Results 3,081-3,100 of 4,073 for speaker:Mary Mitchell O'Connor

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: State Bodies Data (4 May 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: My Department, through Enterprise Ireland (EI) provides a range of supports to help Irish companies start, grow and export.  There are now over 201,000 people employed by EI supported companies across the country, an all-time high for the Agency.  The fact that over 130,000 of those 201,000 jobs are outside of Dublin is also significant.  All regions recorded increases in...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Enterprise Ireland (4 May 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: Enterprise Ireland’s (EI) start-up activity is focused on prospecting for and supporting High Potential Start-Ups (HPSUs). HPSU companies are defined as start-up ventures that are: - Introducing a new or innovative product or service to international markets. - Involved in manufacturing or internationally traded services. - Capable of creating 10 jobs in Ireland and realising...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Regional Development Initiatives (4 May 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The Regional Action Plan initiative is working to promote regional and rural job creation by bringing different stakeholders in each of the 8 regions together to identify innovative and practical actions, to be taken across a range of Departments and agencies, with clear timelines for delivery over the period 2015 – 2017. The Plans are being monitored and driven in each region by...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (9 May 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: On the 30th October 2016, the EU – Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) was signed by representatives from Canada, the EU and its Member States.  On the 15th February 2017, the European Parliament voted in support of the provisional application of CETA. The process of ratification can now commence in some 43 national parliaments and regional assemblies...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Cross-Border Enterprise Initiatives (9 May 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: This Research project, which my Department has funded, will assess the potential impacts of WTO tariffs on Cross Border Trade and is expected to be finalised later this month.  I propose to have it published as soon as is practicable thereafter. 

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Work Permits Applications (9 May 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The Employment Permits Section informs me that it has no record of an employment permit application in relation to the named individual.

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Departmental Staff Recruitment (9 May 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: All Departmental recruitment is undertaken on our behalf by the Public Appointments Service except insofar as Service Grades are concerned which the Department manages itself.  No consultancy would be involved.  In general, recruitment to the State Agencies under the remit of my Department is carried out through the Public Appointments Service (PAS). However, in...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Consultancy Contracts (9 May 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: My Department considers hiring external consultants in cases where there is not the necessary expertise to deliver the project in-house, in cases where an external assessment is deemed essential, or in cases where a project must be completed within a short time scale, and although the expertise or experience may be available in-house, performing the task would involve a prohibitive...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Rights (9 May 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The Terms of Employment (Information) Act 1994 -2014 provides that an employer must provide his/her employee with a written statement of the particulars of the employee’s terms of employment. It also provides that an employer must notify the employee of any changes in the particulars as given in the statement.  There is no offence provision under the Act to provide for the taking...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Bank Branch Closures (9 May 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: In March this year the company in question announced a number of changes to its business, which would include a number of redundancies. At the same time the company notified me of proposed collective redundancies as required under the Protection of Employment Act 1977. That Act requires employers proposing collective redundancies to enter into an information and consultation process with...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: IDA Site Visits (9 May 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: IDA Ireland maintains statistics of site visits by potential investors on a quarterly basis only. In the first quarter of 2017, there were 173 site visits, up from 136 for the same period in 2016.  The following table sets out, on a county-by-county basis, the number of IDA Ireland-sponsored site visits for 2016 and for quarter one of 2017. Site Visits by County, 2016 and Quarter 1...

Seanad: Companies (Accounting) Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (9 May 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I thank Senator Norris for his warm welcome. However, I cannot accept amendment No. 1. The effect of this amendment would be to repeal section 363 of the Companies Act 2014. That section includes a long-standing rule that a company loses its entitlement to an exemption from audit if it files its annual returns late. Before I set out my specific concerns with the amendment, I want to...

Seanad: Companies (Accounting) Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (9 May 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: We require small companies to file on a certain date. They do it every year. It is a bit like one's birthday in that it comes every year and they know it.

Seanad: Companies (Accounting) Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (9 May 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: We do not think it is that onerous to ask companies to file every year at the same time and on the same date. We both agree that 90% of companies are compliant. We want our companies to be compliant. The Senator made a passing comment, which I want to take him up on, namely, that the Civil Service likes the status quo. This is in fact a progressive Bill. For example, we have introduced a...

Seanad: Companies (Accounting) Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (9 May 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: There is a belief that companies have a right to be exempted. That is not the case. For example, there is a long-standing rule that a company loses its entitlement to an exemption from an audit if it files its annual returns late. I agree the audit exemption is an important cost-saving benefit for companies, as well as for transparency. It is important for employees and creditors to know...

Seanad: Companies (Accounting) Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (9 May 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I am not in favour of this amendment. As I told the Senators during Committee Stage, the CLRG, a statutory body, has undertaken to examine and recommend ways in which company law and indeed the wider legislative code could be potentially amended to ensure better safeguards for companies, employees and unsecured creditors. To this end, I understand that the CLRG has convened a sub-committee...

Seanad: Companies (Accounting) Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (9 May 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I am not in favour of this amendment. The drafting in this amendment is not very clear. I surmise that the Senators are trying to capture the Company Law Review Group's pending report on the protection of employees and unsecured creditors. The use of the words "the recommendation" and "intended actions" implies to me that the Senators intend to capture the Companies Act 2014 itself rather...

Seanad: Companies (Accounting) Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (9 May 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: Yes.

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Brexit Issues (10 May 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: My Department has been working with the Department of Finance, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Enterprise Ireland and the SBCI to build an understanding of the business needs of companies in adapting to the challenges posed by Brexit and to develop appropriate and targeted responses to support them. Based on this work, I recently secured the agreement of the Cabinet...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Small and Medium Enterprises Supports (10 May 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: My Department has been working with the Department of Finance, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Enterprise Ireland and the SBCI to build an understanding of the business needs of companies in adapting to the challenges posed by Brexit and to develop appropriate and targeted responses to support them. Based on this work, I recently secured the agreement of the Cabinet...