Written Answers Nos. 41-64
47. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the number of new first-time investments by new IDA client companies in County Donegal in each of the past ten years; the percentage of the national total of new client investments this represents in each year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20606/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraAttracting investment and creating new jobs in regional locations – including County Donegal – is a major priority for both myself and my Department. The IDA has a significant role to play in helping us achieve that objective. It has been working hard, through its staff both here and abroad, to encourage overseas investors to locate or expand in Ireland’s regions. The Agency’s performance demonstrates that these efforts are producing results. There are now, for example, over 132,000 people employed across more than 680 IDA client firms outside of Dublin. 2018 also saw foreign direct investment (FDI) increase in every region of Ireland.
Donegal, along with many other parts of the country, has benefitted from this strong regional focus. The County has experienced a 60% increase in FDI-driven employment since 2012, with job numbers in IDA client firms there increasing from 2,223 in 2012 to 3,564 at the end of last year. In 2018 alone, the total of IDA supported jobs in Donegal increased by 5%, with the County now home to 12 IDA companies including SITA, Optibelt and Pramerica.
There was one new name investment in 2009 in Donegal representing 2.5% of the national total in that year. In 2010 there were no new name investments in the County. In 2011 and 2012 there was one such investment in each year, representing 1.6% and 1.5% of the national totals respectively for those years. Between 2013 and 2018 there were no new name investments in Donegal.
Those statistics, however, only serve to emphasise that FDI performance is not accurately measured by the number of new-name investors, given Donegal’s strong performance – as outlined above – over the last decade. Indeed, the IDA’s experience, over many decades, has shown that the growth of existing overseas firms here can produce as many jobs – if not more – than new name investors. That is why the IDA focuses on both supporting the growth and expansion of its current clients here as well as securing new investors to locate for the first time in locations like Donegal. Pursuing that twin-track strategy has helped produce record FDI results in recent years and should lead to further investment and job creation in the years ahead.
With respect to 2019, the indications are that FDI in Donegal will continue to increase. For example, Abbott Laboratories announced plans last July to expand its workforce in the County with the creation of 500 new jobs. The IDA is already working hard to attract further such high-quality investment to Donegal and continues to promote the County to investors considering investing in Ireland for the first time.
While clear progress has been made in creating new jobs and economic opportunity in Donegal, the Government is determined to achieve more. Efforts will continue in 2019 and beyond, whether in support of indigenous or overseas enterprise, to help create more employment and economic opportunities in the County.
54. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation her views on whether the full report of the trial of a person (details supplied) should be made available to Members of Dáil Éireann in order to identify potential legal lacunas and weaknesses in existing company law that emerged in the case with a view to strengthening the Companies (Corporate Enforcement Authority) Bill 2018. [20589/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraThere has been extensive engagement with the Office of the Attorney General on the publication of the Report of the Director of Corporate Enforcement (ODCE) prepared under section 955(1)(a) of the Companies Act 2014. Because of section 956 of the Companies Act 2014 the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation is prohibited from publishing reports prepared pursuant to Section 955 of the Act.
The Companies Act 2014 contains strict confidentiality obligations on information in the possession of the Director. This is because there is a public interest in ensuring that ongoing and future investigations are not compromised by the disclosure of details of an individual investigation and the investigative process itself. However, while it is not possible to publish the report itself, an account of the investigative shortcomings identified by Judge Aylmer, in so far as they relate directly to the role of the ODCE, was published on 4 December 2018 by my Department. The account sets out the factors which led to the investigative shortcomings identified by the Judge, including the need for a broader skills base, a greater range and depth of knowledge and experience of criminal prosecutions within the Office and a greater appreciation of the necessity to employ appropriate procedures and manage risk.
Since the time of the investigation, the Director has implemented multiple reforms within the ODCE, including staffing and procedural reforms that address many of the issues that led to the investigative shortcomings outlined by Judge Aylmer. Further measures to be taken include the establishment, as announced by Government in November 2017, of the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement as a stand-alone agency, to provide it with greater autonomy in relation to staffing resources and ensure it is better equipped to investigate increasingly complex breaches of company law.
In his judgment, Judge Aylmer did not point to any deficiencies in the company law framework. Nevertheless, as part of the process of preparing legislation to establish the ODCE as an Agency, any further powers that are identified as a requirement for carrying out the functions of the Agency will be conferred under statute.
