Results 20,061-20,080 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

Leaders' Questions (12 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The new €300 million Brexit loan scheme will ensure there is affordable financing available to businesses which are either currently impacted by Brexit or could be in the future. For example, it could apply to the type of firms and businesses referred to by the Deputy which have a high dependence on the UK market and whose supply chain could be disrupted by Brexit. The scheme is...

Leaders' Questions (12 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I assure the Deputy that the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the Taoiseach and all other Ministers are very conscious of the situation he has outlined, the potential threat that exists and the possible impact it could have on the beef industry at a very difficult time. We will be working very hard, in particular with like-minded countries, to ensure we get the best deal...

Leaders' Questions (12 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The best message from the Government to the next generation is that we have a republic of opportunity, which is created by managing the economy and ensuring there is money to invest in services. If the economy is not managed properly there will not be funding available to invest in services such as education and the others the Deputy mentioned. The budget contained the highest-ever...

Leaders' Questions (12 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: Quite a number of initiatives were announced as part of the budget by the Minister, Deputy Murphy, on Tuesday.

Leaders' Questions (12 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: We have removed many of the obstacles to affordable supply.

Leaders' Questions (12 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: It is very important to acknowledge this.

Leaders' Questions (12 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: Budget 2018 removes remaining significant obstacles to the building of more homes more quickly and at more affordable prices through a number of measures, for example, by investing more in direct housebuilding, removing the capital gains tax initiative to hold on to residential land, escalating penalties for land hoarding, introducing new affordability measures and providing a new, more...

Leaders' Questions (12 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: This will ensure that the new supply is delivered at more affordable prices.

Leaders' Questions (12 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The various initiatives that have been taken will ensure a more affordable supply of housing. Home Building Finance Ireland, the new entity announced by the Minister, will provide finance at commercially competitive rates for developers with sites ready to go. The second local infrastructure housing activation fund, LIHAF, of €50 million will also make a difference. A whole range of...

Leaders' Questions (12 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: -----next year and beyond.

Leaders' Questions (12 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: Mental health and dealing with mental health issues must be priorities for any society. I absolutely accept the point Deputy Murphy makes in this regard because of the personal cost and the societal cost of mental health issues and the personal suffering. As a Government, we want to support in whatever way we can the development of proper mental health services throughout the country. A...

Leaders' Questions (12 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: What is very clear in the budgetary figures is that the total figure for implementing those developments we have been speaking about under A Vision for Change has been costed at €105 million, and that is now allocated between the budgets going up to 2019. The Minister has made it absolutely clear to the HSE that this is the funding it will have so it can plan, prepare and recruit...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Regional Development Initiatives (12 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Government is committed to regional development and my Department and its agencies are working towards ambitious targets to ensure that employment and investment are as fairly distributed as possible across the country, including in Tipperary. While more work remains to be done in the County, it has made steady progress in job creation terms, with unemployment having decreased...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Brexit Issues (12 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I recognise that the impact of Brexit is one of the most immediate concerns facing the retail sector. As a result, my Department has ensured that Retail representatives have been included in all relevant stakeholder engagements on Brexit, including the Enterprise Forum on Brexit and Global Challenges. Brexit has also become a standing item on the agenda at meetings of the Retail...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Enterprise 2025 (12 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: Enterprise 2025 sets a roadmap for long-term enterprise development and resilience, with the ambition to achieve a step-change in the performance of our enterprises, to build a real and distinctive competitive edge sector-by-sector and to excel in creating a jobs-fit environment with top-3 competitiveness ranking. The Action Plan for Jobs 2017, which I lead across Government, sets...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: IDA Ireland Expenditure (12 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The “Winning Abroad” Programme was launched by IDA Ireland in 2014. It provided for the engagement of up to 35 additional personnel by the Agency to deliver new jobs for people in Ireland.  Its other key objectives included targeting new forms of foreign direct investment and broadening the geographic base from which the Agency seeks and...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: European Innovation Partnerships (12 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 18, 25 and 26 together. Innovation 2020, the national strategy for research and innovation, recognises that in order for Ireland to become a Global Innovation Leader, our research and innovation system must be open with strong international collaboration links. Membership of leading International Research Organisations is an important mechanism for...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Brexit Staff (12 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: As the Deputy will be aware, an additional €3 million was secured for my Department in respect of Pay in Budget 2017 targeted specifically to assist with increased staffing needs for the Department and a number of our Agencies to deal with the evolving Brexit scenario.  These funds are enabling the Department and, primarily, our Agencies to recruit additional...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Brexit Issues (12 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Regional Action Plan for Jobs imitative, launched in January 2015, is a central pillar of the Government’s ambition to create 200,000 new jobs by 2020, 135,000 of which are outside of Dublin. Importantly, the Plans have been embraced within the regions and implementation rates for actions within the published Progress Reports are in excess of 90% for each region. There has...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Enterprise Ireland (12 Oct 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Food and Agribusiness sectors are vital to the prosperity of the Irish economy. In 2016, Enterprise Ireland supported clients reported exports of €21.6 billion, 49 per cent of this was from the Food Sector. Of the 201,108 people employed in Enterprise Ireland supported companies, just over 58,000 were from the Food sector (28.8%). Food sector clients represented 19% (just over...