Written Answers Nos. 146-158
146. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Justice and Equality when a person (details supplied) who has been approved for naturalisation and has paid the fee for same will be invited to a citizenship ceremony; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18379/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that the person referred to by the Deputy was invited to attend a citizenship ceremony which took place on 26 November 2018 in The Killarney Convention Centre, Gleneagle Hotel, Killarney, Co. Kerry but failed to attend.
The person concerned is now due to be invited to attend the next citizenship ceremony which will take place on 29 April 2019 in The Killarney Convention Centre, Gleneagle Hotel, Killarney, Co. Kerry, and to receive her certificate of naturalisation there. That invitation is due to issue in the coming days.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to the INIS of my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Questions process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in cases where the response from the INIS is, in the Deputy’s view, inadequate or too long awaited.
147. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the steps she will take to address the significant delay that has arisen in the issuing of recommendations of the Workplace Relations Commission following unfair dismissals hearings, whereby there is at least a three month delay in terms of the recommendations and determinations that are due on foot of such hearings; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18359/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn 2018, over 90% of complaints received by the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) for adjudication were processed from receipt to hearing and decision within six months, where there were no requests for postponements, where all parties were available and where submissions were received in a timely manner.
During 2018, 15,451 individual complaints were received by the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC). Of these 2,156 (14%) related to unfair dismissal cases, either singularly or combined with other complaints under employment rights and equality legislation. The WRC held 5,312 hearings during 2018 which is an increase of 22% compared to 2017 and 2,964 decisions were issued which was an increase of 32% on 2017.
However, where parties are not available for hearings and seek postponements, often more than once, the median time from receipt of complaint to issuing of decision is nine months. Furthermore, following a hearing an Adjudication Officer may often require a party to submit additional information. Fair procedures dictate that the other side is afforded the opportunity to provide observations on this material. It follows that delays in finalising decisions can arise.
Against this background, the WRC’s aim is that decisions should issue within 6 weeks from the hearing or the date of receipt of the final piece of relevant information. However, it must be borne in mind that some decisions, e.g. unfair dismissal, equality issues, are more complex than others and may take longer than this to formulate. At end 2018, the median time from final hearing to issuing of decision was 13 weeks. This has declined slightly in 2019 and the work programme for 2019 has set a target to reduce this by a further two weeks over the course of the year. The recruitment of a further cadre of Adjudication Officers who will come on stream during 2019 will assist in meeting this goal.
148. Deputy John Deasy asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the number of employment permits taken up by horticultural workers, meat processing operatives and dairy farm assistants; if the quota of work permits provided for each has been taken up; if not, her plans to allocate the unused permits to pig farm production units that are finding it increasingly difficult to fill vacant positions with persons from the EU; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18102/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn May 2018 a pilot scheme of employment permit quotas for dairy farm assistants, horticulture workers and meat processing operatives was put in place. To date this pilot scheme has proved very successful with a total of 1,479 out of the total quota of 2,050 permits having issued broken down as follows:
- Meat Processing Operatives 1,500 of which 1,339 permits have issued.
- Horticulture 500 of which 91 permits have issued.
- Dairy Farm Assistant 50 of which 49 permits have issued.
These quotas were provided following a comprehensive review of data and evidence available and the submission of a business case by Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine on behalf of the sector. The quotas are specific to each occupation mentioned and are not transferable to any other occupation.
The role of Pig Farmer is currently on the Ineligible Occupations List however this may be reviewed in the future should the appropriate research and evidence indicate labour shortages across the EEA. A submission was made to the most recent review of the occupations lists on behalf of the Pig Farmer occupation however available research does not indicate a shortage of labour in the sector. It is proposed that the sector provide more information, in particular detailed evidence of efforts to recruit from within the EEA for consideration during the next review. This could include, for example, evidence of engagement with the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection/EURES (European Employment Services) employment network.
The views of the lead policy Government Department for the sector, in this case, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, are an important part of the decision-making process.
The next review of the Occupations Lists is due to commence over the next few weeks when submissions to the next public consultation phase will be invited from interested parties.
149. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the State agencies and bodies under the remit of her Department; the location of each such body by county; and the number of full and part-time persons employed in each such body. [18225/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department has its head office located in Dublin, with certain offices based in regional locations. There are also a number of State Agencies that come within the remit of my Department, some of whom have a regional presence.
The State Agencies under the remit of my Department; the HQ location of each such body by county, and the headcount and full-time equivalents of each Agency are listed below. The Deputy should be aware that Enterprise Ireland, IDA and the NSAI operate regional and overseas offices. The HSA also operate a number of regional offices. The numbers listed for these Agencies include both regional and overseas numbers.