The General Scheme of a Bill to establish the ODCE as an Agency was published on my Department’s website on 4 December 2018 and is currently subject to pre-legislative scrutiny by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Business, Enterprise and Innovation.
With regard to the procedures pertaining to the Parliamentary or Committee system, such procedures are a matter for the Houses of the Oireachtas.
55. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the additional resources that will be made available to the Workplace Relations Commission in order for it to implement the objectives in its strategy statement, Fair and Compliant Workplaces and Equal Treatment in Services 2019 to 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20358/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department works closely with the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) monitoring its staffing and budgetary requirements, including anticipating future resource requirements, to ensure that it is supported and adequately resourced to fulfil its mandate. Additional funding has already been provided in 2019 to enable the WRC deal with the anticipated increased workload arising from An Garda Síochána gaining access to the WRC and to facilitate an improved delivery of the full range of WRC services to regional locations. The WRC budget for 2019 is €15 million for pay and non-pay. This represents an increase of €1 million on the 2018 allocation.
The WRC has almost 200 staff located in its Dublin headquarters and the regional offices in Carlow, Cork, Shannon and Sligo. There are currently 57 inspectors in the WRC which is a 4% increase on the 2015 figure. The adjudication service of the WRC is supplemented by a panel of over 30 external adjudicators. This panel will be further extended in 2019 by an additional cohort of adjudicators who are currently undergoing training.
In terms of output, in 2018, over €3 million in unpaid wages was recovered for employees by the Inspection service. The adjudication service increased its hearings by 20% in 2018 and the conciliation service held 1145 hearings which impacted on 926,427 employees.
I am confident that the increased funding detailed above is sufficient to also support the WRC in achieving its strategy objective which is to ensure that people in dispute about non-compliance, or conflicts in Irish workplaces, will have their disputes resolved quickly and fairly, and those who believe they have suffered unequal treatment in the delivery of service will have their complaints heard quickly and fairly.
56. Deputy Tom Neville asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the supports available through her Department and the agencies under her remit to help businesses trade online; the impact the national broadband plan will have from a business perspective; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20595/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs set out in Future Jobs Ireland 2019, all businesses, regardless of size or sector, in today’s digital environment need to focus on building competitive online capability. The agencies of my Department offer a range of supports to assist businesses to trade online.
The Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) are the first-stop-shop service assisting in delivering business growth and jobs for the small & micro-enterprise sector. The LEOs undertake a number of activities to encourage businesses to build their online presence and compete in the online market place.
The LEOs nationwide actively promote the Trading Online Voucher Scheme (TOVS) run in collaboration with the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment. The TOVS offers matched financial assistance of up to €2,500, along with training and advice, to micro companies (10 or less employees) who want to establish an online presence for the first time, or who wish to expand a basic existing website to incorporate a more substantive online trading capacity. Since the start of the scheme in July 2014 to date over 5,000 micro enterprises have availed of the TOVS.
The LEOs also offer a wide range of short training programmes to support their clients in building their online presence and to compete in the online marketplace.
Enterprise Ireland is focused on helping export-focused clients across all sectors to exploit the internet as a route to market and to assist them in developing a strategy that will shape how they do business online. The ability to conduct business and trade online is vital for business and provides one of the most cost-effective ways to develop an export market.
In addition, under Enterprise Ireland’s Business Process Improvement Grant, client companies can apply for grant support to undertake an e-Marketing Improvement Assignment. Using one-to-one training and action-based learning, consultants/ trainers work with clients to plan and implement an eMarketing strategy.
As Chair of the Retail Consultation Forum, I have prioritised supporting the retail sector to develop their online capability in order for them to expand their market reach nationally and internationally and enhance their competitiveness.
I introduced a new pilot Online Retail Scheme administered by Enterprise Ireland, the first call of which opened on 24th October 2018 and closed on 5th December 2018.
The Online Retail Scheme supports retail businesses of 20 employees or more who are ready to strategically grow their online capability, with grants of between €10,000 and €25,000 on a 50 percent match fund basis. Eligible expenditure under the Scheme includes activities such as research, strategy development, implementation and relevant training. The Scheme launched with a fund of up to €625,000, which was later doubled to €1.25m as part of my Department’s 2019 Budget.
I announced the eleven successful applicants on 1st March 2019 in Skibbereen, Co. Cork. A second call will issue later this year.
