Results 48,581-48,600 of 51,305 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Economic Competitiveness. (21 Jun 2006)

Micheál Martin: I certainly will come back to the Deputy as regards this initiative. It is worth pointing out that the county and city enterprise boards were already co-funded by the ERDF and to a certain extent have been doing some of this type of activity. Some 40% of grants from county enterprise boards, I believe, were on a refundable basis. This is an increasing phenomenon and it helps them in terms of...

Economic Competitiveness. (21 Jun 2006)

Micheál Martin: That is a fair point. However, let us not overstate the impact into the future of ERDF on our business support measures, as the bulk of this will be Exchequer financed. Entrepreneurship in Ireland has gone from strength to strength. The most recent global economic monitor rates Ireland as No. 1 in terms of entrepreneurial activity within the entire European Union. Some 80% of Irish people now...

Economic Competitiveness. (21 Jun 2006)

Micheál Martin: I do not accept that. The role of Enterprise Ireland and——

Economic Competitiveness. (21 Jun 2006)

Micheál Martin: ——the support we have been giving Enterprise Ireland has been very strong. Venture capital initiatives have been particularly effective and the most recent round I have announced will be even more effective. The results from Enterprise Ireland more or less confirm that. The county enterprise boards have had good success across the country in terms of micro business. That is not to say we...

Written Answers — Work Permits: Work Permits (20 Jun 2006)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 286 and 292 together. I am informed by the Work Permit section that the above named individual entered the State on receipt of a Holiday Working Visa. The purpose of this Exchange Programme is to allow persons into the state for a Working Holiday for a specified period at the end of which they must return home. This person could be the subject of a work permit...

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (20 Jun 2006)

Micheál Martin: At present there are 37 vacant properties on which IDA Ireland has long-term lease agreements. These leases, which are 35 year leases, were entered into between 1983 and 1989. The outstanding balance of these leases ranges from 12 to 18 years. The outstanding amount due on the balance of the leases is €41,211,735. It is hoped that a number of these properties might be occupied or...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (20 Jun 2006)

Micheál Martin: It is essential that the decentralisation of staff to Carlow be on a basis that allows for training overlap and transfer of knowledge to new staff without affecting service delivery. Ideally, Carlow bound staff should be in their sections for up to six months in advance of the actual physical move to Carlow. With regard to exemptions to allow for family illnesses and so on, such cases will be...

Written Answers — Industrial Relations: Industrial Relations (20 Jun 2006)

Micheál Martin: The Deputy will be aware of the background to this matter from replies on 28 September 2005, 25 January and 16 February 2006. Limited inspections of meat plants are continuing to be undertaken; fourteen plants have been visited since January 2006 and no breaches of the legislation requiring prosecution were found. However, a full programme of inspections of weighing equipment in meat...

Written Answers — Community Employment Schemes: Community Employment Schemes (20 Jun 2006)

Micheál Martin: Community Employment is an active labour market programme designed to provide eligible long term unemployed people and other disadvantaged persons (including those with a disability) with an opportunity to engage in useful work within their communities on a fixed term basis. CE helps unemployed people to re-enter the active workforce by breaking their experience of unemployment through a...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (20 Jun 2006)

Micheál Martin: The total amount of grants paid by Enterprise Ireland and its predecessors to the company in question over the period 1995-2005 was €424,065. In addition, the company received payments of €824,324 under the FEOGA Programme. The company has not returned any grant aid to Enterprise Ireland. Discussions concerning grant aid to the plant at Rooskey, County Roscommon are still continuing....

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (20 Jun 2006)

Micheál Martin: The Deputy will be aware that there have been significant employment developments for Donegal recently. In March 2006, I announced the establishment of a new Enterprise Managed Service Centre by AssetCo in Buncrana. The project involves an investment of €5.2 million and will lead to the creation of 130 new jobs. Also, in March 2006, I announced that Abbott, one of the world's largest...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (20 Jun 2006)

Micheál Martin: The Government has decided that the Headquarters of Enterprise Ireland, including 300 posts, will relocate to Shannon as part of the Decentralisation programme. The timing of the major move of Enterprise Ireland staff to Shannon Town is dependent on the assembly of sufficient suitably qualified and experienced people volunteering to transfer to Shannon, within the terms of the Government...

Written Answers — Visa Applications: Visa Applications (15 Jun 2006)

Micheál Martin: The working holiday programme provides young people with a once off opportunity to holiday for an extended period, not exceeding one year, and to engage in employment as an incidental aspect of their holiday in order to supplement their income while travelling. Participants admitted to Ireland under the programme are not allowed to extend their stay for longer than 12 months and may not avail...

Written Answers — State Property: State Property (15 Jun 2006)

Micheál Martin: The management of IDA Ireland's industrial property portfolio is a day to day operational matter for the Agency as part of the statutory responsibility assigned to it by the Oireachtas for the attraction of foreign direct investment to the State and its regions. While I may give general policy directives to IDA Ireland, I am precluded under the Acts from giving directives regarding individual...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (14 Jun 2006)

Micheál Martin: The National Standards Authority of Ireland, with a total 132 staff, is to be relocated to Arklow. The latest available CAF figures show the total number of first preference priority applications received from within the agency is 11. When those from across the civil and public service are added the total is 130. However, a significant grade mismatch is evident within these numbers. NSAI are...

Written Answers — EU Funding: EU Funding (14 Jun 2006)

Micheál Martin: On 21 December 2005, the European Commission adopted new Regional Aid Guidelines for 2007-2013. The Regional Aid Guidelines govern the areas in which Member States may grant regional aid, more commonly known as investment aid. Investment aid is intended to promote the economic development of certain disadvantaged areas within the European Union in order to redress regional disparities. The...

Written Answers — Work Permits: Work Permits (13 Jun 2006)

Micheál Martin: In the aftermath of EU enlargement, it is Government policy that employers should be able to source nearly all of their workforce needs from within the EU. Accordingly, work permits are only considered in respect of highly skilled and highly paid positions, where the employer has made meaningful attempts to find EEA nationals first. There is currently a list of ineligible occupations on my...

Written Answers — Departmental Investigations: Departmental Investigations (13 Jun 2006)

Micheál Martin: With regard to the issue of stranded cattle I wish to inform the Deputy that it is not within the remit of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment to undertake an investigation. The issue of late payments in respect of sub-contractors is addressed by the European Communities (Late Payment in Commercial Transactions) Regulations 2002 (S.I. No. 388 of 2002). These Regulations, which...

Written Answers — Grocery Industry: Grocery Industry (13 Jun 2006)

Micheál Martin: As I have already said many times in this House, the abuse of dominance is already specifically prohibited by Section 5 of the Competition Act 2002 and by Article 82 of the EU Treaty. However, in the light of concerns expressed by some contributors to the public consultation process on the Groceries Order last year that certain anti-competitive practices might develop in the trade if the...

Written Answers — Work Permits: Work Permits (13 Jun 2006)

Micheál Martin: My Department advised this company some time ago that it would be unable to deal with any work permit applications from it until such time as information showing that former employees had received their financial entitlements from their employer was lodged with my Department. Papers purporting to show that the company has discharged the financial obligations to employees were lodged with my...