Results 721-740 of 1,073,660 for in 'Dáil debates' OR (speaker:Tom Kitt OR speaker:Paul Donnelly OR speaker:Brian Stanley OR speaker:Joe Flaherty OR speaker:Anne Rabbitte OR speaker:Emer Higgins OR speaker:Bernard Durkan OR speaker:Denis Naughten OR speaker:Mary Lou McDonald OR speaker:John Brady) in 'Committee meetings'

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...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Messages to Dáil and Seanad (6 Nov 2024)

Emer Higgins: I thank everybody involved, including the five unions, employers, officials in my Department and the Labour Court. We have got to a good place and I will be happy to sign the statutory instrument.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Supplementary) (6 Nov 2024)

Denis Naughten: Members are required to participate in the meeting remotely from within the Leinster House precincts only. I remind all those in attendance to make sure that their mobile phones are switched off or in silent mode. Members are reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice that they should not comment on, criticise or make charges against a person or entity outside the Houses or an...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Supplementary) (6 Nov 2024)

Denis Naughten: Is Deputy Ó Laoghaire satisfied?

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Supplementary) (6 Nov 2024)

Denis Naughten: I suggest that the committee agree to write to the Minister for Education on this matter, but it would be helpful if a similar letter were to go to her from the Minister, Deputy Humphreys’ office saying that this issue had been raised and we were anxious to have it resolved. With the agreement of the committee, we will issue that correspondence and CC the Minister, Deputy...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Supplementary) (6 Nov 2024)

Denis Naughten: Is Deputy Ó Cathasaigh satisfied?

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Supplementary) (6 Nov 2024)

Denis Naughten: I will raise an issue with the Minister briefly. It relates to her comments regarding the library in Kilkenny and to Deputy Ó Cathasaigh’s comments regarding what is happening in Tramore. A number of libraries around the country have additional spaces that are probably not being utilised in the best way possible. The advantage in using such spaces is that it brings people over...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Supplementary) (6 Nov 2024)

Paul Donnelly: I will ask a question about the community centre investment fund. Is it for projects that are already in existence and need extra funding or is it for projects that just missed out on funding and now have an opportunity to get that extra funding?

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Supplementary) (6 Nov 2024)

Denis Naughten: Has the Minister a closing statement?

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Supplementary) (6 Nov 2024)

Denis Naughten: May I echo what Deputy Ó Cuív said, particularly regarding the Minister and the work that has been done in both Departments during this term.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Supplementary) (6 Nov 2024)

Denis Naughten: Before we adjourn, I wish to raise two issues. First, I thank all those who expressed their sympathies to my family on the sudden passing of my brother. That includes the Minister, my committee colleagues, the secretariat here and all the parliamentary community. There is a deep void left in our lives but also in public life. It is very apt that today we were approving funding of...