Results 181-200 of 12,895 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald in 'Written Answers'

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Work Permits Data (17 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: 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 the application and granting of 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...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: IDA Ireland Data (17 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The IDA Ireland Business Park in Drogheda is home to one IDA Ireland client - International Fund Services who employ approximately 250 people. There are 19 hectares of serviced, zoned and master planned land currently available in the park. This is marketed as appropriate to any potential investors. The Agency has also identified a 3.5 hectare site within the park that may be suitable for...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Local Enterprise Offices Data (17 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 110 and 111 together. In 2016, the Local Enterprise Office (LEO) Wexford approved 28 enterprise grants – feasibility, priming and business expansion – in total for the year, to a value of €389,034. The approvals included 11 business expansion grants totalling €187,269 for its clients. This equates to an average grant amount of...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Regional Development Initiatives (12 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Government is committed to regional development and my Department and its agencies are working towards ambitious targets to ensure that employment and investment are as fairly distributed as possible across the country, including in Tipperary. While more work remains to be done in the County, it has made steady progress in job creation terms, with unemployment having decreased...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Brexit Issues (12 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I recognise that the impact of Brexit is one of the most immediate concerns facing the retail sector. As a result, my Department has ensured that Retail representatives have been included in all relevant stakeholder engagements on Brexit, including the Enterprise Forum on Brexit and Global Challenges. Brexit has also become a standing item on the agenda at meetings of the Retail...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Enterprise 2025 (12 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: Enterprise 2025 sets a roadmap for long-term enterprise development and resilience, with the ambition to achieve a step-change in the performance of our enterprises, to build a real and distinctive competitive edge sector-by-sector and to excel in creating a jobs-fit environment with top-3 competitiveness ranking. The Action Plan for Jobs 2017, which I lead across Government, sets...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: IDA Ireland Expenditure (12 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The “Winning Abroad” Programme was launched by IDA Ireland in 2014. It provided for the engagement of up to 35 additional personnel by the Agency to deliver new jobs for people in Ireland.  Its other key objectives included targeting new forms of foreign direct investment and broadening the geographic base from which the Agency seeks and...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: European Innovation Partnerships (12 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 18, 25 and 26 together. Innovation 2020, the national strategy for research and innovation, recognises that in order for Ireland to become a Global Innovation Leader, our research and innovation system must be open with strong international collaboration links. Membership of leading International Research Organisations is an important mechanism for...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Brexit Staff (12 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: As the Deputy will be aware, an additional €3 million was secured for my Department in respect of Pay in Budget 2017 targeted specifically to assist with increased staffing needs for the Department and a number of our Agencies to deal with the evolving Brexit scenario.  These funds are enabling the Department and, primarily, our Agencies to recruit additional...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Brexit Issues (12 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Regional Action Plan for Jobs imitative, launched in January 2015, is a central pillar of the Government’s ambition to create 200,000 new jobs by 2020, 135,000 of which are outside of Dublin. Importantly, the Plans have been embraced within the regions and implementation rates for actions within the published Progress Reports are in excess of 90% for each region. There has...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Enterprise Ireland (12 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Food and Agribusiness sectors are vital to the prosperity of the Irish economy. In 2016, Enterprise Ireland supported clients reported exports of €21.6 billion, 49 per cent of this was from the Food Sector. Of the 201,108 people employed in Enterprise Ireland supported companies, just over 58,000 were from the Food sector (28.8%). Food sector clients represented 19% (just over...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Strategic Communications Unit (12 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: Communications is an essential part of effectiveness of any modern organisation. That is particularly true of Government Departments and public service bodies in all countries, given the impact of their activities on the lives of their citizens. Communication to the public is an essential service: people should know what their government is doing on their behalf, and why. That is why...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Action Plan for Rural Development (12 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Regional Action Plan for Jobs initiative is one of the Department’s key policy responses to supporting job creation in all areas of the country, and is crucial to the Government in meeting the ambition to create an additional 200,000 jobs – 135,000 of which are outside Dublin – by 2020. The Regional Action Plans do not distinguish between urban and rural areas...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Brexit Issues (12 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am very aware of the challenges faced by companies in the wake of the Brexit vote and my Department and Agencies continue to monitor and assess carefully the various Brexit-related issues that may impact on business in Ireland. Our focus remains on taking steps to mitigate the potentially adverse consequences Brexit may have for our economy whilst also ensuring that Ireland is well-placed...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: IDA Ireland Site Visits (12 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The IDA remains committed to increasing foreign direct investment (FDI) in every region of Ireland by 30% to 40% by the end of the Agency's current strategy in 2019. I am heartened that the Agency's mid-year results for 2017 show that 54% of all job approvals so far this year are for investments located outside of Dublin. This is up from 37% at the same time last...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: IDA Ireland Portfolio (12 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The property in question is a 22.5 hectare IDA Ireland business and technology park located in Marlinstown, Co Westmeath. The park is fully zoned and serviced and is currently home to one IDA client company, an engineering and industrial firm which employs approximately 40 people at the site.   IDA Ireland continues to market the park to potential...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: IDA Ireland (12 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Succeed-in-Ireland initiative was operated by Connect Ireland on the basis of a contract with IDA Ireland that was originally agreed in March 2012. That original contract was due to expire on 26 March 2016. In advance of that date, however, Connect Ireland and the IDA jointly agreed to extend the term for a maximum period of one year. The purpose of that one-year extension...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Brexit Issues (12 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 31 and 35 together. I am very conscious of the challenges as a result of Brexit faced by SMEs operating in close proximity to the border, many of which trade freely on both sides. My Department has been working with the Department of Finance, Enterprise Ireland (EI), Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland (SBCI) and the Department of Agriculture and others...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Foreign Direct Investment (12 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The sustainability of our national infrastructure and housing in the context of our approach to attracting inward investment is being considered as part of the ongoing work to develop the new National Planning Framework. My Department is engaging in detail with the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government on these issues as part of that process. ...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Job Initiatives (12 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: Delivering sustainable employment and higher standards of living for all is the core objective of enterprise policy as set out by my Department in Enterprise 2025. The enterprise agencies IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland, together with the Local Enterprise Offices are focused on the creation of quality employment, taking into account the multidimensional aspects that define quality:...