Broadband connectivity is a key enabler of business and is vital for companies trading online to access their customers, suppliers and new markets. The provision of access to high speed broadband to some 44,000 businesses in the National Broadband Plan intervention area will support the economic and regional growth envisaged in the National Development Plan.
I welcome the further roll-out of broadband and other infrastructures which assist businesses to trade online in all parts of Ireland. I will ensure that my Department continues to participate with all relevant Government Departments to support the National Broadband Plan.
57. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the impact of the regional enterprise plans in County Louth; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20597/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraDuring February and March this year, I launched nine new Regional Enterprise Plans to 2020, which build on the very strong progress made on employment creation under the Regional Action Plan for Jobs 2015-2017.
County Louth forms part of the new Regional Enterprise Plan for the North-East region, and implementation of the Plan, which also includes counties Cavan and Monaghan, has already commenced.
The principle behind the Regional Enterprise Plans is collaboration between regional stakeholders on initiatives that can help to realise the region’s enterprise development potential and add value to the core work of the enterprise agencies. These stakeholders include: Local Authorities, the LEOs, the enterprise agencies, the Regional Skills Forum, tourism boards, private sector ‘enterprise champions’, higher and further education institutions, business representative bodies, and others.
Shaped from the ‘bottom-up’ by the regional stakeholders, and overseen by my Department, the new Regional Plans complement national level policies and programmes including Ireland’s national enterprise policy, Enterprise 2025 Renewed and the Future Jobs Ireland initiative.
The Plan for the North-East is focused on achieving impact across five ‘Strategic Objectives’ including: leveraging local talent; workforce development; strengthening SME resilience; fostering clustering; and improving the tourist offering in the region. Each of the five Objectives involves a focus on Co. Louth as part of the North-East region.
Employment performance has been strong in Co. Louth with EI and IDA supported employment growing by 8 percent since the start of the Regional Action Plan for Jobs initiative in 2015. Last year, the LEOs supported an additional 98 new jobs in micro firms and start-ups in Co. Louth.
The CSO Labour Force Survey reports employment data for Co. Louth as part of the Mid-East region along with Meath, Kildare and Wicklow. It is very encouraging to see that there are 42,400 more people in employment in this region from Q1 2015 to Q4 2018 and unemployment has reduced from 9.6 percent to 4.9 percent over the same period.
The focus for Co. Louth and the North-East over the period to 2020 under the new Regional Enterprise Plan will be to maintain an emphasis on employment growth, and to ensure that sustainable, quality jobs are created and maintained the region.
Finally, it is important to note that the Government has put several funding streams in place to support regional development, and the North-East has seen many successes through these ongoing initiatives. They include my Department’s Regional Enterprise Development Fund; and the Rural and Urban Regeneration and Development Funds under Project Ireland 2040.
Under the €60 million competitive Regional Enterprise Development Fund (REDF), the North-East region has secured total funding of over €5.4 million under the two completed Calls so far.
Guided by this new Regional Enterprise Plan, Co. Louth is well positioned to build on this success and to continue to see the benefits and results of collaborative and innovative initiatives that can make a significant impact on enterprise development in the region.
58. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation her plans to address the issue of unemployment and the need for further investment in the south east; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20361/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraA total of 18,500 more people are in employment in the South-East at the end of 2018 than in 2015 when the Regional Action Plan for Jobs initiative was launched. Unemployment in the region has reduced from 11.7 percent to 7.7 percent in the same period. While we have had great success through the Action Plan for Jobs in reducing unemployment, 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 these challenges. Launched on 10 March 2019, it includes ambitious targets and actions to drive this transformation of our economy. Government remains committed to achieving an overall jobs uplift of between 10 and 15 per cent in each region by 2020 and to bring and/or maintain unemployment levels in each region to within at least one percentage point of the State average. Unemployment in the South East is currently outside that 2020 target.
To that end, during February and March this year, I launched nine new Regional Enterprise Plans to 2020, which build on the very strong progress made on employment creation under the Regional Action Plan for Jobs 2015-2017. I am pleased to say that implementation has commenced in all regions.
Shaped from the ‘bottom-up’ by regional stakeholders, and overseen by my Department, the new Plans complement national level policies and programmes from the ‘top-down’ with strong alignment to Ireland’s national enterprise policy, Enterprise 2025 Renewed and the Future Jobs Ireland initiative.
