Results 5,001-5,020 of 50,136 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Written Answers — Work Permits: Work Permits (11 Mar 2008)

Micheál Martin: The Employment Permits Section of my Department informs me that they have not received any valid application for the above. All applications, when received, are treated on a case by case basis and subject to the employer/employee meeting all the requirements for an employment permit. Further information is available on my website at www.entemp.ie.

Written Answers — Work Permits: Work Permits (11 Mar 2008)

Micheál Martin: My Department draws on population and migration data produced by the Central Statistics Office in monitoring the amount of inward migration to Ireland. In addition, the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN) contributes to my Department's monitoring of sectors in the economy that require additional workers through the National Skills Bulletin, which is published annually. The 2007...

Written Answers — Work Permits: Work Permits (11 Mar 2008)

Micheál Martin: Details of the numbers of immigrants in Ireland during the years 2005-2007, as reported by the Central Statistics, are as follows: 2005 — 84,600; 2006 — 107,800; and 2007 –109,500 (preliminary).

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (11 Mar 2008)

Micheál Martin: The Enterprise Development Agencies under the aegis of my Department, Enterprise Ireland, the County Enterprise Boards, and IDA Ireland are responsible for growing indigenous enterprises and attracting and growing foreign direct investment. The table attached sets out the number of full time jobs created in Enterprise Agency assisted firms (Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland & Shannon...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (11 Mar 2008)

Micheál Martin: Since 2005 thirty nine officers from my Department have attended courses in stress management, which were funded from the Department's training budget. The overall objective of the courses selected is to eliminate stress from all aspects of the participants' life by applying simple and practical techniques. My Department is vigilant and reacts proactively in situations where there is any...

Written Answers — Regional Development: Regional Development (12 Mar 2008)

Micheál Martin: Following a Government decision in 2005, I established an interdepartmental Group on Donegal. This Group, which was chaired by the Secretary General of my Department, focused on the progress being made or planned on infrastructure developments, which would assist in improving the attractiveness of County Donegal as a location for enterprise development. In July 2006, I launched the report...

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (12 Mar 2008)

Micheál Martin: Donegal is a target location for the IDA with the County now competing for a different type of business to labour intensive manufacturing, which IDA so successfully won over the past four decades. The overseas investor is now seeking locations for more advanced manufacturing or office based solutions, to a great extent depending on high skill and high value work. While this has required a...

Written Answers — Community Employment Schemes: Community Employment Schemes (13 Mar 2008)

Micheál Martin: Community Employment (CE) is an active labour market programme designed to provide eligible long term unemployed people and other disadvantaged persons with an opportunity to engage in useful work within their communities on a fixed term basis. CE helps unemployed people to re-enter the open labour market by breaking their experience of unemployment through a return to a work routine and to...

Written Answers — Retail Sector: Retail Sector (13 Mar 2008)

Micheál Martin: Since the abolition of the Groceries Order, the Consumer Price Index shows that the price of alcohol decreased initially by 4.1% during the period March 2006 to December 2006. During this period the price of spirits decreased by 8.1%, wine and cider by 3.3% and beer by 1.3%. Since December 2006, CSO price statistics use that month as a base. The previous base was December 2001. Between...

Unemployment Rate: Motion (2 Apr 2008)

Micheál Martin: I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "—commends the Government on the successful management of the economy which has placed Ireland in the top 4 of the 27 EU Member States in terms of job creation and the second most competitive economy in the European Jobs and Growth Monitor; notes that exports continue to grow, inward investment...

Unemployment Rate: Motion (2 Apr 2008)

Micheál Martin: With respect, those are the facts. The number of jobs created in the last three years is very significant. We have moved from a workforce of one million, 12 years ago, to more than two million now. Yet all the debate and the rhetoric would suggest none of that happened and that it was all a mirage. We need some reality and perspective. I certainly accept reasoned debate as regards the...

Unemployment Rate: Motion (2 Apr 2008)

Micheál Martin: I am glad to note that the Ceann Comhairle is heading that way.

Unemployment Rate: Motion (2 Apr 2008)

Micheál Martin: Economic migration is a challenging debate for us. I have brought in a green card system to facilitate the attraction of high-skilled persons with their families to this society. Only approximately 1,000 were facilitated last year since the scheme was introduced. However, I am conscious it is not a popular message to send out. If we are serious about competitiveness, we must heed what...

Unemployment Rate: Motion (2 Apr 2008)

Micheál Martin: There is a company developing something for the hair as well but the conservative within me is loath to chance it.

Unemployment Rate: Motion (2 Apr 2008)

Micheál Martin: Deputy Varadkar mentioned Allergan. What happened in Arklow is extremely disappointing for the workers and all concerned. We will work hard to replace that and get in alternative employment. It has a different operation in Mayo. Mayo is the sole manufacturing site for botox in the world. When I say botox, people should not think only of the face, etc. Botox is a remarkable drug which has...

Unemployment Rate: Motion (2 Apr 2008)

Micheál Martin: It is an outstanding tribute to the management and staff there. Our challenge is to get an increased level of that type of activity in Ireland so that those locations become the key ones for global companies and that we retain our position. The Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Ryan, is working actively on the broadband issue. We have made extraordinary...

Written Answers — Ministerial Appointments: Ministerial Appointments (2 Apr 2008)

Micheál Martin: The Inter-Departmental Group will comprise of officials from the Departments of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and Education and Science. It will be chaired by Minister Seán Haughey T.D., and will formally convene for the first time later this month.

Written Answers — Social Partnership: Social Partnership (2 Apr 2008)

Micheál Martin: The Consumer Strategy Group in its report "Making Consumers Count" expressed the view that the consumer voice should be represented at the social partnership table. To that end the Group included a specific recommendation in its report that social partnership should be expanded to include consumer representation on both the Government and voluntary sides. The High Level Inter-Departmental...

Written Answers — Work Permits: Work Permits (2 Apr 2008)

Micheál Martin: The Employment Permits Section of my Department informs me that they have no record of a valid application being made in this case.

Written Answers — Dispute Resolution: Dispute Resolution (2 Apr 2008)

Micheál Martin: The management of IDA Ireland's industrial property portfolio is a day-to-day operational matter for the Agency, as part of the statutory responsibility assigned to it by the Oireachtas and it is not a matter in which I have a function. I have been informed by IDA Ireland that, in July 2006, it first received correspondence from the owner of the property in question in which he expressed an...