Results 20,001-20,020 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Mid-year Review of the 2017 Estimates for Public Services: Vote 32 (3 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am aware that during an interview on RTE radio last Sunday, Martin O'Halloran, the CEO of the Health and Safety Authority, stated that he had submitted a workforce plan to my Department requesting, I think, 48 additional posts for the HSA. That was just received on 20 September as a draft plan. I have not had an opportunity to study it in detail yet. The topic under discussion on Sunday...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Mid-year Review of the 2017 Estimates for Public Services: Vote 32 (3 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: Yes. I met some of the families that are working with the HSA and have lost loved ones through farm accidents when I was at the ploughing. They are doing excellent work in trying to increase awareness and I think we would all want to support that. None of the new posts identified in the draft workforce plan relates to the farm safety inspectors, actually. In respect of the farming...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Mid-year Review of the 2017 Estimates for Public Services: Vote 32 (3 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I was asked one other question that I did not answer. In the WRC there are 50 plus inspectors serving out of 165 staff of the WRC. I think there has also been a recent internal competition and it is expected that between three and five more inspectors will be appointed shortly.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Mid-year Review of the 2017 Estimates for Public Services: Vote 32 (3 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I think the WRC is doing extremely good work. From the information that I have given the committee one can see the amount of progress it has made in dealing with complaints in a more timely way, conducting inspections out of the 2,000 plus inspections that are conducted in the workplace. As a result, 1,000 employers have been found to be in breach. The Senator mentioned the fishing...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Mid-year Review of the 2017 Estimates for Public Services: Vote 32 (3 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The first point to be made is that the board is self-funding, and that is very positive. The general reaction to its work is that such work has led to a more efficient management of injury claims. The board appears to be very efficient in the way it carries out its work. Maybe the Deputy can supply me with the details and I can come back to him. I do not really have further information....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Mid-year Review of the 2017 Estimates for Public Services: Vote 32 (3 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: Yes. I will get the information on the turnaround time and give it to the Deputy. I know, generally speaking, it was seen as a huge improvement in the management of claims in terms of time.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Mid-year Review of the 2017 Estimates for Public Services: Vote 32 (3 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I will try to get details and comparisons from the time the organisation was founded until now-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Mid-year Review of the 2017 Estimates for Public Services: Vote 32 (3 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: -----and I will revert to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Skills Shortages (4 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Expert Group on Future Skills Needs is an independent, non-statutory body, whose role is to carry out research, analysis and horizon scanning in relation to emerging skills requirements at thematic and sectoral levels. Its follow up work involves engagement with the Department of Education and Skills, Higher Education Authority, SOLAS and other relevant bodies to produce an agreed action...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement Investigations (10 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Office of Director of Corporate Enforcement (ODCE) was established under the Company Law Enforcement Act 2001 and continued under the Companies Act 2014. Under the provisions of the 2014 Act, the Director is responsible for enforcing and encouraging compliance with company law, investigating suspected offences under the Companies Act, prosecuting detected breaches of the Companies Act,...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Local Enterprise Offices Data (10 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 10 to 14, inclusive, together. In 2016, the Local Enterprise Office (LEO) Meath approved 25 grants – feasibility, priming and business expansion – in total for the year, to a value of €293,998. The allocation included three business expansion grants totalling €47,500 for its clients. This equates to an average grant amount of...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Ministerial Functions (10 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: On the 20th June, the Taoiseach re-appointed Mr. John Halligan T.D. and Mr. Pat Breen T.D. as Ministers of State with responsibility for policy areas under the remit of my Department. On 26th July, the Government made orders for the delegation of Ministerial functions to Ministers Halligan and Breen at my request. Minister Halligan has been delegated...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: IDA Ireland Jobs Data (10 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am determined to support the growth of high-quality and sustainable employment across Ireland, including in County Donegal.  Last year the number of IDA supported jobs in County Donegal grew by 4%, reaching a total of 3,039.  The Agency continues to work hard to create further employment opportunities in the County and to increase the number of...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Action Plan for Jobs (10 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Action Plan for Jobs is one of the Government’s key instruments to support job creation. The Action Plan for Jobs process is working. Since the first Plan was launched in early 2012, there are over 225,000 more people at work bringing total employment in the State to almost 2,063,000 by end of Quarter 2, 2017. The goal of this Government is to support the creation of an additional...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Foreign Direct Investment (10 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The IDA is focused on attracting job-rich foreign direct investment (FDI) by multinationals to Ireland. One of the Agency's key priorities is ensuring that such investment is spread as evenly as possible around the country and that every region of Ireland benefits from overseas FDI. While the general global trend is for FDI to be located in or around major urban areas, the IDA...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Lobbying Data (10 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: Since my appointment as Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation in June, I have not attended any meetings regarding the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill.

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (10 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: Dynamic pricing algorithms have been implemented, for instance, by airlines, hotel booking services and transportation network companies to efficiently adjust supply to periods of lower or higher demand, resulting in procompetitive effects. However, competition concerns might arise if companies start sharing the same dynamic pricing algorithm, which may be programmed not to compete against...

Leaders' Questions (11 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: No.

Leaders' Questions (11 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: Today's position.

Leaders' Questions (11 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: Its position is very strange.