Serving at 31st March 2019
|
Agency |
HQ Location |
Headcount (Total) |
FTE (Total) |
|
Competition and Consumer Protection Commission |
Dublin |
103 |
93.7 |
|
Health and Safety Authority |
Dublin |
178 |
170.8 |
|
Enterprise Ireland |
Dublin |
621 |
607.00 |
|
IDA Ireland |
Dublin |
313 |
303.25 |
|
InterTrade Ireland |
Newry |
47 |
45.8 |
|
Irish Auditing and Accountancy Supervisory Authority |
Kildare |
29 |
29 |
|
National Standards Authority of Ireland |
Dublin |
149 |
143.4 |
|
Personal Injuries Assessment Board |
Dublin |
77 |
73.06 |
|
Science Foundation Ireland |
Dublin |
59 |
58.60 |
150. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation if a work permit will be considered in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18256/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Employment Permits Section of my Department inform me that it has no record of a current application for an employment permit for the above named person (details supplied).
The State's general policy is to promote the sourcing of labour and skills needs from within the domestic and/or other EEA countries. Where specific skills prove difficult to source within the State/EEA, an employment permit may be sought by an employer to hire a non-EEA national in line with the Employment Permits Acts and associated Regulations which lay down in legislation the criteria in relation to the application, grant and refusal of an employment permit.
In order to apply for an employment permit a non-EEA national must have a secured a job offer for an eligible occupation from an Irish registered employer.
Details on how to apply for an employment permit are available on our website at the following link - https://dbei.gov.ie/en/What-We-Do/Workplace-and-Skills/Employment-Permits/.
In order to assist with the application process, the Department has produced a suite of information including various checklist documents, a ‘User Guide' to our online application system and a comprehensive FAQ Document which answers the most common queries received regarding employment permits. All this information can be found in the Employment Permit section of my Department’s website at www.dbei.gov.ie.
Any entitlements that may accrue to this individual by virtue of their father being an Irish citizen is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Justice and Equality, and any such queries should be directed to that Department.
151. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the number of applications made under the disruptive technologies innovation fund to date; the number of successful and unsuccessful project applications, respectively, that applied for funding; the details of each project approved for funding; the value of funding approved for each such project; when successful applicants will receive funding in 2019; the amount allocated to the fund in 2019; the number of payments that have issued to date by county in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18298/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund is a €500 million fund launched under Project Ireland 2040. Funding allocated to my Department for the Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund to 2022 is as follows:
2018: €20 million
2019: €30 million
2020: €40 million
2021: €90 million
My Department launched the first call for Expressions of Interest in the Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund (DTIF) in June 2018. Information on the fund and how to apply was provided by my Department with the support of Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland and Science Foundation Ireland.
Over 300 Expressions of Interest were submitted by the deadline on 17 August 2018 with many of the applications involving collaborations of multiple partners. At least one SME was required to be part of each collaboration in order to be eligible for funding. 27 Successful projects were announced in December 2018.
The successful projects will receive over €70 million to 2021 and they represent the health, food, ICT and manufacturing sectors in Ireland. All projects are currently in contract negotiation stage with Enterprise Ireland. Project start dates are expected to commence in Q2 2019 and grant drawdown will follow thereafter. As such no payments have been made to date.
The details of each of the successful projects including the partners involved in each, a brief description of each project and the value of funding approved is available on my Department’s website and is replicated in the following link.
152. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the 2017, 2018 and 2019 budget allocations to the regional enterprise development fund; the amount of the 2017 and 2018 budget allocations, respectively, expended in each such year; the number of applications for the fund by each stream in each year to date; the number of successful and unsuccessful applications, respectively, in each such year; the amount of approved funding to successful applications in each year; and the number of payments that have issued to date by county. [18299/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government’s €60 million Regional Enterprise Development Fund, administered by Enterprise Ireland, has the objective of supporting every region to build on its unique strengths and ultimately create sustainable jobs. Administered via two competitive calls, 42 projects were approved funding totalling €59.5 million. The budget for this fund is part of Enterprise Ireland’s budget to support enterprise development.
Successful projects under Call 1 and Call 2 of the fund were announced on the 11th of December 2017 and the 3rd of December 2018 respectively. 21 projects were successful under each initiative. €31.5 million was approved under Call 1 and €29 million under Call 2.
The number of applications, successful and unsuccessful, received under each of the four funding streams, by region, is presented in the table following. Due to the collaborative nature of projects, the regional breakdown of projects presents the best overview of applications, successful and unsuccessful.
