Questions

226. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the need for cross departmental coordination with the Department for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and the Department for Social Protection to tackle the issues of barriers to employment for people with disabilities and the practices of the civil service in dealing with disability benefits once in employment. [8…

227. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to provide an expected timeline on the development of a code of practice, which was contained within the Programme for Government; and how the code will support the hiring of workers with a disability. [8942/25]

115. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the current status of the Life Sciences Strategy; if stakeholder engagement is planned; which Department will be responsible for overseeing its execution; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8204/25]

116. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment when businesses due payment under the increased cost of business and power up grant schemes will receive this grant aid. [8215/25]

117. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of applicants awaiting payment in counties Cavan and Monaghan under the increased cost of business and power up grant schemes; when these outstanding payments will issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8216/25]

118. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of IDA site visits to County Laois made in the past twelve months; the specific locations of these visits; the results to date of any such visits, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8238/25]

119. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the supports available to small businesses, many of whom are already struggling and will not survive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8272/25]

120. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment when employees of a company (details supplied) will not have to retire at 65 years and be allowed to remain in their current positions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8273/25]

121. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment further to Parliamentary Question No. 241 of 11 February 2025, if he will consider introducing the Co-operative Societies Bill 2022 as a priority, such that eligible smaller co-ops could avoid an audit fee for the 2025 financial year. [8570/25]

355. Deputy Seán Fleming asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to make a statement in relation to the EU Mercosur Trade Deal and Ireland’s position in relation to this matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8038/25]

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]