Results 281-300 of 1,053,357 for in 'Dáil debates' OR in 'Committee meetings' (speaker:Damien English OR speaker:Maurice Quinlivan OR speaker:Jack Chambers OR speaker:Aodhán Ó Ríordáin OR speaker:Bríd Smith OR speaker:Mary Lou McDonald OR speaker:Mark Ward)

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Enterprise Sector (24 Oct 2024)

Rose Conway-Walsh: I thank the Minister of State for her response. There needs to be flexibility. Many social enterprises are commercial and others are not, but they add something to communities. There must be a recognition beyond their economic value of their social value as well. They deserve equal treatment, including the same level of support and incentives as businesses and non-profits, recognising...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Enterprise Sector (24 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: I thank the Deputy very much. I add my congratulations to the winners. I met with SERI in July. I received a briefing from it on the survey it commissioned, in which 66 of the social enterprises across Ireland participated. SERI made it very clear that it has had very positive engagement with the Department, Enterprise Ireland and local enterprise office staff. This led to the roll-out...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Enterprise Sector (24 Oct 2024)

Rose Conway-Walsh: There needs to be an awareness of what is available and what supports can be accessed by social enterprises. The supports are often beyond the reach of social enterprises. They are so busy with what they are trying to do within their communities that we must make it as easy as possible. I, too, recently met with Social Enterprise Republic of Ireland, SERI, the representative body for...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Small and Medium Enterprises (24 Oct 2024)

Violet-Anne Wynne: The approval the Minister mentioned would be positive. A motion was brought forward at Clare County Council recently to request a review of supports for small businesses and highlighting the hospitality sector. I echo that request. I note that the Restaurants Association of Ireland praised the increased cost of business scheme and the PRSI threshold change, as the Minister mentioned....

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Small and Medium Enterprises (24 Oct 2024)

Peter Burke: I thank the Deputy again for pointing out the challenges and some of the solutions. I absolutely agree with her that we need to do more. We are clear about that. We are at the end of the lifetime of this Government and it will be up to political parties to bring forward their ideas, reflected in their manifestos, in the weeks ahead and ask the people to adjudicate on what we have done in...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Small and Medium Enterprises (24 Oct 2024)

Violet-Anne Wynne: The Minister correctly pointed out that businesses, especially those in the hospitality sector, will be looking at all party manifestos in the coming days. As we know, an election is imminent. The Minister also pointed out that small businesses are the backbone of our communities, in particular rural communities. They are very dependent on small businesses. Some 62% of private sector...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Small and Medium Enterprises (24 Oct 2024)

Peter Burke: I contest what KPMG said as I have heard many people in the business sector advocate the supports in place, which have been enhanced in budget 2025, especially in respect of innovation and the start-up space. Funding for companies trying to scale has been significant. We have worked to close the bridge with the UK because there is a big divide with regard to capital gains tax and incentives...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Small and Medium Enterprises (24 Oct 2024)

Questions Nos. 62 and 63 taken with Written Answers.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Regional Development (24 Oct 2024)

Regional Development

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Regional Development (24 Oct 2024)

Bernard Durkan: 64. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the extent to which he continues to encourage investment in jobs in both manufacturing and services throughout the regions, given the necessity to ensure a balanced growth in the jobs sector throughout the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43514/24]

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Regional Development (24 Oct 2024)

Bernard Durkan: This question seeks to ascertain and encourage investment in jobs in the services and manufacturing sectors throughout the regions in order to continue to achieve balanced growth throughout the country.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Regional Development (24 Oct 2024)

Peter Burke: I thank the Deputy for his question. Regional development is a key element of the Government's enterprise policy and is a key focus of the work of my Department and our enterprise development agencies. On job creation, the agencies of my Department are deeply committed to fostering investment in jobs across the manufacturing and services sectors throughout the country. This commitment...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Regional Development (24 Oct 2024)

Bernard Durkan: I thank the Minister for his exceptionally comprehensive reply and confirming the Government policy and his continued support for the thrust of what he said. To what degree is cognisance taken of the threats to jobs in the various regions, including the region in which we stand at the moment? To what degree is his Department cognisant of changes in the marketplace and how they might...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Small and Medium Enterprises (24 Oct 2024)

Small and Medium Enterprises

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Small and Medium Enterprises (24 Oct 2024)

Robert Troy: 56. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment his plans to address the challenges facing SMEs. [43436/24]

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Small and Medium Enterprises (24 Oct 2024)

Robert Troy: I thank the Acting Chair for the flexibility. I did not realise we would come back to this question but I welcome the opportunity to hear the Minister’s plans with regard to the additional measures that can be introduced to support our SME sector, which everyone across the Chamber will agree is of critical importance to our economy.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Small and Medium Enterprises (24 Oct 2024)

Peter Burke: I thank the Deputy for his very important question. We know small family businesses are the backbone of the economy. They employ two thirds of all employees in our country and drive so much vital economic activity across many of our communities. In the first few weeks of my appointment as Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment I introduced an SME package which brought a second round...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Small and Medium Enterprises (24 Oct 2024)

Robert Troy: The power up grant and the money that has been made available this year is similar to the amount the IDA is getting to support multinationals in job creation despite the fact that, as the Minister said, two thirds of employment is in the SME sector. If two thirds of employment is in one sector, why is it getting a similar amount of money to multinationals, which are a very important part of...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Small and Medium Enterprises (24 Oct 2024)

Peter Burke: I have really changed the direction of the Department to focus on small businesses. The Deputy can see that from the SME package I brought in and the SME test now having received Cabinet approval such that every statutory instrument, regulation or primary legislation change must have an SME impact assessment. We have put money behind it, with the enormous amount of grant support that is now...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Small and Medium Enterprises (24 Oct 2024)

Robert Troy: Perhaps the Minister will answer about the sick pay in the next round. As a person who led trade missions, I concur fully with what he said about the importance of FDI. However, we are spending a similar amount on FDI as on supporting SMEs despite there being a greater number of people employed in our SMEs. We need to increase the expenditure there. Will the Minister speak about what...