Results 321-340 of 24,635 for speaker:Mary Harney

Written Answers — Sunday Trading: Sunday Trading (13 May 2004)

Mary Harney: The law on trading hours is the Shops (Hours of Trading) Act 1938. This Act was introduced for the purpose of controlling competition in the retail sector through the making of regulations which controlled the closing time for shops in specific areas and for specific sectors. As regards Sunday trading, a statutory instrument made in 1938, S.I. No. 188 of 1938, exempts the whole country from...

Written Answers — Community Employment Schemes: Community Employment Schemes (13 May 2004)

Mary Harney: The Law Reform Commission published a consultation paper on corporate killing in October last. The commission recommended that a new offence of corporate killing be established which would be prosecuted on indictment, without exclusion of any entity whether incorporated or not. The offence would apply to acts or omissions of a high managerial agent, which would be treated as those of the...

Written Answers — European Council Meetings: European Council Meetings (13 May 2004)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 30, 32 and 44 together. The challenges facing European industry, including the concerns of many European leaders relating to trends in exports, jobs, lacklustre productivity performance and how Europe can address these problems, formed the focus of discussions of an informal meeting of the EU Competitiveness Ministers and industry representatives in Dromoland...

Written Answers — National Competitiveness Council: National Competitiveness Council (13 May 2004)

Mary Harney: My Department recently chaired an interdepartmental meeting to discuss the implementation of the National Competitiveness Council's, NCC, recommendations with the relevant Departments concerned. My Department is preparing the first report to the Government arising from their decision of 25 November 2003, at which they agreed that Ireland's competitiveness status, including the implementation...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (13 May 2004)

Mary Harney: As part of the decentralisation programme announced by the Minister for Finance in his Budget 2004 speech, 250 staff of my Department are to decentralise to Carlow. Four agencies operating under the aegis of my Department — FÁS, the National Standards Authority of Ireland, the Health and Safety Authority and Enterprise Ireland — will also be relocating to a number of areas around the...

Written Answers — Consumer Affairs: Consumer Affairs (13 May 2004)

Mary Harney: Since I established the consumer strategy group last March, the group has been provided with a secretariat by Forfás. The group has met on two occasions. To date, it has consulted with a number of interested parties including the Director of Consumer Affairs. It would not be appropriate at this stage to detail the matters it has discussed which are the subject of the deliberative processes...

Written Answers — County Enterprise Boards: County Enterprise Boards (13 May 2004)

Mary Harney: The city and county enterprise boards, CEBs, can assist the establishment and-or development of eligible new and existing enterprises, from individuals-sole traders, companies and community groups, in the traded services, manufacturing and tourism sectors. In order to be eligible for such support projects must be in the commercial sphere, demonstrate a market for the product-service and, most...

Written Answers — Consumer Affairs: Consumer Affairs (13 May 2004)

Mary Harney: Under section 9(5) of the Consumer Information Act 1978, the Director of Consumer Affairs "shall be independent in the performance of his functions". Within this context, both my officials and I meet and liaise regularly with the director and her officers. In so far as the Deputy is referring to current investigations into foreign exchange charges at Allied Irish Banks, under section 149 of...

Written Answers — Personal Injuries Assessment Board: Personal Injuries Assessment Board (13 May 2004)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 42 and 92 together. Following enactment of the Personal Injuries Assessment Board legislation in December 2003, a significant amount of work has been carried out to put in place systems and resources to facilitate the operation of the Personal Injuries Assessment Board. A number of these tasks could not be carried out until the legislation was passed. I am...

Written Answers — Research Funding: Research Funding (13 May 2004)

Mary Harney: At the European Council in Barcelona in 2002, the Heads of State agreed that overall spending on research and development in the EU should be increased from the current EU average of 1.9% to approximately 3% of GDP by 2010, and with two thirds of this new investment coming from the private sector. The target of 3% is for Europe as a whole, rather than each individual member state, reflecting...

Written Answers — Job Protection: Job Protection (13 May 2004)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 47 and 74 together. The Irish economy has been undergoing substantial change which has impacted on both the manufacturing and service sectors. A fundamental shift in our strengths and competitive advantages has taken place and the economy is now one typified by high output and productivity together with high returns to labour in the form of wages, salaries and...

Written Answers — Industrial Development: Industrial Development (13 May 2004)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 49 and 81 together. The Government is committed to providing a pro-business environment, which will enhance the competitiveness of the Irish economy. A pro-business environment with low inflation will stabilise firms' costs and provide them with a solid competitive business environment from which they can successfully compete on both domestic and international...

Written Answers — Grocery Industry: Grocery Industry (13 May 2004)

Mary Harney: My review of the groceries order is ongoing and I hope to conclude my consideration of the matter in the near future.

Written Answers — Nítrigin Éireann Teoranta: Nítrigin Éireann Teoranta (13 May 2004)

Mary Harney: Nítrigin Éireann Teoranta is not in liquidation. Nítrigin Éireann Teoranta is the holding company for the State's interest in Irish Fertiliser Industries Limited, which went into liquidation in November 2002, and it is assumed that the parliamentary question refers to the liquidation of Irish Fertiliser Industries Limited. I understand that the liquidation of Irish Fertiliser Industries...

Written Answers — Asylum Applications: Asylum Applications (13 May 2004)

Mary Harney: Policy and legislation regarding persons who seek asylum in this State is the responsibility of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. Persons seeking asylum in Ireland are currently prohibited from taking up employment in the State under the Refugee Act 1996. I am not aware of any plans to amend this legislation, and the provisions contained therein, at this time.

Written Answers — County Enterprise Boards: County Enterprise Boards (13 May 2004)

Mary Harney: In determining the allocations for individual city and county enterprise boards this year, my Department adopted a systematic approach to ensure the maximum degree of objectivity and equity of treatment. This approach involved the provision of a basic allocation to each board as well as an additional allocation that was determined mainly by population. It also took account of issues such as...

Written Answers — Trade Union Recognition: Trade Union Recognition (13 May 2004)

Mary Harney: I have examined my diaries covering the last five years. This examination indicates that the issue of trade union recognition was on the agenda at one meeting I attended. The meeting took place in June 1999 with representatives of a number of foreign hi-tech companies. The issue of trade union recognition has also been raised at other multi-purpose meetings such as the national partnership...

Written Answers — Unemployment Levels: Unemployment Levels (13 May 2004)

Mary Harney: Long-term unemployment has been reduced dramatically during the last seven years. In 1998 long-term unemployment amounted to 63,500, which represented 3.9% of the labour force. By 2002 the numbers had fallen by over 40,000 to 21,600 — 1.2% of the labour force. There was a small increase to 26,900 during 2003, resulting in an end of year rate of 1.4%. The EU average rate, by contrast, is 3%....

Written Answers — Services Sector: Services Sector (13 May 2004)

Mary Harney: The Competition Authority is studying the market for professional services and the study aims to identify any unnecessary or disproportionate restrictions to entry to the various professions under examination. The authority engaged Indecon Economic Consultants to carry out initial work on the study which it published a report in 2003. The Indecon report found that there were three types of...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (13 May 2004)

Mary Harney: Following the announcement of the Government's decentralisation programme, under which 250 staff of my Department will decentralise to Carlow, a survey was conducted within the Department with a view to establishing the numbers of staff interested in decentralising to locations outside Dublin. A total of 503 staff responded to the survey, 69 of whom indicated that they would be prepared to...