Written Answers Nos. 268-284
270. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if his Department has ever used artificial intelligence, such as ChatGPT, in drafting Dáil speeches or responses to Parliamentary Questions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29276/24]
View answerMy Department does not use ChatGPT or any other Artificial Intelligence (AI) in drafting Dáil speeches or in drafting responses to Parliamentary Questions.
AI Serving the Public is one of the pillars of the National AI Strategy, AI – Here for Good. I have an ambition that AI is used, where appropriate, to deliver innovation in public service delivery in my Department. Any use of generative AI in my Department is in line with the advice of the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform who issued interim guidelines on the use of AI in the public service in January 2024, and the National Cyber Security Centre who issued cyber security guidance for Public Service Bodies in June 2023.
271. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of laptops or mobile phones owned by his Department that have been lost or stolen in each of the past ten years. [29294/24]
View answerMy Department's records indicate that, in the period in question the following laptops or mobile phones have been reported as lost or stolen:
|
Year |
Laptops |
Mobile Phones |
|
2014 |
1 |
1 |
|
2015 |
1 |
- |
|
2016 |
- |
1 |
|
2017 |
- |
2 |
|
2018 |
- |
1 |
|
2019 |
- |
1 |
|
2020 |
2 |
1 |
|
2021 |
1 |
- |
|
2022 |
- |
1 |
|
2023 |
1 |
3 |
|
2024 |
1 |
1 |
It is the policy of my Department that the theft of any ICT equipment of value must be reported to the relevant local police authorities. However, none of these items have been recovered.
272. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the key measures and initiatives taken in relation to artificial intelligence since July 2020; his assessment of the impact of these measures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29311/24]
View answerThe opportunities presented by Artificial Intelligence are unlike any from previous technological advances due to the pace of progress, and its potential for transformative impacts on our society and economy, for our collective good. AI presents opportunities for beneficial impacts across our society and economy, including in the delivery of public services, healthcare, scientific discovery, sustainability, agriculture, transport, and mobility.
Ireland’s National AI Strategy, "AI – Here for Good", was published in July 2021, and a progress report was published in August 2023. The overall aim of the Strategy is to drive the development and adoption of trustworthy, person-centred AI for economic and societal good. It sets out actions for a range of government Departments and agencies, across seven strands: society, governance, enterprise, education and skills, research and innovation, public service and infrastructure.
My Department is responsible in particular for implementing the elements of the Strategy that relate to AI adoption in enterprise. Growing the use of digital and AI technologies by businesses will help to build the resilience of our enterprise base as we look to future-proof our economy. For businesses, investment in digitalisation and AI brings increased efficiencies, reduced costs, enhanced customer services, and increased competitiveness.
The Digital Transition Fund accounts for €58 million of the €85 million in funding under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) that is focused on Digital Transformation of Enterprise, and which is funded by the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). The fund is administered by Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland and Údarás na Gaeltachta through a range of schemes to boost uptake of digital and AI technology.
Ireland’s four European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs), CeADAR, FactoryxChange, ENTIRE, and DATA2SUSTAIN are part-funded by the RRF and the Digital Europe Programme. EDIHs support the digital transformation of enterprise, in particular SMEs, and also public sector organisations. The EDIHs act as “one stop shops” providing access to technical expertise and experimentation, financing advice, training and skills, and information on the innovation ecosystem and networking. CeADAR, as Ireland's national centre for AI, has a key role to play in supporting SMEs in adopting AI.
In January of this year, I established the AI Advisory Council. The Council has experts from academia, business, law, security, social sciences, economics, and civil society. It will provide independent, agile advice to government, and its members will participate in public engagement to promote the development and adoption of trustworthy AI.
273. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the key measures and initiatives taken in relation to the digital transformation of businesses since July 2020; his assessment of the impact of these measures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29312/24]
View answerUnder the Enterprise Dimension of National Digital Strategy, Harnessing Digital – The Digital Ireland Framework, Government has set out our goals in relation to the digital transformation of enterprise, in particular among SMEs.
The strategy sets out clear targets for the digitalisation of enterprise, including achieving 75% enterprise take-up of cloud, big data and AI by 2030; 90% of our SMEs to have reached at least a basic level of digital intensity by 2030; and that at least 35% of State funding for start-up and early-stage businesses is invested in innovative digital businesses from 2022 onwards.
The strategy sets a target of at least 800 businesses supported under the Digital Transition Fund (DTF) by 2026. The DTF is one element of Ireland’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan and will run until 2026. A total of 320 businesses have been approved for funding to date.
Under the DTF, Enterprise Ireland have a suite of supports available to eligible businesses to help them to embrace digital transformation. These include:
- The Digital Discovery grant which can be used to help a business assess their current digital ability, identify opportunities for improvement of existing digital systems, and develop a plan to introduce new digital solutions such as Customer Relationship Management software, Enterprise Planning Software, Cloud Computing, Data Analytics or Artificial Intelligence.
