Results 5,561-5,580 of 11,868 for speaker:Niall Collins

Other Questions: IDA Site Visits (23 Mar 2017)

Niall Collins: Everybody understands how the corporate world works in terms of decision-making. Companies make the decisions that are best suited to them but it is a fact, and despite everything the Minister says there is no disputing it, that IDA Ireland is failing the regions of the country outside of the greater Dublin area in terms of site visits. In 2016, there was one site visit to Roscommon in 2016...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (23 Mar 2017)

Niall Collins: All that is against a backdrop of a dedicated Department in the UK to deal with Brexit while we have a three-person unit within the Department.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (23 Mar 2017)

Niall Collins: That speaks volumes. State aid rules are also relevant to this question. I am concerned that the 2017 Action Plan for Jobs, a 105 page document which the Minister published recently, made no mention whatsoever of a requirement for a review of the state aid rules. On this side of the House we consider a review of the EU state aid rules is required. The current cap on state aid at...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (23 Mar 2017)

Niall Collins: None of them is as exposed as we are to Brexit. That is the important point.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (23 Mar 2017)

Niall Collins: We are the most exposed European member state to Brexit.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (23 Mar 2017)

Niall Collins: No. It is not a new point.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Creation (23 Mar 2017)

Niall Collins: No one disputes the fact that there will be a review. In fact, ConnectIreland welcomes the review because it has a good story to tell and all of its outcomes have been positive. Some 80,000 members of the diaspora in more than 147 countries are connected and almost 80 new businesses have grown in Ireland, creating in excess of 2,000 jobs. It has been a positive story, but the problem is...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Creation (23 Mar 2017)

Niall Collins: It is simply not the case that the figures cited by the IDA are the programme's outcome. As the Minister knows, the Oireachtas committee held a full session on this matter on Tuesday, and it was disrespectful to the Houses of the Oireachtas that the IDA failed to appear. It did not give an adequate reason for that. There is a dispute, but there is no litigation and the matter is not sub...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Creation (23 Mar 2017)

Niall Collins: We know that.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Creation (23 Mar 2017)

Niall Collins: What about the red lighting?

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (23 Mar 2017)

Niall Collins: 3. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the contingencies and supports in place to safeguard Irish jobs and exports from a hard Brexit scenario; the number of EU Competitiveness Council ministerial meetings that she made the case for the need of a revision of state aid rules to protect Irish enterprises and related jobs; and if she will make a statement on the matter....

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (23 Mar 2017)

Niall Collins: I thank the Minister. I wish to raise two points on this matter. We are nearing the invocation of Article 50, as the Minister is well aware, but something that she confirmed to me via parliamentary question will come as a surprise to many. Her Department has a Brexit unit, headed up by a principal officer, with only three staff. For such a large Department that plays a major role in...

Questions on Promised Legislation (23 Mar 2017)

Niall Collins: The Tánaiste might like to comment on it.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Creation (23 Mar 2017)

Niall Collins: 1. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if she will ensure the continuation of the Succeed in Ireland programme before the result of the current review has been published and examined; if not, the reason; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14746/17]

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Creation (23 Mar 2017)

Niall Collins: I raised this on Leaders' Questions in the last hour. The Minister is well aware of the Succeed in Ireland programme. I am asking the question because I want to impress on the Minister that there can and should be a way to ensure the continuation of this programme while the review, which has not yet commenced, is going ahead.

Questions on Promised Legislation (23 Mar 2017)

Niall Collins: The programme for Government features a commitment "to encourage efficient local authorities to adopt commercial rates policies to help sustain existing business and encourage new start-ups". It will not come as a surprise to the Tánaiste to learn that many small and medium enterprises are facing rate increases of 20%, 30%, 40% and more. This is on the back of eight tough years during...

Leaders' Questions (23 Mar 2017)

Niall Collins: It is very important that the Tánaiste appreciates that we will lose a lot of momentum and initiative which has been built up if the contract comes to an end on 26 March. That will be very regrettable because many potential jobs are in the pipeline. The Taoiseach said yesterday that litigation was pending and the matter was sub judice, but that is not the case. We have to appreciate...

Leaders' Questions (23 Mar 2017)

Niall Collins: At the outset I would like to sympathise with our colleagues in Westminster and with the people of London who have experienced yet another horrific attack by Islamic extremists. It is almost a year to the day since we had another attack, in Brussels, where 32 people lost their lives. On behalf of the Fianna Fáil Party, my party leader and my colleagues I would like to express our...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Research and Development Funding (23 Mar 2017)

Niall Collins: 15. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if she is satisfied with the level of funding allocated to the programme for research in third level institutions on an annual basis in 2017; and the amount of funding that has been ring-fenced for research and frontier research in 2017. [14450/17]

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Legislative Measures (23 Mar 2017)

Niall Collins: 26. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation when she will publish the heads of the terms of employment (information) (amendment) and organisation of working time (amendment) Bill 2016 proposals regarding protections for workers on insecure low-hour contracts; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14453/17]