Issue 650
Public Affairs Ireland
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This week’s update on public sector news featuring?a range of topical updates to include:
Minister Roderic O’Gorman has?announced?the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022
The Land Development Agency (LDA) has identified State-owned properties and landbanks that could be used to build more than 60,000 new homes.
The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment is seeking the views of stakeholders and interested parties on a proposal for a directive on liability for defective products.
Companies globally are setting ambitious environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals, but only 6pc are aggressively implementing measures to meet them
The ‘Great Resignation’ that led to widespread staff shortages during the pandemic shows signs of turning into the ‘Great Regret’
Minister Roderic O’Gorman has today (30 March 2023)?welcomed the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022 passing all Stages in the Oireachtas. The Bill provides for the introduction of new rights for employees to support a better balance of family life, work life and caring responsibilities. The Bill also seeks to support those who are victims of domestic violence through the introduction of a statutory paid leave entitlement of five days.
The Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022 introduces:
Minister O’Gorman said:
“The Work Life Balance Bill represents a significant advance in workers’ rights in Ireland. It recognises the importance of family life and an improved quality of life for all workers, by supporting employees to achieve a better balance between their home lives and work lives. The passing of this Bill introduces a statutory entitlement to carer’s leave, the right to request flexible and remote working, and makes breastfeeding breaks a reality for women returning to work from maternity leave."
Minister O’Gorman went on to say:
"The introduction of domestic violence leave under this Bill is particularly important. Ireland is one of the first countries to introduce statutory domestic violence leave and I believe that this will make a real and meaningful difference for victims of domestic violence. Crucially, it will support those who are victims of domestic violence to leave abusive relationships. This leave was an important commitment in the Programme for Government and I hope it will lead to greater awareness of domestic violence in all its forms.”
The Bill will now go to the President to be signed into law.
Monday, April 24th, 2023, 9.30am – 1.00pm, Online
5th April 2023, 10.00am – 12.00pm, Online
The Land Development Agency (LDA) has identified State-owned properties and landbanks that could be used to build more than 60,000 new homes.
In a report to be considered by the Cabinet, the LDA highlighted sites in 10 areas of the country that could be utilised to develop social and affordable housing.
In Dublin, the agency earmarked land on the sites of the Central Bank’s national mint in Sandyford and on the Leopardstown Racecourse, along with Dublin Bus’s Conyngham Road depot and Cathal Brugha Barracks in Rathmines.
The ESB Networks site on the Sarsfield Road in Cork and Galway Harbour have also been pinpointed as State-owned properties which could be used to build more homes.
The sites have been classified into categories based on the level of work required to transfer ownership to the LDA and subsequently redevelop the areas into housing.
Some of the sites are seen as having complex constraints due a range of issue, and are viewed as longer-term projects than others.
The LDA said Cathal Brugha Barracks is one of the more difficult sites to develop.
Five cities – Dublin,?Waterford, Cork, Galway and Limerick – along with five regional centres, namely Sligo, Letterkenny, Dundalk, Drogheda and Athlone, are the areas of the country recommended by the LDA for development through the construction of houses on State-owned sites.
The Report on Relevant Public Land will be considered by the Government, and Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien will be responsible for accepting or rejecting the recommendations.....
Commencing May 9th 2023, 9.30am – 4.00pm, Online
19th, 20th, 25th and 26th April 2023, 9.30am – 12.30pm each day, Online
The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment is seeking the views of stakeholders and interested parties on a proposal for a directive on liability for defective products.
On 28 September 2022, the European Commission published a Proposal for a Directive on Liability for Defective Products (PLD). This is a revision of the original PLD (85/374/EEC) which was transposed into Irish law by the Liability for Defective Products Act 1991.
The general objective of this directive is to continue to ensure the functioning of the internal market, free movement of goods and undistorted competition between market operators and to continue to ensure a high level of protection of consumers’ health and property, with 5 specific objectives:
The directive aims to achieve these objectives by providing legal certainty on what products and businesses are covered by no-fault liability. It will also encourage all businesses, including non-EU manufacturers, to place only safe products on the EU market in order to avoid incurring liability.
