Results 2,941-2,960 of 13,254 for speaker:Seán Sherlock

Further Education and Training: Motion [Private Members] (16 Jan 2013)

Seán Sherlock: The party opposite changed the favourable pupil-teacher ratio of 17:1 to 19:1 for the leaving certificate vocational programme in 2011 in order to secure a reduction of approximately 200 posts which was justified at the time by saying it would bring it into line with the normal pupil-teacher ratio in second level schools. I refer to the withdrawal of resource teachers for Traveller children...

Further Education and Training: Motion [Private Members] (16 Jan 2013)

Seán Sherlock: Where is the Deputy getting the figures?

Further Education and Training: Motion [Private Members] (16 Jan 2013)

Seán Sherlock: The funding for DEIS schools was restored.

Further Education and Training: Motion [Private Members] (16 Jan 2013)

Seán Sherlock: The Deputy is incorrigible

Further Education and Training: Motion [Private Members] (16 Jan 2013)

Seán Sherlock: This is downright nonsense.

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: International Agreements (23 Jan 2013)

Seán Sherlock: I propose to take Questions Nos. 128 to 132, inclusive, together. In December 2012, political agreement was reached under the Cypriot Presidency on what is referred to as the patents “package” which comprises of two EU Regulations on the creation of a unitary patent and the applicable translation arrangements, as well as an international Agreement on a Unified Patent Court. ...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Intellectual Property (23 Jan 2013)

Seán Sherlock: I propose to take Questions Nos. 133 and 134 together. An effective intellectual property system should provide a legislative and regulatory framework that affords an appropriate level of protection to Right Holders that incentivises creativity and innovation and enables Right Holders to obtain fair economic reward from their investment in Intellectual Property be that from patents,...

Topical Issue Debate: Childhood Obesity (24 Jan 2013)

Seán Sherlock: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. From the preventative point of view, I wholeheartedly agree with his sentiments regarding the importance of raising awareness. If we can take preventative measures and utilise early intervention measures to tackle childhood obesity, it will have a positive effect downstream for the citizens themselves as well as for the Exchequer in terms of...

Topical Issue Debate: Childhood Obesity (24 Jan 2013)

Seán Sherlock: I do not disagree with anything the Deputy has stated. He is spot on in trying to raise levels of consciousness around this issue. The Department of Education and Skills is part of the Department of Health's special group on obesity. Deputy O'Donovan illustrated an example of a child with digestives. The child did not pack the lunch box and neither did the teacher. It was the parent....

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Creation (24 Jan 2013)

Seán Sherlock: Job creation is a key priority for the Government. Action Plan for Jobs has set the objective of supporting the creation of 100,000 jobs by 2016 and making Ireland the best small country in which to do business. The 2013 action plan for jobs will set out detailed targets for important measures of economic transition and for the delivery of policy actions to support employment, enterprise,...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Creation (24 Jan 2013)

Seán Sherlock: As the Minister has said, the Government must create a set of conditions that facilitate growth in employment rates. I am not aware of any Government having set an employment rate target. I am not aware of a precedent for that. The Deputy referred to the National Pensions Reserve Fund, NPRF. It will be used to support the SME sector and provide equity, credit and recovery investment....

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Job Creation (24 Jan 2013)

Seán Sherlock: Deputy Tóibín says we are not allocating sufficient resources. The seed and venture capital scheme has €175 million of Exchequer funding. The NPRF will spend approximately €850 million, which will be available for investment in the Irish SME sector. The IDA has an allocation of €86 million for 2013. Its targets are set out in its Horizon 2020 programme. We...

Other Questions: Action Plan for Jobs (24 Jan 2013)

Seán Sherlock: I propose to take Questions Nos. 7 and 13 together. The rise in youth unemployment as a result of the global economic downturn is a challenge for most EU countries. The average EU unemployment rate for those under 25 years of age in the labour force is 23.7%. In Ireland, the youth unemployment rate is 30%, while the long-term unemployment rate is 8.9%. The aim of the Action Plan for...

Other Questions: Action Plan for Jobs (24 Jan 2013)

Seán Sherlock: I acknowledge everything that the Deputy said. There is no getting away from the fact that the rate of youth unemployment is extremely high, including across all of Europe. A strong attempt is being made during Ireland's Presidency of the EU Council to give effect to the youth guarantee and to ensure that we create the climate across Europe, in a way that will benefit Ireland, to ensure a...

Other Questions: Action Plan for Jobs (24 Jan 2013)

Seán Sherlock: Am I out of time?

Other Questions: Action Plan for Jobs (24 Jan 2013)

Seán Sherlock: Again, I acknowledge the points made. The Deputy must also acknowledge the deep structural changes that gave rise to this unemployment crisis which, as stated by the Minister, Deputy Bruton, in a reply to an earlier question, was our dependence on construction, in which sector many of the skills were employed. A sudden downturn which results in one having to make a correction of the order...

Other Questions: Action Plan for Jobs (24 Jan 2013)

Seán Sherlock: To repeat the point, we all agree the problem of emigration is scaring the social fabric. However, I do not agree with the rhetoric that it is all negative.

Other Questions: Action Plan for Jobs (24 Jan 2013)

Seán Sherlock: A hell of a lot of initiatives are taking place in our third level institutions, and out there is a boundless creativity which does not work its way into the discourse in a House such as this. One has only to go to these institutions and meet these people. I take issue with the point made by Deputy Tóibín on this.

Other Questions: Action Plan for Jobs (24 Jan 2013)

Seán Sherlock: I repeat the point that if all one's eggs are put into the construction basket and a downturn in the sector occurs, it will give rise to emigration to new areas where there are opportunities such as western Australia, Canada and North America. This is exactly what we are seeing happen. From a sectoral point of view we are seeing this trend. We want to reverse this by creating the...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Job Statistics (24 Jan 2013)

Seán Sherlock: The Forfás Annual Employment Survey reports on job gains and losses in companies that are supported by Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland and Shannon Development. The survey does not measure jobs lost and created in the categories of innovation and technology but rather in specific sectoral categories. There are traditional sectoral categories which might not necessarily be regarded as...