Questions

356. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the total number of critical skills employment permits that have been granted between 2020 and 2024 and to date in 2025 for categories (details supplied), in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7228/25]

357. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if the Power Up grant can be paid to a business (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7347/25]

358. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if the Power Up grant can be paid in respect of retail dry cleaners (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7348/25]

359. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if small businesses that are struggling, that have paid their rates up-to-date and missed out on applying for the power up grant are now entitled to the grant (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7350/25]

360. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment for a progress update on the 40 actions detailed in Powering Prosperity – Ireland’s Offshore Wind Industrial Strategy which are to be completed by the end of 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7407/25]

361. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will provide a schedule of all external legal consultation that he engaged in, in 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025; the general nature of the engagement; if the external consultation resulted in a report and or recommendations; and the cost of each consultant and or company engaged, in tabular form. [7432/25]

362. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to respond to the report published on 10 December 2024 (details supplied) which found a blind spot in the Climate Action Plan resulting from a failure to include direct demand for natural gas from connections to data centres; the engagement he has had with the EPA and SEAI on the matter; and the actions he proposes to address the blind s…

363. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to provide data on the final cost of public procurement tenders where his Department or agencies under the aegis of his Department acted as the contracting authority in each of the past five years, indicating the number of tenders where the final cost was under, on, or over the contract award value at the time of tendering, in tabular fo…

364. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the total amount spent in excess of the contract award value for all public procurement tenders within his Department and agencies under the aegis his Department of in each of the past five years. [7521/25]

365. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the reasons as to the low number of IDA site visits to Counties Wicklow and Wexford over the three-year period of 2022-2024; what strategies are in place to address this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7569/25]

366. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment his plans for the State to support companies that are scaling up where they do not qualify for assistance from local enterprise offices nor meet the criteria currently for Enterprise Ireland assistance. [7570/25]

367. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if any funding is available for businesses that wish to open a free play area for children in their premises, specifically shopping centres. [7607/25]

368. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment for a digital copy of the Ministerial briefing document provided by his Department on taking office, along with copies of Ministerial briefs provided to Ministers of State of his Department; to outline the duties he intends to delegate by statutory instrument to his Minister of State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7747/2…

369. Deputy George Lawlor asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment what contact he has had with a company (detail supplied) regarding that companies recent announcement of job losses; if the company informed him in advance of the redundancies; if he is of the opinion that these redundancies should be treated as a collective redundancy under the Protection of Employment Acts 1977-2024; and if he will ma…

370. Deputy George Lawlor asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he agrees that a company's decision (details supplied) to drop its commitment to not use or develop AI technology for military purposes, is extremely concerning; if he has made contact with the company on this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7807/25]

371. Deputy George Lawlor asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the name and location of each IDA-supported company by county as of January 2025, in tabular form; the number of people employed in each company; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7860/25]

372. Deputy George Lawlor asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the name and location, by county, of each Enterprise Ireland supported company as of January 2025, in tabular form; the number of people employed in each company; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7861/25]

373. Deputy George Lawlor asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the name and location of each enterprise supported by grants from a local enterprise office (LEO) in 2024, in tabular form; the number of jobs supported by LEOs, per county, in 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7862/25]

374. Deputy George Lawlor asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the location of all land and buildings owned by the IDA as of January 2025 which are unoccupied, in tabular form; the plans for each such building or site; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7863/25]

375. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment for an update on the butter exchange project in Shandon. [7899/25]

376. Deputy Noel McCarthy asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he is considering any changes to the ineligible list of occupations for employment permits such as the removal of farm workers from the list to address labour shortages in the agricultural sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7972/25]

377. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will urgently rectify the current situation whereby dry cleaners are not considered as retail for the increased cost of business scheme and Power Up grant (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8072/25]

378. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will urgently rectify the current situation whereby small businesses who for one reason or another missed out on the Power Up Grant and take into consideration the fact that these grants can make a very real difference in regard to continuing in business; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8080/25]

379. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if a meeting can be arranged between this Deputy and the AI Advisory Council; why no mechanism exists for opposition Deputies to engage with the Advisory Council; if he will furnish contact details for the Advisory Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8096/25]

380. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the reason some businesses that are within the retail and hospitality sectors, when filling in the increased cost of business grant application under services, where they have no choice only to select 'other services', has affected their eligibility for receiving the Power Up grant; if there is an option for these businesses which ar…