The proposal will also ensure that people enjoy the same protection regardless of whether the product is tangible or digital. The burden of proof will be more fairly shared between injured persons and manufacturers in complex cases, increasing the chances of enforcing a successful compensation claim.
Friday, April 21st, 2023, 10.00am – 1.00pm, Online
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Wednesday, April 26th, 2023, 9.30am – 4.00pm, Online
Few Irish businesses are getting into the detail of implementing changes to their business models
Companies globally are setting ambitious environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals, but only 6pc are aggressively implementing measures to meet them.
Most companies (53pc) remain in the relatively early stages of ESG transformation, implementing basic measures like off-setting carbon emissions with CO2 certificates. These are some of the key findings from PwC’s global study “ESG Empowered Value Chains 2025”, which surveyed over 900 executives worldwide on the status of their ESG transformation.
The study highlights a general lack of urgency to embrace more advanced ESG efforts such as redesigning products or improving diversity and inclusion. Meanwhile, a small subset of ESG champions (6pc) is moving quickly to embed ESG measures across their entire value chains and ultimately make themselves, and their suppliers, more sustainable and competitive.
In Ireland, 26pc of Irish CEOs confirmed they had completed implementation of initiatives to reduce their company’s emissions and a further 51pc said that this was in progress. Over 30pc said they had made a net zero commitment with a further 37pc saying their company is working towards this commitment.
PwC also sees lots of companies in Ireland in the early stages of developing their ESG vision, objectives and strategies. However, few are getting into the detail of implementing actual changes to their business models.
While companies have started to set ESG goals, 42pc of companies surveyed cited high costs and insufficient budgets as the most significant challenge to achieving these targets. At the same time, companies are under greater scrutiny from consumers, employees, investors, and regulators to transform businesses to comply with a growing body of environmental and social standards.
The study?also showed?a major shift in thinking about how transforming operations to meet ESG standards can ultimately make companies more resilient and competitive....
Wednesday, April 19th, 2023, Time: 09:30 am – 1:00 pm, Online
April 21st, 28th and May 5th, 2023, 9.30am – 4.30pm, Online
Has ‘Great Resignation’ become the ‘Great Regret’? Boomerang workers want their pre-Covid jobs back
The ‘Great Resignation’ that led to widespread staff shortages during the pandemic shows signs of turning into the ‘Great Regret’ – with a new poll finding that more than two thirds of Irish employees are willing to return to their pre-pandemic jobs.
A?survey of 2,000 professionals by recruiter Robert Walters found that 69pc of them were open to returning to their previous workplace, with 45pc of this cohort saying that their current employer was no longer meeting their needs.
A third of these so-called ‘boomerang workers’ cited the cost-of-living crisis for changing how they feel about their employment situation, while a quarter blamed hybrid-working fatigue.
The 43pc of workers who had left their job after Covid did so for better pay, with 37pc leaving for a better workplace culture or for more purpose and fulfilment in their roles.
“Across 2021, we saw record pay rises offered to professionals, with promises of a flexible and hybrid culture,” said Suzanne Feeney, country manager at Robert Walters Ireland.
“Come 2023, and these pay rises now pale in comparison to the rising cost of living, with those new starters who were offered inflated salaries being much less likely to have received a pay increase this year....
Monday 17th and Tuesday 18th of April 2023, 9.30am – 3.30pm, In Person
Wednesday 19th April 2023, 10.00am – 12.00pm, 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.
State Board Appointments
This section gives a detailed schedule of committee meetings.
Notice Of Appointments
Appointments that do not come under the Guidelines
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CCMA Economic Development Committee & CCMA Rural, Community, Culture and Heritage Committee
1 年A well compiled, very useful information resource. Well done to all those who make it happen each issue!?