The principle behind the Regional Enterprise Plans is collaboration between regional stakeholders on initiatives that can help to realise the region’s enterprise development potential and add value to the core work of the enterprise agencies. The stakeholders include: Local Authorities, the LEOs, the enterprise agencies, the Regional Skills Forum, tourism boards, private sector ‘enterprise champions’, higher and further education institutions, business representative bodies, and others.
I launched the new Regional Enterprise Plan for the South-East region, which covers Carlow, Kilkenny, Tipperary, Waterford and Wexford on 22 March 2019 in Waterford. The Steering Committee for the Plan, chaired by Frank O'Regan (formerly of Bausch and Lomb, Waterford) has already met to commence its implementation.
There are five ‘Strategic Objectives’ in the South East Plan. These include: building enterprise resilience; marketing the region; a regional engagement strategy on key infrastructure priorities; ensuring the South East is a learning region; and tourism growth.
The Strategic Objectives and actions in the South-East Plan are set out alongside the Enterprise Agencies’ (Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland) and the LEOs’ core activities in the region.
The focus for the South-East over the period to 2020 under the new Plan will be to maintain an emphasis on employment growth, aiming to out-perform the rate of growth achieved since 2015 to date, reduce unemployment to within one percentage point of the national average, and ensure that sustainable, quality jobs are created and maintained the region. The collaborative strategic objectives and actions in this Plan will support this.
The Government has put several funding streams in place to support regional development, and the South-East has seen a number of successes through these. They include my Department’s Regional Enterprise Development Fund; and the Rural and Urban Regeneration and Development Funds under Project Ireland 2040.
Under the €60 million competitive Regional Enterprise Development Fund (REDF), the South-East region has secured total funding of over €10 million to date under the two completed Calls.
Guided by this new Regional Enterprise Plan, the South-East region is well positioned to realise its enterprise potential.
59. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the number of persons working in her Department who earn less than the living wage; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20603/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraRemuneration for staff within my Department is set by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in line with Government policy. I have no remit in this area.
Based on the Civil Service 37-hour standard net working week, the suggested living wage equates to an annual salary of €22,975.
There is a total of 7 staff in my Department currently on an annual salary less than the suggested living wage. The hourly rate for the 7 identified is between €11.32 and €11.79. These rates are well above the minimum wage of €9.80 as recommended by the Low Pay Commission.
It should be noted that the maximum point on the incremental scales for these staff is above the hourly suggested rate of €11.90 for the living wage. Over time and based on satisfactory performance, each staff member in these grades would proceed to earn more than the living wage through incremental progression.
Additionally, those currently identified on basic annual salary of less than €22,975 could be receiving remuneration in excess of the suggested living wage through additional payments in respect of specific allowances particular to the grade or atypical working hours.
60. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the steps she is taking to promote job creation in the mid-east region, including County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20583/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn April 2018, I asked all the Regional Action Plan for Jobs Implementation Committees to start a process to refresh and refocus all Regional Plans to ensure their relevance and impact out to 2020, so that they continue to deliver jobs across the country, in every region, and can be robust to address the challenges we face, including Brexit.
The outcome of this refresh process is nine new Regional Enterprise Plans to 2020, which build on the very strong progress made on employment creation under the Regional Action Plan for Jobs 2015-2017.
Shaped from the ‘bottom-up’ by regional stakeholders, and overseen by my Department, the new Regional Enterprise Plans to 2020 align and underpin national policies and programmes including Ireland’s national enterprise policy, Enterprise 2025 Renewed and the Future Jobs Ireland 2019.
The Regional Enterprise Plans are two-year focused Plans, which are also ‘live’ documents, so new initiatives can be adopted during their operation by the regional stakeholders working together.
The principle behind the Regional Enterprise Plans is collaboration between regional stakeholders on initiatives that can help to realise the region’s enterprise development potential. These stakeholders include: the Local Authorities, the LEOs, the enterprise agencies, the Regional Skills Forum, tourism bodies, private sector ‘enterprise champions’ and others.
I launched the new Regional Enterprise Plan for the Mid-East region, which covers Kildare, Meath and Wicklow, on the 7th February in Naas. It is focused on four Strategic Objectives, specifically developing the Screen Content Creation Sector, developing innovative co-working spaces, supporting the agri-food sector and ensuring the availability of skills and talent.
Each of the four Strategic Objectives includes actions in Co. Kildare as part of the Mid-East region, and the Local Authority in Co. Kildare will lead on Strategic Objective 2, that is the development of a network of innovative co-working spaces in the Mid-East Region .
