Results 6,621-6,640 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Order of Business (6 Oct 2010)

Richard Bruton: This is exactly my question. This involves a series of both primary and secondary legislation in order to move this logjam and nothing is happening. No one is driving the agenda effectively.

Order of Business (6 Oct 2010)

Richard Bruton: The Taoiseach is responsible for the co-ordination of Government. This is a matter of cross-governmental responsibility, involving the Departments of Justice and Law Reform, the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and Enterprise, Trade and Innovation. We are perfectly entitled to ask whether the Government will propose initiatives to drive this programme? Businesses are doing...

Written Answers — National Minimum Wage: National Minimum Wage (7 Oct 2010)

Richard Bruton: Question 220: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation the minimum wages that apply in younger age categories and in training positions and the number of persons working at those rates [35594/10]

Written Answers — National Minimum Wage: National Minimum Wage (7 Oct 2010)

Richard Bruton: Question 221: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation the number of persons working at the adult minimum wage; the number of employers who have claimed inability to pay and if he has accessed the practicality of the design of the inability to pay provisions for employers in difficulty [35595/10]

Written Answers — Northern Ireland Issues: Northern Ireland Issues (12 Oct 2010)

Richard Bruton: Question 142: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will request the US Secretary of State and her Northern Ireland envoy (details supplied) to promote the Border region as a location for the new foreign direct investment at the Northern Ireland enterprise conference that she will host in Washington on 19 October 2010; to acknowledge the importance of foreign direct investment in...

Written Answers — Millennium Development Goals: Millennium Development Goals (12 Oct 2010)

Richard Bruton: Question 92: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will report on his visit to the United Nations in relation to the review of the millennium goals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36013/10]

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (12 Oct 2010)

Richard Bruton: Question 407: To ask the Minister for Social Protection if a decision has been made regarding the payment of a Christmas bonus to social welfare recipients in 2010; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35780/10]

Departmental Strategy Statements (13 Oct 2010)

Richard Bruton: Question 68: To ask the Minister for Enterprise; Trade and Innovation if he is satisfied with the effectiveness of the strategy pursued by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36682/10]

Departmental Strategy Statements (13 Oct 2010)

Richard Bruton: I thank the Minister for his reply, which, incidentally, talked all about the future and did not address the success of his Department. My difficulty with the Department is that it and the Minister make commitments and then simply ignore them. The Department's strategy statement stated that it would deliver 62 targets in 2009 and it only delivered on 24, including the ones on which it was...

Departmental Strategy Statements (13 Oct 2010)

Richard Bruton: Why is the Department consistently failing to deliver the targets it sets for itself? I want to ask the Minister, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe, specifically about his target of taking €500 million off compliance costs for business. We are half way through that programme and the Department has delivered 4%; it is 96% off target. The Minister has failed to deal with the National Competitiveness...

Departmental Strategy Statements (13 Oct 2010)

Richard Bruton: Pull the other one. That is completely nonsense.

Departmental Strategy Statements (13 Oct 2010)

Richard Bruton: The Minister is 50% off on the Department's export sales target for last year. He is 50% off on the Department's employment target for last year. He is off on the Department's trade performance target for last year, its business costs and its commitment on competitiveness. He is off on every one of them, and then he expects us to believe him when he states he will create 300,000 jobs,...

Departmental Strategy Statements (13 Oct 2010)

Richard Bruton: I am asking the Minister about his Department's performance last year, which he reported to the Oireachtas, and he is not willing to answer for his failures.

Departmental Strategy Statements (13 Oct 2010)

Richard Bruton: Not if the Minister ignores the question.

Departmental Strategy Statements (13 Oct 2010)

Richard Bruton: The Leas-Cheann Comhairle will note that the Minister does not answer any of the questions that are his responsibility, about which the question was addressed.

Departmental Staff (13 Oct 2010)

Richard Bruton: I thank the Minister of State for his reply. However, it did not answer my question which was whether his Department has appointed any persons with experience in the private sector to senior positions. I take it from his contribution that the answer is "no" in that he explained the procedure and how open it is but did not indicate the outcome. As I understand it, across all Departments, of...

Departmental Staff (13 Oct 2010)

Richard Bruton: The Minister of State is getting good at avoiding questions. He is learning from his master.

Departmental Staff (13 Oct 2010)

Richard Bruton: That is not what we are saying. May I ask the Minister of State a question?

Departmental Staff (13 Oct 2010)

Richard Bruton: Are we being told that there are absolutely no people with private sector experience who are fit persons to hold a senior position in the public service? That is what the Minister of State is implying. Surely his own Department, which deals day to day with enterprise, ought to be open to bringing some of those people and those skills in-house. Can the Department not employ somebody as the...

Departmental Staff (13 Oct 2010)

Richard Bruton: Is that more than zero?