The Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation has commissioned a national study on Corporate Social Responsibility and are seeking participation from businesses of all sizes operating in Ireland. This will be the first comprehensive study of its kind in Ireland and will inform the development of Ireland’s Second National Plan on Corporate Social Responsibility which is due for publication this year
The study will assist the Government in ensuring Ireland’s international commitments in this area are met and, in this context, consultation with the private sector through the study is extremely important.

Minister for Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation, Mary Mitchell O’Connor TD said “This first national study is important in determining the level of Corporate Social Responsibility in Ireland in 2017 so that good practices can be effectively encouraged and supported. This government is committed to encouraging and supporting quality employment opportunities and CSR has an important role to play in making Ireland a great place to work and to do business.”

Industry consultation is central to the government’s approach to supporting and developing good CSR practices in Ireland. The CSR Stakeholder Forum is comprised of industry representatives, academics and representatives of many government departments. The Forum has been meeting regularly since September 2015.

A new chair of the forum was recently announced with Catherine Heaney, Director of DHR Communications taking over from outgoing chair Brendan Jennings, Managing Partner at Deloitte Ireland.

Speaking about importance of CSR Catherine Heaney said “CSR has multiple benefits. It allows employees develop new skills, meet new people and work on projects outside of their comfort zone. It opens up opportunities for collaboration and networking between clients from different sectors. Most importantly, it means we know we can provide support to charities, organisations and individuals to which we are deeply committed.”

Businesses, of any size and sector, operating in Ireland are encouraged to participate in this study by visiting www.csrhub.ie and completing the survey by Friday 14th April 2017.

The Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation promotes CSR online through the CSR Hub, the @CSRHubIRL Twitter account and a quarterly e-zine.

The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Mary Mitchell O’Connor TD today (Tuesday) welcomed the Monthly Unemployment figures for March published by the Central Statistics Office, showing that the official unemployment rate has fallen from 6.6% in February to 6.4% in March and from 8.3 % in March 2016. The statistics also show:

· On a seasonally adjusted basis 3,300 fewer people were unemployed in March compared to February
· 39,800 fewer people were unemployed in March compared with twelve months earlier
· Unemployment among people aged between 15-24 has fallen by 0.6% in a month

Commenting on today’s figures Minister Mitchell O’Connor said: “This further decrease in the monthly unemployment figures is great news. Seeing the unemployment rate for March drop down to 6.4% from 6.6% last month, meaning there are 3,300 less people unemployed, is very gratifying. I will continue with my Department and Government to focus on creating the best possible environment to sustain and grow jobs right across Ireland so that these figures can drop further. Being able to earn a livelihood is all important, allowing people to take charge of their future, to make plans and to have hope and optimism. I would like everyone to have that opportunity for self-determination and fulfilment through employment.”

The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation, Mary Mitchell O’Connor TD, has today announced that up to €44 million is being made available for co-investment in Seed and early stage growth companies, and through Enterprise Ireland has issued an open competitive call to fund managers to signal their interest in establishing Funds. This investment will leverage private sector funding to create a pool of capital to support the growth ambitions of high potential companies.

Enterprise Ireland is inviting expressions of interest from Funds to meet the venture capital demand from high potential start-ups. Funds that can demonstrate an ability to raise capital and support company growth are invited to make a submission under this call.

Enterprise Ireland is interested in Funds that will invest in areas that reflect its key strategic growth sectors to include food, software, fintech, General ICT, services, cleantech and lifesciences.

This is the third competitive call under the Seed & Venture Capital Scheme (2013-18). The launch of this call is a key action under the Action Plan for Jobs Programme to support Irish start-ups and complements the other funding initiatives that have been established by Government. In 2016, Enterprise Ireland client companies created 19,244 new jobs in Ireland. Continued support for these enterprises will underpin increased job creation in the future.

Today’s announcement marks the delivery of a key commitment under the Action Plan for Jobs. To date, €131 million of the total €175 million committed under the Seed & Venture Capital Scheme (2013-18) has been secured with several Funds having already successfully reached their funding targets.

Making the announcement, Minister Mitchell O’Connor TD, said: “It is well recognised that early stage, growth oriented companies create a significant proportion of the new jobs in the Irish economy, and that supporting this emerging cohort of companies requires a broad range of innovative initiatives. Today’s announcement of a further €44m in funding from Enterprise Ireland, to be leveraged by additional private sector funding, will assist with the development of the next generation of high potential companies emerging from Ireland, and complement all policies of investment in jobs by this Government.”

