Results 1-20 of 3,365 for speaker:Emer Higgins

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Farm Safety (7 Nov 2024)

Emer Higgins: Farming continues to be one of the most dangerous sectors in which to work. The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) continues rolling out its Farm Safety Action Plan 2021- 2024 which aims to reduce the level of fatalities, serious injuries and ill health in the agriculture sector. The Plan focuses on high-risk activities particularly around the use of tractors and other farm vehicles,...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Schemes (7 Nov 2024)

Emer Higgins: Green for Business (formerly Green for Micro), forms part of a range of Local Enterprise Office (LEO) supports designed to help small businesses enhance their productivity and improve their competitiveness. These supports focus on the key areas of Green, Lean, and Digital, helping businesses to save time, money, and energy. Green for Business is a free programme which helps small...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Qualifications Recognition (7 Nov 2024)

Emer Higgins: Should a non-EEA national wish to take up employment in the State in an eligible role, they would require either a valid employment permit or an immigration permission from the Minister for Justice allowing them to reside and work in the State without the requirement for an employment permit. A number of engineering occupations are eligible for an employment permit subject to a range of...

Proposed Approval by Dáil Éireann of the Sectoral Employment Order (Construction Sector) 2024: Motion (6 Nov 2024)

Emer Higgins: I move: That Dáil Éireann approves the following Order in draft: Sectoral Employment Order (Construction Sector) 2024, a copy of which has been laid in draft form before Dáil Éireann on 23rd October, 2024.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Sectoral Employment Order (Construction Sector) 2024: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)

Emer Higgins: I am very pleased to present to the committee a draft sectoral employment order for the construction sector. The draft order proposes to amend the previous SEO made in 2023 by confirming new minimum rates of pay, pension and sick pay entitlements for workers in the construction sector. If approved, the order will be the fifth of its kind to be made since the first SEO for the construction...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Sectoral Employment Order (Construction Sector) 2024: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)

Emer Higgins: I thank the Deputy for welcoming the SEO. It is really important that we have these. It is a form of collective bargaining where we have trade unions, and where we have employers come to the table and collectively agree on the way forward for their industry. With regard to compliance with the provisions of the SEO, inspections carried out by Workplace Relations Commission inspectors...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Sectoral Employment Order (Construction Sector) 2024: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)

Emer Higgins: If there is noncompliance, a case can absolutely be taken to the WRC. It can be taken by an individual, and it can be reported to the trade union and taken that way. If the Deputy is aware of a situation where there is noncompliance, please let us know because that is something we will look at. We have EROs and SEOs in other industries. They work very effectively and it is very rare that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Sectoral Employment Order (Construction Sector) 2024: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)

Emer Higgins: In terms of collaboration with Revenue and the Department of Social Protection, I assure the Deputy that does happen. On 11 July, I chaired a meeting with officials from the Department of Social Protection and Revenue looking at the issue the Deputy described and the determination of the employment status working group. The working group had been set up on foot of the Supreme Court ruling...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Sectoral Employment Order (Construction Sector) 2024: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)

Emer Higgins: I understand that the draft of it is nearing completion and that a review has been undertaken by the Department of Social Protection, the Revenue Commissioners and the Workplace Relations Commission. I should add that the commission was also represented at that meeting and a lot of collaboration is happening in that regard. It is now being shared with the group members for final...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Sectoral Employment Order (Construction Sector) 2024: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)

Emer Higgins: It will come into effect in August.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Sectoral Employment Order (Construction Sector) 2024: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)

Emer Higgins: No, the current SEO has not expired. The new one will be in place from next August and will also allow for increased remuneration the following August. One reason we tend to sign the SEOs about six months in advance is to give employers enough notice to take account of them.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Sectoral Employment Order (Construction Sector) 2024: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)

Emer Higgins: The weekly contribution coming into effect from August 2025 will be €2.37 for employers and €0.63 for employees, which means the total weekly contribution will be €3.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Sectoral Employment Order (Construction Sector) 2024: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)

Emer Higgins: I am pleased to hear the Senator wants this to be passed quickly. That is absolutely our intention. For his son who is a third-year apprentice, this will mean he will be at 75% of the craft rate from August 2025, or 75% of €23, which is about €17.25. This is, I hope, good news for the Senator's son and all apprentices in his position. Where somebody is being paid below that,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Sectoral Employment Order (Construction Sector) 2024: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)

Emer Higgins: Their trade union is there for that reason. That is why people organise in a collective way. Five trade unions were at the table to negotiate this and have worked closely with employers in this sector to agree terms and conditions. Employers will now be legally and statutorily bound from August, once we sign this into law, to pay appropriately in that regard and unfair dismissals...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Sectoral Employment Order (Construction Sector) 2024: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)

Emer Higgins: The CSO does research on the sector but it is not broken down by craft. We have given a breakdown by craft, so it is a bit difficult to compare and contrast. Ultimately, we saw that the construction sector was a very unfavourable one in which to work during the recession and that this had a considerably negative impact on the pipeline of apprentices. It took Ireland a long time to recover...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Sectoral Employment Order (Construction Sector) 2024: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)

Emer Higgins: One of the things we have done through the negotiations is set out a stepped pay scale for apprentices. In year one, apprentices are paid one third of the craft rate, but when they get into year two, they are paid half of it. They are paid 75% of it in year three and 90% in year four. This is to recognise the training, development and additional skills they gain each year. Although...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Sectoral Employment Order (Construction Sector) 2024: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)

Emer Higgins: I thank Deputy Stanton.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Sectoral Employment Order (Construction Sector) 2024: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)

Emer Higgins: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Sectoral Employment Order (Construction Sector) 2024: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)

Emer Higgins: I thank the Senator. We expect this problem to be resolved very shortly. The WRC inspectorate is staffed by civil servants from my Department. The staff are ranked at executive officer and higher executive officer levels. Resources at inspectorate level in the WRC have increased by almost one third since 2020, with the WRC now having been sanctioned for 80 inspectors, representing an...