I thank the Deputy for his question. It is a priority for the Government to narrow the employment gap to which the Deputy refers. Working to enable people with disabilities to pursue freely chosen employment is an important personal priority for me. The forthcoming national disability strategy will include employment as an important consideration as one of its five key pillars. The national disability strategy is intended as a whole-of-government framework for the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Ireland. It is intended to publish this strategy in the coming months. It will contain a number of actions from my Department, including engagement with employers and employer bodies to raise awareness and to foster positive attitudes towards the employment of people with disabilities, which the Minister, Deputy Burke, has mentioned in the House previously. After the strategy has been published, the Department will establish a new Minister-led forum that will provide a platform for a more structured consultation and engagement with employers on the employment of people with a disability. It is intended to be a subgroup of the Department's enterprise forum and will serve as a means of advancing that employment by discussing employer concerns and potential obstacles. The forum will also showcase best practice examples from both private and commercial semi-State companies. It is my hope that these dialogue processes will enable a better understanding of the range of supports available to employers and of employers' legal obligations to provide reasonable accommodations to workers and job candidates with disabilities. The specific commitments from my Department will be set out in the strategy once it is finalised and approved by Government.
Sentiment score: 0.37
Narrowing that employment gap for people with disabilities is a Government priority. The Minister, Deputy Burke, the Minister of State, Deputy Smyth, and I are very much focused on this. The forthcoming national disability strategy, which will be published in the coming months, is really important in respect of employment. That strategy is a whole-of-government framework and relates to the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The finalisation and co-ordination of the strategy is being led by my colleague the Minister, Deputy Foley. I commend her work in ensuring that the voices of those with disabilities have been central to that development. My Department will lead on the employment pillar of the strategy. The first meeting of the group is envisaged as happening later this year, following the publication of the strategy. We want to address employers' concerns, showcase best practice and promote awareness to support those with disabilities and to ensure legal obligations to them are upheld.
Sentiment score: 0.29
Our enterprise agencies are already active in this space. Our local enterprise offices offer tailored supports for entrepreneurs with disabilities. Enterprise Ireland has an open door mentoring programme, which provides mentoring and capability supports, while IDA Ireland connects companies with talent from under-represented groups, including those with disabilities. I hear what the Deputy is saying. We hope to continue our engagement with the office of the Minister, Deputy Foley, to get the national disability strategy published and to launch the Minister-led disability employment forum. That subgroup of the enterprise forum is key. It will provide a platform for collaboration, innovation and problem-solving with employers and promote best practice in ensuring that people with disabilities can enter the workforce.
Sentiment score: 0.43
The introduction of alcohol labelling under the Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018 is a matter for my colleague the Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill. As regards the question more broadly and measures to support businesses in response to tariffs, the Government recognises that this is a dynamic and evolving situation, which is being monitored closely by the Government. A key element of the Government's response is the forthcoming action plan on market diversification that is being developed jointly by my Department and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The action plan provides an opportunity now for new ambition in our approach to market diversification. The action plan will provide a whole-of-government approach to enhance Ireland's economic and trading relationships with new and emerging markets. It will also consider actions which can be taken in established markets where there is value to be maintained and, potentially, more value available. My Department has been preparing for tariffs and economic shocks. We are working with Enterprise Ireland, our dedicated agency that provides support to exporters. Enterprise Ireland has established a bespoke team that is engaging with exporters and supporting businesses around tariffs and mitigation measures as well as offering advice and support on diversification measures. Enterprise Ireland stands ready to support exporters through its current range of supports and is focused on assisting businesses in developing a response to trade tariffs. Through its team in Ireland and across its seven offices in the US, Enterprise Ireland is working with Irish companies and business owners and providing them with the latest in strategic market intelligence, information and resources through webinars and guidance on accessing advisory and financial supports. Enterprise Ireland has also published a trade disruption checklist. This is a practical tool for SMEs to assess their exposure to tariffs and prepare mitigation strategies.
