Results 4,881-4,900 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Trade Agreements (6 Feb 2018)

Heather Humphreys: The EU’s suite of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) has evolved over time, from the ‘First Generation’ FTAs dating back to the 1970s which focused on tariffs for goods, to the current ‘New Generation’ of FTAs which go beyond the reduction or elimination of conventional tariff barriers to include; non-tariff and regulatory barriers, services, investment,...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Enterprise Ireland Data (6 Feb 2018)

Heather Humphreys: Enterprise Ireland’s 2017 results reported the highest employment in the history of the agency, the highest net job creation in the history of the agency and also the lowest number of job losses since 1998. In 2017, 209,338 people were employed at Enterprise Ireland supported companies and 19,332 jobs were created with 10,309 net new jobs when losses are taken into account....

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Brexit Data (6 Feb 2018)

Heather Humphreys: Up to 31st January 2018, a total of 43 Brexit Readiness Vouchers  have been approved by InterTrade Ireland,  with a further 11 cases being processed at present. These vouchers are valued at €2,000 each, so the total expenditure to date is €86,000. Details by county are given in the following table: County Approved Pending Total per County Cavan 4 1 5 Donegal...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Work Permits Applications (6 Feb 2018)

Heather Humphreys: An application for a General Employment Permit for the person referred to by the Deputy (details above) was received on 20th November, 2017. A decision was made to refuse the granting of the application on 1st February, 2018, and the applicant has been notified of this decision in writing and of their right to request a review of this decision in line with the provisions of...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement Staff (6 Feb 2018)

Heather Humphreys: Details of the vacancies on positions within the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement (ODCE) are set out below in tabular form. Over recent years, a number of senior-level vacancies have arisen within the ODCE through a combination of retirement, promotion and transfer to other parts of the public service. In that context, the skill sets, competencies, roles and...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement Staff (6 Feb 2018)

Heather Humphreys: The total number of staff employed by the ODCE at the beginning of 2018 was 35 (32.5 full time equivalent). The breakdown by grade is set out in Tabular form below. Title Director Enforcement Portfolio Manager Digital Forensic Specialists Legal Adviser Solicitor Accountant Grade 1 Principal Officer Assistant Principal Officer Higher Executive Officer Executive Officer...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement Funding (6 Feb 2018)

Heather Humphreys: The funding allocation for the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement (ODCE) in respect of 2017 was €4.895m and €5.057m in respect of 2018. The distribution of the funding allocations across my Department’s Vote, including that of the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement (ODCE), are determined through the annual Revised Estimates Volume (REV)...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Work Permits Applications (6 Feb 2018)

Heather Humphreys: An application for a General Employment Permit for the person referred to by the Deputy (details above) was received on 12thJanuary, 2018. The Employment Permits Section of my Department is currently processing standard applications received on 14 December 2017 and this application should be processed within the next five weeks.

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Departmental Staff Data (6 Feb 2018)

Heather Humphreys: There are currently no secondees working in my Department from the companies referred to by the Deputy. My Department does facilitate some secondment arrangements with other Public Service Bodies. These provide good opportunities for the sharing of best practice and the development of different skills and experience. These arrangements are kept under review...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Brexit Issues (6 Feb 2018)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 299 and 300 together. Enterprise Ireland (EI) and the Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) are the primary providers of supports to assist enterprises within the indigenous sector that are facing challenges arising from Brexit. They are working vigorously to enable companies to consolidate market share within the UK and also to become more resilient by broadening...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: IDA Ireland Site Visits (6 Feb 2018)

Heather Humphreys: Regional development is a key priority of mine and I am focused on doing whatever I can to increase investment all across Ireland. The IDA shares this objective and its results for 2017 show that half of all jobs created last year were for locations outside Dublin. In 2017 there were 12 IDA client companies employing a total of 1,305 people in Cavan and Monaghan. There were 45 new jobs...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: IDA Ireland Jobs Data (6 Feb 2018)

Heather Humphreys: Regional development is a key priority of mine and I am focused on increasing investment in every county in Ireland. The IDA shares this objective and I am pleased that its results for 2017 show that half of all job approvals last year were for locations outside Dublin. There are now over 122,000 people employed across 649 firms in IDA client companies outside of Dublin and I look...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (7 Feb 2018)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. Extensive work has been ongoing in my Department to prepare for all Brexit eventualities. This includes both research and the development of specific supports. Officials of my Department have had discussions with senior officials from DG Competition on the potential and the real difficulties encountered by Irish businesses as a result of the UK's...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (7 Feb 2018)

Heather Humphreys: My Department is engaging with officials in DG Competition. They are putting the case forward and outlining the difficulties Brexit will present for businesses in this country. With regard to the lack of preparedness of businesses, the Deputy is correct. In a survey carried out last year, it was found that 16% of businesses had a plan and that the rest did not. Through Enterprise Ireland,...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (7 Feb 2018)

Heather Humphreys: A number of reports are being prepared on the impact of Brexit on businesses and the Irish economy. They will be published in the coming weeks. I have not read the full report yet but it will be published in the next week. Actually, I believe we are publishing it next week. Regarding the European Union, my officials are speaking continually to EU officials and we are certainly making...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement (7 Feb 2018)

Heather Humphreys: On 2 November last year, the Government published a suite of measures aimed at enhancing corporate governance, increasing transparency and strengthening Ireland's response to white-collar crime. The implementation of these measures is progressing across three Departments, namely, the Departments of Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Justice and Equality and Finance. With regard to my...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement (7 Feb 2018)

Heather Humphreys: I will try to address just some of the issues the Deputy raised. He raised quite a number of them. The funding allocation for the ODCE for 2017 was €4.895 million, with an outturn or expenditure of €3 million. The funding allocation is €5 million for 2018. Therefore, there is a considerable increase. A significant element of the ODCE's annual funding allocation...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement (7 Feb 2018)

Heather Humphreys: An account of the report into Judge Aylmer's ruling will be published. However, we had to go to court to get permission to do that. We are in that process.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement (7 Feb 2018)

Heather Humphreys: I do not believe it will take that long. I outlined several prosecutions and issues which the ODCE addressed in 2017. It has improved considerably since 2012 and is doing a good job. In 2017, a person was arrested and charged with fraudulent trading based on an invoice discounting fraud and entered a plea of guilty. In 2016, an individual was convicted for failing to maintain a...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Employment Rights (7 Feb 2018)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for his question. I am answering on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Breen, who has responsibility in this area but who is away on a trade mission. My Department is unaware of any alleged dispute at the company referred to by the Deputy. Having made enquiries, it would appear that the issues in question have not been brought to the attention of the relevant...