Results 8,061-8,080 of 16,057 for speaker:Mary Coughlan

Order of Business (8 May 2008)

Mary Coughlan: An féidir libh fanacht ar feadh bomaite?

Order of Business (8 May 2008)

Mary Coughlan: Gabhaim buíochas le mo chomhghleacaithe as ucht an méid a bhí le rá acu agus as chomh cairdíúil agus atá siad. Is pribhléid mór dom í go bhfuil mé ag obair le comhghleacaithe mar an Teachta McGinley agus an Teachta McHugh. Bhí an Teachta McHugh ag iarraidh rud éigin uaim ach níl a fhios agam faoi sin ach bhí an Teachta McGinley lán dáiríre. Níl a fhios againn ag an am...

Written Answers — EU Funding: EU Funding (8 May 2008)

Mary Coughlan: The Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (2007-2013) contains a financial instrument, the SME Guarantee Facility that aims to improve the financial environment for SMEs by facilitating their access to debt and equity finance. The European Commission published a Notice in the Official Journal of the European Union on 26 September 2007 addressed to financial intermediaries for...

Written Answers — Research Funding: Research Funding (8 May 2008)

Mary Coughlan: On 6th May 2008 new Regulations to amend the remit of Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) to include sustainable energy and energy-efficient technologies were signed into law. The Regulations (SI No 134 /2008) are in fulfilment of the commitment in the Programme for Government 2007-2012 to amend the remit of SFI to include a third research pillar in these areas. The Regulations prescribe...

Written Answers — Employment Rights: Employment Rights (8 May 2008)

Mary Coughlan: I understand that the trade union in question has not made a complaint to the Labour Court regarding a possible breach of the Construction REA regarding this construction site. As the Deputy knows, enforcement of the provisions of a Registered Employment Agreement (REA) may be effected by direct complaint to the Labour Court. A trade union may complain to the Labour Court that a particular...

Written Answers — Work Permits: Work Permits (8 May 2008)

Mary Coughlan: The Employment Permits Section of my Department informs me that this application was refused on the grounds that it is current Government policy to issue new employment permits for highly skilled highly paid positions or for non-EEA nationals already legally resident in the State on valid employment permits. Furthermore, the proposed employee is currently resident in the State on a Student...

Written Answers — Employment Rights: Employment Rights (8 May 2008)

Mary Coughlan: Irish employment law applies to all workers including agency workers. Accordingly, I understand that agency workers who enter into or work under a contract of employment can, under the terms of the Minimum Notice and Terms of Employment Acts 1973 to 2005, qualify for minimum notice in respect of termination of employment. Its application will depend on individual circumstances. Given the...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (8 May 2008)

Mary Coughlan: Sections 48 and 49 are the relevant sections of the Consumer Protection Act 2007 which seek to restrict the manner in which traders impose additional charges on consumers solely by reason of the method of payment chosen by the consumer. The Deputy will be aware that on the commencement of the Consumer Protection Act 2007 in May last year, sections 48 and 49 were not commenced. A public...

Written Answers — Job Protection: Job Protection (8 May 2008)

Mary Coughlan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 278 and 279 together. The Redundancy Payments Section of my Department has had no application for a rebate in respect of any sum paid to employees by way of statutory redundancy from the construction company in question. The purpose of the Redundancy Payments Scheme is to compensate workers, under the Redundancy Payments Acts, 1967 to 2007, for the loss of...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (8 May 2008)

Mary Coughlan: My Department makes in excess of 9,000 payments each year. Due to the volume of transactions in question, it is not feasible to provide the information sought in the level of detail requested by the Deputy. However, the Deputy may wish to note that my Department is subject to the provisions of the European Communities (Late Payment in Commercial Transactions) Regulations, 2002. Under these...

Written Answers — Community Employment Schemes: Community Employment Schemes (8 May 2008)

Mary Coughlan: It is assumed that the Deputy is referring to the minimum hours that are required to be worked in order to be eligible for certain FÁS employment programmes for people with disabilities. In this regard the significant employment support schemes provided by FÁS for people with disabilities are as follows: The Wage Subsidy Scheme is available to all employers (except public service employers...

Written Answers — Unemployment Levels: Unemployment Levels (8 May 2008)

Mary Coughlan: Unemployment has increased by 15,200 in the three-year period since 2004 and must be seen in the context of the substantial increase in employment by 242,500 in the same period. The number of people currently in employment is 2,138,900. It is generally accepted that the strong rate of growth experienced over the past few years could not continue and the economy is now entering a period of...

Written Answers — Budget Submissions: Budget Submissions (8 May 2008)

Mary Coughlan: The Minister for Finance normally holds a formal bilateral meeting with the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment each year as part of the Estimates process, to discuss the Department's requirements for the year ahead. As my Department's records relating to the Estimates process for the period 2000 to 2004 are stored off-site, it has not been possible, in the time available to my...

Written Answers — Employment Levels: Employment Levels (8 May 2008)

Mary Coughlan: The average workforce in Ireland for the years 1998 to 2007 is set out in the following table. This is based on the average number of people employed per year as calculated in the Quarterly National Household Survey published by the Central Statistics Office. The increase in the average numbers in employment in the last ten years is 596,000 or 39%. Year 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (8 May 2008)

Mary Coughlan: The direct costs associated with the implementation of the payroll function by my Department is set out in Table 1. Due to the fact that the payroll function is administered by a sub-section of a much larger Finance Unit, it is not possible to provide details of indirect overhead costs, such as heating, electricity consumption, etc. Many of the agencies under the aegis of my Department...

Written Answers — : (8 May 2008)

Mary Coughlan: My Department's Work Life Balance campaign for 2008 involved a poster campaign in each of the Department's buildings, followed by an office notice circulated to all staff advising of the various Work Life Balance options available to them. Relevant information was also made available on the Department's intranet site and in its Human Resources Management Handbook. The Work Life Balance...

Written Answers — Work Permits: Work Permits (8 May 2008)

Mary Coughlan: The Employment Permits Section of my Department informs me that this application was refused on the grounds that it is current Government policy to issue new employment permits for highly skilled highly paid positions or for non-EEA nationals already legally resident in the State on valid employment permits. Furthermore, the position on offer is one of the occupational categories currently...

Written Answers — Industrial Development: Industrial Development (8 May 2008)

Mary Coughlan: The establishment of an Innovation Voucher initiative was a key recommendation of the Small Business Forum in the 2006 report "Small Business is Big Business" and was also the subject of a commitment in the Programme for Government 2007-2012. In March 2007, I announced the establishment of a €10m Innovation Voucher fund, which is being administered by Enterprise Ireland. The Innovation...

Written Answers — Industrial Development: Industrial Development (8 May 2008)

Mary Coughlan: The Small Business Forum in its 2006 report "Small Business is Big Business" sought that Knowledge Acquisition Grants would be provided to small businesses in Manufacturing & Internationally Traded services. The Programme for Government 2007-2012 contained a commitment that such grants would be provided to enable small business in the manufacturing and internationally traded service sectors...

Written Answers — Industrial Development: Industrial Development (8 May 2008)

Mary Coughlan: The Government Strategy for Science Development and Innovation 2006-2013 has identified a seven year programme which aims to ensure that Ireland will be at the forefront in generating and using new knowledge for economic and social progress. In the delivery of this Strategy a number of Government Agencies including IDA, Enterprise Ireland and Science Foundation Ireland have put in place a...