Results 8,661-8,680 of 16,057 for speaker:Mary Coughlan

Written Answers — Industrial Development: Industrial Development (24 Sep 2008)

Mary Coughlan: 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 the Minister of the day has any involvement. I have been informed by IDA Ireland that the Agency acquired 37 acres of land at Westport for development into a flagship Business...

Written Answers — Company Closures: Company Closures (24 Sep 2008)

Mary Coughlan: The company in question is a client of Enterprise Ireland. The agency has been working with the company particularly over the last three years. However, in the middle of August this year, the company informed its staff and then publicly announced that it intended to close as of 31 October 2008. Enterprise Ireland will continue to work with the company to assist in whatever way possible. I...

Written Answers — FÁS Training Programmes: FÁS Training Programmes (24 Sep 2008)

Mary Coughlan: Given the significant reduction in construction related activity and the subsequent increase in the numbers of construction workers who have been made redundant, I am very conscious of the need to try and accommodate apprentices in the completion of their apprenticeships. To achieve this, both my Department and FÁS have been actively examining this issue and have put in place a series of...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (24 Sep 2008)

Mary Coughlan: The table below outlines the number of Civil Servants in my Constituency Office and those of my Junior Ministers within the Department. The table also sets out the salary pay scale for each staff member: Constituency Office Grade Salary (Pay Scale) per annum Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade & Employment 1 Executive Officer €31,394–€49,809 Minister for Science, Technology...

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (24 Sep 2008)

Mary Coughlan: Donegal is a target location for the IDA with the County now competing for a different type of business to labour intensive manufacturing, which had been the key target over the past four decades. Overseas investors are 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 — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (24 Sep 2008)

Mary Coughlan: Bonuses, merit awards and other payments above basic salary for the heads of State Agencies and Boards under the aegis of my Department, are not approved directly by me. However, the Secretary General of my Department recommends for approval and onward transmission to the Department of Finance, performance related awards for certain senior Office holders in the following bodies: The Labour...

Written Answers — Industrial Development: Industrial Development (24 Sep 2008)

Mary Coughlan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 232, 233 and 237 together. IDA Ireland is the agency with statutory responsibility for the attraction of foreign direct investment (FDI) to Ireland and its regions. The marketing of individual areas for new or expansion FDI investments and jobs is a day-to-day operational matter for the Agency. While I may give general policy directives to the Agency, I am...

Written Answers — Industrial Development: Industrial Development (24 Sep 2008)

Mary Coughlan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 234 to 236, inclusive, together. IDA Ireland is the agency with statutory responsibility for the attraction of foreign direct investment (FDI) to Ireland and its regions. The marketing of individual areas for new or expansion FDI investments and jobs is a day-to-day operational matter for the Agency. While I may give general policy directives to the Agency, I...

Written Answers — State Property: State Property (24 Sep 2008)

Mary Coughlan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 238 to 242, inclusive, together. 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 the Minister of the day has any involvement. I am informed by IDA Ireland that, at present, the Agency has...

Written Answers — Community Employment Schemes: Community Employment Schemes (24 Sep 2008)

Mary Coughlan: 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 aims to facilitate unemployed people to re-enter the active workforce by breaking their experience of unemployment through a return to a work...

Written Answers — Services and Manufacturing Sectors: Services and Manufacturing Sectors (24 Sep 2008)

Mary Coughlan: While the Services Sector is clearly an important and growing source of employment and exports, the Manufacturing Sector is and will continue to be an integral component of the Irish economy. The sector continues to be a significant employer — the latest available data on manufacturing employment compiled by the Central Statistics Office (Earnings and Labour Costs Release) published in May...

Written Answers — FÁS Training Programmes: FÁS Training Programmes (24 Sep 2008)

Mary Coughlan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 248, 250 and 251 together. Over the past five years my Department's two key training providers FÁS and Skillnets provided upskilling and retraining to the following numbers of people: Year FÁS* Skillnets Total Trainees 2003 55,577 4,875 60,452 2004 47,543 4,875 52,418 2005 51,636 4,875 56,511 2006 48,947 23,058 72,005 2007 88,161 48,719 136,880 *...

Written Answers — Job Losses: Job Losses (24 Sep 2008)

Mary Coughlan: The table below sets out the numbers in employment/unemployment and the number of redundancies in the years 2004 to 2008. 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 Employment 1,834,600 1,931,600 2,021,100 2,101,600 2,108,500 (Q2) Employment Growth 44,500 97,000 89,500 80,500 6,900 (Q2) Unemployment 84,600 86,500 92,800 100,300 115,500 (Q2) Redundancies 25,041 23,156 23,684 25,459 23,545 (Jan-Aug)...

Written Answers — Job Losses: Job Losses (24 Sep 2008)

Mary Coughlan: Employment and unemployment are measured by the Quarterly National Household Survey and published by the Central Statistics Office. While an increase in unemployment (22,600) is recorded throughout the country in the last two years, this is more than exceeded by the increase in employment (87,500) in all regions in the same period bar a slight decrease in the Mid-West region. FÁS and the...

Written Answers — Consultancy Contracts: Consultancy Contracts (24 Sep 2008)

Mary Coughlan: €2,426,857 was spent by my Department on consultants in 2007 and €781,465 was expended on consultants in the first 6 months of 2008. These figures relate to consultancies as defined in the Department of Finance December 2006 "Guidelines for the Engagement of Consultants and Other External Support by the Civil Service".

Order of Business (25 Sep 2008)

Mary Coughlan: It is proposed to take No. 3, Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2008 — Second Stage (resumed). Private Members' business shall be No. 43, motion re the Irish economy (resumed) to be taken after the Order of Business and to conclude after 90 minutes, if not previously concluded.

Order of Business (25 Sep 2008)

Mary Coughlan: As the Deputy is aware, the committee charged with dealing with this matter met yesterday. We are trying to achieve a consensus. If such a consensus is forthcoming, further deliberations can be engaged in and decisions can be made. However, it would be appropriate to allow the committee to complete its deliberations. My party has submitted a detailed proposal on this matter and it is on...

Order of Business (25 Sep 2008)

Mary Coughlan: This is an extremely important issue and if we are to address it, the most appropriate and mature way of doing so would be through consensus. I believe that is the considered view of the majority of Members of the House. I refer to the submissions. The committee agreed on the methodology by which people would put forward their views. The legal advisers would then assess that and a decision...

Order of Business (25 Sep 2008)

Mary Coughlan: There is a process in respect of the budget which has been established for many years. The Minister for Finance indicated he would make as much information as possible available to Members of the House within the normal budgetary constraints. On the last issue and the little quip, I work within the realms of the Department of Finance's regulations, as do all my colleagues.

Order of Business (25 Sep 2008)

Mary Coughlan: As the Deputy knows, we are currently dealing with a number of Bills, including the employment law compliance Bill, which is a huge piece of legislation, an industrial relations amendment Bill, an industrial development Bill and the Employment Agency Regulation Bill. One or two of those Bills will have to be amended to reflect the agreement. That will be on the basis that the agreement is...