Written Answers Nos. 452-465
452. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform if he will examine establishing a programme to refit empty Garda stations and repurpose them as affordable accommodation for essential workers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35912/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Office of Public Works (OPW) has responsibility on behalf of the State for managing and maintaining a substantial and complex estate of approximately 2,500 properties.
This extensive and diverse portfolio of State properties includes office accommodation for all Government Departments, the property estate for An Garda Síochána and numerous properties for many State Agencies. The portfolio also encompasses specialised spaces such as public offices, laboratories and cultural institutions, in addition to warehouses, heritage properties, visitor centres and sites.
The provision of suitable accommodation for essential workers does not fall within the remit of the OPW as the responsibility for housing rests with the local authorities and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
However, the OPW has actively engaged with other State agencies and provided a list of its surplus vacant properties to the Land Development Agency, each relevant local authority, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, so that they could assess them for suitability for housing or humanitarian purposes or for other State use.
Many of the vacant properties in the OPW portfolio were deemed unsuitable for residential use following assessment by the various agencies because they are older stock that would require significant investment to comply with current regulations for residential use, or are located in rural areas without the necessary services and supports.
The OPW has in the past five years transferred over 50 properties to local authorities for alternative State/community use.
453. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform if the OPW has identified a site for a Garda station in the Castletroy, Annacotty area of Limerick; and how much longer the process is likely to take; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35941/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe OPW need more time to collate the information and will respond directly to the Deputy.
455. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform the Government Departments, State bodies and agencies where HEPA filtration has been installed and is operational; to list the same for carbon dioxide monitoring, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35952/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe information requested by the Deputy in respect of my Department and the bodies under its aegis is set out in the table below.
|
Public Body |
HEPA Filtration |
Co2 Monitoring |
|
Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform |
No |
The Department does not have any hard-wired Co2 monitoring systems installed or in operation. Where necessary, portable Co2 monitoring devices can be placed and monitored for a period to scan a specific area suspected of containing elevated levels of Co2 |
|
State Laboratory |
Not for general air feed / exchange. Installed in specialised chemical containment enclosures. |
Not a requirement for chemical enclosures - chemical breakthrough monitored through broad spectrum saturation detection and not Co2 monitors. |
|
Public Appointments Service |
No |
No |
|
National Shared Services Office (NSSO) |
No |
Co2 monitoring is installed and monitored in the NSSO’s Clonskeagh office as part of the office’s BMS system. |
|
Office of the Ombudsman |
No |
Yes |
|
Office of the Regulator of the National Lottery |
Mobile HEPA Filter / Operational on-Demand |
Yes |
I am advised that the Office of Public Works will respond to the Deputy directly.
Finally, the Deputy may wish to submit separate Parliamentary Questions to other Ministers to establish the position in respect of their Departments and bodies under their aegis.
457. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform if the upgrading of Castlepollard Garda station will be expedited, as it is currently unfit for an operational Garda station. [35970/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAn Garda Síochána has informed the Office of Public Works (OPW) that they have no immediate plans for any refurbishment or upgrade works at Castlepollard Garda Station. It is not included on their Capital Investment Programme 2023-2030
458. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if a response will issue to a submission in respect of a smaller business in advance of Budget 2025 (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33868/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraI thank Deputy O’Dowd for sharing this correspondence with me and I have issued a response in respect of this correspondence which addressed the detail of these queries. I understand that a number of issues and policy proposals have been raised in this correspondence, as were highlighted in the Irish Hairdressers Federation Pre-Budget Submission.
I fully recognise the challenges that are facing the SME sector right across the country, including hairdressers, and while I will endeavour to support these businesses further, I also think it is important to highlight the measures that have been taken to support SMEs over the course of the year to date.
In March 2024, my Department and the Department of Social Protection published an assessment of the combined impact of proposed measures to improve working conditions in Ireland, including the transition to a Living Wage and increasing the number of days of Statutory Sick Leave.
Following on from this assessment, a range of measures were announced in May 2024 to assist the SME sector in dealing with higher costs and to improve the cost competitiveness of firms more generally.
These include:
• Increasing the Employer PRSI threshold from €441 to €496 with effect from 1 October 2024, which will ensure that employers with employees earning the weekly equivalent of the national minimum wage will pay the lower rate of employer PRSI of 8.8%.
• Doubling the Innovation Grant Scheme from €5,000 to €10,000.
• Increasing the maximum amount available under the Energy Efficiency Grant Scheme to €10,000 and reducing the business contribution rate from 50% to 25%.
• Launching the new online National Enterprise Hub for SMEs to access information on the wide range of Government business supports.
• Implementing an enhanced ‘SME Test’ by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment in conjunction with the Department of An Taoiseach.