Julie Sinnamon, CEO of Enterprise Ireland, said: “At Enterprise Ireland, we acknowledge the importance of a supportive investor landscape to create and scale businesses across a range of sectors. This landscape has been building through our Seed & Venture Capital Schemes over the last 20 years. To date, private sector sources have raised over three and half times the funding already secured through Enterprise Ireland under the current Seed & Venture Capital Scheme (2013-18) and this will ensure a healthy supply of investment capital for high potential start-up companies. These businesses will contribute significantly to the Irish economy through the creation of high value, sustainable jobs and global export growth.”

Dublin & Luxembourg, March 2017 – Alter Domus, a leading provider of Fund and Corporate Services, dedicated to international private equity & infrastructure houses, real estate firms, private debt managers, multinationals, capital markets issuers and private clients, is pleased to announce that it has opened its second office in Ireland in Cork with 60 new jobs.

Alter Domus was established in Ireland in 2011 and in 2014 the firm acquired Services. The team was set up in Dublin to provide the full suite of corporate services with strong activity in aircraft leasing, private equity, real estate and debt.

Speaking at the launch event Minister Mary Mitchell O Connor said: “This is a great win for Ireland and for Cork and adds to the existing hub of financial services companies. Ireland remains a committed member of the EU, benefitting from the many advantages that EU membership brings, including bilateral trade agreements with 3rd countries providing market access opportunities and a common predictable legal and regulatory framework. I’m confident that you will have no difficulty sourcing the skills you require for your International Centre of Excellence and I look forward to watching you grow in the coming years.”

Minister of State for Financial Services, Eoghan Murphy said: “I welcome today’s announcement by Alter Domus, not only for choosing to increase their specialist operations in Ireland, but for their foresight to expand into Cork. It perfectly illustrates the IFS 2020 priority to highlight the added-value of distributing operations both in Dublin and regional locations. I look forward to continue working with the IDA to promote the talent, connectivity and competitive offering to be found in our regional financial services hubs.”James McEvoy, Country Executive Ireland commented. “Today, we are delighted to now be able to offer Fund Administration services specialising in private equity, real estate, infrastructure and debt and further, to announce the opening of our International Centre of Excellence in Cork with the creation of 60 new jobs, while we continue to expand our operations in Dublin providing Corporate and Fund Services.”

Laurent Vanderweyen, CEO of Alter Domus commented “Ireland is an attractive jurisdiction for Alter Domus to further expand, Dublin already being a popular investment structuring destination for non-European fund managers, particularly from the US, looking for an entry point into the European market. Alter Domus, as a well-established provider in the alternatives domain across continental Europe, recognises the strategic importance of further building its presence in Ireland as this jurisdiction continues to attract interest from our clients in North America, the United Kingdom and beyond.”

Welcoming the announcement CEO of IDA Ireland Martin Shanahan said: “It is fantastic to see Alter Domus expanding its footprint in Ireland with the opening a second office in Cork. As a committed member of the EU, Ireland has a lot to offer with a proven track record with international financial services and a strong commitment to the single market. We look forward to working closely with the Alter Domus as they continue to grow their business in Ireland.”

The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Mary Mitchell O’Connor T.D., has signed the Employment Permit Regulations 2017. Employment Permit Regulations are also now consolidated into a single set of regulations which makes them easier to understand and easier to use.

The Irish employment permits system is intended to act as a conduit for key skills which are required to develop enterprise in the State for the benefit of our economy, while simultaneously protecting the balance of the labour market. The system is by design, affected by the economy, expanding and contracting in tandem with its inherent fluctuations.

Lists of employments which identify critical skills in high demand in the economy, and skills for which there is ample capacity already in the resident labour market, are reviewed twice yearly using an evidence based process.

Following a review of the lists earlier this year, and which included a public consultation, the following changes have been approved by the Minister and have been given legal effect in the 2017 Regulations which will come into effect on 3 April:

· HGV drivers are removed from the ineligible list on a temporary basis and subject to a maximum quota of 120 General Employment Permits;

· Meat deboners remain off the ineligible list subject to a further maximum quota of 160 General Employment Permits bringing the total to 360, as 200 permits were made available under the 2015 Amendment Regulations.

· Level 10 (PhD) academics in designated Universities and Institutes of Technologies are added to the highly skilled list in order to help fulfil their obligations to hire the best staff available within the resources available to them. This change will provide for the recruitment of a very specific skill set while entry level academic appointments remain oriented to the Irish/EEA labour market.

