Results 2,841-2,860 of 4,073 for speaker:Mary Mitchell O'Connor

Other Questions: Economic Competitiveness (23 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: In budget 2017, the Government reduced capital gains tax to help entrepreneurs, bringing this relief more in line with that in operation in the UK. We are providing a lower 10% level of capital gains tax for entrepreneurs on disposals of qualifying assets up to a lifetime limit of €1 million. Capital gains tax entrepreneurial relief introduced in 2017 provides for a reduced CGT rate...

Other Questions: Economic Competitiveness (23 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I am aware of the €480 million drop in the value of exports and not in the amount of exports.

Other Questions: Economic Competitiveness (23 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I am absolutely conscious of the problem and the issues in the agrisector and with regard to agrifood. I assure the Deputy I have been in touch with Bord Bia. I work very closely with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Marine to make sure our agribusinesses can compete. Enterprise Ireland and the local enterprise offices are on the same page. We are working towards it and we will be...

Other Questions: Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (23 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: On 15 January 2017, the European Parliament voted in favour of the provisional application of the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, better known as CETA. This is part of the democratic process as set out in the treaties for the approval of international trade agreements. Provisional application is a standard part of a trade agreement and allows those parts of the...

Other Questions: Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (23 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I have seen letters in agreement with CETA and I have also seen other letters. I will double-check and get Deputy Collins the exact details. I hear exactly what the Deputy is saying. Substantive engagement took place, sector by sector, to identify Ireland's interests over the course of the negotiations. We looked at the elimination of virtually all tariffs between Ireland and Canada. We...

Other Questions: Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (23 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The majority of the provisions of CETA will be provisionally applied. Chapter 8 on investment shall only be provisionally applied in so far as it relates to foreign direct investment. Chapter 13 is about financial services and it shall not be provisionally applied in so far as it applies to the portfolio investment, protection of investment or investment dispute settlement. That was one of...

Other Questions: IDA Site Visits (23 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: IDA Ireland maintains statistics in relation to site visits by potential investors on a quarterly basis. During 2016 there was a total of 20 IDA Ireland sponsored site visits by potential investors to County Sligo. This was up from seven in 2014 representing a 185% increase. There were eight site visits to County Leitrim in 2016, up from two in 2014 representing a 300% increase. It is...

Other Questions: IDA Site Visits (23 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I acknowledge that Deputy McLoughlin and I have had numerous conversations in County Sligo. County Sligo is close to my heart because while my family is from Galway, most of them live in County Sligo. Enterprise Ireland, InterTradeIreland and the LEOs are all working hard to ensure that jobs are landed. A wonderful new IDA advance factory has been built in Sligo and I am hopeful that we...

Other Questions: IDA Site Visits (23 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I agree, Chair. Deputy McLoughlin mentioned Sligo Institute of Technology which is a wonderful place. I have met the institute's president and there are fantastic courses being offered there. As the Deputy may know, when companies come to Sligo that college runs courses to make sure there is a pool of talent ready. There is also a wonderful tourism sector in the area. Some 584 new jobs...

Other Questions: IDA Site Visits (23 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I am informed that, for reasons of commercial sensitivity and client confidentiality, IDA Ireland does not comment on upcoming site visits by potential investors. The agency maintains statistics in relation to site visits by potential investors on a quarterly basis. The latest data available cover 2016 only. During 2016 there was a total of two IDA Ireland sponsored site visits by...

Other Questions: IDA Site Visits (23 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I hear the Deputy. She knows that I have met the Cavan and Monaghan groups and the Deputies from the area. The figures from the IDA are not great but in Monaghan there are 5,168 jobs supported by Enterprise Ireland. That is also an agency under my aegis. There are 903 jobs supported by the Local Enterprise Offices, LEOs. It is the same kind of story in Cavan where there are 1,162 LEO...

Other Questions: IDA Site Visits (23 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I hear exactly what the Deputy is saying but we do have a north-east, north-west action plan. We have a plan to make sure that jobs are created, whether they are IDA jobs, which I would like to see more of, or Enterprise Ireland jobs, LEO jobs or InterTradeIreland jobs. Just to put it on the record, there were actually 2,339 jobs created by InterTradeIreland in 2016. One of the key actions...

Other Questions: IDA Data (23 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I propose to take Questions Nos. 13 and 39 together. IDA Ireland owns five business parks and one greenfield site in north Dublin. The agency also markets a business park in Blanchardstown which has been developed as a joint venture with Fingal County Council. There are 696 IDA Ireland client companies in Dublin. I understand that the agency does not track the number of people the...

Other Questions: IDA Data (23 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I will take on board the issue raised by Deputy Smith and will talk to the IDA about the data centre. In response to Deputy Broughan, I have met the Fingal county manager, Mr. Paul Reid, to discuss development issues in Fingal. He sits on the Dublin regional action plan for jobs, which is an important driver of growth in north Dublin. I am very aware of the five business parks and...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Enterprise Ireland (23 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: There are 1,500 Enterprise Ireland (EI) client companies recording exports to the UK.  They employ 100,000 people across the country and have exports of over €7 billion. In Budget 2017, I secured additional monies, both current and capital, to support Enterprise Ireland’s strategic response to Brexit, including 39 targeted posts, both at home and abroad to support its...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Foreign Direct Investment (23 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I understand that Cavan will be included in a study, currently being commissioned by IDA Ireland, to identify potential strategic land banks for the sustainable development of large-scale data centre projects.  This will evaluate all viable land options nationally and will be conducted over a number of stages. For a site to be considered suitable, I understand that it must be...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Research and Development Funding (23 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions (PRTLI) has involved €1.2 billion investment of private and public investment. It has supported the provision of top-class research infrastructure (buildings, laboratories and cutting edge equipment) as well as human capital development, through Structured PhD programmes across Ireland’s Higher Education Institutes...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: IDA Site Visits (23 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: According to the 2016 Annual Employment Survey, conducted by my Department, there are 23 IDA supported client companies, employing 10,139 staff in County Kildare.  Under IDA’s strategy, the Agency aims to increase investment by 30-40% in each region outside of Dublin by 2019. From 2012 to 2016, there were 18 site visits to Kildare. Visits to the county rose from one in 2014 to...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Enterprise Support Schemes (23 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: 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, which was extended by 12 months in March 2016, is now set to conclude on 26 March. I understand that it would not be permissible for any further extension to be granted on account of public procurement law.  The...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Small and Medium Enterprises Supports (23 Mar 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: At this stage it is not possible to predict with certainty the extent of Brexit for SMEs trading across the border. Much will depend on the nature of the deal that will be negotiated between the UK and the EU. This Government will seek, during that process, to highlight our unique economic ties with Northern Ireland.  The Government is very conscious of the specific challenges...