In addition, I would like to highlight the support that has been provided by my Department, in conjunction with the Local Authorities, for SMEs this year through the Increased Cost of Business (ICOB) grant. The grant has been set up in such a way that makes its easily accessible to small businesses, such as that mentioned in the correspondence, who may have had difficulties availing of previous schemes. Given the greater impact that increased costs are having on the hospitality and retail sector, it was agreed that business operating in the retail and hospitality sectors, including hairdressers, should receive a double payment under this scheme and Local Authorities are continuing to process these payments once business details have been verified.
I understand that a proposal was raised to reduce the Hospitality VAT rate to 9% and I would note that ultimately, any changes to the VAT rate are a decision for the Minister for Finance as part of the Budget.
Overall, I am sympathetic to the issues faced by small businesses, including those operating in the hospitality sector. This was the emphasis behind the measures announced for SMEs in April of this year, including the changes to PRSI and this is why I sought to ensure that the second ICOB grant payment was specifically targeted at these businesses.
459. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment his views on the competition issues in the drinks industry in Ireland. [33978/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy officials have advised me that they are not aware of any specific issues that the Deputy may be referring to. If the Deputy has specific concerns or information, I would encourage him to bring these to the attention of the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) which is the statutory body responsible for promoting compliance with, and enforcing, competition law in Ireland. It is an agency of my Department and is independent in the performance of its statutory functions. Investigations and enforcement matters are part of the day-to-day operational work of the CCPC and I, as Minister, have no direct function in these matters.
Any person with evidence of a suspected breach of competition law may lodge a complaint with the CCPC. The CCPC will consider any such complaint and any relevant competition concerns on a case-by-case basis. The CCPC conducts investigations based on prioritisation criteria, which include assessing the level of economic or physical harm, potential impact of CCPC’s actions, strategic importance, resource allocation and associated costs.
Competition issues can be reported directly to the CCPC via their complaint helpline (01 402 5500) or email complaints@ccpc.ie.
460. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will report on the implementation of the Programme for Government commitments under the remit of his Department. [34006/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department has played a central role in delivering the Programme for Government – Our Shared future and in delivering cross-Government policy objectives as set out in documents such as the National Planning Framework and National Development Plan, the Climate Action Plan 2023, Harnessing Digital – the Digital Ireland Framework and to our international commitments including the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Government’s White Paper on Enterprise 2022-2030 sets out the medium- and long-term ambitions for a vibrant, resilient, regionally balanced and sustainable economy made up of a diversified mix of leading global companies, internationally competitive Irish enterprises and thriving local businesses.
The White Paper is being implemented through a series of consecutive two-year Implementation Plans with Government committed to providing progress reports on a biannual basis to the Cabinet Committee on Economy and Investment.
The second implementation Plan Update Report was published in May 2024 and the third update, covering H1 2024, is expected to be published shortly. The reports detail the progress made on the 40 key initiatives that were identified and agreed as part of the 2023-2024 Implementation Plan.
The latest labour force survey for quarter 2 of 2024 shows that employment continues to grow with 2.74 million people in employment. More than half of the jobs created in the past year were outside of Dublin which is a testament to this government’s commitment to achieving more balanced regional enterprise development.
To ensure business can retain and create jobs, deal with rising costs and transition under the digital and green agenda my Department introduced a range of schemes and funding initiatives for businesses to access credit and capital, including:
• On 2 September I published legislation which will allow for Microfinance Ireland (MFI) to increase its lending limit to microenterprises from €25,000 to €50,000.
• €222 million has been paid out to date under the Increase Cost of Business scheme which was introduced in Budget 2024 to help businesses with their increasing overheads.
• €300 million Industry Decarbonisation Fund to incentivise businesses to make significant investment decisions to reduce their carbon emissions and so that we can achieve our 2030 abatement target.
• The €500 million Growth and Sustainability Loan Scheme provides longer-term lending to SMEs with competitive Loans of between €25,000 and €3 million.
• To assist the wider business sector with liquidity a €1.2 billion State-backed Ukraine Credit Guarantee Scheme will provide low-cost working capital to businesses
My Department continues to focus on competitiveness and ensuring that Ireland is the best place in Europe to invest and grow. To ensure that Foreign Direct Investment in Ireland continues to thrive, my Department works alongside IDA Ireland to strengthen Ireland’s business environment and FDI value proposition, and to identify and support strategic sectors.
In the first six months of this year, the IDA supported 131 investments, 74 of which are planned for regional locations, enabling the future delivery of 8,900 jobs to the economy against an increasingly challenging global operating environment.
We have provided significant funding for green funding through the Growth and Sustainability Loan Scheme and Green Transition Fund to support Ireland’s commitment to achieving our ambitious decarbonisation objectives. Alongside this we have provided support for training in vital green skills. Our national strategy for offshore wind, Powering Prosperity, marks a key step towards realising Ireland’s significant renewable energy potential, securing Ireland’s place in green value chains, and enhancing our competitiveness.
