Results 2,161-2,180 of 50,134 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Employment Legislation. (7 Feb 2006)

Micheál Martin: I have formulated legislation which is going through House. If the Deputy co-operates we can get it through quickly. Committee Stage is scheduled for next week.

Employment Legislation. (7 Feb 2006)

Micheál Martin: We will find out soon when it is to be debated. It has reached Committee Stage. That is a substantive Bill to protect migrant workers. There is no point disagreeing. Most people accept it is a substantial advance on the current position.

Employment Legislation. (7 Feb 2006)

Micheál Martin: That is action. An additional 95,000 people worked in the Irish economy last year. The Government has taken plenty of action on the economic front and in respect of the broad corpus of legislation in place.

Employment Legislation. (7 Feb 2006)

Micheál Martin: We have passed the Minimum Notice and Terms of Employment Act, the Redundancy Payments Act, the Protection of Employment Act, the Unfair Dismissals Act, the Payment of Wages Act etc.

Employment Legislation. (7 Feb 2006)

Micheál Martin: I do too.

Industrial Development. (7 Feb 2006)

Micheál Martin: Job creation and retention in Enterprise Ireland-supported companies are day-to-day matters for the agency itself, and not ones in which I am directly involved. Provisional figures indicate that in 2005 the number of jobs gained in Enterprise Ireland companies amounted to 12,212. That was offset by job losses of 12,430, giving a net decline of 218. I emphasise that those 2005 figures are...

Industrial Development. (7 Feb 2006)

Micheál Martin: They come with a warning.

Industrial Development. (7 Feb 2006)

Micheál Martin: They were created towards the end of the year. Despite the pressures experienced in some sectors, total unemployment in Ireland remains relatively low, at 4.3%, and economic growth is estimated at 4.8% for 2005. With more than 2 million people in work, Ireland enjoys one of the lowest unemployment-to-employment ratios in the EU 15. In recent years, Irish manufacturing firms, particularly in...

Industrial Development. (7 Feb 2006)

Micheál Martin: I am an expert on recounts.

Industrial Development. (7 Feb 2006)

Micheál Martin: Enterprise Ireland and I have the substantive commitment to research and development. I am working with it to enhance and grow the number of companies engaged in meaningful research and development. Part of Enterprise Ireland's new strategic vision involves a defined objective in terms of the number of companies. In essence, it wants to double to more than 1,000 the number involved in...

Order of Business. (7 Feb 2006)

Micheál Martin: That is fantastic progress.

Job Losses. (7 Feb 2006)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. I too was very concerned to hear that Irish Pride Bakeries Limited in Kanturk had announced that it was closing with the loss of 76 full-time and 20 part-time jobs. I am conscious of the effect these job losses will have on the workers involved and their families, as well as the community in the surrounding area. This is very disappointing news for...

Written Answers — Anti-Competitive Practices: Anti-Competitive Practices (7 Feb 2006)

Micheál Martin: The 2002 Competition Act prohibits anti-competitive practices in the same way as the prohibitions set down in Articles 81 and 82 of the EU treaty. Section 4 of the Competition Act reflects the prohibitions in Article 81 of the treaty regarding anti-competitive agreements, decisions and concerted practices while section 5 mirrors Article 82 of the treaty which prohibits the abuse of a dominant...

Written Answers — County Enterprise Boards: County Enterprise Boards (7 Feb 2006)

Micheál Martin: There are 13 county and city enterprise boards operating in the Border midlands and western region. Under the BMW regional operational programme 2000-2006, these boards are responsible for delivering the micro-enterprise measure and, in this regard, continue to support, through both financial and non-financial measures, the development of micro-enterprises in the BMW region. The BMW region's...

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (7 Feb 2006)

Micheál Martin: The issues of job creation and retention in companies supported by the industrial development agencies under my remit, is a day-to-day matter for the agencies and not one in which I am directly involved. Employment figures for both Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland are recorded by Forfás in the annual employment survey. Figures for 2006 are not available yet. In respect of companies...

Written Answers — Departmental Investigations: Departmental Investigations (7 Feb 2006)

Micheál Martin: The costs incurred since 1997 on company investigations initiated by or on behalf of my Department currently amount to approximately €11.3 million. This amount does not include the salary costs of Civil Service staff who worked on a number of these investigations or those legal costs borne by the Vote of the Chief State Solicitor. Costs of some €9.3 million were incurred by High Court...

Written Answers — Labour Mobility: Labour Mobility (7 Feb 2006)

Micheál Martin: I have no plans to change current policy regarding the access of EU-10 nationals to our labour market. Ireland has had strong employment growth for a sustained period and skill shortages exist in many sectors. The presence of migrant labour in Ireland is critical to the continuation of our economic growth. I have asked FÁS to review the labour market effects of immigration. This work is...

Written Answers — Economic Competitiveness: Economic Competitiveness (7 Feb 2006)

Micheál Martin: Ireland's unprecedented period of economic prosperity has led to the creation of a modern, advanced European economy typified by all the associated advantages of high incomes, employment growth and rising living standards. Our future prosperity and success is dependent on our ability to develop, attract and retain higher value added operations that are characterised by both high productivity...

Written Answers — Regional Industrial Support: Regional Industrial Support (7 Feb 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 to redress regional disparities. The guidelines...

Written Answers — Enterprise Support Services: Enterprise Support Services (7 Feb 2006)

Micheál Martin: I have nothing further to add to my reply of 28 September 2005 when I stated that Enterprise Ireland has primary responsibility for the development of indigenous small and medium enterprises, SMEs, in the manufacturing and internationally traded services sectors. The decision whether to provide funding to a company is a day-to-day matter for the agency and is not one in which I have a direct...