Results 2,801-2,820 of 50,136 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (21 Jun 2006)

Micheál Martin: Under the Government's decentralisation programme, FÁS is due to transfer its head office including 383 staff to Birr, County Offaly with a target date of 2009. The recent industrial action by SIPTU members in relation to the Birr relocation has ended on the basis that all the issues involved will be the subject of discussion under the aegis of the Labour Relations Commission. Under the LRC...

Written Answers — Job Protection: Job Protection (21 Jun 2006)

Micheál Martin: Ireland is not unique in terms of recent employment losses in manufacturing. Employment in manufacturing is falling globally and this trend is not limited to developed countries. ILO and UNIDO employment estimates for key non-OECD countries such as Brazil, China and Russia show that manufacturing employment has also declined in these countries. A recent study cites a net job loss of more than...

Written Answers — Enterprise Strategy Group: Enterprise Strategy Group (21 Jun 2006)

Micheál Martin: Implementation of the Enterprise Strategy Group Report is ongoing. The implementation process is overseen by the Enterprise Advisory Group (EAG), consisting of representatives of the business community under the chairmanship of Michael Buckley with the participation of Secretaries General from relevant Government Departments. The EAG is currently finalising its first progress report which...

Written Answers — County Enterprise Boards: County Enterprise Boards (21 Jun 2006)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 100 and 102 together. I have provided funding of more than €30m to the County and City Enterprise Boards this year. This represents an increase of nearly 8% on the allocation provided in 2005. In addition to the Exchequer funding provided, the CEBs have an increasing flow of funds available to them from repayments of refundable grants provided in earlier...

Written Answers — County Enterprise Boards: County Enterprise Boards (21 Jun 2006)

Micheál Martin: The basic criteria under which the County Enterprise Boards have been operating since their inception in 1993, and under which funding is available, is based primarily on factors such as the sector of the economy in which an enterprise is operating or intends to operate and the size or proposed size of the enterprise. CEBs can assist, through either financial or non-financial means, in the...

Written Answers — Fair Trade Products: Fair Trade Products (21 Jun 2006)

Micheál Martin: My Department's offices are spread over 8 separate buildings, none of which have cafeterias or restaurants. My Department has only a medium sized canteen in Davitt House and a very small canteen in Kildare Street. As indicated in my reply to a similar question by Deputy McManus last month, the tea, coffee, sugar and other products served in those two canteens are not confined to Fair Trade...

Written Answers — EU Directives: EU Directives (21 Jun 2006)

Micheál Martin: There are currently a total of twenty-seven Directives to be transposed by this Department. Of these, 16 remain to be transposed up to the end of 2006, details of which are given in the Table below. Another 11 Directives require to be transposed in 2007 and subsequent years. Regulations to implement Directive 2001/84 (Resale right for the benefit of the author of an original work of art) were...

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (21 Jun 2006)

Micheál Martin: Support for job creation and investment in individual counties and regions is a day-to-day operational matter for the development agencies as part of their responsibility under the Industrial Development Acts. While I may give general policy directives to the agencies I am precluded under the Industrial Development Acts from giving directives regarding individual undertakings or from giving...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (21 Jun 2006)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 112 and 167 together. My Department is required to move 250 posts to Carlow under the Government's Decentralisation Programme. In addition, four of the Agencies under the aegis of my Department are due to decentralise as follows: FÁS is to move 383 posts to Birr, Co. Offaly; Enterprise Ireland is to move 292 posts to Shannon; The Health and Safety Authority...

Written Answers — Industrial Development: Industrial Development (21 Jun 2006)

Micheál Martin: Quarterly results need to be interpreted with caution. Quarterly Indices are best compared to performance relative to the corresponding quarter of the previous year rather than relative to the preceding quarter. Furthermore, quarterly indices tend to fluctuate frequently and should more appropriately be viewed in the context of overall annual performance. The manufacturing sector in Ireland...

Written Answers — Business Regulation: Business Regulation (21 Jun 2006)

Micheál Martin: A public call for submissions by any interested party to the Business Regulation Forum was carried out by means of advertisements in national newspapers on 23 and 24 March 2006. This was supplemented by a direct invitation to submit sent to 152 public and private sector entities on 25 May 2006. In response, 28 submissions have been received to date. The purpose of the call for submissions is,...

Written Answers — Skill Shortages: Skill Shortages (21 Jun 2006)

Micheál Martin: In a tight labour market such as exists in Ireland, it is understandable that there will be some difficulty at times for individual companies in recruiting suitable personnel for their vacancies. However, I think it is valid to claim that in Ireland, more than in most countries, there is a sustained commitment to do whatever is necessary to ensure that the necessary pool of qualified and...

Written Answers — Job Losses: Job Losses (21 Jun 2006)

Micheál Martin: My Department operates an internal Early Warning System of potential job losses and firms in difficulty, based on material provided on a confidential basis by IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland and Shannon Development. This information includes details as to why each particular situation has developed. While the number of redundancies was higher in the first three months of 2006 than the...

Written Answers — Departmental Bodies: Departmental Bodies (21 Jun 2006)

Micheál Martin: A budget of €974.375 million has been allocated to FÁS for 2006. Expenditure by FÁS for the years 1997 to 2005 was as follows: Year €m 1997 498.648 1998: 517.101 1999 577.935 2000 674.732 2001 792.061 2002 850.680 2003 814.602 2004 815.576 2005 903.769 Funding has almost doubled over the period. While some of this increase is due to inflation,...

Written Answers — Work Permits: Work Permits (21 Jun 2006)

Micheál Martin: The Government recently decided that the current Spousal Work Permits Scheme would be expanded to include Spouses of all Employment Permit Holders. These new arrangements will give greater ease of access to employment for spouses who have been admitted to the State under Family Reunification. The Work Permits section is currently finalising the administrative details of the extended scheme....

Written Answers — FÁS Training Programmes: FÁS Training Programmes (21 Jun 2006)

Micheál Martin: My Department, in conjunction with the Department of Health and Children and FÁS, has commissioned Indecon International Economic Consultants to examine the efficiency and effectiveness of contracted vocational and rehabilitative training services for people with disabilities. The study will make recommendations on the appropriateness and effectiveness of current levels of State funding and...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (21 Jun 2006)

Micheál Martin: The table identifies the number of staff in the general service grades that resigned from this Department in each of the years from 2002 to date in 2006. Principal Officer Assistant Principal Admininstrative Officer Higher Executive Officer Executive Officer Staff Officer Clerical Officer 2002 — — — — 3 — 9 ...

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (21 Jun 2006)

Micheál Martin: Inward investment into Ireland by foreign companies has played a critical role in the performance of the Irish economy over the last two decades, and our ability to attract the world's leading firms will continue to be an important aspect of our future prosperity. In this respect, Ireland has many reasons to be optimistic for the future. IDA Ireland recently announced strong results for 2005,...

Written Answers — Overseas Trade: Overseas Trade (21 Jun 2006)

Micheál Martin: The table provides details of the top 10 EU and non-EU countries for which Ireland has had the most favourable trade balance, in descending order, in respect of each of the years 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002 and 2001. Based on the table it can be seen that there has been a considerable degree of consistency in regard to the list of countries with which Ireland has had the most favourable trade...

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (21 Jun 2006)

Micheál Martin: Figures are not available for overall numbers of enterprises established in the economy over the last three years. The performance of the enterprise development agencies, however, gives an indication of the relative strength of the economy. From 2003 to 2005, 2,025 new start-up projects were approved for grant assistance by the County and City Enterprise Boards. Of these 724 start-ups were...