Applications under Regional Enterprise Development Fund
|
Region |
Stream 1 |
Stream 2 |
Stream 3 |
Stream 4 |
Total |
|
Dublin |
7 |
7 |
10 |
4 |
28 |
|
Mid-East |
5 |
8 |
1 |
1 |
15 |
|
Midlands |
2 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
7 |
|
Mid-West |
5 |
10 |
2 |
1 |
18 |
|
North East |
3 |
2 |
3 |
0 |
8 |
|
North West |
4 |
5 |
0 |
1 |
10 |
|
South East |
1 |
11 |
2 |
1 |
15 |
|
South West |
3 |
18 |
7 |
4 |
32 |
|
West |
6 |
9 |
5 |
0 |
20 |
|
Total |
36 |
72 |
33 |
12 |
153 |
Approvals under Regional Enterprise Development Fund
|
Region |
Stream 1 |
Stream 2 |
Stream 3 |
Stream 4 |
Total |
|
Dublin |
3 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
6 |
|
Mid-East |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
|
Midlands |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
|
Mid-West |
2 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
5 |
|
North East |
1 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
3 |
|
North West |
0 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
|
South East |
0 |
4 |
0 |
1 |
5 |
|
South West |
2 |
4 |
2 |
2 |
10 |
|
West |
2 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
4 |
|
Total |
11 |
19 |
7 |
5 |
42 |
Unsuccessful projects under Regional Enterprise Development Fund
|
Region |
Stream 1 |
Stream 2 |
Stream 3 |
Stream 4 |
Total |
|
Dublin |
4 |
6 |
9 |
3 |
22 |
|
Mid-East |
5 |
7 |
1 |
1 |
14 |
|
Midlands |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
|
Mid-West |
3 |
8 |
2 |
0 |
13 |
|
North East |
2 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
5 |
|
North West |
4 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
6 |
|
South East |
1 |
6 |
2 |
0 |
9 |
|
South-West |
1 |
14 |
5 |
2 |
22 |
|
West |
4 |
8 |
4 |
0 |
16 |
|
Total |
25 |
53 |
26 |
7 |
111 |
The successful applicants from Call 1 and Call 2 are detailed in the tables following. The approved funding figures are not available for Call 1 for reasons of commercial sensitivity. A change to the scheme document for Call 2, stated that the approved funding figures would be published as part of the fund’s requirement.
Projects approved under Call 1 of the Regional Enterprise Development Fund
|
Project |
County |
|
Monaghan County Enterprise Fund |
Monaghan |
|
Leitrim County Enterprise Fund |
Leitrim/Cavan/Longford |
|
Donegal Digital Innovation CLG |
Donegal |
|
BIA Innovator Campus CLG |
Galway |
|
Irish Bioeconomy Foundation CLG |
Tipperary |
|
Emerald Aerocluster CLG |
Limerick/Shannon/Ireland |
|
Insurtech Network Centre DAC |
Carlow |
|
ThreeD (Design Develop Disseminate) DAC |
Waterford/South |
|
Agritech Centre of Excellence CLG |
Kerry/National |
|
RDI Hub CLG |
Kerry/National |
|
Cork Urban Enterprises CLG |
Cork |
|
IT@Cork CLG |
Cork |
|
KerrySciTech CLG |
Kerry/Cork |
|
Sneem Innovation & Technology Services CLG |
Kerry |
|
MOL TEIC CLG |
Kerry |
|
County Kildare Community Network Company CLG |
Kildare |
|
Dublin Enterprise & Technology Centre CLG |
Dublin/National |
|
Ghala DAC |
Dublin/National |
|
Social & Local Enterprise Alliance DAC |
Dublin |
|
BPO Cluster Ireland CLG |
Dublin/National |
|
Irish Manufacturing Research CLG |
Westmeath/National |
Projects approved under Call 2 of the Regional Enterprise Development Fund
|
Project |
County |
Approval Amount |
|
Galway City Innovation District CLG |
Galway |
€2,487,400 |
|
Midc Páirc Na Mara |
Galway |
€2,000,000 |
|
The Burren Lowlands CLG |
Galway, Clare |
€182,786 |
|
CIT Consortium Projects DAC |
Cork, Kerry |
€336,360 |
|
Ludgate Operations CLG |
Cork |
€1,990,392 |
|
Vista Agri 4.0 Hub CLG |
Cork, Kerry, Waterford, Tipperary |
€1,865,215 |
|
Crystal Valley Tech CLG |
Waterford, Wexford, Carlow, Kilkenny, Tipperary |
€219,919 |
|
Incupharm DAC |
Waterford, Wexford, Carlow, Kilkenny, Tipperary |
€799,212 |
|
National Design Innovation Hub DAC |
Carlow, Kilkenny |
€1,843,320 |
|
Boyne Valley Food Innovation District DAC |
Meath, Cavan, Monaghan, Louth |
€1,580,640 |
|
Mountmellick Development Association CLG |
Laois |
€218,200 |
|
Offaly Innovation & Design Centre CLG |
Offaly |
€458,240 |
|
BNest Social Initiative DAC |
Limerick, Clare, Tipperary, Cork, Kerry |
€603,400 |
|
Clare MEZ (Maritime Economic Zone) DAC |
Clare |
€1,759,226 |
|
Innovate Limerick T/A Hospital Foods DAC |
Limerick, Clare, Tipperary |
€2,279,073 |
|
Innovate Dublin Communities CLG |
Dublin |
€249,955 |
|
St. Paul's Area Development Enterprise CLG |
Dublin, Mid East |
€2,094,000 |
|
Bioconnect Innovation Centre CLG |
Monaghan, Cavan |
€4,976,880 |
|
Focused Engineering Network DAC |
Monaghan, Cavan |
€250,000 |
|
Leitrim Food Enterprise Zone CLG |
Leitrim, Cavan, Sligo, Donegal |
€953,640 |
|
Sligo County Enterprise Fund CLG |
Sligo, Mayo, Leitrim |
€1,906,640 |
Due to the collaborative nature of each project, the regional breakdown below presents the best overview of the number of payments issued to successful applicants to date:
Number of payments to successful projects under the Regional Enterprise Development Fund to date:
|
Region |
Number of Payments |
|
Dublin |
<5 |
|
Mid-East |
<5 |
|
Midlands |
<5 |
|
Mid-West |
<5 |
|
North East |
<5 |
|
North West |
<5 |
|
South East |
<5 |
|
South West |
8 |
|
West |
<5 |
|
Total |
14 |
Funding approved to successful projects was in the form of grants. Grant expenditure must be incurred and then inspected by Enterprise Ireland prior to payment. The payments refer to payments for approved REDF projects and does not include payments for feasibility studies. Funding for feasibility studies under the REDF is provided to enable promoters to investigate the viability of the project and prepare final submissions for consideration. In some instances, more than one payment has been issued to successful projects under the REDF to date.
153. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the most recent developments following the agreement by EU ambassadors to launch trade talks with the United States of America and on negotiating directives that authorise the European Commission to commence talks (details supplied); if such talks will cover industrial tariffs in the main; and if agriculture will not form part of planned talks. [18300/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraOn the 25th July 2018, European Commission President Juncker and President Trump met in Washington to launch a new phase in the close friendship and strong trade relations between the United States and the European Union. They agreed a Joint EU-US Statement to -
- work together toward zero tariffs, zero non-tariff barriers, and zero subsidies (on non-auto industrial goods) and to work to reduce barriers and increase trade in services, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, medical products, as well as soybeans,
- strengthen strategic energy cooperation to potentially increase US imports of (LNG) to diversify the EU’s energy supply,
- launch a close dialogue on standards to ease trade barriers, reduce bureaucratic obstacles, and reduce costs, and
- work closely together with like-minded partners to reform the WTO and to address unfair trading practices, including intellectual property theft, forced technology transfer, industrial subsidies, distortions created by state owned enterprises, and overcapacity.
An EU-US Executive Working Group (EWG), was established on foot of the July joint statement, co-chaired by EU Trade Commissioner Cecelia Malmström and the U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, as the vehicle for carrying forward this joint agenda. Following several meetings to date, the EWG is next scheduled to meet in early May 2019.
On 18th January 2019 the EU Commission brought forward Proposals for Negotiating Directives - or mandates - for sector specific trade talks with the United States: one on conformity assessment, (making it easier for companies to prove their products meet technical requirements on both sides of the Atlantic) and one on the elimination of tariffs for industrial goods (excluding agricultural products). These Proposals were discussed by Member States in the EU Trade Policy Committee on a number of occasions over the period, and, further to the March European Council conclusions instructing that ‘necessary steps towards rapid implementation of all elements of the US-EU Joint Statement of 25 July 2018’ be proceeded with, EU Ambassadors, at their meeting of 11th April 2019, agreed to forward the Negotiating Directives to Council for approval. In that regard, on 15th April 2019 the EU Council, by qualified majority, approved the two Negotiating Directives. The approval of the Negotiating Directives is a key step on the road to a possible future trade agreement between the EU and US.
The Negotiating Directives make it clear that agriculture is specifically excluded from these negotiations; something I had sought specific assurances on from EU Trade Commissioner Malmström in Council last year.
I believe a future trade agreement between the EU and US that is targeted specifically at the sectors of conformity assessment and the removal of tariffs on industrial goods, coupled with the lifting of current US tariffs on steel and aluminium products, would be a positive development for our economy and for jobs. A recent economic analysis released by the EU Commission found that such a targeted EU-US agreement would increase EU exports to the US by 8% and US exports to the EU by 9% by 2033. In this context, where Ireland and the US have a bilateral trading relationship worth more than €100 billion per annum, the potential gains for Ireland, and resultant employment, from an EU-US trade agreement would be very positive.
It will now be a matter for the EWG to determine the timing of the commencement of these EU-US trade negotiations.
154. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the number of persons employed at each level of the Civil Service from Secretary General to cleaner each year since 2016; the number of those at each level who are female in each year since 2016, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18344/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraStaffing resources are an ongoing priority to ensure my Department’s continued ability to facilitate the wide mission and volume of work in a range of challenging policy areas. This will continue with ongoing day-to-day review of the appropriate staffing mix across my Department in response to evolving policy and operational priorities.
My Department has seen a careful increase in overall staffing numbers over the past three years. This has been due to: the filling of critical vacancies that existed; significant priorities emerging from environmental challenges, such as Brexit, and; new bodies of work, for example the Digital Single Market - impacting on the resourcing needs of the Department.
In this regard, the Department operates a robust workforce plan, on a three-year rolling basis, and liaises directly with the Public Appointments Service (PAS) and Top-Level Appointments Committee (TLAC) in relation to the filling of posts.
The Secretary General of my Department is one of four Secretaries General leading the delivery of Action 8.5 of the Civil Service Renewal Plan – “To improve gender balance at each level by reviewing supports and policies to ensure these measures are impactful and measurable”.
The Civil Service has set an ambitious target to achieve 50/50 gender balance in appointments at senior levels. This is essential to ensure that the Civil Service is reflective of society.
My Department operates an equal opportunity policy to ensure that an equal share of both women and men can compete for and be awarded high visibility positions across the Department and its Offices. In this regard, the Department operates a best fit for the job policy.