- The Digital Marketing Capability grant which can be used to improve a business’ online presence and enable them to engage a digital marketing agency. This can help businesses to understand and utilise digital marketing tools.
- The Digital Process Innovation grant which can be used to introduce new digital technology systems or customer experiences, increase company capability and operational effectiveness, or implementation of new sustainable production methods.
This work is complemented by a network of four European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs): FactoryxChange in Mullingar, CeADAR in Dublin, ENTIRE in Cork, and Data2Sustain in Sligo. These hubs serve as one-stop-shops for business, providing access to technical expertise, innovation services and skills development to help businesses become more competitive by using digital technologies including Cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence, and High-Performance Computing.
The network of 31 Local Enterprise Offices also offer digitalisation supports to eligible businesses, including through the Trading Online Voucher scheme, which is in place to help businesses develop their online trading capability, and Digital for Business, which is designed to help businesses prepare and implement a plan for the adoption of digital tools and techniques across the business. Under the recently announced SME Package, both schemes will be broadened to allow a greater cohort of businesses to avail of support that will assist them to embrace digital transformation.
The second annual Report on the State of the Digital Decade, which includes the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) was published on 2 July 2024. The DESI shows that Ireland’s performance on Digitalisation of Enterprise is good overall. Ireland has maintained our position in first place in the e-Commerce turnover category, which measures SMEs total turnover from e-commerce; we have improved our position under the Electronic Information Sharing, Cloud and Artificial Intelligence KPIs; and in the newly introduced category of Unicorns we are in 5th place, as home to 12 out of the EU’s 263 unicorns.
274. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment further to Parliamentary Question No. 190 of 28 May 2024, the reason for the discrepancy between the total projects awarded; the average amount awarded; the amount drawn down as part of the Environmental Aid Programme 2020-2023; if businesses are failing to draw down awards; if so, the reasons for this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29408/24]
View answer275. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment further to Parliamentary Question No. 190 of 28 May 2024, the reason for the discrepancy between the total projects awarded; the average amount awarded and the amount drawn down as part of the green for business scheme from 2021 to date; if businesses are failing to draw down awards, if so, the reason; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29409/24]
View answer276. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment further to Parliamentary Question No. 190 of 28 May 2024, the reason for the discrepancy between the total projects awarded; the average amount awarded; the amount drawn down as part of sustainable recovery scheme 2022-2023; if businesses are failing to draw down awards; if so, the reasons; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29410/24]
View answer277. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment further to Parliamentary Question No. 190 of 28 May 2024, the reason for the discrepancy between the total projects awarded; the average amount awarded; the amount drawn down as part of green transition fund 2022-2026; if businesses are failing to draw down awards; if so, the reasons for this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29411/24]
View answer278. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment further to Parliamentary Question No. 190 of 28 May 2024, the reason for the discrepancy between the total projects awarded; the average amount awarded; the amount drawn down as part of the energy efficiency grant 2023 to date; if businesses are failing to draw down awards; if so, the reasons for this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29412/24]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 274 to 278, inclusive, together.
My Department, along with the enterprise agencies, Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland, and the Local Enterprise Offices, promote and support the funding of decarbonisation technologies and energy efficiency initiatives across the enterprise base.
Under State Aid rules, the Government can only provide financial assistance to a company if it will encourage it to undertake activity that it would not have done in the absence of Government support. When a company is approved grant aid from an enterprise agency, they are issued with a letter of offer which is a contract between the enterprise agency and the approved grant recipient. The contract outlines an agreed time horizon between the two parties, milestones, targets and a final claim date.
As approved companies are at the very beginning of their journey, there will always be a time lag between the date of grant approval and the date of payment. Exchequer funds cannot be disbursed to companies until the awarding body can verify that the expenses being claimed are for activities that have been agreed in the original letter of offer, or the contract itself.
Inspections are carried out to identify links between expenditure incurred and the eligible expenditure listed in the letter of offer. As a result of this process, the amount disbursed will often differ to the original amount awarded. There is also a natural drop-off rate for grant approved projects due to, for example, changing priorities within the company. The average amounts awarded in my previous correspondence with the Deputy were calculated based upon the number of grants awarded and the total outlay of approved applications per scheme.
The Energy Efficiency Grant (EEG) was launched by the Local Enterprise Offices a year ago. I recently announced that the maximum amount available under the Grant was increasing from €5,000 to €10,000, and that the business contribution rate was reducing from 50% to 25%.
Prior to approval however, businesses are required to complete an energy audit (Green for Business, Greenstart or an SEAI energy audit). An increased number of businesses have now completed an audit, and the Grant is being actively promoted by the Local Enterprise Offices. My Department therefore expects to see an increase in demand for the Grant.
279. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to provide details of the value of grants made by the IDA to a business (details supplied) in 2021, 2022, 2023 and to date in 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29444/24]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, Becton Dickinson advised last week that following an analysis of its network and forecast market demand, BD UK & Ireland had made the difficult decision to discontinue production at its site in Drogheda over the next two and a half years. This decision will result in the closure of the BD Drogheda site by the end of Q4 of 2026, which will regrettably impact the 170 people currently employed at this plant. In this regard, Government's primary concern is for those staff and their families impacted by this decision and our Agencies will work to support the workers affected in the period ahead as they pursue alternative employment, and the IDA will work to market the site to potential new employers in cooperation with BD.
IDA Ireland supports opportunities for sustainable growth amongst its client base through a focus on transformative investments in RD&I, digitalisation, training, and actions on sustainability to increase the competitiveness and productivity of Irish operations and their workforce.
IDA Ireland is deeply engaged with Becton Dickinson & Co Limited (BD) across the company's four sites in Ireland and at HQ in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey. Over the past 4 years (2021-2024) IDA Ireland's Medical Technologies team and the IDA New York office have been actively working with BD and its Drogheda site with support from IDA's Regional Development, Strategic Property , Green Economy and Talent, Transformation and Innovation teams on the company's growth, transformation, talent & skills, research, and innovation agenda.
In terms of financial grant support, Becton Dickinson & Co Limited located in Drogheda received Training Grants of €807,801 in 2023 but no supports in either 2021 or 2022 and data on grant payments for 2024 is not yet available.
Importantly, IDA Ireland continues to engage with BD Corporate, BD UK & Ireland and BD in Drogheda on available supports to the company and will work with the company on the wind-down of its operations in Drogheda over the next 2.5 years, in particular, with a view to collaborating on securing a successor enterprise to locate on the site.
280. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to name all of the IDA client companies with operations in Drogheda, County Louth and in Dundalk, County Louth; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29445/24]
View answer282. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to list all of the IDA-backed client companies located in County Louth; to provide details of the number of whole-time equivalent employees at each IDA-backed firm in County Louth as of 1 July 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29447/24]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 280 and 282 together.
Over the last five years Foreign Direct Investment performance in the IDA Mid-East Region, which comprises counties Kildare, Louth, Meath and Wicklow, has been strong, with IDA Ireland client company employment in the region growing by 10%. There are 113 IDA client companies in the Mid-East Region, employing 21,861 people. County Louth is home to 36 IDA Ireland client companies directly employing 4,485 people.
In recent years, IDA Ireland-supported companies, including Pentagon Technologies, Yapstone, ITRenew, Simply NUC, and ABB announced investments and expansions in Co. Louth.
The list of IDA client companies in County Louth, their location and employment range are shown in the table below. The employment figures are taken from the latest Annual Employment Survey, which represents 2023 figures. In accordance with IDA Ireland’s data sharing policy, total employment figures at company level can be shared in ranges only.
|
Company Name |
Town |
Employment Range |
|
Abb Limited |
Dundalk |
0-50 |
|
Allard Support UK Limited |
Dundalk |
0-50 |
|
Almac Pharmaceuticals Group (Ireland) Limited |
Dundalk |
150-200 |
|
Amphenol Tcs Ireland Limited |
Drogheda |
0-50 |
|
Armac Systems Ltd. |
Drogheda |
0-50 |
|
Becton Dickinson & Co Limited |
Drogheda |
200-250 |
|
Cargotec |
Dundalk |
350-400 |
|
Catapult (Kodaplay Limited) |
Dundalk |
0-50 |
|
Diaceutics Limited |
Dundalk |
0-50 |
|
Graebel |
Dundalk |
50-100 |
|
Integrated Aviation Systems Ireland |
Dundalk |
0-50 |
|
Iron Mountain (Drogheda) |
Drogheda |
0-50 |
|
Kaseya Centre of Excellence Dundalk |
Dundalk |
150-200 |
|
Kellton Tech Ireland |
Dundalk |
0-50 |
|
KUKA Robotics (Ireland) Limited |
Dundalk |
0-50 |
|
MTI Merchandising Technologies Ireland Limited |
Drogheda |
0-50 |
|
National Pen Promotional Products Limited |
Dundalk |
200-250 |
|
Overhaul Driven by Trust Ltd |
Dundalk |
0-50 |
|
Panasonic Avionics Dundalk |
Dundalk |
0-50 |
|
PCI Services Ireland (Louth) |
Drogheda |
150-200 |
|
Prometric Ireland Limited |
Dundalk |
150-200 |
|
Radio Systems Petsafe Europe Limited |
Dundalk |
50-100 |
|
Rayner Surgical Ireland Limited |
Drogheda |
0-50 |
|
Satir Europe (Ireland) Company Limited |
Drogheda |
0-50 |
|
ServiSource Healthcare Ltd |
Dundalk |
150-200 |
|
Simply NUC Ireland |
Dunleer |
0-50 |
|
Smarmore Castle Private Clinic |
Ardee |
0-50 |
|
Smt Fund Services (Ireland) Limited (DUNDALK) |
Dundalk |
50-100 |
|
Standard Brands (Trading) Ireland Ltd |
Castlebellingham |
100-150 |
|
State Street International Ireland Drogheda |
Drogheda |
150-200 |
|