Sentiment score: 0.31
Let us be absolutely clear that the introduction of alcohol labelling is a Department of Health function. If the Deputy wants to ask this question during oral questions to the Department of Health, she is welcome to do so. Ours is the Department of enterprise, however, and I am responsible for small businesses. As a result, I have a duty to defend the interests of Irish indigenous SMEs, which are facing unprecedented global trade pressures not of their own making. The Deputy is right that the US market accounts for nearly 40% of Irish global exports of alcoholic beverages, with exports of Irish whiskey alone worth nearly €450 million. Indeed, in the context of the Deputy's question about alcohol labelling, the Minister, Deputy Burke, has written to the Minister for Health about the introduction of the new labelling requirements. This is not about undermining public health; it is about a sequence around policy and a way not only to protect jobs and to preserve competitiveness but also to ensure that businesses have economic resilience within their sector. The proposed legislation is very much at a time when many of these companies are struggling with uncertainty.
Sentiment score: 0.12
We are very much committed to a whole-of-government approach not only to public health but also to economic sustainability. The national alcohol labelling regulation, while rooted in public health objectives, must be implemented in a way that does not jeopardise Ireland's export-led recovery. Indeed, the alcohol beverage manufacturing sector employs more than 5,500 people and is a strategic contributor to our national economy. In one sense, we do not want to abandon the public health goal but we are asking for more pragmatic sequencing and economic realism in terms of its implementation. We will not apologise for standing up for Irish jobs and Irish businesses within this sector and ensuring that we maintain Ireland's global competitiveness. We need to ensure that this well-intentioned regulation does not become an ill-timed disruption to many of these exporters at a time of real uncertainty.
Sentiment score: -0.00
My Department is committed to delivering an efficient and responsive employment permit system which supports businesses and ensures that we are well positioned to maximise the benefits of economic migration. The system is designed to facilitate the entry of appropriately skilled non-EEA nationals to fill skills and-or labour shortages required to develop and support enterprise for the benefit of our economy. The Department has responded to labour shortages reported by the haulage sector by making the role of heavy goods vehicle, HGV, driver eligible for a general employment permit without restriction. In April 2025, the quota for HGV-bus mechanic was extended by 200 permits in direct response to identified labour shortages. The role of coach and bus driver is subject to a quota of 1,500 general employment permits, with over 1,000 remaining available. Following a surge in demand for employment permits across 2021 and 2022, the Department implemented an action plan which increased resources and introduced more efficient methods of processing permit applications. The measures have resulted in significant reductions in wait times and a vastly improved user experience. As of 16 June 2025, my Department is processing general employment permit applications received and critical skills permit applications received, with approximately 2,000 applications awaiting processing. Applications for HGV drivers were temporarily placed on hold in the first half of this year due to an external delay in the licence verification process. Until recently, there was an operational agreement that this Department would verify the driving licences of HGV drivers before issuing an employment permit. However, following legal advice on this issue, the employment permits unit will no longer be verifying driving licences in that manner. Consequently, the unit has recommenced processing permit applications for this role and all applications which have been on hold have now been processed. The regulation of who is licensed-----
Sentiment score: 0.18
We recognise the pressures faced by many in the licensed haulage sector. I assure the Deputy that the Government is responding to those concerns. We have made significant progress with the new online employment permit system. It is delivering an effective and responsive system to provide the maximum benefits of our economic migration system. Over the past three years, we have increased staff resources, streamlined internal processing and introduced the new online digital system. It is very user-friendly. General employment permits are being turned around in 19 business days, while critical skills permits are being turned around in just 12. That is significant progress. Since the new system was launched, more than 3,700 applications have been received and more than 3,100 permits have been issued. The system is operating at pre-launch levels. There is high user success.
Sentiment score: 0.24
These are accurate figures presented by the Department.
Sentiment score: 0.00
I am not aware of the cases the Deputy raised.
Sentiment score: 0.00
If he wants to send me a note in relation to them, I will be happy to take the matter up. As stated, there is a more modern and integrated system now. We are working with the Department of Justice to try to streamline matters more. There is also a single application process for visas. We have made significant progress in relation to labour shortages in many sectors. The Minister and I have made additions - most recently in April - in the context of permits for HGV drivers and vehicle repairers. We will look at the review relating to the employment permit occupations list that is scheduled for the summer. It is an important step forward. Overall, we have invested heavily in the permit system. It has shown huge benefit in trying to fill the skills shortages in certain sectors of our market.
Sentiment score: 0.25