The number and gender in each civil service grade in the Department for each year since 2016 is set out in the following table:
|
|
2016 |
2016 |
2016 |
2017 |
2017 |
2017 |
|
GRADE |
Male |
Female |
Total |
Male |
Female |
Total |
|
Secretary General |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
|
Deputy Secretary and Equivalent |
1 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
|
Assistant Secretary (ASEC) |
4 |
2 |
6 |
4 |
2 |
6 |
|
ASEC Equivalent |
4 |
2 |
6 |
4 |
2 |
6 |
|
Principal Officer (PO) |
19 |
15 |
34 |
26 |
17 |
43 |
|
PO Equivalent |
8 |
6 |
14 |
9 |
5 |
14 |
|
Min Special Advisor |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
|
Senior Examiner of Patents |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
|
Assistant Principal (AP) |
53 |
45 |
98 |
59 |
52 |
111 |
|
AP Equivalent |
7 |
7 |
14 |
9 |
6 |
15 |
|
Higher Executive Officer |
48 |
81 |
129 |
47 |
77 |
124 |
|
Examiner of Patents |
1 |
2 |
3 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
|
Administrative Officer |
6 |
10 |
16 |
6 |
11 |
17 |
|
Executive Officer |
67 |
132 |
199 |
75 |
151 |
226 |
|
Staff Officer |
10 |
23 |
33 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Clerical Officer |
87 |
165 |
252 |
89 |
164 |
253 |
|
TCO / Intern (CO) |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
|
Services Staff |
23 |
6 |
29 |
20 |
8 |
28 |
|
Cleaner |
1 |
13 |
14 |
1 |
13 |
14 |
|
Totals |
341 |
511 |
852 |
353 |
514 |
867 |
|
|
2018 |
2018 |
2018 |
2019 |
2019 |
2019 |
|
GRADE |
Male |
Female |
Total |
Male |
Female |
Total |
|
Secretary General |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
|
Deputy Secretary and Equivalent |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
|
Assistant Secretary (ASEC) |
4 |
3 |
7 |
4 |
3 |
7 |
|
ASEC Equivalent |
4 |
2 |
6 |
4 |
2 |
6 |
|
Principal Officer (PO) |
23 |
16 |
39 |
23 |
16 |
39 |
|
PO Equivalent |
10 |
9 |
19 |
10 |
10 |
20 |
|
Min Special Advisor |
1 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
|
Senior Examiner of Patents |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
|
Assistant Principal (AP) |
66 |
57 |
123 |
68 |
58 |
126 |
|
AP Equivalent |
11 |
6 |
17 |
10 |
6 |
16 |
|
Higher Executive Officer |
60 |
77 |
137 |
59 |
78 |
137 |
|
Examiner of Patents |
1 |
2 |
3 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
|
Administrative Officer |
9 |
14 |
23 |
10 |
14 |
24 |
|
Executive Officer |
71 |
147 |
218 |
71 |
149 |
220 |
|
Staff Officer |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Clerical Officer |
92 |
163 |
255 |
96 |
161 |
257 |
|
TCO / Intern (CO) |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
|
Services Staff |
24 |
7 |
31 |
25 |
7 |
32 |
|
Cleaner |
0 |
13 |
13 |
0 |
13 |
13 |
|
Totals |
379 |
518 |
897 |
385 |
521 |
906 |
155. Deputy Lisa Chambers asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the uptake of all Brexit supports and expenditure to date in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18372/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraWhile the immediate risk of a no-deal exit has diminished, Brexit continues to represent a significant challenge for businesses in Ireland, which cannot be underestimated. That’s why my Department started developing supports for businesses from the time when Brexit first became a possibility. Government’s priority is to ensure that businesses around the country can manage risks and avail of any opportunities. This has informed the range of advisory and financial supports that are in place.
My Department’s total exchequer allocation increased by 9.1% year on year, up from €871m to €950.2m. This is made up of a record €620m in capital and €330.2m in current funding, which includes an increase of €65m in capital – up 11.7% on last year’s allocation of €555m; and, an increase of €14.2m in current – almost 4.5% more than our 2018 allocation of €316m.
I allocated an extra €5m to the 31 Local Enterprise Offices [LEOs], up 22% on 2018, which have a presence in every county, to support start-ups and growth and, in particular, to support businesses to prepare for Brexit. The LEOs will work with the broad range of small and micro indigenous enterprises across sectors to ensure that they are informed and have plans in place to manage the new trading relationships on the island and with the UK more generally. This includes a new customs training programme for all businesses, exporters and importers, rolled out in conjunction with Enterprise Ireland.
I was also pleased to announce an additional capital allocation of €2.75m to Enterprise Ireland to start developing regional innovation and technology clusters with Institutes of Technology right across the country, positioning them as drivers of world-class start-ups and growth enterprises and helping businesses adjust to market changes, including Brexit.
Through Enterprise Ireland, I also doubled funding for the Online Retail Pilot Scheme to €1.25m in 2019, which will support SMEs in the retail sector to have a stronger online presence and find new markets. This new Scheme follows through on my commitment to increase the scale and internationalisation of indigenous enterprise; increase productivity in high-employment sectors; and encourage Brexit readiness. I announced the first 11 successful applicants on Friday 01 March last and there will be a further call for proposals this year. In addition, Enterprise Ireland invested €74 million in Brexit impacted businesses in 2018.