The Strategic Objectives and actions in the Mid-East Plan are set out alongside the Enterprise Agencies’ (Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland) and the LEOs’ core activities in Co. Kildare and the wider region. In this way the new Plans add value and support the work of the Agencies on the ground in the Mid-East, through a collaborative approach.
The unemployment rate in the Mid-East region, which includes Co. Kildare along with Meath and Wicklow has reduced from 9.6 percent in Q1 2015 to 4.9 percent in Q4 2018, the second-lowest unemployment rate in the country.
The focus for Co. Kildare and the Mid-East over the period to 2020 under the Plan will be to maintain an emphasis on employment growth, aiming to out-perform the rate of growth achieved since 2015 to date and to ensure that sustainable, quality jobs are created and maintained the region. The collaborative strategic objectives and actions in this Plan, along with the core activities of the various Agencies and Bodies involved in supporting enterprise development over the coming two-year period will support this.
Finally, it is important to note that my Department, together with other Government Departments, has put several funding streams in place to support regional development, and I am pleased that the Mid-East has been successful in a number of these funding initiatives. These include my Department’s Regional Enterprise Development Fund; the Rural and Urban Regeneration and Development Funds under Project Ireland 2040; and the Town and Village Renewal Scheme.
Under my Department's €60 million competitive Regional Enterprise Development Fund (REDF), the Mid-East region has secured total funding of over €3.4 million to date under the two completed Calls. One of these projects, the development of the Mid East Regional Innovation Think Space (MERITS) enterprise centre in Naas, involves an investment of just over €1.9 million from the REDF.
Guided by this new Regional Enterprise Plan, Co. Kildare and the wider Mid-East region and is well positioned to build on this success and to continue to see the benefits and results of collaborative and innovative initiatives that can make a significant impact on enterprise development in the region.
61. Deputy Jan O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the measures being implemented to strengthen the powers and effectiveness of the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20507/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraOrganisational reforms in the ODCE were commenced in 2012 to enhance the capability of the Office to investigate complex suspected breaches of company law and to ensure a more efficient and effective use of its resources. These include:
- Reorganising the structure of the Office;
- Recruiting additional expertise, including 8 Forensic Accountants, a Digital Forensic Specialist, 2 Enforcement Portfolio Managers and 2 Enforcement Lawyers;
- As senior-level vacancies have arisen, reconfiguration of the skill sets, competencies, roles and responsibilities associated with those posts to better reflect the organisation's current needs;
- Amending the investigative procedures used by the Office so that members of An Garda Síochána take the lead in all criminal investigations; and
- Fostering a greater culture of risk management within the Office.
One of the actions in the Government's package of Measures to Enhance Ireland’s Corporate, Economic and Regulatory Framework, published in November 2017, is the establishment of the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement (ODCE) as a stand-alone agency.
The General Scheme of the Companies (Corporate Enforcement Authority) Bill 2018 to establish the ODCE as a stand-alone agency was published on 4 December 2018. The General Scheme is currently subject to pre-legislative scrutiny by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Business, Enterprise and Innovation.
Changing the structure of the ODCE from an office to a statutory agency will provide greater autonomy to the agency in relation to staffing resources and ensure it is better equipped to investigate increasingly complex breaches of company law. Sourcing of expertise and specialist staff, such as forensic accountants, will be enhanced under the agency model.
The establishment of the ODCE as a stand-alone agency is intended to:
- Enhance the ODCE’s independence, by providing it with more autonomy, particularly the ability to recruit the required specialist skills and expertise;
- Build on its existing expertise and experience;
- Strengthen its capability to investigate increasingly complex breaches of company law; and
- Build on the organisational and procedural reforms that have been implemented.
The General Scheme of the Companies (Corporate Enforcement Authority) Bill 2018 also introduces new, or develops existing, powers and investigative tools for the new Authority.
These are –
- Enhanced search and entry powers to meet the changes arising from technological advances and to allow the Authority to get a search warrant that enables it to search for electronic records that a company may hold on a server that is remote from the company or to be able to use its own equipment (Head 46);
- A provision on the admissibility of written statements (Head 45);
- Power for the Authority to request that a person acting as a liquidator provide evidence to it that he or she is qualified to act as a liquidator in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2014 (Head 41);
- New grounds to apply to the Courts for an Order to restrict a person from acting as a director in winding-up situations (Head 38). This is intended to address the situation where a director does not conduct an orderly winding up of a company.
