the monitoring and enforcement of the Atypical Worker Permission Scheme for non-EEA fishers employed on certain Irish-registered fishing vessels was signed by 11 Departments and Agencies in May 2016. The MoU provides, among other matters, for further coordination, cooperation and information exchange between the parties.
The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) is one of a number of agencies which contributes to the enforcement of this scheme and has particular responsibility for checking compliance insofar as terms of employment, permission to work, payment of wages, annual leave, public holiday and National Minimum Wage entitlements are concerned.
The WRC objective is to work with employers, in this case vessel owners, to achieve compliance. Fishing vessel owners who do not comply on a voluntary basis, following the issue of a Contravention Notice, will, depending on the legislation involved, be issued with a Compliance Notice or Fixed Payment Notice or face prosecution.
However, I must emphasise, that enforcement of compliance with rest periods and maximum working hours requirements in the fishing sector is the responsibility of authorised officers of the Department of Transport, i.e., Marine Surveyors.
The WRC for its part, in accordance with an agreement reached with the Department of Transport in April 2019, informs that Department’s Marine Survey Office of any contraventions or potential contraventions of fisheries working time legislation.
4. Deputy Francis Noel Duffy asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the grants that are available to schools to improve energy efficiency and reduce energy costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26656/22]
View answer5. Deputy Francis Noel Duffy asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if his attention has been drawn to the challenges that schools are facing with increased energy bills in the absence of direct funding for energy upgrades; when schools will be compensated for the significant increase; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26657/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 4 and 5 together.
The Climate Action Plan sets the public sector the ambitious targets of achieving 50% energy efficiency improvement (increased from 33% by 2020) and 51% emissions reduction by 2030. My Department funds a wide range of energy efficiency and renewable energy supports via the SEAI to public bodies, including schools, to educate and enable them to improve their energy efficiency, decarbonise their activities and reduce costs.
Relevant, initiatives to support the achievement of these targets include:
- the SEAI Energy Academy;
- the Public Sector Energy Efficiency Programme;
- the Public Sector Schools Pathfinder Programme, which is co-funded with the Department of Education; and
- the Communities Energy Grant.
Further information on these scheme is available on the SEAI website at the following link: https://www.seai.ie/business-and-public-sector/ and at the following link, which is dedicated to schools: https://www.seai.ie/community-energy/schools/save-energy-at-school/
The Department of Education provides funding to all recognised schools in the Free Education Scheme by way of per capita grants. The two main grants are the Capitation grant, to cater for day to day running costs including heating, lighting etc. and the Ancillary grant, to cater for the cost of employing ancillary services staff. These grants may be regarded as a common grant from which the Board of Management can allocate according to its own priorities. The Minister for Education (Ms Foley) understands the need for improved capitation funding and is pleased that budget 2020 was able to provide for a further 2.5% increase in standard capitation funding for primary schools that applied from the start of the 2020/21 school year. This builds on the 5% increase in capitation announced in budget 2019. All schools have received the benefit of the capitation increases awarded to date. It is the Minister for Education’s intention to seek funding for further capitation increases in future budgets.