Funding to InterTradeIreland has been increased by 18% and they, along with the LEOs, are offering a range of Brexit-focused supports to companies, including those engaged in cross-border trade with Northern Ireland.
The Brexit Loan Scheme, using a combination of Irish Exchequer and EU guarantees, leveraged up to €300 million of lending at a maximum interest rate 4% at a cost to the Exchequer of €23 million - €14 million provided by my Department and €9 million provided by Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
The Future Growth Loan Scheme was announced in Budget 2019. The scheme opened for eligibility applications on Wednesday 17 April and it will provide a longer-term facility, 8 to 10 years, of up to €300m to support strategic capital investment for a post-Brexit environment by business at competitive rates. This scheme is jointly funded by the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation (€37.2 million) and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (€24.8 million) at a total cost to the Exchequer of €62 million.
The first table attached sets out the respective exchequer increases in allocations to ITI, EI, IDA and the LEOs between 2018 and 2019 and the cost/expenditure of the supports available. Whilst these increases are not all due to Brexit, they are mainly provided to assist the enterprise agencies in their responses to the challenges posed by Brexit.
The second table attached sets out the uptake of the different Brexit-related supports available through the Department and its agencies as at 08 April 2019.
Finally, while we have had great success through the Action Plan for Jobs in reducing unemployment from 16% to 5.6% today, in the context of Brexit and other global challenges, it is important that we move our focus beyond numbers of jobs created to quality and sustainable jobs.
Future Jobs Ireland is our plan to meet all these challenges. Launched on 10 March 2019, it includes ambitious targets and actions to drive this transformation of our economy. These includes funds, policies and initiatives that; enhance productivity, especially among SMEs; promote indigenous entrepreneurship, especially in the regions; encourage clustering and stronger links between domestic and foreign owned firms; and assist businesses to move up the value chain, to protect jobs and to build resilience for the future.
|
Scheme |
Uptake (8 April 2019) |
|
Brexit Loan Scheme |
567 applications received, 511 approved by SBCI, 105 Loans progressed to sanction at bank level to a value of €23.691 million. (Uptake as of 8 April 2019) |
|
Enterprise Ireland Brexit Scorecard - online platform for Irish companies to self-assess their exposure to Brexit |
5,113 Brexit Scorecards have been completed. 992 LEO clients have completed the scorecard. |
|
Enterprise Ireland Be Prepared Grant |
182 Be Prepared Grants have been approved |
|
Enterprise Ireland Market Discovery Fund - A support to EI clients to research new markets |
140 projects have been approved under this initiative[1] |
|
Enterprise Ireland Prepare to Export Scorecard |
2,988 Prepare to Export Scorecards have been completed |
|
Enterprise Ireland Customs Insights Online Course |
1,178 Customs Insights Course participants |
|
Enterprise Ireland Agile Innovation Fund - Gives rapid fast-track access to innovation funding |
47 Agile Innovation projects have been approved |
|
Enterprise Ireland Brexit Advisory Clinics |
16 Brexit Advisory Clinics have been run with over 1,200 in attendance |
|
Enterprise Ireland Brexit “Act On Programme” – A support funding the engagement of a consultant to devise report with recommendations to help clients address weaknesses and improve resilience |
210 “Act on” Plans have been completed |
|
Enterprise Ireland Strategic Consultancy Grant – A grant to assist EI clients to hire a strategic consultant for a set period |
1,062 Strategic Consultancy Grants have been approved |
|
Local Enterprise Office Technical Assistance Grant for Micro Export - an incentive for LEO clients to explore and develop new market opportunities |
518 clients were approved assistance under the Technical Assistance Grant (end March 2019) |
|
Local Enterprise Office LEAN for Micro - The LEO Lean4Micro offer was developed in collaboration between the EI Lean department and the LEOs to tailor the EI Lean offer for LEO micro enterprise clients |
247 LEO clients have participated in the programme (end March 2019) |
|
Local Enterprise Office Mentoring |
562 mentoring participants solely focused on Brexit (end March 2019) |
|
Local Enterprise Office Brexit Seminars/Events |
4,213 Participants at the Brexit Information events (end March 2019) |
|
InterTradeIreland Brexit Advisory Service |
2,419 SMEs have directly engaged with the Brexit Advisory Service in 2019.This is in addition to the 4,175 engagements in 2018. |
|
InterTradeIreland Brexit Start to Plan Vouchers |
There have been 1,401 applications, with 1,214 approved and 31 still pending assessment. |
|
Pilot Online Retail Scheme administered by Enterprise Ireland |
11 retailers were awarded funding in February 2019. There will also be a second call in 2019 |
The Market Discovery Fund figure listed at 140 is lower than that of the end of February document figure of 251. The 133 figure refers to the number of businesses approved, while the earlier number of 251 referred to the number of projects approved. This is now how it is reported to the Board, where projects was used previously.
IDA total allocation (current and capital) for 2019 increased by €33.7 million when compared with 2018.
