As Minister of State with responsibility for trade promotion, digital and company regulation, I am acutely aware of the need for the regulatory regime and Ireland to be supportive and adaptable to the change and challenges that our businesses face, and to ensure that the right balance is struck when making laws in the area of company, competition and consumer law. Since taking office, I focused my attention on measures to put in place over the lifetime of this Government. Excellent progress has been made across thr…

The only point I would add is that CETA has been in operation in this country for the past two and a half years. As a result, we have seen a significant increase in trade between Ireland and Canada which has been of major benefit to many companies, not only multinational companies to which the Deputy alluded but SMEs as well. A decision has been taken at Government level to refer this trade agreement to an Oireachtas committee. There is no issue, good, bad or indifferent, with having this debated. Its merits stand …

The State's longstanding preventative restructuring framework, examinership, is internationally recognised and has proven to be a successful tool for restructuring in its current form. However, the impact of Covid-19 on business has necessitated a review of the existing restructuring process, provided for by the Companies Act 2014, to determine whether it meets the needs of businesses as they respond to the economic impact of the pandemic. It has generally been acknowledged that small companies encounter particular…

What I will say is that the proposed new process for the rescue of small companies, the summary rescue process, will be very much distinct from the existing statutory examinership process. That is our intention. We intend to put the proposal out for public consultation. That will happen imminently. We certainly welcome the views and suggestions of all parties on how we move it forward. We are acutely aware that it must be done swiftly. As Deputy O'Dea said, when supports to businesses inevitably taper off as the re…

I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. Like him, our thoughts are with the families in his constituency who are facing an uncertain time at the moment. The Deputy will be aware that the tax and customs affairs of any business are confidential and there is a duty of confidentially imposed on Revenue in this regard by virtue of section 851A of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997. Accordingly, Revenue cannot comment on, and cannot provide me with details in regard to, the particular case that is the subjec…

Deputy Cowen is right that there have been challenges since 1 January. There were always going to be challenges. We are moving to a new trading arrangement, with new requirements that many businesses have not had to deal with in generations. In that context, there have been interdepartmental meetings on a daily basis since the beginning of January. That has now gone down to every two or three days as some of the challenges have been addressed. The Irish Road Haulage Association has raised issues in terms of the cha…

I am here on behalf of the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Deputy O'Gorman, who sends his apologies. The National Strategy for Women and Girls 2017-2020 is the main framework through which the Government pursues actions to advance the rights of women and girls and to enable their full participation in society. The national strategy was adopted by the previous Government and launched in May 2017 to provide a whole-of-government framework through which women's empowerment can conti…

To confirm, 133 of the initial 139 actions have begun, with 42 completed. I do not know where the remaining actions stand, but I will ask the Minister's office to revert to the Senator and clarify. The strategy committee is due to meet this spring. Its focus over the coming meetings will be on the conclusion and evaluation of the current strategy and looking forward to the next strategy. It is very important to have a continuation of the good work that has been done already. We must identify what remains outstandin…

I am very pleased that this matter has been selected for discussion today as it is an area in which I have a particular interest. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has demonstrated that global emissions must be reduced to net zero within the next few decades to avoid a dangerous increase in global temperatures. The programme for Government sets out how important the next ten years will be in addressing the climate change and biodiversity crisis. I am determined, through my delegated functions, to play m…

I welcome this discussion. There is passion and enthusiasm in the House in respect of this matter. The current requirements are not fit for purpose when it comes to the process of comply or explain. We want to change that. However, I cannot commit to going further on something that I have not even seen yet. I am awaiting whatever directive comes from the EU. I have already written to the various stakeholders seeking their inputs and views. We will work together but let us wait to see what the EU publishes. If it is…

I share Senator Cassells's view on the importance of our media. It is important at any time but it is particularly important at a time of pandemic that we can rely on factual, reputable media outlets. I am familiar with many of the newspapers in this particular group, particularly the Longford Leader , which is exemplary in terms of its factual reporting, and is anxiously awaited on a weekly basis in so many households across Longford and Westmeath, as is the case in regard to some of the other provincial papers. I…

The pandemic has taken a terrible toll on many businesses and livelihoods right across various sectors in the economy. The Government has committed an unprecedented level of financial supports to keep businesses afloat and save jobs. The Senator referenced the employment wage subsidy scheme, which was introduced on 1 September. This replaced the temporary wage subsidy scheme and it addresses one of the biggest overheads that any business faces on a weekly basis, which is the wage bill. This Government is underwriti…

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this important debate. I often drove by a former mother and baby home in Castlepollard in my county. Ignorantly, I never really thought deeply enough about the history associated with buildings like it. Mother and baby homes were large, prominent places. Like industrial schools, Magdalen laundries and mental institutions, they were where Ireland hid her unwanted in plain sight. What could not be seen behind those walls was the hurt, humiliation and abuse inflicted on so ma…

As the ODCE falls under my delegated functions, I will take the question. I understand the Tánaiste is due to meet the Director of Corporate Enforcement in the new year. However, I met him shortly after my appointment and we had a constructive engagement primarily around the establishment of the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement. The Companies (Corporate Enforcement Authority) Bill 2018 is my legislative priority for this session. The legislation has been in development since the Government adopted a …

The policy approach underpinning the general scheme is the establishment of a statutory agency that is appropriately resourced, is accountable and has a clear mandate. It is clear that white-collar crime is a menace on society and has huge consequences for the economy. It is important that we have a fit-for-purpose authority established as quickly as possible. It is regrettable that during the course of the last Dáil the committee, of which I was a member for a number of months, could not, for reasons known to it, …

We are on the same page on this matter. We can work together to progress the legislation in a timely fashion. The Deputy is correct that the establishment of this authority on its own will not be the panacea to white-collar crime and that this is a matter that crosses many Departments. The Deputy referenced the Hamilton report launched by the Department of Justice earlier this year and the aspirations contained therein. It is important that we take the first step, which is the establishment of the authority. It is …

I thank the Deputy. The State's long-standing preventive restructuring framework in examinership is internationally recognised and has proven to be a successful tool for restructuring in its current form. However, I accept that the cost of examinership is prohibitive for smaller businesses. The Tánaiste wrote to the Company Law Review Group, CLRG, in July requesting it to consider the issue of rescue for small businesses, following on commitments in the programme for Government. The CLRG completed its work and repo…

The guiding principle of the CLRG's report was to reduce the cost and make the process as accessible as possible. However, there were points on which the CLRG members did not reach a consensus. My Department is working on developing these points and further operational details. The CLRG has recommended a stand-alone process separate from examinership but mirroring key elements of examinership in respect of rescue and small companies. This is very much a priority for both me and the Tánaiste. We spoke about it only …

I am very conscious that the Deputy is a former Minister in my Department. He has a wealth of experience in bringing legislation through the Oireachtas. He is aware of how long it can take to pass legislation, particularly when it is difficult. The difficulties and challenges should not dampen our attitude or resolve to introduce legislation in a timely fashion, however. We could certainly consider the voluntary process the Deputy is advocating. I am not aware of it myself but we can certainly explore it. I will br…

This is really devastating news for those working in Viatris and their families. It has been an exceptionally difficult year for everyone. The announcement will come as another blow, especially so close to Christmas, although I am assured that there are to be no immediate reductions and that the majority of the workforce will continue to be employed until late 2022. This is at least some small comfort on a dark day for the employees. I understand that this development is not related to Covid-19 but instead relates …