Results 4,541-4,560 of 50,136 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Written Answers — Economic Competitiveness: Economic Competitiveness (4 Dec 2007)

Micheál Martin: We are price takers when it comes to buying energy needed to run our economy. We are subject to the same fossil fuel cost pressures experienced in other economies. The Government is very aware that both energy supply and cost is of strategic, competitive importance. Our approach to tackling the issue of supply and cost is clearly set out in the Government's Energy Policy that was published...

Written Answers — Economic Competitiveness: Economic Competitiveness (4 Dec 2007)

Micheál Martin: The Minister for Environment, Heritage and Local Government has overall responsibility for guidelines and schemes in relation to local authority charges. In the first five-year period of operation of the Development Contribution Scheme the amount collected in development contributions increased significantly. This reflected, in part, the increasing demand for infrastructure arising from our...

Written Answers — Departmental Records: Departmental Records (4 Dec 2007)

Micheál Martin: My Department uses reputable companies to recycle old PCs and other redundant information technology equipment and to provide a certificate of their destruction. Part of this process involves the physical destruction of hard drives. This process is in line with best practice and gives assurance that disposal of ICT equipment will not pose a security risk to the Department or its clients.

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (4 Dec 2007)

Micheál Martin: There is one press officer employed in my Department and there was one in 2002. The employment of press officers in agencies reporting to my Department is a day to day operational matter for those agencies and I have no function in the matter.

Written Answers — Departmental Websites: Departmental Websites (4 Dec 2007)

Micheál Martin: The 15 websites maintained by my Department and offices of my Department, do not have the facility for podcasts to be available for download by members of the public. The Department is satisfied with its current communications tools but will keep under review the advisability of having podcasts, and other modern technological inventions, available for download by members of the public. The...

Written Answers — Departmental Properties: Departmental Properties (4 Dec 2007)

Micheál Martin: The buildings occupied by my Department are managed and maintained by the Office of Public Works (OPW) on behalf of the Department. All matters pertaining to the heating and lighting of the Department's buildings are decided upon by the OPW in consultation with the Department. My Department is aware of the need to make the Department's buildings more environmentally friendly and during 2007...

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (4 Dec 2007)

Micheál Martin: Under the Industrial Development Act of 1986, as amended by the Acts of 1993 and 1995, IDA Ireland has the power to acquire, hold and dispose of land and any other property or any interest therein for the purpose of facilitating an industrial undertaking. Accordingly, the management of IDA Ireland's industrial property portfolio is a day-to-day operational matter for the Agency, as part of...

Competitiveness of the Economy: Motion (Resumed) (5 Dec 2007)

Micheál Martin: The Minister for lifelong learning.

Competitiveness of the Economy: Motion (Resumed) (5 Dec 2007)

Micheál Martin: That is not true.

Competitiveness of the Economy: Motion (Resumed) (5 Dec 2007)

Micheál Martin: Is the Deputy saying that we are an unemployment black spot?

Competitiveness of the Economy: Motion (Resumed) (5 Dec 2007)

Micheál Martin: Like the groceries order.

Budget Statement 2008 (5 Dec 2007)

Micheál Martin: Exports are up.

Written Answers — Video Conferencing Facilities: Video Conferencing Facilities (5 Dec 2007)

Micheál Martin: Successful video conferencing is dependent on having high bandwidth links available between buildings together with supporting infrastructure. My Department has recently installed a high speed data network and is currently investing in infrastructural improvements which will support video conferencing. It is intended to introduce video conferencing on a pilot basis in 2008, and extend it...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (5 Dec 2007)

Micheál Martin: 218 staff in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment are availing of the Travel Pass Scheme in 2007.

Written Answers — Waste Management: Waste Management (5 Dec 2007)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 172 and 173 together. The information sought by the Deputy is not normally available in my Department because waste generated by the Department is collected and disposed of by a number of private companies. Based on information supplied by those companies, my Department has generated the amounts of waste specified in Column 2 below in the years 2005, 2006...

Written Answers — Departmental Meetings: Departmental Meetings (6 Dec 2007)

Micheál Martin: My Department has a Management Board comprising the Secretary General of the Department, who chairs the Board, the Department's Assistant Secretaries General, the CEO of Forfás, and two Principal Officers, one of whom is the Head of the Department's Planning Unit. The Board meets on average twice monthly and the Ministers of State at the Department, Ministerial Advisors and I usually attend...

Written Answers — Departmental Meetings: Departmental Meetings (6 Dec 2007)

Micheál Martin: As outlined in my reply to a separate Parliamentary Question to Deputy Quinn today, my Department has a Management Board which meets, on average, twice a month. My Departmental Ministers of State and I usually attend every second meeting of the Board. As the Deputy would expect, each Board meeting deals with a number of items of business as set out in an agenda for that meeting. In...

Written Answers — Ministerial Staff: Ministerial Staff (6 Dec 2007)

Micheál Martin: The table below sets out details in respect of personnel in my Department as requested above:

Written Answers — Departmental Properties: Departmental Properties (6 Dec 2007)

Micheál Martin: Under the Industrial Development Act of 1986, as amended by the Acts of 1993 and 1995, IDA Ireland has the power to acquire, hold and dispose of land and any other property or any interest therein for the purpose of facilitating an industrial undertaking. Accordingly, the management of IDA Ireland's industrial property portfolio is a day-to-day operational matter for the Agency, as part of...

Written Answers — Economic Competitiveness: Economic Competitiveness (6 Dec 2007)

Micheál Martin: I welcome the National Competitiveness Council's recent Annual Report that benchmarks Ireland against its international peers in the OECD, and the Council's associated publication, Ireland's Competitiveness Challenge. The new thematic approach presented by the NCC in this year's report is a worthwhile and useful development. By identifying a small number of strategic themes, centring on cost...