Results 8,481-8,500 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe

Written Answers — Employment Support Services: Employment Support Services (29 Sep 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Employer Job (PRSI) Incentive Scheme is a scheme introduced by Government to act as a direct stimulus to job creation by giving employers a PRSI exemption for taking on new workers who have been unemployed for six months or more. Responsibility for the implementation of the scheme rests with my colleague the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Eamonn Ó Cuiv and information in...

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (29 Sep 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Forfás Annual Employment Survey reports on job gains and losses in companies that are supported by the Industrial Development agencies. Data is compiled on an annualised basis and is aggregated at county level. Therefore, overall figures for 2010 will not be available until early 2011. Information is provided by companies for statistical purposes only and due to data protection and...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (29 Sep 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The amount spent by my Department on mobile phone bills since 2007 is as follows: Year € 2007 €152,834 2008 146,155 2009 125,719 Jan – Jun 2010 60,944 The number of staff in the Department with mobile phones paid for by the Department has varied over the years but in August 2010 the number was 152. The mobile phone operator who has a contract with my Department is Vodafone. That...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (29 Sep 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The number of persons (full time equivalent (FTE)) employed in my Department, broken down by grade, is outlined in the following table. Grade Number of Staff Secretary General 1.00 Assistant Sec. 5.00 Special Adviser 2.00 Principal Officer 30.00 Assistant Principal 74.50 Admin. Officer 8.00 Higher Executive Officer 129.76 Executive Officer 227.90 Staff Officer 32.35 Clerical...

Written Answers — Trade Agreements: Trade Agreements (29 Sep 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: Ireland does not have any trade agreements with Middle Eastern countries. Trade policy is an EU competence and the EU is currently either in negotiation currently, or already has Trade agreements with both individual countries in that region or with country groupings such as the Gulf Cooperation Council. Specifically on Iraq, an EU Partnership and Cooperation Agreement was concluded with...

Written Answers — Industrial Development: Industrial Development (29 Sep 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The day-to-day management of IDA Ireland's industrial property portfolio is an operational matter for the agency and not one in which I have a function. I am informed by IDA Ireland that the agency hosted a site visit to the Fermoy Business & Technology Park by an overseas Life Sciences company on 11 November 2009. In addition, a second Life Sciences company visited Fermoy on 12 May 2010....

Written Answers — County Enterprise Boards: County Enterprise Boards (29 Sep 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: My Department officials have established that the Deputy is enquiring about a grant application to Longford County Enterprise Board (CEB). As agencies operating under the aegis of my Department, the role of the 35 CEBs is to provide support for micro-enterprises in the start-up and expansion phases, to promote and develop indigenous micro-enterprise potential and to stimulate economic...

Written Answers — Economic Competitiveness: Economic Competitiveness (29 Sep 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: Ireland's exports to China have expanded very significantly in recent years to the extent that we now have a trade surplus with that country. In addition, the number of Irish companies, which have established themselves in the country, has grown steadily. The Chinese market has been a strong performer in the Government's strategy to expand and diversify our exports. I have not been made...

Written Answers — Graduate Support Schemes: Graduate Support Schemes (29 Sep 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: Enterprise Ireland's (EI) support to graduates currently falls into two categories, the Graduates 4 International Growth (Pilot Programme) and the Enterprise Ireland International Graduate Programme. The Graduates 4 International Growth (G4IG) programme, which was launched on 30 August 2010, aims to place 50 top-level college graduates in export-led Irish firms. It is 18 months in duration,...

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (29 Sep 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: Agencies that come within my Department's remit are all non-commercial bodies, principally, though not exclusively, in the enterprise development sector such as Enterprise Ireland, IDA, County Enterprise Boards, etc., or on the regulatory side such as the Health and Safety Authority. A list of Agencies of my Department, detailing the date on which the Department received their Annual Report...

Written Answers — Ministerial Staff: Ministerial Staff (29 Sep 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: Table 1 below outlines the number of persons (full time equivalents), broken down by grade, employed in my constituency office and in those of my predecessors, including each Minister of State from 14th June 2007 to date in 2010. It also includes the salary and overtime costs for each individual. These figures do not include Special Advisers as they are not assigned to constituency offices....

Written Answers — Western Development Commission: Western Development Commission (29 Sep 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The staffing levels for each Department and its associated offices and agencies will be determined by an Employment Control Framework to be agreed with the Department of Finance. I do not anticipate that the staffing levels for my Departmental Group, including the Industrial Development Authority and Enterprise Ireland, will have an impact on the Western Development Commission. I am...

Written Answers — Departmental Properties: Departmental Properties (29 Sep 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1738 and 1739 together. My Department and the 8 Offices of my Department currently occupy 11 buildings within the State. A list of the buildings involved is in the tabular statement. With the exception of a building in Shannon occupied by the National Employment Rights Authority (NERA), none of the buildings or premises occupied by my Department and the 8...

Written Answers — Economic Competitiveness: Economic Competitiveness (29 Sep 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The National Competitiveness Council, whose work is underpinned by research and analysis carried out by Forfas, examined electricity costs as part of its "Costs of Doing Business in Ireland 2010" report, which was published last July. The report benchmarked industrial electricity prices for large energy users and for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) against a number of other EU...

Written Answers — State Banking Sector: State Banking Sector (29 Sep 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The provision of credit to our enterprise sector, especially to SMEs, should primarily come from a properly functioning banking sector. The whole focus of Government policy on banking since 2008 has been to return the banks to a position where they can access funds and lend these funds on to viable businesses and households to support enterprise growth and economic recovery. Government has...

Written Answers — Commercial Credit: Commercial Credit (30 Sep 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 296 and 298 together. The provision of credit to our enterprise sector, especially to SMEs, should primarily come from a properly functioning banking sector. The whole focus of Government policy on banking since 2008 has been to return the banks to a position where they can access funds and lend these funds on to viable businesses and households to support...

Written Answers — Economic Competitiveness: Economic Competitiveness (30 Sep 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: A Renewed Programme for Government committed the Government to act on recommendations contained in Competition Authority reports within nine months of their publication. Following the above commitments given by the Government, my Department drew up an initial prioritised list of 21 recommendations, based on their impact on competitiveness. These 21 recommendations related, directly or...

Written Answers — Employment Support Services: Employment Support Services (30 Sep 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: My Department does not provide direct funding or grants to businesses but provides funding to a number of State Agencies, including the County and City Enterprise Boards, CEBs, and Enterprise Ireland, through whom assistance is delivered directly to businesses. Subject to certain eligibility criteria new and developing micro-enterprises may qualify for financial support from the CEBs in the...

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (30 Sep 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: At present, there are over 350 Enterprise Ireland client companies in South Dublin employing almost 12,000 people. So far this year, Enterprise Ireland has paid out over €9 million to client companies in South Dublin including Tallaght. The agency has been actively engaged with its client companies in the region and has a number of supports and initiatives in place to assist them...

Written Answers — Industrial Development: Industrial Development (30 Sep 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: I have been informed by IDA Ireland that, during 2008, 2009 and to date in 2010, there have been a total of 11 site visits by potential investors to a variety of locations throughout County Kerry. Details of the locations of those visits are set out in the following tabular statement. Table showing location of visits for each of the years 2008, 2009 and to date in 2010 YEAR LOCATION TOTAL...