Alongside these provisions in the General Scheme, my Department is working with the Department of Justice and Equality with a view to giving the new Authority a power under the forthcoming Communications (Retention of Data) Bill to apply directly to the courts to retain specified telecommunication records for an investigation.
62. Deputy Jan O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation if her Department monitors the take-up of the Brexit loan scheme operated through the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland; the number of applications received; the number that have been successful; the amount of loan finance that has been approved; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20510/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department and its agencies are working to provide extensive supports, schemes and advice to ensure that businesses are prepared for Brexit. These measures aim to assist businesses in identifying key risk areas and to facilitate the practical actions to be taken in response to the UK's exit from the EU.
The Brexit Loan Scheme provides affordable working capital to eligible businesses with up to 499 employees that are or will be impacted by Brexit. The €23 million exchequer funding (€14 million from my Department and €9 million from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine) has been leveraged to provide a fund of up to €300 million.
The scheme has been designed to provide working capital and liquidity support to eligible Irish businesses in the short-term as they deal with the challenges of Brexit. The scheme is open to both State Agency clients and businesses that do not have any relationship with State Agencies. Sole traders may also apply.
The scheme was launched in March 2018 and, at close of business on 3rd May, there have been 608 eligibility applications received of which 550 eligibility applications have been approved and 124 loans progressed to sanction at bank level to a value of €27.77m.
The conversion of eligibility to loan application has been impacted by the uncertainty surrounding the final form that Brexit will take and the implications for individual businesses. This is leading to a reluctance on behalf of businesses to take on debt until the details of the Brexit challenge becomes clearer.
The availability of the BLS at this stage means that qualifying Irish businesses will have access to low cost working capital without delay as they need it, and forms part of the support for Irish business to cope with potential Brexit challenges.
Brexit of any kind means change. We have been preparing for well over two years. The last three Budgets introduced supports to help businesses prepare for Brexit and while my Government is still focused on achieving a deal, we are preparing for all scenarios, including no deal. We have our Comprehensive Contingency Action Plan in place, our whole-of-Government response, working in tandem with the EU, to implement measures to mitigate the impact of no deal Brexit. Whatever the outcome of the Brexit process, Ireland will remain in the EU with all the stability and certainty that membership brings.
63. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation when the next round of the disruptive technology fund will open; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20599/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department launched the €500 million Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund 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. Expressions of Interest were sought for funding commencing in 2019.
In December 2018, I was delighted to announce the 27 projects that were approved in principle for funding under the first Call for proposals. These projects will receive over €70 million in Government funding between now and 2021 and they represent the health, food, ICT and manufacturing sectors in Ireland. The projects involve partners right across the country, showing that excellence in collaborative research, development and innovation transcends county borders and that every part of Ireland is capable of participation in one of the most unique Funds Ireland has developed. In fact, 18 of the successful projects involve partners based outside the capital. The projects are co-funded by the enterprise partners in each consortium.
The Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund is a competitive offer and all applications for funding under this first call were subject to the same assessment and selection criteria with an international panel scoring the eligible proposals to assist us in our deliberations.
It is my intention that a second call for proposals will issue in June.
64. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation if recent changes in the Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2018 with regard to contracts of employment and so on will see extra resources allocated to the WRC to ensure compliance with the new laws and increased protections for workers affected; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20567/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2018, which comes under the remit of my colleague Regina Doherty T.D., Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, was signed into law by the President on 25 December 2018.
The key objective of the Act is to improve the security and predictability of hours of work for those on insecure contracts and those working variable hours. The WRC will monitor compliance with the Act as part of their ongoing inspection regime and employees who believe that their employer is in breach of the Act can bring a complaint to the WRC.
Additional funding has already been provided in 2019 to enable the WRC deal with the anticipated increased workload arising from An Garda Síochána gaining access to the WRC and to facilitate an improved delivery of the full range of WRC services to regional locations. My Department will continue to work closely with the WRC in monitoring its staffing and budgetary requirements, including anticipating future resource requirements, to ensure that it is supported and adequately resourced to fulfil its mandate.
Adequate resourcing of the WRC is a commitment in the Programme for Government and I am confident that the supports that have already been put in place for the WRC are sufficient to deliver on its mandate.
