Results 8,561-8,580 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Industrial Disputes: Industrial Disputes (6 Jun 2012)

Richard Bruton: I welcome the fact that a mutually acceptable resolution was found to bring an end to the long running dispute at the Vita Cortex factory. I am conscious of the toll that the events have taken on the workers and their families since 16 December 2011 when 32 workers began the sit-in at the factory arising from a dispute with their former employer over extra-statutory redundancy payments. The...

Written Answers — Ministerial Appointments: Ministerial Appointments (6 Jun 2012)

Richard Bruton: I assume that the Deputy is referring to appointments to my private Office. I confirm that I have made no such appointments in the period since March 2012.

Written Answers — Industrial Development: Industrial Development (6 Jun 2012)

Richard Bruton: The provision of property and infrastructural solutions is a key element of IDA Ireland's offerings to potential investors to the regions. The strategy of developing and maintaining lands and property solutions in advance of securing new mobile investments has been a fundamental differentiator in IDA's marketing efforts with overseas clients. I am informed by IDA that its Roscommon Business...

Written Answers — Work Permits: Work Permits (6 Jun 2012)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that this Work Permit application was refused on the 9th February 2012. An appeal was received in respect of this decision on the 1st March 2012 and the decision to refuse this application was upheld on 2nd May 2012. As the application has now been refused on appeal there is no further action that can be taken in this instance. However, it is possible for the...

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (6 Jun 2012)

Richard Bruton: The figures in respect of jobs in Enterprise Development agency-supported companies and those supported by the County and City Enterprise Boards (CEBs) are compiled in the Forfás Annual Employment Survey and the CEB Annual Employment Survey respectively on an annualised basis. The figures in respect of jobs created in Enterprise Development agency-supported companies and those in companies...

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (6 Jun 2012)

Richard Bruton: Statistics relating to foreign direct investment ( FDI) are reported on an annual basis and are published in the IDA's Annual Report. The number of FDI investments won for this country , together with the number of new jobs created in IDA client companies in each of the years 2009, 2010 and 2011 is set out on the tabular statement below. When deciding on investment locations, Foreign Direct...

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (6 Jun 2012)

Richard Bruton: The 2012 Action Plan for Jobs identifies a number of key economic sectors which the Government will focus on to promote employment opportunities. These sectors include Construction, Manufacturing, Wholesale & Retail, and Tourism, all of which are labour intensive. The Action Plan identifies a number of specific actions to facilitate the development of these sectors. Among the key actions...

Job Losses (7 Jun 2012)

Richard Bruton: I thank the Deputy for raising these matters. The expiry of the patent on products manufactured by Pfizer has, unfortunately, resulted in the announcement of the loss of 177 positions in Cork this week. My thoughts are, obviously, with the workers and their families. All the applicable supports of the State will be made available to the workers if they are needed. I have spoken to the...

Job Losses (7 Jun 2012)

Richard Bruton: The situation is not quite as the Deputy projects. Rent is certainly cited as a factor in the examinership of Atlantic Homecare but the big factor is the collapse in revenue. That is clearly stated by the company, and is not untypical of many companies closely connected to the construction sector. Deputy O'Dea raises a fundamental point of company law. To move from a system that allows the...

Job Creation (7 Jun 2012)

Richard Bruton: Ireland has suffered an enormous dislocation of employment as a result of the deep financial crisis and serious policy failures of the previous Government. In the three years prior to the Government taking office, over 300,000 jobs were lost. This scale of job loss cannot be reversed overnight. This employment crisis is the central challenge facing Government. In response, the Government...

Job Creation (7 Jun 2012)

Richard Bruton: I fully agree that the biggest crisis we face as a nation is the employment crisis. I do not dispute that. To be honest, I had no role in the scheduling of the timing of Question Time.

Job Creation (7 Jun 2012)

Richard Bruton: I take them at whatever is the appointed time. We are undertaking a difficult transformation in the economy. That is the truth of the matter. We built a property bubble that was unsustainable. Part of it meant the construction sector grew well beyond what was sustainable in the long term. The reason we have seen the huge rise in unemployment is the wipe-out of the construction sector....

Action Plan for Jobs (7 Jun 2012)

Richard Bruton: I have met the representatives of small businesses in north Dublin, including Drumcondra and Clontarf, and recently held a public meeting with small businesses across the north side to discuss the action plan for jobs. The concerns raised included access to finance, competitiveness of costs, prompt payments, VAT thresholds, enterprise supports, regulatory burdens, employer costs and sectoral...

Action Plan for Jobs (7 Jun 2012)

Richard Bruton: I do not accept that the needs of small business are not receiving sufficient attention. In my Department the Minister of State, Deputy John Perry, specialises in supporting small businesses and has been active in that regard. This is not to say the problems have been solved. Far from it, but we have access to finance and a micro-finance initiative for small businesses is being worked on,...

Economic Competitiveness (7 Jun 2012)

Richard Bruton: The action plan for jobs 2012 which was published on 13 February includes an extensive range of measures across government that will help to reduce costs for businesses and support job creation, including in each of the areas identified by the Deputy. For example, the majority of local authorities have reduced or frozen their annual rates of valuation at 2011 levels, NAMA is taking action to...

Economic Competitiveness (7 Jun 2012)

Richard Bruton: The Deputy has raised several issues that are not my direct responsibility. Accordingly, I cannot give him comprehensive answers on these and would advise him to table questions to the relevant Ministers. The ESB is undergoing a cost-reduction programme of 20% in its cost base. The valuation (amendment) Bill will be introduced to deal with commercial rates as has the legal services Bill....

Economic Competitiveness (7 Jun 2012)

Richard Bruton: Deputy O'Dea is simply wrong. The Government did not increase any of the employment related costs, neither income tax nor PRSI. In fact, it reduced PRSI and took people out of the universal social charge. We actually reduced the costs on employment directly in the last budget. It was the previous Administration that did what the Deputy has just claimed. Action is being taken against...

Economic Competitiveness (7 Jun 2012)

Richard Bruton: The statistics would not support that claim.

Controlled Product Exports (7 Jun 2012)

Richard Bruton: In accordance with national and EU legislation, my Department is responsible for issuing licenses for exports of dual use items outside the EU, certain military products both within and outside the EU and for implementing EU trade sanctions. The first report on the operation of the Control of Exports Act 2008 was published in September 2011. One of the most significant aspects of this...

Controlled Product Exports (7 Jun 2012)

Richard Bruton: As I indicated, I will look at the issue. There is quite a bit of transparency in the existing document and, for example, it shows the military licences by destination. None of the countries to which the Deputy referred is on that list. There is quite a bit of information on the different types of products, setting out the criteria used which are pretty robust. The document details all...