Parliamentary questions

152. Deputy Keira Keogh asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the additional supports being provided to attract employment to rural towns in Mayo; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29607/26]

153. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if he will introduce legislation to raise the minimum wage for workers under the age of 20 and for apprentices in their first two years so that they will be at parity with other workers. [30429/26]

154. Deputy Catherine Ardagh asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if he is taking any action to build up the number of medium-sized enterprises; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30501/26]

155. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment his assessment of the impact on the tourism sector arising from the war in the Middle East; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30493/26]

156. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the sectors being prioritised in the forthcoming sectoral strategy for enterprise adoption of AI; the criteria used to identify them; the expected timeline for publication; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30433/26]

157. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment for an update on Fáilte Ireland's plans to develop a destination and experience development plan specifically for north Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29605/26]

158. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if he has had, or if he is planning to have, discussions with the Minister for Health regarding the planned industrial action by workers in the National Ambulance Service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30428/26]

159. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment whether his Department has undertaken or commissioned any studies on the use of artificial intelligence by the general public, including trends in adoption across different age groups and sectors, such as tourism; the insights gathered on the way in which AI is shaping consumer behaviour and service delivery; and …

160. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment for an update on the Action Plan on Market Diversification; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30499/26]

161. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the position regarding any work ongoing within his Department to help support small businesses in the face of increased fuel costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29988/26]

162. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if his Department is aware of the suggested introduction of a tourism levy or ‘bed tax’ in Galway; if any national assessment has been carried out on whether such a model would be sustainable; his views on the way in which increased tourism footfall in Galway can be supported through enhanced funding for local touris…

163. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the way in which he is helping businesses to scale-up; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30498/26]

164. Deputy Brian Brennan asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment whether he will consider introducing supports for rural hotels to either assist in re-invigorating existing hotels or with building new hotels; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30430/26]

165. Deputy Brian Brennan asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if consideration is being given to introducing additional supports for small and medium enterprises to assist with the increased cost of doing business, which has been exacerbated by recent events; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30449/26]

166. Deputy Noel McCarthy asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment to provide an update on current processing times for general and critical skills employment permit applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30463/26]

167. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if he will consider putting early years on the critical skills list to encourage professionals to come to Ireland to work in the sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29881/26]

168. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the practical governance tools his Department intends to make available to assist SMEs in meeting their obligations under the EU AI Act; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30434/26]

169. Deputy Tony McCormack asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the specific supports his Department is currently developing or enhancing to assist small and medium-sized enterprises in light of ongoing global economic uncertainty, including rising costs, supply chain pressures and geopolitical instability; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30087/26]

170. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if his Department has assessed the potential revenue from a hotel bedroom charge; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30519/26]

171. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if he has concerns in relation to the increased use of youth subminimum wages by employers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30446/26]

172. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the actions he is taking to maintain and increase Ireland's economic competitiveness; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30427/26]

173. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the number of bed nights available in each county, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30508/26]

174. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment further to the Programme for Government commitment to establish a Small Business Unit within his Department, and a Cost of Business Advisory Forum, if he will provide an update on the work of both bodies to date; the issues they have examined or progressed; and the way in which small businesses are being engaged in …

175. Deputy Edward Timmins asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the impact of fuel price increases on small rural machinery contractor enterprises. [30528/26]

176. Deputy Edward Timmins asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the impact of the proposed Short-Term Letting and Tourism Bill 2025 on rural tourism. [30527/26]