Enterprise Ireland total allocation (current and capital) for 2019 increased by €6.8 million when compared with 2018.
LEOs total allocation (current and capital) for 2019 increased by €5 million when compared with 2018.
ITI total allocation (current and capital) for 2019 increased by €1 million when compared with 2018.
|
Scheme |
Expenditure/Cost |
|
Brexit Loan Scheme |
The scheme will cost the Exchequer €23 million (€14 million provide by Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation and €9 million provided by Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine). |
|
Enterprise Ireland Be Prepared Grant |
€258,024 to beginning of March |
|
Enterprise Ireland Market Discovery Fund - A support to EI clients to research new markets |
€362,919 to beginning of March |
|
Enterprise Ireland Agile Innovation Fund - Gives rapid fast-track access to innovation funding |
€569,033 to beginning of March |
|
Enterprise Ireland Brexit Advisory Clinics |
€237,801 to beginning of March |
|
Enterprise Ireland Brexit “Act On Programme” – A support funding the engagement of a consultant to devise report with recommendations to help clients address weaknesses and improve resilience |
€380,000 to end of January |
|
Enterprise Ireland Strategic Consultancy Grant – A grant to assist EI clients to hire a strategic consultant for a set period |
€1,324,730 to beginning of March |
|
Local Enterprise Office LEAN for Micro – The LEO Lean4Micro offer was developed in collaboration between the EI Lean department and the LEOs to tailor the EI lean offer for LEO micro enterprise clients. |
2017 Expenditure €188,829 1 Jan to 30 Sept 2018 Expenditure €365,744 |
|
Local Enterprise Office LEAN for Micro - The LEO Lean4Micro offer was developed in collaboration between the EI Lean department and the LEOs to tailor the EI Lean offer for LEO micro enterprise clients |
2017 Expenditure €529,922 1 Jan to 30 Sept 2018 Expenditure €518,411 |
|
Local Enterprise Office Mentoring |
There isn’t a specific budget allocation for LEO Brexit mentoring. It is included in the LEOs overall Measure 2 allocation. |
|
Local Enterprise Office Brexit Seminars/Events |
2017 Expenditure €85,509 1 Jan to 30 Sept 2018 Expenditure €57,855 |
|
InterTradeIreland Brexit Start to Plan Vouchers |
ITI offers 100% financial support up to £2000/€2250 (inclusive of VAT) towards professional advice in relation to Brexit matters. |
|
Pilot Online Retail Scheme administered by Enterprise Ireland |
Eleven retailers were awarded funding in March 2019 as part of the new €1.25m fund, with €625,000 available under the first competitive call to support retail businesses to strengthen their online offering. |
156. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the recommendation of the healthy weight for children (zero-six years) framework calling for obesity impact assessments for new planning developments that impact children and their families; if he will consider same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18308/19]
Amharc ar fhreagra182. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Health the estimated funding needed to implement the HSE healthy weight for children (zero-six) framework; the funding that has been made available for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18170/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 156 and 182 together.
A Healthy Weight for Ireland’, the Government’s Obesity Policy and Action Plan (OPAP), was approved by Government in 2016 and launched in September 2016 under the auspices of the Healthy Ireland agenda.
The OPAP covers a ten year period up to 2025 and aims to reverse obesity trends, prevent health complications and reduce the overall burden for individuals, families, the health system, and the wider society and economy. Indeed it must be emphasised that every sector of our society has a role in reducing the burden of obesity and the OPAP clearly acknowledges this.
The OPAP policy prescribed 'Ten Steps Forward' that would be taken to prevent overweight and obesity. A new Obesity Policy Implementation Oversight Group was established in October 2017 and a progress report on each recommendation in the OPAP is currently being finalised under the aegis of the Oversight Group.
The HSE is responsible for the implementation of a number of actions in the OPAP, including actions relating to the prevention and management of overweight and obesity in both children and adults.
Funding for actions led by the HSE is dealt with as part of the annual estimates and service planning process.
The recommendation referred to by the Deputy calling for obesity impact assessments for new planning developments that impact on children and their families is aligned by the Obesity Policy Implementation Oversight Group with Step 2 of the Obesity Policy Action Plan 'Regulate for a healthier environment'. One of the Actions under this Step is to "Develop guidelines and support material for those working in developing the built environment for urban development and planning in relation to reducing the obesogenic environment". The OPAP recognised that changing the obesogenic environment is a critical factor underpinning the success of maintaining the population at a healthy weight. The prevention approach aims to gradually change Ireland's food environment to one that facilitates consumption of healthier food and drinks and fosters active lifestyles. The OPAP acknowledged that food and retail outlets are more widely available now than ever before and that this becomes important as children have discretionary income and may not follow the healthy eating guidelines. It therefore declared that it is important that the health input into the local area planning process is consistent and evidence based.
This area is being progressed through engagement with other Government Departments to support the work of stakeholders involved in planning and developing the built environment.
In line with Actions 31 of the National Physical Activity Plan and 2.1 of the OPAP, which commit to developing guidelines and support materials for those working in developing the built environment in order to promote the importance of physical activity and reduce the obesogenic environment, a Stakeholder Forum was held on 21 November last.
