Results 461-480 of 24,635 for speaker:Mary Harney

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (17 Jun 2004)

Mary Harney: I am conscious of the affect that a recent announcement of voluntary redundancies in Schering-Plough, Avondale, Rathdrum, County Wicklow has had on workers and their families. Alternative employment is a priority for FÁS and the State's development agencies. FÁS has provided the full range of support services, including skills analysis, training and job placement, to the staff. The IDA has...

Written Answers — Drink Prices: Drink Prices (17 Jun 2004)

Mary Harney: The decision to increase the price of specific products is a matter for the manufacturer or supplier and is something in which I have no role. I am aware of the announcement by the company concerned to increase their prices. I am also aware that at least one competing enterprise has decided not to increase the price of competing products. Therefore, consumers will have a choice. The Retail...

Written Answers — Price Regulations: Price Regulations (17 Jun 2004)

Mary Harney: Work on the preparation of measures to increase consumer awareness of charges for medical and dental services, including the preparation of a charges display order under the Prices Act, is continuing in my Department. They will be brought to a conclusion as soon as possible.

Written Answers — EU Directives: EU Directives (17 Jun 2004)

Mary Harney: A total of 21 directives must be implemented, including three for which the deadline for implementation, in full or in part, has passed. Details of the directives, including, in so far as it was decided, the proposed transposition instruments, are available on my Department's website www.entemp.ie/trade/eudirectives. The website also contains information on directives where infringement...

Written Answers — Oil Prices: Oil Prices (17 Jun 2004)

Mary Harney: Oil has traded at significantly high levels for some months. Crude oil prices have fallen back slightly from their recent high level although market volatility and concerns about supply and demand issues could mean that relatively high prices will remain a feature of the international oil market. My Department does not propose to prepare a report on the implications of the present increase in...

Written Answers — EU Directives: EU Directives (17 Jun 2004)

Mary Harney: The proposed new unfair commercial practices directive aims to clarify consumers' rights and facilitate cross-border trade by establishing common, EU wide rules against aggressive or misleading business-to-consumer marketing. The directive provides for full harmonisation at EU level as soon as traders comply with its provisions. Article 5 of the directive establishes two general conditions to...

Written Answers — Groceries Order: Groceries Order (17 Jun 2004)

Mary Harney: My review of the order is ongoing and I hope to conclude it in the near future.

Written Answers — Job Losses: Job Losses (17 Jun 2004)

Mary Harney: It is not possible to predict with any accuracy the future decisions of companies regarding industrial employment, nor is it my intention to try to do so. In terms of job losses in the year to date, however, manufacturing redundancies notified to my Department to the end of May were around 3,900, compared with just over 4,300 in the same period last year. On balance the outlook for the...

Written Answers — Insurance Industry: Insurance Industry (17 Jun 2004)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 34, 83, 84 and 86 together. The European Insurance in Figures June 2003 report published by the Comité Européen des Assurances, or CEA, shows details of average non-life premia per inhabitant. Those figures include motor and public liability insurance. The figures for 2001 which are the latest given, show that of 29 European countries listed, Ireland ranked...

Written Answers — Work Permits: Work Permits (17 Jun 2004)

Mary Harney: I am aware of the report in question and of similar proposals from other interested parties. At present the work permit system grants the permit to an employer to recruit a specific employee to fill a specific vacancy, where the employer has been unable to find a suitable employee within Ireland or the wider European Economic Area. That arrangement does have the safeguard that the non-EEA...

Written Answers — Price Inflation: Price Inflation (17 Jun 2004)

Mary Harney: The responsibility of the Government regarding the prices of goods and services is generally limited to ensuring that markets are working properly for the benefit of consumers and of the economy as a whole. Many people in the country share concerns over the price of goods and services, and emphasise that the Government is acutely aware of the difficulties which price increases pose for the...

Written Answers — Work Permits: Work Permits (17 Jun 2004)

Mary Harney: I am informed that, from 1 January 2004 to date, a total of 179 work permits have been issued in respect of the spouses of non-EEA nationals working here.

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (17 Jun 2004)

Mary Harney: As the Deputy will be aware, my colleague, the Minister for Finance, Deputy McCreevy, in his 2004 Budget Statement, announced that both the business expansion scheme, or BES, and seed capital scheme, or SCS, were being extended for a further three years to 31 December 2006 and that the maximum amount a company could raise under the two schemes was being increased from €750,000 to €1...

Written Answers — Economic Competitiveness: Economic Competitiveness (17 Jun 2004)

Mary Harney: Last month my Department chaired an interdepartmental meeting to discuss progress on the implementation of the National Competitiveness Council's recommendations with the relevant Departments concerned. My Department is preparing the first report to the Government arising from its decision of 25 November 2003 to review Ireland's competitiveness status, including the implementation of the...

Written Answers — Industrial Relations: Industrial Relations (17 Jun 2004)

Mary Harney: The law on trading hours is governed by the Shops (Hours of Trading) Act 1938. That Act was introduced to control competition in the retail sector through the making of regulations which controlled the closing times for shops in specific areas and for specific trades. As regards opening on Easter Sunday or any other Sunday, that is governed by an order made by the Minister in 1938, SI No. 188...

Written Answers — Industrial Development: Industrial Development (17 Jun 2004)

Mary Harney: Since becoming available for sale in September 2002, both IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland have actively marketed the facility to a range of target sectors and existing client companies. I understand that the facility was sold recently to a private developer and that the plant is now let to Delta Homes Limited. The company currently employs 75 people in its plant in Cobh, County Cork, and...

Written Answers — Departmental Investigations: Departmental Investigations (17 Jun 2004)

Mary Harney: The Company Law Enforcement Act 2001 requires the Director of Corporate Enforcement to perform his functions with respect to the Companies Acts on an independent basis. The director also has a legal obligation to safeguard the confidentiality of information obtained by virtue of the performance of his functions. It is not therefore the practice of the director to report to me on any...

Written Answers — Consumer Protection: Consumer Protection (17 Jun 2004)

Mary Harney: The EU Competitiveness Council, under my chairmanship, gave political agreement on 18 May 2004 to a proposed directive which, inter alia, will prohibit a wide range of "pyramid schemes", including schemes of the type referred to by the Deputy. I hope that the directive will be adopted by the Council and Parliament later this year. A further period of two years is provided for the...

Written Answers — Job Losses: Job Losses (17 Jun 2004)

Mary Harney: While significant levels of redundancies continue to be notified to my Department, employment growth in Ireland continues to be extremely robust and considerably better than the European average. That is a reflection of the strength of the Irish economy. As the Small Firms' Association itself recently recognised publicly, I have now, as Minister with responsibility for small business,...

Written Answers — Research Funding: Research Funding (17 Jun 2004)

Mary Harney: The sixth framework programme and associated budgetary envelope was adopted by Council decision of 27 June 2002 in respect of the overall programme, and 30 September 2002 in respect of the relevant specific programme, encompassing the various thematic areas, including advanced genomics and its application to health. A total of €1.1 billion has been allocated to that broad thematic area. The...