Results 2,821-2,840 of 13,254 for speaker:Seán Sherlock

Education (Amendment) (Protection of Schools) Bill 2012: Second Stage (Resumed) [Private Members] (4 Jul 2012)

Seán Sherlock: -----I find it very hard to take. There is nobody more in tune with the needs of rural Ireland than Deputies and Ministers such as me. We represent the very people in question and are doing our best to defend, when we can, the rights of the schools concerned.

Education (Amendment) (Protection of Schools) Bill 2012: Second Stage (Resumed) [Private Members] (4 Jul 2012)

Seán Sherlock: I will take no lectures from the likes of Deputy Boyd Barrett who, on every occasion, manipulates people in the Visitors Gallery for his cynical aims. He is no more a socialist than the man in the moon. He is a cynic and manipulates public discourse for his own ends. He knows nothing about rural Ireland or its people.

Education (Amendment) (Protection of Schools) Bill 2012: Second Stage (Resumed) [Private Members] (4 Jul 2012)

Seán Sherlock: I remember that episode.

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (5 Jul 2012)

Seán Sherlock: The Government's strategy in relation to funding research and development in Ireland through Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) is to foster the long term development and competitiveness of enterprise and industry in the State. SFI was established to build a world class research capability in support of this strategy, and the Foundation has been successful in building human and physical...

Written Answers — State Agencies: State Agencies (5 Jul 2012)

Seán Sherlock: The Board of Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) appointed Prof Mark Ferguson earlier this year following an extensive international recruitment process. Prof Ferguson has an extensive track record over the past three decades in both the academic and commercial spheres. Upon joining SFI, Prof Ferguson, as required of all employees, signed the Code of Business Conduct for Employees which sets...

Seanad: Industrial Relations (Amendment) (No. 3) Bill 2011: Second Stage (10 Jul 2012)

Seán Sherlock: I am pleased to present the Industrial Relations (Amendment) (No. 3) Bill 2011 for the consideration of the House. The main purpose of the Bill is twofold. First, it implements the commitment in the programme for Government to reform the joint labour committee, JLC, system. Second, following the High Court ruling in the John Grace Fried Chicken case of July 2011, the Government has...

Seanad: Industrial Relations (Amendment) (No. 3) Bill 2011: Second Stage (10 Jul 2012)

Seán Sherlock: The adult wage rates that may be proposed by a JLC will also be linked to sub-minimum rates that will apply in the same proportions as were originally fixed under the National Minimum Wage Act 2000 in respect of employees aged under 18 years, first-time job entrants, and employees undergoing training. JLCs will no longer set certain conditions of employment that are already provided for in...

Seanad: Industrial Relations (Amendment) (No. 3) Bill 2011: Second Stage (10 Jul 2012)

Seán Sherlock: As a Corkman, I am looking forward to the game against Wexford. No one should pre-empt the outcome of that match. While I accept the points Senators have made, the bottom line is that the Bills introduced by Sinn Féin and the Fianna Fáil Party were not sufficiently comprehensive to address the issues being addressed in this legislation. They were too weak to provide the robust and...

Written Answers — Intellectual Property: Intellectual Property (11 Jul 2012)

Seán Sherlock: I assume the consultation to which the Deputy refers is part of the current review of copyright legislation. An independent Copyright Review Committee was established on 9 May, 2011 to examine the existing Irish copyright and legislative framework to identify any areas that might be deemed to create barriers to innovation and to make recommendations to resolve any problems identified. The...

Enterprise Support Services (12 Jul 2012)

Seán Sherlock: The microenterprise loan fund will facilitate the growth and expansion of all viable microenterprises from all industry sectors across the country that have been refused access to credit from the banks. It is a key element in our Action Plan for Jobs. The fund has a significant entrepreneurship focus to encourage all would-be entrepreneurs across the country who may be unemployed but who...

Enterprise Support Services (12 Jul 2012)

Seán Sherlock: The scheme is currently being finalised and will be laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas. The Deputy refers to a unique case. There is a code of practice in the scheme whereby a decision must be made within two weeks or 15 days - I will have to check the exact timeframe. The core principle of the microenterprise loan fund is that even in good economic circumstances the risk criteria...

Enterprise Support Services (12 Jul 2012)

Seán Sherlock: It will be within two years.

Credit Availability (12 Jul 2012)

Seán Sherlock: I am bringing in a series of targeted initiatives to make it easier for micro-enterprises and small and medium enterprises to access credit. The micro-enterprise loan fund scheme, which is expected to be operational from early autumn, will facilitate up to €40 million in additional lending to micro-enterprises over the next five years. The Government is in the process of introducing the...

Credit Availability (12 Jul 2012)

Seán Sherlock: The Deputy referred to ISME's report, but there is also a Mazars report. The Credit Review Office, CRO, is our benchmark, but should not be viewed as a permanent fixture. According to a figure in the Mazars report, a demand survey showed that only 36% of SMEs sought credit in the April-September period. As the domestic economy recovers and SMEs seek to increase working capital, the demand...

Credit Availability (12 Jul 2012)

Seán Sherlock: The relatively poor capital and liquidity conditions of some SMEs following three years of a flat-lining domestic economy is one of the factors. Some of the SMEs that bank with the Irish Bank Resolution Corporation, IBRC, will seek new credit and will need to be moved to new banks. If those banks are unwilling or unable to provide that credit when the upturn arrives, it will be another...

Credit Availability (12 Jul 2012)

Seán Sherlock: The economic management council, EMC, engages with the banks to ensure that they deliver. The Deputy must acknowledge that they have delivered on their 2011 lending targets. I am struggling to find the figures on the percentages in terms of credit. They were to hand.

Credit Availability (12 Jul 2012)

Seán Sherlock: The report compiled by the accounting firm Mazars showed that 67% of completed credit applications were approved by the banks, representing an increase of 2% on the previous year's report, with the rate of refusals falling by a corresponding amount of approximately 28%. Despite the downturn, the report indicates that some companies are still in a position to protect their finances from...

Information Technology (12 Jul 2012)

Seán Sherlock: The cloud computing implementation group held its last formal meeting in March 2012 and submitted a report on its work on 14 June 2012. I have asked my Department to prepare targets and measurements based on the report's key findings which will allow us to monitor progress to ensure we maximise the potential of this important area of the ICT sector. In conducting its work, the group examined...

Information Technology (12 Jul 2012)

Seán Sherlock: Yes.

Information Technology (12 Jul 2012)

Seán Sherlock: Yes.