Results 3,801-3,820 of 50,136 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Departmental Staff. (26 Apr 2007)

Micheál Martin: It did not happen before. The Standards in Public Office Commission in its letter to the Taoiseach in November confirms my point that we are quite within the parameters of what is contained in the letter. It is unseemly of the Deputy to do this and he should withdraw it.

Departmental Staff. (26 Apr 2007)

Micheál Martin: He is casting aspersions on people and he should not do so. It brings politics into disrepute.

Public Holidays. (26 Apr 2007)

Micheál Martin: The festival is the work of an innovative committee in Cork.

Consumer Protection. (26 Apr 2007)

Micheál Martin: The Consumer Protection Act 2007, which provides for the establishment of the National Consumer Agency on a statutory basis, was recently signed into law. Regulations are being finalised to appoint 1 May 2007 as the establishment day for the agency. Once formally established, the NCA will have specific statutory functions in areas such as enforcement and information. These will include...

Consumer Protection. (26 Apr 2007)

Micheál Martin: It is widely known I established the agency on an interim basis, and this has been widely debated in the House. It was good to have it established on an interim basis prior to the passing of legislation and it has been effective prior to having a statutory footing. This has been evident mainly in the area of advocacy, research and a number of campaigns organised around a range of issues....

Consumer Protection. (26 Apr 2007)

Micheál Martin: With the greatest respect, I have been very——

Consumer Protection. (26 Apr 2007)

Micheál Martin: The Deputy is an Opposition spokesperson on the matter, he should have observed what it did.

Consumer Protection. (26 Apr 2007)

Micheál Martin: Much work was done——

Consumer Protection. (26 Apr 2007)

Micheál Martin: ——in terms of surveys and submissions, including one regarding the groceries order. There were several campaigns on the empowerment of consumers, of which the Deputy would have been notified. There was a distribution to households as part of an effective "Know Your Rights" campaign, which indicated to consumers their rights and entitlements under existing law. The agency had an input...

State Authorities. (26 Apr 2007)

Micheál Martin: A key Government commitment in the social partnership agreement Towards 2016 provided for the establishment of an office for the director of employment rights compliance, known as the national employment rights authority, with an increased labour inspectorate, by the end of 2007. I am pleased to report that significant progress has been made on the establishment of the new authority. The...

State Authorities. (26 Apr 2007)

Micheál Martin: It was done through a competition.

State Authorities. (26 Apr 2007)

Micheál Martin: I will get the exact details of it for the Deputy.

State Authorities. (26 Apr 2007)

Micheál Martin: Yes. I will get the details of the type of competition, etc.

State Authorities. (26 Apr 2007)

Micheál Martin: We did not nominate him. He was presented to us as a result of a competitive process.

Business Regulation Forum. (26 Apr 2007)

Micheál Martin: Direct feedback from business was facilitated over the past 15 months through the Business Regulation Forum, which comprised representatives of the business community and business representative organisations. In 2006, the forum collected evidence from businesses about regulatory burdens in a number of ways. Over 40 submissions were received from businesses, organisations and individuals....

Business Regulation Forum. (26 Apr 2007)

Micheál Martin: We need to keep this debate in perspective. I have been active on the regulation issue — I increased the audit exemption threshold soon after I took office.

Business Regulation Forum. (26 Apr 2007)

Micheál Martin: The Minister for Finance introduced significant measures in the budget, on foot of the work that was done in co-operation with the Small Business Forum, to reduce the burden on businesses. He amended the VAT thresholds, for example, to help small and medium sized enterprises. The work that has been done to date illustrates the fact that regulation affects small businesses more than large...

Business Regulation Forum. (26 Apr 2007)

Micheál Martin: Deputy Hogan should pay attention to what I am saying.

Business Regulation Forum. (26 Apr 2007)

Micheál Martin: I noticed that his mind was wandering. He should take note of these positive indicators ahead of the campaign that may take place over the next few weeks.

Business Regulation Forum. (26 Apr 2007)

Micheál Martin: When I was a teacher I was able to tell when the attention of students was elsewhere, just as I noticed when Deputy Hogan was concentrating on the change in the Chair. The Deputy asked me to outline the Government's targets. We are prepared to nail our colours to the mast. Like our European counterparts, we want to reduce the regulatory burden by approximately 25%, across the board, over...