Results 2,801-2,820 of 4,073 for speaker:Mary Mitchell O'Connor

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Job Initiatives (22 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The Irish economy has come through an extraordinary period over the last ten years. Our enterprise base is more competitive, export oriented and more innovative. Jobs are being created by enterprises in every region and every sector in the country. The Action Plan for Jobs process, which I and my Department co-ordinate across Government, has been very successful. Almost 206,000...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Job Initiatives (22 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The Regional Action Plans for Jobs are aimed at maximising the strengths and assets of each region, to support enterprise growth and job creation. The key strength of the stakeholders like the local authorities, the educational bodies, the enterprise development agencies and the private sector all working collaboratively to maximise opportunities, means that every county will benefit...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Comprehensive Employment Strategy for People with Disabilities (22 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: My Department’s mission is to encourage the creation of high quality and sustainable full employment by championing enterprise across government, supporting a competitive enterprise base, and promoting fair and competitive markets.  My Department does not having a direct role on the formulation of policy on the provision of employment or other supports for people with...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Creation (23 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 and 2 together. The Succeed in Ireland initiative has been operated by ConnectIreland on the basis of a contract with IDA Ireland that was originally agreed in March 2012. The contract was extended by 12 months in March 2016 and is now set to conclude on 26 March 2017. It would not be permissible for any further extension to be granted on account of public...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Creation (23 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The IDA's board decided this matter in November. I understand that this was partly because it had received legal advice about the difficulties associated with retendering in the midst of a legal dispute with the current contractor, ConnectIreland. The IDA would also have considered the fact that the programme had only achieved approximately 10% of its target of creating 5,000 jobs. I...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Creation (23 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: First, we extended the contract.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Creation (23 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: Let me continue, please. It is stated in black and white in that contract between ConnectIreland and the IDA that the last six months of the extension were to be a wind-down period. That is how it is. Second, extending the contract would break procurement laws, which we will not do. The IDA has legal advice and I have advice from the Department's legal adviser. We have not decided...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Creation (23 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I will revert on that matter in a moment as I am over time. I keep hearing about jobs in the regions. A total of 58% of the jobs created, or 312, are located in Dublin, 30 jobs are in Cork and 42%, or approximately 220, are in the remainder of the country. I will revert to the Deputy on the other point.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (23 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: In advance of the Brexit referendum, my Department conducted a contingency risk assessment of the potential impacts of Brexit across relevant policy areas. We have refined our analysis since then and have been working with our agencies and across Government to put in place additional resources and actions so as to mitigate risks and maximise opportunities. I have also initiated new...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (23 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: Deputy Collins referred to the Brexit unit. I will describe to him exactly what is going on in the Department. In addition to the Brexit unit I chair a fortnightly meeting which is attended by the chief executives of the IDA, Enterprise Ireland, Science Foundation Ireland, InterTradeIreland and whichever other groups we need to make sure we are cognisant of what is happening in the various...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (23 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: It is not just a three-person unit.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (23 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: It is very easy for Deputy Collins to talk about what businesses need, but we have carried out a tailored and targeted survey with more than 1,000 businesses, to which we had a 99% response. They had different requirements. Some of them want to be more competitive, others want help with currency fluctuation and still others want access to cheaper credit so it is not all about state aid...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (23 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: Deputy Collins has made his point. The Taoiseach chairs the committee dealing with Brexit.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (23 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: Deputy Collins is making a new point now. I am willing to respond to it.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (23 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I refer again to the targeted and tailored survey we carried out. From the moment the referendum result was known, Enterprise Ireland contacted its 1,500 client companies. The IDA did the same. InterTradeIreland is also doing wonderful work. If the Deputy looks at its website he will see exactly what it is doing. My Department and the enterprise agencies are responding well to Brexit. I...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Enterprise Support Schemes (23 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: My Department, through Enterprise Ireland, EI, and the local enterprise offices, LEOs, provides a range of supports to help Irish companies start, grow and export. In particular, Enterprise Ireland's new strategy for 2017 to 2020 will support more Irish companies to achieve greater scale, to be more competitive and expand into new export markets. The objective of the Global Ambition...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Enterprise Support Schemes (23 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I thank Deputy Martin. Enterprise Ireland's strategy is global growth and we will continue with that. If I may say so, we are quite successful. The unemployment rate is now at 6.6%, with over 2 million people at work. In 2016, some 63,000 people went out every morning having got a new job. We are quite successful and this Minister is very ambitious, especially that jobs go to the regions...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Enterprise Support Schemes (23 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I am very aware it is the new economy. We are very ambitious and we have set targets for 2017 in job creation of 45,000 jobs. I am quietly confident we will reach that target by embracing the green economy. I agree with the Deputy that it is nothing new and it is not that I have not heard this before. It has been brought up at many of our meetings with Enterprise Ireland so as to ensure...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Creation (23 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The questions have been moved about. What number is this?

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Creation (23 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: Was the Deputy late?