The Minister stated “It is important that we monitor these regulations in order to keep up with the pace of our economy. Our willingness to connect to the global marketplace, and that includes the global exchange of skills, has facilitated Ireland’s ongoing recovery from recession. Our economic migration policy accommodates and reflects the increasingly global nature of enterprises. There are also broad horizons on offer in Ireland to highly skilled individuals from all over the world. Our migration policy allows that preference should be given, wherever possible, to Irish and European Economic Area nationals in the awarding of contracts of employment.”

The Minister continued “The arrival of non-EEA nationals to fill capacity gaps in the short to medium term is to be welcomed. I also recognise that there will always be a cohort of knowledge leaders, or those with novel or combination skill sets, which it would be advantageous to attract to work in Irish based enterprises.

However, in the longer term, I expect to see the demand for HGV drivers and meat deboners being met from a steady supply in the Irish labour market. An integrated approach is required to address these skills shortages and my Department has been working with the relevant Government Departments on developing such an approach. It has already produced tangible results in the meat processing sector.”

ENDS

Notes

The Irish State’s general policy is to promote the sourcing of labour and skills needs from within the workforce of Ireland, the European Union and other EEA states. Policy in relation to applications for employment permits remains focused on facilitating the recruitment from outside the EEA of highly skilled personnel, where the requisite skills cannot be met by normal recruitment or by training. Employment permit policy is part of the response to addressing skills deficits which exist and are likely to continue into the medium term, but it is not intended over the longer term to act as a substitute for meeting the challenge of up-skilling the State’s resident workforce, with an emphasis on the process of lifelong learning, and on maximising the potential of EEA nationals to fill our skills deficits.

The employment permits system is ordered through a list structure: the Highly Skilled Eligible Occupations List, which lists occupations in high demand in the Irish labour market and the Ineligible Categories of Employment List, which lists occupations for which there is ample capacity already in the Irish/EEA labour market. An evidence-based review of these lists is conducted by the Department twice a year in order to keep the orientation of economic migration firmly in step with the precise needs of the labour market. The next review is due to commence in April with the public consultation process on www.djei.ie

Ireland operates a vacancy-driven employment permits system. Where specific skills prove difficult to source within the EEA, an employment permit may be sought in respect of a non-EEA national who possesses those skills. Non-EEA nationals who work in Ireland on the basis of employment permits are subject to the same protections under Irish employment law as any other worker in the State.

For occupations that are not on the ineligible list and are not on the highly skilled list, an employment permit may be sought subject to a labour market needs test being conducted. All applications are processed in accordance with the Employment Permits Act 2006, as amended and are dependent on a specific job offer.

The employment permits regime is underpinned by the Employment Permits Acts 2003 -2014. The Employment Permits (Amendment) Act 2014 reflects policy and economic developments since 2007, providing for more flexibility and targeted instruments in support of the economy’s evolving skills needs which often require rapid response and provides for a robust employment permits regime with greater clarity.

Regulations under the Employment Permits Acts prescribe specific criteria for the grant and renewal of employment permits including documentation requirements, remuneration levels, registration requirements, and lists of highly skilled and ineligible employments.

Since their commencement in October 2014, the Employment Permit Regulations (SI No. 432 of 2014) have been amended four times. In addition, the Trusted Partner Regulations (SI No. 172 of 2015), which commenced in May 2015, have also been since amended once. These regulations provide for the Trusted Partner Initiative which is designed to ease the administrative burden on employers in expansion mode and to remove the requirement that they replicate the same employer information in respect of each employment permit application made for grant or renewal.

The rate at which the principal regulations have been amended since 2014 demonstrates a dynamic employment permit regime that is responding to an ever-evolving labour market. However, the secondary legislation has become increasingly difficult to navigate. Thus, it was decided all employment permit regulations from 2014 to date be consolidated into a single set.

The 2017 Regulations provide not only for a consolidation of all employment permit regulations since 2014, but also for the revised highly skilled list and ineligible employments list. The revised lists are set out in Schedules 3 and 4 of the Regulations. Occupations on the highly skilled list include professional positions in medicine, ICT, sciences, finance and business. Occupations on the ineligible list are largely but not exclusively lower skilled occupations. Occupations not included on either list are considered eligible occupations for a General Employment Permit.