The event was planned in partnership, with substantial input from three Government Departments, (Health; Transport, Tourism and Sport; and Housing, Planning and Local Government). Following on from this Forum, a working group made up of representatives of all three departments was convened to consider the outputs of the stakeholder forum and related recommendations, including the ones aligned with the recommendation referred to by the Deputy.
Finally, the question of legislation around planning matters for the issue is ultimately a matter for my colleague the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government and I understand that he has addressed the position on this in his reply to Parliamentary Question 34831/17. For convenience a link to this question is here.
157. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Health if Irish genetic data will be fully protected by GDPR legislation and that research using such sensitive data is subject to strict oversight and accountability under GDPR; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18081/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) replaced the previous EU Data Protection Directive. Unlike the Directive which required to be transposed into the national law of Member States, the Regulation became directly effective on 25 May 2018. One difference between the GDPR and the Directive is that the Regulation expressly recognises genetic data as a special category of personal data deserving of a high level of protection.
An important feature of the GDPR is that it allows Member States flexibility in certain areas. One of those areas is the processing of personal data for health research purposes and I used that flexibility to make, last August, the Health Research Regulations under section 36 of the Data Protection Act 2018.
The Health Research Regulations are a coherent statement of public policy in the health research area based on internationally accepted best practice information principles for those carrying out health research and strong and focused safeguards for those whose personal data is being processed for health research. The collecting, use, storage and disclosure of genetic data for health research purposes is, therefore, not only governed by the GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 but also wholly regulated by the Health Research Regulations. Further, the preparation of the Regulations had full regard to the privacy and confidentiality dimensions of the Constitution, Common Law and the European Convention on Human Right (ECHR).
The Regulations emphasise explicit consent of the data subject as the default position, provide for high levels of transparency which is a new core data protection principle and for information security controls to limit access to the personal data of individuals as well as controls to log who has accessed the data.
They also address the reality that those requirements for consent, transparency, security and other data subject’s rights mean very little if there is no clarity on where the responsibility lies for complying with them. That is why they tackle the crucial issue of the relationships between the institutions that hold the data being used in the research and the health researchers that carry out the research using that data. The rules and requirements in the Regulations are very clear especially when it comes to third party disclosures. Accordingly, all involved in a health research project must ensure that they know whether they are the data controller, a joint data controller or data processors and comply fully not only with legal requirements but ethical ones too.
The consent declaration process provided for in the Regulations which is designed to facilitate publicly important health research where seeking consent is not possible - something found in other countries - is very tightly drawn and its criteria for when a consent declaration can be given is directed not only at GDPR considerations but also at the Common Law, Constitution and ECHR. That was done to ensure that all relevant factors must be addressed both in the application for a consent declaration and in the consideration of that declaration. It is the same reasoning that means that a declaration when granted can only ever extend to obtaining and using personal data required for the research or part of the research but such data cannot then be disclosed to anyone else without the consent of the data subject or a legal obligation to do so. It is also important to emphasise that a consent declaration cannot be given where a data subject has refused his or her consent to the use of his or her personal information for the research involved.
Everything that is provided for in the Health Research Regulations was subject to a series of discussions with the Data Protection Commission. The rigorous nature of that consultation process provided a very useful stress test. In particular, the Department and the Commission had careful regard to the issue of genetic data against the backdrop both of scientific developments in the genomics area and the GDPR requirement that genetic data, as a special category of sensitive personal data, is subject to strong safeguards.
Health research is indisputably important to better patient care and the development of innovative and life-saving therapies. As Minister, I want to support health research and I believe most people do. I believe that the best way to do so is to promote and sustain greater public confidence in research through enhanced openness, transparency and patient empowerment so that no individual is surprised by who has access to his or her personal data and the research uses to which it is put. Without that confidence, the necessary support for health research that has the potential to bring considerable benefits, especially in evolving areas like genetics and genomics, will not be forthcoming. For that reason, it is in the interests of all those involved in health research to work with us in building that confidence.
One final point, the Minister for Health does not have the power to give anyone permission to collect DNA from Irish hospitals, GP practices or health centres. Those samples, where collected, must be collected on the basis of informed consent and that informed consent determines who has access to the samples and what the samples and any related personal data can be used for. Responsibility for proper governance in relation to those samples and the associated genetic data lies firmly with the institutions that collect and hold them. Failure to adhere to proper governance may have significant consequences under law for the institutions and any employees or agents involved. There will also be serious reputational damage affecting health research in Ireland generally.
158. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the status of an operation for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18082/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. Section 6 of the HSE Governance Act 2013 bars the Minister for Health from directing the HSE to provide a treatment or a personal service to any individual or to confer eligibility on any individual.
The National Waiting List Management Policy, a standardised approach to managing scheduled care treatment for in-patient, day case and planned procedures, since January 2014, has been developed to ensure that all administrative, managerial and clinical staff follow an agreed national minimum standard for the management and administration of waiting lists for scheduled care. This policy, which has been adopted by the HSE, sets out the processes that hospitals are to implement to manage waiting lists.
In relation to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly.
