Results 361-380 of 1,167,368 for in 'Dáil debates' OR in 'Committee meetings' (speaker:Áine Brady OR speaker:Mary Lou McDonald OR speaker:Darragh O'Brien OR speaker:Aengus Ó Snodaigh OR speaker:Aindrias Moynihan OR speaker:Leo Varadkar OR speaker:Aengus Ó Snodaigh22 OR speaker:Pádraig O'Sullivan OR speaker:Niamh Smyth OR speaker:Chris Andrews OR speaker:Danny Healy-Rae OR speaker:Jim O'Callaghan OR speaker:Cormac Devlin OR speaker:Michael Collins OR speaker:Imelda Munster OR speaker:Pádraig Mac Lochlainn OR speaker:Alan Kelly OR speaker:Áine Brady88 OR speaker:Brian Stanley OR speaker:Aengus Ó Snodaigh12 OR speaker:Louise O'Reilly OR speaker:Joe O'Brien OR speaker:Aengus Ó Snodaigh27 OR speaker:David Stanton OR speaker:Catherine Connolly OR speaker:Aengus Ó Snodaigh19 OR speaker:Aengus Ó Snodaigh08 OR speaker:Martin Kenny OR speaker:Aengus Ó Snodaigh04 OR speaker:Mark Ward OR speaker:Charlie McConalogue OR speaker:Áine Brady10 OR speaker:Aengus Ó Snodaigh6 OR speaker:Martin Heydon OR speaker:Michael Ring OR speaker:Bríd Smith OR speaker:Pat Buckley OR speaker:Áine Brady4 OR speaker:Thomas Gould OR speaker:Mick Barry OR speaker:Roderic O'Gorman)
- Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024) Louise O'Reilly: That will be rolled over to next year.
- Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024) Emer Higgins: Correct.
- Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024) Louise O'Reilly: What was the reason for the delay?
- Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024) Emer Higgins: It was due to the evaluation of the projects. We had so many applications that the evaluations took a little bit longer than expected.
- Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024) Louise O'Reilly: That is good. I had thought that but I wanted to be sure.
- Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024) Louise O'Reilly: There is an estimated 39% increase in spending on policy reviews, consultancy services and research. That seems like a fairly hefty increase. Will the Minister of State give us a flavour of what kind of work will be funded and why that work cannot be done in-house? She is here with her officials, all very capable, competent people, as we know. Why can that work not be done in-house? What...
- Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024) Emer Higgins: The reason for that is it is in areas in which we do not have expertise; for example, in AI and where we want to make sure we are getting the best advice and the best expertise in the development of our offshore wind strategy.
- Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024) Louise O'Reilly: On that, we have had hearings on AI and you would nearly terrify yourself. I understand AI moves very fast, etc. Is there work under way in the Department to skill people up? This is not an area I suspect will be a flash in the pan. I do not think this is a passing fad. I suspect this is something for the future.
- Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024) Emer Higgins: I agree with the Deputy. It is certainly not going to be a flash in the pan. This is something we have to prepare for, both as a Department and a Government and also as an economy and a society. We have a dedicated unit within Enterprise Ireland that is doing exactly that. It is providing upskilling and investing in it for that exact reason.
- Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024) Louise O'Reilly: How does that work then in terms of that 39% increase in spending? Is that going to EI or is that expertise coming from somewhere else?
- Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024) Emer Higgins: It is also coming from within our Department as well. We are also doing it within the Department. We have worked with the Department of Finance to produce a report on AI and that was also part of what the consultancy fees are for.
- Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024) Louise O'Reilly: I do not want to be peppering the Minister of State with questions here. Could we get a breakdown of where that spend is? It would probably be helpful in written form, if that was okay.
- Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024) Emer Higgins: That is no problem at all. We will provide that.
- Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024) Louise O'Reilly: There is a €258,000 PIRB increased pension liability. It used to be PIAB. I always forget what the R is for. Does that relate to a number of pensions or just one pension? What is the situation there?
- Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024) Emer Higgins: That is purely pensions. The Department does not pay the staff itself but we pay the pensions and obviously with the public service pay agreement there has been adjustments.
- Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024) Louise O'Reilly: That is just what it is. It is just that adjustment.
- Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024) Emer Higgins: Yes.
- Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024) Louise O'Reilly: My final question relates to the disruptive technologies and innovation fund. I understand from the Minister of State's contribution that there are a number of reasons why almost a quarter of that money was not used. Is there a concern there? I can see the reasons why but given that it is a fund that should be oversubscribed, is there any concern? Has the Department undertaken any...
- Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024) Emer Higgins: Call number seven on this was announced as a rolling call. That means applications can come in at any stage up until the closing date of April of next year. We did that for the reason of developing a pipeline of applications that would allow companies more time to meet with possible partners to explore the potential for submitting projects. There is a lot of work involved in this from...
- Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024) Louise O'Reilly: That is all my questions. I thank the Minister of State.