In support of digital technologies and innovative enterprise, we are now seeing 85% of SMEs at basic digital intensity, while four European Digital Innovation Hubs are now fully operational in Ireland. New funds have additionally been launched to enhance disruptive innovation and to accelerate the commercialisation of innovative research, while, in the frontier Irish space sector, more than 100 companies have benefited from European Space Agency contracts, well ahead of our initial targets set. On the legislation side we passed the Digital Services Act which will ensure the rights of Irish users of digital services are protected.
In addition to progressing a range of legislation in the areas of workplace relations, digital, trade and commerce, in 2024 my Department continued to prioritise engagement with the broad base business, employer and employee representative groups and stakeholders, through initiatives such as the LEEF, Enterprise Forum, the Retail Forum and the Company Law Review Group.
Over the lifetime of the programme for Government my Department has delivered a number of important enhancements for workers’ rights including statutory sick pay, right to request remote working, enhanced rights for those employees in a collective redundancy situation. To protect low paid workers, the minimum wage moved to €12.70 on 1st January 2024.
We have taken a number of important steps to enhance consumer protection and drive insurance reform including commencing legislation to allow mediation on Insurance claims at the Injuries Resolution Board.
The Government’s Trade and Investment Strategy Value for Ireland, Values for the World aims to see Ireland grow sustainably, diversify export markets and provide for continued economic wellbeing. Following the successful inaugural Team Ireland Trade Mission Week to South Korea in 2023 a second Taoiseach-led Team Ireland Trade Mission Week is being planned for 28-30 October.
Finally, my Department is not complacent about Ireland’s competitive position and policies, strategies and the legislative toolkit are constantly kept under review to ensure that we continue to deliver on our commitments under the Programme for Government.
461. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if the increased cost of business grant will be available to businesses who are tenants, where the local authority rate account is in the name of the landlord; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34070/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAn important aspect of the increased cost of business grant scheme has been to directly involve the local authorities in the authorisation and payment processes, as they are closest to the commercial life in their cities and counties and work in the provision of supports to smaller enterprises via the local enterprise offices. This is one reason eligibility is, in part, determined by the rates system, which is a good proxy for determining the scale and size of a business.
Businesses that are tenants can register as long as they are ratepayers. It has been brought to my attention that some businesses have entered into arrangements with their landlords whereby the rent payable includes an amount towards rates and their rates bill is in turn satisfied by the landlord. The legal position under section 4 of the Local Government Rates and Other Matters Act 2019 as well as the amendments introduced through the Historic and Archaeological Heritage and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023 is that tenants whose rent incorporates their rates obligation, which is remitted by the landlord, cannot be deemed to be ratepayers.
The priority has been to ensure that as many businesses as possible receive the funding as quickly as possible. While the Scheme is now closed, local authorities are continuing to process payments once business details have been verified. As of 6th September, €223 million has been processed in grant payments to verified eligible businesses.
462. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if eligibility guidelines will be reviewed to give commercially viable social enterprises the same access as private businesses (details supplied); and if he will commit to a timeline for this review. [34208/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraLocal Enterprise Offices (LEOs) play an extremely important role at local level, as part of a supportive ecosystem, providing their services to small businesses and promoting entrepreneurship within towns and communities across the country. They provide a signposting service for all government supports available to SMEs and can provide information/referrals to other relevant bodies under agreed protocols.
Social Enterprises are eligible for LEO assistance provided they operate on a commercial basis and meet the eligibility criteria of the scheme for which they wish to apply.
The LEOs’ range of competitiveness and productivity supports are designed to help businesses address some of their most challenging issues – namely saving time, money and energy. LEOs have broadened their engagement with the small locally traded enterprise sector of the economy in response to Government policies to grow the overall productivity of the economy and meet the challenges of a digital, low carbon economy. Social enterprises may be eligible for supports such as the Trading Online Voucher, the Energy Efficiency Grant, Green for Business, and the LEO suite of training and mentoring programmes.
There has been positive engagement between Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment officials, SERI, and officials in the Department of Rural and Community Development who have responsibility for social enterprise policy. This engagement has led to the arrangement of a webinar for training purposes for LEO staff on the topic of social enterprises.
I am also advised that Minister Humphreys has launched Trading for Impact 2024-2027 - Ireland's National Social Enterprise Policy, to build on the achievements of Ireland's first social enterprise policy. This policy was developed following widespread consultation with stakeholders, including officials in my Department. This launch also included a €2m 'Growing Social Enterprise' fund, with grants ranging from €1,500 to €100,000 available.
The National Enterprise Hub provides a centralised signposting service for over 180 Government supports in areas such as decarbonisation, digitalisation, skills development and innovation. I would encourage social enterprises to also use this new service.
