Issue 648
Public Affairs Ireland
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Welcome to PAI's weekly newsletter
This week’s update on public sector news featuring?a range of topical updates to include:
Speculation?that US president Joe Biden is to spend most of five-day trip to Ireland next month in ancestral home of Mayo
A recent survey showing?that the majority of Irish workers want a four-day working week
Oireachtas committee says that we should allow solar panels on agricultural buildings without planning permission
Building skills and boosting employability through further learning
Mr Biden?will visit Ireland for the 25th?anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement and will spend time in Belfast and Dublin, but the majority of his time here will be spent in Mayo, where his ancestral roots lie,
?A visit to Ireland next month by US president Joe Biden is set to last five days, with most of his time here spent in his ancestral home of Mayo, Independent.ie has learned.
Mr Biden confirmed last night while meeting UK prime minister Rishi Sunak in California?that?he will make a trip to Ireland North and South, but did not elaborate on details.
However, sources say Mr Biden will spend time in Belfast and Dublin as he visits to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, but the majority of his time here will be spent in Mayo, where his ancestral roots lie.
More details are?expected to come this week as the?Taoiseach visits Washington DC?for an Oval Office interview with the most powerful man in the world on St Patrick’s Day.
Mr Sunak had invited Mr Biden to visit the North, and the US president said as the pair met at Point Loma naval base: "It's my intention to go to Northern Ireland and the Republic."
Mr Sunak told the president: "I look forward to our conversations and also importantly, to invite you to Northern Ireland, which hopefully you will be able to do and so we can commemorate the anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.
"I know it's something very special and personal to you. we'd love to have you over."
Mr Biden said: "Twenty-five years? It seems like yesterday."
Tuesday, March 21st, 2023
9.30am – 4.00pm, Online
Thursday, March 30th, 2023
09:30 am – 1:00 pm, Online
A massive 95pc of Irish workers approve of a four-day week, according to a new study.
However, only 3.5pc of workplaces have implemented or trialled a four-day working week.
Despite this,?81pc of workers said they believe a four-day working week?will become a reality within the next 10 years, according to the survey by recruitment firm?Hays.
Hays Ireland director Maureen Lynch said: “While the number of employers currently offering a four-day working week is still extremely low, this research suggests that this may change within the next 10 years with employees seeking more appealing and flexible working options.
“Since the emergence from the pandemic restrictions, employers have begun to reconsider the workplace environment. The switch to remote and hybrid working models has proven hugely successful.
"All professionals have embraced these new ways of working with the four-day working week becoming the latest idea to enhance employers’ differentiation from competitors.
Tuesday, March 28th, 2023
10.00am – 3.00pm, Online
Wednesday 19th April 2023
10.00am – 12.00pm, Online
领英推荐
Committee says renewable power ‘microgeneration’ on farms could be crucial support for agricultural revenues in the future
An Oireachtas committee has called on the Government to allow solar panels on agricultural buildings without planning permission in a bid to help farmers meet new climate targets.
In a report on Thursday the joint committee on agriculture said such measures were required to help meet the goal of installing solar panels on “every appropriate farm building” in the drive to cut carbon emissions. The report comes amid controversy in the farming world over binding targets on the sector to achieve a 25 per cent cut in emissions from 2018 levels by 2030.
The committee said renewable power “microgeneration” on farms could be a crucial support for agricultural revenues in the future. “The adoption and deployment of solar technology on farms has been identified as a key element in meeting these targets given its potential to offset input costs and act as a revenue generator, enhancing family farm incomes,” said Fianna Fáil TD Jackie Cahill, committee chairman.
Sinn Féin TD Matt Carthy, who drafted the report, criticised the lack of a “coherent strategy” for solar power in agriculture. “While farmers in principle have the opportunity to generate solar energy at every scale a disjointed regulatory and support framework can make adoption seem overly burdensome and in practice limit or even disincentivise adoption.”
22nd and 29th March 2023
9.30am – 4.00pm, Online
Tuesday, March 28th, 2023
09:30 am – 1:00 pm, Online
Further study can develop your skillset and provide the training needed to help you achieve your career goals
While the disruption experienced by students during the Covid-19 pandemic may tempt some to focus on joining the workforce instead of continuing with their studies once they graduate, others will look to further and higher education as a way of boosting their skills and helping them develop an edge in the jobs market.
Research shows that higher levels of education increase the employability and earning potential of graduates.
Central Statistics Office research on higher education outcomes found that graduates with level nine awards (master’s degrees and postgraduate diplomas) earned €655 per week in 2019 while those graduating with an NFQ level 10 qualification (doctoral degrees) had the highest weekly earnings of €815 per week.
This compares with NFQ level seven award holders (ordinary bachelor’s degrees) who earned €470 per week and NFQ level eight graduates (honours bachelor’s degrees) who had median earnings of €555 per week.
About 29 per cent of those who graduated in 2019 had re-enrolled in higher education the following year, an increase from 26 per cent for the 2018 graduation cohort, but still down from 33 per cent for the 2010 cohort.
Whether attained through full-time or part-time study, earning potential is certainly boosted by higher levels of education and employers will also often look for critical thinking and problem-solving skills in job candidates.
5th April 2023
10.00am – 12.00pm, Online
18th, 19th, 25th, 26th April 2023
9.30am – 1.00pm Online
Oireachtas Business
This section provides information on Bills scheduled for discussion, Acts considered and any other business.
This section gives a detailed schedule of Dáil éireann business
This section gives a detailed schedule of Seanad éireann business.
This section gives a detailed schedule of committee meetings.
Notice Of Appointments
Appointments that do not come under the Guidelines