Results 47,861-47,880 of 51,305 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Job Losses. (31 Jan 2007)

Micheál Martin: The Government's strategy to create employment in Cork is to progress the development of a knowledge economy so that the city can compete nationally and internationally for foreign direct investment. The agency is also working with its existing client base to expand their presence in Cork as well as providing modern property solutions with supporting infrastructure in the area. New...

Job Losses. (31 Jan 2007)

Micheál Martin: No, some of them have already become available. Citco will create 250 new financial services jobs, while the recent announcement by Amgen, the largest biotechnology company in the world, has decided to locate in Cork and to create 1,100 jobs there. IDA Ireland and I worked hard to secure the latter, which is a good development for Cork and its people. It is important to recognise that...

Job Losses. (31 Jan 2007)

Micheál Martin: Our competitiveness was not a factor in Motorola's decision.

Job Losses. (31 Jan 2007)

Micheál Martin: I have been in contact with Motorola, which did not indicate any difficulties with the Government.

Job Losses. (31 Jan 2007)

Micheál Martin: As is the case with all companies, we were in contact with Motorola on an ongoing basis.

Job Losses. (31 Jan 2007)

Micheál Martin: The Deputy should bear in mind that cost-competitiveness was not the issue in this case.

Job Losses. (31 Jan 2007)

Micheál Martin: Motorola and other multinational companies have operations across the globe.

Job Losses. (31 Jan 2007)

Micheál Martin: With respect, IDA Ireland and I are in contact with the corporate headquarters of all of these companies. We meet their representatives when they come to Ireland and when we visit the United States. On such trips, we pursue business.

Job Losses. (31 Jan 2007)

Micheál Martin: We were never informed by Motorola that it intended to close the Cork plant.

Job Losses. (31 Jan 2007)

Micheál Martin: An employee wrote to us and provided information and we contacted the company. However, the company only took its decision this week to close the plant.

Job Losses. (31 Jan 2007)

Micheál Martin: The key strategic objective of IDA Ireland and the Department revolved around whether we could attract other activity to the Motorola plant. I saw the political objective behind Deputy Lynch's opening remarks. It is somewhat sickening that some Members are reducing this to a political point-scoring match but then they are entitled to do so.

Job Losses. (31 Jan 2007)

Micheál Martin: I would prefer to work with companies in Cork in expanding their portfolios. We meet many of them even when they do not have announcements coming down the tracks. We also work in bringing new companies into the area. IDA Ireland does a very good job in this. If results turn out poorly for companies, as they unfortunately did for Motorola, jobs will be cut. Motorola has cut 3,500 jobs...

Job Losses. (31 Jan 2007)

Micheál Martin: The closure was a surprise. No one expected the closure of the entire plant.

Job Losses. (31 Jan 2007)

Micheál Martin: People may have felt certain aspects of the plant's activities were under threat.

Job Losses. (31 Jan 2007)

Micheál Martin: I have been in constant contact with IDA Ireland on the matter. If the Deputies want to make it a political issue, it is their business.

Job Losses. (31 Jan 2007)

Micheál Martin: My focus is on ensuring the workers can be helped in every way possible by the various State agencies. This will include any alternative opportunities or additional help and support they require.

Job Losses. (31 Jan 2007)

Micheál Martin: With the greatest respect, while companies have closed in Cork in the past year, many of their employees have secured alternative employment. We will continue to work on that basis. Motorola, like any other company, was entitled to tender for the Garda TETRA project. We cannot get involved in that process for obvious reasons. If opportunities arise from that, we will seek to exploit them....

Job Losses. (31 Jan 2007)

Micheál Martin: I was on Question Time today when there were plenty of opportunities to ask me a question but no one did.

Written Answers — Pricing Regulations: Pricing Regulations (31 Jan 2007)

Micheál Martin: The issue of alcohol and below cost selling was dealt with in my Department's November 2005 Report on the Groceries Order. The Groceries Order was not designed to tackle the issue of alcohol abuse and there is no evidence to suggest that it was capable of doing so. The Department's Report concluded that the Order was a highly inappropriate and disproportionate mechanism by which to seek to...

Written Answers — Enterprise Policy: Enterprise Policy (31 Jan 2007)

Micheál Martin: Enterprise policy over the past number of years has been very successful in achieving a decoupling of growth in emissions from economic growth. The review of the National Climate Change Strategy which was published by my colleague, the Minister for Environment, Heritage and Local Government last July, shows that emissions per unit of GDP in 2004 were 48% of what they were in 1990. In fact,...