I launched the LEO Policy Statement in May this year, which outlines how LEOs will align their work with the priorities of the White Paper on Enterprise going forward, setting out the road-map and future direction of LEOs. The LEO Policy Statement also affirms the availability of LEO assistance for social enterprises in the commercial sector. It also acknowledges the continued engagement between the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment also continues to engage with the Department of Rural and Community Development on their in-depth policy review on Boosting Social Entrepreneurship and Social Enterprise Development in Ireland, conducted by the OECD.
463. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the position in relation to entitlement to the increased cost of business grant in a circumstance where the business has rates arrears with the local authority but is engaging positively with the local authority on the issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34322/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Increased Cost of Business Scheme has now closed for registrations. Over 81,000 businesses have registered for this grant scheme. The scheme has a budget of €257 million and as of 6th September, €223 million has been paid in grant payments to verified eligible businesses. Local Authorities are continuing to process payments once business details have been verified.
In relation to rates arrears, a business must be rates compliant, however, a business in a performing payment plan agreed by the Local Authority may be deemed to be compliant. This is a matter for the Local Authority as they are best placed to understand the specific circumstances in relation to the arrears.
464. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he is aware that the €600-per-week cap on statutory redundancy payments has not been reviewed or revised upwards in almost 20 years; if he will review it upwards this year to the average weekly industrial wage; if he will then commit to a process of benchmarking the rate against wage growth on an annual basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34323/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Redundancy Payments Act 1967 sets out the formula for calculating the minimum redundancy payment which must be made to eligible employees when they are made redundant by their employer. This is referred to as “statutory redundancy”, and it is a lump sum payment based on an employee’s pay and length of service. An eligible employee is entitled to two weeks' pay for every year of service plus one additional week's pay. Weekly pay is capped at €600 per week for the purposes of the calculation.
The Redundancy Payments Act 1979 Act provides that, when setting a weekly pay cap for redundancy payments, the Minister must take into account any changes in the average earnings of workers in the transportable goods industries as recorded by the Central Statistics Office. Any regulations are subject to the consent of the Minister for Finance.
I acknowledge the weekly cap has not been increased since 2005. There are no immediate plans for an increase, but my officials are keeping this matter under active review. A number of factors must also be carefully balanced in any consideration of an increase to the €600 ceiling. These include the rights of employees to a reasonable redundancy payment while also taking account of the potential increased costs to some businesses. Consultation with other Government Departments, employer and employee representative groups and other relevant stakeholders would also be required.
465. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of dual-use export licences granted for dual-use goods destined for the State of Israel from 1 January 2024 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34344/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department is the National Competent Authority with responsibility for Export Controls, including Controls on defence-related exports and exports of Dual-Use goods. Controls on the export of Dual-use items are administered by my Department, in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2021/821 of the European Parliament and of the Council setting up a Union regime for the control of exports, brokering, technical assistance, transit and transfer of dual-use items.
The bulk of Dual-use exports from Ireland are mainstream business ICT products, both hardware and software (networking, data storage, cybersecurity etc). They are categorised as Dual-use items as a consequence of fact that they incorporate strong encryption for ICT security purposes.
In the period 1 January 2024 to date, my Department has issued twenty-two individual dual-use export licences with a value of €30.3 million to end users in Israel. The majority of these exports are ICT hardware and software.
All export licence applications, including those indicating an end destination in Israel, are considered by my officials in accordance with criteria set out within the relevant dual-use and military EU and National Regulations and with Ireland’s international obligations and responsibilities as members of non-proliferation regimes and export control arrangements. On receipt of an application for an export licence, my officials carry out an assessment which includes a series of checks to ensure, as far as possible, that the item to be exported will be used by the stated end-user for the stated end-use and will not be used for illicit purposes.
As part of their assessment, my officials seek the views of the Department of Foreign Affairs in respect of all applications for export licences, including those destined for Israeli end users. Both my own Department and the Department of Foreign Affairs review all dual-use export licence applications against the eight assessment criteria set out in Council Common Position 2008/944/CFSP – including “Respect for human rights in the country of final destination as well as respect by that country of international humanitarian law” and "Internal situation in the country of final destination, as a function of the existence of tensions or armed conflicts".
Accordingly, when making their assessment of an application, my officials are furnished with up-to-date information (including consultations with technical experts where relevant) which they take into account in the final risk assessment to determine whether or not to grant an export licence.
If there are any concerns that the goods being exported will be used for a military end-use or if the exporter does not provide enough information on the intended end-use for my officials to make an informed decision, the application for a licence is denied. Investigations are undertaken where there is a potential breach of the Dual Use Regulation.
In applying export controls in a robust and transparent way, the Department ensures that legitimate business transactions by reputable Irish traders are not damaged in any way while also ensuring that exports of controlled goods are thoroughly risk assessed in the context of ongoing conflicts, diversion of goods and humanitarian considerations.