The principal changes to the lists are:

· Level 10 (PhD) academics in designated Universities and Institutes of Technologies are added to the highly skilled list. To fulfil national social and economic goals in terms of quality education and enterprise competitiveness, these third level institutions are obligated to hire the best staff available within the resources available to them. Mobility is a key part of the academic career structure and global academic labour market. Irish academics benefit from spending part of their careers abroad, as do international staff working in Ireland. In order to balance commitments to prioritising the resident and EEA labour market where this is appropriate while acknowledging the highly specialised nature of academic labour even within disciplines, the highly skilled list will provide for the recruitment of very specific skill set while entry level academic appointments remain oriented to the Irish/EEA labour market.

· HGV drivers with CE or C1E driving licences are removed from the ineligible list on a temporary basis and subject to a maximum quota of 120 permits. The Minister has written to the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport advising him of the decision to remove HGV drivers on a temporary basis. His Department will lead an integrated approach to meeting the long term demand for HGV drivers and which is being driven by growing levels of trade in exports and imports.

· Meat deboners remain off the ineligible list subject to a further maximum quota of 160 General Employment Permits, bringing the total to 360. In May 2015 the then Minister approved the temporary removal of meat deboners from the ineligible list subject to an initial quota of 200. The potential release of a second tranche of 160 permits was conditional on progress being reported by the sector on training/upskilling and the creation of additional employments.

The highly skilled and ineligible lists are reviewed on a bi-annual basis, using the research of the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN) as well as a consultation process which includes considerations of submissions made by any interested party. The next review of the lists will commence shortly, and submissions will be invited at www.djei.ie.

The demand for employment permits in 2016 was 13,371 which was an increase of 13% on 2015 (11,783). The total number of employment permits issued in 2016 (9,383) was up 29% compared to 2015 (7,265).

Full information on the employment permits system can be found on the Department’s website at https://www.djei.ie/en/What-We-Do/Jobs-Workplace-and-Skills/Employment-Permits/.

The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Mary Mitchell O’Connor TD, today acknowledged the triggering of Article 50 by the British Government and the clarity brought to the Brexit process today.

The Minister noted that “Today represents a key step for both the EU and the UK, and enables the start of exit negotiations. Ireland has been preparing intensively and extensively for these negotiations”.

“Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation is central to this planning. We are ready for the negotiations and will negotiate from a position of strength as an integral part of the EU team. Since the result of the referendum was known, we have made clear our priorities – minimising impact on trade and the economy, protecting the Northern Ireland Peace Process, maintaining the Common Travel Area and Influencing the future of the European Union. Through extensive consultation and dialogue, we have ensured that these priorities are recognised at the highest level in the EU and amongst other member states.”

The Minister was speaking from Copenhagen where she is meeting her Danish counterpart, Minister Brian Mikkelsen, Minister for Industry, Business and Financial Affairs, as part of her ongoing programme of engagement with EU political counterparts on the trade, enterprise and Brexit agenda.
This meeting affords Minister Mitchell O’Connor an opportunity to set out the significance of the impact on Ireland and our unique concerns arising from Brexit.

Noting that the EU27 leaders will now meet to agree and adopt guidelines defining the framework for the negotiations, the Minister concluded “It is clear that the UK wants a close, friction-free, trading relationship with the EU. That’s a goal we share. It is in all our interests that the UK should maintain the closest possible links to the EU. We must, however, remain focused on protecting and advancing Ireland’s interests at every turn. We must also look to the future of the EU as a fully committed member of the EU 27. With this in mind, our engagement and consultation work will continue in the coming weeks and months.”

The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation has today (Monday, March 27th 2017) reminded interested parties that the deadline for submissions to the public consultation on ticket resale is only 5 days away.

The public consultation paper sets out, and seeks views, on a number of possible measures that might be taken by the parties involved in the organisation of entertainment and sporting events and in the primary and secondary ticket markets, and by Government, to ensure that fans who wish to attend major entertainment or sporting events do not have to pay exorbitant prices to do so.

The Minister stated that: “This is an important consultation process which seeks to address the concern and frustration being expressed by the public in relation to ticket resale. I would encourage all interested parties to make their submissions by the deadline of 31st March. It is important that Government, in considering what possible measures might be taken, has the fullest information about the important aspects of the practice, including its incidence, the sources of tickets put up for resale, and the prices achieved, as opposed to advertised, on the secondary ticket market.”

https://www.djei.ie/en/Consultations/Consultation-Resale-of-Tickets-Entertainment-Sporting-Events.html