TrustLabs Compliance Solutions (Archblock) |
Dundalk |
0-50 |
|
Vesta Payment Solutions Limited |
Dundalk |
0-50 |
|
Wasdell Ireland |
Dundalk |
200-250 |
|
Wuxi Biologics Ireland |
Dundalk |
550-600 |
|
WuXi Vaccines Ireland |
Dundalk |
150-200 |
|
Xerox (Europe) Limited |
Dundalk |
100-150 |
281. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to provide a timeline for the completion of the proposed IDA advance facilities planned for Drogheda, County Louth; if client companies have been identified to occupy the facilities; if any formal agreement has been entered into at this point; the nature of any agreements entered into in regard to the advance facilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29446/24]
View answerIDA’s regional property programme ensures the continued supply of land, buildings and infrastructure in regional locations to meet the needs of current and prospective clients of IDA, Enterprise Ireland and the Local Enterprise Offices. The timely provision of appropriate, cost-effective property and infrastructure solutions to meet the needs of Multinational Companies (MNCs) remains essential to winning Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).
In the current IDA Strategy - Driving Recovery and Sustainable Growth 2021 – 2024 - IDA is progressing delivery of Advanced Building Solutions (ABS) in a number of regional locations including the Mid-East, specifically at IDA’s land bank in The Mell in Drogheda. The development of this land bank, including the design of the ABS, forms part of IDA’s long term strategic plans to position Drogheda and the wider Mid-East region to compete for FDI investment. At present, IDA is currently completing remedial infrastructural works at the site.
While the planning application for the Drogheda ABS has received a decision to grant, the IDA must now wait for the appeals period to conclude. Many factors impact on the delivery of construction projects including site identification, design, the planning process, procurement and a variety of macro-economic factors. It is not possible to confirm when construction will commence on the Drogheda ABS in the absence of this final planning decision. However, upon receipt of planning permission IDA can then commence the next phase for delivery of same which includes a public procurement process for the appointment of an appropriate contractor and is subject to IDA Board approval.
Currently, there is no client identified for this building.
283. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of IDA site visits to County Louth in 2022, 2023 and 2024; the number of such client visits made to Drogheda, County Louth; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29448/24]
View answerRegional development is a key element of Government's enterprise policy, as set out in the White Paper on Enterprise and is a key focus of the work of my Department. In that regard, IDA Ireland is committed to the pursuit of balanced, compact regional development and is targeting at least half of all investments - that is 400 of 800 - from 2021 to 2024 to regional locations.
Further, the IDA’s Regional Property Programme ensures the continued supply of land, buildings and infrastructure in regional locations to meet the needs of current and prospective clients of IDA, Enterprise Ireland and the Local Enterprise Offices, as the timely provision of appropriate, cost-effective property and infrastructure solutions to meet the needs of Multinational Companies (MNCs) remains essential to winning Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). To these ends, the IDA also partners with the private sector and Local Authorities to deliver buildings in key locations and is investing in significant infrastructure projects across the portfolio of Business and Technology Parks responding to evolving company needs. The agency also maintains a focus on land banks and strategic sites to future proof the ability of the property portfolio in regional locations to support the project pipeline.
Statistics on site visits are available on a county basis only and, in this regard, the number of site visits to County Louth in 2022 was 16; in 2023 was 11; and for Q1 2024 there have been 2 visits. Figures for Q2 are being collated and verified and will be available next month. These site visit figures reflect both in-person and e-visits. I am also advised, that potential clients visiting Ireland may visit more than one county and may return to a location more than once. Thus the foregoing figures represent individual visits and are, therefore, not indicative of the number of companies that have visited.
284. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will review the minimum rate of pay for healthcare assistants and social care support staff employed by private companies, in view of the increasing rate of staff turnover in the sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29464/24]
View answerAs Minister I have no means available to me to review pay in any sector. There are statutory provisions available to employer organisations and trades unions to request that such reviews to be undertaken by the Labour Court.
The Government strongly supports Ireland’s industrial relations wage-setting mechanisms. I believe collective bargaining is an important element of ensuring industrial relations stability in Ireland. While minimum wage setting mechanisms should not replace traditional collective bargaining between autonomous representative organisations of workers and employer representatives, they play an important role in strengthening industrial harmony.
