Parliamentary questions

746. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of international companies involved providing in social media or digital other platforms who have been operating in Ireland and the number of jobs sustained by these companies, in each of the past ten years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21113/25]

747. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the measures taken by his Department to enhance employees’ and workers’ rights since 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21217/25]

748. Deputy John Clendennen asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if plans are in place to increase the number of work permits for HGV mechanics beyond the quota of 200, which has already been reached; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21219/25]

749. Deputy John Clendennen asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of work permits for HGV mechanics have been refused since the quota of 200 has been reached; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21220/25]

191. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment for an update regarding the Low Pay Commission recommendation of the abolition of the sub-minimum rates. [18138/25]

192. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment for an update on the economic impact assessment on the issue on the abolition of the sub-minimum rates; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18139/25]

193. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of work permit applications for the homecare sector received since the scheme opened in January 2023; the number of work permits issued; the number of applications returned at initial applications pre-check stage; the number of other applications rejected; the number of applications currently in processin…

194. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will provide details of any engagement between his Department and other Government Departments on the question of short-time work supports in the context of the announcement by President Trump of new tariffs on EU goods on 2 April; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18270/25]

195. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment further to Parliamentary Question No. 147 of 12 February 2025, the progress made relative to establishing an appeal process for increased-cost-of-business and Power Up grants; if he has determined through the local authorities the number of applicants that failed to qualify for the grants due to the online applicat…

196. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he is considering additional supports for SME’s given the recent tariff announcement by the USA; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18285/25]

197. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of permits issued for the years 2020-2024 for all categories of healthcare assistants; if a quota applies to these categories; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18310/25]

198. Deputy Natasha Newsome Drennan asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he is aware of feedback provided by craftspeople in relation to their experience of their participation in the Collect 24 exhibition under the auspices of the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland (DCCI) and the subsequent threat of legal action against the authors of the feedback by DCCI; his views on wh…

199. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will outline the steps his Department is taking to improve data collection and database construction in anticipation of the increased data processing capacity that artificial intelligence adoption entails; if he will outline the logic behind their approach; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1835…

200. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will identify any projects which the Department has underway with CeADAR, Ireland’s national centre for AI; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18374/25]

201. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will consider raising the quota or removing it for the category healthcare assistant-community based, given the shortage of healthcare assistants in the community at present; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18389/25]

202. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will identify any projects which a body under the aegis of his Department has underway with CeADAR, Ireland’s national centre for AI; if he will send this question to the bodies for direct response; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18392/25]

203. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will specify the specific policy areas where the Department is examining future use of AI; if he will identify what entities the Department is working with, public or private, in relation to this examination; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18409/25]

204. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will identify any AI training offered to people working in the Department; the level of take-up; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18426/25]

205. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will detail how many physical letters the Minister’s offices and the customer service team in the Department received from the public in 2024; whether those letters are digitised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18451/25]

206. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will detail how many emails the Minister’s offices and the customer service mailbox the Department received from the public in 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18468/25]

207. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will detail whether any surveys have been carried out to estimate the amount of time taken up with administrative tasks where such time could be used more efficiently; if so, in which areas of the Department has this examination been carried out; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18485/25]

81. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he plans to reintroduce the increased cost of business scheme in 2025, or introduce a similar financial support package linked to commercial rates, given the ongoing challenges faced by ratepayers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17729/25]

82. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he is aware of reports of alleged improper redundancies and contract downgrading at a language school in Dublin 1 (details supplied); the enforcement mechanisms available to ensure that redundancies are not used to circumvent employment law or union engagement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17780/25…

83. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he is aware of concerns that new teachers at a school (details supplied) are being hired on contracts below a living wage; the measures the Government is taking to address low pay and precarious employment in the English language teaching sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17782/25]

84. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the recourse available to employees of private language schools when their employer refuses to engage with their union, and engages in practices such as changing contractual terms unilaterally or penalising workers for non-compliance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17784/25]