Results 2,641-2,660 of 13,254 for speaker:Seán Sherlock

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (31 Jan 2012)

Seán Sherlock: The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, ACTA, to which the Deputy is referring, is an international legal framework to more effectively combat the proliferation of counterfeit and pirated goods. As you are aware, counterfeiting and piracy are now serious problems which undermine legitimate trade and the sustainable development of the world economy. The growth of this illegal trade has led...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (31 Jan 2012)

Seán Sherlock: I propose to take Questions Nos. 296 and 297 together. As the Deputy is aware the judgment of the High Court in the case of EMI & ors v UPC held that by reason of provisions of the Copyright and Related Rights Act 2000, an injunction is not available in cases of transient communications, and that Ireland did not comply with EU law. As you will appreciate, non-compliance with EU law is a...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (31 Jan 2012)

Seán Sherlock: Some background information may be useful in appreciating the context of the proposed legislative instrument. The EU provided in the e-Commerce Directive 2000/31/EC for exemptions from liability for copyright infringement for intermediary service providers in cases of mere conduit, caching and hosting, upon certain conditions. This was to provide a framework for the development of...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (31 Jan 2012)

Seán Sherlock: An issue arose following a High Court judgment in October 2010 where it was stated that Ireland was not in compliance with its EU obligations under the Copyright Directive 2001/29/EC. It was held that the court could not grant an injunction against an intermediary in relation to internet transient communications. Until this judgment, it had been considered that Ireland was fully compliant...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (31 Jan 2012)

Seán Sherlock: As the Deputy is aware the judgment of the High Court in the case of EMI & ors v UPC held that by reason of provisions of the Copyright and Related Rights Act 2000, an injunction is not available in cases of transient communications, and that Ireland did not comply with EU law. As you will appreciate, non-compliance with EU law is a very serious matter. A public consultation process seeking...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (31 Jan 2012)

Seán Sherlock: The judgment of the High Court in the case of EMI & ors v UPC held that by reason of provisions of the Copyright and Related Rights Act 2000, an injunction is not available in cases of transient communications, and that Ireland did not comply with EU law. As you will appreciate, non-compliance with EU law is a very serious matter. Following a public consultation process which was conducted...

Written Answers — Performance Fees: Performance Fees (1 Feb 2012)

Seán Sherlock: Neither the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation nor his officials have had any discussions with such bodies as IMRO and PPI regarding reducing their fixed charges for commercial premises. The Minister does not have any function in the setting of tariffs charged by such organisations. However, it is open to a person affected by such charges to refer any dispute in relation thereto...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (1 Feb 2012)

Seán Sherlock: I wish to inform the Deputy that I have not put forward any proposals to enact a Stop Online Piracy style law. However, I would point out that an issue arose following a High Court judgement in October 2010 here it was held that Ireland was not in compliance with its EU obligations under Copyright Directive 2001/29/EC. It was held that the Court could not grant an injunction against an...

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (7 Feb 2012)

Seán Sherlock: This is a day-to-day operational matter for Science Foundation Ireland. I understand that SFI have provided the information requested directly to the Deputy in reply to Question No. 301 answered on 11 January last.

School Transport (9 Feb 2012)

Seán Sherlock: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. He has spoken about a specific area in County Donegal. The broader school transport scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. It transports 113,000 children, including more than 8,000 with special needs, and 4,000 vehicles are used daily. It has been in operation for more than 40 years. For the...

School Transport (9 Feb 2012)

Seán Sherlock: A recent survey showed that 82% of pupils attended their nearest post-primary school. I agree that there can be anomalies in the system which have been well documented by the Deputy. I will speak to the Minister of State, Deputy Cannon, about the matter. I also advise the Deputy to make representations to the school transport section of the Department.

Seanad: Human Trafficking (9 Feb 2012)

Seán Sherlock: I thank Senators Power and Zappone for raising this matter. As the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Alan Shatter, has said, he extends his apologies that he is unable to be present, therefore I speak on his behalf. Before commenting on Sweden's legislative model which criminalises the purchase of sexual services I wish to outline the legislative measures in place to tackle the...

Seanad: Human Trafficking (9 Feb 2012)

Seán Sherlock: We must have due regard to what Senators Power and Zappone are saying. If such a statement was made in October 2011 and if they justifiably feel that no progress has been made on that issue, then I would like to assure them that I will speak to the Minister and that we need to make haste on it. I genuinely have regard to the statements that have been made. As this is a cross-bench issue and...

Seanad: Job Creation (9 Feb 2012)

Seán Sherlock: I am glad that both Senators have raised the issue. The last point made was about the over-dependence on the construction industry. That is part of the structural difficulty which exists in many of the regions outside of the larger urban conurbations, where the labour force moved into the construction industry. When the construction industry fell apart, all of a sudden there were massive...

Seanad: Job Creation (9 Feb 2012)

Seán Sherlock: The Minister intends in the coming year to facilitate a series of further meetings of that same group as a means of monitoring the implementation of the proposals in this report and also to forge greater co-operation and collaboration between the various stakeholders across the region. I hope Senator Cullinane will get on board with that process.

Seanad: Job Creation (9 Feb 2012)

Seán Sherlock: It is not just a matter of identifying a set of metrics from 2007 to 2010. We need to consider the problem from a qualitative point of view. We cannot just extrapolate from the rate of investment by IDA Ireland or Enterprise Ireland and say that in monetary terms, the south east has not benefited, because other regions have the same claim, in real terms. We can say that the larger urban...

Seanad: University Rankings (9 Feb 2012)

Seán Sherlock: Yes.

Seanad: University Rankings (9 Feb 2012)

Seán Sherlock: I thank Senator Walsh for raising this matter on the Adjournment. It is recognised that international ranking systems are referenced by international investors, employers and students and consequently they cannot be ignored. However, it should also be noted that these systems are not infallible and it is widely agreed that they should be interpreted with caution. We can draw encouragement...

Seanad: University Rankings (9 Feb 2012)

Seán Sherlock: I appreciate the points made by Senator Walsh but I do not believe there is a sense of complacency. The opposite is the case; there is a great sense of urgency and there are sleepless nights in respect of how we should address this problem. The bottom line is that one can extrapolate from the Times Higher Education system performance tables. One can delve into the criteria they apply....

Seanad: Ábhair Oidí (9 Feb 2012)

Seán Sherlock: Iarraim ar an tSeanadóir mo leithscéal a ghabháil toisc nach bhfuil Gaeilge líofa agam. B'fhearr liom leanúint i mBéarla, lena thoil. This House is aware that, in the context of budget 2012 and the need for the State to achieve economic independence in the coming years, difficult choices had to be made to achieve savings. To this end, in 2011 all Departments carried out a...