Results 47,281-47,300 of 51,305 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Written Answers — Research Funding: Research Funding (4 Jul 2007)

Micheál Martin: Research and innovation, in both product and process development, are critical to success in the increasingly global marketplace. The Enterprise Development agencies under the aegis of my Department encourage the establishment of sustained levels of R&D activity through a variety of R&D schemes offered from Innovation Vouchers to Innovation Management training to project and large-scale R&D...

Written Answers — Flexible Work Practices: Flexible Work Practices (4 Jul 2007)

Micheál Martin: The Employment Equality Acts 1998 and 2004, administered by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, among other things, protects against discrimination on the ground of age in relation to access to employment. However, they also permit an employer to decide on a retirement age in a particular employment to give flexibility to employers and employees, having due regard to the...

Written Answers — FÁS Training Programmes: FÁS Training Programmes (4 Jul 2007)

Micheál Martin: 8,162 persons completed training (throughput) through FÁS Training Services courses to the end of May 2007, of whom 5,341 (65%) were unemployed persons on skills training; 2,060 (25%) were employed apprentices and 761 (9%) were other employed persons attending sponsored up-skilling courses. A further 9,779 were in training at the end of May, of whom 6,243 (64%) were unemployed and 3,225...

Written Answers — Employment Support Services: Employment Support Services (4 Jul 2007)

Micheál Martin: Enterprise Ireland (EI) operates two direct financial support schemes that help Irish SMEs to increase awareness of and promote eco-efficiency in their operations. These are the Environmental Management System (EMS) Support Scheme and the Environmentally Superior Products (ESP) Support Scheme. The EMS Support Scheme has been in operation since late 1998 and since then 105 Irish SMEs have...

Written Answers — Industrial Development: Industrial Development (4 Jul 2007)

Micheál Martin: A wide variety of different trade activities is undertaken by Enterprise Ireland on behalf of, and in conjunction with, my Department. This includes Outward Trade Missions, Inward Missions organised on behalf of buyers and business partners, participation in Trade Fairs and other marketing activities on behalf of its client companies. The latter make a financial contribution towards their...

Written Answers — Insurance Industry: Insurance Industry (4 Jul 2007)

Micheál Martin: At the end of May 2007 there were 6,081 cases with the PIAB in the 90-day "consent to process" period i.e. PIAB has received a claim and has issued formal notice to the responding party and is awaiting consent to process from that party. There were a further 5,403 cases in the nine-month statutory assessment process, where the responding party has indicated that liability is not contested...

Written Answers — Job Losses: Job Losses (4 Jul 2007)

Micheál Martin: The Industrial Development agencies continue to promote the greater Cork area for industrial development. In terms of new foreign investment, pharmaceuticals, medical technologies, information and communications technology and internationally traded services are among the area's strongest performers in recent years. Last year, new projects were announced for the region which will result in...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (4 Jul 2007)

Micheál Martin: Four of the Agencies under the aegis of my Department are due to decentralise as follows: FÁS is to move 383 posts to Birr, Co. Offaly; Enterprise Ireland (EI) is to move 300 posts to Shannon; The Health and Safety Authority is to move 110 posts to Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny; and The National Standards Authority of Ireland is to move 132 posts to Arklow, Co. Wicklow My Department continues to...

Written Answers — Northern Ireland Issues: Northern Ireland Issues (4 Jul 2007)

Micheál Martin: There is ongoing co-operation between my Department and the Department of Enterprise Trade and Investment in Northern Ireland on enterprise issues. Both Departments co-sponsor InterTradeIreland, the all-island trade and business development body established under the Good Friday Agreement. Since 1999, InterTradeIreland has shown the benefits of all-island business collaboration and it is...

Written Answers — Fair Trade Products: Fair Trade Products (4 Jul 2007)

Micheál Martin: My Department has only two small canteens and in the past year both canteens have introduced Fair Trade products. My Department encourages the use of Fair Trade products and in one of the canteens, only Fair Trade tea and coffee is on sale and a large poster advertising Fair Trade products is displayed for all staff to see. As regards the agencies under the control of my Department, the...

Written Answers — Third Level Qualifications: Third Level Qualifications (4 Jul 2007)

Micheál Martin: The Minister for Education and Science has primary responsibility for the higher education sector, from which the PhDs will graduate. However, the target of doubling the number of PhDs is at the heart of the Government's Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation 2006-13 and a number of Departments and Agencies are contributing to the delivery of that goal, including my own Department,...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (4 Jul 2007)

Micheál Martin: There has not been a negative impact on the work of my Department and the Agencies under the aegis of my Department arising from the Government's Public Service Staffing Reduction Programme. All services carried out by my Department and Agencies have been maintained to the highest standard.

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (4 Jul 2007)

Micheál Martin: Over the last ten years, Ireland has experienced exceptional growth which has seen our economy almost double in size. The construction sector has played, and continues to play, a very significant role in this success. The sector, which remains the largest industry in the Irish economy, is likely to continue to be strategic to our economic growth. Recent projections from the Central...

Written Answers — Official Travel: Official Travel (4 Jul 2007)

Micheál Martin: Table 1 provides details of international fights taken by staff of my Department on official business on scheduled flights from 1 January 2007 to 30 June 2007. The table shows the final destination for each journey, the number of flights to each destination and the cost involved, based on provisional accounts to the end of June. My Department's staff have not taken any domestic flights on...

Written Answers — Equal Opportunities Employment: Equal Opportunities Employment (4 Jul 2007)

Micheál Martin: The pillars underpinning the development of a comprehensive employment strategy under the Sectoral Plan for people with disabilities of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment are: Enhancing the effectiveness of vocational training and employment programmes Further developing supports to the employment of people with disabilities Developing and advancing actions under the...

Written Answers — Work Permits: Work Permits (4 Jul 2007)

Micheál Martin: Under the Treaties of Accession between the EU and Romania and Bulgaria, Phase 1 of the Transitional Arrangements comes to an end on 31 December, 2008. During this Phase, Member States are permitted to continue to require nationals of both countries to hold employment permits in order to access the labour market. As I announced on 24 October last, the Government availed of this option,...

Written Answers — World Trade Negotiations: World Trade Negotiations (4 Jul 2007)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 113 and 114 together. The meeting last month in Potsdam, Germany, of the so-called Group of 4 (the G4) of the USA, the EU (represented by the European Commission), Brazil and India, was the latest in a series of such meetings. Unfortunately, as Deputy Higgins points out, it was not possible at that meeting for the G4 to reach convergence. From the EU's...

Written Answers — Company Closures: Company Closures (4 Jul 2007)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 115 and 116 together. On 23 April, 2007, I was informed of the situation in the company in question by Enterprise Ireland. The company is moving its manufacturing operation to China in 2008. It will, however, maintain a sales and marketing centre in Ireland which will employ ten people. I understand that over the coming months, the company will be discussing...

Written Answers — Job Losses: Job Losses (4 Jul 2007)

Micheál Martin: The full-time job losses, job gains and net gains/losses in Agency assisted enterprises in Co. Kildare for years 2002 to 2006 inclusive are outlined in the following table. According to the most recent Quarterly National Household Survey, the total labour force in the Mid East Region, of which Kildare is a part, grew from 206,300 in May 2003 to 244,300 in 2007. The corresponding figures for...

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (4 Jul 2007)

Micheál Martin: Manufacturing is an important and integral part of the economy, directly employing almost 250,000 people. During 2005 the sector spent €25bn on Irish labour, material and services and contributed almost 30% of corporation tax receipts. Over the last two decades however there has been a structural shift in the economic composition of developed economies. In the OECD countries, this has...