Results 8,781-8,800 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (16 Dec 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The number of persons employed in my Department on a short-term, temporary or consultative basis in the years 2009 and 2010 and the cost involved is set out in the following table. Fixed Term Contracts: Category No of Contracts 2009 Cost of Contracts 2009 No of Contracts 2010 Cost of Contracts 2010 Public Servantspreviously Fixed Term Contracts2 - 5 year durationi.e. primarily appointed...

Written Answers — Export Credit Insurance Scheme: Export Credit Insurance Scheme (12 Jan 2011)

Batt O'Keeffe: This issue has recently been thoroughly assessed by my Department. Following the difficulties being experienced by some companies seeking Export Credit Insurance in 2009, my predecessor, the Tánaiste Mary Coughlan TD, arranged that an independent forensic examination of the Export Credit Insurance market in Ireland should be carried out to establish the desirability and merits of a...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (12 Jan 2011)

Batt O'Keeffe: The ICT needs of my private and constituency offices located in Kildare Street is met from a pool of equipment and software created to meet the business needs across my Department. Records of costs would therefore relate to batches of items procured by my Department rather than individual items specifically used by my office. My Department has no records in relation to my constituency...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (12 Jan 2011)

Batt O'Keeffe: The amount paid by my Department, including Professional Services Withholding Tax, to Indecon Economic Consultants in the past five years is set out in the table below. Year Amount Paidâ'¬ 2006 45,799.70 2007 156,018.60 2008 74,163.19 2009 - 2010 - The payments were made in respect of Value of Money Reviews on Science Foundation Ireland, Training people with disabilities and an...

Written Answers — Departmental Websites: Departmental Websites (12 Jan 2011)

Batt O'Keeffe: Information on websites maintained by Agencies of the Department is a day-to-day matter for the Agencies. My Department and its Offices maintain a variety of websites related to their differing functions. These sites along with their associated costs and average monthly unique visits for 2010 are shown in the table below. Website Cost of maintaining the website in 2010 Average number of...

Written Answers — Consultancy Contracts: Consultancy Contracts (12 Jan 2011)

Batt O'Keeffe: During 2009, my Department commissioned EPS Consulting to measure a prioritised list of 31 Information Obligations in Company Law, Employment Law and Health & Safety Law. The total cost of the project, including the Report presented in December 2009, was €58,249. To date, my Department has paid fees totalling €55,880 to consultants other than EPS Consulting in relation to the...

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (12 Jan 2011)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Enterprise Development agency figures for jobs created are compiled annually in the Forfás Annual Employment Survey, the most up to date of which details employment figures up until 2009. The figures are in respect of numbers of persons employed in firms assisted by IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland and Shannon Development, together with those assisted by the County Enterprise Boards...

Written Answers — Retail Sector Developments: Retail Sector Developments (12 Jan 2011)

Batt O'Keeffe: I have not made a submission to the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government on the review of the retail planning guidelines. I will make my views known to Government when the issue is brought to it for consideration.

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (12 Jan 2011)

Batt O'Keeffe: No expenditure was incurred by my Department in the period in question on opinion polling. Occasionally, my Department or one of its Offices (Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement, Companies Registrations Office etc.) commissions research involving focus groups as part of their evidence-based policy-making work. In this regard, the information requested by the Deputy in relation to...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (12 Jan 2011)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 893 and 894 together. The number and the total cost of paying for mobile telephones including BlackBerries in my Department and the Offices of my Department in the years 2006 to 2010 inclusive is set out in the following Tabular Statement. Number and cost of Mobile Telephones Year Number of Mobile Telephones Mobile Telephone Costs 2006 250 â'¬196,100...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (12 Jan 2011)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Patent Royalty Exemption has been costed at €50m based on 2008 figures using the initial revenue loss method. A total of 165 companies were claiming the relief in 2008. The benefits of the exemption included providing an incentive for the commercialisation of R&D, reducing the cost of undertaking R&D for SMEs and removing the competitive disadvantage for SMEs associated with an...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (12 Jan 2011)

Batt O'Keeffe: I understand that the person in question is pursuing a training course in a college which comes under the remit of Teagasc. As Teagasc is an agency of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, it would be more appropriate for the Deputy to address his query to that Department. There are no grants available from my Department's agencies for such courses.

Written Answers — Legal Services: Legal Services (12 Jan 2011)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 897 to 899, inclusive, together. In the short time available to me since these three Questions were tabled by the Deputy, I am unable to provide the significant level of detailed information sought in each Question. My Department has, however, begun the process of collating the information requested and I will communicate further with the Deputy once that...

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (12 Jan 2011)

Batt O'Keeffe: I announced the first call for expressions of interest in Innovation Fund Ireland on 23 September 2010. Enterprise Ireland and the National Pensions Reserve Fund (NPRF) will manage the Fund and investors had until 26th November 2010 to signal their interest in establishing a presence here. Now that this deadline has passed, Enterprise Ireland and the NPRF are in the process of evaluating...

Written Answers — Ministerial Appointments: Ministerial Appointments (13 Jan 2011)

Batt O'Keeffe: All appointments made between 14 December 2010 and 13 January 2011, to bodies under the aegis of my Department are set out below. The Labour Court Body Name of Appointee Remuneration – Salaried Position Labour Court Kevin Duffy - Chairman €176,800 per annum Labour Court Jerry Shanahan - Member €104, 481 per annum Chairman Section 10 (3) of the Industrial Relations Act 1946 provides...

Illegal Downloading of Copyright Material (18 Jan 2011)

Batt O'Keeffe: I thank Deputy John Cregan for raising this extremely important issue and assure him that it will get my priority attention. As regards the issue of illegal downloading of copyright material on the Internet, the first point I would make is that rights' holders of such copyright material already have a legal remedy to pursue anyone downloading such material. Under existing legislation, any...

Written Answers — Industrial Development: Industrial Development (18 Jan 2011)

Batt O'Keeffe: During 2010, IDA supported 985 companies. I have been informed by IDA that total employment in IDA Ireland supported companies increased to 138,968 in 2010. IDA Ireland client companies created a total of 10,897 new jobs in 2010, while IDA Ireland supported companies lost 9,545 jobs leaving an overall increase in IDA's total employment portfolio of 1,352. In the time available, it is not...

Written Answers — Ministerial Staff: Ministerial Staff (18 Jan 2011)

Batt O'Keeffe: The following table provides the names, job titles, salary scale and expenses of each non-civil service advisor employed by this Department in the years 2009, 2010 and to date in 2011. Travel and subsistence expenses shown on the table include expenses incurred on official business at home and abroad, with the exclusion of air fares. No expense claims have been received for 2011 to date. ...

Written Answers — Official Travel: Official Travel (18 Jan 2011)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 425, 426 and 428 together. In the time available, it has not been possible for my officials to compile all of the information requested by the Deputy in respect of foreign ministerial travel and foreign travel by officials of my Department and its Offices. However, I will forward the details to the Deputy in writing as soon as possible. With regard to the...

Written Answers — Official Travel: Official Travel (18 Jan 2011)

Batt O'Keeffe: The information requested by the Deputy is set out below. Minister Date Hotel Purpose Cost 2009 Tánaiste (Mary Coughlan TD) 28/7/09 Radisson Blu Hotel, Limerick Publication of Mid-West Task Force Report €100 Tánaiste (Mary Coughlan TD) 29/10/09 Clayton Hotel, Galway IDA announcement €79 Tánaiste (Mary Coughlan TD) 5/11/09 Strand Hotel, Limerick Shannon Development announcement...